There and Back Again

2011-12-15T20:25:00.004-07:00

One of the things that we like to do as a family is to look at the various Christmas lights as we travel in the car from place to place. We started to do this to keep the kids occupied and some what calm while we were in the car, and over the years it has evolved into something that we like to do together. The other evening while at our family Christmas party my brother in law showed us some pictures of some lights not to far from us. When i saw the pictures I knew we would have to find this house and see it. With some help from my wife and the iPhone we found it. Here is what we saw.

Since you can't really see it all allow me to explain. nearly every square inch of the house and front yard was covered in lights. There are two signs that tell you to tune your radios to FM 90.7, and when you do that is when the magic kicks in. They are broadcasting Christmas music and the lights turn on and off, flash, fade in and out, etc. to the music. It was pretty cool and the kids loved it. Needless to say there were 8-10 other cars doing the same thing we were and many of them got out of their cars to enjoy it. Here is the full effect.

Needless to say we had and fun finding it, the kids enjoyed it, and we will probably visit it again on Christmas eve.

Are we too busy?

2011-09-18T11:24:00.001-06:00

Simple question: Are we as a society to busy? Are we trying to cram too much into our lives and schedules? Have we forgotten how to take it slow? Have we forgotten the value of being able to take it slow?

Jimmer Fredette for NCAA POY 2011

2011-03-22T21:27:00.001-06:00

Some highlights from this season.

Teach me how to Jimmer

2011-03-22T21:24:00.002-06:00

A little tribute the best basketball player to ever wear the Cougar blue.

Ode to Ronnie Price

2010-11-28T14:27:00.002-07:00

Thank you Ronnie Price. Thank you for graduating from U.V.U. (my Alma Mater). Thank you for Playing for the Utah Jazz. Thank you for helping the Jazz beat the Lakers. And thank you for putting Lamar Odom in his place.

Ark

2010-07-28T19:14:00.001-06:00

Today I discovered a cool little web-series called Ark.

Check it out here http://www.hulu.com/ark

Green Chile CheeseBurger, need I say more?

2010-06-09T16:56:00.003-06:00

The Name of the Wind

2010-01-03T09:47:00.003-07:00

I finished "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss last night. It is well done and left me wanting more. This is the first book in a three book series, books two and three have yet to be published. Anyone that is into fantasy needs to read this book. This is also a great read for those who are not into fantasy as the characters, the world, the story, the magic system, etc. are far more plausible and reasonable and not so hokie or campy like some fantasy/D&D styled books can be. Read it and let me know what you think.

It seems that I am at the geographical epicenter of both

2009-12-13T21:57:00.002-07:00

Twilight Years from Tom on Vimeo.

Loving it!

2009-11-22T10:44:00.001-07:00

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Really?! We are going to deport and separate a family that is productive , law abiding, and has done everything right? Where are the priorities?

Long time , no post

2009-08-30T13:05:00.004-06:00

It has been too long since I posted last. This summer has been busy and interesting. I changed jobs, and have been busy with adjusting to that. Unfortunately I have not been able to hike/camp/backpack nearly as much as I had wanted to. There are several reasons for that but none of them good. My parents have moved to the Layton area from Albuquerque, so we have been busy with that as well. we have been casually looking at houses, so we are trying to figure out were we want to live. As a result of my new job Kris and I have been able to go on more dates this summer than the past five years combined. It has been wonderful, nothing like spending quality time with your bestest buddy in the whole entire world. Last Friday Kristen and I Went and saw Lonestar at the Scera Shell. We had a great time, outdoor venue, no smoking, no alchohol, beautiful weather, and good food. Lonestar put on a great show, which we both enjoyed very much. Today we have been making Sweet and Sour Pork, which is one of my favorites, for Kristens family. Not much else to report. I love ya' dear, thanks for everything.

Not much going on

2009-06-16T07:19:00.002-06:00

Not much is going on right now. We recently returned from a short but delightful trip to New Mexico. I started my new job with eBay yesterday. We are thinking about taking yet another short trip to Washington in a few weeks. Hopefully we will be able to get out on the trail soon and see what the mountains have in store for us this year. Will keep y'all posted.

WInds of Change

2009-06-07T12:07:00.002-06:00

Farewell AutoZone.

Hello eBay.

Tooter lives

2009-05-20T22:56:00.002-06:00

Today, with the help of my good friend Brian, we took Tooter for a ride. For those of you who are not familiar with tooter let me explain. Tooter was Kristen's grandfathers nickname. We have his old truck which is a 1973 Chevrolet C20. We loving call the truck "Tooter" after her Grandfather. After several hours of work we got it running and somewhat road worthy and took it for a quick spin around the neighborhood. Sadly, I went to upload a picture and found that I don't have any full body shots. I will get some tomorrow and post them.

