Flying Home to too much Snow

On our last day in Clovis, we kind of had a lazy morning since our flight wasn't until around noon.

When it finally came time to head out, we drove to the airport and everything went smoothly from there.

When we landed, we drove directly to the Bureu of Criminal Investigations to get our background checks done for our adoption home study.  Robyn was super stressed that we wouldn't make it, but we were there with like an hour to spare before they closed.

We talked about going out to eat but I wanted to get home as soon as possible to shovel a week's worth of snow.  I wasn't excited about doing it, but I wanted to get as much as possible done before it got too dark and cold.

What our driveway looked like.

 I was still sick, so Robyn was kind enough to help out which made me very happy.

Action shot of Robyn

Triumpant shot of Robyn

I ordered pizza before shoveling in hopes that it would arrive just as we finished.  It took forever to get there.  But at least when it got there we had a snow free driveway and I could relax and eat it.

A Snowy Wilderness Adventure

Robyn must really love me.  She goes on lots of adventures that always end up being more hardcore than the plan that I present to her in the beginning.

These hardcore adventures are not what Robyn signed up for when she married me.  The guy she married was nearly 300 pounds and lived a fairly sedentary lifestyle.  I loved nature just as much as I do now, but we never experienced nature that was more than a mile from where we could park.

Now that I've lost over 70 pounds, and I enjoy a more active lifestyle, my love of nature is no longer fettered by my girth.  So I take Robyn on various adventures.  Apparently, though, my zeal for adventures is much greater than my ability to accurately plan adventures.  An excellent example of this is our recent hike to Silver Lake Flat.

I have a book called 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles that has 60 different hikes within 60 miles of Salt Lake City. (Nice title, am I right?) It's a really great book because it explains how to get to the destination as well as how difficult it is.  I used it to find a great hike to Silver Lake.  The hike begins at Silver Lake Flat and ends at Silver Lake.  It was 4.5 miles round trip with a 1600 foot climb.  That is the plan that I presented to Robyn.  That's the amount of effort that she was sold on.

We drove into American Fork canyon and made our way to Tibble Fork Reservoir.

Wasn't Robyn so precious?  It was beautiful scenery, with a beautiful girl.

The lake was really pretty, but that's where our driving had to stop.  It turns out the road was closed.  Intellectually, I know that there is lots of snow in the mountains, but I don't stop and think about the fact that snow might cause roads to be closed.  Like I said, I'm inexperienced at this whole going on adventures thing.

But, we decided that a closed road wouldn't stop us.  So, rather than start our hike at Silver Lake Flat like we originally planned, we figured we'd just hike up the road and end at Silver Lake Flat.

There was lots of pretty scenery, and the pretty girl stayed with me the whole time.

As the road climbed, we occasionally got a view back at the reservoir.  Can you see it in the distance?  We climbed quite a bit above it.

Eventually, the road started to have some snow on it, but we persevered.

Robyn is a cute little snow walker.

 We had been walking several miles when a man came by on an ATV.  He had 2 grandkids with him, a boy and a girl both under 6 years old.  He passed us and we said "hello".

A few hundred yards later, we came around a corner, only to discover the man standing, looking at his four wheeler, while the two cute kids asked, "are we stuck?"  They definitely were.  I asked if he needed any help, and he very graciously said yes.  Together, he and I were able to pick his back end up and move it a few feet to be out of the big rut he was in, then I was able to push him out.  I can't imagine how long he would have been stuck there if we hadn't come along.  For that reason alone, I'm really glad that we went hiking that day.

This is not a great picture, but that's the rut his ATV left.  It's evidence that my story is true.

 After we got him out, he continued on his way.  He said they were headed to some cabins up higher.  A half mile later, we passed the ATV again.  It wasn't stuck, but he had wisely decided to park it right before the snow got really deep, and walked on to his cabin on foot.

Eventually, we made it to Silver Lake Flat.  I don't really understand the naming convention, but apparently Silver Lake Flat is another lake that is not to be confused with Silver Lake.

However, just because we found it, didn't mean we reached our destination.  The parking lot for the originally planned hike was on the other side of that lake.  We still needed to hike around it, to end at our originally intended starting point.

There was still plenty of time for selfies.  I was playing the part of the shoulder angel.

We probably should have worn snow shoes.

We made it to the trail head, and found this picnic table. What a perfect place to stop, rest, and eat food.  (These activities together are commonly known as a picnic.)

What a cutie!

So the entire hike turned out to be just over 8 miles with a 2000 foot climb.  It also had several miles through deep snow.  It wasn't exactly the hike that I sold Robyn on in the beginning.  It's a good thing she loves me.

A Fever, Jammies and True Love

I don't get sick very often, and when I do, it's usually Robyn's fault.

That may sound harsh, but it's the truth.  I can count on getting sick once a year, and it's always in September, right after the beginning of school.  Robyn meets her new class, and they always introduce her to brand new diseases.  Robyn has some sort of heroic immune system that allows her to not actually get sick, while still keeping the diseases strong enough to come home and infest me.

