June Bug....

Please stay away from me for the rest of the summer......

Ouch...
that was my motto of June.  I got stung by a bee and a wasp and got spider bite.  NOT COOL insects of the world!!!!!!  And an added bonus for all of this, it turns out I am allergic to wasp bites, my finger where I got stung got blisters, doubled in size and ITCHED like no tomorrow, I about went cra-cra.  The test is if I ever get stung again, my doctor said I could have the same reaction or worse, I don't even want to think about worse.............

In other news, Red Butte concerts are rolling along.  In June, I worked shows for Ryan Adams, Violent Femmes, BareNaked Ladies with KT Tunsdall and Better than Ezra, and Michael Franti.  The Violent Femmes are one of my all time favorite bands and I had a job that was after the show, so I got to attend and sing along and just be a fan, but the BEST part happened after the show.  I was finished with my work and headed to the area where we check out, which is behind the stage.  Meanwhile, the band had been signing autographs after the show and were just finishing when I was done.  Can you tell what happened?  I GOT TO MEET THEM!!!!!! and have like a 5 minute conversation with The Violent Femmes!  I completely forgot to take my phone out and take a picture, but I don't care, I have the memory embedded in my brain.  They were so nice, asked if they had played my favorite song (they did and I have about 5 favorites of theirs), asked if I had ever seen them in concert before (I hadn't) and just chatted about how much they love being on the road again.   I Love when things like that happen............ The other shows have been amazing as well!  I had forgotten how many songs of Better Than Ezra I knew and the Michael Franti show was just a feel good/high energy night.

Miss Bacall wants me to tell you that she is ok but wants someone to turn down the heat.  I am vigilant about the signs of her not being ok and happy.  She is just the happiest dang soul I have ever encountered.

If you live along the Wasatch front, have you ever been to the CenterPointe Theater in Centerville?  I went for the first time in June with my mom, some aunts and a cousin.  We saw their performance of Crazy for You.  It was cute and well done!  You might want to check it out.......

Rowing is still happening, but not as much as I would love to.  The wind has been blowing here and long skinny boats do not get along with wind, plus the firefighters battling all of the fires around here would probably appreciate the wind going away.  The club cancelled 5 scheduled club rows due to wind in June.  UGH....

I know this will come as a bit of a shock, but I am still reading a lot....if you are on Facebook at all, you will have noticed that I did 10 days of my favorite books on there.  It was about the only time I have been consistent with FB in a while.   A book I read in June that  I highly recommend is "Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Raymond Arsenault". It's the book the PBS special was based on.  Phenomenal book!!!

I know this post was a wee bit disjointed, so I apologize for that, but writing at the end of the month and remembering what happened leads to that.

I hope your summer is going well and that you are able to stay cool!!

Hiding from all insects and bugs from here on out.....
Melissa

Resolute....updated...

A couple of days ago on Facebook, a friend of mine defended New Year's Resolutions in a succinct and powerful way.  She posted,

 "It has become fashionable to put down the tradition of making New Year's Resolutions.  To be cynical ('you won't stick to them').  To be judgmental ('why do you need a date on the calendar to decide to change?').  No.  Make your best New Year's Resolutions ever.  Infuse them with resolute sacred intention.  Claim them:  "You know what?  THIS is the year that I will....."  And then lean in.  Right now.  This is a ritual that we actually need.  Love your resolutions and encourage those of your loved ones.  xo"

That post summed up better than I have ever been able to express why I still make Resolutions.  It's a chance to challenge, grow, explore and build upon my experiences in my life.  People ask 'Why?', and I say 'WHY NOT?'  Because even in the missed attempts and errors, you will still learn and move forward.

So with that, I hereby present my 2017 New Year's Resolutions.....

1.  Limit social media and screen time.

Facebook, Instagram, apps and all of that have a place, but throughout 2016 I felt them going a bit sideways sometimes and it made me realize that at times, I was not in control of it and it was starting to control me.  Not good.  With a lot of my groups that I get together in real life communicating and organizing things on Facebook, I can't leave, but I can make sure that I set limits and involvement.

Update:  I set limits and found my balance with social media.  I found my reason for being on them and just as importantly I found I can be without them.

