School's Out! Time for Summer Fun!

Last year, I was given Travis in late April and was only able to ride him a few times before I had to retire him for the summer and break out the "rock board". Today is June 24 and Travis is still going strong because there is SO MUCH SNOW there aren't even any rocks showing yet!!! I'm going to Swix Wax (my single favorite product of all time) my rock board for next week (4th of July!) just in case some rocks are showing. I am contemplating how I am going to achieve my goal of riding in every single month of this year. I have decided that my only obstacle is August and possibly September...So, I think that a return trip to Mnt. Hood might be in order. I would strategically plan the trip for August 31- September 1! In October I will be able to start hiking and by November the mountains will be open again! 2011 is my year for riding, apparently!

After riding all day, I swooped up the baby girl and took her on a really long, yet really beautiful hike up Park City Mountain Resort. Unlike the Bird, PCMR is absolutely beautiful in the summer! It's so green and grassy and there are so many trees!!! I was in love with our walk and am anxiously awaiting Fall and for Skippy to come down and hike back in the Aspens with me and the Mischa!

We hiked up through the Three Kings terrain park past all of the melting kickers, and then took the switchback cat that goes all the way from the bottom of the Ridge terrain park to the base. It was a great hike because we just followed the cat and were in the shade most of the way. Once to the top, we sat on the Eagle chair which was positioned perfectly for Mischa and I to sit on and overlook all of Park City and beyond. We then hiked to the top of the Ridge and saw that McConkey's and Jupiter are still completely covered with snow on the North/ East facing sides. We walked under McConkey's lift then found a little trail that took us back to the front. We caught up with the Eagle lift again and walked below that but all we found were cigarette butts and beer cans. We walked through the pipe which still had at least a 12 foot wall on one side. It was so wet and muddy through there. Mischa and I were both covered head to toe in mud. She pulled too hard chasing a rodent and I slipped and fell in the mud and her whole body was covered from being a low rider. Once to the car I wrestled her into a plastic grocery bag and carried her into the house and dropped her into the shower. We filled the whole shower with mud. It was really gross. But, we had such a great hike! I love hiking with my little baby girl! She is always such a trooper! It's SUMMER! I love it!

Good Luck Jim Town

I, like many Utahan's, were hoping that the Jazz would draft Jimmer Fredette in the NBA draft last night. We had hopes that since Jimmer is 1. Mormon 2. A BYU alum 3. A fast, high scoring guard and 4. Has been practicing with the Jazz.....that we WOULD HAVE DRAFTED HIM!!! Ticket sales and moral is low for the Jazz after losing 3 key players and our coach. We could definitely use a spark to get this team back "in the game". Surprisingly, we had the 3rd draft pick and chose Enis Kanter... another large white foreigner. We could have all really gotten behind the Jim Town, but now we're stuck with another foreigner that can't rally the crowd quite like a hometown boy, especially a really close hometown boy. Oh well...good luck in Sac Town, Jim Town.

First Day Of Summer! Getting My Float On!

These pictures were taken this past weekend....like 2 days ago. Today is the first day of summer and the day before yesterday I was knee deep in 6-8" of fresh up at the Bird. It is June 21!!!! The first picture was taken on Saturday on Mineral Express and the second picture was taken exactly 24 hours later on the same lift. Crazy! As much as I have been absolutely loving the amazing spring skiing at the Bird, it was really cool to feel "the float" again.....floating through fresh, untracked "powder" in the bowl below Book Ends in Mineral Basin. No one else traversed through the gates, set up to control the avies, so even at the very end of the day, I had an entire bowl to myself where I was able to get the perfect turns in and slay fresh, deep, thick snow.

Ahhhhhhh ohhhhhhhh...... I could not have asked for a better situation. I mean, having ZERO visibility during some parts of the day is never fun, and often sketchy, but hitting up those two Mineral runs was worth being soaking wet, cold, wind burned, sore and alone. I have learned the lesson that living in Park City and riding the Bird practically until my birthday necessitates Gore Tex to be in my closet ready and waiting all year long.

