tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70310901457518933532024-03-14T05:51:04.798-07:00Into the Great Wide OpenKrista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-31364178070124017322009-09-30T20:52:00.000-07:002009-09-30T21:39:36.610-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYJYxUBcMASjRMbsDmw4Fc4J84KNV8JZ5WE5O652F11z-n_NhTRRvKQFKDfuM7WvoVo3t7g7dvOkqhq_w_0LL5bCDwvFXB8fhUcoTtxvw2eHrb0n7HJTTrKKPXUPn9XEh5boO4bJK0S1K/s1600-h/9-30-09+051_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYJYxUBcMASjRMbsDmw4Fc4J84KNV8JZ5WE5O652F11z-n_NhTRRvKQFKDfuM7WvoVo3t7g7dvOkqhq_w_0LL5bCDwvFXB8fhUcoTtxvw2eHrb0n7HJTTrKKPXUPn9XEh5boO4bJK0S1K/s200/9-30-09+051_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387486523801487890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZ2-ZAQCXzJoY44UpinZeEurFQfhXS9MuuL5ffQ4nG7o1G5RXJ2wyuiZR3sUaofIf6Z5p1pYjE01G9Luvtulbvt16i6AQZTdCciYcg7plKVYpPouZj-UHYgpgNmAu97NZhyphenhyphenAhlz5-2Z6e/s1600-h/9-30-09+057_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZ2-ZAQCXzJoY44UpinZeEurFQfhXS9MuuL5ffQ4nG7o1G5RXJ2wyuiZR3sUaofIf6Z5p1pYjE01G9Luvtulbvt16i6AQZTdCciYcg7plKVYpPouZj-UHYgpgNmAu97NZhyphenhyphenAhlz5-2Z6e/s200/9-30-09+057_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387486516232823346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIPuLlLDq2LeQ7veqfh9kzdeyWPnIbIN18em1QKSzfzMpJ2i6vb17TcDQv7CaS-BFMYrZqPZbdciio-UyIdWkqp62yrNIdfEmbtVk81fgPLEEoub8rYZsktNlGGrkQlxrFeAQ8bD5lN8W/s1600-h/9-30-09+058_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIPuLlLDq2LeQ7veqfh9kzdeyWPnIbIN18em1QKSzfzMpJ2i6vb17TcDQv7CaS-BFMYrZqPZbdciio-UyIdWkqp62yrNIdfEmbtVk81fgPLEEoub8rYZsktNlGGrkQlxrFeAQ8bD5lN8W/s200/9-30-09+058_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387486511421725970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aP9AG7O3fuTXwQvVC5I5vIwRO8g2vQJ0Qg32v_pKJn7_R_ePWvA48ovbDhOP0lu6Edpdhsm_pWWBygu7WY2ZY2brabPDhvYsDPl2Pkei81B0ZgVbQXA9FexG7sERd5fkk4PoGANOvdbc/s1600-h/9-30-09+066_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aP9AG7O3fuTXwQvVC5I5vIwRO8g2vQJ0Qg32v_pKJn7_R_ePWvA48ovbDhOP0lu6Edpdhsm_pWWBygu7WY2ZY2brabPDhvYsDPl2Pkei81B0ZgVbQXA9FexG7sERd5fkk4PoGANOvdbc/s200/9-30-09+066_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387486507585381106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzVnF9bMsaXC0a7fA9qw9Nxj1qGsNH2_Tv6gB5PNWhCD3g5apg1F5Wu2vqubG_-JTqKffBtKfVpxzgP7f9h7vQ45hvaZM2chK27MxxzHf_rjMdkKDXebMRZQtT_j0FUxYzWP2aJUT8nEH/s1600-h/9-30-09+072_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzVnF9bMsaXC0a7fA9qw9Nxj1qGsNH2_Tv6gB5PNWhCD3g5apg1F5Wu2vqubG_-JTqKffBtKfVpxzgP7f9h7vQ45hvaZM2chK27MxxzHf_rjMdkKDXebMRZQtT_j0FUxYzWP2aJUT8nEH/s200/9-30-09+072_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387486085207670306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c_lqfgaTjeXM1PdSLgNXY81M49f-7XDd1yaAmQhgd7DNUeIljEsvP8PcwRA3gay0K5bORB6P02OozhyFvIakCr8ZLep7Icn-fQZSD0BQZ2B0QZ7XYTvq8A17UazyO3H7B2SR8C9BHN2G/s1600-h/9-30-09+078_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c_lqfgaTjeXM1PdSLgNXY81M49f-7XDd1yaAmQhgd7DNUeIljEsvP8PcwRA3gay0K5bORB6P02OozhyFvIakCr8ZLep7Icn-fQZSD0BQZ2B0QZ7XYTvq8A17UazyO3H7B2SR8C9BHN2G/s200/9-30-09+078_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387486078629728962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_JXIYcvDLq5XEU187iefnNqqqoeTzK5rzzPCqfyrsJfq-_fiEYxgeidXcm98XP_cE4yWXGTArY_r1NJrFKesTk2pByJw53_vIpFTPvNvKYvihiL3zy5AQ43Jjk92EYNnvoVaWNRu2Ddn/s1600-h/9-30-09+083_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_JXIYcvDLq5XEU187iefnNqqqoeTzK5rzzPCqfyrsJfq-_fiEYxgeidXcm98XP_cE4yWXGTArY_r1NJrFKesTk2pByJw53_vIpFTPvNvKYvihiL3zy5AQ43Jjk92EYNnvoVaWNRu2Ddn/s200/9-30-09+083_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387486076158910882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30bztHh7J1_tjNyTTfhQrn0aj1CAW64k0stFIS6reSw452qa3RGFJqS5AmSbNx6VGSwjR_BDq0Ue1BAtUCSWI58xwKdl6bu2yLEZ-Q6tZz4ev5AY2OtClHVcZfePMe69_AKO6WDkqBS5J/s1600-h/9-30-09+085_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30bztHh7J1_tjNyTTfhQrn0aj1CAW64k0stFIS6reSw452qa3RGFJqS5AmSbNx6VGSwjR_BDq0Ue1BAtUCSWI58xwKdl6bu2yLEZ-Q6tZz4ev5AY2OtClHVcZfePMe69_AKO6WDkqBS5J/s200/9-30-09+085_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387486065549379474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnd-A8zozuBHevn0dlBFD0fjBPgbhNuTbx1hy0ciGscYZpJw_yg89dbW2S5XyNrw3rs5sm_dfRkM6gVUroBh_GycyIvbkd1oIU7FSdDQ8dtOL0rtAMhPQGuZWueUnBDvJ9Bu_BpNhhiMID/s1600-h/9-30-09+088_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnd-A8zozuBHevn0dlBFD0fjBPgbhNuTbx1hy0ciGscYZpJw_yg89dbW2S5XyNrw3rs5sm_dfRkM6gVUroBh_GycyIvbkd1oIU7FSdDQ8dtOL0rtAMhPQGuZWueUnBDvJ9Bu_BpNhhiMID/s200/9-30-09+088_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387486060895695042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGt0Vix1MUR0Evpgt_e1BMTWheQlcRol4soeNMtEEwEUDAF7pzPxXVSJqobTZAgXFcX7-Ge-we0dJVFFNnPW6AIcgkoxYTFunKYYAo5HsRGWeifNL1tc-t9uF-2T_FeWtwiovVgBk6MCsu/s1600-h/9-30-09+101_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGt0Vix1MUR0Evpgt_e1BMTWheQlcRol4soeNMtEEwEUDAF7pzPxXVSJqobTZAgXFcX7-Ge-we0dJVFFNnPW6AIcgkoxYTFunKYYAo5HsRGWeifNL1tc-t9uF-2T_FeWtwiovVgBk6MCsu/s200/9-30-09+101_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485694195197474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVO_z3rZpx2z7RVV9nv1asAdwOhUwC_6gX4KGIrTMGUPsoh0tqelBIVBFnV3fujB8caCaxgyFDSAgGUegDy-mRVQkSlzN66tlFigyhXZxTOnVVNKHkYW0CkZABt0P0sr112saG2L1FGfi/s1600-h/9-30-09+107_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVO_z3rZpx2z7RVV9nv1asAdwOhUwC_6gX4KGIrTMGUPsoh0tqelBIVBFnV3fujB8caCaxgyFDSAgGUegDy-mRVQkSlzN66tlFigyhXZxTOnVVNKHkYW0CkZABt0P0sr112saG2L1FGfi/s200/9-30-09+107_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485682459977458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzX5awFazyJpwuZukJTfqQG7tMjvsTn5Xrmfpb0InhvzBRThmuJb5Nhixl1SRoejuEeFVCSSNYDSfEhRwoqeMWhXBncCBoVTIGjrN6A9Wik_LXJz-fDFVaBBM28fjUwutejC6d2APJVmk/s1600-h/9-30-09+124_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzX5awFazyJpwuZukJTfqQG7tMjvsTn5Xrmfpb0InhvzBRThmuJb5Nhixl1SRoejuEeFVCSSNYDSfEhRwoqeMWhXBncCBoVTIGjrN6A9Wik_LXJz-fDFVaBBM28fjUwutejC6d2APJVmk/s200/9-30-09+124_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485679652300818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbPEWXrQ5Z_HRnDf25NB9-5O2d7M_7euqihD2ealRo-XtQfMIFZEtdQ9IhYDlJcdpk6XqmFgXqtVS6IOYy6zYoVEHFg6niYPer4hZbS3dLsBpAWwpobT7bkX461-IgMdRLIYoQBvtMRoB/s1600-h/9-30-09+130_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbPEWXrQ5Z_HRnDf25NB9-5O2d7M_7euqihD2ealRo-XtQfMIFZEtdQ9IhYDlJcdpk6XqmFgXqtVS6IOYy6zYoVEHFg6niYPer4hZbS3dLsBpAWwpobT7bkX461-IgMdRLIYoQBvtMRoB/s200/9-30-09+130_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485673743514866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_l5vmWU-A-u_hz0oZHRKgs7csLm9PKYqp4vOZrYqKQNeOr0RiUqeGk2MIFQevRIixynZZsbYiISMxR2teZt2DqdZncAIIYZio6dUdhUXIumYY5hW11Yl0fQvXTGaFJyQJrxpbd4N9A2N/s1600-h/9-30-09+K+009_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_l5vmWU-A-u_hz0oZHRKgs7csLm9PKYqp4vOZrYqKQNeOr0RiUqeGk2MIFQevRIixynZZsbYiISMxR2teZt2DqdZncAIIYZio6dUdhUXIumYY5hW11Yl0fQvXTGaFJyQJrxpbd4N9A2N/s200/9-30-09+K+009_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485666097379522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3RYEoyJLCVVRwli4YducUg1NzO819W8j_QApNDt8coEBYMQqSxNwPbiip9C28G0mxCftV9IC2S3Y6XqabrHsRZHuDA1CbR7OYXzgfTs00ig7wcWE8P-QswX7hw0FQNXb-aP648QK1v5d/s1600-h/9-30-09+K+013_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3RYEoyJLCVVRwli4YducUg1NzO819W8j_QApNDt8coEBYMQqSxNwPbiip9C28G0mxCftV9IC2S3Y6XqabrHsRZHuDA1CbR7OYXzgfTs00ig7wcWE8P-QswX7hw0FQNXb-aP648QK1v5d/s200/9-30-09+K+013_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485227310656306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4ejBvdelEvh4dhd0sCMr3WMfSCDNa8xra1qL_3lEQbf9RhcM34b_pwR3Hm28mPmYSDlqk90XAqDf92Zq4dz26KU7AsBhvFUNC5ob8FZzUTIhwWBSF887UUOgW7uQdA2JqGuVKjBic5GF/s1600-h/9-30-09+K+018_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4ejBvdelEvh4dhd0sCMr3WMfSCDNa8xra1qL_3lEQbf9RhcM34b_pwR3Hm28mPmYSDlqk90XAqDf92Zq4dz26KU7AsBhvFUNC5ob8FZzUTIhwWBSF887UUOgW7uQdA2JqGuVKjBic5GF/s200/9-30-09+K+018_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485219963823810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCS2ih_4Si-nE0eEwvPM4L1hoFCdMmNDLwXGdpCFNYJ0mSK6bBMRqU3XRiDBpCXYwKnUa8hDhtoOpbCMtBLwpabEyBI_aY0fa_MzsLskQjhYbdWdKXmxQR5luJJcsbhrSZdhLpkoP3KsH/s1600-h/9-30-09+K+021_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCS2ih_4Si-nE0eEwvPM4L1hoFCdMmNDLwXGdpCFNYJ0mSK6bBMRqU3XRiDBpCXYwKnUa8hDhtoOpbCMtBLwpabEyBI_aY0fa_MzsLskQjhYbdWdKXmxQR5luJJcsbhrSZdhLpkoP3KsH/s200/9-30-09+K+021_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485216952854642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_65-aYK3DpmvyEIKyzZUtM8lPrUIrjsVlfipZEG2fk2ZYgH23AqaX93eZ5pQ4_hS3RT3SG0dsudeDDnhul3UjEeU47QJBZo2cBwIqttK4-DHK2m2TzxRLGQkbmmLv8RWZ91iFiDoyMro/s1600-h/9-30-09+K+030_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_65-aYK3DpmvyEIKyzZUtM8lPrUIrjsVlfipZEG2fk2ZYgH23AqaX93eZ5pQ4_hS3RT3SG0dsudeDDnhul3UjEeU47QJBZo2cBwIqttK4-DHK2m2TzxRLGQkbmmLv8RWZ91iFiDoyMro/s200/9-30-09+K+030_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485207604006578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuBonrYzkH-fXRyEhh4qGM3pdlwYXW1UPfngd8ykw40nEITNezl_kLIg48hpobwOtHxtekViQBxj9R0cIvvsDOvhdly2DlftSzAse-x5KQGVPbSmWdamO13N-CP0ZQKLen2f-Z0iq5b1x/s1600-h/9-30-09+K+048_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuBonrYzkH-fXRyEhh4qGM3pdlwYXW1UPfngd8ykw40nEITNezl_kLIg48hpobwOtHxtekViQBxj9R0cIvvsDOvhdly2DlftSzAse-x5KQGVPbSmWdamO13N-CP0ZQKLen2f-Z0iq5b1x/s200/9-30-09+K+048_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387485204757028818" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The next morning, we rolled out of bed with a plan. We had shuttled the motorcycle down to Parkdale, OR the night before at the end of the Surveyor’s Ridge Trail and so all we had to do was eat breakfast and jump on our bikes. We were going to leave the motorhome parked where it was, but the consistent hunter and ATV traffic led us to move to an actual parking lot. This move added about 4 miles to our planned ride, but it was a good decision. The extra riding was really fast and fun on a mix of single track and double track. We were all warmed up by the time we hit the actual trail. The first six miles or so were a mix of quick ups and fast, rolling, downs with the most scenic views of Mt. Hood ever. It was spectacular! Our last major viewpoint was beautiful, but as we looked around us, we realized that fall was creeping in. The bushes were all orange and red and the air had a certain nip to it that suggested our trip would be over soon. The last four miles were all downhill. We cruised along a narrow trail, which was made more exciting by the brush crowding the trail. Soon the trail got really steep and rocky. There were numerous switchbacks, which were challenging due to the grade and loose rock. The grass was all dried out and it looked like we were on a safari. Watch out for lions!!! Just kidding. Before we knew it, we were crossing over a small bridge into the parking lot where our motorcycle sat waiting. We hopped on and headed back up the hill. With so much time, we thought we might go on a search for huckleberries. We took the motorcycle through numerous forest service roads and it wasn’t until we were cruising between 4-5,000 feet that we saw bushes covered with little purply-blue berries. I gorged myself and Eric helped me fill a couple containers to take back for later. It took awhile considering how small the berries are, but we were diligent pickers.<br />On Wednesday, Eric and I went on an unusual adventure. We did something that we just don’t do. Josh convinced us to climb Mt. Adams. Eric and I knew that we weren’t going to make it to the top. We were just entertaining Josh’s fantasy of climbing up a big mountain, which Mt. Adams definitely qualifies (12,273 ft). We tried to convince Josh that if we were going to even have a shot, we would need to start early, say 2 or 3AM to avoid afternoon thunderstorms. Josh said that they weren’t gong to make it to the trailhead until somewhere around 8AM. Hmmm. Well, this should be fun. We started hiking with all our permits and registration forms completed at 7:50 at 5,400 feet. The first 2.25 miles were fairly tame and passed quickly. I forgot my hiking boots at my sister’s in Arcata and had to resort to wearing my jogging shoes, which Josh assured me would be just fine, because that is what he always hikes in. Great. Abruptly, our trail turned from wide and moderate to narrow and strenuous. The altitude clicked by and we stopped every thousand vertical to snack, drink and breath deeply. These breaks were cut to 15 minutes in order to keep trudging up the mountain. Soon, there was no trail, just loose lava rock with sand to boot. We could see our destination thousands of feet above, so a trail wasn’t really necessary. We watched another group struggle across a glacier and decided to stick to the loose rock, although we were equipped with ice axes for the snow/ice crossings. We ended up using them more as stabilizing agents than glissading tools. Fine by me. With about 2,000 feet to go, we stopped to watch the clouds cruise in. The mist cooled off the air, but lightning was not a huge danger. We worried that if we actually made it to the top, we wouldn’t be able to see anything due to the clouds. Crows circled above and we wondered if that was a sign. Maybe we should turn back. Nahh! We pushed on. When we reached the false summit, it was clear that we were going to make it. Eric and I were baffled. How could this be? We crossed over the one long stretch of ice and made the final push up the homestretch. We arrived on top and gazed across the landscape below through fast moving clouds. The wind was blowing hard and finding shelter was difficult because the wooden structure someone managed to build up there was full of snow. We took a few pictures and had to head down because everyone got really cold. We all bundled up and started the 6-7 mile trek back down. It was much easier to maneuver through the sand on the way down than the way up and we ended up taking a glacier down by skating in our shoes. Even with these seemingly faster techniques, however, it still took us just as long to reach the bottom as it did the top. I think it is fair to say that everyone was thoroughly exhausted. Although it wasn’t very late, Eric and I were so tired when we arrived back at the motorhome, we opted not to cook dinner and had cereal instead. We climbed in bed and passed out. We awoke to rain in the early AM hours and both found sleep difficult. We got up at 3AM for a Honey Nut Scooter snack before trying for more sleep. The next morning, we nearly crashed out of bed. Our legs seemed like they were incapable of supporting our weight. Our muscles screamed and I could only hope that Josh was in as much pain (I am so nice). We struggled through the morning and drove to Mt. St. Helens for an awesome ride up Ape Canyon, if it was possible to ask that of our legs. I would say this ride definitely made my top ten. It was a nice climb through dense forest with incredible views of the volcano. Around 5 miles out, the trail exited the forest and we had 360-degree views of the area. We stopped here for a Snickers break and discussed how this might be our last ride. We took it all in before continuing on. The next trail was called the Plains of Abraham. It was a bit steeper on loose volcanic rock. Ash blew up the canyon, which made the edge look like one bad move and . . . . We turned back considering the state of our legs. The way down was a cruise and we arrived at the motorhome haven ridden just over 10 miles. Phew! The legs made it. Getting off the bike was perhaps the most challenging part. For one, you had to support your weight with one incredibly exhausted leg, for two, it might have been our final ride. How sad is that? Reluctantly, we packed up the trailer and drove a short ways to the Windy Ridge road. We took the motorcycle out in the morning for a cruise up the windy road to view the volcano again. Although I wasn’t yet alive when she blew, I have a hard time imagining that this massive explosion occurred in this modern era and not thousands of years ago. It must have been out of this world! That afternoon, we drove to Packwood, WA to meet Jeff and Mindee Meyer. If you believe one person’s trash is another person’s treasure or are a garage sale extraordinaire, then Labor Day weekend at Packwood is your cup of tea. Seriously, it is a spectacular event. After gorging on a delicious buffalo burger, we crossed White Pass to check out the Tieton River. We intended to R2 the mini-me down early the next morning before heading to Spokane. The water looked awesome! It was moving fast and looked really cold. We were excited! Jeff and Mindee joined us for dinner and camping. We awoke, once again to rain. We tried to wish it away from bed, but it was relentless. Given the water is from the bottom of a reservoir right off of White Pass (brrr, chilly!), and I would have to hang out for about an hour while Eric ran the shuttle (sopping wet in the rain), we discussed whether we should run it or not. We chose not. We aren’t sure when we will be in the area to do it again, but we have both run this river several times before. In fact, the Tieton was the first river I ever did! Eric and I climbed into the motorhome knowing that we had probably just spent our last night in the Chateau and headed for Spokane. After a little switching around of clothes and food, we drove our Explorer to the Lake Roosevelt cabin. We arrived just in time for a delicious halibut dinner followed by a night of cards (you know, the usual).<br />Let this be my last post for our trip. Sad, but it is true, no one wants to read about a girl's readjustment to working. Also, today (9/30/09), I saw a bunch of people's blogs that are snazzy. I tried to make mine look cool, but it is too thin and not very colorful, kinda like I picked a template out of 4 possible or something. Right. In case you are wondering, I am working again. Sadly, I have to drive 25 minutes to get to work, but we love our neighborhood and apartment is second to none. Miss the bike. Looking forward to Moab. Over and out.Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-40445730165369501672009-09-01T16:33:00.001-07:002009-09-01T16:40:02.393-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKDWIMyn6bhYDAUAUVZITkZAfy-64XVIMPMG7hACkqjoqItu3kq3Rn6uTr4miACdra5tyXdJZGlUdkfkaZtFvbcGXmwHXmU4ZhiN-lnqMdwrMHgkv6w535p8mv68uaiqCpeXysv83XdJP/s1600-h/8-31-09+024_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKDWIMyn6bhYDAUAUVZITkZAfy-64XVIMPMG7hACkqjoqItu3kq3Rn6uTr4miACdra5tyXdJZGlUdkfkaZtFvbcGXmwHXmU4ZhiN-lnqMdwrMHgkv6w535p8mv68uaiqCpeXysv83XdJP/s200/8-31-09+024_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647801792605874" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXid0q7ih2ztPA4WZqlq4zEEMxDQvM2xQdhHEW3EAyRvF8viqYUlPHDpmRSPsyG-Pi1OFmoZgzlbW-r4HcWd37ErElBDK_XmwKwPgCKk3sTiPIRim_2VPmw6LgQpuxMF8NDkV_SFdwe5_k/s1600-h/8-31-09+017_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXid0q7ih2ztPA4WZqlq4zEEMxDQvM2xQdhHEW3EAyRvF8viqYUlPHDpmRSPsyG-Pi1OFmoZgzlbW-r4HcWd37ErElBDK_XmwKwPgCKk3sTiPIRim_2VPmw6LgQpuxMF8NDkV_SFdwe5_k/s200/8-31-09+017_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647797640769970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfSHNat0F2OrAinRY2rJVpgzS8KQwIz1umiBwZrnowc8dV6KZpW0vUePSb9xxzycvXz8uJsHnOrvw-OC_Wzd6Uo52ad_j9qpdQ51Y6BBkS4VU7X1P9M1sXGtbexQXXxIm5OXWxCr_TVyj/s1600-h/8-31-09+012_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfSHNat0F2OrAinRY2rJVpgzS8KQwIz1umiBwZrnowc8dV6KZpW0vUePSb9xxzycvXz8uJsHnOrvw-OC_Wzd6Uo52ad_j9qpdQ51Y6BBkS4VU7X1P9M1sXGtbexQXXxIm5OXWxCr_TVyj/s200/8-31-09+012_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647794707038098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8mWq5T4HSG_VrqH-Sueu69gNx7ygD_-xyKWM1FedkpjnypPou-BDgeOBwHSiTrmeq0aFvJVEFdGsXeVbpXTv23vubgFsJak9ztCZy4gEh6Qh1k9BZPOtu790TbyT6be-sLn8XmYlhyIf/s1600-h/8-30-09+020_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8mWq5T4HSG_VrqH-Sueu69gNx7ygD_-xyKWM1FedkpjnypPou-BDgeOBwHSiTrmeq0aFvJVEFdGsXeVbpXTv23vubgFsJak9ztCZy4gEh6Qh1k9BZPOtu790TbyT6be-sLn8XmYlhyIf/s200/8-30-09+020_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647780053708898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpcHncNOZbQ7zmHH2sd4RAWvVGxcL6JPQ1DRhXbaqQAZr5p-96YY6hpJudCaa0WmCba73E67m7_C01MKOLyggleGfi6SpHs1_yoWEN6i_YrBDg-yI83HdktjxbKIPki6XeMqxmNL7qxWu/s1600-h/8-31-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpcHncNOZbQ7zmHH2sd4RAWvVGxcL6JPQ1DRhXbaqQAZr5p-96YY6hpJudCaa0WmCba73E67m7_C01MKOLyggleGfi6SpHs1_yoWEN6i_YrBDg-yI83HdktjxbKIPki6XeMqxmNL7qxWu/s200/8-31-09+009_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647778170290130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASnjyqi9aQM_GZSfKSAgLGAQHIkUbSpLIgJjn0Pq_XvQpWNTaqZhRfZG8MrvByEWU0kRR1G_IgevYZUznPorclA1CYAI9cM4wx69-U3p-zN8Ml_4M4KOkGA_2cRVhq4nxM_tCedmgLqDX/s1600-h/8-30-09+018_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASnjyqi9aQM_GZSfKSAgLGAQHIkUbSpLIgJjn0Pq_XvQpWNTaqZhRfZG8MrvByEWU0kRR1G_IgevYZUznPorclA1CYAI9cM4wx69-U3p-zN8Ml_4M4KOkGA_2cRVhq4nxM_tCedmgLqDX/s200/8-30-09+018_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647303045013922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAbsCEKXdazr86QSP6Xradt6a-ldyMldDG62AlOMkxkNuluFDrlqcOlNBCHQYOeEBDEY2E0bsd56IZB0aO_vhJx5FGwhEp-85x0LxEGNiw42geoYkMYHHpvUwK8YCxvKIHVaxHTZmTTWY/s1600-h/8-30-09+011_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAbsCEKXdazr86QSP6Xradt6a-ldyMldDG62AlOMkxkNuluFDrlqcOlNBCHQYOeEBDEY2E0bsd56IZB0aO_vhJx5FGwhEp-85x0LxEGNiw42geoYkMYHHpvUwK8YCxvKIHVaxHTZmTTWY/s200/8-30-09+011_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647297575822402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rBSu11k7HKHF-NRFn_xmbSA6U_G4gWZswlHNU-3TzlK4NVw4d717yO71IgP-XVODay23AdUWEJB__a1zPQluTFkmaoDDHNWtsVzAAodUblCw7qBzYUUiVDm6X_LcQBjzrZ39f8xCIP01/s1600-h/8-30-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rBSu11k7HKHF-NRFn_xmbSA6U_G4gWZswlHNU-3TzlK4NVw4d717yO71IgP-XVODay23AdUWEJB__a1zPQluTFkmaoDDHNWtsVzAAodUblCw7qBzYUUiVDm6X_LcQBjzrZ39f8xCIP01/s200/8-30-09+009_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647284993922114" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEHTfYbSKQudTgo2Jo78Fx0A24WPKwEj4WI25ujEAwGF4vzcN98ZmNBfqMbdqRuojsyACi7QAiQb7L5lKXCl1mZKgQg25pe29FzJddZOfIttZxBKVDff5WPg6NpCc9hyphenhyphen2VxVlvAz9Mix1/s1600-h/8-30-09+006_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEHTfYbSKQudTgo2Jo78Fx0A24WPKwEj4WI25ujEAwGF4vzcN98ZmNBfqMbdqRuojsyACi7QAiQb7L5lKXCl1mZKgQg25pe29FzJddZOfIttZxBKVDff5WPg6NpCc9hyphenhyphen2VxVlvAz9Mix1/s200/8-30-09+006_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647277344701090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4or0yKhd4wrp9stIIQ05AHVRpRJKx5DoYI3H6LwLoXy2DVg0GVyqlQOK_ed8u1q66wu1LeU5NTl9A-UJU_cEyI3kXiOn8puoO56OHG6mG6wbsEYo20Ow3Bn72lMWd1lhcceiPQTSwrMde/s1600-h/8-30-09+001_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4or0yKhd4wrp9stIIQ05AHVRpRJKx5DoYI3H6LwLoXy2DVg0GVyqlQOK_ed8u1q66wu1LeU5NTl9A-UJU_cEyI3kXiOn8puoO56OHG6mG6wbsEYo20Ow3Bn72lMWd1lhcceiPQTSwrMde/s200/8-30-09+001_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376647274281025842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs86-uue3acwkbEdcl4UMlCgc27R-6SfL7vQ3J3lexCGsOVuVI9X8qelGc-F7nCDmne2L-9DdhyHhKxGihiWldKVexsX1s_yfBwSpHdDaHc67ZvtblrmQnhB8drko0F_sRsVdknDPwcyJl/s1600-h/8-23-09+004_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs86-uue3acwkbEdcl4UMlCgc27R-6SfL7vQ3J3lexCGsOVuVI9X8qelGc-F7nCDmne2L-9DdhyHhKxGihiWldKVexsX1s_yfBwSpHdDaHc67ZvtblrmQnhB8drko0F_sRsVdknDPwcyJl/s200/8-23-09+004_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376646806874178130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQBGSHwDc0MPA5t0QeqljrstXzldvClkoqvaljZpxJSD1N9gnVLTjPjhCYR9srmCq_7sChAKdodgz5ZabGhKccDh-1SErcvFErUyur4ZWCL2pIxmudBx3jIcLmvWjrNGpS-SXa8nDoARN/s1600-h/8-23-09+002_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQBGSHwDc0MPA5t0QeqljrstXzldvClkoqvaljZpxJSD1N9gnVLTjPjhCYR9srmCq_7sChAKdodgz5ZabGhKccDh-1SErcvFErUyur4ZWCL2pIxmudBx3jIcLmvWjrNGpS-SXa8nDoARN/s200/8-23-09+002_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376646800261233474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkXF_lezVblpgM0aCVFg9_awjDyquPqrm9zLKJadaJ_tXY-aRhDkJbNpRYa7Gd4tHIlFcyZ2JvGjMTr_IFLuyH8-nbzSMVdUzdzSTujPZSYGuOE6GrcS241SZD2cmrG8svKbD5rThI5hyphenhyphen/s1600-h/8-22-09+033_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkXF_lezVblpgM0aCVFg9_awjDyquPqrm9zLKJadaJ_tXY-aRhDkJbNpRYa7Gd4tHIlFcyZ2JvGjMTr_IFLuyH8-nbzSMVdUzdzSTujPZSYGuOE6GrcS241SZD2cmrG8svKbD5rThI5hyphenhyphen/s200/8-22-09+033_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376646793271928690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge235qf2GhlSkYnFYbTaCXCDxrHXlRglNKOvTTY6l9A2TJO0frDtLjoDx0MMwGo-ciWuMZ35VtsxMRQh0SIOJUMP_AVoNdzIfHuMfas9nOiO7-Yk2YYv1978mFEFXTtTswDSLPtekKzkzx/s1600-h/8-22-09+011_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge235qf2GhlSkYnFYbTaCXCDxrHXlRglNKOvTTY6l9A2TJO0frDtLjoDx0MMwGo-ciWuMZ35VtsxMRQh0SIOJUMP_AVoNdzIfHuMfas9nOiO7-Yk2YYv1978mFEFXTtTswDSLPtekKzkzx/s200/8-22-09+011_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376646785560034914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBnmUPo-nwDsBWQNc6vQwPZpgsdu4_H3K4JJo9iXOy1AAf0gEVXrm6nJMi6cAmr7n1xDXcJTrwqRpY4e-uy1HbIbZ4VWrstgdVuruP3N6cuT9rlu6meOz8lGbE5pjwdssxg_iUb1V8s23/s1600-h/8-22-09+001_resize.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBnmUPo-nwDsBWQNc6vQwPZpgsdu4_H3K4JJo9iXOy1AAf0gEVXrm6nJMi6cAmr7n1xDXcJTrwqRpY4e-uy1HbIbZ4VWrstgdVuruP3N6cuT9rlu6meOz8lGbE5pjwdssxg_iUb1V8s23/s200/8-22-09+001_resize.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376646781054538466" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">The international kite festival was really fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were kites of all shapes, sizes and colors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Competitions included ballet, hot tricks, mass accessions, and kite fighting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was cool just to be by the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Meyer family campout is always enjoyable as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We saw a lot of familiar faces and met some new relatives too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There were 2 babies that Eric and I got to meet for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They are incredibly adorable and have their own unique personalities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It makes you want to have kids of your own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We ate very well during this portion of our trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I got to try some new things, which I am always a little hesitant to do including clams and crab.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Both are delicious!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We also had some old favorites like salmon and halibut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As you can see we had a lot of seafood, which was mostly caught and brought by fellow family members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We took a bike ride out on the beach, which was a bit difficult in the sand, but still pretty fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mostly we just enjoyed everyone’s company and the festival down the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Eric and I left on Monday to head back to Portland so that I could catch a flight to New York City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I forgot to bring any clothes that would be appropriate for my presentation, so we went to the mall where Eric and Josh helped me find a new outfit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tuesday morning (early morning (4:30ish!!!)) I caught my flight (direct, luckily) across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a bit of a shocker stepping off the plane into the world’s most hectic city.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had a car service to take me to the meeting, which was at Cold Spring Harbor, but it was much like taking a taxi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The driver laid on the horn for 30 seconds at a time and spoke insults loudly to the drivers around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have been so relaxed for so long, this was almost enough to send me running.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I won’t bore you with the details of the meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Let’s just say that I met a lot of new people and got to hang out with some of my favorite people from CO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My poster was well received and I actually thought that the time spent presenting flew by at record pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were many interesting talks presented about cutting edge research and it felt like a chance to refocus my mind on science.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Baby fever is absolutely out of my system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The lab is calling to me and I am excited to get projects rolling.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">During the time I was absent, Eric spent his days visiting friends in Portland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He helped someone move, helped someone tile their fireplace mantel, went jet-boating and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>squeezed in a ride at the Tillamook State Forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After some minor delays at the airport resulting from Tropical storm Danny, my flight departed and crossed the country back to Portland.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I got in a little late (11:30pm, which felt like 2:30AM!!) and was happy to be back on vacation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Eric and I are both feeling the end is near.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Although I am excited to get started, I am also a little hesitant knowing that this may be the last time for a long time that I will be able to take as much time off from work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sunday, we got up bright and early, excited to see what the Mt. Hood area has to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After restocking our fridge and cupboards, we drove the short distance to the Gunsight trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The weather is back to sunny and perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>During the time we were apart, Eric and I both suffered clouds, cool temps with the occasional rain shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Apparently our combined powers to control the weather is synergistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We started riding just after noon, which began with a long, steady climb on a mix of paved and gravel roads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At the end of the road, we came to an awesome view of Mt. Hood and someone very lucky’s campsite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were millions of plump and sun sweetened huckleberries ready for consumption.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I took full advantage while Eric made some critical phone calls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We finally hit the single track and continued climbing on the nicest surface ever.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This trail had a mixture of smooth forest trail and rocky technical, even super rock shale landslides.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At the very top, there was a lovely view of the mountain, which was best appreciated by scrambling up some giant boulders, much like the tops of the peaks just out of Boulder, CO.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The trail reached Gumjuac Saddle and headed down a long decent back to the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It had long, fast sections followed by switchbacks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a lot of fun the whole way and the views were spectacular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We camped near the start of the next day’s ride and enjoyed steak, zucchini from Ben and Tiffany’s garden, and rice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tummies full, we headed to bed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today, we got up early.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Didn’t feel that early.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At the conference we stayed up late every night and had to get up fairly early to get to the talks resulting in 5-6 hours of sleep max.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I thought we got up this morning around 9 because I had been in and out of sleep for so long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Turns out, we were eating breakfast at 7:30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Geez!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Today the plan was to ride 2 loops that were rated very highly by our map’s description note.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We started with a really fun, not too steep, decent that was just great and long on the trail called 8-mile creek trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After a long decent, we obviously had some vertical to make up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was really nice though, curving up the mountain with moderate effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We finished with a small decent before hitting the second loop, Knebal Spring Trail.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Again, the decent was super long, not too steep, fun, curvy, but a little dustier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is always a little disappointing to get to the bottom of a long decent and know that you only have climbing left, that there is no more fun downhill ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was another long climb, but we both were feeling pretty strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I didn’t think we had reached the top when we did and was surprised to be cranking through the forest in my middle ring and finishing with an addition mile of downhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Eric knew that I would be pretty tired after this ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My meeting in NYC didn’t exactly keep my fitness primed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I pretty much sat with my heart beating around 57 bpm for five days straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only time it might have been above 60 bpm was when I had to walk through the buffet line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Eric wanted to ride a short section of mostly downhill trail that we could ride tomorrow, but decided against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He said that it was pretty dusty, but still fun, just not a good trail to ride up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I navigated correctly to the bottom trailhead and Eric arrived shortly thereafter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We drove into the small town of Parkdale, where we managed to get some laundry and internet tasks done.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Tonight, we are again parked near tomorrow’s trailhead, although we aren’t exactly sure where that is.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We had a delicious supper and are only a little concerned by the weird trucks driving by with people in full camo and guns in the back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Is it hunting season already?</p> <!