To FaceBook or not to FaceBook that is the question.

2009-05-07T21:51:00.002-06:00

I Have resisted so far, but now I have been tempted to get a FaceBook account. So, I need some help from you all. Should I or shouldn't I? I need some arguments from both sides. Help me out people.

Springtime in "happy valley"

2009-04-30T05:06:00.004-06:00

It seems that spring has finally decided to come to happy valley. Spring, especially this year, is very welcome. This last winter wasn't particularly harsh but it seemed to last longer than usual. The grass is greening up, the lilies are coming up, the trees are blossoming, the tulips have bloomed, and the lilac is budding. The mountains are still snow capped which adds to the beauty of the valley. Now we are just waiting for the snow to melt so that we can visit the beautiful mountains that surround us. I am seriously contemplating summiting some of the more prominent peaks here in happy valley. Lone Peak (Elev. 11,253 feet), Mt. Timpanogos (Elev. 11,749 feet), and Mt. Nebo (Elev. 11,928 feet). If anyone is interested in joining me, let me know. Ahh...yes indeed spring has arrived.

LOTR

2009-04-27T11:47:00.002-06:00

Ethan lately has been asking me to read The Lord of the Rings. He cannot read such a book by himself so I would have to read it to him. After weeks of begging, last night we started reading it. I am now wondering whether we should have started with The Hobbit. I estimate that at our current reading pace it will take us nearly nine months to finish it. Wish us luck.

What is in your bookcase?

2009-04-25T10:53:00.003-06:00

Currently in my bookcase...

Leadership and Self-Deception, Twilight, The Lord of the Rings, Big Inch Chevy Small Blocks, Caravans, Hiking Utah's High Uintas, How to really stink at Golf, With Badges and Bullets: Lawmen and Outlaws in the Old West, Basics of Golf.

Currently Playing on Lappy...
Band: AFI
Album: December Underground
Song: The Interview

It is officially official

2009-04-15T08:38:00.003-06:00

It finally came

Hiking...finally

2009-04-10T17:28:00.008-06:00

After a long winter we were finally able to get onto the trail. Last Saturday we went hiking in Richland, WA

This past Wednesday we hiked to Battle Creek Falls, just above Pleasant Grove.

The very next day it rained and snowed again. So it will be a while before we can hike any more trails. At least we were able to get in a few hikes to tide us over until the weather warms up.

2009-03-19T23:50:00.005-06:00

Now that the previous post is off of my chest I am ready to update everyone on life. Life is good, it could be better, but at the same time it could be worse. I realize that there are many who are in worse situations than I am. I have a decent job, I have my health, I have my beautiful family, and I have the most amazing woman for a wife. For these things I am extremely greatful. Many right now are missing one or more of the previous qualifiers. I am still looking for a job though. So far luck has not been on my side (or maybe it has, depending on the point of view). I have applied for several jobs and have yet to get an interview, very depressing. For a while I began to doubt myself. But after several conversations with several people I have come to realize that I am not alone.

I can't wait for spring to get here. We are anxious to get out into the great outdoors. Utah truly is an outdoor enthusiasts paradise (I will argue the point with anyone). Spring keeps threatening to come by giving us short spells of beautiful weather. Just enough to intoxicate one into thinking about getting the gear out of storage and planning a trip. Then we get drop kicked back into reality with a winter storm. An example: the last few days have been beautiful and this Sunday it is suppose to snow. This has been a regular occurrence for the last several weeks. Mother Nature truly is indifferent and at times cruel. Ethan is excited to get back on the trail. Jensen is excited as well because this year he gets to come with us. I am still trying to find a decent baby back pack. Kristen wants to come on some hikes with us this year. The problem being that we have a six month old. Hauling a baby in your arms to 10,000+ feet is not impossible, but it is not very comfortable for parent or baby and could be potentially dangerous for both. Unfortunately the various baby back packs that I have looked at are very expensive. While I do not have a problem paying money for quality products I do have problem spending $200+ on a pack that will see 1 or maybe 2 summers of use if we are lucky. If anyone has any suggestions please comment. Until nxt tm.

Welcome to the U.S.S.A

2009-03-19T23:27:00.005-06:00

I ran across this a few weeks ago and have been meaning to post it but as it always does, time has eluded me, until now.

I thought that with everything that has been going on in our great country lately that newsweek hit the nail on the head. Whether we like it, admit it, or want it or not we are socialists. So welcome/Bienvenidos to the United Socialist States of America.

Dr. Pepper Ice Cream...really?