This past week was an exception to the rule of all diseases being Robyn's fault.  I'm not really sure whose fault it was, but they should definitely be punished.

The symptoms started out pretty basic.  First, I just got really cold.  I really don't get cold very often, but this sickness came with some serious chills.

At first I thought that part of it was kind of fun.  I got to put on warm, snuggly jammies.  I've always been jealous of the idea of jammies, because being all snuggly sounds fabulous.  But, in actual practice, jammies make me much too hot and smuffed.

Robyn was so excited that I was wearing jammies that she had to take a picture.  If you can't tell, my fists are clenched because I'm shivering.

Robyn also really enjoyed this phase because it meant I cranked up the heat.  Basically, when I get sick my body functions just like Robyn's does normally.  (At least when it comes to its ability to stay warm.)

But then the less fun parts came.  The swollen sinuses, the cough that never ends and feels like it's tearing apart my insides, the achey muscles, the fever that feels like it's frying my brain and my eyeballs.  Basically, it's not awesome.

Yesterday, Robyn even convinced me to stay home from work.  I don't usually stay home when I'm sick.  I figure my job consists of sitting at a computer, it doesn't require that much physical exertion.  But this one really had me wiped out.  And I think the extra rest really helped me recover faster.

Then it snowed.  I figured I'd had a full day of rest.  I could totally handle shoveling the sidewalk.  Normally, it's a task that takes me 20 minutes tops.  But I got out there and was able to take about 2 scoops before needing to rest.  Plus, my cough was getting worse being out in the cold.  But Robyn got home from work while I was out there giving it my best shot.  She sent me inside and said she would do it.  That is true love.

But don't worry, even in my weakened state, I still thought to make an animated gif of her shoveling prowess.

Well, now comes the part where we receive proof that she didn't give this disease to me.  This morning she was complaining of not feeling well, and now she can't even get out of bed.  That means not only did she not infect me in the first place, but I infected her.  Now I'm the one who should be punished.

Remember how it made me super cold, even though I never get cold?  Remember how Robyn is always cold?  What do you think this disease that gives major chills does to someone who is always cold?

It's my turn to show true love.

Take a good long look, because my thermostat will never look like this again.

Birthday Weekend and a Certification

I'm Scuba certified!

I don't have any cool pictures to show you from the actual dive.  My underwater camera is only good to 30 feet.  I thought that was plenty when I bought it, because I was planning to use it for snorkeling, and I was confident that I would never free dive to 30 feet while snorkeling.

For our final dive, we just had a few more things to pass off.  We had to simulate an emergency ascent from 20 feet (You pretend you're out of air and ascend to the top while exhaling the whole way, so that your lungs don't explode.)  We also had to take off our mask and put it back on at 20 feet.

Then he let us have about 25 minutes to dive doing whatever we want.  He said that was our final exam.  He was watching us and he told us the biggest thing he's watching is to make sure that we're aware of our buddy and things like how much air our buddy has left.

Robyn and I explored all of the fun things that are down in the depths at the Crater.  There is a wagon wheel at about 35 feet.  There's a ring you can swim through around 40 feet.

Our certification allows us to go to 60 feet, but when our instructor signaled that our time was up, Robyn and I had only worked our way down to 48 feet.  So that's the deepest I've ever been.

But it was soooo cool!  I'm so excited to do some real dives!  We told our instructor that we're going to the Caribbean next summer, but we want to do some local dives with him first.  He said he's doing a trip to Sand Hollow reservoir in a few months.  Maybe by then I'll have a camera that can go diving.

Anyway, since Robyn's birthday was last week, we decided to have a little romantic getaway at the Homestead Resort (where the Crater is located) to celebrate.  Basically, we'll use anything as an excuse to take a trip.

So here are a few of the highlights of our short little getaway.

It was pretty darn cold, but I got Robyn to bundle up and go exploring with me in the snow.  (That's how much she loves me.)  Isn't she so cute all bundled up?

These were the lights on the front porch of our suite.  It thought the icicles were epic.  Part of me wanted to break them off and pretend they were swords.  But the part that wanted to leave them and let them grow prevailed.

There is a little Mexican place in Midway that I love.  We tried to go there for dinner, but I guess in small towns restaurants just close when their owners need a vacation.

Everything was totally frozen except for this little duck pond.  I'm pretty sure it had to be heated because there was no ice in it at all and there was steam rising from it.  It was like a little duck spa.

Hidden under the snow lurked an evil that never sleeps.  That's right, there was a golf course.

These little ice tepees had little fountains on top of them spraying a fine mist so that over time it formed this coolness.  

This is what Robyn does on vacation.  It was super fun to get cozy next to the fire after being outside in the cold.

It was a pretty fabulous weekend.  Robyn's birthday and Scuba certification worked together well to give us a solid excuse to have a getaway.  It will be a long time before we take another trip.  It's nearly a full 2 weeks before we fly to California for Christmas.