--EndFragment-->Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-11616632266803900802009-08-29T10:09:00.000-07:002009-08-29T10:28:58.253-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKCwG7aI0rBsF5xBisRHSVxZHiP9NUqEPHpV_zgexthmSgXvv1wOvVdfGGVphhM80T-qkl71ErOvsO0Mr9OVyj5mEnKLITLhCposgD_3aLbkVOgMvYBEg1F5WclgUkyXqJ20_EW7hYsiM/s1600-h/8-18-09+K+044_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKCwG7aI0rBsF5xBisRHSVxZHiP9NUqEPHpV_zgexthmSgXvv1wOvVdfGGVphhM80T-qkl71ErOvsO0Mr9OVyj5mEnKLITLhCposgD_3aLbkVOgMvYBEg1F5WclgUkyXqJ20_EW7hYsiM/s200/8-18-09+K+044_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438935561466786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRk3qSJknT1qelDeB4jNe-mdB8KftuJMx3kS7bNqVvSMfhSoOvz2YM-hW1B7L1qvpOtVeSU5c0nK0W1p6hOeZGFI4x2WRXKOBb74per5_mq8trOWw_eGEZc0Gcn8lvo7gmZFNGD9E04yd/s1600-h/8-18-09+K+039_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRk3qSJknT1qelDeB4jNe-mdB8KftuJMx3kS7bNqVvSMfhSoOvz2YM-hW1B7L1qvpOtVeSU5c0nK0W1p6hOeZGFI4x2WRXKOBb74per5_mq8trOWw_eGEZc0Gcn8lvo7gmZFNGD9E04yd/s200/8-18-09+K+039_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438929704758754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQXD-DOVv5EDsR1xwI2NIvf6qZydftHRqd0EL3MiRFNoIXRj2p9ssVr8MtFDII0uK5D2M1va6M-HaFCCywD7A-JyIu6s9cFptmo5J32kO8J9u57b-Xlhr0pCEaSKcZdRcyO10VLjUZSQd/s1600-h/8-18-09+K+034_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQXD-DOVv5EDsR1xwI2NIvf6qZydftHRqd0EL3MiRFNoIXRj2p9ssVr8MtFDII0uK5D2M1va6M-HaFCCywD7A-JyIu6s9cFptmo5J32kO8J9u57b-Xlhr0pCEaSKcZdRcyO10VLjUZSQd/s200/8-18-09+K+034_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438925635132498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGh1vTLP7yfuY6DuTRkqiBU8j5TxMarqfzywpt8Vj1Cp8NLwMuaEePtsAitxbE9frOqKB136qtgUj4GMeOjgoloZGZosrJcrlsZOBo64slzI4zqk5-RVtSZtj-PKZkzNvh24fiiulXfKJu/s1600-h/8-18-09+045_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGh1vTLP7yfuY6DuTRkqiBU8j5TxMarqfzywpt8Vj1Cp8NLwMuaEePtsAitxbE9frOqKB136qtgUj4GMeOjgoloZGZosrJcrlsZOBo64slzI4zqk5-RVtSZtj-PKZkzNvh24fiiulXfKJu/s200/8-18-09+045_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438663008910770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwrWIdxU6Gn1_SXEDDOe8jLjLVk7s0cARrJOUkOR2MlMGgNu95Lv7kikMm6y1nAuOhwO3N8CJqBjtkU5S3l2KVBC_DJuTeVfgaXQoNYsxGJWP5YXRQzb8NKWbLixVzMFAwJagTjz5WCeb/s1600-h/8-18-09+041_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwrWIdxU6Gn1_SXEDDOe8jLjLVk7s0cARrJOUkOR2MlMGgNu95Lv7kikMm6y1nAuOhwO3N8CJqBjtkU5S3l2KVBC_DJuTeVfgaXQoNYsxGJWP5YXRQzb8NKWbLixVzMFAwJagTjz5WCeb/s200/8-18-09+041_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438659200476210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpv9BW5aIr36uS98GQOlf-A2qzPhWS_zSQ5hnFrzsnqrzqzKnChB40GnIgDqj8IEoRyU69TNc7WRSNLtnlq2FXv9NTICQ5Rij7i5Hac8l7EPLEsPhlHAEr-W9UZf7DIECCWQauCe6-7Ot/s1600-h/8-18-09+032_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpv9BW5aIr36uS98GQOlf-A2qzPhWS_zSQ5hnFrzsnqrzqzKnChB40GnIgDqj8IEoRyU69TNc7WRSNLtnlq2FXv9NTICQ5Rij7i5Hac8l7EPLEsPhlHAEr-W9UZf7DIECCWQauCe6-7Ot/s200/8-18-09+032_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438652616311314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmhvMVe0zG2xJa_RRDxqlmtWcFJIsP0CzJrxiBReqb8qUVoYkT5V1zfpootdMcrl-4ftxTkpi3PMvHPyUxBU14SmZCJEx3YckHzGsfn5KsmWu7LWPPuwNouKMV6Uhwc-BymXQV-5MZ4-2/s1600-h/8-18-09+015_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmhvMVe0zG2xJa_RRDxqlmtWcFJIsP0CzJrxiBReqb8qUVoYkT5V1zfpootdMcrl-4ftxTkpi3PMvHPyUxBU14SmZCJEx3YckHzGsfn5KsmWu7LWPPuwNouKMV6Uhwc-BymXQV-5MZ4-2/s200/8-18-09+015_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438646002082418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQL-_eg5yaJ4N-Fgd9ffFftztoqP8KkbdMabnAQOcJKHo-p6aZisMwaRzzn70ZcajZbkRDbUUUvRbceirw9UG6A6-t0VSCRleFXRtYUGsF9H4KIvC19ykXi9O0V7ID5cpcKsC0IJmGFpHN/s1600-h/8-18-09+010_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQL-_eg5yaJ4N-Fgd9ffFftztoqP8KkbdMabnAQOcJKHo-p6aZisMwaRzzn70ZcajZbkRDbUUUvRbceirw9UG6A6-t0VSCRleFXRtYUGsF9H4KIvC19ykXi9O0V7ID5cpcKsC0IJmGFpHN/s200/8-18-09+010_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438640835978594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yHlJmzLHNa_hkGOxdD5B7fjIGKT-dMDnNzfXZ4BA9odqFLoIHkfT_4OnHb1iBqir6WmsCRwSapuoI822YEZzoF-lbr4oGODyk5SXL0rX6SIURB2XlK3jbMoW41axoxEvmBCYgR3epmz8/s1600-h/8-17-09+036_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yHlJmzLHNa_hkGOxdD5B7fjIGKT-dMDnNzfXZ4BA9odqFLoIHkfT_4OnHb1iBqir6WmsCRwSapuoI822YEZzoF-lbr4oGODyk5SXL0rX6SIURB2XlK3jbMoW41axoxEvmBCYgR3epmz8/s200/8-17-09+036_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438255875077794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-D501H9Zn-8Thc9smWyNUypoxq_kX9NAM_2BQAWcopMkm4zB9hCPWVX7oPIbj7XHByurTpoG5_sUprHandHo4w1nPNDBhKQlSdnlxezuWAA_DyZghhdc45RapKNyMbog8SkNL-2iPDyXd/s1600-h/8-17-09+025_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-D501H9Zn-8Thc9smWyNUypoxq_kX9NAM_2BQAWcopMkm4zB9hCPWVX7oPIbj7XHByurTpoG5_sUprHandHo4w1nPNDBhKQlSdnlxezuWAA_DyZghhdc45RapKNyMbog8SkNL-2iPDyXd/s200/8-17-09+025_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438254697758514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp62HAEzQPjBwYDtjJbQ4IxlY-GH-dxc6Ti6FLQYK_5BNORkFOfaHVG8otdxBAnkG9eU4o6v6irLSqX2P7IfbAe7uQhTCEh2mM4vowfuD5h2i_K7uirYpBd-oTZiVWigmZ17_TQT7WKRF/s1600-h/8-17-09+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp62HAEzQPjBwYDtjJbQ4IxlY-GH-dxc6Ti6FLQYK_5BNORkFOfaHVG8otdxBAnkG9eU4o6v6irLSqX2P7IfbAe7uQhTCEh2mM4vowfuD5h2i_K7uirYpBd-oTZiVWigmZ17_TQT7WKRF/s200/8-17-09+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438248837606450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEils4Db3srtymE0DDmaY1vDOnWNt_dcsMdbnXd0ZkupRMs66lrgBx7268FAUTAxWnKLQjEFPMXzL79BRreuQvnyW-cWnENN3WwnBrAfS6zDLVyob9FzDGfvKfIQWRTKPbBjYwwSnQG2JuM5/s1600-h/8-17-09+011_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEils4Db3srtymE0DDmaY1vDOnWNt_dcsMdbnXd0ZkupRMs66lrgBx7268FAUTAxWnKLQjEFPMXzL79BRreuQvnyW-cWnENN3WwnBrAfS6zDLVyob9FzDGfvKfIQWRTKPbBjYwwSnQG2JuM5/s200/8-17-09+011_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438240551976146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dkLFibTJ-2oL5o_bK81FMdTVpoPqxDg5mRZHyRCgpoJtknL3FXPGjjRbVq93WUGQLA4ql8EmvWa743zFqkXLaREckuuuk-p2inRoaJvBFZZg8RdNoaughwqFvLr1O2xFRRahxKeom56Z/s1600-h/8-17-09+010_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dkLFibTJ-2oL5o_bK81FMdTVpoPqxDg5mRZHyRCgpoJtknL3FXPGjjRbVq93WUGQLA4ql8EmvWa743zFqkXLaREckuuuk-p2inRoaJvBFZZg8RdNoaughwqFvLr1O2xFRRahxKeom56Z/s200/8-17-09+010_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438231940315058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB3I9sz9HJkblG4kGV4codnZZ4Gq2BW8fPwnvJYhXzHCXGb4ufENMorHL9kTz24VMao7OfR_HpGIZiNJrtDbp6DVvJHiuf5DJ6Hrz1ScxvzwZiNtK5roi9wyLwPqn5DNNHJUzmjwcCQyq/s1600-h/8-17-09+007_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB3I9sz9HJkblG4kGV4codnZZ4Gq2BW8fPwnvJYhXzHCXGb4ufENMorHL9kTz24VMao7OfR_HpGIZiNJrtDbp6DVvJHiuf5DJ6Hrz1ScxvzwZiNtK5roi9wyLwPqn5DNNHJUzmjwcCQyq/s200/8-17-09+007_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375437378609457314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FVai4jSCuaHB_KXKzMCa12B9UkcVo-d7WxmMqpk_CkOsg5M-q3QPjJlSFktX0wYVDAlqh4byHlf5DwlW-R_wPqgmdRxtYLTGiwARTyBTCAAaUh1g1CTKI13JUpChCxxekQvACMFvfLr4/s1600-h/8-16-09+036_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FVai4jSCuaHB_KXKzMCa12B9UkcVo-d7WxmMqpk_CkOsg5M-q3QPjJlSFktX0wYVDAlqh4byHlf5DwlW-R_wPqgmdRxtYLTGiwARTyBTCAAaUh1g1CTKI13JUpChCxxekQvACMFvfLr4/s200/8-16-09+036_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375437368541281378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglboT7O95vEMf0ngNU9A_9IiPShiz_WjUhicKd9OpcjG9B1dQdQELvC7dQP9zMwtjLlMCae8o7KVPGYvwe7POFyBLx9hyMcHNn7TMWjNBLQu8RCunDE5lVRR9QcOYSjGPzgF5V68_NeCkS/s1600-h/8-16-09+032_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglboT7O95vEMf0ngNU9A_9IiPShiz_WjUhicKd9OpcjG9B1dQdQELvC7dQP9zMwtjLlMCae8o7KVPGYvwe7POFyBLx9hyMcHNn7TMWjNBLQu8RCunDE5lVRR9QcOYSjGPzgF5V68_NeCkS/s200/8-16-09+032_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375437366207662226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG41rHMvm2ZUWVn-xI-RQy4GMJmJWuiTHSxtu6B8-lIJL-mQsqAu4XLYcsOZhtH2Ty_Me9VIoyZYoHxCjU8OgUhgvyDnsgFguSf-3159YFwSBiNHGlupvrZzdScOnPQfaM7r5RDQkXHHkK/s1600-h/8-16-09+029_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG41rHMvm2ZUWVn-xI-RQy4GMJmJWuiTHSxtu6B8-lIJL-mQsqAu4XLYcsOZhtH2Ty_Me9VIoyZYoHxCjU8OgUhgvyDnsgFguSf-3159YFwSBiNHGlupvrZzdScOnPQfaM7r5RDQkXHHkK/s200/8-16-09+029_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375437354331099746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDW847ldyHABJMs4j7El0xviSr9rVaLLcBo-ANJCRIZ3ZBmuD3d3LHy6J1K222MSeBZmunoaALWnc_qpN6lL2vbcmTVei53k_2OTCaI4hUnJBmJn6vUfRum2KUBD34SfMOdcV8HJNQuDmd/s1600-h/8-16-09+023_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDW847ldyHABJMs4j7El0xviSr9rVaLLcBo-ANJCRIZ3ZBmuD3d3LHy6J1K222MSeBZmunoaALWnc_qpN6lL2vbcmTVei53k_2OTCaI4hUnJBmJn6vUfRum2KUBD34SfMOdcV8HJNQuDmd/s200/8-16-09+023_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375437351962340818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbUIgNOD8o4JQa-XUHiUQ-m4iLbFSoXq-1d7dKoh2zezYVTQ2n8WyJ8rGqNJq6_qk48s_dW1J2XBs_5yW84HwHs2rShC2VLT5wjX-8Tzl7VjFIKa4C3aks8my8FyIc4VWJ5fAeMF-X7j3/s1600-h/8-16-09+018_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbUIgNOD8o4JQa-XUHiUQ-m4iLbFSoXq-1d7dKoh2zezYVTQ2n8WyJ8rGqNJq6_qk48s_dW1J2XBs_5yW84HwHs2rShC2VLT5wjX-8Tzl7VjFIKa4C3aks8my8FyIc4VWJ5fAeMF-X7j3/s200/8-16-09+018_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436973904282722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNl0IEMY6Fz1ud-IeHDY_Yk7_Za520EdlFu4HW0E8SO0FEoIkuD-KwcyXcoTwTBDgG0SvXn_yDSBK7wTHk6UdQVAwLTxLc2yV8WjudRf7slEC4c927wLzKOPyyYM5PsQbfbHnITQr5Hab/s1600-h/8-16-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNl0IEMY6Fz1ud-IeHDY_Yk7_Za520EdlFu4HW0E8SO0FEoIkuD-KwcyXcoTwTBDgG0SvXn_yDSBK7wTHk6UdQVAwLTxLc2yV8WjudRf7slEC4c927wLzKOPyyYM5PsQbfbHnITQr5Hab/s200/8-16-09+009_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436970529574082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHSgbxo8u5LGyJtovvy0fBk9swB08_t4UARhljxCrhK03d9lI4hMzGsEIY40nVZygyvg4uoF1tu3EaCe820AzZXPQzANZIIg5SM6VPURrb4ItnO_gDitdPF6cbIzCXX9Nkz8cQ2E0f2Ie/s1600-h/8-15-09+015_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHSgbxo8u5LGyJtovvy0fBk9swB08_t4UARhljxCrhK03d9lI4hMzGsEIY40nVZygyvg4uoF1tu3EaCe820AzZXPQzANZIIg5SM6VPURrb4ItnO_gDitdPF6cbIzCXX9Nkz8cQ2E0f2Ie/s200/8-15-09+015_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436961812947826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLpVWdeEnDN5mY5SKQtfju0-lWGqf7mSRizDDn4fxuoMFo_82HejgmTFz89JYchcm05Jm6npwZdozepgifsRQDhyphenhyphenwXPAoUS5BsuJtQ4rCDCtKnb3FuW-aJqDG1hasDXXEOuQ_q49oJ-61/s1600-h/8-14-09+062_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLpVWdeEnDN5mY5SKQtfju0-lWGqf7mSRizDDn4fxuoMFo_82HejgmTFz89JYchcm05Jm6npwZdozepgifsRQDhyphenhyphenwXPAoUS5BsuJtQ4rCDCtKnb3FuW-aJqDG1hasDXXEOuQ_q49oJ-61/s200/8-14-09+062_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436957374991426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTYyiL2OAAoE14PTuqCSMN0RWiku5FeMtjqDcDqFjWKnCbH4Dc3jqjTlq_njYlqXL57937_qWHOFH4NahDqaNk4Jj7EdNCXGqaDUIQ4YuJyIMuQ5DX3Hd_2trNS2i5Jnz25o2Jfv0zL9k/s1600-h/8-14-09+063_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTYyiL2OAAoE14PTuqCSMN0RWiku5FeMtjqDcDqFjWKnCbH4Dc3jqjTlq_njYlqXL57937_qWHOFH4NahDqaNk4Jj7EdNCXGqaDUIQ4YuJyIMuQ5DX3Hd_2trNS2i5Jnz25o2Jfv0zL9k/s200/8-14-09+063_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436947390060338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioujAmNpg9W1Aie0qLCS9NzyJjjjCOqwYLYjDeN2MGppZtfX9shXdCTWHZevdbRg9J1uyV3giGpNyRNlwGS4B0awyN-snYOWIG0hpciXwAJ_t2BkxKKuHrZ3vIG18lVFSCPH1gpRZNcfLJ/s1600-h/8-14-09+055_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioujAmNpg9W1Aie0qLCS9NzyJjjjCOqwYLYjDeN2MGppZtfX9shXdCTWHZevdbRg9J1uyV3giGpNyRNlwGS4B0awyN-snYOWIG0hpciXwAJ_t2BkxKKuHrZ3vIG18lVFSCPH1gpRZNcfLJ/s200/8-14-09+055_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436506720877170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBrnxumNR7s-UcoWh2QvKXyh9eltFOIQOOgJOWwbRx9w7Jx3_EvTYDXcc9SC-ci41jPmKcda8yMdU8kKrKiZfEz-Q68XT_vBmw91KjSWL3RRm7U6tXq2GF8DwjjQezVsx6RhLxJSuT0TX/s1600-h/8-14-09+051_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBrnxumNR7s-UcoWh2QvKXyh9eltFOIQOOgJOWwbRx9w7Jx3_EvTYDXcc9SC-ci41jPmKcda8yMdU8kKrKiZfEz-Q68XT_vBmw91KjSWL3RRm7U6tXq2GF8DwjjQezVsx6RhLxJSuT0TX/s200/8-14-09+051_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436499495305554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUCYonbA-uyuwOKzIHILijdQEsBwH34wSlqgK8F1_2VtWVPzoEtzdHGbj-JsjSVm-B-ObVO6uqOkw1-7GEdTE-ORi71ZSDTi9mLg8aiSkvLlGyy3kIvDbtIr7Q_QfzB6qDqJIL6k3CM-K/s1600-h/8-14-09+042_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUCYonbA-uyuwOKzIHILijdQEsBwH34wSlqgK8F1_2VtWVPzoEtzdHGbj-JsjSVm-B-ObVO6uqOkw1-7GEdTE-ORi71ZSDTi9mLg8aiSkvLlGyy3kIvDbtIr7Q_QfzB6qDqJIL6k3CM-K/s200/8-14-09+042_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436497645515250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2-OMZi36Z8Y-sdGoLIOSSRGkZ42Iv3DOsF_qqfkuJJBjnxGqNPEcVwGBZQBr03qEW7g6Nb_HyQsspeXCQ2QBiChzyifJ0JQ_2YgnJXHKz5fF0DqAow2fBOT5vmDLEB5JRzXBCHiUs5yb/s1600-h/8-14-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2-OMZi36Z8Y-sdGoLIOSSRGkZ42Iv3DOsF_qqfkuJJBjnxGqNPEcVwGBZQBr03qEW7g6Nb_HyQsspeXCQ2QBiChzyifJ0JQ_2YgnJXHKz5fF0DqAow2fBOT5vmDLEB5JRzXBCHiUs5yb/s200/8-14-09+009_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436488156551362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEb93EWgap5lRuJW-QS-bW4hk_u8iMv0cHXN36AHfYGfehVfcoOI1cZ6ZXUIDwpaoNrjOnnTLPN2sPayjji8aT3Fi7EUwuq0YvFZf8U8dXzwAtN18ohaWkHrDGH302479OYxt7HRylnMH/s1600-h/8-14-09+007_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEb93EWgap5lRuJW-QS-bW4hk_u8iMv0cHXN36AHfYGfehVfcoOI1cZ6ZXUIDwpaoNrjOnnTLPN2sPayjji8aT3Fi7EUwuq0YvFZf8U8dXzwAtN18ohaWkHrDGH302479OYxt7HRylnMH/s200/8-14-09+007_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375436484011992546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEY4UAJATB1WhEu9Po6M2t5HORkjTyBAUCjSB9m-sckl7Z8AgwL2-3aWwY_LFiUHELL2336WXXcWSklUW7dvQwi4ENnqs44h3LSVVn5KA2N5HxOYAegWSjnxL0YEvLp_MRc5VAPcYoWRc/s1600-h/8-14-09+005_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEY4UAJATB1WhEu9Po6M2t5HORkjTyBAUCjSB9m-sckl7Z8AgwL2-3aWwY_LFiUHELL2336WXXcWSklUW7dvQwi4ENnqs44h3LSVVn5KA2N5HxOYAegWSjnxL0YEvLp_MRc5VAPcYoWRc/s200/8-14-09+005_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435947212831522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWntOFyZ1UpRol30ZPxb7GKjm3X5QsFH2wojBvYIWFmde9ZZHXAN_SAs2XaGeZkm6dgT8-9Dh_tSkAx9kkES6r-d0FdkVL4NVDps8z7j5VTogA59tMbZtb2jd0sj8ZmDbDIWZoov0qNjV9/s1600-h/8-12-09+091_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWntOFyZ1UpRol30ZPxb7GKjm3X5QsFH2wojBvYIWFmde9ZZHXAN_SAs2XaGeZkm6dgT8-9Dh_tSkAx9kkES6r-d0FdkVL4NVDps8z7j5VTogA59tMbZtb2jd0sj8ZmDbDIWZoov0qNjV9/s200/8-12-09+091_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435936581560498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXq3PtAbw330Pr3mo9xHKELEo1_1YMfwtkh_ZKdlTifJPq_miLaK9FJQqK-AO0crceJhtNeGkAwpYGIPY_n5UiK9u91ZXORqkIpq3qTQ3oobshoWKHw88DtNFJVWQkQ2KnXJqf3UAFzWQG/s1600-h/8-12-09+086_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXq3PtAbw330Pr3mo9xHKELEo1_1YMfwtkh_ZKdlTifJPq_miLaK9FJQqK-AO0crceJhtNeGkAwpYGIPY_n5UiK9u91ZXORqkIpq3qTQ3oobshoWKHw88DtNFJVWQkQ2KnXJqf3UAFzWQG/s200/8-12-09+086_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435932585977602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6YyUiYxQv56UHAuLD57RkWOI9FQqhoemzfoaMswQVLqGv6Nvh_kr-OChlvClu4m_4MFr0LKIDAVamFM7Osafi3KEjIPYXWs6PtqlOhlVLT6tGFfgwWpPblxCIGCXK1CzpMPIxmOxbRtY/s1600-h/8-12-09+070_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6YyUiYxQv56UHAuLD57RkWOI9FQqhoemzfoaMswQVLqGv6Nvh_kr-OChlvClu4m_4MFr0LKIDAVamFM7Osafi3KEjIPYXWs6PtqlOhlVLT6tGFfgwWpPblxCIGCXK1CzpMPIxmOxbRtY/s200/8-12-09+070_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435927570476610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cjWp68I_GWEITjMYoblHS1u1GpQ5u1GHF_NQMij2gQfOfqKZYGCUZSaFk5GrukDWrUngTj1dK3k0hJqOFpDtyF7oCJvMBYGXSAAIGZmFPEcXEpaM1hW9XUPnvX7LaZbeyqAkhYagOlPN/s1600-h/8-12-09+060_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cjWp68I_GWEITjMYoblHS1u1GpQ5u1GHF_NQMij2gQfOfqKZYGCUZSaFk5GrukDWrUngTj1dK3k0hJqOFpDtyF7oCJvMBYGXSAAIGZmFPEcXEpaM1hW9XUPnvX7LaZbeyqAkhYagOlPN/s200/8-12-09+060_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435918236625026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSl3GNcgfQQTzAPnn2EQO_gQn1wj9NSzCu6OYCfdmq1iM5DViAOvcKxgcnZloYGI7iQaI24oOTeIPTttChXqE65JYH-WGI5Omgju180QbWcchbyv-OT0lSQSzwoh4Vh_sYIplAKWUTdz64/s1600-h/8-12-09+067_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSl3GNcgfQQTzAPnn2EQO_gQn1wj9NSzCu6OYCfdmq1iM5DViAOvcKxgcnZloYGI7iQaI24oOTeIPTttChXqE65JYH-WGI5Omgju180QbWcchbyv-OT0lSQSzwoh4Vh_sYIplAKWUTdz64/s200/8-12-09+067_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435523313973938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxGn_phYa__jqb6qqQijM_g49sjAfZIAhZunMq1IolS39dHSef1ApZapBx-YBNYNHq1A7SEEUh_gulNIj67Sx6mGfyp_bdK9c4AoDIriRBxlYGqHBcobpKL9TJotNmhFeYL147nuHp3NP/s1600-h/8-12-09+053_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxGn_phYa__jqb6qqQijM_g49sjAfZIAhZunMq1IolS39dHSef1ApZapBx-YBNYNHq1A7SEEUh_gulNIj67Sx6mGfyp_bdK9c4AoDIriRBxlYGqHBcobpKL9TJotNmhFeYL147nuHp3NP/s200/8-12-09+053_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435513186068706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsXviP1VC0fqbUre3Sx2StWee4vB78R4D6DKcKvwu5thmXbmEE_jFux-KlgCtm5bfrdVTEfR-ZmtTLLhLccNUQ8mOxuI6FcSAzpUZpmD8qjFFvXrtJjqXU5TBPi8WYMbm1ZWPHhBqSgjz/s1600-h/8-12-09+045_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsXviP1VC0fqbUre3Sx2StWee4vB78R4D6DKcKvwu5thmXbmEE_jFux-KlgCtm5bfrdVTEfR-ZmtTLLhLccNUQ8mOxuI6FcSAzpUZpmD8qjFFvXrtJjqXU5TBPi8WYMbm1ZWPHhBqSgjz/s200/8-12-09+045_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435503302007602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KPW-zZyRFztEGZxrQkMyhceeImb6xJjt57dbYL3qnRmBgCZVT_qIy_6Q19sz8JnOHnjSym2_rHERvo_HpvHPWZ1JYyhSUe5vGyGkEM7wmOvGgyqyf8IFzK1xiDLSfTlCU0CYmltfcQZa/s1600-h/8-12-09+032_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KPW-zZyRFztEGZxrQkMyhceeImb6xJjt57dbYL3qnRmBgCZVT_qIy_6Q19sz8JnOHnjSym2_rHERvo_HpvHPWZ1JYyhSUe5vGyGkEM7wmOvGgyqyf8IFzK1xiDLSfTlCU0CYmltfcQZa/s200/8-12-09+032_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435502123447442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1-Y1R2DHgNihpfamUHT9fXRGRj9vdFplkVShJ-zm7hSx9WA-EMgWOXvbdqvinCm6CGMFgq6iob3AIswAsLObdTjxiedmKAW6prtaorYp9QU5_11lPJdaEGKKV3TKYhIps2wz-S8fux-K/s1600-h/8-12-09+025_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1-Y1R2DHgNihpfamUHT9fXRGRj9vdFplkVShJ-zm7hSx9WA-EMgWOXvbdqvinCm6CGMFgq6iob3AIswAsLObdTjxiedmKAW6prtaorYp9QU5_11lPJdaEGKKV3TKYhIps2wz-S8fux-K/s200/8-12-09+025_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435492586188434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmVAZLNP9BmQOdpSKd-KBgbgKcmsUeNZDIWMPKUeQ5JjHIEImtyO1Cwls9xH6GRw87xbNHkLp0U2P2W-lSLcIesrSNxciqHnyyHUu5dJqHBrIryadqpNN09iort8Zj7eEQT2hL9-Ohxq6/s1600-h/8-12-09+011_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmVAZLNP9BmQOdpSKd-KBgbgKcmsUeNZDIWMPKUeQ5JjHIEImtyO1Cwls9xH6GRw87xbNHkLp0U2P2W-lSLcIesrSNxciqHnyyHUu5dJqHBrIryadqpNN09iort8Zj7eEQT2hL9-Ohxq6/s200/8-12-09+011_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435015899722914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5WUJOrU11vC9iPJAN5KEEdfg7UOgTvKs8-Qw80aQ7NKrAvKhF0AVTWThhuNbCOXiIIHcxa7-qsuK-sw53zdnYDYSbHfZb_aKUZRlqwsJqrsd8XjPCHWL8O5nYpwA-0lMA7Qqi1DGAVxH/s1600-h/8-12-09+024_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5WUJOrU11vC9iPJAN5KEEdfg7UOgTvKs8-Qw80aQ7NKrAvKhF0AVTWThhuNbCOXiIIHcxa7-qsuK-sw53zdnYDYSbHfZb_aKUZRlqwsJqrsd8XjPCHWL8O5nYpwA-0lMA7Qqi1DGAVxH/s200/8-12-09+024_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435011941752434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3R5dMEeGdmg7kBAXn7P89foOdVArQKwe8MN9a7yDNvwz6BQi4x3fcOINbByHvpE4I9AuieCzrgc2QlI5w61drxiUDEdOyJv2JHtJARdCrlX_0vmed8b7LcsF2nphBmeQFc-e8T2Kv0ET/s1600-h/8-12-09+001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3R5dMEeGdmg7kBAXn7P89foOdVArQKwe8MN9a7yDNvwz6BQi4x3fcOINbByHvpE4I9AuieCzrgc2QlI5w61drxiUDEdOyJv2JHtJARdCrlX_0vmed8b7LcsF2nphBmeQFc-e8T2Kv0ET/s200/8-12-09+001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435005618452114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCrz0E8QzNNILad_nRy0LAHYdiBRBbobVN39XukIx0bMxynv4xiesti4FkBpyGcmzyLPhPxY7aqFkhkL2Os6PMXWNlSTxbgayFqAseiRLXRhjqmBr438ZGsIO7BeW0JnlrLkeLZ6f-FMv/s1600-h/8-11-09+005_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCrz0E8QzNNILad_nRy0LAHYdiBRBbobVN39XukIx0bMxynv4xiesti4FkBpyGcmzyLPhPxY7aqFkhkL2Os6PMXWNlSTxbgayFqAseiRLXRhjqmBr438ZGsIO7BeW0JnlrLkeLZ6f-FMv/s200/8-11-09+005_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375435000950040882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEKcOYFVIErtEPs3GGLvoEtMQioL6-PrZfg8lY0T0Sm79EkSIzvfm5rrSR8u8t_XZq_LD4AxjwjkmkYp-0VAQ_SHrSZb1_Fk1aqMmQCMZh0GCkvhHY0gpAn_izbTcJvI6S1QkhE60KQI6/s1600-h/8-11-09+001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEKcOYFVIErtEPs3GGLvoEtMQioL6-PrZfg8lY0T0Sm79EkSIzvfm5rrSR8u8t_XZq_LD4AxjwjkmkYp-0VAQ_SHrSZb1_Fk1aqMmQCMZh0GCkvhHY0gpAn_izbTcJvI6S1QkhE60KQI6/s200/8-11-09+001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375434992967776626" border="0" /></a><br />Oregon<br /><br />We drove as far as we could and slept at a rest area along with other RVs and many semis. Classy. The next morning, Aug 11, we drove to Crater National Park and toured the deepest lake in the country (over 1,900 feet) on the motorcycle. It was a little chillier than expected (still some snow visible) so we did the loop quickly and moved on. On to the Umpua Trail! This trail is a 79-mile adventure. Most of the sections are open to bikes, but due to fires, we had to be careful when planning our adventure. They didn’t make it incredibly easy to do because the trail is divided between 3 different ranger districts, which don’t communicate with each other. To check on a section of trail, you had to call the correct station and hope that the operator had the info you needed. There. That’s my gripe about the Umpqua. This trail was freakin’ awesome! We did a short section when we arrived, just to test it out, called Lemolo. It was a 6+ mile out and back from camp. It was fast and fun with plently of excitement along the way. Now, Eric and I were really excited. We decided to link up 5 sections amounting to 33 miles of sweet single track. To start, we headed out on the Dread and Terror section, a 14.7 mile “most difficult” section that toured water falls, ledges, scenic river views and springs flowing down the trail. It was much more challenging than the portion we had ridden the night before, but definitely worth it. I was a little concerned with how long it took us to ride just the first section. The next section was only 3.5 miles called Hot Springs (named appropriately so, but we didn’t partake). This section had a little climbing, which translated to a little fun swooping decents on smooth single track. Deer Leap followed, 9+ mile section, which had a ton of climbing and by now I was pretty spent. I was dreading downhill because I knew that it likely would be followed with another climb. That’s how spent I was. I had a little hysterical moment, but managed to pull it back together to finish the long, very long, fast, fun, decent. Now only 2 sections left! I was considering taking the road down, but that turned out to require climbing out of the dip we were currently in, so we continued with the Jesse Wright section. The length of this portion is controversial as we discovered that every sign had it labeled differently. This was probably the lamest section we rode (probably not that lame, by now I was in a riding coma). This section spit us out on the road. I didn’t even consider taking the trail any further and just made a run for the motorhome. Eric reluctantly followed. We camped right along the river near Horseshoe Bend in a sweet little campsite. I confessed that I wasn’t interested in riding in the morning, so Eric planned to hit the few remaining sections not engulfed by fire alone. I drove the motorhome to meet him after each sections to make sure he was still kicking, made lunch, and finally got some well needed rest and relaxation. If you have never ridden the Umpqua Trail, you better get your booty up to no-where Oregon and ride it. It is truly a magnificent trail with more views than the Grand Canyon and fewer people than waterfall sightings. We left the Umpqua and headed to the Newberry Crater National Monument for a 20-mile loop around Paulina and East Lakes. We killed ourselves on the first climb, which was brutal punishment considering the well graded Umpqua we had just left. Once at the top, however, we found the rim to be an entertaining journey up and down various landscapes. Nothing too tricky and nothing too spectacular either. The views were okay. I guess we were just a little spoiled by now.<br />On Aug 15, we hit Bend, OR. I had some work to do to get ready for a conference I am attending in New York City, which required hanging out with my computer and getting online. Because Eric doesn’t want to hang out while I fussed with Powerpoint, I left him at the Swampy Lake SnoPark for a ride on Bend’s extensive trail network. And now comes the story of how I almost got stuck with the motorhome, trailer and no place to turn around. I haven’t been driving the motorhome all that often. It turns out, I make a much better navigator. All I had to do today was make two simple turns to pick Eric up at the trailhead. Unfortunately I missed the first one, which left me in search of a place to turn around the Chateau. I chose the Meadow Picnic Area. As soon as I made the turn, I realized I had made a big mistake. The picnic area was about 1.5 miles down a gravel, washboardy road. I was sure there would be a nice area with picnic tables, a bathroom, and a parking area where I could flip her back. I crawled down the road, blasting the tunes, with my window rolled down. Panic didn’t set in until I reached the actual parking lot which had room for exactly 6 cars and no place to turn around a motorhome, let alone a motorhome towing a trailer. I called Eric and told him he may need to reroute his bike trip to hit the picnic area instead of the trailhead because I was not about to try backing a trailer out a gravel, washboardy road for 1.5 miles. Besides, it had taken me so long to get back there, I was going to be late already. Cars were honking at me because I was blocking everything. Ughh. I pulled off as best I could, got out, and went for a walk. The gravel road continued back a ways and I didn’t want to keep going if there wasn’t a place to turn back easily. I was releaved to find a small dirt loop down by the river that had some awfully large potholes and a rough edge, but it was doable. I hopped back in the RV and made my go at it. I am pretty sure there was a bit of scraping involved, but I now had a slightly annoyed audience and I was ready to be out of the jam. I mean, what’s a girl to do? I crawled back to the main road and found Eric at the trailhead. We had a fantastic second half of the day riding mostly downhill. It was a blast! Eric was especially excited because he rode over 40 miles in one day (with 2 shuttles, cheater.) With 4 miles to go, Eric’s seat bolt failed him. He didn’t crash, but did have to ride those last few miles without a seat, only a post (ouch!) to remind him not to sit.<br />On Sunday, the 16th, we planned a giant loop that contained a portion that is closed most of the year for elk calving. It opened on Aug 15 (lucky us!!!). We started with a bomber downhill on the Southfork trail to the Tumalo Falls. Very pretty! Then we began our climb. At first, there were a lot of hikers out clearly just checking out the falls and a few other bikers. It was steep to start, so we didn’t mind stepping off to let hikers pass by. Then we were grunting along and then crawling along and then stopping for a refuel. It was quite the climb, continuing far up into alpine meadows. Here we came out of the forest to see a beautiful creek, interesting plants and the sun beaming down. I though that once we hit the Flagline trail, it would be all down, but again I was mistaken. More climbing. The downhill, as it turns out, was well worth all the effort. There were gentle corners and meandering trail all way back to the motorhome. For dinner, we went gourmet and BBQed lamb burgers with goat cheese, roasted red bell peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber. Mmmm mmm mmmmmmmmm. We had such a pleasant day, we decided to take a similar route the next day, in reverse. We only had a small section of overlap, but had just as much fun. The end was a bit tiresome. All the trail junctions were clearly marked except for one, which we missed and ended up on a technical trail with super steep and long hills. It would have been okay if they were to get someone, but they weren’t. As soon as you made it up the hill, you were shooting back down to where you were before. It was a cruel joke at the end of a 30+ mile day. In all, we covered 97 miles of trail in Bend. It was time to move on, but I am pretty sure if we had more time we could find at least that much more new trail. We drove to the McKenzie River and camped.<br />In the morning, we shuttled the motorcycle to the end of a 24-mile river ride. We thought it sounded quite similar to the Umpqua, which you know we loved. We hopped on our bikes by 11 (was hoping for 10) and got started. There were some extremely fascinating aspects of this ride. To start, we rode over lava bed. It plays a bit of a mind game with you because the obstacles aren’t that big, but crashing would tear you to pieces. I walked much of the lava. We came to Clear Lake (not very original, but undeniably true!) to find the most beautiful clear blue water on earth, maybe even heaven. It was just amazing. I imagined dolphins jumping, but of course there weren’t. Next, the river disappeared underground. That’s pretty awesome. Then it reappears from “the great blue hole” about five extremely hot miles later. The hole was calm and it seemed unbelievable that the water could be reentering without any turbulance what so ever. The only evidence that it wasn’t just an ordinary lake was the river flowing away from the hole. It was all very interesting. The hole was followed up with another lava section. It was hard to look ahead when you were still dealing with the obstacle at hand, but we managed well and with only a couple little mishaps. The rest of the ride flew by with numerous creek crossings on wooden bridges, some modest ups and downs, mostly just cranking along. The last 8 miles boarder the section of river we were considering rafting the next day. Although we tried to scout, the trail weaved away from the river making it pretty impossible. What we could tell was that the water was moving swiftly and traveling alone could be a dangerous mistake. We camped at the put in to see if we could find some other fellow rafters that wouldn’t mind us tagging along, but it wasn’t until the next morning that we found some. Eric and I tried scouting from the road, however, the trees were so dense we couldn’t make out water from rock. We were trying to figure out if we should even do the river (I was leaning towards no) when a Subaru passed us with a giant blue boat straddeling the car from windshield to backhatch. We jumped back in the motorhome and raced back to the put in to see if we could catch these fellow whitewater fanatics before they pushed off. Eric parked the motorhome and ran up to the put in while I started frantically pulling out gear. I lifted out our 45-pound raft all by myself (very proud moment) and began unrolling it for inflation. My heart nearly stopped when I saw the most lovely nest made out of our Mexican blanket, a mama mouse, and 4-5 little babies all warmly curled up waiting for their moment to invade the motorhome, I’m sure. Eric was jogging back just in time for my freak out. We didn’t name these guys because they crossed the line with us by chewing up our home furnishings. I will save you the details of the next few minutes and start again with meeting our new friends, Rich and Harold. It was clear that these two had been on a few rivers before and had rafted the McKenzie the day before too. This was nice because they already had an idea about which lines would work and which log jams would kill you. Eric and I made sure to get hung up right away to make sure they would keep good track of us the rest of the float. Ha! Everything we saw from the shore was true. The water was moving very quickly. There were rocks that required tedious maneuvers and there were very few (if any) places to pull over and scout the next rapid. We forgot our camera and water (rookies!), but had a great day on the water. After wrapping up the rafting gear, we had plenty of time to find a camping site on the way to Portland. Somehow, we still managed to wait until nearly dark to get settled in. We had one more trail that we were considering riding. The only problem was, it was so short. It was 4.2 miles out and back for a total of 8.4 miles. This may sound like a decent ride, but it only had 200 vertical feet of climbing. Given the short distance and the modest aerobic level, we decided not to go through the effort of putting all our bike stuff together. It sounds lame, but we are getting a little worn out. We decided to take our time driving to Portland. We met up with Eric’s folks for a late lunch before heading to Josh and Jodi’s place for a visit. Eric immediately remembers why he hates driving in big cities . . . . traffic. No surprise there. It was amazing how many close calls we witnessed in just a short time on the freeway. Our blood pressures were both steadily rising. It was stressful! We arrived at Josh’s and parked the beast on the road taking up the majority of the neighborhood’s parking. Not to worry, we wouldn’t be staying too long. Eric and Josh talked about house and car stuff while I enjoyed a hot, luxurious, shower. I finalized some details on my poster for my conference and then relaxed on couch. Eric and I had to pick Lisa up at the airport early the next morning, so we opted to stay in the motorhome at Walmart instead of at Josh and Jodi’s sweet crib.<br />Lisa called at 5 in the morning to make sure we knew she was boarding the plane. Great! We slept another 2 hours and met her around 7:30. We were all going to travel together in the Chateau to the Meyer Family Campout. First things first, we pulled over in one of the airport hotels so that Lisa could try and talk with her recently deployed husband via Skype. Eric and I took a walk around the transit platform. Soon we were off again, but not for long. Eric thought it would be fun to dump the RV so that Lisa could share in that experience. Siblings. Later, we stopped for McDonalds breakfast and then again at the pharmacy. It took about 5 hours to get to the campout that was only 2 hours out of Portland. We arrived in Ocean Park in time to head back down to Long Beach for the Washington State International Kite Festival!!!Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-40277096394582149742009-08-29T09:46:00.000-07:002009-08-29T09:59:35.697-07:00Sorry to leave you in the dark . . . I will now overcompensate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhrn8Fa0XNT1js9jGr2DokNTPItJ-tE6CpqArmj0Wu8Uv_ukhZmUGpbCoelUaoorkG8VeBWcylh4W66VGV2-B0RiQUixohNgPRHn8keeDNEiFOgJTMu4F-0cLYxWG37_-1eko57oY7BW1/s1600-h/8-10-09+020_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhrn8Fa0XNT1js9jGr2DokNTPItJ-tE6CpqArmj0Wu8Uv_ukhZmUGpbCoelUaoorkG8VeBWcylh4W66VGV2-B0RiQUixohNgPRHn8keeDNEiFOgJTMu4F-0cLYxWG37_-1eko57oY7BW1/s200/8-10-09+020_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375431297814564690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TvxK90UmrgNoeE9hk0lb1jMsN3Piewf-GDnzqqokMNzwnHpr-YUU2l8GM1gtY48aVc632lU6lK9dre59ApRmTI4pJ4uCRf5zJdPt_HjnX3wvIbrj9c-SceHS_l-ibySUPU9eYTOJ8DlU/s1600-h/8-10-09+025_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TvxK90UmrgNoeE9hk0lb1jMsN3Piewf-GDnzqqokMNzwnHpr-YUU2l8GM1gtY48aVc632lU6lK9dre59ApRmTI4pJ4uCRf5zJdPt_HjnX3wvIbrj9c-SceHS_l-ibySUPU9eYTOJ8DlU/s200/8-10-09+025_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375431286302730994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIW9J3_ttgJtUpjIedVo1EJ4y6tSiEYdzrF2IOBP6ECht3qnju8F8kkNHS7OQUlABxZ5Sr_SLA1i-wRKb91kL5zZYte7wcPweCxfKrJE5kCQ44_vasjmEVIygw6SwrZzG3AK2zY7sCbOb/s1600-h/8-10-09+019_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIW9J3_ttgJtUpjIedVo1EJ4y6tSiEYdzrF2IOBP6ECht3qnju8F8kkNHS7OQUlABxZ5Sr_SLA1i-wRKb91kL5zZYte7wcPweCxfKrJE5kCQ44_vasjmEVIygw6SwrZzG3AK2zY7sCbOb/s200/8-10-09+019_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375431284489382498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6kfq0hnG7NlV8mPBeZA0KcQ56FFW44NoM7w3_4-oqr8qMNJuPBR8VX32t0xd4pn8dgfH5UcYbKTW2g7yNB0qVa0EuL_paWBbq9XFH9fe-jyHj5b54cuJz4R3qaiYMAIaUQpbHKYHkb5t/s1600-h/8-10-09+001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6kfq0hnG7NlV8mPBeZA0KcQ56FFW44NoM7w3_4-oqr8qMNJuPBR8VX32t0xd4pn8dgfH5UcYbKTW2g7yNB0qVa0EuL_paWBbq9XFH9fe-jyHj5b54cuJz4R3qaiYMAIaUQpbHKYHkb5t/s200/8-10-09+001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375431275045528914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXZnwA-bbwr_JUvAjb5liYztVBJGdr_VIAyg_RSsMN8ItCq_5ejaRpFFYGjcdW7XTrySlu8fTHbO46ADJta48haBa-Sr93O_0t0P9HCmaj0P7DzYK_DlZIGuVIZ102F9TIiMQecfm3UVX/s1600-h/8-08-09+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXZnwA-bbwr_JUvAjb5liYztVBJGdr_VIAyg_RSsMN8ItCq_5ejaRpFFYGjcdW7XTrySlu8fTHbO46ADJta48haBa-Sr93O_0t0P9HCmaj0P7DzYK_DlZIGuVIZ102F9TIiMQecfm3UVX/s200/8-08-09+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375431270946166434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXF1jAe32g7RwGQWkzhcaH-qiuw_jBZWuE1iQw_AvPM8FGvgoDxXY_DUBrMLfdiZwFMTJ80wG8Mcreb-tB4HV01uvojTRXZjLZsVdUemc_1NK-nIeItOQKJdLA5-_RtuXkXcbH5Ky2OdTU/s1600-h/8-08-09+015_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXF1jAe32g7RwGQWkzhcaH-qiuw_jBZWuE1iQw_AvPM8FGvgoDxXY_DUBrMLfdiZwFMTJ80wG8Mcreb-tB4HV01uvojTRXZjLZsVdUemc_1NK-nIeItOQKJdLA5-_RtuXkXcbH5Ky2OdTU/s200/8-08-09+015_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430838236655410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHgjVtposTVEyVNVXLBfMHaiLlrTf9SaZbffbp6lahZ6G8l51A_EuOgScmOZeDWvgjwU7jYGsAIRad8-QhKo26C2cxAmgbZuHof98fci6rtQzYWDlJbbukDJLkoDJzodDdiBQPrxPZ0ev/s1600-h/8-08-09+017_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHgjVtposTVEyVNVXLBfMHaiLlrTf9SaZbffbp6lahZ6G8l51A_EuOgScmOZeDWvgjwU7jYGsAIRad8-QhKo26C2cxAmgbZuHof98fci6rtQzYWDlJbbukDJLkoDJzodDdiBQPrxPZ0ev/s200/8-08-09+017_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430832228957378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Qd3lxu5GwXW1KEeQ_ml3e0X7epXDA0ekbHyJzeyanU6cMx5q_b7d1BI__pAk4JSLDRe4JxC3L-saX3bnfrs87sdiQg4s0EO-DkjOyeCB1W5RAglJ9X-o3CxRiEkxuIQh7RSEzdF-Sr4y/s1600-h/8-5-09+060_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Qd3lxu5GwXW1KEeQ_ml3e0X7epXDA0ekbHyJzeyanU6cMx5q_b7d1BI__pAk4JSLDRe4JxC3L-saX3bnfrs87sdiQg4s0EO-DkjOyeCB1W5RAglJ9X-o3CxRiEkxuIQh7RSEzdF-Sr4y/s200/8-5-09+060_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430823361582098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnExMR4jEuqHSebVA0cQz9mtXPQFP8EyIz-gACCGcYLb_ORYx_myZJeguunnW3dCcIS_G2vegV0eR_JVkCYZGscDf7gVfopTz9yp9jZDntkQPCKyPpX2batMdDpHqyalxIx9IfqCXwl6jy/s1600-h/8-5-09+004_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnExMR4jEuqHSebVA0cQz9mtXPQFP8EyIz-gACCGcYLb_ORYx_myZJeguunnW3dCcIS_G2vegV0eR_JVkCYZGscDf7gVfopTz9yp9jZDntkQPCKyPpX2batMdDpHqyalxIx9IfqCXwl6jy/s200/8-5-09+004_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430816749265954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oyAN7A1-iF81IHYj7AVF0GvynTO1XqZfg6n-ywSJYFbZEUfKk6kgz-gW7qeROnaU5ss7wcZVYU6DqBYW0W6CC8WGrxjTIKU5mlV9FVtPewcpxt9dLMbixlMztltMn9QnnIh4X8zkUroE/s1600-h/8-5-09+001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oyAN7A1-iF81IHYj7AVF0GvynTO1XqZfg6n-ywSJYFbZEUfKk6kgz-gW7qeROnaU5ss7wcZVYU6DqBYW0W6CC8WGrxjTIKU5mlV9FVtPewcpxt9dLMbixlMztltMn9QnnIh4X8zkUroE/s200/8-5-09+001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430810226721202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WKXKha3DoWupA3TBuy1ruCJmH4dASXBUOs7mTrgKGZSSc4O-KkqCkk7M7cn6iLAV_CLAGOYoQOUnG1jBZmCy1t8lhgGHfwvxLDRlDNvw-6pkb37my516uCPIjcnmnWvCSZzqcG5wvf_L/s1600-h/8-5-09+068_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WKXKha3DoWupA3TBuy1ruCJmH4dASXBUOs7mTrgKGZSSc4O-KkqCkk7M7cn6iLAV_CLAGOYoQOUnG1jBZmCy1t8lhgGHfwvxLDRlDNvw-6pkb37my516uCPIjcnmnWvCSZzqcG5wvf_L/s200/8-5-09+068_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430303374956674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kmW1W3ZM4rY2bMAKyLJeZ_4vet5p6CF6rd1dIcBKu9CaB1w3DJxqMcbOJoVZgDeW8LFhCoBXz8APsh3LfvWq5dH5hXT36c-agfAFD-2-wwlx1o87jt65AcwLANhSSZTSx6033Hwkr4CN/s1600-h/8-5-09+057_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kmW1W3ZM4rY2bMAKyLJeZ_4vet5p6CF6rd1dIcBKu9CaB1w3DJxqMcbOJoVZgDeW8LFhCoBXz8APsh3LfvWq5dH5hXT36c-agfAFD-2-wwlx1o87jt65AcwLANhSSZTSx6033Hwkr4CN/s200/8-5-09+057_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430300825586018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzJXkrYyEs_nUcbm2CAF39dwtJIqP2pMMzo2LVRxX8ardhvCxIghb3cyPmQVdD9lXo2BmvoRPn7YDSM2dIiAAENAs2IgQEhfKxVsV_gJXuqFuznGEilyNnJ6cQQPnThtRXHhW0bel4afL/s1600-h/8-5-09+042_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzJXkrYyEs_nUcbm2CAF39dwtJIqP2pMMzo2LVRxX8ardhvCxIghb3cyPmQVdD9lXo2BmvoRPn7YDSM2dIiAAENAs2IgQEhfKxVsV_gJXuqFuznGEilyNnJ6cQQPnThtRXHhW0bel4afL/s200/8-5-09+042_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430294580458690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdO0ThN74nrFHX8E7mWkA7XOYuT9ANVWKsv627SQqVdliTY4KcYp3zSBW-tRqnYYsvilFJsgH8K-0ACkIUYFikYLsGEX8tl7ADkklMbDqzk9VLyeb86ZPGXI8DsGvSt47952OVv2dldOr/s1600-h/8-4-09+052_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdO0ThN74nrFHX8E7mWkA7XOYuT9ANVWKsv627SQqVdliTY4KcYp3zSBW-tRqnYYsvilFJsgH8K-0ACkIUYFikYLsGEX8tl7ADkklMbDqzk9VLyeb86ZPGXI8DsGvSt47952OVv2dldOr/s200/8-4-09+052_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430289803537394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZFQ6PvLtI1FGWgP5H4RCHyNZmAfOkpgKSAlbBXftl5HjQTrjyfW48lMGLPp-ZGHLE6Gz6sgSkyvgJLEI0LnZ1YBa9_g8BjUrkHDFezUQaq9dqy152YLxztTdk7_FtHeT-SWBeqPKivNm/s1600-h/8-4-09+051_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZFQ6PvLtI1FGWgP5H4RCHyNZmAfOkpgKSAlbBXftl5HjQTrjyfW48lMGLPp-ZGHLE6Gz6sgSkyvgJLEI0LnZ1YBa9_g8BjUrkHDFezUQaq9dqy152YLxztTdk7_FtHeT-SWBeqPKivNm/s200/8-4-09+051_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375430285265301746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45rnu3ono3ZVFZakEBkZzYrgMs0nNHwIbKVlQG_QyCAo485Wao3Nr1vPbQsNGoWc6cvw6C72MPkymYpbwzU2kTFmbhgWcl4r62ID6FxHsdYjAxkRzcntXsG8NayS9htLEJFXY3qrIwhJq/s1600-h/8-04-09+038_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45rnu3ono3ZVFZakEBkZzYrgMs0nNHwIbKVlQG_QyCAo485Wao3Nr1vPbQsNGoWc6cvw6C72MPkymYpbwzU2kTFmbhgWcl4r62ID6FxHsdYjAxkRzcntXsG8NayS9htLEJFXY3qrIwhJq/s200/8-04-09+038_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429826529809842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhDF5MGnCR4ds1ye0yTN5_sr7bvQQuwKCo35ZuqFuMuRq2nybhy9W7REr-Zf6OU0pZuy8_7yYNvEsjNfEC8EXRgMf0RE3tuA2Ev0jUVNBBZrMVYkda9ZW6bwxuZZLKsq2YlMu8cDAsU52/s1600-h/8-4-09+050_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhDF5MGnCR4ds1ye0yTN5_sr7bvQQuwKCo35ZuqFuMuRq2nybhy9W7REr-Zf6OU0pZuy8_7yYNvEsjNfEC8EXRgMf0RE3tuA2Ev0jUVNBBZrMVYkda9ZW6bwxuZZLKsq2YlMu8cDAsU52/s200/8-4-09+050_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429819653316978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKLcdNaFYcVvEy-tx-vc6tD0U3aQSvfZOypBRBK0gf0ApmPSAYwmGEUOIG3ol7JTAirv1TghOC6bKkYczldL7dwv0x_czc7dWFUZshPatIn9rYtzh3DwXAFtF3C6lSZw6kNyX_UHSD5W7/s1600-h/8-4-09+029_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKLcdNaFYcVvEy-tx-vc6tD0U3aQSvfZOypBRBK0gf0ApmPSAYwmGEUOIG3ol7JTAirv1TghOC6bKkYczldL7dwv0x_czc7dWFUZshPatIn9rYtzh3DwXAFtF3C6lSZw6kNyX_UHSD5W7/s200/8-4-09+029_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429813328870434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Bm0tNdTFuat-G94M6io461hOlWGYWrSIwxuzZay9mxGUVZBzxlR56dPkj5oLp_CgiffwB0hWL5rn-g_4oAX1tydS4aJymrqZnRILXYtywcADvP8eRYQWvjYp6DrKi4YkASzNQmQubwgB/s1600-h/8-04-09+023_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Bm0tNdTFuat-G94M6io461hOlWGYWrSIwxuzZay9mxGUVZBzxlR56dPkj5oLp_CgiffwB0hWL5rn-g_4oAX1tydS4aJymrqZnRILXYtywcADvP8eRYQWvjYp6DrKi4YkASzNQmQubwgB/s200/8-04-09+023_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429811193685186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuXIMumgK7WW5QEXjFg5qsJ_peeCoK5d3QIIEehKX1sY7GjwNiF0Udt3b5Km4A1a6MvbTr1h-ctY7450xQkgVxTGmj2AQoHsK6hbtCeI5yEQ4dEb7JLiUpq1fv0Fv1OLQ-sQ6BxdJMRv2/s1600-h/8-04-09+017_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuXIMumgK7WW5QEXjFg5qsJ_peeCoK5d3QIIEehKX1sY7GjwNiF0Udt3b5Km4A1a6MvbTr1h-ctY7450xQkgVxTGmj2AQoHsK6hbtCeI5yEQ4dEb7JLiUpq1fv0Fv1OLQ-sQ6BxdJMRv2/s200/8-04-09+017_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429801807630482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21IgHJhTGqBDmNc53xLJeX3yhkQZd_Cf0RizV094lthiMFpro6CXYP3C59ZfJs0Vx8bKLNsWulyV1uGewsAy5_oInDEc7-dMV9TuJ5H2j9GpIhuXQJYPZaIdBaA8uJ2TMPYl4WREDTic1/s1600-h/8-04-09+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21IgHJhTGqBDmNc53xLJeX3yhkQZd_Cf0RizV094lthiMFpro6CXYP3C59ZfJs0Vx8bKLNsWulyV1uGewsAy5_oInDEc7-dMV9TuJ5H2j9GpIhuXQJYPZaIdBaA8uJ2TMPYl4WREDTic1/s200/8-04-09+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429228706925074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWPEmgcA1R7Hdlr08cpG9SnGaelFh5u63DkiKTMGerEWFuSfw3fsWK_eQNAOJ_uVGy_M7fBIEvYfibIIX2nkRwcsxd4IvMgDUJTesiUjuBDij-MhM6-jcEurgckbICHYrkiL2HZ0jdkii/s1600-h/8-2-09+013_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWPEmgcA1R7Hdlr08cpG9SnGaelFh5u63DkiKTMGerEWFuSfw3fsWK_eQNAOJ_uVGy_M7fBIEvYfibIIX2nkRwcsxd4IvMgDUJTesiUjuBDij-MhM6-jcEurgckbICHYrkiL2HZ0jdkii/s200/8-2-09+013_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429223892077042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuezFWDtvOOKijaMPOyKagDcqmI-6y2kAdEkkU44tcheVGLLHlGnOVyecvJYKn4J6wG5m6-CxlOW1HJSk0ek8eMcq4uHYjvFpF5IcIFtRlY7SNaVa7p7LfWYEOf067qRyhG0EFBiPeshL/s1600-h/8-2-09+032_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuezFWDtvOOKijaMPOyKagDcqmI-6y2kAdEkkU44tcheVGLLHlGnOVyecvJYKn4J6wG5m6-CxlOW1HJSk0ek8eMcq4uHYjvFpF5IcIFtRlY7SNaVa7p7LfWYEOf067qRyhG0EFBiPeshL/s200/8-2-09+032_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429218441851154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeV3CAy_DMSrOXCU1q82S8fSccul2HLK9_6Hkv0cXKNDdOpd60PrO7PzR9549MRmU_MrkJEgN0vlkpcuSuhRY976D-X3qNUzPJ_QE9GPr_ZUShEC4WGDh5rJgOhVjCCOHhzrASbg3la4L/s1600-h/8-2-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeV3CAy_DMSrOXCU1q82S8fSccul2HLK9_6Hkv0cXKNDdOpd60PrO7PzR9549MRmU_MrkJEgN0vlkpcuSuhRY976D-X3qNUzPJ_QE9GPr_ZUShEC4WGDh5rJgOhVjCCOHhzrASbg3la4L/s200/8-2-09+009_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429214441579426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNzLgU62ZgdJnm-qkb1vGm_pAcvCEsfshG333381pIJfRUqfoVzf30Ve-H5hnbHC3EE29-bjZRTDj-gUaUKYKzLzrGt4bUr-rK6VusiiccE-VEomh55SSOqBtIFcfRoikA52SAFgxGQeG/s1600-h/8-3-09+001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNzLgU62ZgdJnm-qkb1vGm_pAcvCEsfshG333381pIJfRUqfoVzf30Ve-H5hnbHC3EE29-bjZRTDj-gUaUKYKzLzrGt4bUr-rK6VusiiccE-VEomh55SSOqBtIFcfRoikA52SAFgxGQeG/s200/8-3-09+001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375429209584122370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Arcata, CA<br /><br />Okay, okay, so I’ve gotten a little behind and now it is too great a task to catch up, which doesn’t make me very motivated to start. SO, we made it in time to put on the Trinity River on Aug 2 with my family and a whole bunch of Jen and Damon’s friends. Eric and I started in the Mini-Me with my dad and a friend named Matt, but it soon became clear that jumping ships was a common theme. Some people abandoned rafts all together, opting to float on a Poco-Pad instead. It was toasty and with all our stops along the way managed to kill the entire day floating about 7 miles. Since I have abandoned my blog, I also had a birthday! I am now 28 years old! I don’t recall that we did all that much, but we had a great breakfast out and a giant salmon dinner followed by a party made complete with mint chocolate chip ice cream and hot fudge over a chocolate cake. Carrie knows what I’m talking about. We played Yahtzee, Dice, Up-the-River Down-the-River. The usual assortment of red vines and smartees were also plentiful. I love birthdays. The next morning, Aug 4, needless to say, I had a bit of a sugar high. I got up early, begged Eric to go for a jog with me (which he almost did!!!) and ran for about an hour in the Arcata fog. We then decided to go biking in the redwoods on the Ossagon Trail (20 miles), which toured the famous Fern Canyon. Once my fam joined us we followed the ride with a 6-mile hike through the big trees. That’s right, it was a three-sport day for me. By the end, I was pooped. On Aug 5, we journeyed to the Lost Coast for a day at the beach collecting neat rocks, shells, and sea glass. We saw sea lions in the water and sun bathing on rocks. I was a bit sore from the previous days adventures, but looking at the sand and walking at a snails pace was a-okay for me. Our turn around point was a light house where we snacked on rainbow Twizzlers and other assorted snacks. My collection now lives in a small ziplock baggy in the motorhome waiting for a more permanent establishment to call home. On Aug 6, we decided to celebrate Jen’s birthday (usually occurs on Aug 11). I mean, who wouldn’t want to turn 30 five days earlier than scheduled? We biked in the local community forest with Jen and her dogs Lily and Joule (which you may have noticed hung out with us a lot during our stay in Arcata). This involved one solid climb to the top of the CF and several short single tracks linked all the way back down. For more fun, we went to the theater and saw The Hangover. I laughed very, Very hard. Highly recommend. Later, we headed to the local Brewery for dinner where we listened to live music and met even more of Jen and Damon’s friends (they really are the most popular people I know!). To complete the birthday, we headed to the Plaza (town square) for ice cream. Jen had the most amazing ice cream sandwich I have ever seen. They smash whatever kind of ice cream you want between 2 chocolate wafers and finish it off by rolling it in smashed Oreo cookies. On Aug 7, we said “Good-bye” to my folks, packed out of Jen and Damon’s house and headed South to Shelter Cove. This small community boarders the southern part of the Lost Coast that we visited earlier. After some off-roading in the RV, we parked at a cool little campground up in a forest away from the beach, but close to the Paradise Royale Bike Trail. That’s right, hikers yield to the bikes. We arrived in time to get established in camp before catching the sunset. We played cards for a short while, but the wind picked up and the air really wasn’t all that warm, so we all headed to bed early. The next morning, Aug 8, we awoke ready to ride. After a leisurely breakfast, with multiple rounds of French pressing, we (Jen, Damon, Eric and I) took off on the PRBT. It started with a cool twisting decent through leaf-covered ground and small whoopties. Our major climb followed and lasted, mmm, quite some time with a false summit or two before heading down our major decent. The trail widened and had many options for lift-off. I mostly kept my tires glued to the ground, but Eric and Damon took flight on several occasions. The last bit climbed back to camp, which we find it hard to do, because you know that all the fun is behind you. We grunted it out, made a dinner complete with hot dogs and tortellini. Eric and I found Juliet and Wes to be friendly and spent a couple hours past everyone else’s bedtime chatting around the camp fire with them. We broke camp in the morning, saying Good-bye to my Bro—Matt and his dogs Kilo and Bullet and drove back to Arcata to reconfigure the motorhome, take care of laundry and sort out our camp gear from the rest. It took so long, we ended up staying the night of Aug 9 in front of Jen and Damon’s house in Arcata. The next day, Aug 10, we drove out of the fog and into the sun to Kimtu Park in Willow Creek. From there, we road about 7+ road miles to our climb up to the Tish Tang Trail. This trail involved looping back up the road to hit the next section (which there were 3 sections). There were no trail markers and I think Jen and Damon may be the only folks who know the trail exists because even when physically riding on the trail it is nearly invisible. I think I called Jen 12 times and Damon twice to figure out how to ride each section. We hit the bottom section about the time we finished our water. Only seven more miles of road riding in the heat of the day to get back to the home! In all we road over 30 miles and over 8,000 vertical feet!! This was by far the most vertical we had climbed in a day. Needless to say, we were exhausted!Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-38567755878057521462009-08-09T16:12:00.001-07:002009-08-09T16:23:49.938-07:00Whoops! I managed to forget some of our favorites!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_kLMO7exvDmeR4suaHQnAYLGAKqsqpZZTv6jVdAeSObO80dK-_8b9vdCjl0i5iYDaN3nBqgITJfR1r5OW9ii7w7bVwNCJn3tXSpFiZRCEnPT4gUW7kG9ir5N_0T8fuaZ7y0ofsAEP2e4/s1600-h/7-28-09+096_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_kLMO7exvDmeR4suaHQnAYLGAKqsqpZZTv6jVdAeSObO80dK-_8b9vdCjl0i5iYDaN3nBqgITJfR1r5OW9ii7w7bVwNCJn3tXSpFiZRCEnPT4gUW7kG9ir5N_0T8fuaZ7y0ofsAEP2e4/s200/7-28-09+096_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368108711563312274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPZdM58Edd_kVSA6chyPC-HR2PWfEndvEhpOiEiaUHGb9Ouk-11aMYP0HhewO0l3Z9K2thUteypmqNHspcJvDxJyYomAHa1EUw0wy1QLYPEgk-870jVH75bebD_BkEZcsHDsb-KSksTvk/s1600-h/7-28-09+092_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPZdM58Edd_kVSA6chyPC-HR2PWfEndvEhpOiEiaUHGb9Ouk-11aMYP0HhewO0l3Z9K2thUteypmqNHspcJvDxJyYomAHa1EUw0wy1QLYPEgk-870jVH75bebD_BkEZcsHDsb-KSksTvk/s200/7-28-09+092_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368108707944574674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUMBE58sLVtZOV156_NQKkcbhDNnveIfHGclLePsdNGmqXnBujbFk93UL-L9yEqme7RQGPD8MiUHwkNRVod9VZ2hTVsArgdvk4vyb9G5zwsicGWUARUgJDaKzh5M0AI5pvkkze7mGCf-R/s1600-h/7-28-09+079_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUMBE58sLVtZOV156_NQKkcbhDNnveIfHGclLePsdNGmqXnBujbFk93UL-L9yEqme7RQGPD8MiUHwkNRVod9VZ2hTVsArgdvk4vyb9G5zwsicGWUARUgJDaKzh5M0AI5pvkkze7mGCf-R/s200/7-28-09+079_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368108703497329138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcGqixgaSvJ2Out2ErIhePV9ZS2g2w4kiEvD6usj4IN_yC_agTRmEcrsW7YymbBroZmYmW8FTsNq6k9L_2436gfWilLAf_D5OEukzbyPYOfMnu5l2FXmHAhPy3wpak8uPuSZ-eTpfxAcK/s1600-h/7-28-09+076_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcGqixgaSvJ2Out2ErIhePV9ZS2g2w4kiEvD6usj4IN_yC_agTRmEcrsW7YymbBroZmYmW8FTsNq6k9L_2436gfWilLAf_D5OEukzbyPYOfMnu5l2FXmHAhPy3wpak8uPuSZ-eTpfxAcK/s200/7-28-09+076_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368108697533982898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-cdSJjpYbwebq-91O94ZCnTkdAgw0ZsoCd-NmPy70qRKS2gLBG_JrxKrXH5k9c1ZB5gOV0u_on_tQgZHwqSJhsXdQNOl8Xfxzl7f4rphFpvrWV6O6WTKbIhCwJBhmkP38w8Ah9wpaZuy/s1600-h/7-28-09+084_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-cdSJjpYbwebq-91O94ZCnTkdAgw0ZsoCd-NmPy70qRKS2gLBG_JrxKrXH5k9c1ZB5gOV0u_on_tQgZHwqSJhsXdQNOl8Xfxzl7f4rphFpvrWV6O6WTKbIhCwJBhmkP38w8Ah9wpaZuy/s200/7-28-09+084_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368108323948934114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMdB6NqJUIRGWt6XXLamSGSyqo-mKPzpmq2KxhdVAD9-iQLpj9mQnN4afF7TmDUg2QUVnP7waz4l16QIuDQ0D-EiCa829thwnn6UJbfM9Rr2AdNIvrGjU8awDLllsPzCdMIJllEMPpE_d/s1600-h/7-28-09+036_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMdB6NqJUIRGWt6XXLamSGSyqo-mKPzpmq2KxhdVAD9-iQLpj9mQnN4afF7TmDUg2QUVnP7waz4l16QIuDQ0D-EiCa829thwnn6UJbfM9Rr2AdNIvrGjU8awDLllsPzCdMIJllEMPpE_d/s200/7-28-09+036_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368108320836380594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoxwDo73Z20fa_Wk9JrV3Y6jooJi32ZgbG86zLcduQs4_qUw5a9r4twNGCL_hFBOLRDMf3obhszdrCh6hIOxOH-WTpjekTHfuhSYIim8K2EuynetJJCYcHgdh_NXrXoecArtQgwUyAwQY/s1600-h/7-28-09+067_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoxwDo73Z20fa_Wk9JrV3Y6jooJi32ZgbG86zLcduQs4_qUw5a9r4twNGCL_hFBOLRDMf3obhszdrCh6hIOxOH-WTpjekTHfuhSYIim8K2EuynetJJCYcHgdh_NXrXoecArtQgwUyAwQY/s200/7-28-09+067_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368108318263784642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzapbxP45ej9GRg-5sMWkAA4aNO6G0Rc8Z-J5NkP-89WyCpCVuCtOm5P6UETkf90qMo6XQG39v2dl5PJIrVHZmGoWKlWsfsSeqEUIoyBEJ8Ul8XVUBJr_3ENp9gq6iyr_1eS7MDyRWKMC/s1600-h/7-28-09+072_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzapbxP45ej9GRg-5sMWkAA4aNO6G0Rc8Z-J5NkP-89WyCpCVuCtOm5P6UETkf90qMo6XQG39v2dl5PJIrVHZmGoWKlWsfsSeqEUIoyBEJ8Ul8XVUBJr_3ENp9gq6iyr_1eS7MDyRWKMC/s200/7-28-09+072_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368108312088393426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhbKInh9xK2e-5Fi9Yv1JJGQ_sotNGSIRt6UY-Um2M3xyQ5p3IoeesDhU9qUoET0UDqCP5rZnErNMJRoyU0CMCf8iPG2F0oO10ZD8v1Se8VFh_r3IFieh0Kb2Nx-2nzsPbVO23jEQOjLt/s1600-h/7-28-09+060_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhbKInh9xK2e-5Fi9Yv1JJGQ_sotNGSIRt6UY-Um2M3xyQ5p3IoeesDhU9qUoET0UDqCP5rZnErNMJRoyU0CMCf8iPG2F0oO10ZD8v1Se8VFh_r3IFieh0Kb2Nx-2nzsPbVO23jEQOjLt/s200/7-28-09+060_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368108309196429714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybxsUavcJVEiZeV907wU90wmnPdyWuEWd_PCTO46aWiHw_TfAYo4EN73bBIHC79fDqfS-4qm1CgklFW1ZD_Z58s_SHBEG0fpJdG38dSE2wLU6_y8HjxB09v8aNqu4kn3ZTi32ihgL-4Qb/s1600-h/7-28-09+054_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybxsUavcJVEiZeV907wU90wmnPdyWuEWd_PCTO46aWiHw_TfAYo4EN73bBIHC79fDqfS-4qm1CgklFW1ZD_Z58s_SHBEG0fpJdG38dSE2wLU6_y8HjxB09v8aNqu4kn3ZTi32ihgL-4Qb/s200/7-28-09+054_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107926303430066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0Zcy0EFlsmTC29ht2RJnFkBx5_t37WkSEyQTL1ZmrOhhwQLfLkRIzlxScZdwrJ2XsSR75kaRWiqRnL0rdaOgWPXylqsWEHFbQc0Dy1_n0Iny5-R0GCfdJnq65IygR5TAIeG4xyAzD9wl/s1600-h/7-28-09+048_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0Zcy0EFlsmTC29ht2RJnFkBx5_t37WkSEyQTL1ZmrOhhwQLfLkRIzlxScZdwrJ2XsSR75kaRWiqRnL0rdaOgWPXylqsWEHFbQc0Dy1_n0Iny5-R0GCfdJnq65IygR5TAIeG4xyAzD9wl/s200/7-28-09+048_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107919512831858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUByw1ZE2LkJqiviCS_7bDDG94TrVDAbWmKikjkkUzgMeba76c1-DROVQCJJkrVjEhcl8i-qLPoxvCHtKRw_jEMCWfmVNS9M6i_Xq8V6LSvk8x0uFsjBKM-AzDIuznT-YaUUJu5OMzGnH-/s1600-h/7-28-09+047_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUByw1ZE2LkJqiviCS_7bDDG94TrVDAbWmKikjkkUzgMeba76c1-DROVQCJJkrVjEhcl8i-qLPoxvCHtKRw_jEMCWfmVNS9M6i_Xq8V6LSvk8x0uFsjBKM-AzDIuznT-YaUUJu5OMzGnH-/s200/7-28-09+047_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107917718268466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7aUnomoZLe6uLj3f5GIAIuE4zCRgVfxK2qRdLmEy0xDO-m0RbQSIqf4mXPY25BiGnxEcDOs4CZqjBT-VhER9MSApm7wh0h1YEurOEoNXKMFMds0Pu6ymrD7zXAySE3Qw1Rj3Q-3r42RZ/s1600-h/7-28-09+034_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7aUnomoZLe6uLj3f5GIAIuE4zCRgVfxK2qRdLmEy0xDO-m0RbQSIqf4mXPY25BiGnxEcDOs4CZqjBT-VhER9MSApm7wh0h1YEurOEoNXKMFMds0Pu6ymrD7zXAySE3Qw1Rj3Q-3r42RZ/s200/7-28-09+034_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107914274473170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh23OIdrSN4ZjExVMib4JzWXsrhip5l_2rRkHlGYa_SrLamZmKa4QWItWx5HYbhtvQmV9UNt2QjHmdpeTLSCWWDsOxnfh06J4s0QXU-gjW__d7xtLlTu9wTqQQYwFnRM59glr2SzfICu6F/s1600-h/7-28-09+022_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh23OIdrSN4ZjExVMib4JzWXsrhip5l_2rRkHlGYa_SrLamZmKa4QWItWx5HYbhtvQmV9UNt2QjHmdpeTLSCWWDsOxnfh06J4s0QXU-gjW__d7xtLlTu9wTqQQYwFnRM59glr2SzfICu6F/s200/7-28-09+022_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107906515987538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMC_zebmguSS4N0eS0dieR6C038kgz_Vw3nN86xiMDOkfY1AkzM0Sc9HIudkFeni5-IgVJW5bVlSlOOH_10-wJYrUCHaYl16GrZZ2GncemtMun5rW1MpkFGHdrn77Fg1aE1dV7kQlfnBYD/s1600-h/7-28-09+020_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMC_zebmguSS4N0eS0dieR6C038kgz_Vw3nN86xiMDOkfY1AkzM0Sc9HIudkFeni5-IgVJW5bVlSlOOH_10-wJYrUCHaYl16GrZZ2GncemtMun5rW1MpkFGHdrn77Fg1aE1dV7kQlfnBYD/s200/7-28-09+020_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107507793414114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOsvkFRMczpKrC78i79xJ6P9Yz0a5D5xlxpR-jkx4BD7AipM4AbySzwy_QXjIYtZfL8zv_dq0wfWAd6AYfg1W9hNoQAfhcqG8o7YlpQahE3LPvxoCc7RRfw368WBezE8Yt5eGYVyxH1Xz/s1600-h/7-28-09+012_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOsvkFRMczpKrC78i79xJ6P9Yz0a5D5xlxpR-jkx4BD7AipM4AbySzwy_QXjIYtZfL8zv_dq0wfWAd6AYfg1W9hNoQAfhcqG8o7YlpQahE3LPvxoCc7RRfw368WBezE8Yt5eGYVyxH1Xz/s200/7-28-09+012_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107504543353266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-shm63r7ebqhDxMqd3cOGwshzlGwREjsSXaG55UAequfzsTt0RLfWAU8JkO3kWT0Yp3j0Bg45hNfQfgMpFopmQaRcl1sVNbz-mxAuO2ObZlmxQMALi2Rifq4h022XlEY47f1yHChvBDD/s1600-h/7-28-09+006_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-shm63r7ebqhDxMqd3cOGwshzlGwREjsSXaG55UAequfzsTt0RLfWAU8JkO3kWT0Yp3j0Bg45hNfQfgMpFopmQaRcl1sVNbz-mxAuO2ObZlmxQMALi2Rifq4h022XlEY47f1yHChvBDD/s200/7-28-09+006_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107500884541810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNPJVzCVN3kkUWy_lyoYbk0cR8EqPctL6Lt3pDrWwm2FuOgfclv2Y5ZX7Nymplj822K7PUQwp8dCkSxxBawtGUKGPwXRr0q2KT1lWruMSi9KjqpoE8sI8LLLF-da6jV3ej9Fhru_XPew8/s1600-h/7-26-09+051_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNPJVzCVN3kkUWy_lyoYbk0cR8EqPctL6Lt3pDrWwm2FuOgfclv2Y5ZX7Nymplj822K7PUQwp8dCkSxxBawtGUKGPwXRr0q2KT1lWruMSi9KjqpoE8sI8LLLF-da6jV3ej9Fhru_XPew8/s200/7-26-09+051_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107495543322162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zpk8tEn-awKF3v8mPC5Io5LVMb1D_4VnbI_RciptPpa-v7FLRLy3zonGBdY8nneGKkRmVxeBrosRaLbOT-c6-kVj_YPtXSnIIbnla_mS9YR6ew0y8-uzPQNkXcjpwMZwXQ2Lvwq29DSI/s1600-h/7-26-09+048_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zpk8tEn-awKF3v8mPC5Io5LVMb1D_4VnbI_RciptPpa-v7FLRLy3zonGBdY8nneGKkRmVxeBrosRaLbOT-c6-kVj_YPtXSnIIbnla_mS9YR6ew0y8-uzPQNkXcjpwMZwXQ2Lvwq29DSI/s200/7-26-09+048_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107492885872050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsr0KOkth93EVn-z0GLCdTokSbNDgu1zWQENskBfhOvSWojHjhq-rqFdEbcSL4P8nCym2q-2ZPlzK3CKYPrfDe8MkCsj-KTTrtcuoRzSLCzt7kaKU2hoCyijwlw2v9plSsgHijwn34W_ct/s1600-h/7-26-09+043_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsr0KOkth93EVn-z0GLCdTokSbNDgu1zWQENskBfhOvSWojHjhq-rqFdEbcSL4P8nCym2q-2ZPlzK3CKYPrfDe8MkCsj-KTTrtcuoRzSLCzt7kaKU2hoCyijwlw2v9plSsgHijwn34W_ct/s200/7-26-09+043_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107027807702882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtduFTQ7q1J6GIIJquBE09MDcpN5USgV0gVPko83xNWiHBtdKe0KKQmBcV0D7HdHKcJDJhYciKwGrQVVT5Te9q-Gt4CS_RdVXU2HHz99i-EmHkFdqcod18BglGdUSq0P88eD0dZ_yMqh8x/s1600-h/7-26-09+037_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtduFTQ7q1J6GIIJquBE09MDcpN5USgV0gVPko83xNWiHBtdKe0KKQmBcV0D7HdHKcJDJhYciKwGrQVVT5Te9q-Gt4CS_RdVXU2HHz99i-EmHkFdqcod18BglGdUSq0P88eD0dZ_yMqh8x/s200/7-26-09+037_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107024458023394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuYQsG3Xcuv3Ol39XageWZ8qscIzzynQz8osW_AyNEGNeWH16cWBJkH34baPoQSVQmw-xMKWXSK_Sr-gaeotwduPPGBTXzmNcPiRSW3tFnwWvXAVhqAidwbVQOXpKxQvUrcxQt3XZf7HA/s1600-h/7-26-09+025_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuYQsG3Xcuv3Ol39XageWZ8qscIzzynQz8osW_AyNEGNeWH16cWBJkH34baPoQSVQmw-xMKWXSK_Sr-gaeotwduPPGBTXzmNcPiRSW3tFnwWvXAVhqAidwbVQOXpKxQvUrcxQt3XZf7HA/s200/7-26-09+025_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107018693874626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbLUuWUYvqG7TqTeWkv3TeelJ_IUaqF8HcJ8h79UuNdN216mY3skHQhHVA_x8WFeqVPTjUJd99Hv4YhEgFm4qu7T17A02LnzWMuzlpyGrVrj4tCSEuLXGLi5EQwALhhEZk2uYIOnUoIJw/s1600-h/7-26-09+016_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbLUuWUYvqG7TqTeWkv3TeelJ_IUaqF8HcJ8h79UuNdN216mY3skHQhHVA_x8WFeqVPTjUJd99Hv4YhEgFm4qu7T17A02LnzWMuzlpyGrVrj4tCSEuLXGLi5EQwALhhEZk2uYIOnUoIJw/s200/7-26-09+016_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107013414207794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkkzyQ0Lnf36l99ebk7A2buvk8At-H2n5XWuyYe_idHce9yyKuYcTCFD-uvh5M8h7FPH-zCtxCaC0w0UqCD6lyJ2YqpKh41SNTijxAIk6FaY0X7q6nBreoRr_lH8NxMm_KfpH0paRvI2t/s1600-h/7-26-09+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkkzyQ0Lnf36l99ebk7A2buvk8At-H2n5XWuyYe_idHce9yyKuYcTCFD-uvh5M8h7FPH-zCtxCaC0w0UqCD6lyJ2YqpKh41SNTijxAIk6FaY0X7q6nBreoRr_lH8NxMm_KfpH0paRvI2t/s200/7-26-09+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368107009208181522" border="0" /></a>Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-67849850618115912702009-08-09T14:59:00.000-07:002009-08-09T15:36:46.329-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZ7KfioFiwF6FNe8yKKkeovgZW4UiB6mPWjk6Ucz0sJMXNMfgif4s34_PtsvfxjQSLX3yj0W-dIP5-Bmv7ErUm9SFzU65mR0lOzDHDo93nLZn_comP7VbWe3X-1xvI8G50QxIp9vKRnqr/s1600-h/7-27-09+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZ7KfioFiwF6FNe8yKKkeovgZW4UiB6mPWjk6Ucz0sJMXNMfgif4s34_PtsvfxjQSLX3yj0W-dIP5-Bmv7ErUm9SFzU65mR0lOzDHDo93nLZn_comP7VbWe3X-1xvI8G50QxIp9vKRnqr/s200/7-27-09+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368093604876775298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Rjru9l9NdpwRWnRvFrU6vtrTjLwW4FWVkhzd5sqP5wyAYphaEwCUAqMpu55z8JU5sBMqRR54pvyt-JSb0RSBWx3cRGLxLGWy9NUgSsrhyiMQmGuVqfO9wxzUNbkbyZjWP9jQfgsNCiLo/s1600-h/7-27-09+012_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Rjru9l9NdpwRWnRvFrU6vtrTjLwW4FWVkhzd5sqP5wyAYphaEwCUAqMpu55z8JU5sBMqRR54pvyt-JSb0RSBWx3cRGLxLGWy9NUgSsrhyiMQmGuVqfO9wxzUNbkbyZjWP9jQfgsNCiLo/s200/7-27-09+012_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368093603090907058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4C7I26P_HELArvIG71zTDrZbmm46yjpN_eHeNt5eWkVp9l_yrGROMDmW5kpWjrQY1rm1vCeqe0rWM1fMcXub34WdVIPa_P00_btxsTCzSMu93fJMklcBcSguZZ_nBmj70zCp56Km3ouv-/s1600-h/7-27-09+021_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4C7I26P_HELArvIG71zTDrZbmm46yjpN_eHeNt5eWkVp9l_yrGROMDmW5kpWjrQY1rm1vCeqe0rWM1fMcXub34WdVIPa_P00_btxsTCzSMu93fJMklcBcSguZZ_nBmj70zCp56Km3ouv-/s200/7-27-09+021_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368093592488702866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolBv0t68uJAvmj7OW2lNE8A_rYoMzxH4yWwX2Fwoy7gy_5Rlou3_pjevZaajyQNucRtxIR0sXiZe0zM6DjHH6DVtpuhGc6bZ2pfnebY-Mz1nBm6pd16meUPwEMFHBOnx7lcTDnyiewPGS/s1600-h/7-27-09+024_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolBv0t68uJAvmj7OW2lNE8A_rYoMzxH4yWwX2Fwoy7gy_5Rlou3_pjevZaajyQNucRtxIR0sXiZe0zM6DjHH6DVtpuhGc6bZ2pfnebY-Mz1nBm6pd16meUPwEMFHBOnx7lcTDnyiewPGS/s200/7-27-09+024_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368093589754167922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcfT_uOXOFqGFBmK5ieHCjiWsAlMNSlpX_NLE_atluqgoXHV_CwJzLS3tLMIKaXLqKNKlLO-i8YZYY5oi0bpnuo97Iceb1rSobDu8uVKlfZzgsMMlraMsa-8jA-o7kIWvmRhJ3Auby5Sl/s1600-h/7-27-09+031_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcfT_uOXOFqGFBmK5ieHCjiWsAlMNSlpX_NLE_atluqgoXHV_CwJzLS3tLMIKaXLqKNKlLO-i8YZYY5oi0bpnuo97Iceb1rSobDu8uVKlfZzgsMMlraMsa-8jA-o7kIWvmRhJ3Auby5Sl/s200/7-27-09+031_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368093582514850770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkYpgtAdzezJ2rn5tm7ToCP_pM2IisfCCKXkX8SxSe6bUM0WptUP9C2tjoqlbSRqDJBhCmwTIyuI38REjDIIMweQR6aH6gKqAyiEZTujaPX4JIpi60hXsJ4WvBis45li-2PAW6DxUzIMC_/s1600-h/7-27-09+032_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkYpgtAdzezJ2rn5tm7ToCP_pM2IisfCCKXkX8SxSe6bUM0WptUP9C2tjoqlbSRqDJBhCmwTIyuI38REjDIIMweQR6aH6gKqAyiEZTujaPX4JIpi60hXsJ4WvBis45li-2PAW6DxUzIMC_/s200/7-27-09+032_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092983791034322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9zJHPza8umASjMIqWvsCHauQomr5-wW6VXkndycEBXJMUdNABfo9pmva_yfD22YGVRFtjpBDpjLvIxOHGU8UlRtj4QqNYWVlpdO7PoYoMqcdRcRux1SrI_n7-Hkv3o94DD73mPPjBGRU/s1600-h/7-27-09+046_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9zJHPza8umASjMIqWvsCHauQomr5-wW6VXkndycEBXJMUdNABfo9pmva_yfD22YGVRFtjpBDpjLvIxOHGU8UlRtj4QqNYWVlpdO7PoYoMqcdRcRux1SrI_n7-Hkv3o94DD73mPPjBGRU/s200/7-27-09+046_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092980017032898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvcL5DQJOn8Fxs5-6qONbDiUvlIUmTIgZead1OmW9LYXn2mMYD1pbb3OpvMGSFZth275N4turIQGSI8eJmEN4WwQ6WK4c6juUrIqMQ3Bj-18f57Ccuu8Fho7G0tUStzh32uqk76ioIJ_-/s1600-h/7-29-09+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvcL5DQJOn8Fxs5-6qONbDiUvlIUmTIgZead1OmW9LYXn2mMYD1pbb3OpvMGSFZth275N4turIQGSI8eJmEN4WwQ6WK4c6juUrIqMQ3Bj-18f57Ccuu8Fho7G0tUStzh32uqk76ioIJ_-/s200/7-29-09+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092973766009426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoUP17bd1dt7VvzmeHV6aZ39Xkua6N88_X6y3ZTlxCpxblYouYuyIc0e6-9X0R2xHpY2Z9BzwPJdEeFejkE41O9BM4OlHEt7TBYm4cSqzr6qdNdlHtWJLCDa4bgLLFHSCVsCQmQP3AaZH/s1600-h/7-29-09+035_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoUP17bd1dt7VvzmeHV6aZ39Xkua6N88_X6y3ZTlxCpxblYouYuyIc0e6-9X0R2xHpY2Z9BzwPJdEeFejkE41O9BM4OlHEt7TBYm4cSqzr6qdNdlHtWJLCDa4bgLLFHSCVsCQmQP3AaZH/s200/7-29-09+035_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092964581661282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsIiYo1ty1gMBDPFc9ps2xGkR04n-KmVHncWIbYkazmdTZKSwv8NXeHvCSqj0d5AyBdYpI7utDIEdOk794_Vqz-5HqobAKazg81NXGsEPyleXEac1gkDyQushSITFqR5sxY8DLPvtJbKm/s1600-h/7-29-09+039_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsIiYo1ty1gMBDPFc9ps2xGkR04n-KmVHncWIbYkazmdTZKSwv8NXeHvCSqj0d5AyBdYpI7utDIEdOk794_Vqz-5HqobAKazg81NXGsEPyleXEac1gkDyQushSITFqR5sxY8DLPvtJbKm/s200/7-29-09+039_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092958835858338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAyvSymI7VNo1g5atzTv6iABK9hpCXienCKZbA5oRpsZJXzd9t1Lp1NCDgnRXuT6mPGvmu-sr4sqQiO4o3tPeDwRmJpFWpjLJkSmisQxY9weGdpZozyg9f87hQSGCXAJCAcmG-7E5qRmo/s1600-h/7-30-09+012_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAyvSymI7VNo1g5atzTv6iABK9hpCXienCKZbA5oRpsZJXzd9t1Lp1NCDgnRXuT6mPGvmu-sr4sqQiO4o3tPeDwRmJpFWpjLJkSmisQxY9weGdpZozyg9f87hQSGCXAJCAcmG-7E5qRmo/s200/7-30-09+012_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092067185269762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJo6rb98vxTE38EdCLhvI8D0z6A9tF0iqqBHfjVE8e1nx1tANJ4inqik6mUn1YRaATWr1Gr0dXJa2x3_kfMdR2WrKQn5nSgBCKIbwB5M6nvETBLLcjYHFwu3oKylJb906dzUw4etlkcEgI/s1600-h/7-30-09+013_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJo6rb98vxTE38EdCLhvI8D0z6A9tF0iqqBHfjVE8e1nx1tANJ4inqik6mUn1YRaATWr1Gr0dXJa2x3_kfMdR2WrKQn5nSgBCKIbwB5M6nvETBLLcjYHFwu3oKylJb906dzUw4etlkcEgI/s200/7-30-09+013_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092063895909986" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGo1uk3PEGJHH_RYtengm8waLmBAJ5uFmFI5DRCECKUmgtsVjOZ92MS_p0rVtwYoEoYuElj2bmdYvncFx7ygQNvozIwvkvn5pFX-CdjvckzWvgVi8AchFDNw5QBC2422_Et1Ame6g35dT/s1600-h/7-30-09+060_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGo1uk3PEGJHH_RYtengm8waLmBAJ5uFmFI5DRCECKUmgtsVjOZ92MS_p0rVtwYoEoYuElj2bmdYvncFx7ygQNvozIwvkvn5pFX-CdjvckzWvgVi8AchFDNw5QBC2422_Et1Ame6g35dT/s200/7-30-09+060_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092061060437682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj07aRUS96nnsOirThOHtt5227TijfkrhnEc_-cN0CQgbyAd-6oJUPbfObw7hw4Dk5cCtxKtQcVPqG38EC43HErjaf-JWK4-U2YnF2FqXmS97NObYL1DLYkAXHZfN0kE-wDL0nR8-F1Ale/s1600-h/7-30-09+066_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj07aRUS96nnsOirThOHtt5227TijfkrhnEc_-cN0CQgbyAd-6oJUPbfObw7hw4Dk5cCtxKtQcVPqG38EC43HErjaf-JWK4-U2YnF2FqXmS97NObYL1DLYkAXHZfN0kE-wDL0nR8-F1Ale/s200/7-30-09+066_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092055158118626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJww8y8F2FeA0V_zO9N10f2YcPeQMKXbF891JP0CChnfAeqTbhvnYBIHr6pGXtDmFt5BM0aGZmIPYR9u32A3s-HNfjE7E0vnONUEnT9WFaQWmslgYmfgsOaLX18lYmc9RiYpVCtyyTF6E/s1600-h/7-30-09+075_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJww8y8F2FeA0V_zO9N10f2YcPeQMKXbF891JP0CChnfAeqTbhvnYBIHr6pGXtDmFt5BM0aGZmIPYR9u32A3s-HNfjE7E0vnONUEnT9WFaQWmslgYmfgsOaLX18lYmc9RiYpVCtyyTF6E/s200/7-30-09+075_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368092052945573666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBi5V9sprnbMlm9j0UhzMqz2QMOqehg6LVGsnXPsS57F931oTXd3FRrhNrTMFIi6OSXaWgLREh8aTp6xm2DuCeoRX9aJCSwUnx7ARLG_4hNn0VtIdLOnhDSAL5UKG_LvmY2Jblfvber1D/s1600-h/8-1-09+007_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBi5V9sprnbMlm9j0UhzMqz2QMOqehg6LVGsnXPsS57F931oTXd3FRrhNrTMFIi6OSXaWgLREh8aTp6xm2DuCeoRX9aJCSwUnx7ARLG_4hNn0VtIdLOnhDSAL5UKG_LvmY2Jblfvber1D/s200/8-1-09+007_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368091306109458450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeCL4IIW2jz_PkJf9TiY8bBMpfRSN08zo2JlFYQ4xeEL0SxJh4514yVe4P7ExtdUyEBGrmzFlpgf-H9VvZNP8_qs6Hyk0F-GXwIwm1oisohBD92HcZk53QPudJJotIW9dh3jfdRFx2nou/s1600-h/8-1-09+012_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeCL4IIW2jz_PkJf9TiY8bBMpfRSN08zo2JlFYQ4xeEL0SxJh4514yVe4P7ExtdUyEBGrmzFlpgf-H9VvZNP8_qs6Hyk0F-GXwIwm1oisohBD92HcZk53QPudJJotIW9dh3jfdRFx2nou/s200/8-1-09+012_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368091297778410946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitl1VyG2FWi1VbbROblfwCZsk7u2fOP7Wvpofv7mestiXSNjuCdBxaug6Fssnyp03waNdM0qf1Rhe416sSJdzT4q3f_bXjUGux8-SjSPqvuWOjbFNWRag7lkRKUBdWrV0X6xPbXkJn2wls/s1600-h/8-1-09+K+005_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitl1VyG2FWi1VbbROblfwCZsk7u2fOP7Wvpofv7mestiXSNjuCdBxaug6Fssnyp03waNdM0qf1Rhe416sSJdzT4q3f_bXjUGux8-SjSPqvuWOjbFNWRag7lkRKUBdWrV0X6xPbXkJn2wls/s200/8-1-09+K+005_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368091294270492562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxJhycPnAY3rKtzPHeJtQmks5t35PKYeeKUEVp6PlWafbObqSgoVzlO8fPbtyt906zr9611gph86zz_l5tCxOdELElaDOqJMf1-fSLppPgHtPRccRMIMLqTveJRS_orId6aBhKNdK7kQN/s1600-h/8-1-09+038_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxJhycPnAY3rKtzPHeJtQmks5t35PKYeeKUEVp6PlWafbObqSgoVzlO8fPbtyt906zr9611gph86zz_l5tCxOdELElaDOqJMf1-fSLppPgHtPRccRMIMLqTveJRS_orId6aBhKNdK7kQN/s200/8-1-09+038_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368091288598618466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwmXj8xVjy31hAGCMhk960uHe7P7wPnqJP-NSUW98pg9pS4DAY8HsoqGERD-OxptsMsvB-6m8C_RyVc0jQFSXnb1547GQO8dmksv3jJ3kbr0xMDSvFVH6bnvvTt00gpxKvbLcN1Umk85U/s1600-h/8-1-09+059_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwmXj8xVjy31hAGCMhk960uHe7P7wPnqJP-NSUW98pg9pS4DAY8HsoqGERD-OxptsMsvB-6m8C_RyVc0jQFSXnb1547GQO8dmksv3jJ3kbr0xMDSvFVH6bnvvTt00gpxKvbLcN1Umk85U/s200/8-1-09+059_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368091276273983170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNM-idJrfwnCZ3yfdYKMVQMLq81q-gVHIE-j3uQWaV14x9s6qaK4ZQ7s8ZE59GEO2-eS70HT_q_jFYk_H48Ufja4SoSG0zkxy89EeZWYvwIqfgk7YcZHq0_6T7VmDuUTXlEhMwCxPbzVn_/s1600-h/8-1-09+049_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNM-idJrfwnCZ3yfdYKMVQMLq81q-gVHIE-j3uQWaV14x9s6qaK4ZQ7s8ZE59GEO2-eS70HT_q_jFYk_H48Ufja4SoSG0zkxy89EeZWYvwIqfgk7YcZHq0_6T7VmDuUTXlEhMwCxPbzVn_/s200/8-1-09+049_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368090644975607810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjBj51mJ8226La3aZG27QsZ260nF3-ejvjeEguq7T0vmW3hzfm2JguAH9mNJZfbzsRulylu-cptPf3qWTEKS-aR7ERvVwFuS22At73D2MnFWc-7EdBYmnU6cmAOaEeuKIp2Be4f6x4ArW/s1600-h/8-1-09+040_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjBj51mJ8226La3aZG27QsZ260nF3-ejvjeEguq7T0vmW3hzfm2JguAH9mNJZfbzsRulylu-cptPf3qWTEKS-aR7ERvVwFuS22At73D2MnFWc-7EdBYmnU6cmAOaEeuKIp2Be4f6x4ArW/s200/8-1-09+040_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368090640027377266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8S8N36mV4PhctW2RnLEK63AKNQ1a5zWUo2SFBPMt_wXGP4T1svno1lyToTmTCo5k8pNrv2PFKz06BR3-wyCKiuOF23aDRsM5INy4TfAAWtHYABdZAAWT1YAirfhSYqF1NdasBLMc-Oj8/s1600-h/8-1-09+K+018_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8S8N36mV4PhctW2RnLEK63AKNQ1a5zWUo2SFBPMt_wXGP4T1svno1lyToTmTCo5k8pNrv2PFKz06BR3-wyCKiuOF23aDRsM5INy4TfAAWtHYABdZAAWT1YAirfhSYqF1NdasBLMc-Oj8/s200/8-1-09+K+018_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368090633151528018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYnb66NoD82zo6R0RwH88tkMOphaZKO7D3yupBGeppbLQ8E16wxfD9cNzWPtLRNg-cWgLpMXfwlBlJFFQfjBVqcJKLJsn3TGFFJD_bzfl2o7vhSyMjujNI2lXqnxQIUi15a5_CYsqz9oj/s1600-h/8-1-09+K+024_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYnb66NoD82zo6R0RwH88tkMOphaZKO7D3yupBGeppbLQ8E16wxfD9cNzWPtLRNg-cWgLpMXfwlBlJFFQfjBVqcJKLJsn3TGFFJD_bzfl2o7vhSyMjujNI2lXqnxQIUi15a5_CYsqz9oj/s200/8-1-09+K+024_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368090629367996418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7U-DRvf_fM8MMGUEYlDuOWkMo605KgybqlJ3Nxyt0hhrv0R5JfnC4OpI4-cFNJDAGzYxtFxxUAGk48xLyZBTBu00rtidwGqBERKavgNVx3OJFkrp8XKcbybHosoNpxe_YEJjLBlf_XTJ9/s1600-h/8-1-09+K+022_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7U-DRvf_fM8MMGUEYlDuOWkMo605KgybqlJ3Nxyt0hhrv0R5JfnC4OpI4-cFNJDAGzYxtFxxUAGk48xLyZBTBu00rtidwGqBERKavgNVx3OJFkrp8XKcbybHosoNpxe_YEJjLBlf_XTJ9/s200/8-1-09+K+022_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368090627215896258" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />July 26-Aug 1<br /><br />SO, we have been busy and lazy. We had a change in schedule that basically meant that riding in Cali would be shortened considerably. My family all decided to meet in Arcata at my sister’s house. My folks were really excited to get us all together. The last time was at our wedding over 4 years ago. Eric and I had to prioritize our trails. We decided to hit Tahoe hard and then head to Downieville to finish it off before rushing out to the coast.