2.  Write letters, cards, in my journals, etc.

Picking up a pen and writing....what a concept!  This came out of a realization from a 2016 resolution that I found really value something hand written, so why shouldn't I spread this to others?

Update:  As you know my absence from this blog, I found my voice off line this year.  I also found that I LOVE drawing little doodles on envelopes I send, so now I look for a reason to send a card to someone.

3.  A New (to me) Restaurant a Month

I live in an insanely wonderful neighborhood for food!  The local and healthy options outnumber fast food options.  While I eat at the local options, I still have a tendency to eat at the same one over and over again.....  Eating good food and supporting local businesses, sounds like a good deal to me...

Update:  I missed a couple of months, but had multiple restaurants in others, so this was a success.  I am working off of a list I found and will continue this in 2018.

4.  Be a tourist in my town and state

This one started simmering in my mind in July when some family came to visit and I had done NONE of the things we were suggesting for the group to do.  Really?  Not only will I have a better idea on what is worth it and what is not, I will break up the mundane of day to day life.

Update:  I went to more museums, attractions and events this year than I have in multiple years.  What I found, SLC has a lot to offer.  What I learned, if you want to attend an attraction (zoo, aquarium, etc) more than once in a calendar year, a membership will pay for itself and then you can go more than once!

5.  Take time for self care

I admit I am not always the best at this.....  I don't mean taking a spa day, I mean taking 5 minutes to breathe or turning off my phone during the day or any of the other little things we can do for ourselves to calm, protect, energize or whatever else we need.   My resolution of last year of a daily walk started this realization, so I decided to expand a bit.  The reasoning behind this is the classic airplane safety instruction, 'Put your own oxygen mask on before helping others.'  No matter our situation in life, married or single, with children or without, young or old, we all need to take care of ourselves.

Update:  Just having this as a reminder this year helped.  I journaled.  I rested.  I knitted.  I let go.  I hung on.  Self care took many different forms and really didn't take time away from other things, in fact, I think it opened up time, because it helps you figure out what is important.

6.  Do at least 3 30 Day Challenges

I consider 30 Day Challenges mini resolutions.  I have a couple picked out-- a cardio/exercise one, a photography one, and a self care one and will probably add another.  It's a way to focus and make a jump forward in things in my life.

Update:  I LOVED this! I did a couple of exercise ones, a gratitude one, a happiness one and considered all of them successes!  They ended up being jumpstarts for new habits.

7.  Travel solo

There is something freeing in travel to begin with, but to do it on my own (not meeting a friend or family member somewhere, but knowing absolutely no one) seems both freeing and comfort zone pushing at the same time.  I have an idea where I am going to go, but am still working on the details.

Update:  didn't happen, but I'm ok with it.  In 2018, more solid plans are in place.

8.  Reduce my throwaways...one and done, straws, bags, etc.

I'm pretty good about using reusable grocery bags, but I wanted to do something tangible for the earth and environment and reducing my plastic use seems like a good place to start.

Update:  I changed my toilet paper, it's no longer made from trees and everything about it is better for the environment.  I have pretty much eliminated ziplock bags thanks to Bee's Wrap and food grade silicone bags.  I do not use disposable utensils, I keep a set of recycled bamboo utensils in my purse along with a glass straw.  This was a mind set change and it was a daily thought pattern of "What can I do to eliminate my throwaways?'  and it is now a habit that I will continue.

9.  Do something once a month out of my comfort zone.

I have a pretty eclectic life, but still have a tendency to stay within my comfort zone.  I'll probably vary the way I do this, but if you never try something, you'll never know....

Update:  Every month, something cropped up that challenged me a bit.  Some were easier than others, but others took a bit of courage.

10.  Bucket List items (shocker I know, as this has been on the list for the past 4 years)

It always surprises me which items get done each year and which ones that I had planned to do don't, but every year, I have crossed items off my list.

Update:  A trip to Rocky Mountain National Park was the only one that I really expected to do, but it wasn't the only one that was completed.  I love having a list of things I want to accomplish in life...

It's funny, I say that I need 10 Resolutions, but the last couple of years, I have ended up at 10.

