Tired of the snow

I was really tired of shoveling snow and using the snow blower almost everyday, so I thought I would speed thing up a bit. We bought this last week it is a 2006 Suzuki Vinson 500. It only has 400 miles on it. We are looking forward to using this down in Torry this summer and Memorial weekend. Note that the snow is taller than the quad and almost buried the mail box.

P.S. If Angie asks, I bought this for her

Mexico

Maybe we can get some pictures here for you. If they show up on the blog it is pics of The Pyramid of the Sun, or Teotitehauacan. The largest pyramid in Mesoamerica. 365 steps to get to the top, and we made it. We are having a wonderful time and right now we are at a beach resort area in Huatulco. It is beautiful. We went for an all day boat ride with stops at beaches and lunch under a cabana. So far Montezuma has not attacked us. All is well. We love you all and miss you, but we aren´t ready to give up sun and surf to spend it in the snow. In the above photo, we are standing on the top of the pyramid. love ya, madre and padre

bring a friend to work day

If the nightly climbing gym sessions and riding on the tractor to plow the driveway wasn't enough, Tessie had to go to work with me this morning! We decided that ice climbing was out of the question for her since she couldn't really swing an ice axe, so we opted for the dawn patrol at Kelly Canyon. Since the ski hill isn't open on Mondays, the dawn patrol is simply looking for fresh untracked snow before the resort opens, which we've had plenty of the last few days.

We skied up the Moose run and followed another set of up-tracks off to the right and up the hillside. Tessie was pretty excited at first, but after a while, she realized we weren't going back to the car anytime soon We took turns breaking trail. Tessie would be out front until she'd get scared of the snow covered trees.

After about 45 minutes of up hill work, we reached the top of Kelly Mountain and Tessie pointed out the best line of untracked snow below us. Good dog! I wasn't sure what would happen with Tessie as soon as I started down hill since the snow was well over my knees with my skis on! Would Tessie follow in my ski tracks going down hill like she did going up, or would she cut a few powder 8's for style?

I did a few turns and stopped to check on Tessie. She was still sitting on the platform I had stomped out in the snow. Of course she was whining and unsure what exactly to do. So I did a few more turns and stopped again. Yup, still there. So, I called to her and without hesitation she leaped off the platform and into the untracked powder snow trying to beeline it right for me...carving sweet powder 8's! I couldn't help but laugh when all i could see was her snout sticking up out of the snow while she swam down hill. I suppose this is what others would call a mask and snorkel day on the ski hill! She'd connect with my tracks, stop to get her sights on me then bound off into untracked snow once she could see where she wanted to go. I was laughing pretty much the whole time.

Our open slope powder run turned into tree skiing near the bottom where we could connect back to the Moose ski run. Tessie drifted too much inot the fall line and got sucked into a large tree-well which called for a swim in waist deep snow sans skis back up hill to get her. She didn't like being down in such a deep hole all alone and out of sight from me. You can image the noise she made! Kind of like when mom and dad leave her home alone. I pulled her out and we headed down to the bottom of the slope. She bounded off following my ski tracks, chasing after me wagging and barking.

The groomer had been up the Moose run by the time we reached it and Tessie finally had the upper hand in speed. (skidog5.jpg), beating me to the van back in at the parking lot. She sat in the passenger seat all the way home with her tongue hanging out and that look in her eyes. I knew she was thinking about what we're gonna do tomorrow....

Hola familia and Amigos,
I sent a blog this morning but I noticed it wasnt posted, so maybe it will come thru later. In the previous blog i told you that i couldnt get the photos loaded with the zip drive. Also, our schedule is so full and busy, we are so tired at night, we just fall in bed.

So for a quick update
Today we went on a Catamaran for nearly 8 hours. We stopped at a couple of beaches, one where we sat under the cabana and had shrimp cocktail. It was a beautiful day, and we loved every minute of it. It was a lagoon that we stopped in for our lunch and was served under the cabana. Sort of just like in the movies without the booze or umbrella in our drink. We havent been able to do any laundry yet, ive been washing things out in the sink.