<br />Tahoe was amazing! The views are spectacular and the trails immaculate. We started with the classic Rim trail to Flume. This was by far the lamest trail. The Rim trail section was really fun, with a few challenging rocks and super fast downs. The Flume, was scenic, boring, crowded . . . . pretty much a big disappointment. The Rim trail surrounds the lake with around 200 miles of trail. We decided to try some other sections that were open to bikes. After a short regroup, we set out with our lights for an evening ride. We did the Kinsbury section until the light faded. It was beautiful. No wild animal sightings. Actually, we didn’t see anything bigger than a squirrel the entire time we were in Tahoe!<br /><br />In the morning we chose the famous “Mr Toads Wild Ride” trail. After a brutal climb, we were met with some technical drops and loose sand. Although we were warned this trail was for downhill riders and required more suspension than our cross country bikes, Eric and I had little trouble navigating through rocky sections. I got off my bike a couple times, but rode the majority of the techy section. One cool spot was a staircase of wood with sand to make it slick. Although not too challenging, it was something Eric and I had never experienced before. After the little tricky spot, we bombed through the winding fun and fast trail that led us to the bottom. We were happy with the ride, but it left something to be desired.<br /><br />The next day, we took the advice of a local bike shop guy (Wattabike), who said to ride from Heavenly, up the Rim, down Armstrong. All our rides required shuttling a car (motorcycle) to the other side in Tahoe, but that didn’t mean we were doing downhill rides. The reason to shuttle was to get from one point to the other without backtracking. I didn’t realize that. The climb out of Heavenly was really decent. There were technical sections, one of which, ate me. My knee took the brunt of it only 2 miles into our day. I cried. After cleaning my wound with hand sanitizer, we decided to continue on our ride as planned. It was sore for the rest of the day, but this was the ride I will remember when I think of Tahoe riding, and not because I split my knee open. It was hellish climbing (hmm, not selling this well), but everything was part of the adventure. The views were amazing and changed drastically from overlooking farmland on an exposed ridge to alpine desert. We even passed a lake (Star Lake). Once over the top of the final ridge, we had beautiful foliage and large odd looking trees. We made it to Armstrong Pass with huge smiles on our faces. From there, we took a super-duper fun downhill down the Armstrong trail. Seriously, it was sooooooo fun. Looping and banked! Then we took a trail called Sindwinder that made us dizzy with all its banked turns and finally finished with Corral Trail.<br /><br />To finish off the Tahoe area, we hit yet another section of the Rim trail. This one started up Martis Peak and finished in Tahoe City. This was supposed to be our big downhill shuttled ride, but again, to my surprise we had at least 3 major climbs, which led us to conclude that there are no “downhill” rides in Tahoe. We had a few sections of fun downhill and one good section of ledge riding. Although this trail was better than average for most of the rides we have done, it didn’t really compare with the previous day’s ride. Also, the weather was on the edge of dangerous. The sky rumbled and lightning was visible jumping between clouds. I was scared for most of the ride and looked forward to seeing the end. This came several hours later. We left Tahoe with most of our skin and blood and lots of good memories. We drove all the way to Truckee for the night (not very far).<br /><br />The only ride that people will tell you about in Truckee is called Hole-in-the-Ground. I agree, it was realy fun, but a lot of the trail (~10%) had these giant concrete pavers. It took away from being out on a trail and the people who put them in could have done a much better job with the placement. One in particular dropped you onto a rock that would perfectly positioned to endo you. I mean, come on! Everyone also warned that the climb was horrendous!, but we didn’t think it even came close to some of the riding we had just done in Tahoe. It was like people in Truckee hadn’t made it to Tahoe for any riding. It was a good ride and the hill was pretty good. Eric had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, so everything was annoying to him at Hole-in-the-Ground, but all in all, it was still a very good ride. Neat rocks! The whole time we were joking about the “technical” downhill that we were riding and how we were able to continue our conversation while riding it and how that made us such bad-asses. The final decent we were nearly ate our words because it was super sketchy, decent drops, rooty, downs. These hiker ladies were impressed at first. Then I saw the perfect endo rock and in an effort to avoid it, drove right into it! I said,”Oh, Shhhhhhhoot!” In the end, I didn’t endo, just bounced right over it, but when I rode up to Eric my leg was shaking with adrenaline. We agreed that there were some technical downhills afterall. HA!<br /><br />Downieville was where the downhill was promised and received. On day 1, we shuttled the moto to the end and camped about 6,000 vertical feet above, near the trailhead. We started with a sick half mile paved climb to start, but after that, FUN!!!! Eric had done his research and had our entire route on GPS to prevent missing anything awesome. It was great! We did a similar plan for day 2, but that didn’t work out so well. We wanted to hit everything that we missed on day 1 and not have to do much climbing to get it. Unfortunately, some trails that were serving as short cuts, no longer existed and we spent a grueling climb going out and around to reach the other side (Whoops!). In all, day 2 had about 6,000 ascending and 10,000 vertical feet in descending. We didn’t complain too much. We had one more adventure planned in the lakes basin area, however, when we checked our messages, we each had one from my mother. She wanted us in Arcata pronto! We were going to stick to the plan and finish our riding, but decided we wouldn’t really enjoy it much knowing everyone else was together rafting the Trinity. Eric and I booked out of Downieville for a late night drive ending somewhere near Weaverville and continued on to the put-in in the morning. We were glad we did!Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-85596076397172613762009-07-29T18:52:00.000-07:002009-07-29T19:00:02.450-07:00Selway<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZDSFesPRQ4gDBYH7qvrzKns_4hM5TGf7la7RIYOsOfCbM38KQyOGLEIBQ8qld1Jo-OGJ8i2zlvW4kfU2GfDHKbjKi-hM7t5VxszAH_7T9gtMSTI8Va2dxsJCQ2Z0hJi0VpdLWKofuPCx/s1600-h/7-20-09+032_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZDSFesPRQ4gDBYH7qvrzKns_4hM5TGf7la7RIYOsOfCbM38KQyOGLEIBQ8qld1Jo-OGJ8i2zlvW4kfU2GfDHKbjKi-hM7t5VxszAH_7T9gtMSTI8Va2dxsJCQ2Z0hJi0VpdLWKofuPCx/s200/7-20-09+032_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364067037140712706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3n6Yf_QouFVM6AMq2FzB-il_pE3ob5ribDnojtdIWATUChYoL7_X5U9xW7gz3XUWO4WmxYdVJS8LK6FKlKaWtS9SzXPjBOcDwSsTwCjHzyeXDr1ZY1SbxUbwnM1lXqbu0jln4hhTvvv6B/s1600-h/7-21-09+020_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3n6Yf_QouFVM6AMq2FzB-il_pE3ob5ribDnojtdIWATUChYoL7_X5U9xW7gz3XUWO4WmxYdVJS8LK6FKlKaWtS9SzXPjBOcDwSsTwCjHzyeXDr1ZY1SbxUbwnM1lXqbu0jln4hhTvvv6B/s200/7-21-09+020_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364067026727612898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaSnzuru6fJWwuAJ_bnHV5fciVAvTTvot2i_Di3Ckb51nYN8wqBUZd-ojO1MmeJ_img7IafLrkzTFNy9B8rjADQKSzydQOiP5fWneRRE6VSuJUOsiw0P8yYqlaVYJd5D9a3TW6Jbl8PEp/s1600-h/7-21-09+038_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaSnzuru6fJWwuAJ_bnHV5fciVAvTTvot2i_Di3Ckb51nYN8wqBUZd-ojO1MmeJ_img7IafLrkzTFNy9B8rjADQKSzydQOiP5fWneRRE6VSuJUOsiw0P8yYqlaVYJd5D9a3TW6Jbl8PEp/s200/7-21-09+038_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364067025411584466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpN6E8p1Pi0YBmhtOo3eAtOrD51N0K9eFVrIP5rAVLA2PCa3AWLMCBxK1V-pjEynBx7ZvAZJ01TrjJ19nQu1J9mo_o_cB2DtZDbzs23ud-jHhGzGcWzdDVftIDw4zV9AasGYbZO99hduFG/s1600-h/7-21-09+059_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpN6E8p1Pi0YBmhtOo3eAtOrD51N0K9eFVrIP5rAVLA2PCa3AWLMCBxK1V-pjEynBx7ZvAZJ01TrjJ19nQu1J9mo_o_cB2DtZDbzs23ud-jHhGzGcWzdDVftIDw4zV9AasGYbZO99hduFG/s200/7-21-09+059_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364067024643412802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndBGQ-R0wnch0PM2WCyixOW_cEQvqjxZXN9o4z2Ryk7IOctYRbwf5O2dKTyCyee55hTZ6e3GRHZGobHpdg57qPT4e3FKW3ztsvQwKL7cvbWhr5uVz_dIGS1sEQvCCS1tLEFGcThVJwjpX/s1600-h/7-21-09+062_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndBGQ-R0wnch0PM2WCyixOW_cEQvqjxZXN9o4z2Ryk7IOctYRbwf5O2dKTyCyee55hTZ6e3GRHZGobHpdg57qPT4e3FKW3ztsvQwKL7cvbWhr5uVz_dIGS1sEQvCCS1tLEFGcThVJwjpX/s200/7-21-09+062_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364067016653371858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVYQHdHyLBfZjReYKoysLCbmICmRF9KOqS3OEl9yACcEMNQ-XeaR3ZTtkB4C8xeE0Jd0mzGlCPnObsuv84kWGLNQnS4LVDDoftfdYZFnGHSTTZez5HCLT3cH8rb8HsRQ4vhawLrzCrCL4/s1600-h/7-20-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVYQHdHyLBfZjReYKoysLCbmICmRF9KOqS3OEl9yACcEMNQ-XeaR3ZTtkB4C8xeE0Jd0mzGlCPnObsuv84kWGLNQnS4LVDDoftfdYZFnGHSTTZez5HCLT3cH8rb8HsRQ4vhawLrzCrCL4/s200/7-20-09+009_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066578156622642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY117EtKyr5mE6bG8HaBwNssi1h3Xye0vNb03qhLDivtEH2Cw1C5Lk-R-EcImPFVB1L9A4F3swzf-nTajtfiFiKKwhvpsTYWx_wCHVaJfoXhb-ahRQkHJSzZyFASUusGVYfmQuCZNrPjqR/s1600-h/7-20-09+002_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY117EtKyr5mE6bG8HaBwNssi1h3Xye0vNb03qhLDivtEH2Cw1C5Lk-R-EcImPFVB1L9A4F3swzf-nTajtfiFiKKwhvpsTYWx_wCHVaJfoXhb-ahRQkHJSzZyFASUusGVYfmQuCZNrPjqR/s200/7-20-09+002_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066572061343282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOZq2YEvUvdjGrQbUEvy00ZjVOFF4mFnCtYVkSzuwPQDiwDJ_o4VjdMsiuAY37S7aefc0fMmpxhYZyGtm6iBzDwaBOGhyphenhyphen1JtUgcCHsWPo2WJ5h6J-WgJ9hxEjbRAv5KgOlP-ImgoDGM_T/s1600-h/7-19-09+067_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOZq2YEvUvdjGrQbUEvy00ZjVOFF4mFnCtYVkSzuwPQDiwDJ_o4VjdMsiuAY37S7aefc0fMmpxhYZyGtm6iBzDwaBOGhyphenhyphen1JtUgcCHsWPo2WJ5h6J-WgJ9hxEjbRAv5KgOlP-ImgoDGM_T/s200/7-19-09+067_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066566192060882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2B_OC7Ve06KZUGx05bHiH4F8OZtOqpQXy9iarq6zpQJRFG1XEdEZW3iVA4MlbvmvTifrXEaW31GjeV-_DGweAC3q4tBMFm9KIGyj8PNKNiCmzj9xe_UOBXgi9eKQXYcq-BuWDtm7JQCyY/s1600-h/7-19-09+060_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2B_OC7Ve06KZUGx05bHiH4F8OZtOqpQXy9iarq6zpQJRFG1XEdEZW3iVA4MlbvmvTifrXEaW31GjeV-_DGweAC3q4tBMFm9KIGyj8PNKNiCmzj9xe_UOBXgi9eKQXYcq-BuWDtm7JQCyY/s200/7-19-09+060_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066562583848610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGovbI6XYWzzMg7YPYAyq0JrIabhnjSdmJ3lDJjzAV2GSuRP0MzO6dZHsd2DQfiQqB2RyQaSV95oE-uE9bR5UltV1izlypnEepna8JJKHrzjSkI8y0KXXnu3EaGAqFsSBaddrUiiyqq5l/s1600-h/7-19-09+054_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGovbI6XYWzzMg7YPYAyq0JrIabhnjSdmJ3lDJjzAV2GSuRP0MzO6dZHsd2DQfiQqB2RyQaSV95oE-uE9bR5UltV1izlypnEepna8JJKHrzjSkI8y0KXXnu3EaGAqFsSBaddrUiiyqq5l/s200/7-19-09+054_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066557175802786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5C2Bi-6f20TBE100OjPqk1vhk3Ysx2zi5cg5ZnOA3qQwmx92cwAb6QDWgXDU-sj-p0ye9OWMKRQ6lhg4zbe8X98T4kUmaUa-pY6QFLZVYcGEuOVXBuXmu7xEDLfh8kM8UMV63c1g0buj0/s1600-h/7-19-09+051_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5C2Bi-6f20TBE100OjPqk1vhk3Ysx2zi5cg5ZnOA3qQwmx92cwAb6QDWgXDU-sj-p0ye9OWMKRQ6lhg4zbe8X98T4kUmaUa-pY6QFLZVYcGEuOVXBuXmu7xEDLfh8kM8UMV63c1g0buj0/s200/7-19-09+051_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066137402176322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU8ONwIFyyJxTmdGaU4UzrNWS3_afZzvsFq-RsqspdwHcoC3cXEdPESHmDPfcRhv59emzkbU9j8VO3tIKeuN84WQt1-33Y_mj9atITJM2M_504esGUK1xUg0NYqPyUUARdvCumBNsYfGh/s1600-h/7-19-09+048_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU8ONwIFyyJxTmdGaU4UzrNWS3_afZzvsFq-RsqspdwHcoC3cXEdPESHmDPfcRhv59emzkbU9j8VO3tIKeuN84WQt1-33Y_mj9atITJM2M_504esGUK1xUg0NYqPyUUARdvCumBNsYfGh/s200/7-19-09+048_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066135579452834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNtmZCjOLhizsRXz1p88qAbSTdy8AISRrjO5v-mj3ii8anJLXJUXRJFVjSCjmdfwDXgjRY3MAldPQpBIBHSVG5q8krPpcVzIx-AYLjwfGltWtLeoREm0t0Fz_tKsYnm5cNY8YX48Isp1-/s1600-h/7-19-09+020_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNtmZCjOLhizsRXz1p88qAbSTdy8AISRrjO5v-mj3ii8anJLXJUXRJFVjSCjmdfwDXgjRY3MAldPQpBIBHSVG5q8krPpcVzIx-AYLjwfGltWtLeoREm0t0Fz_tKsYnm5cNY8YX48Isp1-/s200/7-19-09+020_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066130236307634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippNbcWRBrm4cP8OnuPmtQrG0Yn8DD3sg5Qm3YVEfue5fQsQdvfSHf7cTI4P12gPsbmU7urVP5qmV6PLw1ThrnIRRqcyW-PXNstgd91XBNAfjVerxeVf0UsYTWP0i7mwnNf2hR1alpGgb8/s1600-h/7-19-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippNbcWRBrm4cP8OnuPmtQrG0Yn8DD3sg5Qm3YVEfue5fQsQdvfSHf7cTI4P12gPsbmU7urVP5qmV6PLw1ThrnIRRqcyW-PXNstgd91XBNAfjVerxeVf0UsYTWP0i7mwnNf2hR1alpGgb8/s200/7-19-09+009_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066125527945090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30JmMyKTrjzcF1z_ho2JAgoavnt8MGt2mqg851dukFyfnY0Nxd0g9HohnesugKk66hu-VMf4EMZjO-ouZNmPAp-EjEkHHQ73dTbLAuH3DS3_S048aeLSrrydAaX-bN1owBwsW_JhmwXum/s1600-h/7-19-09+005_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30JmMyKTrjzcF1z_ho2JAgoavnt8MGt2mqg851dukFyfnY0Nxd0g9HohnesugKk66hu-VMf4EMZjO-ouZNmPAp-EjEkHHQ73dTbLAuH3DS3_S048aeLSrrydAaX-bN1owBwsW_JhmwXum/s200/7-19-09+005_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364066121397993778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqk7IfUqg17aU4zHeoI6Zc8hv_GSXqEX-YNhymKT85JF2TJV2Hc0BzGNdTimnJQF7_JryfReS1HPzjW9Qv-UxFr4pKg9V61iqp-ECgkfOxLlQWowYMaSaiAFeJhHUZaXBEwAzcLp4vIYv/s1600-h/7-18-09+012_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqk7IfUqg17aU4zHeoI6Zc8hv_GSXqEX-YNhymKT85JF2TJV2Hc0BzGNdTimnJQF7_JryfReS1HPzjW9Qv-UxFr4pKg9V61iqp-ECgkfOxLlQWowYMaSaiAFeJhHUZaXBEwAzcLp4vIYv/s200/7-18-09+012_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364065767649619058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbcpsbzwn0SmsWn1fWerWjaR1Yp1C5RoUIJhxyD47rwes16DJSDGO-Y6vptmUBwOlmAHa8UYDeztvd5Z9eyFUFfI1ra3GBYiqrS3hu-XCK-MQVY3XSJlF9t-zg6fmfmqIBIhyxfVFyiJb/s1600-h/7-18-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbcpsbzwn0SmsWn1fWerWjaR1Yp1C5RoUIJhxyD47rwes16DJSDGO-Y6vptmUBwOlmAHa8UYDeztvd5Z9eyFUFfI1ra3GBYiqrS3hu-XCK-MQVY3XSJlF9t-zg6fmfmqIBIhyxfVFyiJb/s200/7-18-09+009_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364065762144747586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapXMCDkD8Moq9QJ-cpwOukIkPsEq4HNAwCDKlt1DhQP5q4vcz44WrZteVXyAJ25nVBptyMbgBPvMxRjXc-6JPIt5OzhaVRg-kFpusL82tevzA9lwZtivipjk1w4CWTA5xuQTxUm7Mr9HC/s1600-h/7-18-09+005_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapXMCDkD8Moq9QJ-cpwOukIkPsEq4HNAwCDKlt1DhQP5q4vcz44WrZteVXyAJ25nVBptyMbgBPvMxRjXc-6JPIt5OzhaVRg-kFpusL82tevzA9lwZtivipjk1w4CWTA5xuQTxUm7Mr9HC/s200/7-18-09+005_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364065759632037794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yUk0-7N-X5yS01a5Dp3kzuzV8uM1LUC23N0F5n_yZ4H8yarE8UBPg5oUH4SCTyGIr2KLt0JCY37HgaesKa_E4MtLoPoynW6EcmQOmpNG2IgGiXG88x6D3_V9oNpSMmJPhYtscpg9IhB7/s1600-h/7-18-09+001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yUk0-7N-X5yS01a5Dp3kzuzV8uM1LUC23N0F5n_yZ4H8yarE8UBPg5oUH4SCTyGIr2KLt0JCY37HgaesKa_E4MtLoPoynW6EcmQOmpNG2IgGiXG88x6D3_V9oNpSMmJPhYtscpg9IhB7/s200/7-18-09+001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364065754970789586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXlbpMV7fvadwdGS08x1ZKi9H6oHYBMKsxTHff4BptASs4E-a5VeLZnEkz1uA6MpA79i1CciMjtoq9EDUArhIs1gJrKH5jS0Eq79Ks4uMgwy2d3-CLZALcMZb6oNauIfPgydcG8qYq63n/s1600-h/7-16-09+1001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXlbpMV7fvadwdGS08x1ZKi9H6oHYBMKsxTHff4BptASs4E-a5VeLZnEkz1uA6MpA79i1CciMjtoq9EDUArhIs1gJrKH5jS0Eq79Ks4uMgwy2d3-CLZALcMZb6oNauIfPgydcG8qYq63n/s200/7-16-09+1001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364065752912168866" border="0" /></a><br />July 17th<br /><br />Drove to Missoula, one of my favorite towns. We met our travel companies for the Selway trip at the Southgate Inn. Although, the pool looked mighty inviting in the 90 degree heat, we had some serious packing up to do. Eric built up the raft frame and we laid out all of our gear on the lawn. We weren’t really sure what equipment would be provided and what we would need to remember. In the end, we probably could have brought our own pump, but other than that we did pretty good. The rafting outfittiers had just got back from another trip and had some serious work to do that kept them packing until the wee hours. Eric and I managed to tour the riverwalk of Missoula, eat Mexican food, and snuggle into TV watching in our hotel room. TV is so ridiculous. You don’t miss it when you don’t have it, but when you get to watch it . . . very mesmerizing what is considered entertainment. I watched several episodes of CSI before turning off the lights.<br /><br />July 18thi<br />Today was a big day! Dan and Stacey tied the knot in beautiful sunny Colorado in the presence of well behaved family and friends (I only saw the tame pics on facebook). Eric and I put on the Selway. Our day started with a 4 hour drive to the put-in in a 16 passenger van. Not to worry though, we had several stops to get fishing licenses, random gear, and of course, more beer and liquor. Once passed the final town, we made the long haul into the river. What started out as a creek tracking beside the road, quickly grew into a river. The Selway is one of the most technical rivers in the entire country and is famous for its unique beauty and remote location. The water is crystal clear, which makes the shallows appear really shallow and the fish have no place to hide. After a long, tedious, rigging of the boats, we pushed off the shore and started the great adventure downstream. The water level was at 1.5 feet, which is still good for full size rafts, but we knew there would be a lot of rocks to dodge. The horse flies were deadly! They would wait until a rapid to bite and then you couldn’t do anything about because you couldn’t let go of the oars in order to swat them. It was clear that the fish don’t see a lot of action because they bite anything, even bad casts and sunken flies. After a long stretch of rock dodging, we pulled off to camp at Running Elk (aka Archer). For dinner, we enjoyed lasagna followed by brownies. If we thought the horse flies were bad, the mosquitoes were above and beyond bad. They were miserable and relentless. I am not sure I have any blood left. What kinda mosquito bites your eyebrow? I mean, come on! Eric and I hit the hay early and itched until morning. kI have never been so excited to get on the river.<br /><br />July 19<br /><br />After leaving the mosquitos behind, we floated our longest day. Nothing too tricky, although Goat Creek rapid was pretty cool. Eric and I are use to scouting rapids that we have never run before (and ones we have) in order to plan a good route and not get into trouble. We were lucky our guides have been down this river before because scouting Goat Creek wasn’t possible, too bendy. The river increased in volume with every creek that dumped into the Selway. We were happy for more water. One interesting maneuver required getting out of the boat to drag the boats through Ping Pong “rapid” because there wasn’t enough water running to carry them. Whatever gets the job done! There was a bear sighting, but I didn’t see it. On the last trip, they saw 5 bears! We had ham and pineapple for dinner at the Roots camp. Thankfully, the bugs were nearly extinct for the rest of the trip. We slept on the sloping beach down by the boats without our tent. The sky was so dark and the stars were twinkling. Several shooting stars whizzed by before we drifted to sleep.<br /><br />July 20<br /><br />Good morning! Today is the day we head into the canyon and where the majority of the class IV rapids await. It wasn’t long after we pushed off that we got to our first major obstacle called Double Drop (named appropriately so). We watched several boats go through before punching in. The first drop shot us around on a smooth tongue of surging water. We had enough time to get set up for the second drop, which was turbulent, but not really scary. Immediately after, Eric told me to grab the camera to see if I could get a good shot of the next boat coming through. Just then, our boat got stuck in a hole and we nearly lost our oar. I guess we should have made sure we cleared the entire rapid before turning photographer. The hardest rapid of the river is Ladle, which was only a little ways further. This one, we did scout, well, most of us. The route was not obvious, but has proven successful at getting large rafts through with minimal problems. The first boat through was unfortunate to hit a rock and got spun and pinned in a bad spot. It took careful placement of ropes and bouncing by the passengers to unstick the stuck boat. After that episode, each boat took their turn through Ladle. Every boat had to do some bouncing to get through, but we all made it. After Ladle we had a series of fun drops and rapids. It truly was an exciting day! To finish, we had an awesome camp (Tango bar) with a giant sandy bar. The horseshoes were a hit among the present crowd. We had Pad Thai for dinner. In addition to a perfect camp, we were also serenaded by an amazing guitarist who was capable of playing anything . . . and knew all the words too. We got out the S’more making materials (only adding to the perfect day) and made some tasty morsels. Eric and I slept out under the stars again because setting up a tent just seemed unnecessary given the perfectness of everything.<br /><br />July 21<br /><br />This was our shortest river day. To make up for it, we floated a mile away from camp and pulled over for a hike. We saw a rattlesnake that had about 6 rattles. Scary. I ate a ton of huckleberries. I also learned that thimble berries are also eatable and had my fair share of those too. When we arrived back at the boats, lunch was ready. We had Rueben sandwiches. I didn’t think I would like it, but I did. I guess that’s why we should always try new stuff, you just never know. While we sat munching our lunches, a bald eagle flew down the river. I haven’t seen one of those in a long time. It was neat to see it out in nature. We had seen several Osprey along the way too and ducks with baby ducks. We finished the canyon off with Meeker and Osprey rapids and got to camp in the mid afternoon. This camp was also very nice. It had a large peninsula sand bar that Eric and I opted to sleep at the far end of. It was steak night and we had awesome potatoes and salad too. Althoough many aspects of the campfire were the same as the previous night, the vibe couldn’t be recreated. Eric and I drifted towards bed before it got too rowdy and watched shooting stars until we fell asleep.<br /><br />July 22<br /><br />We only had about 3 miles to go. I guess that technically makes this our shortest day, but we had a ton of down-rigging and driving to get back to our car, so it didn’t feel like it. We strapped most things down before pushing off, but their weren’t any rapids left, mostly just flat water. In a deeper section, Eric and I saw a large object swimming upstream. Most of the trout being caught were between 10-14 inches max. This massive creature was a good 24 inches. It was a salmon who had swum all the way from the ocean to the middle of Idaho. That is truly a miracle of nature. We took out, packed it up and jumped in our 16 passenger van for the long haul back to Missoula. I managed to stay awake for most of the ride. We quickly loaded back into the Explorer to continue our 6 hour drive back to Stanley ID where we had ditched our motorhome in the woods. We arrived around midnight and were happy to find she was a-okay. Planning to drive to Boise tomorrow.<br /><br />July 23<br /><br />We swung by a cabin in Stanley for a hot shower before hitting the road. Five days on the river is a lot of suncreen, bugspray, sweat, dirt . . . you name it build up. It makes you crave shampoo. We started the drive to Boise, but couldn’t help getting excited about the Payette river. It was only a 7 mile stretch, which we could easily do in the mini-me. We shuttle the cars and hit the river. I gotta say, for white water, this was way more fun than any rapid we had on the Selway. Part of it was, we were in a smaller boat, which makes the waves bigger. Secondly, the Payette had a lot of water. It was a blast! I wanted to re-run it in the Ducky, but Eric said we had to get to Boise. Next time. We jumped off the river, rolled up the boat and headed into Caldwell ID for the county fair. We caught the end of the Little Big Town concert before heading back to Boise for a couple days.<br /><br />July 24<br /><br />Omelets for breakfast! Did 4 loads of wash, showered, cleaned all our water bottles and dishes (thoroughly), went grocery shopping, went to Home Depot to rent a tool for the plumbing repair in the motorhome, had a BBQ with Lisa and Ross’s friends, played pictionary man, ate drimsticks, crashed. It was a busy day, but kinda fun too, especially the second half.<br /><br />July 25<br /><br />Well, it’s time to scoot out of Boise again. This time we left our Explorer for Lisa and Ross to look after. Eric and I are back to driving the motorhome together, which is highly preferred over driving separate. Eric toyed with all the sprinkler settings and I tried to cram everything back into the motorhome. We finally pulled away from the curb around 10? 11? Does it matter? We were planning on leaving at 6, but we knew that wasn’t going to happen! We drove all the way to Virginia City, NV. My favorite stop was in Winnemucca, NV.Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-33537254682739335592009-07-17T21:27:00.000-07:002009-07-17T21:35:22.525-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8Y0Gof0YF0VK5egtx2KC8cyXjzDkdv28OITVevfibTdOaXCyXyugo8TLAWIcjbRHuviE4Gab038vH084J-WL3vnn_3hsmq_OFgJuOkpTFFqb8GA4XUDv7IjRqYeKcgNw5trO16WhYBLw/s1600-h/7-16-09+010_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8Y0Gof0YF0VK5egtx2KC8cyXjzDkdv28OITVevfibTdOaXCyXyugo8TLAWIcjbRHuviE4Gab038vH084J-WL3vnn_3hsmq_OFgJuOkpTFFqb8GA4XUDv7IjRqYeKcgNw5trO16WhYBLw/s200/7-16-09+010_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653753041755954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGjSi-v05KwGm_Vs0GTAFYD0BAyXvOeqYi1XVeB957c4g9NaUxQjQQJe0FEp_Pqukj-vQicCffIKYnN8IFkctQ2OOclRQ1PTYzEltDhPQWjIvz-ihQNXBqGq7U55cKr3JCToqmy9s-s4o/s1600-h/7-16-09+004_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGjSi-v05KwGm_Vs0GTAFYD0BAyXvOeqYi1XVeB957c4g9NaUxQjQQJe0FEp_Pqukj-vQicCffIKYnN8IFkctQ2OOclRQ1PTYzEltDhPQWjIvz-ihQNXBqGq7U55cKr3JCToqmy9s-s4o/s200/7-16-09+004_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653751232954194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAOwM1Vesjun69xm7aUgzLQKwg4xpBs1wIh3U7hes4CpM5eiyIv_qzRcCw8LR04RO9JEjmA-BbbCvD11Ek_EJCB_VpLFY7jD7pD-yzvyKjZArczXPImmrpQ7qrSPWXgj1bF8byCd6hTU9/s1600-h/7-16-09+005_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAOwM1Vesjun69xm7aUgzLQKwg4xpBs1wIh3U7hes4CpM5eiyIv_qzRcCw8LR04RO9JEjmA-BbbCvD11Ek_EJCB_VpLFY7jD7pD-yzvyKjZArczXPImmrpQ7qrSPWXgj1bF8byCd6hTU9/s200/7-16-09+005_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653606510531586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsDq_6I61qdk9ajp2dyUnuFUq35bUNUq5_WjqQiWXr8dnNVU-beVFiL4YyuFS2DlP4EGJLTUkyRDiek51ATMr2sa_O96vpvuS48or_8VwyWBXDFmcLEvBLPzOc6ItvJVabdTXehyphenhyphenhxbB7/s1600-h/7-16-09+022+Crop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsDq_6I61qdk9ajp2dyUnuFUq35bUNUq5_WjqQiWXr8dnNVU-beVFiL4YyuFS2DlP4EGJLTUkyRDiek51ATMr2sa_O96vpvuS48or_8VwyWBXDFmcLEvBLPzOc6ItvJVabdTXehyphenhyphenhxbB7/s200/7-16-09+022+Crop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653598890042498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvD0no9Nyi0ztiNf47ffQQ11seYKITtKwOxo9js2RgdAZoxYz_OklrYtcUKUQ6G8wn-Csl3A3PwdFdohMuPrg59JAaHguH3RUaHLHUvN9-2cax9rAfZ0WzV7C3OzxO6QPHqOn8dFYN1Yr/s1600-h/7-16-09+044_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvD0no9Nyi0ztiNf47ffQQ11seYKITtKwOxo9js2RgdAZoxYz_OklrYtcUKUQ6G8wn-Csl3A3PwdFdohMuPrg59JAaHguH3RUaHLHUvN9-2cax9rAfZ0WzV7C3OzxO6QPHqOn8dFYN1Yr/s200/7-16-09+044_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653599180254578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuAW1ERQcyOHQuPztXcWBf1Sv9BnQPx6fIBlBrXzmOIqV4f_PjVVQstq1lG7PUkWVjzHu7TEJVW_AZ1nKp-Cr7wRArBRkqOGGncM9YszAzoZcD02Ea9uCtB_D4tTjYxq_0-VAul91fhUh/s1600-h/7-16-09+035+crop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuAW1ERQcyOHQuPztXcWBf1Sv9BnQPx6fIBlBrXzmOIqV4f_PjVVQstq1lG7PUkWVjzHu7TEJVW_AZ1nKp-Cr7wRArBRkqOGGncM9YszAzoZcD02Ea9uCtB_D4tTjYxq_0-VAul91fhUh/s200/7-16-09+035+crop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653594911524210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG61sy6iImrnGpdfFVmcMtnqloEu4JBsIkuebK61UzVNDMjYbuYsFBBsJkI7x4LHusWZFRyxZwA8DoRT6jEdR79M_ooU9abmjK1u8khIjdq4RJFM4j1ZnBobwYzgrixi12eCuYCPYYsBq8/s1600-h/7-16-09+022+Crop2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG61sy6iImrnGpdfFVmcMtnqloEu4JBsIkuebK61UzVNDMjYbuYsFBBsJkI7x4LHusWZFRyxZwA8DoRT6jEdR79M_ooU9abmjK1u8khIjdq4RJFM4j1ZnBobwYzgrixi12eCuYCPYYsBq8/s200/7-16-09+022+Crop2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653592887005954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteRmxSAJNnQ5LdvWG0C98aqrzGpHISTaXmqiIBgC76G0TewfExkic4lb0auOagtmo85GA7ZM0T90Rw9KUPOgU9NBjdlfV6nQHU6fCO1Lj_Pyf9cq-c0nFZIgAY3SGQIL8JGpErZ87ycD5/s1600-h/7-16-09+066_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteRmxSAJNnQ5LdvWG0C98aqrzGpHISTaXmqiIBgC76G0TewfExkic4lb0auOagtmo85GA7ZM0T90Rw9KUPOgU9NBjdlfV6nQHU6fCO1Lj_Pyf9cq-c0nFZIgAY3SGQIL8JGpErZ87ycD5/s200/7-16-09+066_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653218297740722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrphQhJ8175ubeFBwAO9D9kGT5xfS0HMW7Bcy04que0pNGkQKy_y1N-kzIQBBFsgb44LJ65PilSijs8oP6i-D2f_ngteJLXQBFJIswl8g_z4m6gmN7GD7PNopZ20FCPCwX4o96JONjposE/s1600-h/7-16-09+K+023_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrphQhJ8175ubeFBwAO9D9kGT5xfS0HMW7Bcy04que0pNGkQKy_y1N-kzIQBBFsgb44LJ65PilSijs8oP6i-D2f_ngteJLXQBFJIswl8g_z4m6gmN7GD7PNopZ20FCPCwX4o96JONjposE/s200/7-16-09+K+023_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653214817735442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQr7Sa2Jl4IKEIjOAIEdI4jMZuIJLTT0Jd_ft2gTMmzcsH9f8J8SIh8KyfkMZV_2QaaCR35yEps0t_ZdJ3Aq5z4_-wrKBc597SF3LSxQiXh6R8rcHPrJbTx710tqoe9PUzwiRozUUMrgH3/s1600-h/7-16-09+K+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQr7Sa2Jl4IKEIjOAIEdI4jMZuIJLTT0Jd_ft2gTMmzcsH9f8J8SIh8KyfkMZV_2QaaCR35yEps0t_ZdJ3Aq5z4_-wrKBc597SF3LSxQiXh6R8rcHPrJbTx710tqoe9PUzwiRozUUMrgH3/s200/7-16-09+K+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653210631943650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEZ0hR35sjQ9eT2EgQMY67aWF_qlgSFGb0dNVpU4mIgw1GS59KMcTFwCRYZ1g6kMrlcFkb2vlq81fyfLnu3YEIqGnPBDyzfg0XV7MCllw8TNTVMWhRtHguQe5KNHTvM5nOCfVmpoFmEcz/s1600-h/7-16-09+063_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEZ0hR35sjQ9eT2EgQMY67aWF_qlgSFGb0dNVpU4mIgw1GS59KMcTFwCRYZ1g6kMrlcFkb2vlq81fyfLnu3YEIqGnPBDyzfg0XV7MCllw8TNTVMWhRtHguQe5KNHTvM5nOCfVmpoFmEcz/s200/7-16-09+063_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653206384352914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7xeOirJzU7Xg26ruvkJY1nEC2jBsYr2KVYa9H8ATLxfpEibfF7Q4mdjKTI1CO9bI7jjHaM_M7gFErQCJlyVtQiFektxvvUbtozK9blTKJVMk6FxtR9nr_ja8M8QpI0Nblnw3D4Q2kTuY/s1600-h/7-16-09+K+017_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7xeOirJzU7Xg26ruvkJY1nEC2jBsYr2KVYa9H8ATLxfpEibfF7Q4mdjKTI1CO9bI7jjHaM_M7gFErQCJlyVtQiFektxvvUbtozK9blTKJVMk6FxtR9nr_ja8M8QpI0Nblnw3D4Q2kTuY/s200/7-16-09+K+017_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359653201716588866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPUdhQQ00KKsfVZzSaM3YN8RKu1ew8AUqpJClJqGKFdL7dofCBTV4ZRM1u69CQfWnHXphdIuARKK06I5gNI4HiGahRoT6CdqhSFRZC2Kz2p67IW1vlcFdw90TgAD6nFXAv6Q9wqLnZTAP/s1600-h/7-16-09+072_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPUdhQQ00KKsfVZzSaM3YN8RKu1ew8AUqpJClJqGKFdL7dofCBTV4ZRM1u69CQfWnHXphdIuARKK06I5gNI4HiGahRoT6CdqhSFRZC2Kz2p67IW1vlcFdw90TgAD6nFXAv6Q9wqLnZTAP/s200/7-16-09+072_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359652580249668786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcBuwzjFque2NNOEUzBGQvL8Oh8PE8Em2oC8QWyzoAAz1j4dF0wy1D98VK9ckz4U0p70ssqpIZDAp0tYqSTnTDwKg5nv0cDMPYeAaGYe4LPLPyTWuC_MLshwrcveyyJTgQYKDhcIcjQKc/s1600-h/7-16-09+K+026_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcBuwzjFque2NNOEUzBGQvL8Oh8PE8Em2oC8QWyzoAAz1j4dF0wy1D98VK9ckz4U0p70ssqpIZDAp0tYqSTnTDwKg5nv0cDMPYeAaGYe4LPLPyTWuC_MLshwrcveyyJTgQYKDhcIcjQKc/s200/7-16-09+K+026_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359652576551622674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNK8texEgnndzNMbLigbTLm5vV_U2SjvkVlAP6NvqUazrOc2iK3jDWQ33QSKIB5BWxsTB24U9eKvDQqOWlmKqrOUWYSx0p4heiXBEBnMANTn9Pv3jKJ3ty5GqvOx2m7BB6Y6U12GBQETx/s1600-h/7-16-09+K+031_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNK8texEgnndzNMbLigbTLm5vV_U2SjvkVlAP6NvqUazrOc2iK3jDWQ33QSKIB5BWxsTB24U9eKvDQqOWlmKqrOUWYSx0p4heiXBEBnMANTn9Pv3jKJ3ty5GqvOx2m7BB6Y6U12GBQETx/s200/7-16-09+K+031_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359652575664615074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3M_1oTmxlGcEbdim5e4B1mfGuRM_ZYnm-2eG9g4tZI8jOpN5DbYzCZu51tFNmXeNVUgMA2_ltxCvrsnB6y8DITIYSMFsZ1ahAshod9CpCd_YFjHGXl7HDTaY-WoKZB7zxKfKNwaUMGam/s1600-h/7-16-09+K+033_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3M_1oTmxlGcEbdim5e4B1mfGuRM_ZYnm-2eG9g4tZI8jOpN5DbYzCZu51tFNmXeNVUgMA2_ltxCvrsnB6y8DITIYSMFsZ1ahAshod9CpCd_YFjHGXl7HDTaY-WoKZB7zxKfKNwaUMGam/s200/7-16-09+K+033_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359652569986832642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTECyLvnK5R8-eRoODTUVpv1Tt-0pZd9wFZBykgEqeqWlWkunuq8FHJq6bbJ2wC0DqDuFZE1kwDjJm0IrLjl-ST_h2imSafZKAH7Utt4sePW36m-z_o22BdrCLfratA1MXBjrwXP2Jl-wA/s1600-h/7-16-09+078_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTECyLvnK5R8-eRoODTUVpv1Tt-0pZd9wFZBykgEqeqWlWkunuq8FHJq6bbJ2wC0DqDuFZE1kwDjJm0IrLjl-ST_h2imSafZKAH7Utt4sePW36m-z_o22BdrCLfratA1MXBjrwXP2Jl-wA/s200/7-16-09+078_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359652566095334130" border="0" /></a><br />June 11 Continued<br /><br />We put on the river in the afternoon and had a lovely time floating. The section of the Salmon was Yankee Fork to Torreys and was fast and fun the whole time. Nothing too terrifying, but Eric and I both ended up in the bottom of the boat at some point during the trip. At least we managed to stay in the boat! We are just getting warmed up for bigger waves later.