Beautiful stream & ginormous tree in route

Our intended destination...Anderson Valley

Anderson Valley Trek

Paul and I took a new hike on the Pine Valley Mountain trail system yesterday. We had been wanting to go and check out family camp spots, but when we called the ranger station in Beaver, they said the road we wanted to check out was still closed...so we opted for a local hike instead. We decided to go to Anderson Valley and find the old cabin there. The trail we took started in New Harmony and according to the not too good map we had was from 7-9 miles one way. Let me tell you, this is one strenuous hike. We decided that a three-word description would be steep, rocky and overgrown. But, it was also beautiful. The weather was so perfect with lots of cloud cover to keep things cool. We did find the cabin. We had hoped to find a connecting trail over to Mill Flat, but didn't see it. We also added a few extra miles hiking on a trail that may have ended up in Browse at the sequoia. We started the climb at 10:00 and ended up getting out by 6:30 pm. We think we did somewhere between 18 and 20 miles. There are magnificent views of Kolob Fingers to be seen. Actually, we could see all the way to the mountains in Beaver some of the time. Looking down on New Harmony was very pretty too. All in all, we are glad we did it, but it's one we won't do again, at least for a while!

Catching up for the last few weeks of hectic fun!

Life has been a bit crazy of late with more to do than time to do it. Juge and Lance came down for a visit arriving on Thursday, the 14th. I can't believe how much Noah has changed since we last saw him. Eden has grown so tall and can talk up a storm now. On Friday night we had an impromptu get together out back...the weather was too nice to stay inside. Weed and her kiddies and Moss, Christie and Brenden joined us. It was a chance for three of the four little boys born last year to get together and swing! Noah and Zade also discovered red licorice...mmm good,and really messy! Zade thought it was almost as good as dirt. On Saturday we decided to take a picnic up to Oak Grove. Moss and Christie didn't make it this time, but the Borrowmans joined us. We had a great time. We went for a little hike after lunch hoping to see a waterfall that Lance knew about. Unfortunately, it was a little further than we wanted to go, so we decided to do it another time. On the way back down there was a little excitement when the kids came across a little timber rattler in the trail. It was more scared of them than they were of it and scooted away into the brush. We decided to take a little tamer hike then and headed over to the Children's Forest at the Leed's Creek Kiln. We had been wanting to take the grand kids there anyway. It is such a cool little nature trail and the kiln is really interesting. For our next activity some of us were able to head over to the Smith's to help celebrate Zade's #1 birthday. He was really excited about his presents, but not too interested in eating his own personal cake! The next week was all about getting finished with school. I will miss all those little kids and hope I will have a job there again next fall. On Friday evening Paul and I went up to Pine Valley to celebrate the end of school by eating dinner at the Branding Iron Restaurant. It has really good food in a fun atmosphere and is a good place to get rid of quite a bit of money too! After eating the weather was so nice we decided to go on a little ramble on a trail that runs from Lion's Lodge over to the Whipple Trail head parking lot. It was so beautiful. It had just rained and everything smelled so good and fresh. I felt bad that I didn't have my camera along for it. The following Monday, Memorial Day, Paul and I drove up to Beaver and met the Randalls and went in search of a family camp spot. We took off on one road and Brian got a good taste of Lillywhite rough roading. We went to where we could go no more and then took a picture to prove it. Then we drove around to several other places seeing the sights. We also nearly got stuck in one very muddy place. We were all feeling grateful that we didn't have to get out and push! It started raining pretty hard and quashed our plan for a picnic in the mountains so we drove back down to Beaver and found a park with a covered eating area and lunched there, played on the toys and then went for ice cream at the Cheese Factory. It was a fun day and Brady and Ellie were great through all of the riding around. The next Saturday Paul and I went to check out Water Canyon. Paul's scouts were planning a camp there and we thought it might be good to check it out for water and just because we wanted to anyway. It was beautiful but hot. We finally found the pond we had heard about up on top...it was dry. Then we set out to find the windlass and sawmill, but ran out of time and energy before finding it...an 'edventure' for another day in the future. We decided it was a little too rough, hot and dry for the scouts, so we went for our date this week to check out conditions up at the Harmon Creek - Browse Guard Station (where the lone sequoia tree is located) and had a picnic and hiked around up there. Well, that's all for the update! (See the kiln information and pictures at bottom of the page. Also see Water Canyon pics there.)

In search of Canan Lake via Water Canyon

Paul had been thinking of taking his scouts on a backpacking trip up to Canan Mountain via Water Canyon trail. We decided we would check it out first and also look around for the lake we have been hearing about up there. We have looked for it before, but never found it. We had a beautiful hike and as we wandered around on top, we found the lake...or what was left of it. It was pretty much dried up. We have had too many dry years I guess. We continued hiking for quite some time trying to find the old windlass that's up there, but never did and kind of took a meandering route back to the trail down Water Canyon...a little bit lost for a while. It was a long, but great hike.