So with that said, I wore a skirt and tank top to commemorate the first day of summer and not surprisingly burned my shins in the process. I was sitting out on my favorite grassy knoll at the U which overlooks the entire SLC valley as well as the entire Wasatch (the view is so beautiful it's amazing that I get any homework done). I really, really enjoyed being out there again. This is the first time since September that I was able to sit outside because it's been so rainy and cold. First day in a tank top and skirt too.....except for when I wore one at the Bird a few weeks ago and burned my arms and back so bad from sun/snow reflection that I fainted from the pain and spent a few days in bed because it hurt so bad and I was so nauseous. (Lesson learned...cover up at the Dirty B!).

I'm excited for my first summer here in Park City! It is soooooo beautiful up here and the kids and I are so lucky to be able to enjoy it. I am ready with my trail maps and am just waiting for school to be out so that the baby girl and I can check it all out! The boys went out in their stroller last week, on the Farm Trail, but I think it will be too hot for them to be cruising around on trails for a while.

Now that it's summer......BRING ON THE HEAT!!!

Remnants of Winter

After having a great day up at the Bird with a year to date snow total of 776 inches and a 150" remaining base, with the entire resort still open and a nip in the air, I traveled up to the base of PCMR to check out what was going on there. I found the remnants of the Super Pipe and the kickers in Kings Crown and Three Kings terrain parks. I honestly feel like it is the middle of January up at the Bird, there is so much snow! How lucky for a Bird Nerd like me to still be riding on such amazing conditions so late in the year!!! I even bought more hot temperature wax with the thought that I still have at least 10 more real days on the mountain and possibly an additional 6 after that!! When school gets out, hiking will also be an option and I may take advantage of that in order to secure my goal of 100 days on the mountain. I love Utah!

Park City- Our New Home!

Since I moved to Salt Lake four years ago, I had been looking at places to live in Park City. The stars were finally all aligned this spring and I was able to find a place that allowed pets and would sign a year term. (Most places don't allow pets and will only sign summer terms). So, I called upon my trusty moving helper (Skippy) and she gratefully flew down for the BIG move. As shown above, my body is about the size of a desk top printer, thus allowing me to fit nicely into its box. I could be shipped across the country! Anyway......

It took an entire 14 foot U-Haul truck, four trips in the Tahoe and one Sweet Unit boat load to get all of my crap up here. If I didn't have so many interests... (beads, Christmas decorations, snowboards, photography, dance shoes and clothes, 300 credits worth of college books....) then this would have been a simple move. But, oh no! No, nothing is simple for this girl! We worked our little butts off for three days straight. And that was just getting it all up here! We battled snow, sleet, hail, rain, a truck that I apparently reserved for a month earlier, the purchase and installation of new storage shelving and cleaning my mold covered Rose Park apartment. All went off pretty well. The only things that broke were one of my rocks glasses and a cereal bowl, which is really impressive!! I am indebted to Skippy for helping me with that huge load and for allowing me to have a change in scenery!

Since being here for a week we have had a wonderful experience so far!!! Since we are on the second floor, I can keep the windows open for the boys to sit at. They have been out of the deck and love it! No one has jumped yet, I am hoping that their depth perception is accurate in warning them of the long drop.

Mischa has had the most fun running around the Wasatch Mountain Range, which is now her backyard! There is nothing behind us except for hundreds of miles of open mountain. It is incredibly beautiful and seeing the snow still on the mountains with wild flowers blooming is just such an incredible welcome present for us. Mischa has been enjoying chasing small rodents, a variety of birds, hopping and running through the tall grass and sage brush and trying to burrow in to the animal holes. We take a different path every time we go for a walk, so there is always something new to see and smell!

I took a break from school and unpacking this past weekend to ride up at the Dirty Bird. It was HOT up there yet the snow was not slushy and was still riding fast. I am so excited that I will be getting in at least 11 more days, which will put me over 100 days for the season!!

So, overall, life is looking pretty good right now! Living and loving it up here in the mountains, spending every weekend for the next 6 weeks up at the Bird, finishing off my second year of Arabic, starting my thesis. Life is good!