<br /><br />June 12-14 – Elk Mountain-Boise<br /><br />Early the next morning, we arose to ride at Elk Mountain (Meadow?). We were planning on driving to Boise to see the McCanns and the Meyer family, so we hit the trail as soon as we could climb out of the warm bed. It was a good thing we did! We ended up seeing a lot of wildlife. First, we came across a grouse that was behaving a bit unusual. Instead of flying miles away from us and our quick (not quick enough cameras), it flew into the closest tree and cooed at us. We were able to get some sweet pics, but then we saw who she was actually cooing at . . . a little baby grouse. It was sooooo cute! Then when I was riding out of a meadow and back into thicker forests, I spooked a herd of elk (Elk Mountain, yeah baby). I thought Eric could catch them, but I ended up sending him on a wild goose chase (but we didn’t see any geese). Then we came across a giant owl! It was pretty photogenic, so we stayed with him until the misquitos just about sucked all the blood out of me. Then, we rallied home and on the road. We drove the scenic 3 hour trek to Boise along Highway 21. I learned how to knit (again) in the company of Eric’s grandma, mom, and sister. It is easier with 3 generations of knitters to guide you. We celebrated Joyce’s (grandma) 79th birthday on Monday. Lisa (sister) and I made 2 angel food cakes. They turned out great (if I must say myself)! All in all, we did a lot of relaxing in Boise and were pretty much refreshed by the time we headed back to the motorhome, which we had abandoned in the woods up in Stanley. We figured she could handle some alone time too. We arrived back at the trailer late on Tuesday.<br /><br />June 15 – Potato Mountain<br /><br />Eric and I like to make things hard on ourselves. Instead of riding the trail the direction everyone else does, we ride it in the opposite direction. It was alright. Our climb was gentle and followed a creek, which we crossed half a dozen times. I got new bike shoes in Boise and broke them in with a water ride. These new shoes dry out a heck of a lot faster than my old ones. We passed several other surprised cyclists who asked why we were riding up the trail? We love to go against the grain of course! Our reward for riding up the whole way was a steep loose and rocky downhill. It wouldn’t have been fun to ride up it either, but the rest of the ride would have been sweet. Next time, next time. Along the way, we crossed through an amazing meadow and the creek was clear and cool. I would say it was a great ride. At the end, we saw the same folks sitting around enjoying a beer. It turns out they were newlyweds with a few straggler wedding guests enjoying their honeymoon. Then the other people we ran into on the trail came by. They worked at the Redfish lodge, which was where the couple had gotten hitched. Everyone seemed to know everyone already. There was a rope swing rumored to be awesome about a 2 minute hike up a trail from where everyone met. Apparently, it swings out about 50 feet over the canyon. Sounds cool, but Eric and I passed. We ended our ride and headed back to base camp. We made a small fire in our fire pit and enjoyed s’more after s’more. It was pretty much perfect.<br /><br />June 16 – Beaver Creek<br /><br />So this might have been a bad decision. We got to the trail, which was not easy for the Explorer and would have not happened in the motorhome only to realize that what might have been single track at some point was actually a well-used ATV trail. Given the time of day and our lack of creativity, we rode it anyway. Again, we crossed numerous creeks and some muddy bogs. The trail was not epic by any means, more entertainment on an otherwise uneventful day.<br /><br />June 17 – Drive to Missoula<br /><br />I know, I know. We were supposed to be driving to Colorado, not Montana. Unfortunately, Eric and I can’t control every aspect of our trip with grace and beauty. Instead of making a mad dash for Breckenridge, we are putting on the Selway tomorrow with a commercial outfitter that is allowing us to tag along with their trip. The only permit we could get on left on Saturday, which means we had to make a tough decision. Eric was furious that the timing was so perfectly bad, but couldn’t resist turning down the Selway trip to spend 2 fifteen hour days in the car. I am sad, but I realize I have to spend the next 2 months in the motorhome with Eric, not Dan and Stacey, so I guess we’re floating a river. We will try to take lots of pictures, but it will depend on how long our camera batteries last. We will be on the river 18th-22nd. Check back in then!Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-58388360048294768132009-07-11T10:17:00.000-07:002009-07-11T10:32:23.692-07:00June 8—Baker Creek, Galena Lodge<br /><br />This morning was especially chilly. It was only 36 degrees inside the motorhome when we woke up to start the day. Needless to say, we didn’t start the day very quickly. Instead, we decided to drift in and out of sleep until it was at least 45 degrees inside the motorhome. We made hot cocoa like normal and started the practiced routine for bike riding. Only, I jumped back in bed and delayed the start by another hour or so. By 10 am the clouds were looking a little scary and we questioned whether we would be able to ride at all. We took extra precautions of rain coats, long sleeves and plenty of food and water. Baker Creek is a ride that has a leisurely uphill along an old forest service road. At the top, there are lovely views, but nothing too special. At first, we were super psyched about the winding downhill, but it soon got very steep we had to stop to let our braking hands have a rest. At the end of the ride, both Eric and I felt like we hadn’t accomplished much. The climbing was so easy and the downhill was over in minutes. Not to worry, Eric had heard of another area near by that promised fabulous single track on looping cross country ski trails. Galena Lodge has a nice little café and picnic tables. There is camping around the area, which we did not utilize. Eric chatted with the staff while I took a nap in the car. Eric returned with a map showing many loops that were all 10 miles or less, but could be linked to cover a lot of ground. We opted for a 10 mile loop that had the most single track riding. We hopped on the bikes and took off. Once riding, we realized much of the trail was actually double track or unmaintained dirt road. We were a little disappointed. We have found that the Ketchum, Id area is not very good at putting in switch backs to avoid long rocky, unsustainable climbs (and decents). There is a race on July 25 around this trail system, but Eric and I thought it would be a strange place to hold a race. We ended up truncated our planned route because neither one of us was really into it. Back at the motorhome, we cooked up chicken and rice with pineapple. We followed up this meal with ice cream!<br /><br />June 9 – Prairie Lake hike<br /><br />My neck has really been bothering me. Last night I couldn’t sleep because every time I turned over my neck shot pain through the top of my head. Very strange. I got up in the middle of the night for some pain-killers and jumped back in bed. It is going to be another very chilly morning. Instead of riding, we decided to hike a suggested ride that visited 2 lakes, Prairie and Miner. It was pretty cool, starting with a couple creek crossings. The whole time, Eric talked about how easy the ride would have been. Why didn’t we bring our bikes? I was happy to be walking. The lakes were your typical alpine lakes with emerald green water and some picturesque mountains as landscape. Bugs weren’t really that bad either, but were pretty much the only wildlife we saw. The “downhill” section was a ragging rock garden that was super steep with water problems. Again, I was pretty stoked not to be on my bike. What was supposed to be a ~9.6 mile hike, was actually 11.2 miles based on our GPS. Always a nice surprise. My favorite part of the day was riding the motorcycle. We left the camper at the campsite and drove up to the trailhead on our scooter. I drove Eric! This had to be hilarious! It was to me! I was very pleased that Eric trusted my driving abilities, but I did turn over the wheel when we reached the highway. One thing that was awesome about the hike, we didn’t see a single other person the entire time on the trail or at the trailhead. No one. <br /><br />June 10 – Fisher Creek<br /><br />Last night, we committed to driving away from the Ketchum area and drove North to Stanley, ID. We had one bite on our signs, but nothing all that promising. It was worth a shot. Although Stanley is much smaller than Ketchum, the amount of people recreating was exponentially higher. Stanley is a hub of rafters, fishers, bikers and campers. Finding a campsite proved much more difficult. We ended up camping at the trailhead for our ride in the morning. We figured, we aren’t really camping, we’re just parking. It was fine. This morning we awoke once again to chilly temps and proceeded to get ready for a ride advertised as Idaho’s best bike trail. All 3 times we drove past this parking lot, it had been jam packers with cars and trailers. Needless to say, we were excited. At first, we put on long sleeves and cycling tights to fend off the cold, but as numerous other groups showed up and the sun announced herself, we found we were over dressed. The first stretch is on the highway for 2 miles and then a dirt road for several more. Eric and I considered shuttling to avoid boring riding, but when children were out there doing it, we decided we couldn’t shuttle it. Reluctantly, we headed out on the pavement, which as it turned out was pretty pleasant for me. I think I miss road biking. Soon we saw a sign for Fisher creek road and turned off to start our climb up to the trail. Shuttling would have saved us over 1500 vertical feet of dirt road climbing. We passed pastures with grazing horses and people out waking their dogs. We traveled next to a creek and butterflies scattered as we rode up the path. It was actually pretty nice even though we were climbing on a road. We hit one long miserable steep section before arriving at the trail. A fellow cyclist was taking a break at the top before the awesome, Idaho’s best, trail. He was a PE teacher from CA. His wife taught the first grade. Eric thinks that is the coolest thing ever and is now considering going back to school for some sort of teaching certification. Having the summers to travel, wow, that would be amazing. We pushed off down a windy single track that twisted and turned smoothly through a burnt forest. It was really fun and beautiful in a creepy sort of way. At the bottom of the hill, Eric, myself, and Greg (the school teacher) discussed how cool the decent was and chatted about other rides in the area. We decided to do a short out and back that goes to the biggest meadow ever. Greg came along too. The meadow was actually 3 miles away and required crossing a couple creeks. We came to an intersection to either Robinson Bar or Born Lakes (or back the way we came). We decided that it was early enough in the day to do some exploring. We chose the route to Born lakes because it is closed to motor cycles. The trail was great and led out into the open meadow. We had to cross a serious looking creek. There was a little log, but neither Eric or I felt real comfortable crossing on it. To be honest, I don’t really feel all that comfortable crossing on much larger logs either. Eric found another log to add to the bridge and we continued on our way. Amazingly, the trail wasn’t much more than some pushed over grass through the meadow, but we managed to follow it for several miles. We thought that is was an unused trail due to the lack of a trail and several down trees that Eric and I took effort in moving out of the trail. Eric wishes he brought a small foldable saw to do more trail maintenance stuff. We have ridden so many trails and many of them could use our help. It was the least we could do and I got to feel exceptionally strong, moving trees all on my own. We ended up running into 5 other people on the trail that had come from 4th of July road and were making a loop of it (so the trail is actually ridden much more frequently than originally thought). If we were to continue out on this trail we would eventually come to a trailhead and have to take forest service road back to our car. That didn’t sound like much fun, so we turned back towards the Fisher creek loop. We were glad we did, because the next section of Fisher creek was awesome. Although we had another little climb, it was fun and beautiful. It really was an amazing trail. Once at the top, we had a screaming fun decent with views of the Sawtooth Mtns to boot. We could hardly bring ourselves to stop and take pictures. By the end, we had covered over 29 miles and both felt like we could have had someone. It was that fun. We had hamburgers in the motorhome and took a quick trip on the motorcycle. We ran out of gas, which I thought was terrifying, but as it turns out, we have a reserve tank, so we really hadn’t run out of gas. Funny, huh? We then took to town, grabbed groceries, checked the email and headed out in search of a new campsite. We are really testing our ability to sleep crooked. We are parked a little sideways, but we didn’t have a lot of options.<br /><br />June 11—Rafting the Salmon<br /><br />Today, we did laundry in town and are planning to run the Salmon. I will keep ya posted on how that turns out. Signing out!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidUh5ju3i20wVi4uHVPvdFt8JjCzAeoyWl24bTBS8BdaSLEQyfqQPiLmbuXASWUMAWJvJWcimZUlmKr4HNE9N0pV-h4-ip3boNFAm-CYre4nlSWxsrZBAk2GxxR9OMRTPp9aPSt1UnHLf/s1600-h/7-11-09+K+019_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidUh5ju3i20wVi4uHVPvdFt8JjCzAeoyWl24bTBS8BdaSLEQyfqQPiLmbuXASWUMAWJvJWcimZUlmKr4HNE9N0pV-h4-ip3boNFAm-CYre4nlSWxsrZBAk2GxxR9OMRTPp9aPSt1UnHLf/s200/7-11-09+K+019_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357256245791411282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyIQsUo3DDnzuh3F5CzPnv3yqrwao_YkK0Ovfmf6B_xw4GHuSDh3ZS9nuUajdhcIyi01ObpMSKdaQshyphenhyphenQtIUbJfp1B9luAAhKwAHJsE0DSV0cKBSuxV_T1XGi-HtAnNOlNR3wuNkIJUxN/s1600-h/7-11-09+K+050_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyIQsUo3DDnzuh3F5CzPnv3yqrwao_YkK0Ovfmf6B_xw4GHuSDh3ZS9nuUajdhcIyi01ObpMSKdaQshyphenhyphenQtIUbJfp1B9luAAhKwAHJsE0DSV0cKBSuxV_T1XGi-HtAnNOlNR3wuNkIJUxN/s200/7-11-09+K+050_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357256236713103330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72wmnDt3-qP7yaP-AU1lTA57PONl-hbvYwuLo5Z5oUsz2K693Bsh2CgliL3p81NRC9PsWvRscl1x7V570bK0k2pej6mwABJt54OLsO23przDwoDOOv9402Ww3kwU2Mx6ZVMQ7NPaD10HB/s1600-h/7-11-09+K+024_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72wmnDt3-qP7yaP-AU1lTA57PONl-hbvYwuLo5Z5oUsz2K693Bsh2CgliL3p81NRC9PsWvRscl1x7V570bK0k2pej6mwABJt54OLsO23przDwoDOOv9402Ww3kwU2Mx6ZVMQ7NPaD10HB/s200/7-11-09+K+024_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357256233889255938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjAskgnQlw8hMmxmMnRhKHRlsXt_vOyZVVj0SOl7DXydYiylY4L7lrMppGPaNvTdCZz2qMYmpZhfGptDhE-NOtDbYnDF5cxl6tZMZ5q1Y2Vw-xALkEf3-5QVJ1gBijXYmgN8vvKiPndmN/s1600-h/7-11-09+082_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjAskgnQlw8hMmxmMnRhKHRlsXt_vOyZVVj0SOl7DXydYiylY4L7lrMppGPaNvTdCZz2qMYmpZhfGptDhE-NOtDbYnDF5cxl6tZMZ5q1Y2Vw-xALkEf3-5QVJ1gBijXYmgN8vvKiPndmN/s200/7-11-09+082_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357256224896469426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMvmSyh2Da4IOrwr6crVdbyqjFSVqZgmk_Y0PpVchehYuM38s7xGWOrGvwbA8Td1g-BsUeFuU71s68m_v5N_wor_MGg8utlhNhP-bbvWYElkP9nNHJ3cXh8ZdlifU8zOR4eIPo-0lhINx/s1600-h/7-11-09+094_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMvmSyh2Da4IOrwr6crVdbyqjFSVqZgmk_Y0PpVchehYuM38s7xGWOrGvwbA8Td1g-BsUeFuU71s68m_v5N_wor_MGg8utlhNhP-bbvWYElkP9nNHJ3cXh8ZdlifU8zOR4eIPo-0lhINx/s200/7-11-09+094_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357256224120575666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-D-OhzRjeO8otdrqQBSmtnBXEE0Avp1Hskd2_VKebNf6j6CBBggNMwLnZNW5lREiBLE7_2LBP-LvxfTG6hiO7ZkT_Buo5XXo33veKeSmtjeO_CqteXoX5l1dPko5rl5suFSuFxw_BTAb/s1600-h/7-11-09+K+011_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-D-OhzRjeO8otdrqQBSmtnBXEE0Avp1Hskd2_VKebNf6j6CBBggNMwLnZNW5lREiBLE7_2LBP-LvxfTG6hiO7ZkT_Buo5XXo33veKeSmtjeO_CqteXoX5l1dPko5rl5suFSuFxw_BTAb/s200/7-11-09+K+011_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254907364914770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUouy7OyXxhgXEZpesCQFcMg1SqsFSf2NpCg_IGTklGIY5jMWXwJCWr9CVxzmPgn9otJ9np1KULCW4D3egfd0nyvCzXOsIS8IytVVS1oYJJewEJZ0JOzVc6jVIEptwCyIsUPdl_nJ7wH9Q/s1600-h/7-11-09+K+012_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUouy7OyXxhgXEZpesCQFcMg1SqsFSf2NpCg_IGTklGIY5jMWXwJCWr9CVxzmPgn9otJ9np1KULCW4D3egfd0nyvCzXOsIS8IytVVS1oYJJewEJZ0JOzVc6jVIEptwCyIsUPdl_nJ7wH9Q/s200/7-11-09+K+012_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254904048021202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNipm-7ve_ywejID2t6o8jhxBCbm-lwt9gB-8fZZcNL3rj8IO5cdzPT1PxDnTDra4O-Y_adJIJh37cVoJyFH169scZnBJ2Em0Nvs0Zk-xdi9kYaL41-RRxGq4UX4l5TnXTBAXeAaXH5WE/s1600-h/7-11-09+068_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNipm-7ve_ywejID2t6o8jhxBCbm-lwt9gB-8fZZcNL3rj8IO5cdzPT1PxDnTDra4O-Y_adJIJh37cVoJyFH169scZnBJ2Em0Nvs0Zk-xdi9kYaL41-RRxGq4UX4l5TnXTBAXeAaXH5WE/s200/7-11-09+068_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254900318396738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9k1FEzq17pvnBPVfd7R56tDdAVNALCej66o7UxsAtelNkpqfdM0Yoj7fzrsWhOLVCV4fwTkTDRmoeGKIeisgDHsQWN2g-7f-KEXuzrTT4k3bcZX9EGbiy16BDYlEQAHhD3Ytx7eFgBfL/s1600-h/7-11-09+061_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9k1FEzq17pvnBPVfd7R56tDdAVNALCej66o7UxsAtelNkpqfdM0Yoj7fzrsWhOLVCV4fwTkTDRmoeGKIeisgDHsQWN2g-7f-KEXuzrTT4k3bcZX9EGbiy16BDYlEQAHhD3Ytx7eFgBfL/s200/7-11-09+061_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254893853824882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWzg9vqKGCXXZ8v4yAMumjGYFbz0ap1Dc39K3qkpxsRHrx9rhpmKCWdycqi7HYfdgSbPTu66XBSyhk9yQEhCE2Sx8424L6unk6Cmzpb475ahLQCT4Ch77v_b5n6WeNmyCD0zRBI1_hteF/s1600-h/7-11-09+050_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWzg9vqKGCXXZ8v4yAMumjGYFbz0ap1Dc39K3qkpxsRHrx9rhpmKCWdycqi7HYfdgSbPTu66XBSyhk9yQEhCE2Sx8424L6unk6Cmzpb475ahLQCT4Ch77v_b5n6WeNmyCD0zRBI1_hteF/s200/7-11-09+050_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254896585491490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMPgTn-B8kioTEF7PDg3midxA_JQ7F1vsduvQVNB4x0hioT8VVMF5dih712t2VXVWNgzTVOKlN4QFRFavULo6KNtZ67pkAENopcffL36NK1zrXIUWEFHLMbL-kvFBTRT-MLxrWh8_ywDp/s1600-h/7-11-09+040_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMPgTn-B8kioTEF7PDg3midxA_JQ7F1vsduvQVNB4x0hioT8VVMF5dih712t2VXVWNgzTVOKlN4QFRFavULo6KNtZ67pkAENopcffL36NK1zrXIUWEFHLMbL-kvFBTRT-MLxrWh8_ywDp/s200/7-11-09+040_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254298331886930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuLMOsSwUxxJY582ko_OcJIUKMaTf5L8NkSUiLLxBZh8W1Urq3gsdUWzigw5IZKn0q7_7eovLwvyBczZWCVrnujEhGvkPr-Y6bj2bmyoxS5wtSTzbDNTF1ji_o3IWER737IX4H-ZISwKm/s1600-h/7-11-09+035_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuLMOsSwUxxJY582ko_OcJIUKMaTf5L8NkSUiLLxBZh8W1Urq3gsdUWzigw5IZKn0q7_7eovLwvyBczZWCVrnujEhGvkPr-Y6bj2bmyoxS5wtSTzbDNTF1ji_o3IWER737IX4H-ZISwKm/s200/7-11-09+035_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254295761218370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FGUK5hL43KJM_FQ98aGBqyk0ZHTbZELPhuOlYtjG_4LhxayjuxQA9NgZ6jMP_hl9AjD31postvOAf9v_c-xk-KE5-_lLtFZPMeXfL_WR6uJ94hZ8L_01DirRq93Lf9yvM7dQO3TTISQR/s1600-h/7-11-09+038_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FGUK5hL43KJM_FQ98aGBqyk0ZHTbZELPhuOlYtjG_4LhxayjuxQA9NgZ6jMP_hl9AjD31postvOAf9v_c-xk-KE5-_lLtFZPMeXfL_WR6uJ94hZ8L_01DirRq93Lf9yvM7dQO3TTISQR/s200/7-11-09+038_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254290896425666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vOvd7kjfv4uOFA8t10pitJxcJDMW-s7o9CuSDWTQehK2d29kGxxB4naEvBINDcon5XE9B8bVu6699DAkgr9L0RJmtHu-rQ1VXa5GDieqTFHMOqYx301fmi-pwByL1nQgqtYzhbsYqAh0/s1600-h/7-11-09+030_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vOvd7kjfv4uOFA8t10pitJxcJDMW-s7o9CuSDWTQehK2d29kGxxB4naEvBINDcon5XE9B8bVu6699DAkgr9L0RJmtHu-rQ1VXa5GDieqTFHMOqYx301fmi-pwByL1nQgqtYzhbsYqAh0/s200/7-11-09+030_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254286415757378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVaAV-7aUd9dRbmezUE2OuEPHHtpThgmEql4ate5vqoCUuuioMzF1aGFq1i3BluoibJJC0HdKapV7ltCs1qF36S78KduO1KyubAJpHltSCG2sRH_obXUnEdVBaSGPk7r2S0dmN9AMiuaZ/s1600-h/7-11-09+019_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVaAV-7aUd9dRbmezUE2OuEPHHtpThgmEql4ate5vqoCUuuioMzF1aGFq1i3BluoibJJC0HdKapV7ltCs1qF36S78KduO1KyubAJpHltSCG2sRH_obXUnEdVBaSGPk7r2S0dmN9AMiuaZ/s200/7-11-09+019_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357254280898565826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OEf2Cev2Xp2rdufyKraTu8BCF8xx7XDGd-95aXDXSfAYt9w4AOpzH2fIEVmuy0Zyy7o2QZG696KjNufIpNZA7Meo_Viq15AQXXEV8ziEYI_5iMrn4vaNjTxoyzVExz0eJA439B5LILq0/s1600-h/7-11-09+K+006_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OEf2Cev2Xp2rdufyKraTu8BCF8xx7XDGd-95aXDXSfAYt9w4AOpzH2fIEVmuy0Zyy7o2QZG696KjNufIpNZA7Meo_Viq15AQXXEV8ziEYI_5iMrn4vaNjTxoyzVExz0eJA439B5LILq0/s200/7-11-09+K+006_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357253675277901314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxMU032MK2debz9byqjs5dphrn9RgLk10d3-Qm-AN60UTRrpozBPFCRMAvpk7yDsevYRI9K8GM-OjategnNvKWGtcsbJwdOVTP3ICxgjRVM3RpHootSMG8u0RY8N9EmjH0ZsAkj9YwhXT/s1600-h/7-11-09+K+005_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxMU032MK2debz9byqjs5dphrn9RgLk10d3-Qm-AN60UTRrpozBPFCRMAvpk7yDsevYRI9K8GM-OjategnNvKWGtcsbJwdOVTP3ICxgjRVM3RpHootSMG8u0RY8N9EmjH0ZsAkj9YwhXT/s200/7-11-09+K+005_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357253671530970738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwXvrGoBe-mncLjleVkhEAawEVrRmk2pt3Ask5zqX-UlJhGT-aady-N2Yh5077qT7qqphcOw1msODmR4Zz0jRsKwzg00cAc58MR8vgxLLQpk-ELOJfVLs45z5OcahdYRFQKiotPlumdWu/s1600-h/7-11-09+K+003_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwXvrGoBe-mncLjleVkhEAawEVrRmk2pt3Ask5zqX-UlJhGT-aady-N2Yh5077qT7qqphcOw1msODmR4Zz0jRsKwzg00cAc58MR8vgxLLQpk-ELOJfVLs45z5OcahdYRFQKiotPlumdWu/s200/7-11-09+K+003_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357253667038722194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15-H4MCNpySiA9wD5o_MxYV64_bSEeG5rWXCcOr7uVPNYynWxjMZpYKW9TatMlYM-yLyf79QFcYYeMRtKNchXHNy6yKGW5Yd8uUFnxJDav4UpURQMj5cjRXJpu2wWTnoexDHBVDVrBlmI/s1600-h/7-11-09+016_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15-H4MCNpySiA9wD5o_MxYV64_bSEeG5rWXCcOr7uVPNYynWxjMZpYKW9TatMlYM-yLyf79QFcYYeMRtKNchXHNy6yKGW5Yd8uUFnxJDav4UpURQMj5cjRXJpu2wWTnoexDHBVDVrBlmI/s200/7-11-09+016_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357253662901055298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFqVk1xZp6R13MFP_Dw14cfgNOjo5PkpUp8DZMHpbFiGfpyCiHK2mieOVrIy9N1E3GVpxjK1xOL1J2J3hJicCEhsb5EFLvVJQMMW7LikzWfK2YN2Ok8nCXO1QJRss85vE7_xr3ylDNYLf/s1600-h/7-11-09+003_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFqVk1xZp6R13MFP_Dw14cfgNOjo5PkpUp8DZMHpbFiGfpyCiHK2mieOVrIy9N1E3GVpxjK1xOL1J2J3hJicCEhsb5EFLvVJQMMW7LikzWfK2YN2Ok8nCXO1QJRss85vE7_xr3ylDNYLf/s200/7-11-09+003_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357253656760367874" border="0" /><br /><br /></a>Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-42026210737299035322009-07-07T14:33:00.000-07:002009-07-07T15:51:37.536-07:00Ketchum ID<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4qxPjdm9CiDsWDLCNc-Dh3efLmxQ1NPiGSHJzMQtk2kkabIUYfO4q9fXvtG1VtS0ExVo1jaXxKpTPxghZXfdi1RVbpTkD8b2jtIBfuCySSSbS2F4WEEALLmD3Q1D-Y2PQDh00GkJHG6o/s1600-h/7-6-09+K+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4qxPjdm9CiDsWDLCNc-Dh3efLmxQ1NPiGSHJzMQtk2kkabIUYfO4q9fXvtG1VtS0ExVo1jaXxKpTPxghZXfdi1RVbpTkD8b2jtIBfuCySSSbS2F4WEEALLmD3Q1D-Y2PQDh00GkJHG6o/s200/7-6-09+K+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854402028760690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VotDsEfS2xahjvo3U5Iw0JOzf9scfknJ1szxmq1h8Xfc7UK1p0-3IyuRDiC21o4uLubbYh7541EJFNi_uBQQdzSeTeNFNA6A6R6qBHrd1tmjLg09uxk31emyaIF8zlFAP06xrUgKqsZS/s1600-h/7-6-09+042_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VotDsEfS2xahjvo3U5Iw0JOzf9scfknJ1szxmq1h8Xfc7UK1p0-3IyuRDiC21o4uLubbYh7541EJFNi_uBQQdzSeTeNFNA6A6R6qBHrd1tmjLg09uxk31emyaIF8zlFAP06xrUgKqsZS/s200/7-6-09+042_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854399037303890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzN7YbuhrZfhjwKvEcEdW9bIdDZW92KB9IM4r3wmayk1pUQDXjoZV-e3z9E16iY8MfQdE1Id8XLMPgXuQUFcsht62TlYkx8Az_3YnrN9qxbtl3gEb_HaQ1cLOkChc_9d43qR271s3bZbdt/s1600-h/7-6-09+K+019_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzN7YbuhrZfhjwKvEcEdW9bIdDZW92KB9IM4r3wmayk1pUQDXjoZV-e3z9E16iY8MfQdE1Id8XLMPgXuQUFcsht62TlYkx8Az_3YnrN9qxbtl3gEb_HaQ1cLOkChc_9d43qR271s3bZbdt/s200/7-6-09+K+019_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854396457542786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddZVdbz5VbRsWrDCWC3WugS_Htk85Xf3xNHiHsrjPqipds9ujQtm70hEfZn-1XGQpWmOa-pPKJEDOjGyhB-oQCtNDbuuXGlCX6eYz_REaTQ0zKFWjKj2M8JljhPDgnkJW2eHckePRmQ_V/s1600-h/7-6-09+K+016_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddZVdbz5VbRsWrDCWC3WugS_Htk85Xf3xNHiHsrjPqipds9ujQtm70hEfZn-1XGQpWmOa-pPKJEDOjGyhB-oQCtNDbuuXGlCX6eYz_REaTQ0zKFWjKj2M8JljhPDgnkJW2eHckePRmQ_V/s200/7-6-09+K+016_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854393844038722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYT6svUobAsL7rT3LqLE6yUudGHY3hcYbwvFYw8xfmx1qQL5FoydduHg3-ATVAFUSdUivae1lJsNSZ_Bq5MgbH3tswvA-DXd0E7Tv1FzQgrYqzIKZlI2PMRQdjkPLi__p_K_a_VVqrEZT/s1600-h/7-6-09+K+001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYT6svUobAsL7rT3LqLE6yUudGHY3hcYbwvFYw8xfmx1qQL5FoydduHg3-ATVAFUSdUivae1lJsNSZ_Bq5MgbH3tswvA-DXd0E7Tv1FzQgrYqzIKZlI2PMRQdjkPLi__p_K_a_VVqrEZT/s200/7-6-09+K+001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854387376459794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiil3SKQ6Q_z3nUf2OxmG85PN1Ek-jZ_ASmByZY5FeWuNaJvWsh52Urmup_J8UTrmDMQ8zQ_359ltr_UW69vgpQABHjKJq9S-AQ_gngNFW8ocnqRHECrHCahBTGmifIwllYFOb7OT4FlYC/s1600-h/7-6-09+016_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiil3SKQ6Q_z3nUf2OxmG85PN1Ek-jZ_ASmByZY5FeWuNaJvWsh52Urmup_J8UTrmDMQ8zQ_359ltr_UW69vgpQABHjKJq9S-AQ_gngNFW8ocnqRHECrHCahBTGmifIwllYFOb7OT4FlYC/s200/7-6-09+016_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854018018783090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgcBDC8kK0g_-geLMNzAX0_ZzT1DWqbsgQL414ZgzmfdQJMFK2Hr4uJo8ccV6LuBsKiFvHGwHlNpUSw978iZOodDc55lpEoHCxf_xA1OFvFKT9rj1iqDot_agG_sAV6U6JMkPusVN8wCz/s1600-h/7-6-09+K+008_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgcBDC8kK0g_-geLMNzAX0_ZzT1DWqbsgQL414ZgzmfdQJMFK2Hr4uJo8ccV6LuBsKiFvHGwHlNpUSw978iZOodDc55lpEoHCxf_xA1OFvFKT9rj1iqDot_agG_sAV6U6JMkPusVN8wCz/s200/7-6-09+K+008_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854015430617794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-JcPioKC_odIAh9BBSJLE2Gwyuz5K2tbWt9-FS4T3wlaUx2i7q8Tb9vyinWJ4ssEGTkVNqHf1PaqazqYWZk3PYo7O1A1TxYnc9Aw3s6IVu7FgFy_krDLsHWi2RIS3hF16bkSqZ9KdWZ_/s1600-h/7-6-09+004_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-JcPioKC_odIAh9BBSJLE2Gwyuz5K2tbWt9-FS4T3wlaUx2i7q8Tb9vyinWJ4ssEGTkVNqHf1PaqazqYWZk3PYo7O1A1TxYnc9Aw3s6IVu7FgFy_krDLsHWi2RIS3hF16bkSqZ9KdWZ_/s200/7-6-09+004_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854011336107938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFldrGccilO9Zdob6MGGhip91hFa5AMIbB6Pxtt7CTIosg3RRC7BQzsEAid_V3ZD3gIV3ffHp7_mppBAYaAljJpF3Caxkr5GfSFtqykcnM1x3Vo4B8-btm-QazAamasVTCu8jExrGpaoc/s1600-h/7-5-09+K+010_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFldrGccilO9Zdob6MGGhip91hFa5AMIbB6Pxtt7CTIosg3RRC7BQzsEAid_V3ZD3gIV3ffHp7_mppBAYaAljJpF3Caxkr5GfSFtqykcnM1x3Vo4B8-btm-QazAamasVTCu8jExrGpaoc/s200/7-5-09+K+010_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854009692968706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnr5tUrf7Q9AWGdaEuun2zb7KR_hN8qa3r0sVXcVGVa0m8HriWATygN6XgTZG6_vwgPOy3VC_Rly4Yrg4-Fz_pmHSUqSIY3LQLDbohA3ZSjBBZ0qf96y7rd72loqhNMH1dj4Pk4rjJ0y79/s1600-h/7-5-09+017_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnr5tUrf7Q9AWGdaEuun2zb7KR_hN8qa3r0sVXcVGVa0m8HriWATygN6XgTZG6_vwgPOy3VC_Rly4Yrg4-Fz_pmHSUqSIY3LQLDbohA3ZSjBBZ0qf96y7rd72loqhNMH1dj4Pk4rjJ0y79/s200/7-5-09+017_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355854003991112946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WnmfOUGLK10qc2cjcK4CdZAwf7trcef2lJsZHkEyrcZmoqBfFJ_YhIg2ncv6AdciyvmFMwhIFlTgsIEgmSYicgrWW0fCdOQGqF4jOva4JRv_1Y62CniN773Y6WqTuOQo4_ftBRdyMYXM/s1600-h/7-5-09+K+005_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WnmfOUGLK10qc2cjcK4CdZAwf7trcef2lJsZHkEyrcZmoqBfFJ_YhIg2ncv6AdciyvmFMwhIFlTgsIEgmSYicgrWW0fCdOQGqF4jOva4JRv_1Y62CniN773Y6WqTuOQo4_ftBRdyMYXM/s200/7-5-09+K+005_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355853625591492594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKDAWno4kerfCOD96DmFQs65xXl2HGqTOiLL6Fka7J9ZFRs5IPca4JqZwVq81BhJ2h279F07zDff0BDwTTCpbqvtZFclHU-2UJk0MOIMFeMOC9_O2Vq6bvAzp20dWheRnsxUch3hP6gIc/s1600-h/7-5-09+K+001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKDAWno4kerfCOD96DmFQs65xXl2HGqTOiLL6Fka7J9ZFRs5IPca4JqZwVq81BhJ2h279F07zDff0BDwTTCpbqvtZFclHU-2UJk0MOIMFeMOC9_O2Vq6bvAzp20dWheRnsxUch3hP6gIc/s200/7-5-09+K+001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355853618334572114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6akuugskIkme3dyGzLiLvIwkfEzPw1OEJrDnxx6rrs3GizCh7YJttpw1rUE-4j2gmv9aoA43KehCnXZo1DiyJXCmFiMrA8FDFnLVQtBdRqagrJ1ZbSdwOtCh-8AS-h8FnpQJTldwsZepe/s1600-h/7-5-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6akuugskIkme3dyGzLiLvIwkfEzPw1OEJrDnxx6rrs3GizCh7YJttpw1rUE-4j2gmv9aoA43KehCnXZo1DiyJXCmFiMrA8FDFnLVQtBdRqagrJ1ZbSdwOtCh-8AS-h8FnpQJTldwsZepe/s200/7-5-09+009_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355853614759920434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpZ-fF1kf5RMbPUML0vrjUdAcH6bPkym2JHY2mJxS_3oc0EC3fDAnX5UPI5rJC8vlGDCz9BDgokBFUxoPblVJWBdGwMGiXxEsJ0gCMW_GzEr9LD8O-ZYgFVZ-ua-U0R5x0G_LNMBwHqTL/s1600-h/7-5-09+002_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpZ-fF1kf5RMbPUML0vrjUdAcH6bPkym2JHY2mJxS_3oc0EC3fDAnX5UPI5rJC8vlGDCz9BDgokBFUxoPblVJWBdGwMGiXxEsJ0gCMW_GzEr9LD8O-ZYgFVZ-ua-U0R5x0G_LNMBwHqTL/s200/7-5-09+002_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355853609092093170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvzPckidNp2sGtgmF280r-yccRo-b70APKUFQ2pfzS3TcjZ2xT-OOhpRS8hPwxDGnRFGpeLikhtqUyV6RLVgGdH9YZktoKO7nDMf-r6h6i_dHMCx33fnbsKBQdYl0SBYsp2ucWr1uMFOM/s1600-h/7-5-09+K+012_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvzPckidNp2sGtgmF280r-yccRo-b70APKUFQ2pfzS3TcjZ2xT-OOhpRS8hPwxDGnRFGpeLikhtqUyV6RLVgGdH9YZktoKO7nDMf-r6h6i_dHMCx33fnbsKBQdYl0SBYsp2ucWr1uMFOM/s200/7-5-09+K+012_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355853608220810114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We left SLC and headed straight up to Idaho. Eric has been itching to get back to cooler weather for awhile now. I am not sure if he was really thinking lows in the upper 40s, but hey, who's complaining? We set up camp just out of town. For 4th of July weekend, you would think the camping would be at its limit when actually they were probably more available sites than sites taken. On Friday, we scoped out town, stopped into bike shops and basically planned our next 10 days or so. On Saturday, we went on our first big biking adventure. We decided on a trail system, close to town, called Fox Creek. Here we saw many joggers, hikers, bikers, equestrians, dogs, you name its. It wasn't until we got a few miles away from the trailhead did the number of recreationalists drop off. What did we expect for 4th of July on a Saturday? Unfortunately, we were having too much fun and took a wrong turn which could have shortened our riding day by 10 miles. Although we were disappointed with our error in navigation, we decided to do the big loop in reverse of what everyone had told us. This started out as and a-okay decision. Later though, it was questionable. The reason most people recommend riding the Oregon Gulch trail in one direction and not the other is because one direction is too steep to ride up. Oh well, once we made it to the top, all the downhill was super fun. Instead of being super steep (what we had just pushed our bikes up) it was smooth and turning. I would almost suggest doing this ride as an out and back. During our big decent, dark clouds were gathering overhead. I was glad to be off the ridge, but the rumbling from the heavens was disturbing. In the trees, it was a little less frightening. The trail crossed through treed sections out into meadows. The sky was never silent, it just kept rumbling. Soon, we were on trail that we had ridden on before, but the GPS batteries died. We weren't sure how much further down the trail the car was. Eric stopped to change the batteries. I waited until he said to go, but he actually may not have said to go. I took off on the trail for the car, but we weren't fast enough. The sky split open and rain crashed down on us. We had rain coats with us, but we were already soaked. It would still have been worth putting them on because the next burst from the sky came as bee-bee sized hail, which stung when it hit my bare arms. I stopped and turned around, but Eric wasn't right behind me as I had thought. Panic! Panic! Panic! Did I miss the turn? Is Eric okay? More grumbling from the sky. Finally, Eric appeared. He didn't understand my hysteria. We made it back to the car wet and muddy, but safe. Phew! We sat in the car for, mmmm, five minutes and the sun was already back out. Seriously, that was the difference, 5 minutes! During our ride I had managed to break another rear spoke. I had been replacing spokes, but it was now time to question a new wheel. We changed into dry clothes and went to the Sturdos bike shop. The mechanic, Todd, said he could rebuild my wheel instead of buying a new one. Great! Back at the motorhome, we cooked up some dinner, showered and got ready for day 3 in Sun Valley.<br /><br />I was pretty much counting on my wheel not being ready by the time we were ready to hit the trail. We considered demoing a bike for me, but instead I opted to switch it up with a trail run. We headed to an area called Adam's Gulch which has many loops in various lengths, which was pretty optimal for Eric to ride and me to run. My adventure was fairly short due to side stitches and trail closures. Eric's ride was pretty extreme due to rugged trails. I made it back to the car and headed into town for some reading at my favorite place (Starbucks, duh!). I had a coffee frap and an ice water and snuggled into some good reading. I met Eric back at the motorhome later with a new wheel in hand. We relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Relaxing included a motorcycle ride to the top of the pass. It was beautiful, but both our bums were happy to be off the motorcycle 40 miles later. HA!