My version of heaven

Moab, Utah 2011

I cannot wait to be back there again.

We need a vacation, and Moab is right around the corner. I couldn't be more excited. I sit and reminisce about last year and look through our pictures, and it brings a smile to my face that is wider than the Grand Canyon.  

Back within the grasp of reality

Waking up in the morning to the sound of the river, rolling along the rocks, just fifteen feet away from our tent was so calming. It was just what we needed. It's good to be home, though.

The first day consisted mostly of setting up the campsite the way we wanted it, and gathering firewood.  Brett made a pretty impressive woodpile to get us through the week, and we were lucky to have his dad's chainsaw to make things go quicker than trying to cut up six dead trees with just an axe.

We took Belle with us, which we had never done before.  Don't ask me how we have gotten through seven years of owning a dog without taking her camping, because I have no idea.  Usually when we go, it's just for one night, so we find someone to watch her for us.  Needless to say, we were a bit worried about how well she'd do.  She is such a princess.  I mean, we are talking about a dog who cannot sleep without a pillow under her head, or at least a blanket.

She surprised us the first night by investigating the wilderness surrounding our campsite.  Though she never strays too far from sight, she got a lot more brave than I expected that she would. She was off into the stream, traipsing through the weeds, and even laying in the dirt despite the fact that we had a blanket on the ground for her just ten feet away.  She seemed like she was loving it, and was born to be outside, so the next morning we decided we were going to take her on a hike.  She loved every minute of it!  Towards the end of the hike, we came across a water trough that had been placed just off of the trail for the people who rode through on their horses.  Belle was in heaven.

After we got back to camp though, she decided that she was ready for a nap in the comfort of the front seat of the Jeep.

The next morning, she was not a happy camper.  After we woke up, she was walking like her feet were bothering her, and she was sick.  We decided that it would probably be best if we took her home. She was clearly not having fun anymore, and I worried that maybe she had eaten a plant or bug that had made her sick.  She looked and acted miserable. We took the short twenty minute drive down the canyon to drop her off at home.  Brett lifted her up out of the back of the Jeep and set her on the grass, and it was as if someone had flipped a switch.  She was no longer walking like her feet hurt, and she acted like she was just fine.  I am convinced that she was just trying to manipulate us so that we would feel guilty and take her home.  We totally fell for it.

One thing that we learned during our week of roughing it, is that we are totally not cut out for long term camping for a few reasons.  There were two times that we came back into town after we brought the dog home, to get ice or other things that we had forgotten.  We also rely too heavily on technology.  We took a generator with us so that during the hot times of the day we could sit under the shade of the canopy and watch movies or play Pac Man on the laptop.  We also used said generator to run a fan to cool us off and charge our phones when they were losing battery power.  Who the hell knows how we would ever survive without electricity.  I guess that's why we decided to only camp twenty minutes up the canyon from where we live.

Some other things we learned on this camping trip:

• Mosquito's are not repelled by mosquito repellent or citronella.
• Flies are a pain in the ass, however, they are repelled by smoke from the campfire.
• Dogs should not eat whole corn cobs, so don't throw them in the fire pit or on the ground.
• Two humans can consume $150.00 worth of cheap liquor in five days.
• Hiking in the blistering hot sun is only fun for the first 5 miles.

All in all, the camping trip was exactly what we needed, and we had a ton of fun!  I think that we are going to try and make it a tradition that we go camping for a week each summer.  I love spending time with my husband in nature.

Simplicity

In a few short days, Brett and I will be heading off on a week long camping trip.  Just us and our dog.  It's going to be glorious.

This break from everything that makes my life hectic is so needed right now, and I look forward to soaking in every minute of it.  I don't care what the weather is going to be like. I don't care that I will be cut off from technology and the rest of the world. I don't care that the closest thing to a shower I will have is a box of wet wipes. I don't care about any of that, because all that matters is that the two most important beings in my life will be there with me. 

The two of them are all I need to be happy.

Indian Paintbrush

My mom absolutely loved wildflowers. If you had asked her what her favorite flower was, wildflowers would have been her response. She loved anything that grew wild in nature.

Her favorite wildflower was the Indian Paintbrush.  Whenever I see one now it reminds me of her, and I think about all of the memories that I have of my childhood when we would stop to pick one anytime we saw them.  It didn't matter if we were camping or driving through the canyon, she would always stop. Her favorite thing to do was take them home and press them, but the first thing she would do was take a small piece of the flower and stick it behind my ear. Every time.  

