Gateway to the West

So for Thanksgiving I went to my Grandmother's house in St. Louis. I had a blast, got to see not only my immediate family but also some cousins I don't see very often, and all their kids. It was a lot of fun playing with the newest great-grandchildren, eating, sleeping, and eating some more.


On Friday my parents, brother and sister and I went to the St. Louis Arch. I had been once like 15 years ago, and I think if I don't go again for 15 years I'll be OK. Maybe 30.
The Arch itself is beautiful, and a very nice monument to Jefferson and the westward expansion that used St. Louis as a starting point. I think the park at the base of the monument is much nicer than going to the top, but I figure it's just something that has to be done.

Bad Horse

The weekend is over, and once again, I have a crazy story to tell...
So Saturday I went hiking with T-Rav. We decided to go hike out to the hot pots up Spanish Fork canyon in the afternoon, get back sometime in the early evening. So we take off, hike out there, see a few naked people (I think there was some man-man action going on in one of the pots...) take a look-see but didn't jump in, and hike back out. While driving out, we notice a bunch of moving shadows off to the left of the car - cattle, deer? No, horses. Then 4-5 horses came running across the street right for us. Trav skidded and swerved, but one horse went skidding right across the asphalt into the passenger side fender. His wild horsey eye was about a foot away from mine. It was pretty nuts. Anyways, we're both fine, but trav's truck has seen better days...


And the horse? He just got up, limped for a second, then ran off with the herd.

Funeral: Part 2

So I just got back from Las Vegas. It was a good trip. I was able to visit with Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. I got to see by Grandmother laid to rest. I got 2 days off from work. And I got back just before the end of family home evening...

My sister sent me this sweet picture of my nephew and I at the viewing last Friday. I think it's pretty cool. Having a nephew is great, because I can play with him, and then hand him back when he's stinky or crying.

Then, on my way back from the burial in Vegas, I went off-roading a little in the Utah desert. I went and explored the ghost town of Lund, north of Enterprise Utah. Here's me when I stopped in the middle of the road for a pic, in the middle of an empty America.

The Funeral: part 1

So today was part 1 of my Grandmother's funeral. It went well. It was really nice to see all sorts of Aunts and Uncles and cousins. Now that both grandparents on my mother's side are gone I wonder if we'll still have family reunions and get-togethers.

It was overall a touching experience, and I learned some stuff. For example, I didn't know that my grandmother was born in Idaho. I also learned that not only did all her sons earn Eagle Scout, but ALL of her grandsons (~15?) earned Eagle as well, and so far the oldest great-grandson has already earned his Eagle. That's pretty nuts.

A lot of people asked about my experience in Iraq. One or two asked me why I wasn't married yet. And my immediate family was shocked that I shaved the beard. I look like I'm 16 now...

Adventure of the Day: Stewart Falls

OK, so Stewart Falls isn't anything too crazy, but it's still a nice hike up by Aspen Grove and the Mt. Timpanogos trailhead. The truth is, I wimped out. I had desires to hike Timp today, but I turned around. It was raining, and snowing, and I wasn't really wanting that today. Clouds I could handle, but not rain. But the hike out to Stewart Falls was good - about an hour and a half total time, and not too much rain.