<br /><br />Yesterday, we rode at the Greenhorn Gulch Area. When we arrived, a fire fighter approached us and told us that a woman was up of the mountain somewhere with a broken leg. She had her cell phone and had called her husband who had called in the emergency. The only problem was they didn't know exactly where she was. (I thought the directions were quite clear, but if you are dispatching several rescue personnel, you better be right on the money) No one that was returning to the parking lot had seen her. He asked us to take the Imperial trail up and call if we happened upon her. Honestly, I would hope that if I were stranded up on a mountain with a broken leg, that the rescue team wouldn't be waiting for 2 recreational bikers to find me before sending up the squad. Luckily, they were already on the way with 4-wheelers and gurnies. Quite the production. When we finally crossed paths (~1500-1800 vertical feet later), she was calmly waiting for the transportation down with a medical officer and her dog. The dog seemed much more concerned than the lady did. We had not planned on taking this route in the beginning, but the views were spectacular! Just amazing! We were not disappointed with the change of plans, but it did mean that we were planning a new route as we were riding. I am opposed to doing this for several reasons. The main being that I like to know how much further I have to climb and how much further we have to go. If we are still improvising a route, this isn't possible. We made it to what seemed like the top of the world, with great effort. These trails are open to motorcycles, which does a number on the trails. A lot of the climbs were too loose to ride and we had to push our bikes (seems like the usual for this area, hike-a-biking). When we finally found downhill, we were both ready to let it fly. Unfortunately, I can't handle this and went too hard around a banked corner. My wheels slipped of the top edge and I went splat! Again! We had maybe gone 20 vertical feet down and I am already rolling around in the dirt. Skinned my elbow and my knee. No real damage though. Just sore. I took it easy for the rest of the way down. We went through some really neat burn sections. Washouts had claimed some of the trail and we had to traverse large shale areas. Finally we made it to some easy (that's what I like these days) downhill. Gentle turns and minor whoopties back to the car. All the emergency vehicles were long gone and we headed back to the motorhome for showers. Oh, but we didn't actually. We just ate and then headed back to a new trail. This one was just right up my alley. It was easy climbing with fun easy downhill. It added about 10 miles to our day for a total of 25 miles and over 5000 vertical feet. Now it was shower time and ice cream time. I sure deserve it!<br /><br />Today, we drove to Stanley Idaho to see about the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. This stretch is permitted, so we printed off some signs requesting help filling spots on a trip leaving in the next couple days. There are not very many places in Stanley to hang such flyers, but we managed to litter the town pretty well. Now we just sit back and wait for the phone to ring. It is a long shot, but it would mean a break from riding, which would be welcome. There is a day stretch up there too that Eric and I checked out. The river looked super fun with safe rapids and no super slow spots. If we don't get on the Middle Fork, we are definitely going to do this stretch. Eric called in on the Selway and they had a cancellation! This is the river we have been dreaming about. We have been calling in daily for cancellation permits on the Selway. We were hoping for the next couple days, but this permit is for July 28th. Anyone want to go? The water level is probably going to be so low that we will have to do a backpack style trip with the mini-me and maybe a ducky. Our gear will be minimal. The trip is 5ish days, so it isn't roughing for a long time, just a short time. Consider that they only let one trip on the river a day (16 people max). About half of the permits go to commercial outfits and many of the permits go unused do to dangerously high waters or too low to float. What it boils down to is, you have to be really, super-mega lucky to get on a Selway trip. If we are lucky, Idaho will get a little more rain in the next couple weeks and we will be able to go. Yeah! Eric noticed that one of our tires was flat (14psi) on the Explorer, so we had to skip our planned ride and head to the Dean's Tire for repair. Both of us are pretty excited about the Selway possibility or even Middle Fork. My bike says she is tired of dumping me too.Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-12873098299317941992009-07-05T10:16:00.000-07:002009-07-05T10:24:38.649-07:00Pictures from Flagstaff and North Rim<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEavBGGYoLu1mM2M32Y-VnwP430fGVNhReC1k_DZGfYPvy9Ti1uSClo4oG7Yxr_iwK1NEd0C1E_JounxoOzLRnS1XEUYVf7VzgI8w825jlx4y4TweoKubekF-cmDbjNRQIiZYxc50jfgO/s1600-h/6-30-09+K+146_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEavBGGYoLu1mM2M32Y-VnwP430fGVNhReC1k_DZGfYPvy9Ti1uSClo4oG7Yxr_iwK1NEd0C1E_JounxoOzLRnS1XEUYVf7VzgI8w825jlx4y4TweoKubekF-cmDbjNRQIiZYxc50jfgO/s200/6-30-09+K+146_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355028151216330002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TGi5O48MyWjEpUYe9fd9yOICRe70gfJmYKyPbioRNkWuvLJP5EVLwJdPTfzPz4JSxeoqiIcd5YZ8Mil0TEOEcA2gdgP9AA82J-wfSzXrfcIid0ee-M6GNCrLJIzjgDY0D3MA2igb1tgT/s1600-h/6-30-09+K+133_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TGi5O48MyWjEpUYe9fd9yOICRe70gfJmYKyPbioRNkWuvLJP5EVLwJdPTfzPz4JSxeoqiIcd5YZ8Mil0TEOEcA2gdgP9AA82J-wfSzXrfcIid0ee-M6GNCrLJIzjgDY0D3MA2igb1tgT/s200/6-30-09+K+133_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355028150064610210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-PvlrV_1G6LX-2__Eb5Gzor2b1tkdztkDTEWdoPXZtzdiqQ7EKFnycjNxaXVMAeV4KWod-63H4T8tlC2ZLXV2a0zbpo-Jmvh4FTLKPceib5GZvpC7zwayAuoFmSs4DZEF8MQLEINboYG/s1600-h/6-30-09+K+049_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-PvlrV_1G6LX-2__Eb5Gzor2b1tkdztkDTEWdoPXZtzdiqQ7EKFnycjNxaXVMAeV4KWod-63H4T8tlC2ZLXV2a0zbpo-Jmvh4FTLKPceib5GZvpC7zwayAuoFmSs4DZEF8MQLEINboYG/s200/6-30-09+K+049_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355028144576085346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCjVvDhDbX_PeTRfXf5zhgIQ1WrOj05g7d3LARwEK-jBBvMXzzL2Tw9dFPCa4wtlRl9CUKUswo29wus9QI4hBiFw6zKaXjISXZfQ1kq91CTstzri_zATS0MSQAvWEH1Llx6v-IJXGyeQj/s1600-h/6-30-09+K+086_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCjVvDhDbX_PeTRfXf5zhgIQ1WrOj05g7d3LARwEK-jBBvMXzzL2Tw9dFPCa4wtlRl9CUKUswo29wus9QI4hBiFw6zKaXjISXZfQ1kq91CTstzri_zATS0MSQAvWEH1Llx6v-IJXGyeQj/s200/6-30-09+K+086_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355028136466028402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WxxIm2sZ1oL_AZMjYE3v_wqxjOI4cKkgcVJ3zuTtgwyG5oZyvybE0ZqnIq1OnA5oMwPuvtpJQKHeCcYVZC3BQNm7_MhQIFCdwZDxq2M2yNUmHGuJn3G1V4eNv0FoCF7RKZKwKVc4ONJV/s1600-h/6-30-09+K+082_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WxxIm2sZ1oL_AZMjYE3v_wqxjOI4cKkgcVJ3zuTtgwyG5oZyvybE0ZqnIq1OnA5oMwPuvtpJQKHeCcYVZC3BQNm7_MhQIFCdwZDxq2M2yNUmHGuJn3G1V4eNv0FoCF7RKZKwKVc4ONJV/s200/6-30-09+K+082_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355028129137460866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfz2q-6H7qHYYYDGwkFwhb1Pa3tufaKkUyek1tMDl2NDWo6AZNsBcHTzb56qCvx0grvhL6P4rGXeQyaCu-DktC6MudPcZ5H4505neZGPjtT_Ggl1FL6lA5t1yXHFnJGUqrhIeVwwN0qU-Z/s1600-h/6-30-09+K+007_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfz2q-6H7qHYYYDGwkFwhb1Pa3tufaKkUyek1tMDl2NDWo6AZNsBcHTzb56qCvx0grvhL6P4rGXeQyaCu-DktC6MudPcZ5H4505neZGPjtT_Ggl1FL6lA5t1yXHFnJGUqrhIeVwwN0qU-Z/s200/6-30-09+K+007_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027666411911346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYytDli5Ej82rD00p-jdJslXqMKTJyFUZoO2SypsYte6bOmOCZw09otB1nifnOPmgmsTWxN3t4maOJVnvtfyTuK3FmrFO5y3IL7cFCdsl_3CAGo4-Ro4Vt6j4f19Rb-h9ZvM39zXTNdO0B/s1600-h/6-30-09+096_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYytDli5Ej82rD00p-jdJslXqMKTJyFUZoO2SypsYte6bOmOCZw09otB1nifnOPmgmsTWxN3t4maOJVnvtfyTuK3FmrFO5y3IL7cFCdsl_3CAGo4-Ro4Vt6j4f19Rb-h9ZvM39zXTNdO0B/s200/6-30-09+096_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027662115921906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Qev3GKRZz4VknChnWsRcLtWBRN4YG5Brjsy0YUqXvtEcS1Rz__XuMc8_dzV6QFIyKHSc4xC4EKwBaeeh7JGGNtt54ZcBdwhdcnATeEN3asX9_ChnZ0A4E95Jdfxz-itX3XtDZDoj-sp4/s1600-h/6-30-09+034_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Qev3GKRZz4VknChnWsRcLtWBRN4YG5Brjsy0YUqXvtEcS1Rz__XuMc8_dzV6QFIyKHSc4xC4EKwBaeeh7JGGNtt54ZcBdwhdcnATeEN3asX9_ChnZ0A4E95Jdfxz-itX3XtDZDoj-sp4/s200/6-30-09+034_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027654611054722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DN-41cbiqnVPvZg0tAZYF6xtox2dKkFZH9E5QEKZaaOe2HHjZFfHA7ZaHGHrTJTzwYqFJaDPoHQOCWEAJaD0RPOy4E2RhzZJ9uXdUzbvbO8EQkKlKZlqyv5bj0XamcrRt0al8HF9sydh/s1600-h/6-30-09+082_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DN-41cbiqnVPvZg0tAZYF6xtox2dKkFZH9E5QEKZaaOe2HHjZFfHA7ZaHGHrTJTzwYqFJaDPoHQOCWEAJaD0RPOy4E2RhzZJ9uXdUzbvbO8EQkKlKZlqyv5bj0XamcrRt0al8HF9sydh/s200/6-30-09+082_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027651720466642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRoBivqKXhbYP-PuTAiqSHIrx0PdMuhepuDX0qWteCDQmg8wj_q2p8h1OgqIB2cJE-KD2Xbn-on3gMJZGFESNNwLQN_FDQk856XVip4VbYS0QK51QpI94ifPxvI-f1_o_P_DsmJLxpOCo/s1600-h/6-30-09+021_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRoBivqKXhbYP-PuTAiqSHIrx0PdMuhepuDX0qWteCDQmg8wj_q2p8h1OgqIB2cJE-KD2Xbn-on3gMJZGFESNNwLQN_FDQk856XVip4VbYS0QK51QpI94ifPxvI-f1_o_P_DsmJLxpOCo/s200/6-30-09+021_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027645435106738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuKPsu2QygwztHJ20GiODGXgMxOTCgnbM6BmOwoUfAQLly_HgkoL651jjzh2xcr_-IXUu4AotiWBHMklPtxt_17HirrwkpTnUntUXFBfDnXB8U9LKB5jHh5uuoUBmJBhaO1fnxbtsZ9Zm/s1600-h/6-27-09+043_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuKPsu2QygwztHJ20GiODGXgMxOTCgnbM6BmOwoUfAQLly_HgkoL651jjzh2xcr_-IXUu4AotiWBHMklPtxt_17HirrwkpTnUntUXFBfDnXB8U9LKB5jHh5uuoUBmJBhaO1fnxbtsZ9Zm/s200/6-27-09+043_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027113056329570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsPpH4TvnbfKPYC-z1GtI1y4jldxED0Rf5IVKn_cpLqXmFjf48HbQ4BkWwPt_JrnEf21fK22Ndvj5P3qDRq6Aj9KByzZQWABs7Gl4tP_KpyMR0jGPjWO7589XI9E7jUBtWQzElcWst7h3/s1600-h/6-30-09+031_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsPpH4TvnbfKPYC-z1GtI1y4jldxED0Rf5IVKn_cpLqXmFjf48HbQ4BkWwPt_JrnEf21fK22Ndvj5P3qDRq6Aj9KByzZQWABs7Gl4tP_KpyMR0jGPjWO7589XI9E7jUBtWQzElcWst7h3/s200/6-30-09+031_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027110489139986" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1OJNRQZkU1nBPTnzbqttH4PRm_I520y5WPn2_J7CJTrBknxzvPCJ5XIfWmMlAC3UHb-ZDlMURRe2y5tZZ-30Q6G_xAdFZDvIceihGVHn4iBi25AceGMOwaJBTknSRr-I8v8w7nYFj5bP/s1600-h/6-27-09+K+050_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1OJNRQZkU1nBPTnzbqttH4PRm_I520y5WPn2_J7CJTrBknxzvPCJ5XIfWmMlAC3UHb-ZDlMURRe2y5tZZ-30Q6G_xAdFZDvIceihGVHn4iBi25AceGMOwaJBTknSRr-I8v8w7nYFj5bP/s200/6-27-09+K+050_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027109685383442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2m9YX7xgLRQu4iUNHv-_k4wafAzZS89Y8VfGEFTCbT7oeiUZqr2LW-z2xbf-2oon0rCgRoc8Hw0iX1giiTNDWi1OEXI65V2gmyznrayJIgAkfGUltMzoUdl7glLBg6qMy7xG54gqEw2T/s1600-h/6-27-09+K+042_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2m9YX7xgLRQu4iUNHv-_k4wafAzZS89Y8VfGEFTCbT7oeiUZqr2LW-z2xbf-2oon0rCgRoc8Hw0iX1giiTNDWi1OEXI65V2gmyznrayJIgAkfGUltMzoUdl7glLBg6qMy7xG54gqEw2T/s200/6-27-09+K+042_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027100233860018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWThE-tX8VrTOXiJHeelF1voJt9OTcGW4K30zJH5Ta06wXN1XQ-MWS_4RS6K012XkvCGpiA807RGYjnnOjTWqkqR06aPVAg9HB_owqMBSgXmNFdHUkPknOiRGqTHcESvcODvg6UvHUpN6/s1600-h/6-27-09+K+040_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWThE-tX8VrTOXiJHeelF1voJt9OTcGW4K30zJH5Ta06wXN1XQ-MWS_4RS6K012XkvCGpiA807RGYjnnOjTWqkqR06aPVAg9HB_owqMBSgXmNFdHUkPknOiRGqTHcESvcODvg6UvHUpN6/s200/6-27-09+K+040_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355027097251635874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVO1m4NzJcNzHUcV7xTzncCIhASaZ7MLNqRrSvlpumEmMX35dq57xgVKTgA7M4g89KeNuJwIMigKnU5MfCtS2brIairXCnjCjpw28IT4sKkyKBeXj0TeXWjNineq7_151Z5zO6wl91aBe/s1600-h/6-27-09+045_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVO1m4NzJcNzHUcV7xTzncCIhASaZ7MLNqRrSvlpumEmMX35dq57xgVKTgA7M4g89KeNuJwIMigKnU5MfCtS2brIairXCnjCjpw28IT4sKkyKBeXj0TeXWjNineq7_151Z5zO6wl91aBe/s200/6-27-09+045_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355026614896115218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlND_jX527KzEETXSSwAzlC8NGw-i14WdbEI9XqXkYy9Ed0jGoTiAWsn1c_TBalzaHeTOIiVdS613RGcKd__foeojDxPoYYzSsbLyQY0wr2RS6v_NLRu8OvNHwuWV6Vt-w42hNAItk55t/s1600-h/6-27-09+029_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlND_jX527KzEETXSSwAzlC8NGw-i14WdbEI9XqXkYy9Ed0jGoTiAWsn1c_TBalzaHeTOIiVdS613RGcKd__foeojDxPoYYzSsbLyQY0wr2RS6v_NLRu8OvNHwuWV6Vt-w42hNAItk55t/s200/6-27-09+029_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355026610170035602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7Zt3b1T9BYj6uFQ5UGuR31LESP_Tj3ktq2hbZsZBB5FrkGp8BgHWd1qp0q1WipprAlw1zoH8Z7gpb6wd2zZ8Y8-qcxJ2SqbQjfGtVdRAwSEFrvyC3nFV7QkNIzKUHilxQGuHD-r_25l0/s1600-h/6-27-09+033_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7Zt3b1T9BYj6uFQ5UGuR31LESP_Tj3ktq2hbZsZBB5FrkGp8BgHWd1qp0q1WipprAlw1zoH8Z7gpb6wd2zZ8Y8-qcxJ2SqbQjfGtVdRAwSEFrvyC3nFV7QkNIzKUHilxQGuHD-r_25l0/s200/6-27-09+033_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355026600959168370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitol4ii0BUSGQPZspSpgI-h3QlAGt5RAS9bTAVKwZXXyHlzer7vyzxn_uK61Zitp3xhfE-v2D9w5xFZbrkPCpvG_eWdKR-weMVkMVDH2-ArKSv6gX-nEmzel7vE5t3IZ7xbjJJElFhSqdE/s1600-h/6-26-09+K+007_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitol4ii0BUSGQPZspSpgI-h3QlAGt5RAS9bTAVKwZXXyHlzer7vyzxn_uK61Zitp3xhfE-v2D9w5xFZbrkPCpvG_eWdKR-weMVkMVDH2-ArKSv6gX-nEmzel7vE5t3IZ7xbjJJElFhSqdE/s200/6-26-09+K+007_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355026596820759874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kk5QWkQB0xy_tKew1KbQ8frPKdQF9b_Ey-UVH4BU4fOgRpUsGMPk93whjjpPZc-ykqlFZctzM-3aYi2Oc4QHr8eKm_LbL5yTSP7DUtiRjd9Cv5mREgLrZqoJTl_mdAe-AVHbabH1-bnu/s1600-h/6-26-09+K+004_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kk5QWkQB0xy_tKew1KbQ8frPKdQF9b_Ey-UVH4BU4fOgRpUsGMPk93whjjpPZc-ykqlFZctzM-3aYi2Oc4QHr8eKm_LbL5yTSP7DUtiRjd9Cv5mREgLrZqoJTl_mdAe-AVHbabH1-bnu/s200/6-26-09+K+004_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355026593362192690" border="0" /></a>Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-43918743749627593372009-07-03T07:48:00.000-07:002009-07-03T07:59:30.222-07:00Sorry Pictures to Follow Later!!!!June 27-28 Flagstaff<br />Mt. Eldon. Wow. Flagstaff has a fun little downtown area with shops, an Amtrak station, free parking, and many restaurants. Eric and I didn’t spend much time there. Instead, we headed to recreation central aka Mt. Eldon. There are runners, equestrians, hikers, and many, MANY bikers. We started out riding the Schultz Creek trail. It was fairly flat with some technical sections and climbed an amazing amount of vertical without much noticing. We had printed off some maps from the forest service, but we found there are many more trails that weren’t on our map. Navigating was a little difficult. We cruised down the Arizona trail to Little Bear. LB climbs for 3.5 miles with nice overlooks of the area. We were impressed! The temps began to rise as my strength wore out. This was our first time riding on the weekend, so there were a few more people out than what we use to. We were fortunate that everyone we encountered on the trail was friendly and helpful with finding trails. We decided to take Brookbank down. After a little decent Eric noticed a small rogue trail heading off into the forest. He decided that it would be more fun to explore this unnamed trail than to continue on the somewhat rocky wide decent that Brookbank had become. This offshoot trail was for crazy people only. We didn’t know that at first. Eric did a sweet jump off the first large boulder, but they got bigger and steeper and both Eric and I got a little nervous. The trail ended up connecting back with Brookbank, but before this intersection was one last crazy person obstacle. A giant tree. This tree had fallen across the trail and modified to ride with chicken wire across the top for traction and a pile of rocks and dirt for the exit. I was happy to make it back to the somewhat wide and boring Brookbank. We later found out this crazy trail was called Prom Night, “ya know, it finishes with a bang . . . get it? Hahah!” Yeah hilarious, dude. Because Eric and I find enjoyment in pain, we decided to ride up the logging road in the afternoon sun to the very top. We were passed by several truck loads of guys and their bikes being shuttled to the top. I started cursing myself for not carrying ten bucks with me. Next time. We got to the top and rode the Catwalk across the ridge. If I wasn’t ready to quit, mmm, yesterday, it might have been one of the cooler portions of trail of the day. To finish, we rode Sunset to Schultz creek down to the motorhome. We BBQed in a small grove of trees before heading up the road to camp for the night. Oh, but we didn’t just camp for the night. We decided to go for a night ride. We have hauled our bike headlamps all over AZ with the intention of riding when its cooler, at night. So far, we have been so lucky with the mild temps that we haven’t even considered skipping the day ride for a night ride. Although we had already ridden over 26 miles and 5700 vertical feet, we headed out for some more riding. It was pretty fun and the moon was pretty cool. We added about 6 miles with no wildlife encounters. Exhausted, we slept soundly. On Sunday, we planned a shorter ride so that we would have enough time to drive to the Grand Canyon. On this ride, we got lost and ended up on Sunset again, which was fine by us because it was so much fun the first time. We had been hearing a lot of chatter about a trail called Secret and had accidentally ridden a portion of it on Saturday. Our final loop in Flagstaff was up Secret and down the moto-trails. Secret was in prime condition. The trail was fun to ride up and consistently climbed and dipped to our surprise. Towards the end, we stopped to consider 2 signs and 2 trails. One trail was labeled Easy and the other Hard. Although I am not a sissy pants, I preferred to take Easy. I told Eric he should take the Hard trail. We both thought the two trails would rejoin on the other side a giant rock formation. Once on my own, I cruised through a meadow and around some sweet trees. I climbed up a little and dropped a little. Then I dropped an extremely technical boulder garden and found myself wondering when the trails would reconnect. I frightened a baby elk when flew through some loose rocks. I had thought maybe Eric was just ahead of me, and we had missed the reconnection, but the baby elk was clearly disturbed by my presence and so Eric couldn’t be ahead of me. It turns out, I was lost. Not to worry though, I backtracked all the way to Easy/Hard intersection where Eric had left me a giant arrow and messages scratched in the dirt. I descended the hard stuff by myself and soon encountered a tired, worried, hungry husband who was in a near panic state with my absence. We called it a day! We drove to the Grand Canyon. As it turns out, I had never been there before. It truly is grand! I knew this, but we didn’t arrive in Marble Canyon until after the sun had already set. We stopped at the bridge anyhow, walked out to the middle and looked down. The canyon was mystical at night and gave me the heebee-jeebees.<br /><br />June 29 Grand Canyon –North Rim<br /><br />In the morning, we took the motorcycle for a spin to Lees Ferry to watch as the lucky rafters loaded their gear for trips down the GC. Eric and I both felt pangs of jealousy. We motored up to the bridge so that I could witness its grandeur of the canyon in the light of day. I wasn’t nearly as creeped out in daylight with other passing motorists. As we were leaving, a man came flying into the parking lot in his pick up. He grabbed binoculars and ran out to the bridge. He asked, “Are they here? Are the condors here?” Eric and I shrugged. We hadn’t noticed any giant birds with wingspans of 9.5 feet. To our surprise, he pointed out 3 giant birds roosting in a nearby cliff face. The enormity of the canyon had dwarfed these magnificent creatures so that we had missed them. Even when one flew across the canyon, we could tell it was big, but it didn’t really look that big. We were able to get a photograph of one of the condours stretching out its wings, but missed the flight. (Today, we saw one soaring above the canyon, so it made up for it) We hung out on the bridge perhaps a little too long waiting for another condor to decide to fly. I was getting sunburned and tourists began arriving by the bus-load! Our intentions for the area were to ride the Rainbow Rim trail of the North Rim. After talking with the lady at the forest ranger station, we decided to drive the 21 miles of gravel road to Parissawampits point, which is at the far end of the 18 mile out and back ride. It pretty much took all afternoon to make the drive, but the difficult access and remoteness limited the number of other visitors to the area. We cruised around some forest roads on the motorcycle exploring the area. The North rim is very scenic and the views are just as breath taking as anything I have ever seen. We enjoyed outdoor showers in the company of nature alone. Later in the evening, we met a lovely woman and her two boys. We enjoyed s’mores around their campfire and chatted about our different vacations. Back at the motorhome, we set an alarm for 5AM. If we were going to ride 36 miles in upper 80s, we had to get an early start and bring lots of supplies.<br /><br />June 30 Rainbow Rim<br /><br />5AM was a little early. The sun had not even considered getting up yet, but Eric and I managed to pull out of bed with only two snoozes. There was a little confusion about what time it actually was because our cell phones may have been picking up a cell tower in Utah. Even so, we struck to the plan, eating yogurt and granola for breakfast with hot cocoa to manage the chilly morning. By the time we had finished our mugs, the trees backlit by the dark sky and by the time we had our riding gear on, the birds were chirping. We left the comfort of the motorhome and headed out on the trail. Eric was wearing long johns and a long sleeve shirt. I couldn’t bring myself to wear leggings given it is the middle of the summer at the grand canyon. I mean, come on! The views of the canyon were spectacular all across the rim and we took several dozen pictures. We didn’t see a whole lot of wild life, but I actually was okay with not encountering a bear at dawn. Call me crazy! We rode quickly over the somewhat non-technical trail and ended up at 18 miles away still wearing long johns and long sleeve shirts. It was just getting warm enough to not need them. We sat at the far end of the trail and ate snacks that we probably weren’t hungry for yet, but we had packed so much because we thought it was going to be a somewhat epic ride. As we snacked, we could see a giant bird soaring in the distance. It was a condor! For the next 45 minutes, we were glued to the binoculars. He would wait for air currents to rise up over the canyon and then continue to soar. The distance that could be covered by a bird like that was incredible. Eric and I turned back towards the motorhome thinking that the sun would surely slow us down. As it turns out, the trail was equally fun in the opposite direction at 80 degrees. We took a little more time to take pictures and appreciate the views. About 34 miles into our trip (2 miles to go) we heard a strange buzzing noise that increased in volume as we continued down the trail. We flew around a corner and nearly took out a forest service worker who was weed-wacking an overgrown section. We smiled and continued, stupidly, down the trail covered in the fallen debris. We went a little further and Eric realized his front tire was going flat. Because this was an especially long day, we had packed 2 spare tubes, which was lucky because I had a flat a few miles back. Eric took one look at his wheel and said, “Holy ****!” Our tires were full of goat head thorns left behind in the trail by the forest service jerk. We were about to have 4 flat tires. I ended up making a run for it while mine were holding air, but assessing the number of punctures in my wheels lead me to believe it was only a matter of time. By the time I reached the trailhead I was riding mushy tires. Eric had to change his before booking it back. Forget doing a ride by Bryce Canyon, we had to get to Salt Lake to get our equipment fixed. Eric had also just broken his cable that moves his rear derailer, so getting to a bike shop became a priority. We packed up and moved out. Back down the 22 miles of gravel forest service road and on to SLC. We made to Utah and camped just outside Bryce Canyon. We planned to make a run into the park because I had seen a postcard in a gas station and decided that it was important to see this park.<br /><br />July 1—Bryce Canyon—Salt Lake<br /><br />Again, we awoke at the crack of dawn to view the park. I had told my future mentor that I be in SLC around 2pm. If you know me, then you realize that I got a little nervous about making to the city. I don’t like to be late or behind schedule. We cruised into the park before they were checking passes (again, why did we buy the pass?) and stopped at the first overlook. The Bryce Canyon amphitheater was amazing at Sunrise Point! The spires were just starting to see the sun. We traveled further into the park, but realized there wasn’t anything quite as spectacular as the amphitheater. Soon we turned around for the motorhome and the long drive to SLC. We were on the road before 8AM. There isn’t a lot on the road between Bryce and SLC, so it was boring, but we made it to the valley around 1 and Barbara’s around 2, on schedule as planned. Eric and I got the bikes fixed at REI, which was pretty funny with 4 flats. We ended up changing them in front of the bike shop in the middle of REI while the awesome mechanic, Ben, took care of the more challenging parts of bike repair. Later, we met up with some folks from my future lab for dinner. They are a friendly bunch and I am looking forward to working with them this fall.<br /><br />July 2—Working in the Lab<br /><br />I know, I know. I’m on vacation, but there are things that need to get going now. I went to work with Barbara at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and began thinking over projects and fellowship writing. I spent most of my day printing papers, updating my CV, and chatting with Barbara while Eric worked on finding trails and figuring out new routes. He also did the laundry. What a good husband! Barbara and her husband, Bob, took us out for dinner at the Red Iguana. We waited about 45-60 minutes to be seated, which seemed pretty typical given the number of people waiting for tables even after we were finished. Barbara and Bob said it is usually only 25 minutes, but there are always people waiting outside. It is a very popular place to eat and has been for as long as they have lived here (>20years). We stayed up pretty late chit-chatting about anything and everything and finally hit the sack around midnight. Tomorrow, we are back on the road enroute to Idaho. This was a good break for me. My bruises are fading and my neck is less stiff. We’re clean and have clean clothes . .. life is great!Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-26296607612414448462009-06-26T10:21:00.000-07:002009-06-26T11:47:11.316-07:00June 23-24 Prescott, AZ<br /><br />We loved Prescott! SO many trails! We weren't sure if we were even going to visit Prescott or not. I called a bike shop (High Gear) and talked to a kid named Travis. He said, "You have to come to Prescott, it is one of the best places to ride in AZ! Stop by the shop, I'll show you where to ride!" Okay! Well then! To Prescott we go! I made a little navigation error and pointed us in the shortest route over a giant mountain. We went over Mingus mtn through Jerome along this narrow, winding road. Whoops. A mouse popped out of our hood (probably got too hot in there) and proceeded to hunker down on the windshield. I took his picture; we named him Mingus. Once in Prescott, we visited the bike shop and spoke with a lady, who wasn't that helpful, but did give us a pretty good over view map of the area. While we stood there looking it over, Travis came by. He showed us which trails to take, in what direction, how long it would take, gave us directions . . . the works. Speaking with people like that inspires you. He was so excited about riding and helping us. We couldn't have hoped for better advice. He also told us about a swimming hole on the way to Sedona! We hit the trail. We started with the Thumb Butte area, which was okay. Lots of trails, single track, secret single track and a very long climb up a dirt road to a picturesque overlook. It wasn't our idea of the perfect ride, but it was pretty good. In the AM, we hit the Lynx Lake trail. Travis had recommended this as a possible night ride, but we were in the area, so we hit it in the daylight. The trail was intended for an out and back and climbed steady, but not too bad, all the way out. It was twisty and narrow. I wasn't in the best mood, sorry Eric, and we ended up trying to make a loop that took us an even greater climb. Eric kept saying, "It's that next ridge, I'm sure of it." We were missing part of the loop to the edge of the map and so we really didn't know if it was going to loop. We ended up doing a hike-a-bike motorcycle trail over a mountain and finally made it back to the camper by 3pm. I am not a huge fan of those types of rides. They're frustrating and exhausting. I am a fan of super fun rides like Granite Basin. After a nice meal, we hit the best trail in the area, Granite Basin. We started from the Cayuse day use area on trail 347. The map recommended we do the loop in the opposite direction, but Travis said, "oh no, you want to go this way." We couldn't believe how fun it was, looping with whoopties. It was like a dessert garden. There were plants flowers and rocks, my goodness, it was amazing and fun. Even the climb was fun. There were big boulders to challenge you and scenic rock formations. We came to a lake that had all the noises of a jungle (birds that sounded just like monkeys). Duck families were swimming in the water grass and the sun was just above the horizon. We were only 2 miles from the car, so we weren't worried about making it back before dark. We thought we had a little more climbing ahead of us, which we did, but we didn't realize we had a mile of awesome downhill too. We got back to the RV and considered taking it again with the headlamps. We didn't. Instead, we headed into town for supplies. Juice, popsicles, crunch-n-munch, ya know, the necessities. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2OmsiYS2rMgHYw0AY6LYMzIhb-VE9MYIph37JcWKoD9aDbYQx9EILrTmgu_fC0Q3aQ1NwLrGsPSdv7vJ70_YRh1t82n5hDyv94B4ja5aiZ54m57t1Tsn76R94fxsO_5NQyCGwR0wmH88/s1600-h/6-24-09+K+005_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2OmsiYS2rMgHYw0AY6LYMzIhb-VE9MYIph37JcWKoD9aDbYQx9EILrTmgu_fC0Q3aQ1NwLrGsPSdv7vJ70_YRh1t82n5hDyv94B4ja5aiZ54m57t1Tsn76R94fxsO_5NQyCGwR0wmH88/s200/6-24-09+K+005_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351702341809381762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSQ9Ie5BsVult97kNqnm1nRFI66mDXHqXaJqr10r-rVAsYOU2Eoby6CzHTDFJhhxYd2aAzUcwMVHkvkP4SodqHhDK1vGigWJWlo5qx92SgvlXA96kt3gheJmFYstApINsDQD4_dzw0UxC/s1600-h/6-24-09+K+004_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSQ9Ie5BsVult97kNqnm1nRFI66mDXHqXaJqr10r-rVAsYOU2Eoby6CzHTDFJhhxYd2aAzUcwMVHkvkP4SodqHhDK1vGigWJWlo5qx92SgvlXA96kt3gheJmFYstApINsDQD4_dzw0UxC/s200/6-24-09+K+004_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351702335668184818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhUAWWBCy5jCdT1tNHzxa4U94yBDska-dAfnCHpXHEhGf7I2wpuQivTyF1fhJP21jvr6fjKlO_MCeeQniW6T4Zx1p4e3KFt2aXb9KnYIBN4mgkGJ_aarW6wxrw4Ni5xUuyabAIVIN8q3Z/s1600-h/6-24-09+003_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhUAWWBCy5jCdT1tNHzxa4U94yBDska-dAfnCHpXHEhGf7I2wpuQivTyF1fhJP21jvr6fjKlO_MCeeQniW6T4Zx1p4e3KFt2aXb9KnYIBN4mgkGJ_aarW6wxrw4Ni5xUuyabAIVIN8q3Z/s200/6-24-09+003_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351702329492819458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIHgc4tGFJ-ZPtlKSn5eggowUqbT4EGe38cCHOBLkrbNhAdm5Rltu6q-2Q1zMw0ulvcSe0xFwLZBsnjC_yxcP5oZRPk2Bv0aJH-hBtqIO34ooW_QseNzg7JtIgp9Cx_Pltr1aI7c_ia2Q/s1600-h/6-24-09+007_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIHgc4tGFJ-ZPtlKSn5eggowUqbT4EGe38cCHOBLkrbNhAdm5Rltu6q-2Q1zMw0ulvcSe0xFwLZBsnjC_yxcP5oZRPk2Bv0aJH-hBtqIO34ooW_QseNzg7JtIgp9Cx_Pltr1aI7c_ia2Q/s200/6-24-09+007_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351702329134367506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kOYyWdGVb-oAGMMbsaZcV5DMBT_jYXTyk9OGNrd9Ikw_tcfKtD_pTvo-P-TWo-Q_A6p28Ttx8KsDyXHlopEuwfsQ4ZwYn2Yi6oaYPsgqpJ29-QJ-dGGIDW7l2iR2OcSYCPJa44RzCx_O/s1600-h/6-24-09+020_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kOYyWdGVb-oAGMMbsaZcV5DMBT_jYXTyk9OGNrd9Ikw_tcfKtD_pTvo-P-TWo-Q_A6p28Ttx8KsDyXHlopEuwfsQ4ZwYn2Yi6oaYPsgqpJ29-QJ-dGGIDW7l2iR2OcSYCPJa44RzCx_O/s200/6-24-09+020_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351702327931533458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsSIoWCh9VzAGWxtudUFX1nPoeGlyejp4T07lrq78oUtkS2S6OfZw4ihfaOz3Zq06HgDN7jPw8lK2eusO3Etjb-v6A0rUUSDw5kjVNTNp_Q-_HBYTbiFepZz2WQe2_Yn0E9J0KZunMrov/s1600-h/6-24-09+059_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsSIoWCh9VzAGWxtudUFX1nPoeGlyejp4T07lrq78oUtkS2S6OfZw4ihfaOz3Zq06HgDN7jPw8lK2eusO3Etjb-v6A0rUUSDw5kjVNTNp_Q-_HBYTbiFepZz2WQe2_Yn0E9J0KZunMrov/s200/6-24-09+059_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351701706625099058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjQaFtzCah6Gs9S8eO39cl4_Smh09Fdu507WQGTFuy1_1fOqLPNIvunBTVKkhITEsDp5KnvLoOslAeE5CkURp0GUzx0Yvet-CtEDaQK9egxNZjC_wfEcfD46yyrUSxPHm04JSHMtDzZ8_/s1600-h/6-24-09+K+011_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjQaFtzCah6Gs9S8eO39cl4_Smh09Fdu507WQGTFuy1_1fOqLPNIvunBTVKkhITEsDp5KnvLoOslAeE5CkURp0GUzx0Yvet-CtEDaQK9egxNZjC_wfEcfD46yyrUSxPHm04JSHMtDzZ8_/s200/6-24-09+K+011_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351701694867794706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0GzsKoWeTuT_LBriG-cuK65UqpPsd3lCDuf2AJR9A3lo9KvfjUKqMAVQZZj-QEgnb3gCPm08IoBteFpD0RCg8DSh0wgmnbStisl03mN5xkDQD3gobAHLk-Z-NwMzqWz_-S2YvhJnWVk0/s1600-h/6-24-09+K+019_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0GzsKoWeTuT_LBriG-cuK65UqpPsd3lCDuf2AJR9A3lo9KvfjUKqMAVQZZj-QEgnb3gCPm08IoBteFpD0RCg8DSh0wgmnbStisl03mN5xkDQD3gobAHLk-Z-NwMzqWz_-S2YvhJnWVk0/s200/6-24-09+K+019_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351701694935580098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FbjDECJEaJzM2MpHy56IpXlw7_XlneqaRWVmVo-OkKTM4pAf7cnyhDp9Hznv-gBwWfvNgGbORnJjucUE8opbRsqZE47dN-O7iabw0BtaSiwRJljIvWGNSyrTh4lbHokfEjypI12YOjX4/s1600-h/6-24-09+063_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FbjDECJEaJzM2MpHy56IpXlw7_XlneqaRWVmVo-OkKTM4pAf7cnyhDp9Hznv-gBwWfvNgGbORnJjucUE8opbRsqZE47dN-O7iabw0BtaSiwRJljIvWGNSyrTh4lbHokfEjypI12YOjX4/s200/6-24-09+063_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351701690818922674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoP6Ic1gWt9F94CzqUpfiHDPXhVHf7YG8mw_2WYW-n0tPa4bDuy2GGSL8Hc2NzBnv3sv4dp2gVcnA8DVnafo9FHOQrTKbm1doK4ikQb9tCXXvbJJfxJdr6JHATZd2Wobu2DNbFWbHpGIpf/s1600-h/6-24-09+075_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoP6Ic1gWt9F94CzqUpfiHDPXhVHf7YG8mw_2WYW-n0tPa4bDuy2GGSL8Hc2NzBnv3sv4dp2gVcnA8DVnafo9FHOQrTKbm1doK4ikQb9tCXXvbJJfxJdr6JHATZd2Wobu2DNbFWbHpGIpf/s200/6-24-09+075_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351701685423071890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />June 24 -- Prescott Spruce Mtn, Beaver Creek (Crack in the Rock, Bell Trail)<br /><br />We enjoyed our time in Prescott. Not only are the trails pretty decent and close to town (you could ride in any direction from your house and have access to great riding), but the community was not your typical tourist town. We decided to hit the trail hard and then head to a little place just South of Sedona that you could hike 3.5 miles into a natural swimming pool. SWEET! The trail was up Spruce Mtn called the Groom Loop or something close to that. We had been spoiled the night before on the Granite Basin trails and now found the climb to be brutal. It wasn't that steep, but loose and rocky. Instead of making water-bars that you could ride over, they put in giant logs that were nearly impossible to make over without a good run at it. I just accepted the fact that I wasn't going to make it and got off to carry my bike over many of them. Eric tried harder. By the time we were 0.4 miles away from the lookout, we were both burnt out and decided to stop and eat at a non-scenic log section. This worked out fine because the lookout wasn't really a look out. It was a radio tour in the middle of some trees. The way down was much more fun (why is it always like that?). The trail was nothing special and we probably wouldn't go back there. By now, it was after lunch and we headed north towards Sedona. We filled up for $2.34/gallon! Nice one.