The many moves of Snow Shoveling

As some of you may know, the house we currently live in has the steepest driveway known to man.  During periods of time such as summer, this is not a big deal.  However, there is a little chore I do during the winter that is much more difficult with a steep driveway.  This chore is, of course, shoveling the snow.

It turns out that if a surface is even slightly slippery, that slipperiness seems to multiply if it has any sort of incline.  My attempts to stay upright on my driveway have required me to develop some awesome moves.  I thought I would chronicle a few of these sweet moves, since you're never there to see them.  (Seriously, why do you never come over?)

The first move is called, "Jeff takes flight."  This happens when both of my feet suddenly cease to be underneath me.  I go from vertical to horizontal instantly.  It's quite impressive.

Jeffs were not meant to fly.

The next move I call the "shovel skate."  I do this when I know it is futile to try to stand.  I just point the shovel down the hill and slide behind it, doing my best to remove snow as I go.

I make the shovel skate look good.

Other times I lose one foot, but just before I lose the other foot I put all my weight on the shovel.  Many times the shovel gives out, but when it doesn't I make this excellent dance move.

Have you ever danced with a shovel by the pale moon light?

The final move is the most common.  It would probably be really fun if it wasn't exceedingly painful.  What I do is slip and fall, usually slamming my elbow or knee in the process (and always my bum) then I lose complete control of my whole life until I am at the bottom of the driveway.

I call this, "the slider."

But I have good news (or sad news depending on how much you like to watch me fall.)  I have made a purchase that I believe will save my life.  I bought this fancy little item that can be attached to a shoe.

Aren't they fancy?

Now I can stand straight and tall, due to the improved traction.  I have only shoveled once with these on, but the only fancy move I did consisted of moving snow from my driveway onto a place that is not my driveway.

Now I can feel big and tough when I shovel.

Look what the ability to stand vertically does to a man's ego.

An Open Letter to Everyone Who Drives a Car

Dear Everyone,

We haven't talked in a while.  How have you been?  How's that thing you've been worried about?  I hope it's doing better.  How about that thing you're excited about?  Is it still making you happy?

Enough of the small talk.  The reason I've gathered you all here today is to discuss a little subject I call, "don't run into other cars while driving."

This seems like a pretty basic idea.  But, in my experience, there is some sort of amnesia that kicks in whenever it snows.  Apparently, people get up in the morning and see white stuff falling from the sky and think to themselves, "Am I supposed to run into other cars or not?  I can't remember."

You're not supposed to run into other cars.  Even if there is white stuff.

I'm glad we got that cleared up.

I think there may be some of you out there who actually know that you're not supposed to run into other cars, but you do it on accident.  I'd like to discuss some things with you.

There are lots of things we could talk about, such as, if your car starts to fishtail, you should turn the wheel into the fishtail.  That means the wheel should turn the same direction that the back of the car is drifting.  If you turn it the other way you will do what is called a donut.  This move is considered awesome if A)you are in an empty parking lot doing it on purpose or B) you are in an action movie and you are spinning around so that you can shoot the gas tank of a car that is chasing you and cause it to explode.  In all other situations, doing a donut is not awesome.

There are other techniques you can learn that are helpful for driving in the snow.  But the most important principle I'd like to go over is so simple that it can improve your snow driving instantly.  Are you ready for it?   It's going to blow your mind.  Here it comes.

Slow Down!

It blew your mind didn't it.  I marvel every time I drive on the freeway when it is snowing.  There are always people blowing past me at 80 mph.  They always have a smug look on their face as they blow past all the wimps who don't drive fast in snow.  Then I usually pass them a few minutes later as they sit on the side of the road after spinning out.

It should be understood, I like to drive fast.  I'm usually going a good 10 mph above the speed limit on the freeway in safe conditions.  But when conditions are not safe, is it really worth risking your life to get to work 5 minutes sooner?  (Not to mention that when you spin off the road it slows down traffic for the rest of us and we all get there 20 minutes later.)

This past weekend there was a bit of snow.  I've noticed that when it snows, it takes a few days for people to remember how to drive in it.  If it snows several days in a row, by the third day you don't see as many accidents.  But if it's dry for a week or two, when the snow returns it's as if they've never seen snow or driven in it before.

The following pictures are not from this past weekend.  It's from a couple months ago.  But I had to share what happens when people don't remember the age old wisdom of slowing down.

They closed 5 lanes of traffic on I15 for this little wreck.

Important safety tip: don't park a semi sideways on the freeway.  People may run into you.

I don't know what happened here, but I'm willing to be that semi was driving too fast.

For those of you who have been in wrecks recently, I do recognize that there are some accidents that happen through no fault of the driver.  You can be driving a speed that is safe for the conditions when the conditions suddenly change.  Perhaps that's what happened with our semi driver above.  My brother recently got in an accident that sounds like it was no one's fault, from his description.

I would just prefer that we all get to our destinations safely, whether there is white stuff on the road or not.  If you don't feel safe at the speed you are driving, don't feel ashamed to slow down.

Love,
Jeff

P.S. I ended with "love" so you know that everything I said was filled with love and you can't get offended at me for telling you to slow down.