Utah is Amazing

This week we finally got some snow in Salt Lake. Our yard is still covered this morning and Camden and I got to play with his sled in our front yard - he was so excited over it - even though it went about 10 feet and stopped.But the thing that makes UT amazing is how diverse the weather can be in different parts of the state. My buddy Eric and I had to go to Southern UT for work yesterday. We left extra early (5 am) to make sure we had some time in the day to squeeze a little biking in while down there. Check out the few pictures we got while biking Gooseberry Mesa near Zion National Park. While everyone in Salt Lake is bundled up and fighting the ice on their driveways - we were mtn biking in 60 degree weather and sunshine.Gooseberry Mesa is a really fun, technical, scenic ride. It's a mix of singletrack and sandstone that take you out to the nose of a huge mesa with spectacular views. The pictures we took are right on the trail. The North and South Rim trails go around the mesa point right on the edge of a 1000 ft cliff. Beautiful and scary at the same time. I've heard a lot of folks say they think this trail is even better than the Slickrock trail in Moab, but I don't know if I agree. This trail is very fun and will test your skill (I went over my handlebars and banged myself up pretty good) but it doesn't have the lung-buster climbs and fun downhills that the Slickrock trail offers.

Overall it was a great day as we had a successful sale for work and were able to get in an epic ride while still making it back home the same day.

Hood River, OR = Home!

Amy, Cam and I just got back from spending out Thanksgiving week in the Northwest. I'm enjoying a Full Sail IPA from Hood River as I write this (When you live in UT you have to make sure you stock up on "real" beer while on a road trip)

We left Tuesday night and drove to Boise, ID which is exactly half way to Hood River. Our main objective of this trip was to check out a coffee shop we are looking to buy in Hood River and see if it is even somewhere we would like to live in the near future.

The drive was not too bad for this time of year. UT has still been too warm and absolutely no sign of snow, so the roads were pretty clear. Tuesday night we hit a small section of road that had some black ice near Twin Falls, ID but other than that it was smooth sailing. The Blue Mountains in Oregon had gotten some snow the day before we got there but the roads were fine. This is a shot I took with my phone while driving through the Blue Mtns:

We got to Hood River on Wed with a few hours of daylight left to check out the town. We loved it! It is alot like main st. Park City but a bit smaller. Hood River is world famous for its windsurfing on the Columbia River but it is a huge playground for anyone who loves the outdoors. There is mtn biking right from town, great road biking, Mt. Hood offers skiing, climbing, hiking, etc. - not to mention the sailing, water sports, and BREW PUBS!! It is less than an hour from Portland and about an hour and a half from Amy's parents.

Here is a link to the website for the coffee shop we are looking to buy: http://www.groundespressobarandcafe.com/

We know it will most likely never be able to support us but it would be fun to have as a hobby that will hopefully generate some income for one of us. It was much bigger and nicer than either one of us imagined and I think we are going to take the next steps to see if we can actually get a loan for it.

I think we both fell in love with Hood River but I think Amy is still a bit concerned with the amount of rain it gets there. It sits just on the east side of the Cascade mtn range. I read that a lot of the rain that hits Portland gets hung up on the Cascades and it doesn't hit Hood River as much but it will still be quite a bit more than UT which is the second driest state in the country.

We stayed at a great hotel in Hood river Wed night and after Breakfast Thursday at the coffee shop, I headed out for a short ride. It was AWESOME!! At one point I was on a nice steady climb with my head down and pushing as hard as I could when I reminded myself to look up and check out the scenery (the main reason for this ride) and when I did - Mt. Hood stood right in front of me. I think that mountain has some sort of power over me that has been calling me to it for years and I am finally going to listen. It is an amazing sight. I was pedaling through lush green trees, then orchard after orchard of apple, pear, and cherry trees with the occasional vineyard woven in - all of this with this beautiful, snow capped mountain standing over it. It was breathtaking!