A great quote I saw today...our contributions are important!

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. I do not agree with the big way of doing things.

-- Mother Teresa

Family Camp Exploration & Mother's Day Get-together

We had another great week end. I got to tend Brenden Friday evening while Moss & Christie went to a show at Tuacahn. We did great. I'm pretty sure he likes swinging better than he likes me, but hey, we just want him to be a happy boy! He went to sleep swinging, I weeded the front flowerbed and Genghis was happy to have someone out there for company and attack practice. Then Jay and Brynn arrived and we had some good visiting until time to hit the sack. Paul was off on the Father's and Sons being the breakfast cook. Next morning when Paul got home Jay had an idea for a place to explore as a possible site for the upcoming family camp. Brynn was a good sport and sacrificed a day in the Dixie sun for a day in Paul's big truck as we headed up to Marysville and then up a canyon to check it out. It ended up being a pretty long drive and there was still quite a bit of snow so we couldn't get clear up the mountain. We did take a few minutes to explore an old mining site and had a good time visiting and made it back in time for our family get-together/dinner for Mother's Day/visit with Jay and Brynn. It was a bring your own meat party and Paul made yummy Dutch oven potatoes and Weed brought yummy salad. That along with rolls and angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream left us all feeling fine and fattened. We ate out on the lawn and the kids had a great time playing with the cousins. (Zade enjoyed the dirt more than the cousins.) The Borrowman kids shared their poems with us too. Jay and Brynn were able to stay and go to church with us today and we had another great dinner before we sent them on their way back to SLC. When I look at all our great kids, in-laws and grandkids, I'm just amazed at how blessed I am to be a part of such a wonderful group of people. Thanks to all of you for being such a blessing and inspiration.

Rock Trip Fun

Paul and I had the chance to take a rock trip to pick up some stone for a job we have coming up. We left after work on Wednesday and came home Thursday afternoon. We went through Jacob's Lake on the way and stopped for the usual cookie and pit stop on the way over. Got to Flagstaff quite late and decided it was too dark to hunt for a camp spot, so we just moteled it. I love all the ponderosa trees and mountains that are around the town. I even like hearing all the train whistles during the night. In the morning we got up and took a walk. We walked past a lumber making operation that smelled so good...very piney. Then we ate and headed off to the quarries in Ashfork. It is such a crazy little town with stone yards everywhere. It's fun to just walk around the yards and see all the many kinds of stone they have for sale. We got our load and then headed back stopping again at Jacob's Lake - this time for a late lunch, cookies and pit stop. We listened to a Jeffrey Archer spy thriller and it ended just as we were pulling into St. George. It was fun as always to just get away, see the scenery, listen to a book and spend time together.

Kaebri turns 7!

It's a couple of days late, but tonight we sang, blew a candle and opened presents for Kaebri's birthday. Couldn't have the family party because Derek is pretty sick and didn't want to infect everyone else. Lenae and kids just came over and visited us. Maybe we can try again when it's Zade's birthday later in the month!

Scenery Overload & a great time

We had another great 'edventure' on Friday and Saturday. Paul and I met Jay and Brynn up at Bryce Canyon on Friday evening and spent Saturday seeing/hiking through the amazing scenery there. Paul and I got there first and checked in at our motel - the Bryce Resort. It's not really a resort. It was very adequate and a little cheaper than Ruby's Inn. Then we headed down the road to a place that advertised that they had great homemade soup and pie. The soup was good, but the rest was not. We won't do them again. After that we drove over to Ruby's Inn and checked out the stores and bought really good popcorn to make up for our not so good dinner. Then we drove over to Mossy Cave/Waterfall and hiked around until dark. Jay and Brynn arrived and we visited, planned when to meet the next day and then sacked out. Had a great breakfast at the little restaurant next to the motel in the morning and then headed out for the day's 'edventures'. First we stopped at Sunset Point and hiked down to Wall Street and over to Queen's Garden and then on up to Sunrise Point and then back over to Sunset Point. Then we drove over to Inspiration Point and enjoyed the views from there. Next we headed to Bryce Point and hiked down from there to do Peekaboo Loop. During that hike we experienced a few raindrops here and there. Then we decided to stop for lunch in a little cave. Lucky for us that we were in there when a hailstorm happened along. It didn't last very long, so we continued on out after it quit. After that we were pretty tired (it was listed as a strenuous hike that you can do via mules) and drove to some other outlooks and then hiked the Bristle Cone Loop. After that we headed over to Mossy Cave/Waterfall so that Jay and Brynn could see it. Then we headed back to Ruby's Inn and not being hungry enough for dinner decided to just have dessert...we all had something different. Mmmm good! Other than that little hailstorm, the weather was beautiful. It was not too hot to survive the uphills and not too cold. It was a great time with amazingly beautiful scenery. Every turn of the trail revealed another beautiful vista to photograph! We had such a good time visiting all along the way. It was a great trip! (See more pictures at the bottom of the page!)