Moab Day 2- Arches March 30, 2011

We spent the day at Arches, literally, we walked our feet off. We spent most of nine hours walking and walking and walking or should we say hiking.
We stopped at the Visitors Center and then hurried to catch a 10:30 AM Ranger led hike at the Windows. We caught up quickly and saw Turret Arch, North and South Windows and other surrounding features. We decided the tour group went a little slow for us. We took lots of pictures and viewed the arches from various angles and sides. Next we headed to Delicate Arch. This hike is considered strenuous and the name is not undeserved. It is only 3 mile round trip. It took us about a half hour to go the 1.5 miles but it exerted a lot of energy. At one point looking back to the parking lot looked soooooooo far away. Then the interesting part began. Basically, you just make your way over the slick rock. Stephanie and Jenny were always ahead of us with boundless energy and having a lot of fun. They stayed up high on the rock towards the end and not so much with the path. They climbed up to the inside of an arch or window. We joined them. It was peaceful, beautiful and a great view of Delicate Arch and the people traversing the rock to be closer, taking pictures and some scaling down a precarious spot to drop down to another level to view the arch from a different angle. We decided not to go down that spot after watching the people. Later, as we were right at Delicate Arch the scary spot that was precarious seemed even more dangerous than we previously thought.

Delicate Arch is absolutely stunning. It is the arch you see pictures of every where advertising Utah. It is in the middle of nowhere and even seems to be on the edge of the sandstone area. It has a big bowl near it on one side and sheer cliff drop offs that go straight down on the other side. It is perfectly formed and looks as if it is carefully positioned in it's place. We went back the way we came and then found a way around to the area where those going down the precarious route had landed. It was fun. Frequently you are alone with just your family and little or no evidence of the world in sight. It is peaceful and still. There was a breeze that helped keep us cool. We had stopped at the grocery store in the morning to pick up food for lunch, water bottles, and food to snack on. That was a big help. At the end of every hike we were ready to eat again. We also snacked on the trails. We spent well over an hour at Delicate Arch. It took a little less than 30 minutes to hike back but it felt so short compared to going up. We stopped to look a real native American petroglyphs and and old one room homestead house. After some lunch in the car, sitting we moved on to Devil's Garden.

We spent another 3 hours at least at Devil's Garden. We hiked to Landscape Arch and then we took the primitive trail to Parition Arch, Navajo Arch and on the return we looked at the collapsed Wall Arch. The primitive trail was not your typical National Park Trail. We realized later that the trail had been destoryed in one area when Landscape Arch lost a huge chunk (180 tons)in 1991. Then the trail had been compromised again when Wall Arch fell in April 2008. So basically the trail currently sidesteps these areas by going up various areas of slick rock.

Partition Arch was well worth the hike. It is an arch with a center parition dividing it into two sides. The one side seems like a normal arch but the other side is a smaller window type opening. However, from many angels they look fairly similar.
Navajo Arch was one of my favorites. It was incredibly peaceful, protected, with open spaces of sand and beautiful evergreens well spaced all around. It was secluded and had a protective area on the other side of it. There would be no way to see it without hiking to it. I would have been happy to have my camp gear and food to stay. It seemed like a great place to have a group talk with super accoustics. It was so peaceful. Well worth the walk.

Moab- Canyon Lands, March 29, 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Rand, Karla, Stephanie and Jenny traveled to southeast Utah. The scenery was new and different. We headed to Canyon Lands. It was breath taking gorgeous scenery. The canyons were everywhere. We had never seen anything like it before. We walked and hiked and walked some more. We hiked to the edge of plateua's and back. We could see the Green River that starts in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming with it's green color and we could see the Colorado River that surprised us with not only it's brown color but it's snail pace movement. Both rivers were very slow moving and the Colorado looked still. We looked out over the vast lands with canyons, and fins, needles, snaking rivers, the LaSal Mountains to the East and other mountains to the south and west. The snow capped the brilliant blue mountains with crystal clear air. The silence and stillness and peace was truly amazing. We ended our day by stopping at the Dead Horse Point State Park. It was the highlight. 360 degree, panaramic views all day.