<br /><br />The hike was fun, but a little stupid. The ranger lady told us that we could stay at the campground for $15/night, but we couldn't park at the trailhead. Then we told her that we were driving to Sedona after the hike and wouldn't need to camp at the campground. This conversation continued like this for a good 15 minutes. By the end, Eric and I thought the trail started in the campground. We parked our RV and trailer out past the campground on a forest service road and started hiking around the campground, only to learn that the trailhead was at the ranger station. Out of the entire conversation with the ranger, she did not tell us what the trail was called or that it literally started 100 ft from the station. I think she was so concerned we were going to camp at the ranger station, she forgot to tell us about the trail. Anyhow, an hour later, we finally left on our hike in search of the swimming hole. Because the trail enters wilderness, we couldn't take the bikes, which was really lame since the trail was 10 feet wide and maybe a 1% grade. It was hot! By the time we hit the wilderness (3 miles in), we were out of juice. We thought that we were supposed to stay on the same trail the whole way, based on the information learned at the rangers station, and hiked .7 miles in the wrong direction. We turned back, found the correct trail, hiked an additional .5 miles in the right direction and found the swimming hole. It wasn't the cascading pools that we had imagines, but it was cool and wet. That was all I needed. There were small cliffs to jump off, which I loved, and plenty of warm rocks to hug if you got too cold. After swimming, we hiked out, making it to the RV just as the light faded into night.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmesx2tt6_s3Fpj74AUFJLANQmpLg-9ixKb0mdhcsMBt0dgR9l_1N3cplMhySWKeN8ePZbPk3rITU7eMp04tzVnLv4ykhL0yucOzVVoPGetxD-dB-QAMqaDV-P7YnFrcgWqJqakVrRBUr/s1600-h/6-24-09+K+029_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmesx2tt6_s3Fpj74AUFJLANQmpLg-9ixKb0mdhcsMBt0dgR9l_1N3cplMhySWKeN8ePZbPk3rITU7eMp04tzVnLv4ykhL0yucOzVVoPGetxD-dB-QAMqaDV-P7YnFrcgWqJqakVrRBUr/s200/6-24-09+K+029_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351695592691304930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtCfJy8wReIwzZlZnT5-CYclB_UB7CGKStp_Upd3bHmNGCH9dgAIRsEY9IUSZb4Yi3ymofDdEiaj0Pw7uHGHdEYy-jKYgAWJEdzzqXF6LO5FCuBL7pMsrua2PEborK_hvVUaaA3x-JnzF/s1600-h/6-24-09+K+026_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtCfJy8wReIwzZlZnT5-CYclB_UB7CGKStp_Upd3bHmNGCH9dgAIRsEY9IUSZb4Yi3ymofDdEiaj0Pw7uHGHdEYy-jKYgAWJEdzzqXF6LO5FCuBL7pMsrua2PEborK_hvVUaaA3x-JnzF/s200/6-24-09+K+026_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351695590372820162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMu_th4IGZkk5wDj6J26YqIf4ssREhyn6vS-OEaBR5QsCgxLNpu4wmxAsIG90BsH65zr2UMJ9XId49Og9TvTgwXf3rtObxdEzq6PoUwbgnnZau1lMYm7YD1CTyaTICLsX63rvOHabJcADX/s1600-h/6-24-09+K+033_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMu_th4IGZkk5wDj6J26YqIf4ssREhyn6vS-OEaBR5QsCgxLNpu4wmxAsIG90BsH65zr2UMJ9XId49Og9TvTgwXf3rtObxdEzq6PoUwbgnnZau1lMYm7YD1CTyaTICLsX63rvOHabJcADX/s200/6-24-09+K+033_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351695583174797394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3DldC5BHlFqivVUpoiSWUc289DlL2bqdaxSCj7enLmdfhXMU0RFvdRNNzCg_FfeMcLVZUQMU9ZuYTASS0uIx5YXLQgYOUKus185pSKDPZYvCJ5BcZHhD5bZNmtjT2ObpZvujFUcUJA2K/s1600-h/6-24-09+087_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3DldC5BHlFqivVUpoiSWUc289DlL2bqdaxSCj7enLmdfhXMU0RFvdRNNzCg_FfeMcLVZUQMU9ZuYTASS0uIx5YXLQgYOUKus185pSKDPZYvCJ5BcZHhD5bZNmtjT2ObpZvujFUcUJA2K/s200/6-24-09+087_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351695580194753890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfxnYaZj1IdwKktPYLnoEVrsW0qmbVauae1dMFE2uPYT0olNJ2HAeb-AlmrLIB62eHCIyZScQ57cLV7BpwdFznmP60GMzYW503VNQexk-75oQytB7pqWrd2Mya2-qsJB7tJ106C3h1_2K/s1600-h/6-24-09+083_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfxnYaZj1IdwKktPYLnoEVrsW0qmbVauae1dMFE2uPYT0olNJ2HAeb-AlmrLIB62eHCIyZScQ57cLV7BpwdFznmP60GMzYW503VNQexk-75oQytB7pqWrd2Mya2-qsJB7tJ106C3h1_2K/s200/6-24-09+083_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351695575734050546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJe22RSZ2AMIEWl44yOf-6Gi_FP7exx9KwmWlgEdpUjxMH2QZznV0c2Ng6aCQf_eor9MflvmU8sJ2h5aLlDN_V3s3FTUvx1onBdUqyYrkSuvOLjq_Kzpk6Dk7BsyJvEal2xeJsa2Q803s/s1600-h/6-24-09+120_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJe22RSZ2AMIEWl44yOf-6Gi_FP7exx9KwmWlgEdpUjxMH2QZznV0c2Ng6aCQf_eor9MflvmU8sJ2h5aLlDN_V3s3FTUvx1onBdUqyYrkSuvOLjq_Kzpk6Dk7BsyJvEal2xeJsa2Q803s/s200/6-24-09+120_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351694808135075058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE3ZGp_vpzVm0CKinl4UrHQrYtG713dTtL8iTnR7Du_Gj2kjGh2KxJuAjEsyXEIPf36Ow89jjT4xiVjGHgmjCU-vJCW-AZcuSPZxbJZ9tABRg7NgqWUbtn1f3Ha9IONMAnnLU-YwkhYLR/s1600-h/6-24-09+123_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE3ZGp_vpzVm0CKinl4UrHQrYtG713dTtL8iTnR7Du_Gj2kjGh2KxJuAjEsyXEIPf36Ow89jjT4xiVjGHgmjCU-vJCW-AZcuSPZxbJZ9tABRg7NgqWUbtn1f3Ha9IONMAnnLU-YwkhYLR/s200/6-24-09+123_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351694805693614034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqx4aLNZO0JmxqEkfVRkjzZxWvm71Lhyphenhyphenm06AGW7MNXpyW2aGHXe95uMSDUvwwV6wNJjOktmem2I8OVwTXJI1BKoGbZakH4ZT0K1f2gRspDRPyuBepy46jMvO1FqbPc4qyCr6qh7u5qK77/s1600-h/6-24-09+128_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqx4aLNZO0JmxqEkfVRkjzZxWvm71Lhyphenhyphenm06AGW7MNXpyW2aGHXe95uMSDUvwwV6wNJjOktmem2I8OVwTXJI1BKoGbZakH4ZT0K1f2gRspDRPyuBepy46jMvO1FqbPc4qyCr6qh7u5qK77/s200/6-24-09+128_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351694799870131362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFqPqLQua1O4j0fZixQYGKxbEcs4SzJ4hOn5Kyx06N32jbbxgmalRc9ueatnvq41c9FW2e1UnJpK64iR35R5AgRL2GHENdgq6IQniOm90tXZAMcRwjnI_Jfb6now-1blH4MTd4bdJNM6o/s1600-h/6-24-09+K+040_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFqPqLQua1O4j0fZixQYGKxbEcs4SzJ4hOn5Kyx06N32jbbxgmalRc9ueatnvq41c9FW2e1UnJpK64iR35R5AgRL2GHENdgq6IQniOm90tXZAMcRwjnI_Jfb6now-1blH4MTd4bdJNM6o/s200/6-24-09+K+040_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351694796705895634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfNyisnbnDmNYej-hmF_1FRXIfsm0Z8RXm9LZZe8tyzc261nY9TYJ3-CQxYNDcT_JfTC1dx4eB5HsFSU-e-TtDpz6UvYMszfdSKhgWrPmaXo-JKWrWy9J7hXxoG8QIhD7zL_WfxwJ5os3/s1600-h/6-24-09+107_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfNyisnbnDmNYej-hmF_1FRXIfsm0Z8RXm9LZZe8tyzc261nY9TYJ3-CQxYNDcT_JfTC1dx4eB5HsFSU-e-TtDpz6UvYMszfdSKhgWrPmaXo-JKWrWy9J7hXxoG8QIhD7zL_WfxwJ5os3/s200/6-24-09+107_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351695895531663602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />June 25 -- Sedona, AZ<br /><br />Yesterday, we did the tour of Sedona. We started on a fun trail called Baldwin cruised to cathedral rock where I took a major spill. I was following too close to Eric and didn't realize that we were about to start a technical downhill. I managed to spread the impact over my entire body, so very little blood lost. Good. We continued on to Little Horse, Chicken Point and Broken Arrow. By now, we were running low on water and tired of being out in the sun. I tried to be a good sport for the rest of the day, but I was getting cranky. We decided to head into town for a slurpy, but ended up at a Mexican food restaurant and loaded up on enchiladas, tacos, rice, the works. Our waiter brought a giant pitcher of ice water for us to fill our camelbaks before heading back out on the trail. From town, we hit the Airport loop followed by Old Post and some other fun trails and ended up back at the MH. We were both pretty tired and dirty. In the interest of fresh bike clothes, we decided it was time to stay at an RV park for the night. This, to us, is a luxury. In addition to a picnic table next to a few dozen other RVs, there are showers. Their showers you can stand in all night if you wanted because you don't have to worry about hot water, filling tanks or running out of fresh water. They have laundry, which you do have to pay for, but don't require sitting at a laundry mat for a couple hours. They have power, which allows us to turn on our AC and charge our phones, computer, camera batteries, bike lights, turn on the lights, use the microwave . . . the options are endless (nearly). They also have high speed internet, which for obvious reasons is nice. Sedona has one RV park and although a little expensive, was totally worth the cost.<br /><br />Today, we got up at 6:30 and started going through the motions, breakfast, pick some trails, look at the map, weather . . . and then we heard thunder followed by rain. Instead of being disappointed, I was relieved. My body is so tired and sore and my neck is stiff. I took a nap after breakfast (finally made it to full-on vacation mode) and Eric continued to plan a ride despite the rain. When the clouds cleared and the sun appeared Eric left for a ride and I am sitting here enjoying the birds, the cool air and the peace and quiet. Below are our pics from yesterday's adventure. (Trying something new, so that the pictures don't end up so crazy)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTkVfEYWZ-vCFXRf_4ut2n-CKC8_s4htDp5vrT_8gR8ZEaW1d_x_fy2ZWIqgzM5rGqMNgu-C6hSysQt766gGbZvXX7Rcq20lyHjyTjiEsdsb-firNhR6044Et1yF37ff12TX0Nqf59zVY/s1600-h/6-25-09+K+004_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTkVfEYWZ-vCFXRf_4ut2n-CKC8_s4htDp5vrT_8gR8ZEaW1d_x_fy2ZWIqgzM5rGqMNgu-C6hSysQt766gGbZvXX7Rcq20lyHjyTjiEsdsb-firNhR6044Et1yF37ff12TX0Nqf59zVY/s200/6-25-09+K+004_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351689362971677010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRkoC1i9W9-BapngUNSIIH5Fxjnq-EVWhLRKjkbi52Adtyg9naZ6CTMpgZFfS_7096HjBu3lYFeoKV-LgqVdX3-7QBz8GW_10VznU44V1m1h5PF5mgtedfOljO-WT2Mq-4Mu7aKR_Ym7w/s1600-h/6-25-09+024_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRkoC1i9W9-BapngUNSIIH5Fxjnq-EVWhLRKjkbi52Adtyg9naZ6CTMpgZFfS_7096HjBu3lYFeoKV-LgqVdX3-7QBz8GW_10VznU44V1m1h5PF5mgtedfOljO-WT2Mq-4Mu7aKR_Ym7w/s200/6-25-09+024_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351689361751535234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrLJ27HAg0I_cnKMO74IGg47srWG-fe026BfGEdxlqZ1H0krlRq_KfDp35jzvFRJtZfItG5INy1sS7stQ5JtiZzP-bkKqu4XdgwTbGjWGSL1htHeFqpE60-tYR0txxNm6QGxVUse4p-Pl/s1600-h/6-25-09+017_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrLJ27HAg0I_cnKMO74IGg47srWG-fe026BfGEdxlqZ1H0krlRq_KfDp35jzvFRJtZfItG5INy1sS7stQ5JtiZzP-bkKqu4XdgwTbGjWGSL1htHeFqpE60-tYR0txxNm6QGxVUse4p-Pl/s200/6-25-09+017_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351689357890923746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_G0LuHhsOmKXItuCLF-ZeZK5lUV-HuNugCh8-vBCUzBjCY04onHiXctUxmQKVhXIWYBHXsaFzbmxqDwZatUEx6A-bG9mWFzIvq_6be6X7dv5VypRt6uYT82TdJnK5TR89rrV2XW95VKtH/s1600-h/6-25-09+009_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_G0LuHhsOmKXItuCLF-ZeZK5lUV-HuNugCh8-vBCUzBjCY04onHiXctUxmQKVhXIWYBHXsaFzbmxqDwZatUEx6A-bG9mWFzIvq_6be6X7dv5VypRt6uYT82TdJnK5TR89rrV2XW95VKtH/s200/6-25-09+009_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351689351896690754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkB7IWo7Y7ZVcvvuZ2aVsHlkDZnHMX_25LD0xdIOJ0nPU5GDlMDsSaByTXdQCBnKHLRDl-dnY7u3muYYVILr5gnGrZ76uNhMHx3bfTcNzDu1atufLCP60y8jSCEHFa7tj_nIyCaEoX6BLs/s1600-h/6-25-09+006_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkB7IWo7Y7ZVcvvuZ2aVsHlkDZnHMX_25LD0xdIOJ0nPU5GDlMDsSaByTXdQCBnKHLRDl-dnY7u3muYYVILr5gnGrZ76uNhMHx3bfTcNzDu1atufLCP60y8jSCEHFa7tj_nIyCaEoX6BLs/s200/6-25-09+006_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351688339406444322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvJY723bxvk9O0L9GRxSJnbOrgoe7UKncWlwY7EF-TPcqVtlJqfFrOiui4czXSwpIQ1UMng1AqRIUSIsGt8f3j63aQ6CxKUKyx7Ou9qn_jItpCOPb-3OO5IUvWYlLmwhKwiK8W5OGeRQI/s1600-h/6-25-09+K+027_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvJY723bxvk9O0L9GRxSJnbOrgoe7UKncWlwY7EF-TPcqVtlJqfFrOiui4czXSwpIQ1UMng1AqRIUSIsGt8f3j63aQ6CxKUKyx7Ou9qn_jItpCOPb-3OO5IUvWYlLmwhKwiK8W5OGeRQI/s200/6-25-09+K+027_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351688335100657698" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp2m3jVfGj4wVWxhhKOoKtxIwGWuiPk8QG-i0NTISJNfy-9I8vIx9bSdSpJ-1Xm7-i1mRsKE61I-Xs9aq-sn1iPg-dIQ6bmXqidrtCwq3arcVqMiXrs8m-ddrIfSBqLS2dhfoyXcAMbls/s1600-h/6-25-09+K+017_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp2m3jVfGj4wVWxhhKOoKtxIwGWuiPk8QG-i0NTISJNfy-9I8vIx9bSdSpJ-1Xm7-i1mRsKE61I-Xs9aq-sn1iPg-dIQ6bmXqidrtCwq3arcVqMiXrs8m-ddrIfSBqLS2dhfoyXcAMbls/s200/6-25-09+K+017_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351688312132518082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFQcHmrAQ1GNWnu5fCnADoiPk5fv2efvmw87Ulh5-yB-A5aP31LdmoMpTZqZxdAy1Bk5O3Jeo_eum4tJb3gWsGge21BVouerM43mZOqrp5nuJaZp4kMwi5ytVcNvlxuHy_W-3NWSmme5h/s1600-h/6-25-09+K+031_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFQcHmrAQ1GNWnu5fCnADoiPk5fv2efvmw87Ulh5-yB-A5aP31LdmoMpTZqZxdAy1Bk5O3Jeo_eum4tJb3gWsGge21BVouerM43mZOqrp5nuJaZp4kMwi5ytVcNvlxuHy_W-3NWSmme5h/s200/6-25-09+K+031_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351688306887521330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2r2dsmy1Ur_yitKhBLvFTzYMcuEs1hoodta2pRXhHUJdkNwJvq-vf6TXFthIAzCyuSZJRVeRBK3Vr9BBlGtfyPgWsHrNl9cirQGirbx5UXvL0A2lR_dSVbUqJZqPng-3nczXbTKIIRj-/s1600-h/6-25-09+K+048_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2r2dsmy1Ur_yitKhBLvFTzYMcuEs1hoodta2pRXhHUJdkNwJvq-vf6TXFthIAzCyuSZJRVeRBK3Vr9BBlGtfyPgWsHrNl9cirQGirbx5UXvL0A2lR_dSVbUqJZqPng-3nczXbTKIIRj-/s200/6-25-09+K+048_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351688306656263970" border="0" /></a>Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-14047834999207459772009-06-22T08:52:00.000-07:002009-06-22T09:51:12.891-07:00June 22--We've been busy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTe0FCv1W3o9AwHSi6F237H2x-f8GdTuSQRzEdRlJebgU9XdwX0PdOcfw70_Uqt6tJvaXg1QF7osLdfN7Jsd86qR4UwJortuzt2mqI2SKpAr8VZC6kNfCxDZd2ir_1RjPOE6RtTVLUuLb-/s1600-h/6-22-09+025_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTe0FCv1W3o9AwHSi6F237H2x-f8GdTuSQRzEdRlJebgU9XdwX0PdOcfw70_Uqt6tJvaXg1QF7osLdfN7Jsd86qR4UwJortuzt2mqI2SKpAr8VZC6kNfCxDZd2ir_1RjPOE6RtTVLUuLb-/s200/6-22-09+025_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350192876698601042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtlLS9Q6inV4EcQeZ1UnFdv9qrb__pKFy9I95tSyuFtkhgAnNeq3VrqIET1sq5rWSUPJ_MKj2-AqsrPooJE5xJ8dFgprIIv9r2zAIW5_o2aaG0gJ6qH8CHA0L1FNo1V2ytEgolISinWv5/s1600-h/6-22-09+K+011_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtlLS9Q6inV4EcQeZ1UnFdv9qrb__pKFy9I95tSyuFtkhgAnNeq3VrqIET1sq5rWSUPJ_MKj2-AqsrPooJE5xJ8dFgprIIv9r2zAIW5_o2aaG0gJ6qH8CHA0L1FNo1V2ytEgolISinWv5/s200/6-22-09+K+011_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350192876406798882" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHUQ2zXL5YWKJmpQvvBh_J6uY_3FjFmR4aaM2IGZhVvum0xiAmtf8WJEVO1CAsYITUNcHCsu7ZZchw9Sn4qFz3yh8HeYtHvKcCzm0Kxa5MSapmL2BrZoWdhAaoYaipZ6hsVmQlqpNeKVJ/s1600-h/6-22-09+007_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHUQ2zXL5YWKJmpQvvBh_J6uY_3FjFmR4aaM2IGZhVvum0xiAmtf8WJEVO1CAsYITUNcHCsu7ZZchw9Sn4qFz3yh8HeYtHvKcCzm0Kxa5MSapmL2BrZoWdhAaoYaipZ6hsVmQlqpNeKVJ/s200/6-22-09+007_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350192863007829026" border="0" /></a><br />I'm pretty sure we haven't mentioned the S Fork Trail or Los Burros out of Eager/McNary. It was funny to s<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbKkOdUjB4BMCqCBZvamNXdTAOwNNZxjIfAS-PoNw9HICHd2oXYLteQQxcaiFIh0mDZ5dh7DP5ylFJXgbOZrb1QFGdXrRSBipWwE_PwkGC1k0envtrSVZzzDn-5Y7MR45S5R-_cdMmLt7/s1600-h/6-22-09+K+008_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbKkOdUjB4BMCqCBZvamNXdTAOwNNZxjIfAS-PoNw9HICHd2oXYLteQQxcaiFIh0mDZ5dh7DP5ylFJXgbOZrb1QFGdXrRSBipWwE_PwkGC1k0envtrSVZzzDn-5Y7MR45S5R-_cdMmLt7/s200/6-22-09+K+008_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350192876013111202" border="0" /></a>top into the one local bike shop in Eager and have the owner not know of a single good trail in the area. He said they were all good, from what he hears (he actually doesn't ride bikes). My advice would be skip the S Fork trail, don't miss the Los Burros trail. LB had a lot of fire road (which I am not a fan) but it als<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28BcvPOrrDZVMzVtf9xlkL8ri42AE6Mmn_6w8W3u6ACIdajcDwwOKk0rEtGgGMRx9q0Ai1XOg4-dx3f0FGEFdWCvs2qntUnOsqVIHrpzqimgPmRJsqTtw_Og9dz8qMZSeh6X4t3OF43QA/s1600-h/6-22-09+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28BcvPOrrDZVMzVtf9xlkL8ri42AE6Mmn_6w8W3u6ACIdajcDwwOKk0rEtGgGMRx9q0Ai1XOg4-dx3f0FGEFdWCvs2qntUnOsqVIHrpzqimgPmRJsqTtw_Og9dz8qMZSeh6X4t3OF43QA/s200/6-22-09+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350192864509327090" border="0" /></a>o had some awesome fast single track too. We were also looking for a lost black horse and yellow lab while riding this trail. Apparently some guy lost his horse and told his dog to stay with her and then never saw either one of them again. I thought it would be pretty sweet to find a black horse out in the forest, so I packed carrot sticks, some rope and beef jerky for the dog. We didn't find them, but it was still fun to look. I wasn't sure where I was going to store the horse yet anyhow.<br />The next morning (Friday) we tried the Pine Knolls area, which was all fire roads + misquitos, so we left. Our next destination was Scottsdale AZ to visit my bro. We decided to drive about 100 miles in the wrong direction before looking<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidylcV3wOMZNbI39wftwQss6_c_pfEUJY0KtNosxOIP-DwNzPfZR4PIIIP4z7y6iFX4OO9h46OfrKDGefE6TDa_dyM-72XGYvxrNP5oJuWkESm5aYez5tQPze8tibYFrKus5hOPJ9nHphj/s1600-h/6-22-09+K+020_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidylcV3wOMZNbI39wftwQss6_c_pfEUJY0KtNosxOIP-DwNzPfZR4PIIIP4z7y6iFX4OO9h46OfrKDGefE6TDa_dyM-72XGYvxrNP5oJuWkESm5aYez5tQPze8tibYFrKus5hOPJ9nHphj/s200/6-22-09+K+020_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350191992488917570" border="0" /></a> at the map. We thought it would be funny to call Matt and te<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgv4IlKb1_Rxt1mN28M80ALK62dmLTTGBmor0Vli2-KlUO1zPu1lQZiyrHdCNryDLb9OkRcIXmMHYfxVx64mA_pVRD1UX9BhQgA7yXXPsu0jvN7yKOZHiblpbahM1ql3lazqoHElcI6Dna/s1600-h/6-22-09+K+023_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgv4IlKb1_Rxt1mN28M80ALK62dmLTTGBmor0Vli2-KlUO1zPu1lQZiyrHdCNryDLb9OkRcIXmMHYfxVx64mA_pVRD1UX9BhQgA7yXXPsu0jvN7yKOZHiblpbahM1ql3lazqoHElcI6Dna/s200/6-22-09+K+023_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350191997202216050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0c5CdWTc3feWIRmcUpWazxA6hn2I4mIry0ZSBdvc4w51WC3uW_q-rX_HcMkbkhFlEyPU2_ZfEiBx7NPnJsBIpomLnnFFQvKohrXmsptIAWSsdO4Oubr2y9PIMWrLfV6IFF-S-aJyl7PuZ/s1600-h/6-22-09+041_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0c5CdWTc3feWIRmcUpWazxA6hn2I4mIry0ZSBdvc4w51WC3uW_q-rX_HcMkbkhFlEyPU2_ZfEiBx7NPnJsBIpomLnnFFQvKohrXmsptIAWSsdO4Oubr2y9PIMWrLfV6IFF-S-aJyl7PuZ/s200/6-22-09+041_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350191994128212274" border="0" /></a>ll him we we're sorry, but we missed Pheonix and were now in Mexico! We arrived in Scottsdale and headed to a BBQ where we met some of Matt's friends. After a chill night of hanging out, Eric and I stayed at the casino down the street. We never made it in the door, just crashed in the parking lot. Saturday, we got up early and tubed the Salt river. Matt did back-flips off the cliffs while we sat cringing. He thought that was pretty funny. After the float, we tried to go to the lake for some more swimming, but our America the Beautiful pass <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwaUnh2z7z3fEU9olSdUWXyqBWwcqOCARP750LhG40wbEQWzKxJFRg7sQ0xkGUxEwWLqFjqeBo06G4HzDeDOemPGg78PH7MAkcPRJdWYYFNANy_ZdjFttjADagZ_QwRqOcBpammSwQSz9/s1600-h/6-22-09+K+018_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwaUnh2z7z3fEU9olSdUWXyqBWwcqOCARP750LhG40wbEQWzKxJFRg7sQ0xkGUxEwWLqFjqeBo06G4HzDeDOemPGg78PH7MAkcPRJdWYYFNANy_ZdjFttjADagZ_QwRqOcBpammSwQSz9/s200/6-22-09+K+018_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350191985216546322" border="0" /></a>that is supposed to work at all BLM, Nat forest, etc didn't work in the Tonto Nat forest. So far, that pass is a huge rip! Everywhere we go, they find some way to charge an additional fee that <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P4HWQGQh1D3bKFFmobLE2bLHd_KiIIeO5nCLY1CmnwzsSnlT5xydsyK0TnJYipYoApZjEpeAUKVBomD75qF7aH4xZFT8E_RXFzt0FawgbMyfYVn37Mg6MQAxsYyYilhGujXUk0BArzKX/s1600-h/6-22-09+040_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P4HWQGQh1D3bKFFmobLE2bLHd_KiIIeO5nCLY1CmnwzsSnlT5xydsyK0TnJYipYoApZjEpeAUKVBomD75qF7aH4xZFT8E_RXFzt0FawgbMyfYVn37Mg6MQAxsYyYilhGujXUk0BArzKX/s200/6-22-09+040_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350191991203865266" border="0" /></a>ends up costing more than just paying the day fee. It's really dumb and frustrating. I think we might write an article for Adventure magazine about America the Beautiful--my ass! Anyhow, we didn't end up swimming at the lake, we biked to the pool instead. Matt cooked up an amazing BBQ spread and we chatted for several hours before heading back to the casino. In the AM, we got the oil changed in the big rig and had a delightful breakfast at Matt and Stacey's (roomie) favorite breakfast joint. Eric and I hit the road soon after and headed to Payson AZ. Eric (my brilliant husband) told me about the Highline trail. W<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-E6cFRjwx6e2FDTQwZuvGej0CiEZZxd80bMkx8tw-Rwa9bOlc7K3sUoDxDcrkz-piVl6yAGmTT7cdBXr4q6QgFJOS1pPxdui0No1GHhs9_6kKmuDsDls12DBZYl9ZHpptgDXuM-xjmJ02/s1600-h/6-22-09+054_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-E6cFRjwx6e2FDTQwZuvGej0CiEZZxd80bMkx8tw-Rwa9bOlc7K3sUoDxDcrkz-piVl6yAGmTT7cdBXr4q6QgFJOS1pPxdui0No1GHhs9_6kKmuDsDls12DBZYl9ZHpptgDXuM-xjmJ02/s200/6-22-09+054_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350190979654146450" border="0" /></a>e shuttled the motorcycle and got ready to ride. We were impressed with the technical awesomeness of the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6aWXYNsCEhpkVY_z4sBdYSmTJ_LvKPEVomVv0no2NGE5LhgL0J18Uqm0TJ1o-Qo5GzSZ3zHv5CeO9PajYGbg_dpDeK9wuxP00PXFvfaRbIe84p8zUSX1DAH_WPu_5vWH9AsMbNOM952u/s1600-h/6-22-09+047_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6aWXYNsCEhpkVY_z4sBdYSmTJ_LvKPEVomVv0no2NGE5LhgL0J18Uqm0TJ1o-Qo5GzSZ3zHv5CeO9PajYGbg_dpDeK9wuxP00PXFvfaRbIe84p8zUSX1DAH_WPu_5vWH9AsMbNOM952u/s200/6-22-09+047_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350190974034066466" border="0" /></a>first 6 miles. Fun droppy downhill and challenging rocky climbs. Then, we should have turned around and headed straight back for the motorhome. Instead, we continued with a hike-a-bike section, followed by nearly-unride-able section as the sun began to get close to the horizon. Hmmm, maybe we should turn around, these bushes are awfully sharp. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiIXr2ebL-7G7pzgXt5zBPOvSNU8uEvX_pLwbSgIOw1F3PnWxWcSBavscGVhvOhHb23zos3EXmcv5DHgSuffFQD8osus3obHW0A90CwalDZTQ_PyndmL1XQgkrKGnzuywXGDAyBygMM-5/s1600-h/6-22-09+K+025_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiIXr2ebL-7G7pzgXt5zBPOvSNU8uEvX_pLwbSgIOw1F3PnWxWcSBavscGVhvOhHb23zos3EXmcv5DHgSuffFQD8osus3obHW0A90CwalDZTQ_PyndmL1XQgkrKGnzuywXGDAyBygMM-5/s200/6-22-09+K+025_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350190966519188834" border="0" /></a>Naaaaa!! Let's keep going. In the pitch dark, we put on our camping headlamps and continued on, but it got so technical, we couldn't ride anymore. Instead, we hiked our bike (sometimes losing the trail) until 11pm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQasnJFYSsbxWmZ2tXZJmOVnM3oOZwNgtHT0NQKy9VvlWxdfK8yfnglDQ6wupqqT_pvQOhOlo_Vnkm5K1cTshF964sRCvWZSoy5o6oQkwUmBtV127SR_jwmyOAaF-25QigN8imfrU4RjB8/s1600-h/6-22-09+057_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQasnJFYSsbxWmZ2tXZJmOVnM3oOZwNgtHT0NQKy9VvlWxdfK8yfnglDQ6wupqqT_pvQOhOlo_Vnkm5K1cTshF964sRCvWZSoy5o6oQkwUmBtV127SR_jwmyOAaF-25QigN8imfrU4RjB8/s200/6-22-09+057_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350190981638895106" border="0" /></a>. We only freaked out once, when we saw eyes glowing in about 30 feet away that didn't run away when we through a rock at it. AHHH! We were relieved when we finally made the end of the trail and found the motorcycle. Yeah! Now, we had to ride 13 miles in bike shorts down the highway at 11pm! We must have looked insane. When we arrived (frozen to the core) at the motorhome, we toasted our lives with hot cocoa and hit the hay. We had locked the bikes at the picnic area where we finished the trail riding and opted to get them in the AM, which brings me to today. We woke <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPA1psQnKKU9AamXNxKAoa3kYBGweAP7EUXc91-kxQtJXHE86VwVsMlg0nQK0zqCLexSIJiT2oPWd91hfwfnRcr5ah8Iw2N74Tn9rTjDbHn1qruQLoTsVKOe8F29NUyIMCm6tuni4tS9u/s1600-h/6-22-09+063_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPA1psQnKKU9AamXNxKAoa3kYBGweAP7EUXc91-kxQtJXHE86VwVsMlg0nQK0zqCLexSIJiT2oPWd91hfwfnRcr5ah8Iw2N74Tn9rTjDbHn1qruQLoTsVKOe8F29NUyIMCm6tuni4tS9u/s200/6-22-09+063_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350190968876084306" border="0" /></a>up at first light (5ish) and drove the motorhome down, collected the bikes, and slept some more. We are enroute to Sedona AZ, where we hope to not get too hot and have better luck riding bikes in the light of day. Even though we are fully equipted to ride at night, it is pretty stupid without knowing any of the trails (and dangerous).Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-37658646215874626452009-06-17T17:21:00.000-07:002009-06-17T18:20:20.492-07:00June 15--Phil's World June 16--Gallup NM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf5MF1DMUNQVnZD8Yz7XRhIp1KnwLGPI6ngapdweSp4Qm_JGabjOdFH4wxpVScWbEJ5uB7AGUZThbVuuNCHbKYXXGEJXAqxnyS2idgDwFhPCb0B68NsxLoD1SyedRcZdaGh6yTP5zOJ0Q/s1600-h/6-15-09+055_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf5MF1DMUNQVnZD8Yz7XRhIp1KnwLGPI6ngapdweSp4Qm_JGabjOdFH4wxpVScWbEJ5uB7AGUZThbVuuNCHbKYXXGEJXAqxnyS2idgDwFhPCb0B68NsxLoD1SyedRcZdaGh6yTP5zOJ0Q/s200/6-15-09+055_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348468290595964498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgih5EjbBGzIFVipKOnqAvBtZjKJ6B3cavvw_dhMWEqUnaQzebVlrUtMPx7911McaN2jNhHAbZsP4IU45bCHolo9F3dsKsE9iE9HzTOPTMr_QPHyExe8uA5TSi8K3EqllhAFZG5lyVOygej/s1600-h/6-15-09+051_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgih5EjbBGzIFVipKOnqAvBtZjKJ6B3cavvw_dhMWEqUnaQzebVlrUtMPx7911McaN2jNhHAbZsP4IU45bCHolo9F3dsKsE9iE9HzTOPTMr_QPHyExe8uA5TSi8K3EqllhAFZG5lyVOygej/s200/6-15-09+051_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348468280874401474" border="0" /></a><br />I will just say, Phil knows what I'm talking about. The county fair was all but wrapped up for the year as Eric and I pulled into the parking lot. We camped here for the night with the intentions of a night ride, but we were both too tired. Instead, we got up early to see what Phil's World had to offer. Whoever (Phil?) put this together made creative woo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguihWQNbGLscyMCdKXL2z34TCPFlAP2Nx_mPG1TF98RVRdAFIoaro_jW77s-bWOzFSgklseSPK82NPkRtBVmpd_D3mF7pVC9K09JZwNqfo5nwmcO5c9h-gHCALq-oWnTu6rs2f2CBQWGtO/s1600-h/6-15-09+K+004_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguihWQNbGLscyMCdKXL2z34TCPFlAP2Nx_mPG1TF98RVRdAFIoaro_jW77s-bWOzFSgklseSPK82NPkRtBVmpd_D3mF7pVC9K09JZwNqfo5nwmcO5c9h-gHCALq-oWnTu6rs2f2CBQWGtO/s200/6-15-09+K+004_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348468284912903906" border="0" /></a>d signage throughout the track. My favorites were Lotsa Pasta AVE, Hang bone (which actually had a hanging bone), stinky's rib cage . . . well I had a lot of favorites and was entertained throughout. There was some really cool chutes and ladders style sections, which required very little effort and were super fun! Combining all possible loops was a little over 20 miles. Even though we were pretty tired, it was early in the day, so we continued on to Gallup (Gid-E-Up) NM. We swung through 4 corners for our tourist trap adventure of the week. Seriously, don't go there unless you feel a strong desire to hand over $3/pp and go look at a plaque on the ground with 20 other idiots and 5 minutes later leave after having taken a 40 mile detour in a motorhome that gets, say, 9 mpg. Yeah, big rip. In Gallup, we drove around in circles for awhile trying to find water. As it turns out, our navigation system had the address wrong (switched a little E for a W, big difference). We tried to find a bike shop, which was also futile because the only one closed earlier this year. We spent another $80 on groceries. I guess we eat a lot more on the road and when riding in excess. I am starting to wonder if we can afford this trip. HA!<br /><br />In the AM, June 16, we hit the high desert trail system. It started out looking like a dud, but quickly got mu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNzRke1puejCKY_VoJLmbsemnNEYDZWor97p-UhWdJMxuP0Ui_31_y26S_yjhXml7f46cn-zb25xBXV00CtfvsGdigzAQJKcvEtRDkoCiR7Q_ARBtPkRS73kuZFtfnjQYVaucz0OCXogy/s1600-h/6-16-09+010_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNzRke1puejCKY_VoJLmbsemnNEYDZWor97p-UhWdJMxuP0Ui_31_y26S_yjhXml7f46cn-zb25xBXV00CtfvsGdigzAQJKcvEtRDkoCiR7Q_ARBtPkRS73kuZFtfnjQYVaucz0OCXogy/s200/6-16-09+010_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348470291653308098" border="0" /></a>ch better. There were at least 3 loops that could be taken in either direction although it lo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mAiqr9h1R0U5I-dzi46fA_tS3am-KEZBYfepYoVLO853BD0T17pyOt17wyk1YuO1My4pcVxPVIyV14uI4XEHoFjvxvbnP8MzJaocgfy-iRygU9q4xGRpQJxFk3a85JtYgvv3Z3Po3thN/s1600-h/6-16-09+K+014_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mAiqr9h1R0U5I-dzi46fA_tS3am-KEZBYfepYoVLO853BD0T17pyOt17wyk1YuO1My4pcVxPVIyV14uI4XEHoFjvxvbnP8MzJaocgfy-iRygU9q4xGRpQJxFk3a85JtYgvv3Z3Po3thN/s200/6-16-09+K+014_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348470291703876514" border="0" /></a>oked like someone had tried to mark the preferred route on the trail. There were some really sweet rocks along the way and some animal figurines that sometimes looked a little too real. I asked Eric, "Did you see the fox?" He got off his bike and started sneaking back towards me so I asked, "you realize its not a real fox, right?" Eric laughed and said that no, he did think it was real. When we got back to the MH, we BBQed ribs in the parking lot and headed into town in search of internet. Gallup seems like it has been hit hard by the recession. For all the trails we rode near town that were clearly well maintained (in fact its already 2010 and the trails still look great), we were startled to learn there was not a functioning bike shop. Many folks were pulling out and moving to larger cities. The people at the visitors center and chamber of commerce helped us figure out a plan for the remainder of our stay in Gallup. We drove East on 40 to highway 400<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZpIJHTd7wwPYfyHWQmYpTAInautLLXbMj5oMW3iElV_lqJVaE-FvPr7ysR0DKmHnTaivR1JmrS40-iaF2hyuuJgxsgJJnMiYcVKMr4kpikOzz3kQl5LhC4ZuCWb6y15CK5iITouXnNyD/s1600-h/6-16-09+023_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZpIJHTd7wwPYfyHWQmYpTAInautLLXbMj5oMW3iElV_lqJVaE-FvPr7ysR0DKmHnTaivR1JmrS40-iaF2hyuuJgxsgJJnMiYcVKMr4kpikOzz3kQl5LhC4ZuCWb6y15CK5iITouXnNyD/s200/6-16-09+023_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348470296338562914" border="0" /></a>. We pulled off at the Quaking Aspen trailhead and rode a nearly invisible single track (Purple Haze) through a cow pasture and up around the Nat. Forest. It was enough for the day (over 30 miles!) so we went for a motorcylce ride into McGaffrey. We thought there was an extensive trail system out this direction based on what we had learned in town, but we didn't see any clear maps or trailheads. We did see a little single track coming out of the forest and a 1.25 mile trail out of a campground that convinced us to try some exploring in the morning. Happy and tired, we took showers and hit the hay!Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-87756800619287957032009-06-15T19:23:00.000-07:002009-06-15T19:49:05.110-07:00June 13--Race Day! June 14--Mesa VerdeThe race was another one of those crazy, last minute, put it all together events. The race began with a 20-25 minute<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSlEdlSZ0yQnDxlO5pXMQUlnosWrDOoK17GUSqYr0C5ZDzsbv1khb9-YM8lw9_Sa-dTNn7B14sAE2Eb2dBLOmeR8pDeW0q2ksQxqGB5nSpq9PFrZyOiBmiCh329n2G4wdV-L20AKheOp_/s1600-h/6-15-09+002_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSlEdlSZ0yQnDxlO5pXMQUlnosWrDOoK17GUSqYr0C5ZDzsbv1khb9-YM8lw9_Sa-dTNn7B14sAE2Eb2dBLOmeR8pDeW0q2ksQxqGB5nSpq9PFrZyOiBmiCh329n2G4wdV-L20AKheOp_/s200/6-15-09+002_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347750705786743826" border="0" /></a> inflatable kayak portion followed by was boys versus girls and a few other a 1.5 mile run and 1.5 mile scooter po<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb01ynPflMEOdpK6fRO_iEzhf6CsqXNzVCvl9G8zpswIsQ4rDdhQMdtxTikRIEx3l200x9jzS8r3EpFLQNBc1P_pQ5N3A2YHOFp_nEjF0T7R5bAjNobZKYnBscce74aV0m9RGLpRv3wr5e/s1600-h/6-15-09+001_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb01ynPflMEOdpK6fRO_iEzhf6CsqXNzVCvl9G8zpswIsQ4rDdhQMdtxTikRIEx3l200x9jzS8r3EpFLQNBc1P_pQ5N3A2YHOFp_nEjF0T7R5bAjNobZKYnBscce74aV0m9RGLpRv3wr5e/s200/6-15-09+001_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347750697729832930" border="0" /></a>rtion. It teams too. Eric and Kristi did the kayak portion, John and I did the run, Amanda and Bill did the scoot. Bill has been riding a Razor for years, but the girls team needed to be a little more creative. The only rule was it couldn't be motorized or have a chain (no bikes). Because we didn't want to buy a scooter just for the event and some people have a little bit of morals about buying for the event and promptly returning, we ended up removing the chain of a bike. The boys took first place, which consisted of a spray painted trophy and a T-shirt. The girls took fifth, which was not last. Phew! Eric and I celebrated by doing laundry.