In Moab, the desert is sprinkled with Indian Paintbrush. Every time I saw one while we were out on the trails I had an urge to get out of the Jeep and take a picture.  After the first twenty, I started to realize that it was a little excessive, so I stopped.  It's funny how the little things in life make you remember the ones that we've lost.  To anyone else it's just a little red flower, but to me it's so much more than that.  It's like having a little piece of her there.

Mashed Potato

We went on a trail called the mashed potato on our second day in Moab.  I thought that it was a really fun trail, but the ass end of my Jeep would probably disagree with me.  There were so many steep spots to go down, that I had a hard time not slamming my hitch on the rocks as we would come off of them.  I even got a small dent in my tail pipe.  I've gotta tell you, when we bought this Jeep we had every intention of making a rock crawler out of her, but it made me cringe every time I heard the sound of metal grinding on rock.

I will learn to get over it, I'm sure.  

I know that I have said this about twelve thousand times already, but the pictures just don't do it justice!  Watching Chaz maneuver over these massive rocks was purely amazing.  I cannot wait for the day that Millie can do half the shit Culpepper does.  I was in awe the whole time we were there about what these vehicles are capable of.  

A friend of Mike's came down with his girlfriend, Newland and they rented a Jeep for a few days.  He looks just like Dexter, and that is all Shay and I were calling him the whole time they were there.  To this day I can honestly tell you that I have no clue what his real name is.  Is that rude?  Sorry Dexter.

Also, do you have any idea how hard it is to get a picture with 8 adults looking at the camera at the same time?  It's impossible.  That's why one or more of us is looking the wrong way in every attempt we made.  This was the best we could do.

Magnificent

Brett and I have lived in Utah all of our lives and I honestly don't know how it is possible that we had not yet been to see the delicate arch before this trip to Moab.  It is one of Utah's most well known landmarks and people come from all over the world to see it, yet we have lived literally right around the corner from it for more than 26 years and have never taken the short venture to see it in person.

I think that it definitely proves that we, as human beings, take things for granted on a daily basis.  We think that just because something so magnificent is sitting in our backyard means that we have an excuse not to take the time to admire it.

The arch is honestly one of the most amazing sights that I have ever seen, and I cannot wait to go back.  It's a gorgeous hike, which doesn't take long at all and when you come around the corner and see the arch standing there in all of it's glory it literally takes your breath away.  I could not believe how massive it was and still, as the name suggests, so delicate.

{Brett, Kaylyn, Shay, Chaz, Mike and Kate}

{The delicate arch}

{Indian paintbrush}

I can honestly tell you that I have never been so totally amazed by anything.  Ever.  The pictures don't do it justice.

Rocked My World

One of my favorite trails in Moab is Hell's Revenge.  It was a great mix of hard obstacles and amazing scenery.  There was never a dull moment on this trail, and I can honestly say that there were a few times that I really thought I might die.  Gladly, no one was injured in the making of this blog post.

This is Hell's Gate.  A few weeks before we were set to leave for Moab, Chaz started emailing me links for YouTube videos of various trails telling me how awesome it was going to be to take my Jeep on them.  The first video that he sent me was one of someone trying to crawl up Hell's Gate.  Trying, and then failing and rolling down the hill.  Needless to say, Millie didn't attempt this one. 

 This place is seriously breathtaking!  Everywhere you look there is a different kind of terrain.  For most of our visit the weather was extremely cooperative.  It rained the first two days, and then the sun came out and didn't go away.  If I didn't have any responsibilities in life, I would take my husband and run away to the desert.

The Time We Almost Didn't Go To Moab

Holy shit. 

Moab is amazing!

Millie did so awesome. Seriously. There were some trails that we went on that totally made my butt hole pucker, and I never thought we would make it out alive. But you guys, we did it!  We lived.

I think that the proper way to start out the Moab posts, because there is just too much to cram into one, would be to introduce you to the Sargent.  Sargent Culpepper is Chaz and Shay's Jeep.  It is a loyal Wrangler that Chaz has had since he was in high school

About two months before we were set to leave for Moab, Chaz got a wild hair up his ass and decided that he wanted to take Culpepper's four cylinder engine out and swap it for a V8.  Brett nor Chaz had ever done such a thing, but they both thought, "fuck it, why not?". 