2009-01-25T20:12:00.003-07:00

So about a week ago a friend of mine I were talking and the subject of ice cream came up. He began to tell me about this place called Sub Zero Ice Cream (which turns out to be owned by neighbors of kristens parents). At Sub Zero Ice Cream they make your ice cream in front of you using liquid nitrogen. You first choose your base. Then you choose you flavoring and any mix ins. Then they fill the bowl with liquid nitrogen and begin mixing. The result is a very tasty and smooth ice cream. My friend tells me that they will make Mountian Dew ice cream. I responded "really? Is it good?" "oh yeah" he says. So he goes and gets some for us and it tastes like Mountain Dew. I mentioned that it would be awesome to have Dr. Pepper ice cream. My friend quickly responds that they can do that also. So a few days later we go to Sub Zero Ice Cream to get some Dr. Pepper ice cream. It turns out that they use the soda syrup thatone would use to make various sodas to make some of the flavors they offer. Dr. Pepper ice cream is good. I have had twice in the last week. Sub Zero Ice Cream does off other normal flavors, but this is the only place that I know of where you can get Dr. Pepper ice cream.

Hello my friends

2009-01-21T06:53:00.006-07:00

So it has been almost another month since I have posted and I have no excuses. I really have not had much to post about, so today I will ramble. We have a new president. I am glad to see our nation excited, but only time will tell us if we made the correct decision. Hopefully we did. Its been nearly a month since I graduated and no solid leads for a job. Everyone around has asked aren't you so glad you graduated? Yes, yes I am. Unfortunately, I graduated in time to see the worst job market in thirty years. We set up the crib for Breyton last night in hopes of getting better sleep. I do not think we succeeded. I think it will take a few days for breybrey to get use to his new bed. Ethan is doing very well in school. his second report card was perfect as was his first. So today I think we are going to do something special for him. My wife is as lovely and beautiful as ever. I Love her so much. She does some much for me and the boys. Thanks Dearest. I am starting to get anxious to get back on the trail again. I am ready for spring to be here, so that we as a family can hit the trails again. I have the coolest nephew (Kaden) of all time. Ethan and I are looking forward to trekking with him and his dad this summer. I have been craving New Mexican food lately. Maybe some Gardunos or Papa Felipes would satisfy the craving. Sometimes I wish I could fly to Albuquerque for lunch like Kristen and I used to do in the old days. Thanks to everyone for you support and love. And that is all I have to say about that.

Back from the land of the dead...well sort of

2008-12-19T07:22:00.007-07:00

I'm back. I must apologize for my absence /hiatus, but between work, school, and not completely abandoning my family I just could not find the time to blog. Today is my birthday. It is also the first day that I do not have any classes to attend/tests to take/papers to write. The next few days are also the first days off I have had in a long, long time. Am I happy all is said and done? I am. I think that some might be more excited than myself. They are a few loose ends that I need to addressed but for all intents and purposes I have finished my collegiate career (that is until I get an itch and decide to get a graduate degree). Many say that the school is the hard part. I would tend to disagree. I think that finding that perfect dream job is harder. Especially when the economy is looking more and more like 193x. we will see what happens. I have a few leads, none of them real serious, and we will just have to wait and see what happens.

But enough of that. I would like to thank a few people. To all my friends and family that helped with various projects, encouragements, and the such. Thank you llegue, State of Obvious, and Ordinary and Occasionally Extraordinary for giving me something to read and a chance to escape. To my boys who are the spice of my life. Finally to my wife who has been there through thick and thin, thicker and even thinner, and everything in between. She has put up with me, school, long work hours, my crazy ideas, and a countless number of other things that I have subjected her to. No matter my accomplishments, my experience, or how many pieces of paper I may have I am nothing without her. Without Krissy am am only 1/4 of the person that I am she is my motivation. Fortunately she is very forgiving and understanding of me. I am the luckiest person n the world to have a spouse like her. I cannot say Thank you enough.

Tonight we will celebrate with my siblings, their spouses, and a good friend of mine. This place is awesome. The Sugarhouse bbq is worth stopping at if you are in Salt Lake City.

