Go 'Dawgs

Brady finally got to play football this year. He was dang excited. He was a receiver and free safety. He learned a lot and even scored a few touchdowns. I really enjoyed watching his games and now I have someone else in the family who will sit down and watch a football game with me!

A few more Middle Fork pics

Happy girl.

Fisher girl.

Me drinking "Gilbert" water. (You'll have to ask Paige about that one. She wouldn't touch it if her mouth were caked in sand and she was dying of thirst in a desert.)

Per request of "the boss" I did a write up on our Middle Fork trip for Frontierplay's blog High Water Lines. More of the same, just a little different. Read it here.

Middle Fork of the Salmon

Every fall for the past 10 or so years Darren takes a trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River with his river/hunting friends. They are quite a group, and have many stories to tell. This trip is affectionately known as the "Cast and Blast." There are rules that go along with this trip. Many people have tried to "get in on" this trip. Darren does a lot of river trips, and it is a lot of work. This one is meant to be a trip where he is responsible for NO ONE, or their stuff!

First rule of the trip = a one person, one boat.

Many people fly in to the Middle Fork at Indian Creek this time of year. By many it is considered not possible, or at least, not very bright, to take a raft from the top at this water level. Hence, the one person, one boat rule.

Three years ago Darren started taking the boys with him. They look forward to it all year. He solved the the one person, one boat dilemma by adding a second pair of oars to the back of the raft. This served two purposes. One, more momentum helps to get over the shallow spots, and two, they got hands on oaring experience. It was a success on both accounts. I now trust Justin's read of a rapid more than my own. Brady, being a kayaker feels the river. Justin knows the river, Brady is the river. Kind of matches their personalities, don't you think?

This year the school didn't give us the two days off in October that we usually get, enabling the kids to only miss two days for this trip. After much arduous, painful deliberation the boys opted to not miss school. As parents we played devil's advocate and begged them to come on the trip. They wouldn't budge. So Paige and I headed off with the guys for our first cast and blast.

We arrived at Boundary Creek a little before midnight. We rigged the boats and lowered them down the ramp.

We slept outside, while the rest of the group stayed inside the trailer. BRRR! Paige was all snuggled up and right in between mom and dad to protect her from bears! I'm glad she actually got to see a bear on this trip. In real life they are not as scary as she has imagined all these years!




The morning we put on was a little chilly. 30 degrees maybe? The rest of the group claimed this was super warm compared to years past. I was grateful!



Paige and me all bundled up at the put in.






Brandon and Paige fishing in what they call "Dolly Lake" because they usually catch a lot of Dolly Varden fish at this spot in the river.







I bought a fishing license for this trip because I knew Troy was coming and I wanted to learn to fly fish. Darren's brother has loved fishing since he was 12, and is very good at it. I learned a lot and actually caught a few fish. Fly fishing is really fun, it is such a challenge just getting your line in the water at the right place. It was very addicting. Troy taught me how to watch for smooth water, variations of color in the water, and changes in currrent which bring food to the fish. There is a lot to being a successful fisherwoman. I think I got my line tanlged at least a million times, and stuck my own finger half that many times!

Paige caught a big one at Sunflower.

Zach taking a shower in the hot spring shower. We had hot springs at our camp the first three nights!

The guys lined up to go hunt chukkar.

The kids swimming across Loon Creek. This is unheard of in "normal" weather years. The water was still ice cold, but the air temp was so warm! When I showed the boys this picture they could not even fathom doing this. Last year it hardly got above freezing for them!

This pictures doesn't do justice to how beautiful this was. A strong wind had just blown a storm through above the Flying B.

Our summer weather didn't last. It rained and rained on our second to last day.

Pete is a great sport. He is skinning a chipmunk. River trips are very educational. I can now add chipmunk to the list of things I have eaten. BLECH! I love the three 10 year olds looking on in pure curiosity, and disgust!

Camping at Cradle in the rain.

Once again, I find myself counting the blessings of simple things. A shelter to stand under to keep me from the rain, dry pants to change into, a sleeping bag that was only a "little" wet at the bottom, fire, and those awesome neoprene boots I have blogged about before - I love those things!

Petroglyphs

The Middle Fork was home for many of the Shoshone Indians. Particularly the group known as the Sheepeaters. These are the coolest petroglyphs I have seen. We love making up stories about what they mean. Our favorite this time was the goat making friends with the kanagaroo.....boy things must have changed a lot since then!

Some of the group on our last day.

