Got Sand??

I am just about blogged out today. I really don't like playing catch, but I have saved this for last. Since I got the new ATV I have been hunting around for paddle tires with no luck. We have been to Little Sahara, Knowles, and St. Anthony so far this year and she has performed exceptionally well with stock tires. On our last trip which was St. Anthony I couldn't get to the top of Choke Cherry, which is the first hill I haven't been able to get up with the stock tires. I talked Mike into coming up this weekend and going to St. Anthony with me and set out on a mission to locate these paddle tires that everyone said couldn't be found. Low and behold after calling a number of dealerships, several wheel manufacturers, and searching the internet I found a possible solution. I got it ordered in to a local dealership and installed. I am way excited take it out to the dunes this weekend. Natalie still doesn't think that I can make it to the top of the hill.

Ibapah?? Where the ???

We once again made the jaunt to Ibapah to place a dance for their family reunion. Just as a side note these past couple of posts all took place in a weeks time. We went up to Island Park for a couple days, came home, I went backpacking, Natalie went to St. George to hang out with Becky, we met up in Salt Lake Saturday morning & zipped out to the all night dance. Natalie's friend Kami her friend Ben came out and joined us for the dance. It was fun to have them come out. Kami is a nurse and took a look at my poor feet. Her only diagnosis was a laugh though so a lot of good that did me. The turn out was good and it was fun to see people that we haven't seen in a while. They danced the night away. Natalie and I even got a dance or two. We now have one more tale to tell about our band adventures.

What was I thinking????

I have come to the conclusion that a person should learn from the past & that once in a lifetime experiences should only be endured once in a lifetime. That isn't to say that I will take my own advice and never do this again, I'm just saying that it would be in my best interest.

As a Varsity group this year we planned a 50-mile backpacking trip through the Sawtooth National Forest in Central Idaho. I came back with a few new insights. 1)-50 miles is a lot further than one thinks it is. 2)- 60 lbs. might not seem like a great deal of weight when you are carrying it from the house to the truck, but 13 miles down the trail you begin to consider every item that's bearing down on you back. 3)- While walking 50 miles you are left with a great deal of time to consider what's in your backpack, why you aren't in better shape, why you wanted to walk in a 50 mile circle, & who ever came up with the idea of backpacking anyway. 4)- When you stop thinking about how bad your feet and you back hurt you will be amazed at how beautiful the area is that you are traveling though and wonder why you have never done this before.

I really did have a good time. The temperatures were a bit cold for some of the group, but perfect for me. I like weather a bit cooler. It did hail on us a couple of days, but once again I have come to expect snow and hail on any scouting trips I take during the summer. The other that I went with were not used to such fortune. We made the full 50-mile loop even though the forest service did not recommend or even feel that it was possible to do so. Some of the snowy passes were pretty trecherous and they might have had a good point. The mountain peaks & lakes were amazing, some of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to take Natalie & others part way in on this trail. I am not sure that I am up for the full thing for quite some time. I do recommend that everyone should try and do a full 50-miler in their life. It is quite an accomplishment.

Chillin' at the Cabin

Our week at the cabin landed over the 4th of July weekend this year. Everyone we invited seemed to have things come up this year so we ended up there on our own. It was fun to just hang out and not have much of a schedule. We took the ATV's up this year and found some really cool trail's to go riding on. Natalie was happy to do some trail riding after spending the previous day at the dunes. It was amazing how green and pretty everything was. We went and saw Mesa Falls which had a ton of water going over it with the wet spring we have had. We spent a day in West Yellowstone, saw Johnny Sacks cabin, Big Springs, & watched the fire works out over the lake. All and all it was a great place to relax for a couple of days and get ready for my next adventure. If only all vacations could be this simple and wonderful.

Lovin' the Sand

I absolutly love my new ATV & have grown to love the dunes. July 1st, ( I know I haven't posted in a while), we went to the St. Anthony sand dunes and had a blast. We were on our way up to Island Park so we didn't have a whole lot of time & since it was just Natalie, the kids, & I things didn't get too extreme. Sara & Corbin absolutely had to ride with Dad while we were at the dunes. This made me question the areas that I would be able to ride. I was shocked & amazed that Corbin kept asking me to ride up, down, and around things that I questioned if I really wanted to do. Sara hung on behind me and we had a blast. Choke Cherry is the big hill climb spot at St. Anthony. You can't see the bottom half of this hill, but I only made it about 3/4 of the way up with my stock tires. It was pretty steep, rough at the bottom, & very fine dry sand. My sweet wife, after large amounts of coersion, let me buy some paddle tires and we are going to go up there and try it again. I am hoping to come back with some more pics. I love the sand.