By the way

It is currently warm enough for me to bask in the sun in my bathing suit.

I really do love this weather!

Obligatory New Year Post

Well, it's a New Year.

This past year I lived in Texas and California.  On New Years Day we drove from my in laws to my sister's place in NC.  We ate all the "lucky" food she could think of to give us all luck over the course of the year.

We then stopped in Memphis, were amazed by Graceland and underwhelmed by Beale St.

The drive then took us through some boring states to end up in big, 'ol "Everything-is-bigger-in" Texas!

The Best Man and I lived in Fort Worth Texas for about 7 months.  We lived "downtown" and loved walking to restaurants, shops (well, I did anyway), and the local trail system for running and biking.  The two of us got more into running and ran several races (a couple of 5k's, one 10k and two 1/2 marathons).  We made some really good friends with my local co-workers including other travelers.  The Best Man also found some local work and really liked have co-workers (especially local ones) for a change.

Some how we survived the summer in Texas, though it was not a pretty sight!

We then packed it all up at the end of the summer (including my new cowgirl boots!) and made for California.  Along the way we went to Monahands State Park and sand dunes, hiked the highest point in Texas (Guadalupe Peak), explored the caves of Carlsbad Caverns and wondered at the bats, hiked along and under the rim of Bryce Cannyon, hiked Angles Landing and the Narrows in Zion National Park, stood on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, and hiked to the bottom and back up to the top of the Grand Canyon with hundreds of pictures, a few scraps and just as many new friends and one scorpion sting to show for it.

We've been living in California for the past 3 months.  The weather is perfect.  There is so much to see and do.  We have only been down to San Diego a couple of times, however have plans to continue exploring the city and the surrounding area.

Here's to 2013 and more adventures to come!

More Shoes

I really want to buy a house.

So I can buy more shoes.

I only have 11 pairs.

Angles Landing

Today we hiked Angles Landing.  It started off very steep with countless switch backs.  I didn't think it could get any harder until we saw a sign 0.5 miles to the summit.  Here is where the real work began.  The rest of the climb was straight up over the ridge with the ground 1400 ft or so below.  We held on to chains staked into the ground to help with ascent.  There is only one way up and down, so we had to pull over numerous times to let people going down pass us by.  The view of the valley was spectacular once we got to the top.  Tomorrow we plan to do a run in the valley (ie. flat!) before heading to Knab, where we will meet up on Monday morning for our REI Grand Canyon trip.

The Narrows

We hiked the Narrows, a slot canyon, today.  It was wet and now I'm tired.  I'm glad to have both my ankles intact.

Zion Day Two

Zion Day 2.  After sleeping in until 8 AM, we began the day with one of the hardest hikes in the park, Observation Point.  With over 2100 ft in elevation gain over the 3.5 to 4 miles to the top, this was one steep hike.  It wasn't as steep as the hike up Guadalupe Peak in TX, but it was pretty hard.  It took us just under 2 hours and 10 minutes to reach the top.  I huffed and puffed the whole way.  The Best Man kept making me take breaks because apparently, not only did I feel like I was going to pass out, I looked like it too.  We finally reached the top and enjoyed the view during lunch.  Had a quick phone interview, then made our way down. 

On the way down it was The Best Man (and our knees) turn to complain, "Where's my icecream?!"  We finally made it to the bottom, did a quick 0.4 mile round trip hike to see Weeping Rock (seep springs which make a hanging garden on the rock face), then made our way to ice cream.  Soft serve.  Plain vanilla for The Best Man and Swirl for me.  So good.  We did a few more shorter (and thankfully flatter) hikes before making our way back to camp.  After showering we had some really good Thai food followed by more icecream. 

Tomorrow we explore "The Narrows" which are some slot canyons, much of the hike will be wading through water. 

Valleys and Canyons

Yesterday we went through the Valley of the Gods and then Monument Valley.  Valley of the Gods, appears to be the less known or at least less visited of the two.  We went "off roading" on a cinder path through the valley.  The enormous orange and red structures jutted out of the ground haphazardly.  It was neat for the first 3-4 miles.  It was a 17 mile journey.  We stopped half way and had lunch then bounced and rolled out of there. 

Monument Valley was a complete and utter zoo.  There were hundreds of tourists, most of them foreign.  It was funny to see how different cultures pose for pictures.  Though I'm sure The Best Man's handstands and my jumping for pictures were amusing to them.  One of the tourists tried to cut in front of everyone in the bathroom line.  When it was my turn.  This did not go over well with me.  I told her there was a line and she apologized in broken English.  I'm going to assume this was a cultural difference and not that she meant to cut in front of 5 women in line.  We got our pictures at the viewing spot and left because we didn't want to deal with another 1-2 hour drive over a dirt road.  And this time with more people.

Then we ended the day in Bryce Canyon.  We didn't have time for a several hour hike, so we opted to go out as far as we were comfortable before turning back.  Looking down from along the rim provided the best view of the canyon, though it was interesting to see the "hoodoos" up close as we made our way to the bottom of the canyon. 

The next morning we started our day with a run along the rim trail.  We logged in just over 3.3 miles and got many stares from old travelers huffing and puffing as the leisurely strolled along.  Next stop, Zion.

Though it is only a 2-2.5 hour drive between Bryce and Zion the weather changed drastically.  We were so cold over the night and had to keep moving to stay warm during our morning run.  When we arrived in Zion, I couldn't change into less clothing fast enough.  First, we found a campsite, The Best Man set up the tent while I made lunch.  After eating we did a 3 mile hike that included some waterfalls (minimal water, but tall in height).  We just had a gourmet dinner of Chef Boardi Ravioli.  Such is camping life.  We have several more days to explore Zion.  Then it's off to the Grand Canyon before heading to California! 

Please note, the first part of this post was written yesterday.  I do not have the battery power nor patience to correct the wording.