Here's to another trip around the sun...
Melissa

ps.
If you are really curious about how last year's turned out, I updated my post laying them out with the results.  You can read it HERE

10 Random Things...

My writing binge of June has faded away, and ideas have come in but not enough for a whole blog, so I decided to revive a 10 random things entry, so July doesn't fly by without at least one.

#1.  Holy Cats has it been a HOT HOT and DRY summer!  It rained for about 5 minutes the other day and I was excited as a kid at Christmas!

#2.  Ice Blocks are back in stores...  I searched and searched last summer when family was in town last summer to no avail, this year, as they were visiting again, I FOUND them!!  We were able to revive a summer time tradition of tempting fate and injury and ice blocking down the hill at Sugarhouse Park.

#3.  Did you know that at the Winter Olympic Park in Park City you can do extreme tubing?  You cruise down the ski jumping hills and can reach speeds of 50 mph...  Here's a little video.. and I did it!

#4.  Sometimes you need visitors to come to town to become a tourist in your own area again.  It's fun  to do the things that on the surface seem touristy...  My tip, don't wait until someone comes to town, get out and explore your area so you know the really fun stuff.

#5.  I've started knitting stuffed animals to giveaway.  I'm leaning towards donating them to 'The Teddy Bear Cops Program' which gives them to cops for them to give to kids in accidents and other stressful incidents.  I've got to check to see if SLC has a program set up, if not I may start one up....

#6.  My tv viewing has plummeted this summer and I haven't even missed it....  It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the fall.

#7.  I have joined the ranks of Red Butte Garden Volunteers...  I am a second generation volunteer as my Mom is a volunteer as well.  I have done one shift and had a wonderful time.  I can't wait to have more opportunities to get involved.

#8.  Miss Bacall's favorite summertime activity is hanging out on the porch, so it has been a lot of fun to talk to all my neighbors and dogs as they stroll past....

#9.  My health journey is an adventure....  I am recovering, not as fast as I would like, but I am recovering.  There have been a few hiccups, but no major setbacks.  The main thing that has come out of this whole thing, I LOVE my medical team.  They are a mixture of traditional and for lack of a better word non traditional approaches and they work together!

#10.  Don't go into shock, but I am still rolling forward on my New Year's Resolutions!!!  My pushups are almost there!  My bad habit just got another reason to stay away.  My book challenge is going nicely, and for the most part, I have enjoyed the books.  I've seen movies in theaters!  My food challenge is keeping me on my toes in the kitchen.  My daily walk has had some misses, but has started a wonderful routine that connects me to my neighborhood.  The Weird Holidays have been SO MUCH FUN!!!!  and I now have others giving me suggestions now!

I hope your summer is going well!

Melissa

Highway 12

There is an amazing highway here in Utah that is one of the most stunning roads that I have ever been on (not just my opinion, it is ranked as one of the top 10 drives in the country) and I just got back from a little trip that had me traversing it's entire length of 122.9 miles.   I had traveled a small section before, multiple times, but had never continued on. What a mistake!

I started on the south end, so I met Hwy12 from Hwy89 and a short time later was near Bryce Canyon National Park, one of my favorite parks!!!!.

It almost doesn't look real, does it?

Even the trees are calm, due to their yoga.  :)  It looks like warrior pose to me...

It almost looks like another world...

After leaving Bryce Canyon NP behind, it was time to continue on Hwy12 thru the little towns of Tropic, Cannonville, and the like til we reached our first day destination of Esclante, which is a gateway to the Grand Staircase National Monument.

The next day we drove the heart of the highway, which is an amazing feat of engineering and sheer determination in the last area mapped in the continental United States.

The road was carved into the rock

The rock almost looks like snow, doesn't it?

The thing that impressed me the most was the diversity of the scenery in such a small geological area: red rock, white rock, smooth, textured, it was all on display during this 60 mile section and when you looked for the river another aspect came into view...

Follow the river....the trees know where it is...

Even away from the river, life happens...

I love this desert wildflower.

So glad I'm able to visit places like this...

At every turnout, you just had to look and be in awe of this amazing planet and the slice I live near....

The road runs through Boulder, Utah and we stopped for a break and got an AMAZING tip to drive the Burr Trail.  So GLAD we did...