Breyton update

2008-10-30T21:45:00.003-06:00

For those of you who actually read my blog here is an update on Breyton. For those of you who do not read my blog or haven't heard, here is the story. Tuesday morning Breyton wakes up not his normal self and with a fever. Kristen takes him to the pediatrician. Meanwhile I am at work and I get a call from Kristen telling me that I have to leave work right now because Breyton is being sent to Primary Childrens Medical Center in SLC. I make arrangements and leave a.s.a.p. At this point I have no idea why he is going to the hospital only that the pediatrician said that we need to get him there. So we get up to PCMC and go to the emergency room where they do the usual poking and prodding. They then tell us that his temperature is very high for such a young child. Apparently a fever in children under two months of age is very serious. They tell us to prepare to stay at least 24 hours and possibly longer. They then draw blood from his arm, give him an IV port in his ankle, insert a catheter, and inform us that they need to give little breybrey a spinal tap. What?!? Spinal tap? Are you serious? They needed to collect some spinal fluid to test to make sure he did not have a brain or spinal infection. Oh and they don't sedate young children for spinal taps either, I guess there are more risks involved with sedation on young children. That was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to personally wittness. The doctors gave us the option to leave because they realized that it would be difficult for us as parents to watch. I could not abandon my son. I know there was nothing I could do to help him but Kris and I felt it were better to stay. That proved to be difficult. After several hours the doctor came back and told us that all of the preliminary tests came back good and that we would be able to go home that night. That was nice. They gave him a megadose of antibiotics and got us going on our way. They next day we had to follow up with our pediatrician. She gave him some more antibiotics and then instructed us to take him to the local hospital to have more blood drawn for more tests. They think he has a virus and they are just trying to figure out which one. This morning our middle son woke up and threw up as we were walking out the door to take our oldest son to school. Great more sickness. Did I mention that my sister Alicia is getting married this Saturday? How about my sister Heather and her family are arriving tonite from Washington? When Ethan gets home from school he starts to complain of not feeling well. Wow, when it rains it poors. Luckily he has not thrown up, yet. Knock on wood. Kris and I are thinking that maybe the boys are feeling the effects of their flu shots they got on Tuesday, theres always hope. It seems that everytime My sister comes to visit her kids or our kids get sick. So it has been a sad and pathetic running joke that I wish would not come true but inevitably it does. Ethans birthday party was tonite also. Now the encouraging news. Breyton's fever broke a mere hour ago and he is already acting better and more like his normal self. It has been a long set of few days. Thanks to all of you who watched our kids, prayed for us, or help us in any other way. We are very appreciative. Thank You. Wish us luck for tomorrow is Halloween and then we have my sisters wedding and if things go well we will bless breyton this Sunday. Thanks again, to everyone for your love and support.

Posting for posting sakes

2008-10-05T13:38:00.008-06:00

Between work, school, and family I have not had not much time to post. So I thought that I would post a few pictures and get y'all updated.

If you read my wife's blog you know that I am in my last semester at U.V.U. This is by far the lightest load I have ever taken, but it is also the most important semester. One of the classes I am enrolled in is my senior capstone project. The project my group and I have been assigned is to design, develop, and implement a website/forum for a local autism group. One of the members of our group has two children who have been diagnosed with autism. His wife is a part of a local group of mothers that get together and meet, offer support, and offer advise to each other. One of the problems they face is the ability to easily coordinate meetings. Another problem they face is communicating with each other. The primary method of communication they use is email. Email is a quick and simple method to communicate when your group is small. When the group gets large it becomes difficult and cumbersome. For example a mother may email a question like "does anyone know any babysitters that are qualified/certified to watch autistic children?" The next day she may have fifty or more responses to that question. Reading and sorting fifty emails is time consuming. Hopefully you are beginning to understand their dilemma. So we have proposed to build a website/forum to help them and their families better communicate and plan events as well as provide topical information both for those who have autistic children and those who don't. If anyone has any talents or resources that might help us get this accomplished for these amazing women and are willing to donate some time or skills, please let me know. Having the website will make their lives much easier.

Previously I posted about a drive that we took on the alpine loop and cascade springs. Here are a few pictures from that trip.

It has only been a few weeks since Ethan and I took our last hike, and I am chomping at the bit to get to the outdoors again. The weather, up until yesterday, has been absolutely beautiful. Yesterday it rained all day. Today it rained most of the morning. It is a bit chilly but it is still possible to do some hiking. We are anxiously waiting for my sister and her family to arrive so that we can go on some hikes while they are here. Bring some warm clothes.

I will be traveling to Denver in a couple of weeks for work. The day after I get back we are leaving to visit the previously mentioned sister in Washington. Hopefully I will be able to get in some salmon fishing and/or hiking while we are there. We are definitely hitting a local donut shop called Spudnuts. If you have not been here you need to go. It is a small town cafe that sells doughnuts made from potato dough. They are delicious and were featured on the Travel Channel. One bit of advise, call in your order ahead of time or get there early. Otherwise you may not get what you want and my have to wait a while to get them.

A week or so after we get back, my other sister is getting married. So as soon as we get back we will have to start getting read for the onslaught of family and friends that will descend upon our house in preparation for the event. In and around all of that we have to fit in Ethan's birthday, Halloween, and Breyton's blessing. Then after that we have Jensen's birthday, Thanksgiving, our anniversary, my birthday, Christmas, and New Years. So as you can see we are busy and it does not look like that is going to change for a while.