Chaz had purchased an old Durango with some body damage so that he could gut it and replace all of Culpepper's insides with the ones that used to reside in the Durango.  Sounds like a great plan to everyone, and the work begins. 

Here is what it looked like under the hood before they got started:

And here is the progress after removing the old four banger:

In order to get the new engine in Brett had to cut the old engine mounts out so that Chaz's cousin could come weld some new ones in the right place:

Here's the new engine softly nestled into its new home:

And last, but not least, here is what Shay's kitchen table looked like for the majority of the month of April:

I know what you are asking yourself right now.  Why is it so important to share this information with you before I can tell you about our trip and all of its Glory?

Because with such a large project in so little time, two months before our trip, we almost didn't get to go.

Brett and I went up to the Schlange's house every weekend so that Brett could help Chaz out with the engine.  It was all going really well, and they thought that they had given themselves plenty of time. I enjoyed our weekly adventures because I got to spend a few days every week with my BFF.  It was truly refreshing.  Who cares if the drive was monotonous, we had a hell of a time!

When it hit crunch time they started having some issues with the wiring harness. The fucking thing would start, but it was only firing four of the eight cylinders.  Something was wrong, and Chaz didn't know how to fix it. 

Two days before we were set to leave, Chaz decided that it was time to call in the pro's.  He took it to the shop and basically told the mechanic that it didn't matter what it took, he just wanted Culpepper runninig before Moab.  It had to be on the trailer in 48 hours.

I was so worried that we weren't going to go that I didn't start packing because I was afraid that I'd be wasting my time.  I had convinced myself that it wasn't happening, just so that I wouldn't get my hopes up.  I was devestated.  I'm sure that the sadness being experienced by Chaz and Shay was 100 times worse, but it was hard for me to recognize at the time.

After convincing myself that Moab was not going to happen I was at work when I received this text from Shay:

"Hey! He's back in business!"

Relief!! The next day, our adventure began.  Stay tuned.....

Safari

Tomorrow, mid-day, the Scothern's and the Schlange's are heading south into the desert. We will be spending almost a whole week with our two favorite people and laughing a lot.  It's going to be a glorious week filled with friends, some great scenery, and the low rumble of engines.

We are finally going to Jeep Safari.

I have wanted a Jeep since the day I turned sixteen.  It has always seemed like a distant dream that would never fully be realized, and last year I was so insanely jealous that Chaz and Shay would be going to Moab without us. We couldn't go because I had just gotten a new job and was going to be in mandatory training for six weeks. So this year, when we found Millie, I knew immediately that I had to schedule the time off of work. I have been waiting in anticipation for just over a month now, and tomorrow is finally the day! 

It's going to be fucking awesome.

Kindling

Yesterday as I sat on the couch reading, I found myself trying to remember where my love of books began. What was it that kindled my fire?

Like most kids, I have a lot of memories from my childhood of being outside in the summertime climbing trees or riding my bike. I don't remember reading much until my teenage years. I've always liked to read, I just don't remember always being in love with it. Most of the memories that stick out to me involve being outside, without a book in my hand.

After a few minutes of digging through the filing cabinet of memories in my brain, it hit me. I was 13 years old.

For the first time in my life I was boarding an airplane, and I was terrified. I couldn't fight the tears from falling on my cheeks and I was squeezing my mom's hand so hard that to this day I am surprised it didn't break. We found our seats and my mom continued trying to sooth my fears to no avail. She tried distracting me by telling me all of the amazing things that were going to unfold after we landed, because we were going to be in the happiest place on earth.  I could not focus on all of the happy things that she was telling me, because I was convinced that we were on our way into the air only to plummet to our deaths. Why get excited about Disneyland if I was never even going to make it there?

After a few minutes, the woman sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around I could see that in her outstretched hand, she was holding a book.

"Reading always helps me when I'm upset."

"Thanks."

I took the book that she had given me and started to read it, then the next thing I knew we were in the air and my nerves were completely calm. She was right, it did help.

After our flight had landed I tried to give the book back to the woman, but she wouldn't let me. She told me to hang onto it and finish the story.

I'm really glad that I did, because it sparked something in me that changed me forever.

Day Dreaming

Have I mentioned that I hate the winter?  Because I do.

There are so many things that I am looking forward to this summer.  So many.  It just won't come fast enough.