We had a funny thing happen. The GPS told us to turn on a small road, the turns kept taking us to smaller areas and finally it told us to turn on "an unpaved road". We turned around and stopped at a motel/truck stop and asked a bit and found a map. Yes, the GPS was correct. It would take us to Canyon Lands via a 35 mile unpaved road that would not have let us cross the river and they really don't reccomend the road with any rain. You just won't make it through.

We had a lot of fun. We ended so late and soooooooo very hungry. Food is a good thing! We sat in the hot tub at the hotel for awhile and we were all happy to fall asleep.

Merry Christmas from the Briggs Home!

Ecard generated with Smilebox

SNOW Nov 2010

It snowed before Thanksgiving and during the holiday break.  The snow we didn't shovel off the walk after the first storm has parts still frozen to the walks.  Jenny has been scooping "clean" snow every day into a cup and adding rootbeer to make a slushie.  She had fun bundling Essie up to show her the snow.  Even Max the cat likes the snow.  He goes exploring with his belly dragging in the snow.  After a short jaunt he comes home to warm up.  I wish I had a photo of him slinky through the snow.  After moaning about the cold, hearing there would be storm and realizing it would impact my day, watching my skin dry out for the past week, I went outside tonight to find Jenny.  She had played in the snow for hours with her friends and it was long past bedtime.  The storm had moved on and the world was quiet, peaceful, beautiful covered in white fluffy snow.
Snow- Why/When I like it
-peace
-quiet
-everything looks clean
-the world changes, hustle and bustle slows down
-children smile
-adults smile WHEN they come out and start shoveling or taking a walk
-even our cat Max loves the snow-- he goes exploring across the yard with his belly draggin across the snow
-I also discovered an advantage to not being able to park cars in the garage---much less driveway to shovel
-OK, I don't love the cold but I like beautiful white, fluffy snow and the peace after the storm
-Skiing anyone?
-Today is a dream come true  SNOW DAY!  No school...

So I shoveled the walk as I went to pick up Jenny.  She must have read my mind because she was walking home with her coat unzipped and her snow boots in her hand!  Walking in her stocking feet!!!  The boots she was carrying were fashion type boots.  I asked why she didn't have serious snow boots on.  Her reply, you can't slide in them.  The fashion boots were too hard to get back on.  What a perspective.

Seminary Graduation

Scott graduated from Seminary on Sunday.  He also conducted the meeting with finess.  Serving as the Stake APC President has strengthened his leadership skills, preparing and giving talks, and conducting meetings.  We are greatful for seminary in the lives of our family.  The blessings of the gospel are constant and real.  Scott is a fine young many with a very good heart.  He will do well in life. 

What a GUY

May 20, 2010
There are some great advantages to be married to an engineer who pays attention to detail.

For example, we have just a little wall board left in a few rooms and I'm not nervous at all when Rand climbs the ladder and begins to cut out more wall board to install speakers.  I know he will do a great job.  Because he is meticulous there are a whole lot of areas where I don't have to have as much concern.  Safety glasses did come in handy.  We have built two homes together and now the remodel and it has been enjoyable each time.  Loads of decisions, and regular life still continues.  Thanks Rand for being a great guy who seems to be able to fix anything.  I love your research, willingness to learn and master new things.

Scott's lacrosse team won their tournament game on Tues and they play in the semi-finals for Districts Thurs.  It will be a big day.  Ester is so cute!  She is growing so quickly...she looks bigger every day.  You can see her pictures on my facebook post. 

This shows a bit of the mess.  There isn't much walking space in the house. Our ten star garage kitchen is still a marvel if I stop to think about it.  With the weather warmer it is a pleasant place to be.

Remodel Photos and another patent

Wed., May 12, 2010
Things are still "popping" around here.  The framers just arrived.  They will be finished today or tomorrow.  Rand was awarded another patent- something to do with packaging chips I believe.  I love how the computer world takes everyday terms and uses them and thus requires our language to have more double meanings.  A chip is not something you eat or play a game with but a small little electronic component that seems to be in everything lately.  A bus- don't think school or travel.  A sub- don't think subway or sandwich....you gete the idea.
The Remodel:    framing and excatvation are done.  The windows are in.  The plumber is done for awhile.  The electricians will be working for the next few days.  The Briggs are cleaning up and making more decisions.  Look what happens when you feel a little too squishy for a little long AND the counter tops truly need replaced.  You can glue them for awhile but the fourth time seemed to be over the edge and they wouldn't stick any longer.    Hmmmm