Lake Powell Live

Lake Powell in September

To bring in the Autumn season we headed to Lake Powell one last time before the cold hits. The weather at Powell was simply brilliant. Perfect water conditions and the outside temperature was comfortable.

We played all week: wake boarded, wake surfed, air chaired, skied, tubed, canyon explored, and had a ball on and off of the house boat.

We celebrated my mom's birthday! The boys were great helpers to blow out ALL of those candles. Amy was sweet and made my mom her favorite cake and orange frosting. Happy Birthday Mom!

Not only did we boat but we found some great cliffs to jump, rocks to throw, and canyons to explore. Our days together are always full of adventure!

We all had plenty of boat time. There were only three families at Powell this time. Thanks Krehl and Amy for letting me take advantage of your toys while we have family time too. I feel lucky!

13,063-foot Wheeler Peak

Welcome to Great Basin National Park
In the shadow of 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, 5,000 year old bristlecone pine trees grow on rocky glacial moraines. Come to Great Basin National Park to experience the solitude of the desert, the smell of sagebrush after a thunderstorm, the darkest of night skies, and the beauty of Lehman Caves. Far from a wasteland, the Great Basin is a diverse region that awaits your discovery. (http://www.nps.gov/grba)


The bristlecone trees were dated in the years B.C. We were entertained by the names of the trees like Adversity.


Hiking up to the summit the wind was brutal. It tried to blow us off of the mountain. Along the ridge there were little rock walls providing us resting shelters against the wind. We would stop to warm up for a sec. On one of the stops we had a dance party. Can't get enough of Lady Gaga!!!

Wheeler Peakers: Ben, Jenn, Dustin, Leanne, Sarah, and me (Valery)

The view on top was EPIC! I never thought of Nevada having large mountains and beautiful wilderness areas. There were three smaller lakes, ancient gnarly trees, rocks of every kind, and hardly any tourist. It was serene.

This trip was brilliant. I am always up for something new and especially being outdoors. I do not have real pictures of Lehman caves but that was an experience! The tour guide thought we were little hoodlums but truthfully we were interested in the formations...at least I was. Jed (Ben) and I (quiet Valery) had the opportunity to make an earthquake in the tunnel at the end of the tour. By the end I realized the tour guide appreciate our enthusiasm. I bet he get the same ol' group day after day. We made the tour epic and educational! If you get a chance to summit Wheeler Peak and visit Lehman's Cave...do it!

Mnt. biking for the first time

Garrett has a family cabin up Albion Basin. We went up and biked a loop near Cecret Lake twice. This was Dustin's first mnt. bike ride. He did super. The only trouble was one endo that caused a huge goose ache on his thigh. Other than that - perfection! We had to stop riding once night fell. The cabin had a soothing jacoozie with jets. The stars were out and even a planet. We debated if it was Venus (a morning star), Jupiter, Uranus or Mars. I still need to look it up. Good times!

Stil Tri'n

My good friend, Melissa Jane, and I did the Fruita, CO Sprint Triathlon back in June. I was training and in better shape. When I finished I thought I should do another one. Since my last tri I have been climbing more and busy with school. I now have two weeks until the Daybreak Tri and I need to get my butt in gear!!! Today I biked 14 miles of the road trail and ran three miles around Daybreak Lake. I took my time but I felt good. I just need to figure out that swimming part! This next week I will going to Lake Powell and have plenty of time to practice swimming. I wish my friend Melissa was doing the Daybreak Tri. It has been a lot harder training alone. I always need a push! If you are thinking about doing one someday - do it - if I can do it...anyone can!

Climb on

After climbing we hit a taco place and went to the dollar late show: Star Trek.

AF

Wednesday we went up AF canyon and climbed an area called Hard Rock.

Epic Views

Before the hike up Mount Timpanogos I stop in to Brooke's BBQ.

Without any sleep 10 of us met at 11:30pm and started hiking at midnight. We hiked up 7.5 miles on the Timpanooke Trail with an elevation gain of 4,480 feet up to Mount Timpanogos Peak 11,749. It is the second highest peak in the Wasatch Range. Hiking with head lamps was really cool seeing all of the lights around us along the trail. It was busier than I expected. It took me about 5.5 hours to hike to the top. We hiked at an easy pace because we didn't want to get to the top too early.

We arrived at the peak 45-60 min. before sunrise. We tried to cuddle up and nap but we were on the hard rock and on the ledge of a cliff. I couldn't sleep.

The sunrise was EPIC!

The hike down was the hardest part of the hike because I was tired and my feet were sore. The views sure made the return worth it and amazing.

Anita and I served in the RS a year ago. She is one of my favorite people in the world. She always made me smile and laugh. I love her too pieces. She married Brian McDonald. He loves her and they are the cutest couple. So happy for her!!!

Nephew time

These are the only photos I took this past weekend when Amy, Krehl, and my niece and nephews pasted through Riverton on their way home from Idaho. I am amazed how fast Garrett and the others are growing up. I sure love them!

Bear Lake Campout & Reunion

My Stake had a campout at Bear Lake August 15-16, 2009. It started out a ward campout and then everyone got "word". My whole stake was invited. It rained all night on Friday and Saturday morning. We spent some quality time in the tents playing cards and talking. Friday night was a blast with a light up frisbee, smores, and two bonfires.

My mom's side of the family was having their family reunion up at Bear Lake the same weekend as my ward's campout. All of my friend's left early Saturday because of the rain so I stayed with my family and a great Saturday. The sun came out and it was a beautiful day. My mom and I went on a 10 miles bike ride, walked around Scott's condo area, and played with the family and kids while my dad played two games of golf.

Scott rented a condo up on the hill and it was spectacular. I loved the view off of the balconies. There were three. We had a debate about "why" the water was so blue. The answer is:
"Bear Lake is often called the Caribbean of the Rockies for its intense turquoise-blue water. As visitors catch their first glimpse of the lake, they marvel at its color and wonder what makes the lake so blue. The unique color is due to the reflection of the limestone deposits suspended in the lake."

Wish we could've got everyone in this shot. I love the view in this one.

Families are Forever!


The sparse family shots goes to show we are always off playing in the outdoors & no where to be found! Love ya family!

Challenge Buttress

A group of us went climbing Saturday afternoon up Big Cottonwood Canyon. We climbed three routes 5.7, 5.9, and 5.10. I have not lead a 5.10 and not sure I am ready this year. I barely made it to the top with a lot of help from my belayer. It was a tough climb.

Thanks Garrett for pulling me up the roof.

Watching someone climb is like watching a campfire burn. Look at all of us...we were in the zone.

Ben took this shot - fantastical!

Melissa I sure love ya girl! It has been way too long. We need to climb together again soon!!!

Alicia off to Mexico