Hot as Hades

I've been given some playful ribbing about my lack of posts so I'm hoping this will keep me awake in this crazy August heat.

OK, I haven't posted since February. Well, since that post Bill and I decided to design our own bike trip instead of taking the San Juan Huts trail, which was 2 days too many on our bikes and it was killing me to think we'd be surrounded by all that beauty and not get any hiking in. So, we took a tour of Southern Utah and Colorado National Parks. We started out our trip with a visit to Edie and Doc in Wyoming, always pleasant and interesting. Real cowboys.

Took the scenic drive west of the Rockies to I-70 and shot into Utah. Arches National Park was first. The slickrock in the area was a blast to ride on and I highly recommend it. Canyonlands was just up the way from Arches, so we visited there as well. This is where Bill proposed. We had just finished a picnic dinner and he asked if I was going to collect any rocks. (I have rocks from all over the world. It's a thing.) I was looking around, pretty uninspired to do any rock collecting, when he came up from behind me and slipped a diamond ring on the table in front of me and said, "Well, here's a rock I picked up for you." Wow. I was totally taken by surprise and wouldn't stop babbling long enough for him to officially ask the question. It was romantic, clever and perfect. Of course I said yes.

From the Moab area we headed to Bryce Canyon where we took an 8-mile hike from hell. We swear it was all uphill. Really. We were baffled by the terrain. The bike riding in Casto Canyon just west of the Park was also awesome. The scenery fantastic and not another soul on the path.

In Zion Canyon we climbed Angel's Landing. Even of all the tree climbing and scrambling I've done seemingly without fear, I had to stop and catch my breath and courage before climbing over the spine. I'm glad I didn't know someone had died there just one month before when I was mentally preparing to complete the journey. But the views were worth it.

After Zion we visited Mesa Verde National Park in Cortez, Colorado. Boy, were those folks ahead of their time. I've always been fascinated by cliff dwellings and was so excited to see them on Independence Day. The irony!

Along the way we visited other parks and "roadside attractions" for an all-around excellent 2-week vacation, Bill's first. And it definitely won't be the last.

The House
Before and after our excellent June/July vacation we've been working on the house. Of course it's really stepped up now we're engaged. Must sell the house so we can set a date and start saving money for the honeymoon. And the wedding, too.

This weekend we're going to paint the parlor, living room and foyer. Whereas these were already painted and looking pretty good, we've finally patched all the areas from the insulation and put up crown molding. So this will be the finishing touch. Bill and Aaron will be putting the soffit in the dining room and replacing the bad plaster with drywall. Woo hoo.