Finally, since the Mariners did not make the playoffs, go Sox!

Silver Lake revisted

2008-09-23T21:42:00.007-06:00

This last Saturday Ethan and I hiked to Silver Lake for the second time this year. Kristen's brother and his family joined us on this trip. Ethan was so excited because he was able to carry his own backpack on this hike, which he has not done before. Even though the weather man did predict rain, it came earlier than he said it would. We were prepared but it is never fun to be at 9,000 feet with the wind blowing rain and hail into your face. So we were not able to spend much time at the lake. We were actually hoping that we would be able to hike to a lake above Silver Lake called Silver Glance Lake but that did not happen. Maybe next year we will finally be able to visit Silver Glance Lake. The fall colors were absolutely beautiful and even though it was a quick trip Ethan and I had a great time together. This quite possibly may be our last hike for this year. Hopefully the weather will hold because Ethan really wants to take his cousin, Kaden, on a hike when they visit in the end of October.

The next day we took a family trip and drove the alpine loop. We made several photo op stops including one at Cascade Springs. This is a fun little trail that is great for the kids. We spent this last weekend out in the great outdoors because soon the cold Utah winter will arrive. The fall colors were beautiful all throughout the canyon and the drive as well.

Ethan also tried his hand at some photography. He really wants to get a camera of his own. Here is a sample of some of his work.

My little cheese ball

It pays to go through your junk

2008-09-19T20:00:00.003-06:00

For the last few years there have been a few boxes in the garage that have needed my attention. They had various objects in them but it was mostly stuff from my mission. Finally I had some time to go through it, organize it, and put the stuff into something more protective than slowly deteriorating cardboard boxes. I threw away a lot of stuff but I did find a few surprises. Among the items I rediscovered were a t-shirt, apparently made by my sister and my good friend Sara and signed by several friends. A ton of old pictures. Some good, some bad, and some were ugly. Pictures of Jim, Julie, Alicia, and other good friends. My mission journals and memorabilia. It was nice to remember some of the long forgotten memories, places, and people. Twenty-two dollars. Yes I actually found money. Tonight dinner was on me. More importantly were the memories of forgotten friends. Kristen was having fun giving me a hard time about old girlfriends (I won't mention who, but there is one in particular she really enjoys razzin' me about). I miss my good friend Sara. It has been far to long since we have had a good chat. We need to get together. So for all of you out there who have junk that you need to sort, remember it pays to go through your junk.

So you're a wise guy eh...

2008-09-18T09:41:00.002-06:00

I have discovered a new Pizzeria. Wise Guyz Pizzeria has become my favorite pizza place. It is a small locally owned takeout/delivery place and is delicious. They offer several different types of traditional and specialty pizzas. One of their specialties includes chili and hot dogs. I haven't tried it yet but the The Capone, The Margherita, and The Escobar are all delicious. They also offer calzones, salads, and sandwiches (the meatball sandwich is heavenly). One of the best things that they offer is green olives. I love green olives. This love began while I was in Argentina. We used to get a cheese and green olive pizza and it was Fantastic. So if you are in Utah county and have a hankerin' for pizza or sandwiches swing by this place.You will not be disappointed.

B.S.S. makes it home

2008-09-14T19:44:00.003-06:00

We finally were able to come home today. Kristen is glad to come home, but now the real work begins. Thank you everyone that called, texted, posted, and/or visited us. Thank you to all of you that have had and will help us during this time.

B.S.S.

2008-09-12T16:37:00.006-06:00

No it is not a reference to some sort of profanity. It stands for Breyton Scon Somerville. The newest addition to our little family. He was born this morning at 7:39 am. He weighed 8 lbs 14 oz and was 22 in long. My sis, Heather, has already made some comments about breyboy and can be found here.

Roots...

2008-09-09T19:54:00.009-06:00

A couple of weeks ago my grandmother noticed water comming up near the patio while the sprinklers were on. Obviosly one of the sprinkler lines had broken. She asked me if I would take care of it for her. I told her I would. So I started to dig and found the break. It had cracked in the middle of a coupler. This is what I found.

A root had grown under the pipe and eventually got so big that it began to bend the pipe until it broke. I first tried to cut through it with the "tetanus saw" but that was way to much work. So I broke out ye olde hatchet. Mr. hatchy made quick work of the root. By the time we finished the repair it was dark. The next morning we (the boys and I) filled in the hole.

The other new arrival

2008-09-04T21:37:00.002-06:00

Yep we finally did it. We crossed the car/minivan line. While I would have rather gotten a SUV, economics and practicality won out. It is a 2007 Hyundai Entourage Limited, similar to the one pictured above.