I can't wait to go to Jackson with Chaz and Shay again.  Just thinking about the way that the sun reflects off of the water makes me smile. Even though the water is icy cold, the beating sun warms you up quickly and dries out your wetsuit enough that it leaves you begging for the next big wave to come along and cool you off again.

It's amazing how loud the water is as it rushes over the rocks and throws the boat from side to side, yet it's so peaceful.

Just thinking about it warms my soul.

Normally, I'd go for a hot dog.

Anytime we barbecue and the person manning the grill asks me if I want a hamburger or a hot dog, I always say hot dog.  I have always been a fan of hot dogs, and for some reason hamburgers just don't appeal to me.  I have tried them on a few occasions, from a few different places, and just haven't ever been too impressed. 

While we were visiting Brett's sister in Reno last week, one of her kids suggested that we go to In n' Out Burger for lunch.  Knowing that I am some what of a picky eater, she left it up to me to decide.  That was the moment that I proclaimed the four words that made the head of everyone in the room whip around so hard to look in my direction that I am surprised no one ended up with a neck injury. 

I've never tried it. 

They all sat there staring at me like I had a penis growing out of my forehead, but they just didn't bear to break the news to me.  Apparently if you haven't eaten at In n' Out burger you are some kind of outcast.  Who knew?

After everyone was able to lift their chins up off of the floor we decided that lunch that day could take place no where else.  I had to try In n' Out for the first time with them, and they were going to make sure of it.  On the drive over everyone just kept raving about how good the food was, and how impressed I was going to be. I continued to listen to said raving, unconvinced that I would like it as much as they believed I would. 

When we got there I was blown away by how simple the menu was.  You can choose from a hamburger, a cheeseburger, or fries.  Not even an option to pick chicken nuggets!  How good could this burger joint really be?

I will take this opportunity to put my foot directly into my mouth.  It was good.  I was impressed.  So impressed that after we got home, I found myself craving a cheeseburger, animal style with a side of fries. 

Thank god that In n' Out has recently planted it's roots in Utah.

Jackson {part 5}

One of the things that we had to buy before we went on our trip to Jackson was a pair of sunglasses that Brett could wear down the river. He has a nice pair of sunglasses that he didn't want to take on the river for fear of losing them. So we had gone to Target a few days before the trip to grab a few other things that we needed, and he found a pair there for $20. Mission accomplished!

The first day down the river we were at the one slow stretch where you can get out of the boat and swim around, and Brett had taken his hat and sunglasses off, and handed them to me to hold for him. The sunglasses must not have been very good quality, what do you expect for $20? When he was pulling them off of his face they broke right at the bridge between the two lenses. Though they were still technically in one piece, they were useless. So after we were done rafting for the day we drove the 15 minutes to the nearest town, and found another pair at a local gas station. They looked similar to the other pair, just plain old black sunglasses, but they were five dollars cheaper. Bonus!

With new glasses in hand the following morning we set off on another rafting adventure. The glasses survived. We got back to camp, had some lunch, and loaded everyone into the truck to make the second run of the day. There is a spot after the two biggest rapids where you can stop to cliff jump, and Brett couldn't resist. So again, he hands me his hat and pulls his sunglasses off. Once again, they broke. He was having the worst possible luck with those damn sunglasses. At least it wasn't his nice pair, for that I was grateful. So once again we ventured into town for a new pair. There really weren't that many to choose from in the first place, but by now there are only like eight pairs left, most of which have reflective lenses, Yuck. We realized that he was going to have to settle for something a little less normal, and venture out of his bubble a little bit. That's when we laid our eyes on these babies:




They looked like they had been shipped in straight from Jamaica. We all had our little jokes about them, and most of us sang the theme from Cool Runnings to him on a daily basis. But, the funniest part is those $10 sunglasses, fit for a Jamaican king, lasted the rest of the trip. So for the next five days, everyone at camp had a good laugh at Brett's expense everytime he wore them, but at least we didn't have to buy anymore sunglasses.

Jackson {part 4}

During the times when we weren't on the river we had a lot of fun at camp. Playing games, making smore's, pulling funny faces, talking, cooking, laughing, telling jokes, and just hanging out. Chaz's family are some of the most funny people we know. The whole week really was just awesome. When we first got there everyone kept telling us how much it usually rains, but we didn't see any for the first five days. It was absolutely beautiful. They kept cracking jokes about how the rain follows Toni {chaz's mom} everywhere she goes, and maybe it wasn't raining because she wasn't there yet. Sure enough, Friday morning as soon as Toni shows up. Rain. It was pretty funny.