The beginning of a little slot canyon off the Trail

The echoes you could produce were insane

It always surprises me where trees can grow.

One of my favorite things about being out in nature is the silence and when I got out of the car and explored, it was there, and in that silence you start noticing the little things, like patterns in the red rock or a little nook tucked away...

Love this...

A porthole in the rock

We ended up not driving the whole trail, but if you did you would end up at Bullfrog on Lake Powell.  I think the next time I go down, I will.....

With scenery like this, I could drive forever

I love the diversity so close together...

It was time to leave the Burr Trail and Boulder behind and continue on to Torrey, home of Capitol Reef National Park.  I know that this has been a photo bonanza of a post, but I don't want to leave a section out....

First up, the animals of Capitol Reef...  A deer who posed for me

A very shy Marmot that was sooooo cute as he ran...

A bird that didn't want his face to be shown...

Capitol Reef NP is the smallest, youngest, and least visited National Park in Utah.  (How lucky am I to live in a state that has 5!!!!)  I even have a habit of skipping it, not being to it since I was a little kid.  I won't be neglecting it in the future!  It is beautiful and has a mixture of drives and hikes so I think it is easily accessed by anyone.

Ancient cliff drawings by the Fremont Indians

Twin Rocks

Amazing scenery as a storm rolled in...

A slot canyon for cars....

Overlooking the mesas of Capitol Reef

I was lucky enough to have perfect weather, low 70's and even the clouds worked for me for the photographs, and since I went before Memorial Day, the crowds weren't even out!  I will definitely be doing this adventure again, hiking trails I missed and roads not traveled....

And just another reminder, visit your National Parks!!!  But while you are there, respect them....

and just a little blog reading tip, if you want to see the photos larger, just click on them.

Melissa

The State I'm in....

A couple of weeks ago, I took a 24 hour pause from my life.....

I prepared and took care of my responsibilities before I left, but in essence, I ran away from home.

I knew that I wouldn't be gone long, so I did not want to spend my entire time driving to and from wherever I chose, so I decided to head north from Salt Lake City and ended up in Box Elder County.

The drive up took less than an hour!  Wahoo, so now it was time to play...

First, a visit to the Golden Spike National Monument.  

It was interesting, but since I was visiting in the off season, the trains were not out.  :(  I was very surprised that the Golden Spike was only in the ground for 15 minutes before they took it out.  There is, however, a plaque at the location.   I learned a lot about the building of the railroads and how hard it was to do.

The Plaque on the tracks...

the way of the tracks...

On the drive to Golden Spike, I saw a sign for the Spiral Jetty, so I asked the Park Ranger if my little car could make the trip on the dirt roads and he said yes, so off I went.  It's about a 12 mile drive on grated roads through open range land, with some opinionated cows....I got glared at when I took their pictures..

See the attitude...

The Spiral Jetty is an earthwork sculpture at the edge of the Great Salt Lake that was constructed in April of 1970.  I alway thought it was on the West side of the lake, but it's not....it's on the northeastern side, the things you learn when you travel.  I expected it to be a nice drive out and 'Ya' I finally saw it, but it turned into one of the highlights of my adventure.  For one thing, it is just really pretty and it doesn't smell.... (if you live in SLC or the Wasatch front, you know all about lake stink). I walked out to the edge of the Great Salt Lake, which was at least 1/2 mile out on the salt.  It was that kind of silent you can only get in nature.  Bliss...

The Spiral Jetty

a little spiral in the big one...

The Great Salt Lake with ripples in the water

a really cool formation in the salt on the shore

My next stop was the Bear River Bird Refuge.  I heard a lot of birds, but didn't see any, but that was ok, I was all about taking pictures of the sunset and the reflections in the water.....

It was a little overcast, so it was a little dreary

and subdued for a sunset

but still stunning and peaceful

Now it was time for the reason I chose this area, Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville...  Soaking in the hot springs while it is cold outside, can it get any better?  As I checked in, I learned that Crystal Hot Springs has the highest mineral concentration of any hot spring in the world.  Way to go Utah!

I slept in a bit the next morning and as I drove home I realized a couple of things....

I live in an amazing state for scenery and diversity of the scenery.