Season Four Has Arrived!!

2008-09-04T21:27:00.003-06:00

For all of you that are "The Office" fans we can finally rejoice now that season four has arrived. I plan on watching it while Kristen and I are in the hospital with our new arrival

Gear review

2008-08-27T21:11:00.016-06:00

The not so long awaited gear review has finally arrived. On this backpacking trip we just took, which was my first in several years, I was using/trying out a lot of equipment for the first time. So I thought that I would provide a little info and some thoughts on that equipment. By no means are these reviews very detailed and if anyone needs more info let me know. I am more than willing to share my thoughts and more info on these items. Maybe this might help some of you make future decisions.
Backpack was the Vaude Accept 65+10 II
This pack worked great, simply put I was the only person who did not complain of sore shoulders or sore hips/waist. It was very comfortable and as packs go very spacious. My only real complaint was the lack of lash points on the outside. Perhaps they were not included because they can catch on rocks, limbs, etc. but at times it would have been nice to have one or two.

Hydration system was the Platypus Big Zip SL (3L)

This hydration system was awesome. The feed tube can quickly disconnect from the bag without leaking which makes it easy to remove from packs with out having to hassle with it. You fill through a system on top which resembles a Ziploc bag on steroids. The quick disconnect came in handy for filling also. The water filter system that I used was able to connect to the bag through the quick disconnect which made filling very convenient out in the field.

Water filter was the Katadyn Hiker Pro
I was wary of purchasing this filter due to the fact that I could not find a lot of people that had actually used it. However after a lot of research and the recommendation of a sales person I decided to get it. No regrets here. My father brought along another filter from another filter manufacturer. His filter worked fine but had a tendency to clog, even in very clear water, which required frequent field servicing. By the end of the trip several of the people in our group confided in me that they preferred my filter over my fathers. Here is a video of it in action.

Sleeping pad was a Therm-a-rest Trail regular

Therm-a-rests reputation needs no bolstering from me. This brand is already well known for their products. The trail series is a great line for those that want a Therm-a-rest at a lower price. It worked well, was compact, and easy to use. It was plenty long and accommodating but I would have preferred more width for my wide shoulders. There is a wider version available, maybe Ethan will inherit my current one and I will eventually get the wider version.

Cookware was the GSI Ultralight Dualist Cook system
I found some sweet deals on some of the other gear I bought so I splurged on my cooking set. This set has a cooking pot, 2 cups, and 2 bowls that all stack nicely inside of each other. If you stack them correctly you can fit a gas canister and other items inside also. The carrying case also doubles as a wash basin. The top of the cooking pot has holes on one side so that you can safely and easily drain water with out loosing whatever it is you have in the pot. The entire set does not weigh much and I found it very handy and functional. I must admit though, that I really did not do much more than boil water and then mix in dried food.

I took two different stoves with me. Both of them were borrowed and both were made by MSR.

The first was a liquid fuel stove called the Whisperlite Internationale provided by my brother in law Jeremy.

The Second was a canister fueled stove called the Superfly provided by my brother in law Jason.

There are advantages and disadvantages to liquid fuel and canister fueled stoves. Liquid fueled stoves take longer to set up and get ready, you have to deal with a liquid fuel, and generally you cannot easily control flame intensity (meaning the flame is all or nothing). They do boil water faster, work better at altitude, can burn multiple different types of fuels, and you do not have to worry about packing multiple canisters in and out. Canister fueled stoves do not work as well at altitude, are not as hot so they boil water slower, and can add extra weight in the form of multiple canisters. The are easier to use and set up, have easily adjustable flames, and your fuel is contained in a sealed container. Overall when it comes time for me to purchase a stove I will go with a liquid fuel stove. Here is why. When you are back packing you mostly are boiling water. Even though the liquid fuel stove took longer to set up it almost always would boil water before the canister fueled stove. After a long day on the trail being able to get that water boiling as fast as possible so that you can eat is a plus and makes life just a bit more comfortable.

The sleeping bag I used was the High Peak Comfort Pak

Weighing in at 4 pounds and rated to 20 degrees F this bag served me well. One thing thing about temperature ratings. These ratings are the temperature at which you would be able to survive, not be comfortable. Having said that our first night it froze. While everyone else complained about being chilly I was warm and comfy in my bag. The next night my bag got wet, due to the excessive amount of condensation on the inside of the tent, and it performed marvellously well at keeping me warm. This bag will serve well for spring, summer, and fall camping. For winter something rated to 0 degrees would be better.

