Our Little Life Adventures: 2016

Ode to a Red Shirt

11:53 AM

This shirt brings back so many memories. Slip-n-slides, roller hockey, Otterpops.

I lived in this shirt. It was custom made at a little hole-in-the-wall shop. Kids always say, "This is the best present ever!" But this shirt really was the best present ever.

Red was my favorite color, and fifteen was my favorite number.

It didn't matter it went to my knees when I first tried it on. I felt like I was part of the team. Whether it was the neighborhood baseball team, or my first basketball tryouts in middle school. I felt like I belonged.
I was fierce. I ran hard, jumped far, and threw like a girl, because nobody told me otherwise.
Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad.

This Part of our Lives is Called, 'Road Trip'

1:13 PM

"Think of it as an adventure," I said.

I was nearly done teaching, and Calvin still did not have a solid job offer. He was doing some temporary work as a tree surgeon. We looked at each other.

"Alaska," I whispered. "I know you've always wanted to go I said."

It had always been Calvin's dream to go fishing in Alaska.

"No! we can't do that," said Calvin. "Why not?" I said.

We let the idea stew for days. After after exhausting all transportation options, (including hitchhiking, planes, trains, ferries, buses, and rental cars,) we settled we would travel by van.

We may have watched a little too much The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, because the travel bug had bit both of us.

We searched KSL ads religiously until we settled on our top three vans.

True to all episodes of the home renovation show Property Brothers, we had to have three decisions with funky names, go to a cafe shop, and choose the one we liked best.

The three options were, "Grandpa's van," "Delta Van," and "Shiny Van."

However, instead of talking in a coffee shop about our three choices, I got a phone call instead.

"Hey, How is your day going?" Calvin asked while I was at work.

"Oh good I replied. Nothing is special going on here. What about you?"

"Oh nothing," Calvin said. "I just bought a van."

"What?! I don't believe you! Which one?"

" The Delta van," Calvin replied. "I also may have thrown in your cool backpack to sweeten the deal."

"What?" I didn't know if I should be proud, angry, or in disbelief.

Yes, this is really how it happened.

So that was that. We bought a 1990 Ford E150 with 89,000 miles and a wheelchair lift from a high school farm kid.

The adventure began.

The Red Ruby

Looking in a hot junkyard for pieces we needed

We spent hours getting new seats, taking out wheel-chair lifts (don't worry, we donated it,) unscrewing rusty bolts, building bed frames, cleaning, packing, and moving. We were ready.

Calvin: I'm a BYU Graduate

11:41 AM

fun

How to get to Topaz Mountain

5:49 PM

Topaz Mountain should definitely be on everyone's "Utah Bucket List." After learning our GPS wouldn't work, we thankfully had brought hand scribbled directions that got us there. When we got out of the car, we almost felt like we had stepped on another planet. It was the quiest place I had ever been. It was so quiet, the loudest thing you could hear were a few flies. The coolest part was the road "sparkled" all the way to our free campsite, thanks to the topaz shards that are like sand grains.

Although the desert is beautiful, we had come prepared. There are no water or bathroom facilities for many many miles.

Topaz Mountain Directions from Provo:

1. Drive South on I-15 for 35.5 miles

2. Take Nephi exit 228 and keep right on Main Street (SW) for 2.7 miles

3. Turn Right (West) on W 100 North for 33.2 miles until you hit Highway 6

4. Turn left! (South) on Highway 6 for 5.6 miles until you hit Brush Wellman Road (It helps if you have a rockhounding map, or an old school Utah road map.

5. Turn right (West) on Brush Wellman Road for 37.4 miles

6. Turn right (North) when you see the big brown sign on the turn off for “Topaz Mountain rockhounding area” about 1.7 miles

7. From here you will see all the little campsites, and you can choose one that looks good.

There are parts that are clearly marked (private property) but the rest is free, open to the public land. (As clearly explained to us by a BLM employee.

We drove for a mile or two and picked one close to the mountain. The good topaz is in the ryolite rock (the white stuff)

This was our first attempt. Not so good. We later learned the rock was much too hard.

The next day a very nice man let us ride in his pickup truck up the mountain and told us what to look for. He was so helpful and kind. We looked in large holes, places where people had already dug, and used a long stick to push away dirt. We also looked in crevices in the soft white rock. We eventually found a ton of crystals! We had a huge bag full, and a small bag full of nicer topaz that we hope to turn into my wedding ring someday.

A lot of these pieces are at least the size of my thumbnail. Some of the topaz we got out of the rock was amber colored. When it is exposed to the sun, it will turn permanently white.

Buffalo Beach Babes are my Favorite

8:31 PM

Tatanka.
That word has been the running joke in our house for the last two weeks.
Why do you ask?
Because we finally watched the classic Kevin Costner "Dances with Wolves" movie about the Sioux Indian tribe.
It just so happens Tatanka is the name for buffalo in the Sioux Lakota dialect.
And the name of a Native American professional wrestler.

You're welcome.

So when the stars aligned and Calvin's mountain bike was finally fixed, and the sleeping bag I have been coveting was finally ordered, I knew we had to go somewhere. I just didn't know where. Luckily I found that March is the perfect time to go to Antelope Island.

April, not so much.

You will be attacked by a thousand evil black gnats and mosquitoes whose only existence is to torture you.

That's why we went in March.

I got out of work early, packed the bags with every imaginable warm thing we owned, because I knew it was going to be in the 20s at night.

Snowpants? check.

Chili, oatmeal, cocoa, and sandwiches? Check.

I loaded up the car and picked him up from work.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"It's a surprise," I said.

As we fought our way through traffic and arrived at sunset, he was surprise.

I was upset.

All of the campgrounds had been taken for the night, and the nearest campsite was at least an hour away.

We drove though the park gates, trying to find a reasonable place to sleep.

Luckily, we found a large group of campers that were staying the night for the "Buffalo Run."

It was a group of ultra-marathoners and their families. Although we couldn't light fires, it was still amazing to look at the stars and eat sandwiches.

The next day, we explored. We walked near the Salt Lake, mountain biked, and enjoyed the wildlife.

The only close call we had, was a random bison that decided to wander on the dry part of the Salt Lake. That is no telephoto lens people. I only had my portrait lens with me.
I was less than twenty feet away from a giant, 1400 pound behemoth.

"Oh great, I'm going to get gored by a schizophrenic bison," I thought, because the only bison I had ever seen belonged in herds.

I tried not to make eye contact too much while it stared at me, it's pointy horns glistening in the sun.
It looked back, marked it's territory, and continued to walk across the lake bed like a drunk bison.
Whew.
I knew these bison were used to seeing people, but that one was a little too close for my comfort.
After getting over the fear of being attacked, they were absolutely gorgeous to watch.
I even found myself with a sudden urge to pet their fur.
Don't worry, I didn't.