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The Arches!

These pictures are of a trip Josh just took to the Arches last week with a bunch of buddies from Utah. It was awesome and from what he tells me plus all the pictures, it sounds like he had a total blast. On their last day there, they took a grueling ten-mile hike that just about tested everybody to the max, literally climbing straight down (and back up) through the rock structures without any foot or hand holds, having to use their backs and arms to brace themselves as they climbed up and down through the rocks....sounds like a blast (NOT!) for us armchair adventurers! He still can barely move from the hike! One of the pictures in the slide show is of a lady who was tucked away among the rocks, playing Indian music on some instrument, similar to the flute. Josh said it sounded so cool to hear her play that beautifully haunting music among the rocks. It's so beautiful here....just another trip I have added to Maddie's and my "Must Do" list in the not-so-distant future!

Josh at the Arches: May 2009

Friday, April 17, 2009

Maddie's first hike to Flat Top!





Maddie went on her first hike up Flat Top today! It was SO much fun though the only wildlife we saw was a lizard which probably suited Maddie just fine. Flat Top is what we have nicknamed the mountain that is directly across the street from our backyard because it actually is flat on top (which is an intentional coincidence because if I remember correctly, Doug used to also hike a mountain called Flat Top when he was growing up in Round Valley as a kid!) Josh has been hiking it for a few weeks and I decided Josh shouldn't be the only person around our house having so much fun so off we went and it turned out to be a great little hike to the top! What an incredible view! For some reason, it never fails to amaze me just how many mountains we have here in the desert. Absolutely gorgeous! In one of the pictures, you can see our house from the top of the mountain....it's the fourth house to the left (the one with the BBQ). Now that Maddie is 4 (and going on 14, it seems!), I'm starting to look for some hikes she and I can do together. She was a total trooper the whole way. I kept expecting her to get tired and wanting to be carried (yeah, that's going to happen on the uphill climb!) and then I kept trying to grab her hand to keep her from falling but she kept pushing me away, telling me she's totally got it handled and that she wanted to be the "line leader" coming down the mountain! Something tells me we've got a nature lover on our hands!
You'll probably notice I'm wearing an ASU shirt in one of the pictures...that's to celebrate that I was just accepted into the Speech and Hearing Science program at ASU for the fall. I'm pretty excited! Emily, you know what that means, don't you? Consider this advanced notice that I'll probably be constantly calling you for help, advice and support! :-)

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2 comments:

  1. MikeApril 19, 2009 at 11:22 PM

    I thought you guys went to RV to hike flat top. Anyway way to go Maddie!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JennaApril 21, 2009 at 7:59 AM

    Congrats on getting into school! Thats awesome.

    ReplyDelete

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Justin and Erica in beautiful Gettysburg: February 2009

When Justin and Erica traveled back east for a few weeks in February, their favorite stop, by far, was Gettysburg. They absolutely fell in love with it and sent me, literally, hundreds of pictures. They were fascinated by its rich history and captivated by the sheer beauty and quaintness of the town. Though I've never visited there, my sister tells me that as pretty as Gettysburg is in February, when these pictures were taken, it is absolutely breathtaking in the spring when everything begins to turn green and the flowers begin to bloom after the long, cold winter. I literally had to go through several hundred pictures to select some for the blog but the few that I have chosen do not even begin to tell the story of Gettysburg. I hope y0u enjoy them as much as I have and please ask Justin and Erica if you have any questions...they have become experts on the area and would love to pass on their knowledge (especially when it comes to the ghosts!)