I am lucky enough to be able to visit these areas without a long drive.

24 hours away can do wonders for your state of mind...

Utah,

the state I'm in...

Melissa

12 in 6...

Something hit me the other day, within a 6 hour drive or less, I can be in 12 different National Parks!

How incredibly lucky am I?

National Parks are my favorite places to vacation to.  You have peace and quiet, nature, different ecosystems from where you live, amazing rangers who share information in an entertaining way and so many other benefits.

Why would you go anywhere else?

So, here are the 12, I can get to within 6 hours from Salt Lake City...

the 5 in Utah:  Arches
                        Bryce Canyon
                        Canyonlands
                        Capitol Reef
                        Zion

the 4 in Colorado:  Black Canyon of the Gunnison
                               Great Sand Dunes
                               Mesa Verde
                               Rocky Mountain

Nevada has one:  Great Basin

Idaho/Wyoming/Montana's:  Yellowstone

Wyoming's:    Grand Teton

Ok, and I just google mapped it, as a bonus, in 6 1/2 hours, I can be at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon from my house, so I thought I should mention it.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I created a Bucket List a while ago, and one of the top items is to visit all 59 of the National Parks.  I recently took a trip to Colorado to visit 3 of their parks, and with those visits, I have passed over the half way point!  :)

I really need to get to Alaska and visit its 9 parks, but I am very happy with my number at this point.

The reason of this post is this, as I have been visiting parks in the past year or so, people have been telling me that they have not gone to a park ever!  This just hurts my soul.  For one thing, visiting a park, for the most part, is a relatively cheap vacation, especially if you camp, and another, your tax dollars help support the parks, so take advantage of a wonderful use of your money.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now,
but leave you with an impassioned plea,
GO VISIT YOUR NATIONAL PARKS!!!!

Just home from another amazing National Park Adventure,
Melissa
                          

Like Totally Tubular, Man.....

We've actually had a winter this year with snow, storms and cold weather.

I am not a big fan of this.

Mild winters are happy!  Mild winters are sane!

Yesterday I was running around in a t shirt without a jacket.
Today, it is in the low 40's with wind to make it seem colder.  This winter does not want to go away.

Starting in January, when I realized that this winter was serious, I had to make a plan to keep my sanity.
I had to find activities to get me outside and actually enjoying the snow, instead of cursing it as I shoveled, shoveled and shoveled some more.  Seriously, at one point, I had to shovel paths in my backyard so the dogs could go outside.  The snow that fell around the middle of December and all of the snow that fell after did not leave my yard until this week!!!!  Three months of snow on the ground and a lot of it.

Snowshoeing was put on the agenda, including a full moon hike that went straight up a mountain and straight back down.

Then a LivingSocial deal showed up in my inbox......
2 hours of tubing at Soldier Hollow.

I seem to get one every year in late January.  :)  I've gone with the deal for the past three years.  The first year, the tracks were fast, not too fast and perfect.  Last year, there was very little snow and it was warm.  You would have to push off your tube 3 times to get down the hill.  This history lesson was to set up what occurred when I went this year.

I went up on February 27th.  It was cold and there had been fresh snow a couple of days before.  The tracks were packed down and ready to ride.

On the first ride up the tow line, I noticed a sign that I did not remember......

When you get to the cones, drag your feet to slow you down.

Ok... I took note and took off down the hill sitting in my tube.
Got to the cones and realized a problem, my feet really did not reach the ground.
I was flying!  Excessive speed was reached....
I met the safety fences.
And eventually stopped.

For the rest of the runs down the hill, I laid down on my belly on my tube and DUG my feet into the snow to stop before bonding with the safety fences again.

At one point, the staff drove a snowmobile up the runs with an attachment behind it to grind up the tracks to slow them down.  They were running that fast!!!

All in all it was a very fun day that made all of this snow bearable.

Being pulled up the hill!!! What a way to Tube.

 Still thawing out.
Melissa

Upon Meeting Goblins and Wild Horses....

Goblin Valley State Park

Goblin Valley State Park, near Hanksville, Utah, is one of those places that I had always thought I had been to before, but upon visiting it this past weekend....it turns out, I had not.  Now, I can not believe that it took me this long to visit.  I tried to visit in May, read about it here, but it was not to be...