The previous blog may have some missing if it ever comes thru. Gotta run, the gang is here waiting to stroll thru town.

love ya,
madre and padre

Hola again,
We have had a wonderful day sightseeing in Mexico City. The weather is in the 80's and it is wonderful to feel the warmth. We will try to send pictures, but we don't know how that is going to work. Illums computer isn't picking up a signal very good and we don't have a connection for our camera to the computer with us. So until we get home you might only hear stories wherever we can find a pay computer to send you notes. We love you all. madre and padre

\hola!!!!!
\just a short note to let you know we arrived without any exciting events. We are doing great!!!!! \you'll never guess, so we are walking down the streets of \mexico City and we hear \'Christina\' \i thought, oh my goodness it is Fidel. \you just cant go anywhere without someone calling your name, even in \mexico. \just a drivers license joke, but we did seem someone in the Salt \lake airport. The sights, the sounds and even the smells will be memorable. The traffic is unbelievable, it is just like in the movies, you know, those foriegn ones, with traffic everywhere. They obviously don't know the 3 second rule here, they don't even have a one second rule. Rocio, we went to Sambrona's or the Tile \house. Wow!!!! We are having a great time although we miss the wind, snow and below 0 temps. We will suffer thru the no jackets and sandal weather. Gotta go on a tour. love ya all. mom and dad

The time is now!

Heather and I just watched Doug's amazing hiking video. Well done! It got us super excited for our next family adventure. So i wanted to provide everyone with some gear suggestions and information. This link http://www.golite.com/images/howto/ultralight_gearlist.jpg shows a gear list. Now bear in mind, this is on the extreme lightweight end (approx 11lbs) but gives you some ideas of how and where to shave some weight. I believe by using many of these suggestions, most of us could travel four or five days and only carry 15lbs to 18lbs total. Sounds pretty nice don't you think?!? Obviously the items suggested on this link are from the Golite company and could prove to be expensive, but there are alternatives out there which would cost less. Keep in mind, you typically get what you pay for with backpacking equipment. Don't hesitate to ask me for suggestions.

I guess what I'm saying, is if you're going to be purchasing new or used (EBay) hiking equipment, figure out now what you need to reduce weight (sleeping bag, tent, pack) and start to save some money. If we can collectively decide on items that many of us would need or want, i can contact the companies in question and try to secure an order at wholesale pricing. This is some leverage that i have being recognized as a professional in the outdoor industry.

Also take a look at this http://www.golite.com/HowTo/howto2.aspx?e=2 for some further ideas and concepts. Some of this information could help you understand materials and its intended use. This will help you look for clothing and other items suited for our family hikes. Much of the items are more expensive than what you've purchased thus far, but typically these backpacking specific companies offer some sort of extended or life time warranty on their items and would save you money in the long run. As an example, i purchased my Lowe Alpine backpack in 1994 and it still has all of the original buckles and is in working order. Just something to think about...

Dean

Sleep Over at Aunt Debbie's

Ethan and Ty were over at the house for a sleep over the other night. We had a ton of fun. This is video of Ethan, Ty, Zack, Jason and I all rocking out to John Francis Bongiovi. Watch Ethan jam on the guitar, does it remind you of Lance's air guitar?

In the morning we got to view the beautiful Salt Lake valley from the top of the tallest building. With a fresh layer of snow on the mountains it was a spectacular site. Although Ty was a little reluctant at first I reminded her that she was a born rock climber so heights were nothing to be afraid of.

With all the new snow we are hoping the hit the slopes this New Years. Whatever you end up doing this holdiay we hope you have a great time and would love to see your pictures posted on the blog!

Rock Band Christmas

We had a great Christmas with Zack and Em. The family present this year was the video game "Rock Band"....and boy did we ROCK! We named the band "Yeeeaaahh!!" and we all took turns playing the drums, guitar and singing. Em scored the highest on vocals... which was asurprise because we all know how well I sing (not). Zack totally rocked the house with his awsome guitar solos. And although Jason can't dance he sure can play the drums....It was an awesome Christmas. I hope you all had a great one too.

Heather Help!

How's my Spanish? I did my best to do a count down for mom and dad's trip (the counter on the poll). I only had to look up two words. Now, I just need Heather to school me on proper Espanol.

Mom, is this correct? You guys ship out on Jan 30th?