My Trip

I have been very derelict in my posting lately, I know. I wish I had more time for this because it has its therapeutic value. Hanging laundry is a good distraction, but it has its limits.

Vicki has been filling you in on most of the stuff that's been going on around here, and I can't really add much.

The Grand Canyon trip was great! Dad and I walked down the mule trail (Bright Angel Trail) on Monday. We walked 4.6 of the 6.1 miles (one way), and went down 3000 feet (from about 6800 ft. to about 3800 ft). The going down part was much easier than the going back up part, but I loved it. We were supposed to ride the mules down on Tuesday. My dad made, but I missed the maximum weight by about 6 pounds. I lost about 30 pounds for this trip, but it wasn't quite enough. Having walked the trail the previous day, I wasn't too upset about it. I walked about 8 miles of the Rim Trail instead.

Then we went to Zion National Park. This canyon, you could drive into, as well as hike several trails. We walked one on the easier trials because dad was feeling the effects of Monday's hike, and Tuesday's mule ride: two completely different sets of muscles, all strained in completely differently ways. We spent the night in Springdale, UT, where we had elk-burgers for dinner. Not the first time we've had elk burgers, but it was the first time we had elk burgers at a place that raises elk in their back yard (which got me thinking about what we could put next to our chickens in our own back yard). We were assured the elk on the premises were pets ONLY, and that the limping elk was not the source of our current, fresh, elk burger.

Next stop was Bryce Canyon, my personal favorite. I wish we had more than one day to spend there, but sometimes you just don't know what you're going to see until you get there. We spent a few hours hiking the rim of Bryce CanyonBryce Point to Inspiration Point (and back). Then we had to head back to Las Vegas for our flight home on Thursday.

I have to say, I don't see anything appealing about Las Vegas. We flew in and out of LV because of the cheap airline tickets. My dad loves the place. My mom totally loves the place. I was more than a little appalled at the place. Luckily, I was so tired from the week of canyon-hopping, I could tolerate the overnight stay until our flight out of there, but I could not find many redeeming qualities in that city. It's appropriate that it was built in one of the hottest places on earth.

Well, it was good to get home, even with Bekah's initial cold should. Now, I have to figure out how many elk will fit in our back yard.