Bacall keeping vigil over the tent

However, on September 29th, I arrived in Goblin Valley.  Just a note, Campsite #19, rocks!!  The campground is very, VERY open.  There is not one tree in the campground, so there is not a lot of separation and seclusion.  Except for #19, it is around a little rock wall and the last site before the yurts.  If you are wondering why I wanted to go on the 29th, one simple answer:  a full moon.  Goblin Valley is known for its full moon adventure.  You do not even need a flashlight to explore due to the light of a full moon.

a full moon shot!!!

Just a little note, on this photograph,  it was taken at 11 pm.  I used a long exposure to show how light it really was at night.  It was very, very eerie, but very, very cool.

In addition to exploring Goblin Valley, the other thing I wanted to do was hike Little Wild Horse Canyon.  It is only 5 miles away from the entrance of the park and is a famous slot canyon.  It's 3 miles to the top and you can either hike back the same way you went in or loop and hook up with Bell canyon.  It is a fairly easy hike, with only a few obstacles that are a little difficult to get over.  (Especially if you are hiking with Basset Hounds)  The first one is the hardest and if you follow this one simple tip, you can avoid the bruises and scraped knuckles I got.  When you see this.....

the largest obstacle you'll encounter.

 KEEP TO THE LEFT!!!!!!!  It occurs right as the trail narrows for the first time.  There are little signals of little rock towers to mark the easy way!  You can not actually see the path in this photo, it is just out of view on the left.  See those ledges on the rock right in the middle of the photo?  That's what I had to lift my dogs on to.  My light (HAHAHAHAHA) basset hounds up to the 2nd ledge.  There was some slight resistance.   Take my advice, do not miss the easy way--on our way out, I watched people, just walk with no problem over an area that about turned us back before we ever really started.  That would of been a HUGE mistake.

this is as narrow as it gets....

but most of the time is fairly wide

and absolutely stunning.

My dogs are getting a little older and for some reason every time I go camping, the weather is unseasonably warm, and as a result, we did not go all the way to the top, but it was still worth the distance we did.  The other reason we did not make it, it turns out my basset, Bacall, is a little claustrophobic and DID NOT LIKE IT when the canyon walls closed in.  In fact, we got to a barrier and the trail was so narrow that I could not help them over, so we had to turn around.  I turned around just fine, but the dogs had to back pedal for about 10 feet until they got to a spot that was wide enough for them to turn around.  Humphrey did just fine, but Bacall was not happy.

This was my second time camping this year and every time I get home, I can not wait to go again.

Melissa

Like the Musical Stylings of A Flock of Seagulls...

If you grew up in the 80's, 'I Ran' just popped into your head with that blog title, and this past weekend that's exactly what I did.

I signed up to run my first 5K at the Run Through the Lavender race that's held in Mona, Utah.  If you've ever driven I-15 in Juab county, you've probably seen the purple fields of lavender on the west side of the freeway, and that is what I ran through on Saturday.

the runner in the center is me!  running thru the lavender

On Monday, I got a little anxious.  On Tuesday, I was a little nauseated.  On Wednesday, my hamstring tightened up on me.  On Thursday, I melted (it was 104 F).  On Friday, I threatened to move to Canada, so I wouldn't have to run on Saturday.  On Saturday, I wondered why I had signed up to voluntarily run 3.1 miles, but I went to the start line anyway.

I have to talk a little about the weather.  If you live in Utah, the 4 days before my race where above 100 F temperatures.  UGH!!  On Friday, however, a rain storm went through most of Northern Utah and cooled the temps off.  YEAH!!!  Saturday morning, it was in the mid 60's and not rainy or windy.  Perfection for runners!

While waiting for the starting gun, I was talking to other runners about the course and the hill that makes up the first 1.4 mile of the race and how steep it was and strategies for the surge at the beginning.  It was a chip race, which meant your time did not start until you crossed the timer at the start line and ended when you went over the finish line, so you could wait for the surge of people at the beginning and still make your goal time.

