Miss me?

Well!! We have been all over the map since I've last found the time to blog. Please check out the full array of photos on Facebook. I'm currently sitting in Denny's trying to get all the pics on the Internet so that friends and family can see... but finding the time to type out all my journals and thoughts is a different story altogether. The short story is: we spent two, maybe three weeks in Escalante, Ut down Hole-in-the-Rock road. Then headed to Zion National Park for about a week and in both places got in some really cool slots canyons!! Our technical canyoneering skills are being honed every day. Along with our physical skills, our photography skills are also being honed. (While we're at improvements- my legs and arms are getting rather toned as well!)

The highlight of our technical canyoneering career took place in Zion just three days ago. We hiked/rappelled Pine Creek. Pine Creek is considered a "classic moderate" technical slot canyon (the advanced technicals will have to wait until next year- they are a bit of a jump up in skill level from what we are used to) Pine Creek had six rappels: the first one just 100 yards from the parking lot! We geared up in full wet suits, complete with booties and gloves, and boy were we glad we did, because we did some full-on swimming! and boy, was it CHILLY! We had to carry two ropes with us, one 10 meter and one 60 meter. We were able to use the shorter rope for most raps, as they were short and sweet. The final rappel, however, was 96 feet, and free-haning! the idea of it was a little scary at first. Josh and I both, strangely enough, are a little fearful of heights when ropes are not in the equation. The scary part, is setting up the ropes and clipping in, but once your are attached and secured to the rope, it is one of the most exhilarating experiences ever!

I promise to post pictures soon, with commentary so you can follow along. But, like I said, we're dealing with shotty Internet (at best) and I cannot overload my poor browser with uploading in more than one spot at a time. We are leaving Page, Arizona post-haste headed for the Grand Canyon and from there we will be in Las Vegas. Once we get to Vegas (and get a hotel room) I'll have more time to commit to blogging (maybe...) either way, stay tuned!!!

Okay, okay, I'll give you a little teaser:

After Little Wild Horse/Bell Canyon we moved our camp just down the way to a spot more sheltered from the wind

We stayed in the San Rafael Swell one more night then headed south to Escalante...

We stopped to have a beer and gather local info at the Escalante Outfitters. It was here, that we ran into some old friends of Josh's. Tulsa and Mac were on vacation from Montana with their dog Shackelton. Shack rode in the side car of Tulsa's enduro bike...

Plans were altered... we camped with Tulsa and Mac (and Shackelton) for two nights and did a little hiking with them

Josh took Shackelton for a spin

Then we said our goodbyes to our friends, said we would come visit them at the Yodeler Motel(which they are the proud owners of) and parted ways.

Tulsa and Mac (who by the way is from Alabama... who knew I'd meet a fellow 'Bamaian way out here in the desert?!?!) went north towards Moab and we headed to the Hole in the Rock road.

The Hole in the Rock is famous in the Mormon community for the trek made back in the 1800's from Escalante to the San Juan River... it was one heck of a trek by horse and wagon let me tell you- 'cause it was a long ride in the Subaru.

The first day we spent looking for the home. It took a while, we went to several open houses, we walked around a few nice lots- but we went back to the first one we looked at and moved right in. It had everything, a view, shelter from the wind, a nice neighborhood- unfortunately it was in a bit of a drainage, but this is the desert, so it doesn't rain-- right?!?

We spent three days playing in slot canyons and taking pictures... doing what we do...

Lake Powell is at the end of the 54 mile dirt road and down a STEEP trail about 1/2 a mile... but totally worth the haul to see clear water

Then wouldn't you know, at 5 AM this morning, Josh woke me up to inform me it was "game time" it was pouring and we had to pack up and move out of our humble abode before we got washed away. So we drove to town and got a room at the Outfitters (we were going to just get a tent site, but the temptation of a queen sized bed for only $30 more was too much) and started planning our backpacking trip in the Escalante National Monument. We're off in the early morning and we'll be back in about a week. With plenty pictures and stories to tell!

Have a great week!!

xoxo

Trish

So much to report...

Well, we're sitting in a cabin in Escalante, Utah right now. We have showered, eaten and ingested some beer... now we can safely move on to pictures and recapping the last week or so. Where did I leave off?

(April 22) Green River.... After spending a day in Green River, Utah golfing and hot tubing...

(April 23) We headed East to Moab to catch the infamous car show and hit up the gear shops to get more books on Canyon Country.

We also did a bit of laundry- while we waited for our clothes, we did some hiking and exploring near town.

After our laundry was finished and we were done in town, we head out in search of the perfect camp site. The search turned into a scenic drive up Potash and into the back of Canyonlands NP... We keep finding these gnarly roads!

Turns out, the car show brought more people to Moab than we thought, and we ended up at a group camp sight just outside of Canyonlands- not ideal, but we'll set up where we can when we have to.