Two different nights Chaz cooked in the Dutch Ovens for everyone. I must say, I have never had better ribs or chicken. Ever. It was so delicious!

One of my favorite parts about the trip was when we burned the copper pipe. Have you ever done this before? If not I would strongly recommend it the next time you go camping. I had never heard of this before, and so when they were telling me about it I was a little sceptical, but it works. You take a foot long section of copper pipe with a bunch of small holes drilled all over it, and put a piece of rubber hose in the middle. Then you stick it in the middle of your camp fire, and voila! Your campfire becomes colorful. Ours was green, blue, purple, and pink. It was so fun to watch.

We want to say a special thank you to the Schlange family for letting us tag along on this awesome camping trip! We have never had so much fun in our lives, and we really do appreciate everything you did for us. Hopefully they will invite us back next year!

Jackson {part 3}

River rafting wasn't our only adventure in Jackson!

We learned how to kayak! I can honestly tell you that kayaking isn't something that I never thought I would want to try. Then once we got there and Steve took Brett out for his first time I thought, why not? I have to tell you, kayaking is really fun! We didn't take the kayak's down the big part of the river, but Brett wishes that he could've! Instead we went to the upper part of the river that was a little slower. There were a few small rapids, but nothing out of control. It's really not as hard or as scary as it looks. It's actually quite easy! Trust me, I am very athletically challenged in most aspects, and I didn't even tip over. We both loved it, and now we also have to buy kayaks. Damn, this is going to get expensive. Thanks a lot Chaz!

The fun didn't stop with the kayaks either though, Brett, Chaz and Steve-O did some cliff jumping. I didn't feel the need to participate in this particular activity. I don't feel the need to throw myself off of a cliff into swift moving water. So instead, I took up the post as photographer of said crazy act. One of the cliffs they jumped off of was right above one of the biggest rapids on the river, and you jump right into the belly of the beast. Then after you jumped in you get carried under the water for a ways, and resurface about twenty feet down the river. Not my idea of fun, but They had a BLAST!

If you haven't had enough yet, part 4 will be coming soon.....

Jackson {part 2}

If you have never rafted the snake river, you are missing out on one hell of a time! I can honestly say that it is one of the most fun things I have ever done. In the seven days we were there, Brett and I rode the river about thirteen times. Each run down the river takes about two hours, so we were on the river for between four and six hours every day. That might sound boring, doing the same stretch of river two or three times a day, but I assure you it was not. The levels of the river change throughout the day, so that makes the rapids change. Each time you go it is completely different than the last. The sun was beating down and reflecting off the water like you wouldn't believe. That, my friends, is a serious sun burn risk. Lucky for us we had SPF 85 on our side.

Here are a video and some pictures to give you an idea of why your life is not yet complete if you have never rafted the mighty snake:

The thing that I find funny is that cold water usually bothers me, but while we were on the raft I never had a problem with it. I'm not just talking chilly, I'm talking like so cold that while you are sitting on the edge of the raft paddling and your foot is submerged in the water it goes almost completely numb. It was cold. But for some reason I just loved it. It could've been that the sun was SO hot or that we were having so much fun on the rapids that I forgot to think about how cold it was. I don't know, but I loved it.

At first I was afraid to be a paddler, I think that I was more afraid of being thrown out of the raft, but once I took a turn paddling I realized that it made the ride more exciting. There were only two runs the whole time that I didn't paddle at least half of the way. I was only thrown out of the raft one time, and that was interesting. We were heading around this bend in the river, and the current just started throwing us into the wall. I was paddling, but I was on the opposite side of the raft from the wall we were going to hit. Right at the last second before we were going to hit it, everyone on that side of the raft jumped over to my side, and I got knocked out by Chaz's dad. Once I got over the initial shock of the cold, I realized that it wasn't so bad after all, and it didn't scare me anymore, in fact I was secretly hoping it would happen again. Brett got thrown out of the boat a lot more than I did, but it's because he is a lot more fearless than me. He was going over a lot of the rapids without even holding onto the ropes. He's brave, I'm not.

We have already decided that we are going to buy a raft of our own some day and make a tradition out of this. I want to go every year. I have actually already tried to talk Brett into quitting school so that we can just move to Jackson right now and become river guides, but there is the one little issue of those student loans coming due if he quits. That is a bummer, because I would totally do it.

Stay tuned for part 3.....