Red Mountain Open Space

Well, I finally remembered to bring my camera when I went mountain biking. In the summer Owen and I went mountain biking at a new place called Soapstone. It was a pretty intense 20 miles bike ride. When we finally made it to the top we rode along the ridge and the view was amazing. Down below us we saw Red Mountain Open Space. Since it had rained the fields were green and they looked stunning next to the red rock. A couple weeks ago we decided to make our way back up to the ridge but by going through Red Mountain instead of Soapstone. So, after 4 miles in a wash full of sand, some pretty steep inclines, and a field full of cows we made it back to the ridge. For some reason Owen and I always chose the most difficult way up. This time Kim came with us on one of their horses. The view was still beautiful and we were still tired when we were done.

You can kind of get an idea of how pretty this looked in the summer with the green grass.

You can see the bike trail goes right through the cows. Owen and I stopped to wait for Kim and two cows came pretty close to us and were just staring. I was a bit nervous. I wish I had taken a picture of the two cows.

We finally made it to the top and had to take a breather. And some of us enjoyed a nice snack of grass.

This is were we had come from. The wash is down below.

Here comes Owen. At one point Owen tried to skid and spray me with dirt. Instead he stumbled off his bike and almost tackled me.

I may be smiling but my lungs are frowning.

You can see the trail below. This is the trail Owen and I took the first time we rode up to the ridge. This time we got to ride the trail down instead up. It was much easier.

So, up at the top is where we had come down from. The first time we rode up it and it was gruelling. At one point it was so steep my front tire kept popping up.

Kim and June make their way down.

Is it a metoer shower? Is it an alien attack? Is it Snow?

No, it's HAIL. Last Saturday it came down fast and furious. The hail was bigger than marbles. Luckily neither my bike or car were damaged. This was my street afterwards.

Home of a Laramite

Well, I thought I should post pictures of my new home. As you can see the yard needs some TLC, so did the inside and after some intense cleaning I think it is pretty liveable. My bedroom is behind the overgrown bushes. My place is a 3 minute bike ride from school which is great. I love riding my bike every where. Other than grocery shopping at Wal-Mart I don't really use my car.

Here is the living room. My roommate's sister is getting married and they will have two flat screen TVs so she let us borrow one. Although, I have only watched a movie on there once. We also have a Wii but since it is not mind I don't feel comfortable using it without my roommate being there.

Well, since I have a queen size bed I got the bigger room. It is really big. I have two closets and plenty of space work on my Ninja skills.

Well, it is nothing fancy but is a lot nicer than what I lived in for my Undergrad!

Not to many Pictures of Snowbird

I didn't take to many pictures this year at Snowbird. Here is a mountain that is just northwest of the Iron Blossom were we stay. It was really beautiful up there. This is the first time I have spent time sitting by the pool reading. It actually took some self-discipline to just relax. I felt like I should be out doing something active all the time.

I went for a hike and saw this beautiful flower.

"Come on Opa, help us escape"

First Day of School

Well, I am once again a student. I had two classes today and they went well. I think the Doc students teaching them were more nervous than us. There is a lot of reading but the assignments don't seem to overwhelming, but ask me in a month and I may have a different opinion. So, since my sister posted a picture of my nephew, Adam, on his first day I thought I would post a picture of myself on my first day of school.

Swimming the English Channel

This summer I started swimming half a mile twice a week for exercise. I set a goal to swim a mile and my dad and I did! It wasn't as tiring as I had envisioned; I felt like I could of kept going. Only 20 miles more and I would of swam the distance of the English Channel.

Summer Fun

Well, I have been a bit of a lazy blogger this summer. In fact, I have been a bit lazy in a lot of areas of my life. So, to catch up any one that reads my blog I have filmed myself doing an interpretive dance of my summer. So, get the popcorn, get comfortable, and ready, set, ACTION.

Well, the interpretive dance didn't turn out so well so I will just write about my exciting life. School ended May 20. So, I am officially a retired school teacher without the retirement benefits. To start off my retirement I headed to Seattle and spent 12 days with my niece, Greta, and nephew, Evan. Occasionally, I would make time for their parents too. When I got back to Colorado/Wyoming I started working for my dad in his pediatric dentistry practice. I am...a professional scanner now. My dad's office is going paperless but before that happens I get the exciting and thrilling opportunity to scan the documents into the computer. It is monotonous but I am glad I have a job that gives me a little extra money.

Now, some of you may be wondering why I retired so young. No, I didn't not win the lottery or rob a bank. I started University of Wyoming Grad school on June 15. In the fall I will be going full time. So, this summer I was required to take 2 courses. The first was Ethics and the second one, which I am finishing up, is Theories of Counseling and Pyschodyanmics. I have really enjoy being the student instead of the teacher. My goal is to have my masters in the spring of 2011. I am also playing on a soccer team in Ft. Collins and so far we are 4-1. My brother, Owen, and I also found time to bike a 20 mile loop that was beautiful but a killer workout. Just like Lance Armstrong we are going to attempt it again. Maybe not 8 times but twice, which is quite an accomplishment for us. Then in two weeks I will be crossing the Zion Curtain and going to Snowbird for a family reunion. Overall, it has not been an exciting summer of fighting Ninja and traveling to various spots of the earth, but it has been a nice summer that has allowed me to relax in a different way.