The next morning (April 24) we rose early to get to Arches NP and hike the Firey Furnace. One of our friends from the Raft Trip said if we liked the Dollhouse, we would also enjoy the Firey Furnace- and Ali is a rather trustworthy gal...

After Arches, we headed back to the San Rafael Swell. We got there in plenty of time to have camp set up in time for a sunset beer- unfortunately the wind was not cooperating and we had to take in the sunset from the car window, and cook in the tent. We played Go Fish by headlamp.

(April 28) The next morning we went to check out Little Wild Horse Canyon. We'd hear good things...

This canyon is actually two canyons- Little Wild Horse and Bell. It's an eight mile loop suitable for just about anyone. We knew this because upon arrival we saw a family with a toddler walking back to the parking area. It was well worth it, even if we weren't the only people in that canyon that day.

okay, all this blogging (indoors) is making me stir crazy. I'm going to go the restaurant, I'll be back with the rest of the story later...

Onward and Southward...

We're out!! We have the car packed, the condo cleaned, security deposit back in our (ok, mine- I love Josh, but we are NOT co-banking anytime soon) account. Now we are waiting on parts of the Yakima rack that I ordered from ebay to come from UPS and we're taking off.

We'll be bee-lining it to SLC tonight, to get up and tie up a few more loose ends in the big city (camera battery so you guys can enjoy what we see and a car battery so we don't get stranded in the desert).

Hope you guys have a great week! I'll update as soon as I have something to report and have Internet connection.

PEACE and LOVE!!! (guess I'm kinda a hippie now?!?! lol)

Countdown: 3 Days

We got all of our stuff in storage! We were able to rent a 5x5 unit for only $35 a month. And the rest of April is only a DOLLAR! woot woot. SO we prepaid through July- 106 bucks and our stuff is safe and sound until we return. Sadly though, our ski/snowboard gear is in there too =( But the fact that BOTH Josh and I have only enough stuff to fill half a storage unit is pretty impressive.

After loading the storage unit we went to Targhee and had a parking lot party before seeing Equal Eyes. Six of us camped out in the parking lot (Two people and a dog in the back of the Subbie is pushing it- glad we're leaving Elu in Jackson this summer). We woke up early and went skiing! After a good day on the hill, we passed back by our storage unit in Victor and gingerly placed our snow gear in the box with the rest of our stuff and headed home.

Now all we have to do is pack for the trip. The dining room is the staging area- right now it's a mess- but that's the fun part. I get to meticulously organize all gear, clothing, food, recreation and "business" and make it fit in the car.

We are on the lookout for a second Skybox. We, for obvious reasons, do not want to pay full price for a new one, so we've been checking Craig's list and ebay for used ones. If you know of anyone in the tri-state area that may have one for sale, please email me irelandpatricia@me.com even if it's not in great condition, we are not afraid of bungee cords or duct tape!

The MOST FUN part, though is researching! Every time I tell people that we're going Canyoneering we usually get: "OH! You have to go..." We proceed to get all kinds of beta about Zion, Escalante, Grand Canyon etc etc. I've only spent a very brief time in Utah and no time in Arizona and southern Nevada, so I am STOKED to do some exploring.

Here's a little taste of what is soon to come:

OH DEAR!

Well, since my last "Condo-to-Subaru" entry we have made some changes...

We're leaving in FIVE days.

SO, my take-your-time guide to downsizing and organizing your storage boxes has been foiled. It has since turned into a "Get it done in a semi-organized, yet somewhat hasty manner."

Wednesday morning: Josh and I are both officially "temporarily retired." We wake up (annoyingly) early and get to town! Gung Ho! Got. Stuff. Done! Hung around and saw a movie :::side note, Hot Tub Time Machine is an excellent and hilarious movie- go see it!:::

Thursday morning: We successfully slept in, and went to town. Helped our friend Andy move. Came to the conclusion that we should meet up with Andy in the desert at a place called the Dollhouse. The river trip he's on is camping there on the 18th... so we have to leave here on the 15th. Done! It's going to be a blast, but that just took three whole days away from my calm, collected, this-time's-gonna-be-different packing experience. Then we proceeded to spend the rest of the day hurrying up to wait... no big deal- my list is only getting longer by the second.

Friday morning: we wake up too early, and force ourselves to stay in bed. We are only going to have this luxury five more times (for a while). So we watch a movie on Netflix (World's Greatest Dad is NOT a comedy... even though it's listed as one...) We get up and go to town. Today was a slightly more productive town day, and we made it back home before 5pm. We spent three hours cleaning, packing, tossing, semi-organizing and separating. Everything that's going on the rip with us is finding it's way to the dining room table. Laundry is being rotated every 45 minutes or so and boxes are being stacked on one side of the room.... Boxes are organized only slightly. The only comforting thing is that Josh has his own pile. Everything that is "my realm" is in my boxes- a mess, but at least it's only my mess. So tomorrow we are meeting our new "landlord" at the storage unit (4 pm) with a load. We are making the drive over the pass (about 35-40 minutes) to save some cash- PLUS SIDE: Grand Targhee resort is still running the lifts. And they have a band! So it's looking like we'll be storing, partying, sleeping in the car and waking up to ski some pow (it snowed up high today).