About mid-day Thursday we headed to Amy's parents for an AMAZING turkey dinner. Amy's mom cooks a huge meal every year and won't let anyone help cook or clean up afterward. I always feel sooo spoiled when we go there (its great!!!) Camden was so cute with his grandparents and his aunt "Rena" After watching Camden grab a book and climb up in his granddad's lap, I knew we had to move closer to them! We spent the rest of the week with Cam's grandparents and aunt. We had such a fun and relaxing time we didn't want to leave!! We went to the park and played a little 2-on-2 bball (guys vs. girls - guys won of course!) and went for a short hike. I even got out for a short ride up Mt. Brennion behind their house and just like in Hood River, I looked up the top of the hill I was cresting just in time to see snow-capped, Mt. St. Helens in front of me (Another great ride!!)We headed out Sunday morning and made it back to Boise, ID again after a brief stop in Hood River for breakfast at the coffee shop. We ran into Greg (the owner now) again. He seems like a really nice guy and I really like how he put every detail in building the shop with recycled and natural building products. We seem a lot alike (he's even a biker and shows the Tour in the shop every July) We spent the night in Boise again to let Cam blow off some steam in the pool and then took off again early Mon morning as we both had some work to do today.

It was a very relaxing trip and none of us wanted it to end. Sometimes flying can add too much stress when done with a 2 yr old so this was a nice and relaxing alternative.

Well, home again and back to the grindstone. (At least I have my Full Sail IPA from Hood River, OR as a reminder of what fun we had)

Random thoughts as the Holiday's approach

You know - I've been doing some thinking lately about life in general. Overall I've had a pretty exciting/fun life. Besides the somewhat odd childhood and drunken young adulthood that some of you are more than familiar with - I've been pretty blessed.

I've watched the sun rise over the Atlantic and set on the Pacific, been scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, seen an opera at the world famous Sydney Opera House, paddled the 100 mile stretch of the River of No Return, Skied all over the Rocky Mountains, climbed the Grand Teton, Sailed the western breezes of the British Virgin Islands, surfed the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, partied in Daytona Beach for Spring Break, counted stars as they appeared in the wide open sky above Zion National Park, rode a mechanical bull in Mexico, Snorkeled underground caverns in Playa Del Carmen, honeymooned in Fiji, mountain biked the world famous Slickrock Trail, slept under the most breathtaking skies in Yellowstone National Park, Kayaked on the Colorado, Snake, and Salmon rivers, fished for steelhead in Hells Canyon, Scuba Dived on wrecks in the graveyard of the Atlantic, hiked over night through the tight canyon walls of The Narrows and many more little adventures way too numerous to mention.

With all of this said - there is one thing I've done recently that makes all of this seem unimportant and non-eventful. It is something I do now on a regular basis and can't get enough of. Every evening I spend some time on my hands and knees making growling noises while I chase Camden into the safety of his beautiful mom's arms. There is nothing in this world that can compare to the joy I feel hearing him scream with laughter and giggle over and over again as I chase him around our bedrooms trying to tickle him, ending in a big bear hug of all three of us on the floor laughing. I am truly blessed to have such a great family and would not trade my life right now for anything!

Thank You Global Warming!

Here it is the weekend before Thanksgiving and I drove to Park City to MOUNTAIN BIKE!!! Not ski like I should be this time of year, but I was up in the trails on my mtn bike. Friday, Eric and I took off early and did two full loops on our usual mtn biking loop in Corner Canyon above Draper, but that is not unusual as that is down here in the valley and these trails stay clear of snow most of the winter. Saturday I went up to Park City and met up with my buddy John to go biking on the trails up there. It was a great ride and we ripped it up pretty good even though the trails were packed. I guess everyone saw the same weather report we did - it's supposed to get real cold and start snowing Monday. We've had some small snow's but it has been able to warm up enough to melt and dry the trails. I've never biked up in Park City this late in the year. The temps at our house were in the upper 60's to 70 all weekend.

Saturday, before I rode, Cam and I went to the Draper park with the neighbors. He went down all the slides showing absolutely no fear in front of his friends Grayson and Brit.

Sunday was absolutely beautiful again and after Amy drug Camden and I to the mall to pick up his aunt Serena's birthday present we decided to go for a hike up the same trail in Corner Canyon that I bike. The neighbors decided to join us with their four kids as well, so we had a fun group. Camden did such a great job and actually hiked and ran more than he was in the pack. He chased after Grayson and Brit like he was one of the big boys. He must have fallen on his face in the dirt because of a rock ten times but never cried once - just jumped up and went after them again!

These are the only pictures we got during the hike because the batteries died right at the beginning but you get an idea of how it was for Camden. He chased the older kids the whole time and would not let us pick him up. Of course he had to stop at every other rock in the trail to pick it up and throw it into the trees.