I had enough adrenaline when that starting gun went off to run a marathon, but it quickly evaporated when I started and realized that dogging walkers and groups of 3 wide runners and ruts in the dirt road and the occasional mud puddle and thinking about my pace takes up a lot of energy.  Then the hill came.  197 feet elevation addition in 1.4 miles, have mercy.  It wasn't overly steep, but it went on FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!  After the race, while getting water and a snack, all of the runners were saying that their first mile was their slowest mile by far.  I was in that group.  I had to take a few 10 deep breaths breaks on that hill.

Once I turned the corner off of the uphill, my race plan started to gel.  I found a comfy running pace, my breathing evened out and I felt good.

On a side note, about this time, I'm guessing about 15 minutes in, the 1st place runner crossed the finish line in 16:21, averaging a 5:12 mile.

me, pushing to the finish line

 At about 2 1/2 miles, you could really see the finish line and the spectators could see you.  Talk about motivation to keep running!  My plan, about 3 weeks before the race, was to finish under 30 minutes, but then my running kind of fell apart, so I adjusted it to under 35 minutes, and guess what?  I made it.

My time  33:21!

Not the fastest time in the world, but out of the 1000 runners, I came in 382 place, 18th in my age division!  For my first 5K!

The promised land of no more running

If you want to run the Run Through the Lavender 5K, or they also have a Half Marathon as well, go for it.  It was a well organized and thoughtfully planned out race, and as an added benefit they give you a ton of gifts for signing up.  A technical running shirt, essential lavender oil, lavender stress relief roll on, a medal for finishing and a lavender plant!  Just do some hill training to help with that first 1.4 mile.  I did some, but not near enough and they were not long enough.

A sweaty, happy 5K finisher!!!!

Here's the kicker, I've already planned my next 5K.  It's in October!!!!
I started this adventure as a New Year's Resolution in January and it has taken me places I had not expected, but I am so glad that I did!!!!!

Campsite #3

Instead of traveling for Memorial Day, I decided to go camping the weekend before to avoid the crowds.   Life and a solar eclipse had a different plan about the crowds.  This is the story of my camping adventure and how it all worked out in the end.

The original plan....
Go to Goblin Valley State Park.  The universe laughed at this plan.  I had trouble reserving a campsite on the web, so I called the call center and found out that all of the campsites had been reserved since March.  Yes, March.  oops.

Scramble...
Go to the Utah State Parks website and search for a campsite that is not already booked and/or covered in snow.

Find....
Kodachrome Basin State Park, near Cannonville

Reserve...
well, it got a little interesting, because I was planning on taking the Basset Hounds for their first camping trip and the only campsite left did not have the dogs allowed sign on it.  A call to the call center resolves that one, they had not updated all of the campsites to dog friendly.  YEAH, I have a campsite in a State Park I have never been to.

Plan, Pack, and Stuff...
Did you know that prepping for a camping trip, if you have not done it in a while, takes a bit of time, and you need A LOT of stuff?  A sedan is not the best vehicle for this.  I had stuff crammed in every available space and then added some more.

Drive...
Sunday morning, I loaded up my dogs, Humphrey and Bacall, and my mom and myself and headed out.  Basset hounds are not the best travelers, but they did great!!!  5 hours later, we arrived.

Campsite #3....
I got campsite #3 because it was the only one available, and it was perfect.  It was quite hot when we arrived, as in the sand was too hot for the dogs to walk on.  They did a bizarre hot foot dance to the shade, which was fortunately all over our campsite all day long.  Monday and Tuesday were not as hot, YA!!!, but there is no way I would camp there in July or August, it would just be too hot.

As soon as the tent was up, it became a pup tent.  (Haha)  Bacall ignored the dog bed and laid down on my sleeping bag and took a nap.

The dogs, who had never been on so much as a picnic, did AMAZING!!!  No barking and listened to all commands I gave them.  Why can't they behave like that at home?  oh well, the joys of owning Basset Hounds.

                   Humphrey says that camping and hiking are hard work....


The Park...
Kodachrome has a lot of great hiking trails that range from 1 mile to 6 miles round trip.  There is something for everyone.  I described it to a friend like this....If Zion and Bryce National Parks had a baby, it would be Kodachrome Basin State Park.  It is just beautiful and calming.

My Advice....
Get out there and go camping!!!

Melissa