As I researched everything and made visits to different outdoor stores (Thank you Out and Back and Outdoor Recreation Outlet) I learned a lot. The old saying "you don't always get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get" is certainly true in outdoor gear. When you are in the outdoors and you depend on your equipment for survival it is essential for it to function properly. I have found that the best gear is not necessarily the most expensive and that the most expensive gear is rarely the best. Quality does have a price, but modern manufacturing processes and current quality theories and protocols have dramatically lowered those prices. The best advise I can give is to be thorough in your research. Ask retailers and outfitters for their opinions. Ask random people in stores that are looking at the same items that you are. Use the Internet. Try before you buy. Many places will let you get into a sleeping bag or try their water filters, put on a pack, etc. there in the store. Or do as I did, I borrowed some equipment from people that I knew. Being able to try the equipment in real world settings helped immensely in forming opinions about equipment.

For me this process was easy, because I love to do research. If I could get a job as product/category tester/reviewer I would be in job heaven (if anyone knows of any opportunities let me know). The hard part was shelling out the necessary dinero, but if you look you can find some sweet deals, as I did.

In the end what made this trip really enjoyable was not the gear and equipment. It was the people that were there with me. Thanks to everyone that went this year. Those that couldn't make it this year, we have next year.

Shout out to the little sis

2008-08-27T21:06:00.003-06:00

My sister Alicia announced yesterday that she and Jeremy will be married in November. Congrats Alicia, We love ya!

Old Joe McCarthy was wrong, communism does work!

2008-08-25T20:42:00.005-06:00

Generally I don't like getting on the political soap box (those that knew me when I was younger will find that hard to believe), but after many comments both by people I know and those I don't know, I feel compelled to do so. After two weeks many are claiming that these last Olympics were the best ever. I suppose from a certain point of view they were. The opening ceremonies were spectacular, the Chinese had more gold medals than anyone else, the venues were wonderful, no security problems, the events were well attended, everything ran smoothly. It was practically perfect. On the surface at least. I admit they are probably right. We will not see an Olympics like these anytime soon. It would be nearly impossible for a free country to leverage its assets and people like a dictatorship can. The only reason it has not happened before is that previous dictatorships were to poor to do it. Now that China has found new wealth in manufacturing practically everything that you and I own, they can afford to do it. What other country can not only afford but leverage 300 million dollars just for opening ceremonies? They were spectacular, fake fireworks and all. After all was said and done China spent around $43,000,000,000 (yes that is 43 billion dollars). Even though the Olympics were a huge success, they came at a great cost. I do not speak of money. I speak of the human cost. Countless numbers of people were "evicted" from their homes so that venues, hotels, and restaurants could be built. Athletes are trained their whole lives, often without receiving any formal education or vocational training. They rarely see their families and sacrifice all for "the glory of the country." Their families are compensated for their "services." However after the athletes are finished they are left with nothing but the satisfaction that they helped bring their country respect and glory. I do not wish to bash the games, everyone that knows me knows that I am an Olympics addict. I love the competition, the camaraderie, and the Olympic spirit. Only in the Olympics can a regular person from a relatively unknown country become famous and bring joy and happiness to so many people. How many of you knew who Usain Bolt was three weeks ago? I love the Olympics. Perhaps the Olympics will be the catalyst that will help China change. Just remember that two weeks of great entertainment and smoothness does not erase who and what China really is.

ThE mOsT AwEsOmEsT BiRtHdAy GiRl EvEr

2008-08-20T09:58:00.003-06:00

Today is Kristens Birthday. Today the most influential person in my life is getting a bit older, wiser, and more beautiful. I love you Krissy, thanks for everything past, present, and future. "you are my moon, my starlit skies, without you I dwell in darkness." Words, at least my own, cannot adequately describe what you are to me. Pardon my nerdiness but you are everything. Happy Birthday Kristen!

Heres to you Darling

Sometimes you have to go through Hell to get to Heaven

2008-08-18T23:00:00.009-06:00

I'm back. I made it. I did not die. I did, however, feel like dying during certain parts of this backpacking trip we took. Looking at the map the trip appeared to be about 6 miles to were we wanted to camp with some steep parts in it. Distance and steepness do not bother me. What we found was the trail had been badly eroded and was full of rocks. I am not talking about little or medium sized rocks every once and a while, this trail was like walking on a dried up river bed. The rocks combined with the constant up and down and the longer than expected distance made the trip there very difficult. At times I found myself regretting that I even went. When we arrived at our destination seven hours later, we collapsed for about an hour when the storm arrived. It was a pretty decent hail storm that lasted about 30 minutes. The hail was about marble size and hurt when it hit. After the storm passed it had hailed so much that it looke like it had snowed. The storm dropped the temperature considerably. That night it froze. It need not to be said that first day on the trail was difficult. The next morning we awoke to the picture above and the picture below. While getting there had been very difficult the scenery was beautiful and the companionship of my family was fantastic. I was able to get to know my brother-in-laws much better. We had a great time in spite of the trail. Often it is the difficult things that bring people closer together. All and all it was a great trip and we are planning on doing it again next year (different trail though). My only real concern is being able to effectively deal with my sleep apnea while on the trail, so if you have any suggestions let me know. I am definitely going to consult my doctor on this subject also. When I was finally able to plug my gps into my computer to check out actual distances and elevation gains it turned out that we actually traveled 8.4 miles and gained around 2000 feet in elevation. In the next post i will share with you all some of my insight and opinions on the gear and equipment that I took with me.