These are two of Camden's best buddies - Grayson and Brit.

He stands at our front window and yells for them on weekend mornings and any time the doorbell rings - it's a good chance it's one of these two guys asking if Camden can play - He's so gown up!!

This is the bouncy chair his aunt Laura got him when he was first born - he has gotten more use out of this than any other item he's ever had. He climbs up in it almost every evening for a little R&R. Check him out - just kickin' it!!

Lazy Weekend

We had a relaxing fall weekend this week. Cam was acting like he was a bit under the weather Saturday so we mostly just stayed around the house and watched some movies. Friday night we went out to Barnes and Nobles to get him some more books and then Old Navy for some pants for the little guy. It seems like he grows out of his clothes every two weeks. Amy was reading him "The Little Engine That Could" while in B&N and you could here his little "Choo-Choo" throughout the entire store. The picture below is one I took of him with my phone as he was jumping off of a platform at Old Navy into my arms. Thank you Keith for the great coat he is wearing in this picture. It was a gift from when Cam was first born that he has grown into at just the right time. (Nice thinking Bakker's!)

Since Cam was not feeling too well Saturday, and the weather man was saying that the weather was finally going to take a turn toward winter on Sunday, Amy agreed to stay in with Cam and let me take off for a 2 1/2 hr mountain bike ride in corner canyon. This fall has had incredible weather (not good for the ski resorts) and Saturday was sunny and a cool 65-70 degrees. Mountain biking usually ends mid-October here but this year has been a pleasant exception.

Sunday Camden was feeling much better but the weather definitely took a turn for the worse with colder temps and rain in the valley. We decided to take advantage of the bad weather and paint the home office. We have new furniture arriving for this room next week so I dismantled the existing desk and moved everything to the center of the room. Amy and I took turns painting and watching Cam. While Amy was cutting in all of the edges, Camden and I went to the indoor playground at Burger King to run off some energy. The picture below is of him on the play equipment, jumping up and down on this particular piece because it makes a really loud noise. When ever we go somewhere like this it never fails - Camden manages to pick up some cute girl. Today a cute little 5 yr old girl took him all over the jungle gym to play and he cried when she had to go home.

Below are a couple other pictures I had in my phone of the little guy:

This is the "Lustra Bear" I brought back from a tradeshow in Vegas.

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The little guy sound asleep in his crib! Cutest Kid in the world!!!!!

Halloween!!

Halloween was so much fun this year. Cam and I dressed up as Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat - although nobody could figure out what we were. People would ask if he was a bear and then look at me and ask what I was supposed to be. I thought it was pretty obvious but maybe people in UT don't read to their kids! Amy dressed up as a hippy chick and looks pretty cute as a blond (although I don't prefer it - I like her just the way she is!) I think Cam had a hard time with our costumes at first. He wasn't sure what to think, especially when we got outside and there were all sorts of masked kids running around.

It didn't take long for him to figure it out though! He and his buddy, Brit went to the first couple doors together and he soon realized what was going on. It was like something clicked "I just have to knock on these doors and look cute, and these people come out and give me free candy!?!?" By the last house of the night he had it down with a complete "Tick or Teat" and signing "Thank you"

When we finally got home all he wanted to do was lay out all his candy and sort it. He loves lollipops so they would get sorted out first. I think my sister Laura put it in the best perspective: "Candy is like money to them - even more important" It's definitely true, we watched our neighbor's kids wallow in a pile of candy and even use it to barter with.

Cam was fascinated with his cauldron of Candy and could have sat playing with it for hours. He kept emptying it out on to the floor one piece at a time, separating the lollipops, and then back in the pot - one at a time.

He loves lollipops and probably would have eaten every one of them right on the spot if we let him.

If you've never seen a child "drunk" on candy - check out this picture!After this, we can't wait for Christmas. Everything is so much more fun with Camden - especially now that he grasps things better. It's amazing to see his eyes lighten up and watch how excited he gets over life's smallest adventures!

We've also discovered something else new with Camden this week. Amy and I LOVE sushi and probably go out for it more than we should. This weekend we were at the Happy Sumo and discovered that Camden loves tempura fried vegetable - but only if he can dip them in the special sauce! Check out the pic from dinner the other night. He was being such a little man. He even tried a california roll.