I am so glad I got the chance to see the Middle Fork in the fall. It was so pristine. The water is crystal clear. The air feels just as clean. It feels like you are truly on an adventure where you are on your own. Very remote feeling. As the Middle Fork spilled into the Main Salmon we could smell the change. Exiting the canyon of the Middle Fork we joined a bit of civilization. Trucks, fisherman, boat ramps. The wet part of me was relieved, even anxious to get to the take out and put on dry clothes! The other part of me, the part that doesn't care about being wet and miserable, wasn't ready to leave the river behind and give my husband and daughter back to the world. I wanted to keep them all for myself.

Table Rock (or never follow Darren)

After LOTOJA we decided to stay a few extra days to celebrate our 17th anniversary.

We bummed around Jackson, enjoyed a salad and Diet Coke (yea! Darren is drinking again, he quit to get in top shape for the race. Whatever.) on the lawn at Maverick and headed over the pass. Some friends, upon hearing we were going to hike Table Rock, invited us to stay in their condo in Driggs.

I have wanted to do this for a while now, and Darren finally admitted on the hike up that he was hoping all weekend that I wasn't seriously intending on making him do the 12 mile hike two days after his race. But, I was serious and have no mercy for people who willingly ride 206 miles in a day for fun. In reality, he wasn't tired or sore, so I don't know what he was complaining about.

We packed our backpack with stuff we scrounged out of the car, mostly stuff leftover from the race. Half eaten packages of shot blocks (we love those things), gu, trail mix. We packed pizza leftover from Tony's, a hopping pasta joint in Driggs, to eat at the top. We shared pro bars during the first miles of hiking for breakfast. It's amazing what you can make do with, especially with no kids around to complain about being hungry.

The hike was beautiful. We hit snow about 1/2 way up. It didn't take Darren long to be glad we were doing this. Especially after we started to see the Grand Teton begin to peak out over the ridge of Table Mountian.

Table Rock in the background.

The Grand was so close. I felt like I could reach out and grab it. It seemed tempting to hike down the ridge and go to it. Then I realized there was a several thousand? feet ravine between us and IT.

Targhee ski resort in the distance.

It was a beautiful clear day. Once we got on top some clouds started to gather as they do everyday around the Grand. The temp. dropped, it was cold up there!

This is a picture of me talking to my mom. I called to check on things with the kids. Darren did a lot of business over the phone while we were up there. Talk about an office with a view!

Darren went off on a different little trail. Because of the snow it was difficult to see where the actual trail went. I really should have kept on my own trail. I should know after 17 years of marriage to NOT follow Darren. I know better than this. Why? Why? But I gave in to his sense of adventure, I always do.


Two hours later, knees screaming, quads burning......

This is the sign at the bottom of the trail we took down.


Need I say more?

Slippery

My kids are getting slippery.

The oldest one in particular.

I feel him getting away from me. He's off to school, then cross country practice, down the stairs to do homework, off to a meeting, so tired straight to bed. Surfacing for food. So many good things, things I want him to do. The time of my influence over his life is shortening. Did anyone tell me this when he was little? I suppose they did but I just didn't believe them.

It seems I spent a lifetime pushing, prodding. "You can do it! You don't need me." Worrying I could quite possibly be holding his hand as he walks up to get his diploma. Now I find myself reaching, holding, grabbing. Plopping myself on his bed late at night when he finally finds a second to pack for a kayak trip/campout. He talks non-stop, hurrying around the room, stuffing things into a backpack, rolling up a therm-a-rest. I relish in the moment.

"So mom," he says, "tomorrow pick me up at 4:25 then I have to be at so and so's at 5:00. I'm coming back early to help with so and so's Eagle Project, and then......."

From Logan to Jackson (or is there bathroom around here?)

This year was Darren's third LOTOJA or Logan to Jackson bike race. It is 206 miles over three major mountain passes, through three states. He has been strategizing, training, planning, and testing different foods on the bike since last year's race.

We have friends in Logan who have raced for years. They host a whole bunch of people who are all riding. The house is full of people packing and organizing for the race, pumping tires, comparing gear, sharing past race stories, and eating pasta. The owner of the home always gives his top 5 must follow "rules" of racing LOTOJA.

I won't bore you with all of them, but the first one is:

1) I work for no man. (Have you seen Oh brother, where art thou?) This makes sense when you know that drafting behind another biker saves you 30% energy. Everyone has to take their turn, but be smart about it.

