Back to Denver - July 2007

I ventured back to Denver right after the 4th. I was able to spend more great time with my dad and visit the Hobbs up in Evergreen, while Carrie was getting ready to enter the MTC for the CA-San Diego mission. Love visiting with those close friends. It's always nice to go back to your roots, but slightly eerie to reminisce on the years gone by as I spent 12 years in that 8,000 ft. Mountain town (living at such an elevation probably explains a lot of my random behaviors:-)

The slight drama (not really dramatic) came with my flight back to SLC. I went to the airport on Tuesday only to discover that my flight left Wednesday. Random. I've never done that before. Scheduled a ticket for the wrong day. So I go back Wednesday at 8:30 am (dad had a client in town and meeting) for a 1 pm flight only to find out my flight is cancelled due to technical dificulties. Thanks to the meticulous techs that make our traveling experience a complete possibility. Don't want to fly on a broken plane.

So the first leg of my journey detoured to Phx (no direct flights). Got into Phx at 4 pm to be delayed for two hours because of a missing plane somewhere in the sky. I arrived in SLC at 8:30 pm. 12 hour travel day. The 8 hr drive was probably a better choice.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Always double-check your flight dates before purchasing. Be patient and stay busy by going through every terminal, every store, and explaining airport security to confused travelers (sealed bottled water is still not allowed through security). If you end up at the airport for several hours participate in non-traditional exercise (walk everywhere, lift your bag 100 times with each arm, do calf raises, stretch and refrain from sitting). Specifically, if you're trapped at DIA you can practice balance on the train between terminals. Don't hold on to the rails, just balance back and forth with your legs slightly bent. For beginners, stand close to a pole or rail to avoid flying into another tram traveler. May get some strange looks, but it's so much fun.

Monticello & Muley Point - July 2007

What better way to start July then with a weekend trip to Monticello! Though this location may be unlisted in a typical travel guide, it has a great small town atmosphere (because it is a small town) and even it's very own LDS Temple (it's pretty small too). It was great to get out of 100 degree Provo weather and settle with 80 degree temps.

We visited Liz's (my roommate) aunt and uncle. So much fun! Adorable kids. They are the family on the move, as they're involved with everything. That's totally how it should be and I hope to be with my own kids. They took us down to Muley Point somewhere between Bluff and Mexican Hat. Their family minivan turned into a Hummer as we climbed our way to the point. We hiked around the side of the point to view some Anasazi petraglyphs. These amazing pictures depict the birth of Christ. It was so gorgeous and enjoyable to scale the side of 1000 foot cliff.

CONSUMER REPORT: Family minivan (if I remember it was a Toyota Sienna). Now there's a car I recommend. Who knew a minivan could scale rocks and major ditches and venture up the road less traveled.

Happy Father's Day - June 2007

June travel continued on to Denver to spend time with my dad and Elizabeth. I got to be a kid again as we watched Hannah Montana (Liz's fav), went to Waterworld, Primary and made Father's Day cards and kids crafts. I also met Dad's girlfriend Debbie, adorable spunky lady, who really favors the color yellow and has a tortoise named Bam-Bam.

Lake Tahoe - June 2007

My summer travel started with a great weekend trip to Tahoe with my roomies. We were totally livin' it up at an exclusive ski lodge in Squaw Valley (1960 Olympic venue) and traveling around in a Jeep Commander. We were fortunate to go before the horrible fires. It's absolutely gorgeous there. Reminds me of Colorado.

CONSUMER REPORT: buyer beware:-) the Jeep Commander is very stylish, but not the best choice for the sight-seeing bunch sitting in the backseat. Passengers sit two feet higher than the windows having to slouch down to peer out. The DVD player is a nice touch, but the backseat-middle passenger is stuck viewing the onscreen images cross-eyed and is really at a loss to view anything outside of the car when this is down.

For clarification, my roommate's brother came too. BYU hasn't changed their standards to co-ed habitations:-) It was an awesome trip for the some rest and relaxation, plus few crowds. I highly recommend this destination spot on any traveler's list. Plan on going at this time if you're crowd-aphobic. It was in between seasons, so absolutely dead.