My uncle, John, purifying water in the early morning mist.

Everyone on the trail down, not pictured is my Brother-in-Law Bob.

One final note. My younger sister Allison never complained once (at least that I heard) and was always at the head of the line going faster than anyone else. Way to go Al, you showed all us old men what it means to be tough.

My Last Shower

2008-08-14T15:03:00.004-06:00

This morning I took my last shower. That is my last shower for about four days. Yes the day has finally arrived for the great backpacking trip. Within the next hour Allison, Jason, Bob, John, Taylor, Jaeron, dad, and myself will be venturing into the wild. Tonight's destination is Moon Lake. Tomorrows destination is Brown Duck Lake. The final destination is good times and great memories.

Me shortly before we loaded up. Notice the heat and bear sticker.

Side view and ready for adventure.

When all was said and done my pack came in at about fifty pounds. A little on the heavy side but we will see how everything is goes. I am testing out several things on this trip that will help me decide how to manage and handle things for future trips. See you in a few days.

Pittsburgh Lake

2008-08-10T20:44:00.009-06:00

We did it. We saw it. We were there. Finally after the second attempt and through the falling rain we made it to Pittsburgh Lake. This little known lake in American Fork Canyon was difficult to get to but was definitely worth it. My sister-in-law, Sandy, and her kids accompanied Ethan and I on this trip.

This is a moose that we saw. We were half way up the hill and he was at the bottom of the valley.

It rained off and on during the hike and this is what it looked like as we were leaving.

This what much of the trail was like, steep and rocky.

From this point is where we spotted the moose.

Here everyone was huddled together on the south shore of the lake.

A Preview

2008-08-05T23:41:00.004-06:00

A Preview of Ethans Video:

This is a little video/slide show that I have been working on. It is not complete and is really rough, but it is a preview of some of the hikes that Ethan and I have gone on this summer. When the final product is finished I will post it here. It will be a while before it is done since we have at least one more hike scheduled. Enjoy.

2008-08-02T20:55:00.007-06:00

Hesitation. Coaxing. Prodding. Tolkien. Tears. Anguish. Head Slapping. Mountain Dew. Techno. Sweat. Breaking Dawn. Willie Nelson. Anxiety. Neil Young. Indecision. Matisyahu.

These are the things that went into this, the inaugural post of my new blog. Why now? Why here? We may never know. However I can give you some insight as to what lead to this. A couple of years ago my beautiful wife started a blog, why she started it I know not. I only know that it was started. While I had been aware of blogs before this I never paid attention to them.

My wife changed that for me. I would read her blog while I was at school, at least this way I could see my boys grow up since I did not have much time to spend with them (This is another entirely different story in itself which I may comment on later but if you cannot wait, see my wife's blog). Then I found out that my sister had a blog. So I began to read it also. Then one of my employees told me that she had a blog also and so the story repeats itself over and over again.

Lately I have taken an interest in hiking. This interest has been driven by the upcoming backpacking trip that I am going on with my father, sister, uncle, cousins, and brother-in-laws. In preparation I have tried to go on a hike every week. My oldest son has accompanied me on every hike I have taken. He and I have become hiking buddies. We both look forward to our weekly hikes because of the adventure. I look forward to them because I get to be with him. Just us, the mountain, and some beef jerky.

When we get back I will pester my wife to post the pictures I took and to talk about the where's, what's, how's, why's, and who's of our latest hike on her blog. The other evening she suggested that I create and maintain my own blog. I entertained the idea for about five seconds. After that I sent it down river to die with the other crazy ideas I have had during my life. It however refused to be an obedient idea and die, so it remained in the back of my mind until I had somehow convinced myself that it would be a good idea to start my own blog. After being reassured by several people that blogging is something that I can handle, I sit here typing.

So...here we are in that awkward moment on every date where everyone wonders what to do next. Do I take her home? Do I ask for another date? Do I go for it all and kiss her? How is my breath? What if she turns away? Oh the stress. What happens next? Well, I am not sure. All I can say is come back. Come back often.