Lee wasn't home this year, so the top 5 was given over the phone.

Darren's start time was 7:32 and it was a chilly 30 something degrees. Some people started as early as 6:00. Brrr. When I got in my car to drive to Montpelier, ID for my first support spot I put the seat heater high and cranked the heat!

Jerrod, Darren and David. 3 of the 5 Cycle Therapy Team sponsored by Purely Custom. Jerrod and Darren were planning on sticking together and pounding out a good race so I supported both of them. This means getting to the support zone, watching for them among hundreds of others doing the same. As soon as I recognize them I scream their name so they see me, then switch out empty water bottles for full ones, hand food in ziploc bags, gu, ibuprofen, salt pills, and take vests, full fingered gloves and leg warmers no longer needed because the temp has raised 15 degrees and they are fully warmed up.

At Montpelier they had ridden a huge pass and had covered 80 miles. They both looked strong, and like kids at Christmas. They were having a great time and were riding fast. In past years Darren has come into a feed zone looking so sick that it pained me. None of that here. At this point any doubts I had about his 10 hr. goal disappeared. They were 15 min. ahead of schedule. We did the support dance in 2 min!


I headed for Afton, WY via a longer route than the cyclists. There is a major traffic back up where the cars join the riders. I moved 3 miles in 46 min. I missed them in Afton by 15 min. They grabbed neutral support, searched for a phone to let me know they had gone on then left for Alpine, WY. I am convinced if you are going to ride that fast, you can't have support at Afton. Not possible!

At Alpine, I parked the mile away, hoofed it with my backpack full of repair and changes of clothes (just in case) and a bag full of more food and liquid. I brought the stuff they would have taken in Afton, and the designated stuff for Alpine. I didn't know what they might want. After riding 160 miles I think you deserve just about anything you feel like. I had seriously stood on the front line of the feed zone for 30 sec. when they rode by! Holy cow! They were cruising. Darren still looked like a kid in a candy shop. So strong. Jerrod looked good too, but asked how much further...... this is truly an amazing feat of what the human body can do. So inspirational.


At this point I had used the bathroom only once, there is really no good place to stop and NO TIME! I stopped at the Chevron at Alpine Junction, only to find a line of 12 women. No time for that! Torture people, torture.

I headed to the finish line in Teton Village. I watched the time in eagerness wanting them to meet or beat their goal. Was it possible? Could he actually do it in UNDER 10 hours? I kept checking my watch. Kept looking down the road. Every group of cyclists looks like the ones I'm looking for. I hear as they call Darren's name for crossing the finish line. I look at him as he let's one arm off the bar and sits up a little with a huge sigh/grunt. Everything he had went into that finish. It had been a photo finish with a sprint from 3K. He and Jerrod had worked so well together for 206 miles, often training together, for months. But it is a race, afterall. Darren has known for weeks that Jerrod would sprint to the finish. Had known he would attack at the last minute. Not known if he would have "it" at the end like Jerrod so often does.....after splitting two riders down the middle, sending Jerrod to brush against someone in the crowd, Darren crossed 1 second, 1 second! ahead. They placed 3rd and 4th.

I looked at my watch and said aloud to no one, "NO WAY, sweet!" 9 hr. 50 minutes! I ran down the line to catch them exiting the finish chute. I had tears in my eyes I was so stinking happy for him! I had a hug for both of them. Proud does not describe how I felt.

To put this in perspective, a pro rider, 25 ish, set a course record this year with a time of 9:01.








Sorry about the bad pic, but this is them minutes after finishing. Kind of fitting that there is a porta potty in the background. Probably only fitting if you were me, and had been through what I had that day!

My favorite person.

The guys after all had finished.

Award Ceremony at Jackson High School.

This is Sunday morning outside the hotel. Fun people!

Rabbits at the Fair

Paige is in 4 H this year. She has a rabbit. Darren has never let our kids put the pigs in the fair. Now I kind of know why. Even with one little tiny rabbit, we have to be at the fair A LOT. She has learned a lot, and has really enjoyed it!

Winkles stays at the fair all week in his own little cage where all the people can come and look at him.

Today was showmanship day. Here she is being judged. There are a lot of things they have to know and do for the judge. I stood behind the judge and was impressed with all the things she said!

Winkles cooperated really well.

This is Winkles getting judged on quality. It has nothing to do with Paige, it is just about the rabbit.

There are so many things I never knew before!

Paige got third in showmanship. She now gets to be in the district show on Saturday. YEEHAW!