<br /><br />In the morning, Sunday, we rolled out of Durango. The goal was Gallup, NM. I like to call it Gid-E-Up, NM, but that's n<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_Gdeo-MhYSPCm1WF3-joQndldYNhMWzru8BLwTK-Xp4Ln-xlp3IwzZNef9vldRForwRZHa3IxQGQaNAbW5CZyzxWPuHzrawSdJSjuD7YQg9ix5GwudFQ-DDW6bkkwUOCGobZ8rqwnSDI/s1600-h/6-15-09+046_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_Gdeo-MhYSPCm1WF3-joQndldYNhMWzru8BLwTK-Xp4Ln-xlp3IwzZNef9vldRForwRZHa3IxQGQaNAbW5CZyzxWPuHzrawSdJSjuD7YQg9ix5GwudFQ-DDW6bkkwUOCGobZ8rqwnSDI/s200/6-15-09+046_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347751170683168418" border="0" /></a>ot what the sign says. We didn't make it. Instead we detoured to Mesa Verde National P<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBBLB-8smdyPW3uBS33SoiDOt_Tn4luaqspL4cp2DEfaSwoXHQ-kGVfJC_F-2PmNhVZiEdDFdYe4kI4mpSQ7ZukpxMlUV4GE6u9CKxHLFpNvLS8rxpc0YF0eRSMBflX6sPpSzM0rL2OY-/s1600-h/6-15-09+022_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBBLB-8smdyPW3uBS33SoiDOt_Tn4luaqspL4cp2DEfaSwoXHQ-kGVfJC_F-2PmNhVZiEdDFdYe4kI4mpSQ7ZukpxMlUV4GE6u9CKxHLFpNvLS8rxpc0YF0eRSMBflX6sPpSzM0rL2OY-/s200/6-15-09+022_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347750707153458050" border="0" /></a>ark. We ditched the motorhome at the entrance and took the motorcycle along the curvy mountain road. The ancient Puebloian cliff dwelling ruins were built in a hundred year period beginning <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOa1Y005POhz3XFU8k6U0MM0vWYchoBGD0HEx50yy_9r-MmDEkUcW1Kbd9F9Tjf9_gAbGk5spo-PHpDTDd4zwxOE0owO1tVAjsK1vzInFnvYYdjdq8s_Ofsg03Gz65-6QlufnH59amlZGI/s1600-h/6-15-09+037_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOa1Y005POhz3XFU8k6U0MM0vWYchoBGD0HEx50yy_9r-MmDEkUcW1Kbd9F9Tjf9_gAbGk5spo-PHpDTDd4zwxOE0owO1tVAjsK1vzInFnvYYdjdq8s_Ofsg03Gz65-6QlufnH59amlZGI/s200/6-15-09+037_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347751171367440434" border="0" /></a>in late 1100 AD. No one knows why these people who once roamed the mesas moved to the cliffs or why after a hundred years they left the cliffs, but the dwellings were well protected for hundreds of years by the dry climate and the protection of the cliffs. Many artifacts were recovered from the ruins and can be seen in the museum. There are several tours available for $3 pp that allow you to walk through the dw<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmNyVFDMp__13YE3fI-ug2XZDzLsxs7K-xsY4AFgDB4dxvCx7k8xkP0S3YdvsiI_IZGtaRrWX5_NlDOkeJZFOuPdRoxeySopji8ZlXmUvBtgxAL9J1MLUg-pSesaS0C7GaNQgdw5lLDqp/s1600-h/6-15-09+024_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmNyVFDMp__13YE3fI-ug2XZDzLsxs7K-xsY4AFgDB4dxvCx7k8xkP0S3YdvsiI_IZGtaRrWX5_NlDOkeJZFOuPdRoxeySopji8ZlXmUvBtgxAL9J1MLUg-pSesaS0C7GaNQgdw5lLDqp/s200/6-15-09+024_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347750709621948098" border="0" /></a>ellings with a guide and view the different rooms, kivas, and tunnels throughout. Eric and I took a tour of the Balcany House. This involved climbing a 32 foot ladder and cra<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLR_5o83i5igSx9_kSb_KFeNwd85CByhWlMdbfsT2l8eXuDZ2vXZmr8QV_1jDTt9qgAY0rW8T1Dcf1sUBTVQ4FytcMRZaKpN_pxvtVWk6EBLXsBlwvRoXBzo4onV0HF93YzVuZWDd7x76/s1600-h/6-15-09+025_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLR_5o83i5igSx9_kSb_KFeNwd85CByhWlMdbfsT2l8eXuDZ2vXZmr8QV_1jDTt9qgAY0rW8T1Dcf1sUBTVQ4FytcMRZaKpN_pxvtVWk6EBLXsBlwvRoXBzo4onV0HF93YzVuZWDd7x76/s200/6-15-09+025_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347750712464214018" border="0" /></a>wling through a really small tunnel. It lasted about an hour and was really fun. Our biggest mistake was not bringing any food (okay, we brought gunny worms) into the park. We didn't realize that the closest cool stuff was 23 miles away. We finished our trip with a tram ride, which didn't require walking (good because very tired after fasting all day). Our tram driver was very entertaining. We learned that the horses within Mesa Verde were from the plains (not wild). The park built a giant wall to keep the horses out. Their biggest mistake was that some horses were in when they built the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTH_jYqm9vBRbhYdKgfUdBxs_3Kow6o_wdO7RDDb0MKuym1CArjd8ejk57SMbfbS6MiIt03cioM2aQeN5bBgq4ueTPOGqjXYZn6jRBX_WrPFg0QV8y3ewePHmiELGujzf70tcW-L1FU29Y/s1600-h/6-15-09+029_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTH_jYqm9vBRbhYdKgfUdBxs_3Kow6o_wdO7RDDb0MKuym1CArjd8ejk57SMbfbS6MiIt03cioM2aQeN5bBgq4ueTPOGqjXYZn6jRBX_WrPFg0QV8y3ewePHmiELGujzf70tcW-L1FU29Y/s200/6-15-09+029_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347751175230015490" border="0" /></a>wall. Now, they are trapped. The baby horses are now considered wild! The park contains over 140 horses now and they envision a future over-inhabitation problem. Apparently the ponies don't care if they trample archeological sites.Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-23536132863858508302009-06-13T09:49:00.000-07:002009-06-13T10:27:19.586-07:00June 12—Aztec, NM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx_0KbLhj807p0cfHjgwRxdbVJMJw64sxn6QhGXqrOMRZTPbdu5c0NL04q9H8rYrojs3UQaAvTRoRoQC9OuQ1yzFikCosdxZST_RfgSOJ4RcRIY32yY7Qzm4kPSiq5taZ2_cw8_L1uCXo/s1600-h/6-13-09+043_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx_0KbLhj807p0cfHjgwRxdbVJMJw64sxn6QhGXqrOMRZTPbdu5c0NL04q9H8rYrojs3UQaAvTRoRoQC9OuQ1yzFikCosdxZST_RfgSOJ4RcRIY32yY7Qzm4kPSiq5taZ2_cw8_L1uCXo/s200/6-13-09+043_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346864183592636978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8IWzYWswIdmNIB3yHYw4V6Ai84L-tUYdd3UrEvSSjQPcpfLZt55ymO6a9AnUrsMUFSWqOx6DjGm3IbVhDOYxJ7z8IGSMMD6ydvRIzviHl7eAiJkVl9tb49FiAVZQZgduU92i_1G50js7/s1600-h/6-13-09+040_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8IWzYWswIdmNIB3yHYw4V6Ai84L-tUYdd3UrEvSSjQPcpfLZt55ymO6a9AnUrsMUFSWqOx6DjGm3IbVhDOYxJ7z8IGSMMD6ydvRIzviHl7eAiJkVl9tb49FiAVZQZgduU92i_1G50js7/s200/6-13-09+040_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346864180792981906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FaW7qFqtRWLm879OjfJnyfQ72Iem6EwNMlkX8XRTpBSAXnLmhXTH1vfNOdzUsVfaY_ThaLtouRrtOWK-xOMaUmpu3WLRaEy5cA5YieYKwa9eJVNwJfayjWpAZ0Ipa6a2L5BAmlu5t1q0/s1600-h/6-13-09+K+028_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FaW7qFqtRWLm879OjfJnyfQ72Iem6EwNMlkX8XRTpBSAXnLmhXTH1vfNOdzUsVfaY_ThaLtouRrtOWK-xOMaUmpu3WLRaEy5cA5YieYKwa9eJVNwJfayjWpAZ0Ipa6a2L5BAmlu5t1q0/s200/6-13-09+K+028_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346863754754650722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fe_jce4IV3mbOSB1KclURvtIsz1Hg512t1_62Tbx-JQJWkhBWRgh0aNKV5-tHd1dVyUwqC-KuSjrCCaP_urMZ0csoM3fVGFTY_Od2cfLExBRZROJEYxZid4TjPLEXPL0Bw5a7oWX6d3j/s1600-h/6-13-09+044_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fe_jce4IV3mbOSB1KclURvtIsz1Hg512t1_62Tbx-JQJWkhBWRgh0aNKV5-tHd1dVyUwqC-KuSjrCCaP_urMZ0csoM3fVGFTY_Od2cfLExBRZROJEYxZid4TjPLEXPL0Bw5a7oWX6d3j/s200/6-13-09+044_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346863748520273394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />We made a friend with a local grazing cow. I wanted to pet it, Eric wanted to scare it with loud noises. Neither one of us was successful. First things first, we headed out on a 15 miler on the UFO Alien trail. The trail was curvy with easy climbing for the first half. An alterna<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_AbZhz74yU1Pg3Hgnv4hGirpMStLOUWXjfPY-TxxVaE9nWv_92bwN68FGeEM_PZtZK7ZH8jyXIKYPD-2xXgbbYySzs9K7N0KoouSRCwtpyyA7RsZm9BnioixOiNF-HisuKIzu4I_Ha12/s1600-h/6-13-09+K+030_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_AbZhz74yU1Pg3Hgnv4hGirpMStLOUWXjfPY-TxxVaE9nWv_92bwN68FGeEM_PZtZK7ZH8jyXIKYPD-2xXgbbYySzs9K7N0KoouSRCwtpyyA7RsZm9BnioixOiNF-HisuKIzu4I_Ha12/s200/6-13-09+K+030_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346863760414679346" border="0" /></a>tive technical route was available if you knew where to detour off the main trail, which consisted of some interesting slick rock formations. The entire detour was less than a quarter mile, so it didn’t make all that much difference. The trail continued to be awesome, especially when you hit the official UFO crash site. The site allegedly was home to a 100 ft in diameter and 18 ft tall UFO in 1948. Excavation of the craft was a top secret military operation and lasted 2 weeks. None of the 16 “passengers” survived the wreck of the spacecraft so <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeLougyOM0ghY0XoPnET-QwNR8JauC-7HxTsc0C0nmgviUTkGB83yD8oJIJZ-EtGeYu0EdflYxIMCeT72teqz20OJCoqj9YI6z2yYiF95RZjZp7Za6TOzqGVzu6SMq5jWjgdBjLdkBzfI/s1600-h/6-13-09+K+034_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeLougyOM0ghY0XoPnET-QwNR8JauC-7HxTsc0C0nmgviUTkGB83yD8oJIJZ-EtGeYu0EdflYxIMCeT72teqz20OJCoqj9YI6z2yYiF95RZjZp7Za6TOzqGVzu6SMq5jWjgdBjLdkBzfI/s200/6-13-09+K+034_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346863963853021538" border="0" /></a>the purpose of the mission was never known. While passing through the area, I saw a UFO of my own (see pics). We continue<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJO7Iw3D2CayPigPJSA3FnerG5G6bRQxb3ay3Ob_88XswnadRWunH2c3R9IcrWLAXJeVTjL5EoQcQQ-YHWOGcE0QOFhKokbVL6uzG571Men9h_sIwS2_7_XhL8ZxGX0yEN_z6NmLeNQ4q/s1600-h/6-13-09+K+035_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJO7Iw3D2CayPigPJSA3FnerG5G6bRQxb3ay3Ob_88XswnadRWunH2c3R9IcrWLAXJeVTjL5EoQcQQ-YHWOGcE0QOFhKokbVL6uzG571Men9h_sIwS2_7_XhL8ZxGX0yEN_z6NmLeNQ4q/s200/6-13-09+K+035_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346863959719986898" border="0" /></a>d on the trail until we hit the secret Area 51 trail. The locals at the bike shop had told us about this new trail that we could ride. The nature of the trail was unlike the rest of the Alien loop. It was rocky and steep. Eric and I don’t think it is very sustainable because there are super steep sections that are already rutted out and the trail isn’t officially open yet. When we got the end of the out and back, we didn’t know it. Instead we continued riding on what we thought was a trail until we lost all traces of bike traffic. It was clear that we were turning around and heading back the way we came. This was a little sad because we wer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM8MNXtWu1s2a8n2CGx59q9fJJ6VmWdvW8iKJpmDhvXVJvTOA3oFrzEbqYIP3IvCaEyqmdr_jZKT_-FXckTxbWzPHz0mRJkQRAeXMWOxE0CH_z6L__ZRo7WA2jTJOJGZbxk2IWJYNoBRr/s1600-h/6-13-09+042_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM8MNXtWu1s2a8n2CGx59q9fJJ6VmWdvW8iKJpmDhvXVJvTOA3oFrzEbqYIP3IvCaEyqmdr_jZKT_-FXckTxbWzPHz0mRJkQRAeXMWOxE0CH_z6L__ZRo7WA2jTJOJGZbxk2IWJYNoBRr/s200/6-13-09+042_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346863751105096466" border="0" /></a>e sort of hoping it would be a loop and we wouldn’t have to re-trace the trail we weren’t too fond of. Bummer. After rejoining the Alien loop, we enjoyed the fast, smooth, twisty trail all the way back to the motorhome. We tested out our outdoor shower for the first time, which was great! We drove the short distance to Durango and visited with Kristi and John for the rest of the evening. John<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAqbnLD2-aTk1WPdLW2-xDr7jmGh2DJqqIuMj6al1I7BP2JfJCrRizRlDMtLiynrh49s5xli2yRi7rQ_jld-cyl-ZBxRnjD9gjdhaotqueC4msfdmg7j7CD95VbO0hghbRE2H1d2aTJQ1/s1600-h/6-13-09+041_resize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAqbnLD2-aTk1WPdLW2-xDr7jmGh2DJqqIuMj6al1I7BP2JfJCrRizRlDMtLiynrh49s5xli2yRi7rQ_jld-cyl-ZBxRnjD9gjdhaotqueC4msfdmg7j7CD95VbO0hghbRE2H1d2aTJQ1/s200/6-13-09+041_resize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346863739517680754" border="0" /></a> was building a desk and Kristi was baking gourmet cookies, which were amazing. On Saturday, we are doing a race with K an J involving rafting the Animas River, running, and finishing with a scooter leg. Should be fun!Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-74690688376269115722009-06-12T14:12:00.000-07:002009-06-12T15:05:49.050-07:00More pictures and a funny video<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB1c8vEI6UNYNrCaJhTC5WOntOmEskqS3qtpOpAUYiEMktEXMmPJgZjB_KcBABnK-wfp-qfNZBH3IcQifImSIK4k5moTB_WH7DYF85ep8KkiNKrUIjsgkV9-QwHW8oWYuDrm4694o-6QD/s1600-h/IMG_1903.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB1c8vEI6UNYNrCaJhTC5WOntOmEskqS3qtpOpAUYiEMktEXMmPJgZjB_KcBABnK-wfp-qfNZBH3IcQifImSIK4k5moTB_WH7DYF85ep8KkiNKrUIjsgkV9-QwHW8oWYuDrm4694o-6QD/s200/IMG_1903.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346553431311460994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsa7V6sIVN96Wq7BtLhK3qMBhNrIKH1DD4xyBxcDkKf-iQJ4g6ZaLIcTUGxa8xsReBP5k3w_H4r1uXkt4ShE6QzYPdfFUhTObBquyCJRItdGIz53g56KTX6KfQg-uktg8z6R6jtNmJTCQ7/s1600-h/IMG_1902.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsa7V6sIVN96Wq7BtLhK3qMBhNrIKH1DD4xyBxcDkKf-iQJ4g6ZaLIcTUGxa8xsReBP5k3w_H4r1uXkt4ShE6QzYPdfFUhTObBquyCJRItdGIz53g56KTX6KfQg-uktg8z6R6jtNmJTCQ7/s200/IMG_1902.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346553423649039938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRfdGvUcOVzPXhSu93gloWmUpyYhfKxI77ib9Nw4glUkIDM4Z_nVMhnNZVEWwrnG1nGVLe9YgJpvUxESmkKf_rw2664vlRbjdNfY1Te8cqiO9Wb3mBs34M7abH481S_HFEpc2_B6b109w/s1600-h/IMG_0755.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRfdGvUcOVzPXhSu93gloWmUpyYhfKxI77ib9Nw4glUkIDM4Z_nVMhnNZVEWwrnG1nGVLe9YgJpvUxESmkKf_rw2664vlRbjdNfY1Te8cqiO9Wb3mBs34M7abH481S_HFEpc2_B6b109w/s200/IMG_0755.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346553417061466994" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwA5osm_D1n5WWAmvMfNKor2QI77-NEiDrr3MI9Yi519zZbvPSX2MbpPdBNT0Imm_3JkAGdrVAfXaXrYkyu' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRfdGvUcOVzPXhSu93gloWmUpyYhfKxI77ib9Nw4glUkIDM4Z_nVMhnNZVEWwrnG1nGVLe9YgJpvUxESmkKf_rw2664vlRbjdNfY1Te8cqiO9Wb3mBs34M7abH481S_HFEpc2_B6b109w/s1600-h/IMG_0755.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRfdGvUcOVzPXhSu93gloWmUpyYhfKxI77ib9Nw4glUkIDM4Z_nVMhnNZVEWwrnG1nGVLe9YgJpvUxESmkKf_rw2664vlRbjdNfY1Te8cqiO9Wb3mBs34M7abH481S_HFEpc2_B6b109w/s200/IMG_0755.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346553417061466994" border="0" /></a>Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-51299549455259985862009-06-12T13:43:00.000-07:002009-06-12T14:06:20.121-07:00June 10--Driving June 11--Farmington NM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2GIWxDtsKNEYn16mawAuYqGTIMWLSnwq4yHVpxkk1ofQRlJgvrebHAVqSi0eCVzbic-PBcwPpCXg7huRnNhMzA1A7fxuukX6Nw_3CjKsODTDMav6TsfKnUNuiAYjOILUo9URjiwFcDQI/s1600-h/IMG_0740.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2GIWxDtsKNEYn16mawAuYqGTIMWLSnwq4yHVpxkk1ofQRlJgvrebHAVqSi0eCVzbic-PBcwPpCXg7huRnNhMzA1A7fxuukX6Nw_3CjKsODTDMav6TsfKnUNuiAYjOILUo9URjiwFcDQI/s200/IMG_0740.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346550019458399522" border="0" /></a><br />June 10 2009<br /><br />Woke up to the sound of rain. It was amplified by the roof of the motorhome and allowed us to sleep in for an extra hour (or two), but we were disappointed that this would mean no South Boundary trail. All that time spent squinting at the map . . . wasted. After reviewing the weather in Taos for the next couple days, we decided that we had to move on. Without further delay, we hit the road in search of the sun. I got to drive the motorhome for about 4 hours. The road was amazing through Carson National Forest. We went above the snow line and walked around for a while in the wet mud before continuing the drive to Farmington, NM. Yeah, I know, Farmington. There are some pretty sweet trails out here and the sunshine was welcome. After consulting a local bike shop (Haven Cycles), we headed up to the Foothills area. The trails were smooth, non-technical and contained many (MANY) whoopties. Historically, the single track was reserved for mountain bikes and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIme3CMOfrQFZPP9pvR_-1leBeBBOXNAfV7HmQqqFcnx3-l9zgInr_SdlJJOk1-8V7NoL3wv4flh03Hu1pEvnROUU1UNd7c5IvbVPrkrOu4iJZb6LO-98kVZaGbqVgPdgrS3R1y-njlbs/s1600-h/IMG_0748.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIme3CMOfrQFZPP9pvR_-1leBeBBOXNAfV7HmQqqFcnx3-l9zgInr_SdlJJOk1-8V7NoL3wv4flh03Hu1pEvnROUU1UNd7c5IvbVPrkrOu4iJZb6LO-98kVZaGbqVgPdgrS3R1y-njlbs/s200/IMG_0748.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346550026569910002" border="0" /></a>motorcycles. ATV’s not allowed. Recently, (within the last six weeks) there was a scuffle involving 4-wheelers and motorcyclists. The 4-wheelers want access to the trails, but are ruining the single track in the process. Now, there are sections for 4-wheelers and motorcycles and a smaller region for mountain bikes only. A lot of the signs were ripped down, which made navigating a scavenger hunt. The region for mountain bikes only is clear—that is the trails were really fun, fast, and narrow. Even though we started riding at 7:30pm, we finished our 19.3 mile loop around 9:30pm. I know that is after dark, but we remembered to bring our headlamps because we knew this might be a possible scenario. Eric ran over a snake (in the dark), which looked like a stick, but it wasn’t. I gave a death scream and managed to avoid running over the snake.<br /><br />June 11, 2009<br /><br />We had sausage and eggs for breakfast. Mmmmm mmm. We headed back up to the Foothills area to ride some of the trails we missed from the night before. What I may have eluted to before is that the other trails are wider and looser and just not as much fun. That was today. We started on a loop called Anasazi which Eric and I debated time-trialing for the rest of the day, but against our better judgment decided to try some other trails. By halfway, we were both exhausted. I think part of it was the late night ride from the day before. My shorts were driving me crazy too. We got sick of doing whoopties and power-pumping every possible dip. Finally, we climbed our last ascent and ended at the motorhome. We BBQed some beef in the parking lot of the amphitheater and relaxed for a little while until we realized that it was already after 4pm. I had managed to break 2 spokes on my rear wheel and we needed to make it to the bike shop before they closed. We threw everything in the trailer and rolled into Cottonwood Cycles. They were able to repair my bike before they closed. We chatted with the staff about rides in the area. Everyone said we had to do the UFO Alien ride out of Aztec NM. In fact, they were doing a group ride when the shop closed on that very trail tonight! I was too tired to go and opted to patch my jeans instead, but Eric jumped on board. It is an 8.3 mile loop, which passes a UFO crash site. If you don’t get enough action from the first loop, there is a newly constructed section that adds about 6 miles. With the addition of the Alien loop, Eric managed to ride over 53 miles in less than 24 hours!! Damn. I get to ride the trail in the morning with fresh legs before heading up to Durango.<br /><br />Sorry for so few pictures! Will try and upload some more later.Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-19729144095236519152009-06-10T12:19:00.000-07:002009-06-10T12:34:03.358-07:00June 9--Taos, NM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xPy1U38uoC8wED8RN6-ownqfI6VpF5NJZ6tZoECZfUY1ysJWGyMfAIBBHIVItr-qPWYxl7FuvN4QDEhMXT45ry_4adJyYdZ4gtLNWVqMDzqIVN6qLCJwcz4Bt6bvrnHB53e2dLCUnp11/s1600-h/6-9-09+024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xPy1U38uoC8wED8RN6-ownqfI6VpF5NJZ6tZoECZfUY1ysJWGyMfAIBBHIVItr-qPWYxl7FuvN4QDEhMXT45ry_4adJyYdZ4gtLNWVqMDzqIVN6qLCJwcz4Bt6bvrnHB53e2dLCUnp11/s200/6-9-09+024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345783782085687970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Yesterday was pretty boring. We awoke in Salida CO, drove to Pueblo CO to have the motorhome checked out. Nothing major, just some things neither Eric or I could figure out on our own for some reason. Called my dad, who fixed half our issues over the phone. I think if we just parked at a giant RV park we could wander around and talk to all the other RVers to figure ours out. The goal was to make it to Taos, NM, which we did easily with enough time to talk to a local bike shop for the scoop on good rides. The shop was called Gearing Up and had a great selection of single trail maps with awesome descriptions. We opted for a large map showing the entire area and spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out which trails would have the least brutal climbs based on the nearly invisible contour lines. We parked in Carson National Forest just off highway 522 north<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywoYxzYiHG8e76RTFIGiwsfOADjuWQ1vh3Z0zcWoh_mnG6hCsHQmnPYSfwTgdbw_8mfe4thqRgQ66hDSired8jzvGEqaeWvJtme2OD3GZ90v1a81hxWxBAl9qEUJGpcFJNV8N_LdAeb08/s1600-h/6-9-09+K+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywoYxzYiHG8e76RTFIGiwsfOADjuWQ1vh3Z0zcWoh_mnG6hCsHQmnPYSfwTgdbw_8mfe4thqRgQ66hDSired8jzvGEqaeWvJtme2OD3GZ90v1a81hxWxBAl9qEUJGpcFJNV8N_LdAeb08/s200/6-9-09+K+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345783769986550594" border="0" /></a> of Taos. It was the first time we used the slide-out feature on the motorhome. We seriously have room for yoga for two, twister, a picnic . . . it’s pretty wide open.<br />This morning, we woke up and got ready for our ride. We decided that it would be best to go early to avoid the hottest part of the day, but at 8am it was probably only about 50 degrees. Brrr. So much for finding the sun! The ride was called Horse Thief and tracked along the rim of the Rio Grande. We thought there would be sweet views of the river, but they were few and far between. We didn’t mind because the trail was so fast and fun, it would be hard to stop and relish in the beauty of the river. Besides, I think we managed to navigate the trail by instinct. The only time we stopped to think about which way to go, we almost got on the wrong track. By the time we arrived b<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcabuWVUuieHQgKN2nJNNKcIfgdK9bNATy8aZZMnxV_WVJmrlyHwV-N1h0OaXAVzcGOfge36oruPtKbicCD0lPKrz5MTs69ifkETpfOFD9wTiUBw1tDieF5HQ5zB_cO_7MSG5uyA-CcZo/s1600-h/6-9-09+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcabuWVUuieHQgKN2nJNNKcIfgdK9bNATy8aZZMnxV_WVJmrlyHwV-N1h0OaXAVzcGOfge36oruPtKbicCD0lPKrz5MTs69ifkETpfOFD9wTiUBw1tDieF5HQ5zB_cO_7MSG5uyA-CcZo/s200/6-9-09+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345783766520928466" border="0" /></a>ack at the motorhome, the day had officially reached peak temps (maybe 75?).<br />We thought our bike ride would have lasted until 12 or 1pm, and so we were a little surprised to find ourselves back home by 11. Our next decision may have been one of the poorest ones so far, but it all turned out well in the end, so no regrets. We decided that since it was still early in the day, we would go ahead and raft the river today too! By the time we found the campground near the put in and shuttled the cars around, it was 3:30pm. Not to worry, only a mile hike in with the uninflated raft and all our gear, left and then we can push off to enjoy the scenic river. While Eric shuttled the vehicles, I sat and watched the clouds build for the afternoon. The wind picked up and I started wondering if Eric would make it back to the campground on the motorcycle. Hmmmm. He did, but the weather had turned a little cold and rain looked imminent. So, we hiked down anyway. I wiped out on the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6agxfAsrvH7soG2pKIp_5Yu0K0znDSFdMouiQAsQ7U0FpQ7ME2tLgWku8xIjtwRa0QVb7QdK_vyK2hESuDXoB4wnQfoqS8c5mqWiJeAlbZbclm_eRrcDbgaPcIIIhDZ_zdhC5FFKrP5m/s1600-h/6-9-09+Raft+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6agxfAsrvH7soG2pKIp_5Yu0K0znDSFdMouiQAsQ7U0FpQ7ME2tLgWku8xIjtwRa0QVb7QdK_vyK2hESuDXoB4wnQfoqS8c5mqWiJeAlbZbclm_eRrcDbgaPcIIIhDZ_zdhC5FFKrP5m/s200/6-9-09+Raft+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345783783803024002" border="0" /></a>trail, but no injuries incurred. We pumped up the raft and set sail just after 4:30pm. If you have ever rafted before, you probably know that the wind only travels up river, hence making traveling down river in flat sections more challenging. We also had know idea where we put on the river because the ranger had told us to put on at this particular spot (up river from where we had planned to put on) so we weren’t really sure how far we had to go. Immediately, we had a couple good waves followed by a serious boulder garden that lasted for a good quarter mile. The water was gushing! Then, we hit the long, flat, windy section, with the bonus of some rain. It may sound pretty terrible, except Eric and I were well equipp<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0UskOBEdU7mBjjQ6WlG5-loY3exdhJhtgvyr6NslCwgt1c71RkGZflUUN169Vktb7zoEwsxq8clIY0csJV4ombt-B7Rx2ZL0X87PLriJt1LW-Kpeo654Vr0UvEGpbpII_-DHDGnzUQcr/s1600-h/6-9-09+Raft+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0UskOBEdU7mBjjQ6WlG5-loY3exdhJhtgvyr6NslCwgt1c71RkGZflUUN169Vktb7zoEwsxq8clIY0csJV4ombt-B7Rx2ZL0X87PLriJt1LW-Kpeo654Vr0UvEGpbpII_-DHDGnzUQcr/s200/6-9-09+Raft+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345783790900848274" border="0" /></a>ed with dry tops and bottoms, booties, gloves and helmets to keep us warm and dry. Our only concern was the landmark on the river where we had intended to put on, never appeared. This meant that we could have been farther upstream when we put on than we thought. Luckily, the confluence (two rivers connecting) we were expecting was a fantasy and we reached our takeout in the daylight. It stopped raining and the sun came out for us to pack up the gear. One of the rivers must have been completely dry because we never came across it. We feasted on bean burritos and hot chocolate before driving back to the put-in where the motorcycle sat waiting for our return. We are camping at the in Wild Rivers Recreation Area (no joke.). Tomorrow, we are thinking about hitting the epic South Boundary Trail weather pending.Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-22290725569767861892009-06-08T12:28:00.001-07:002009-06-08T12:48:57.699-07:00June 7--Buena Vista trails/CO trailAhh! The sound of traffic on 285! What a pleasant was to wake up! We stopped by Best Western for some free internet, checked email. Hmm. I don't know that anyone is missing me yet. We then strolled into the Trailhead b<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibG0OqypBiVz2BCzmLdAZjnsZlh-vTALeVm_KY1QliseiJTGajhcKYnHd8C5zhR4ZjK0eojs_VGwKqruxMHKOqfRr45jZcCRNjfOUsHEAZrpdck-NkUIOOjfSpB6iIQlLzclPbaZSxKTdx/s1600-h/IMG_1882.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibG0OqypBiVz2BCzmLdAZjnsZlh-vTALeVm_KY1QliseiJTGajhcKYnHd8C5zhR4ZjK0eojs_VGwKqruxMHKOqfRr45jZcCRNjfOUsHEAZrpdck-NkUIOOjfSpB6iIQlLzclPbaZSxKTdx/s200/IMG_1882.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345045362487529234" border="0" /></a>ike shop in Buena Vista for some advice on bike trails. Eric did most of the talking, I just wandered the store. To start, we headed to the river put on for the Arkansa Town Run at the town park. We rode a nice technical single track trail from Whipple to Broken Boyfriend trails. BB is a new trail and really fun! The entire loop was less than 4 miles so we headed up FR 344 to catch part of the CO trail. Although bruttle at first, the scenic views were incredible the whole way and well worth the effort. The trail eventually took off on a nice decent. It was fun, but I was anticipating the return trip to be a grueling climb. I was not disappointed. We turned back after about 7 miles in (of 11 possible), and were hungry, exhausted, and pretty smelly. I do<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsAntCfhVRcW7uMUgcaCq38jFN2qHcSTIxLt8_7C9Hw2eQ9cjyTfuZ3VAeah_Av3iwwuR_083DgYade0KQffKSTy4aWX_qN3PxtjZCjvve_PSigx__j1sXHBEHgaQZjdJ0P4PwRL03hJO/s1600-h/IMG_1881.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsAntCfhVRcW7uMUgcaCq38jFN2qHcSTIxLt8_7C9Hw2eQ9cjyTfuZ3VAeah_Av3iwwuR_083DgYade0KQffKSTy4aWX_qN3PxtjZCjvve_PSigx__j1sXHBEHgaQZjdJ0P4PwRL03hJO/s200/IMG_1881.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345045373832968338" border="0" /></a>n't know that this is what I had in mind for heading South. I wanted to be warm, but this whole ride was done in cold weather riding gear with winds holding steady 30mph. We only had a little snow blasts, but gosh, pretty freakin' cold for heading South to the sun. We had steak for dinner with corn and french fries, but neither one of us could eat much. Too tired. We tried showering in the motorhome for the first time. Where's the hot water? Still got some<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOuWxyk8nXsgg6zu3ToKbgYmmwrSfWc0qFBdYnplH5hUzv_Z667FSxIaCVmR2HvijLRmjYPGVrjN89GyagmAvDM1J1PdquC4yLySEqAObtKzLAyioyahl_45Y7eehoqrnQo6UwFhBt6sJ/s1600-h/IMG_1878.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOuWxyk8nXsgg6zu3ToKbgYmmwrSfWc0qFBdYnplH5hUzv_Z667FSxIaCVmR2HvijLRmjYPGVrjN89GyagmAvDM1J1PdquC4yLySEqAObtKzLAyioyahl_45Y7eehoqrnQo6UwFhBt6sJ/s200/IMG_1878.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345045368783893906" border="0" /></a> learning to do.Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-28193566601424138632009-06-07T08:26:00.000-07:002009-06-07T08:33:31.814-07:00Day 1 –June 6, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDUXlxkTdotsfmLPIpXWm-o2xMynDZol73ZE6lLypwU7VUNjOsJ3SmdIn9fxA2TJNmHX8EyKkIYLv2f6VrT0BG8-iQVsGp2Ml2NNJN6R1TGEV8sJy1DxGA820jcHwSv7ctU4nHaIV0hG-/s1600-h/IMG_1859.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDUXlxkTdotsfmLPIpXWm-o2xMynDZol73ZE6lLypwU7VUNjOsJ3SmdIn9fxA2TJNmHX8EyKkIYLv2f6VrT0BG8-iQVsGp2Ml2NNJN6R1TGEV8sJy1DxGA820jcHwSv7ctU4nHaIV0hG-/s200/IMG_1859.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344608622326051058" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Today we awoke the first day that we were on vacation. It didn't feel like it for awhile because we hadn't spent much time packing all the random miscellaneous piles of paper work, clothes, kitchen utensils and electronic equipment. Eric had some extra work to do with batteries and I spent my morning stuffing all our stuff in cabinets. By noon, I had discovered several items that belonged at work (whoops!) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWc2GhgP9jc2TKp1Dw8TyAWqWHFCAFbSS9Lzii_3hlPDYHuadLQZMddDjYgQgoGtP8lGjxJwTf4Jm4U96J8t1Iv7HxXsgVek50DCFRTLVA3hne6JczsEHvHNs5fyCLejmKPkMDoUTgfwk/s1600-h/IMG_1860.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWc2GhgP9jc2TKp1Dw8TyAWqWHFCAFbSS9Lzii_3hlPDYHuadLQZMddDjYgQgoGtP8lGjxJwTf4Jm4U96J8t1Iv7HxXsgVek50DCFRTLVA3hne6JczsEHvHNs5fyCLejmKPkMDoUTgfwk/s200/IMG_1860.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344608626803891090" border="0" /></a>and had thought of 2 things left at work that I wanted to keep. We made a special trip in to Cristol Chem on the motorcycle. When we got back to the house, we had nothing to do but roll out of town.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One thing we could have done better is plan where we were going. It wasn't until be were cruising down 93 that we decided to hit the Centennial Cone Trail. We had tried to do this trail before, but the timing never worked out. It may have only been a 30 minute drive, but it took our great adventure to bring us to the trailhead of the CCT. It was possibly the best way to start this trip. The trail was amazing! It was 95% single track which was smooth as a baby's, well you know, and had spectacular views the whole way. We were unable to do the normal loop because a portion was closed, however, we were able to do the majority of the trail as an out and back. It was our first ride, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DdYaas12ojkzK9eO_JXc7n8UynB56HmzIh4kzjYUgNPb3QnLlxhv5ned7Egbi9ZtLs8f0MfWcd4FMnfikIeCrd4_7PwaTd4zgMO68sdc9UsfAmtwXf7hPE4-CiBPsFKZvYSKzWCDpFNo/s1600-h/IMG_1870.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DdYaas12ojkzK9eO_JXc7n8UynB56HmzIh4kzjYUgNPb3QnLlxhv5ned7Egbi9ZtLs8f0MfWcd4FMnfikIeCrd4_7PwaTd4zgMO68sdc9UsfAmtwXf7hPE4-CiBPsFKZvYSKzWCDpFNo/s200/IMG_1870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344608630965943010" border="0" /></a>so we expected to be tired when we arrived back at the motorhome. We didn't expect that our elevation gain would be over 5,500 vertical feet. That's like doing Ward 1.5 times! Our trip mileage was 23.1 miles. Although the technical level of the CCT was easy, it is not for someone who doesn't have a bit of endurance built up.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For tonight, we are sleeping at Kenosha Pass. We cooked up some huevos rancheros and had giant glasses of juice (Eric) and water (me). Our fridge is flashing *F *A, which is a little concerning because neither one of us knows what that stands for. We will have to google it tomorrow. Time for bed.</p>Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-47503286190229454322009-05-28T11:47:00.000-07:002009-05-28T11:57:02.954-07:00First photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVWBj9T3TY1r9puhst4wMRPM2isVdsgjIuXoVzQu6l_oqPFga0t7J6QzJYq9xqLnYVvYUw606-eNbQbI-g-oZs2XGgpoNK0maut36xoqZf2nYR2hXyFujvY35TVuN0iRyk_FftaFdJqMM/s1600-h/IMG_1629.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVWBj9T3TY1r9puhst4wMRPM2isVdsgjIuXoVzQu6l_oqPFga0t7J6QzJYq9xqLnYVvYUw606-eNbQbI-g-oZs2XGgpoNK0maut36xoqZf2nYR2hXyFujvY35TVuN0iRyk_FftaFdJqMM/s320/IMG_1629.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340949909523759858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxvB8tBsSk3sfUgzQMyZOanKcnzSUTMtcBdNWC99Zz3P6q8WT5zB0Ze96ypAYAjkQLYn_B8QSLRzaqvII91bvgRnf8zVb0XCQy5nnkcOkPc88AcptdzlQFfa_qndp9Kooyngwk2FfBu6j/s1600-h/IMG_1700.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxvB8tBsSk3sfUgzQMyZOanKcnzSUTMtcBdNWC99Zz3P6q8WT5zB0Ze96ypAYAjkQLYn_B8QSLRzaqvII91bvgRnf8zVb0XCQy5nnkcOkPc88AcptdzlQFfa_qndp9Kooyngwk2FfBu6j/s320/IMG_1700.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340949045227963074" border="0" /></a>In order to get around Eric decided we needed a motorized bike. I have to learn how to ride it. So far, I take if up and down my road. I stop at the sign and do a tight turn to get back to my house. It was not my idea, but Eric insists it is absolutely required for shuttling long rides. Maybe he's right! It is a lot of fun . . .<br />Our second motorized vehicle doubles as our home. The Chateau Sport! We will drive, cook, sleep, and shower in luxury. Jealous? Should be. Jesus fish included in the purchase! I have moved into the CS which is currently parked in my driveway. It is pretty freakin' awesome.Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-42690384775044529712009-05-28T08:18:00.000-07:002009-05-28T08:44:21.070-07:0010 Day Weather OutlookToday we can see the weather for the first day of our trip. Amazing! I am sure it is not accurate, out 10 days and all, but the weather in Salida, CO is supposed to be 72 degrees and sunny. That doesn't sound perfect, huh? I have been training for how to relax and enjoy my company. This past weekend we had several appearances from friends that assisted my training. The infamous Autumn swung through Boulder for the Bolder Bolder 10K running race. Katie's bro, Brad, stayed with us. We decided he can only visit once a year because it is so much fun. Ms. Nikki Uhre also decided to drop in on Sunday for a visit. At the race on Monday she held a sign that reads: Don't poop your pants Brad, Katie, Krista. It's a long story. My favorite breakfast joint is now the Southside cafe. We ate there twice in 3 days. They have the perfect combination of choices for anyone really. The joy brought by this last weekend is seriously going to help me make it until next Saturday. It is already Thursday!!!<br /><br />Last night, I decided to go for a jog. I threw on some non-smelly clothes and headed out the door around 7:30pm. I was hoping to feel like an antelope, but I felt more like a wounded sloth. My breathing was labored and my feet felt heavy. Instead of cruising the neighborhood, I chose the trails across the street. I figure if I'm going to feel this bad, I might as well enjoy the scenery that has been exploding with color with all the past rain. After crossing the creek, I felt better and the thought popped into my head, "What if I never get to do this run again?" Now, I like this thought and hate it at the same time because it usually ends up as a challenge. For example, there are many trails in this area that can be run with moderate effort, but there are some that I consider to be epic. If I am concerned that I will never get to run on these trails again, I will tell myself that before I leave, I need to do XY or Z before I leave. Last night, when "What if I never get to do this run again?" popped into my head, I was thinking of one of my epic loops. My next thought was, "Well, before I leave, I will do it. . . " only to realize that my days here are numbered. Of course the challenge is not just the route. The challenge also includes not walking at all. Instead of planning to do it someday before I leave, to do it now. It only took about an hour or so, but it is no run for beginners. The most amazing part was how I felt. It wasn't painful or slow like how it began. My breathing stabilized and my legs felt strong. My heart felt so much happiness! I saw deer and the most beautiful red fox! I got home exhausted but happy and I want to do it again. and again. and again.Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7031090145751893353.post-19018182453565536552009-05-19T17:22:00.000-07:002009-05-19T17:45:17.874-07:00The countdown begins!Seriously. I have been waiting forever to leave on this trip. I couldn't be more anxious about heading out than now. My current job is not wrapping up, which is incredibly frustrating. All I want is closure, finality. What I get is, "Hey, you should try this other experiment." or "you have time to show XXXX how to run those assays, right?" Sure I do! Between packing, moving, piling all our stuff into a motor-home/trailer, transporting cars, selling off all my furniture, and trying to stay sane. I am also supposed to be writing for a post-doctoral fellowship for my next job. That's coming along nicely. HA! What is today? Ah, yes, the 19th of May. I have 17 days until we push off out of the driveway. I don't care if there are bike parts and laundry hanging out of the doors, we will at least make it to Lousiville (5 miles) without looking back! Wind in our hair, tunes blasting, dishes rattling, the works. Every time something really bad happens I will think, "So this is Hell? Great! Well, at least there is a light up ahead. It will only take 17 days to reach it! In that time I vow not to kill anyone or injure myself. Period." Smile. Just smile. Trying not to look smug. Futile.<div><br /></div>Krista & Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344402973601698744noreply@blogger.com1