The countdown has begun: Five days to departure. And I would say we are on schedule to leave... let's hope it stays that way!

From Condo to Subaru. Vol 2

Closets are FUN! (not)

SO on my clothing reduction I had to break it down even more... four piles were necessary here.

1-keep with: this is a TOUGH decision. because I never know what I'm going to need- especially given the climates I'll be traveling though. But clothes are a luxury on this trip.

2- storage: most things in this pile ended up being strictly winter clothes and "fancy" clothes

3- Browse-N-Buy :our local thrift store... pretty small pile, because I recently purged a lot.

4- Christen's pile- I made a deal with my dear friend that she could "babysit" some of my summer clothes and shoes while I was gone. She's a lucky girl that she's my exact body twin- down to the freakishly small hands (carnies!)

So, I have a large garbage bag full of clothes and shoes and eventually some movies and a Wii console that she will be in charge of for the next three months. I have a few things that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy that are going to the browser and I have a suitcase and a couple boxes of clothes going to a storage unit. The problem is, I think that I still have more clothes than are necessary for a road trip. I have to remind myself that there are laundry mats in most towns and there's really no need to look cute for the coyotes and bugs in the desert. (and I guess Josh knows this by now lol).

SO here's the inventory list of what one NEEDS on a long road trip:

1 pair jeans

1 pair long (quick dry) pants

1 pair PJ pants (they are great for car rides and sometimes you need them to sleep in too)

1 pair shorts (I hate shorts so I'm allowing extra skirts)

2 skirts- skirts are SO vital for traveling, they are comfy and cool yet you can hike in them if necessary- I live in tennis skirts in the woods in the summer.

1 "festival dress"

1 "cute outfit" for when we end up in a town for a few days, never know when you are gonna wanna go out dancing

2 (okay 3) pair of shoes- 1 Chaco, 1 hiking boot and 1 lounge shoe

ALL underwear. I don't care how many laundromats we pass- I need enough panties to last three weeks in the desert...

1 "real bra"

5 sports bras

5-8 tank tops

3-4 tee shirts

3-4 long sleeved shirts

1 hoodie

1 pair longjohns

2 jackets

10 pair socks.

2 bathing suits

At first I was trying to go on the backpacking rule, one of each length pant and one of each length shirt- but that's not happening for me. I like to wear clean clothes. so I need enough to only wash stuff once a week- maybe less. This, is by far my biggest challenge on what I can bring and what I have to leave here. I will be shipping some stuff to my sister in Alabama so that I can have an outfit to wear out with family. I will also, most likely ship a few things to Michigan so that I can mix it up a bit when I get up there. I'm toying with the idea of vacuum sealing a few bags of clothes for "emergencies" so they won't take up as much room.

Whew! I guess I need to get back to work, as I sat down mid-packing spree to write this entry =)

xoxo

From Condo to Subaru. Vol 1

As I mentioned earlier, Josh and I are embarking on an epic road trip in about three weeks. We have been living in a two bedroom, 1200 square foot condo for the past six months. We will soon be living in a four door (guessing here) 50 square foot Subaru Outback. HOW? most people would ask. Well, I am here to walk you through the steps of downsizing into a vehicle.

First of all, it helps that I have a pretty decent sized vehicle. The Subbie is perfect for road trips and, with the right finesse, can fit an awful lot... but packing the car will be the final installment in the From Condo to Subaru Chronicles.

In downsizing, the most important thing to do is take it slow. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to go through everything and decide what you need to keep with you, what you need to put in storage and what you can throw away. Make three piles. You may need to go through the keep-with and storage piles more than once to make sure you aren't hoarding things you don't need.

DO ONE ROOM AT A TIME!!

Start with your smaller rooms first. I started with my bathroom. I have a tendency to over buy products and homeopathic medicines. I like herbs and I have an obsession with hair products... but I only ever use one at a time. so I have a box of half used products under the sink that I rarely use. I also have a hair dryer and a curling iron that I hardly ever use. Also kept in my bathroom is my jewelry. (I LOVE jewelry!)

I had a rule on the bathroom. One (small) box for storage, one (shoe) box for medicines/first aide, my three drawer Rubbermade "chest" for make-ups and products and one travel bag for jewelry. The rest, I threw away.

This box will go in storage, full of things that I will not need while traveling, but won't want to buy when I get back... (including jewlery)

This is all of my "beauty" products that will be traveling with me. (this includes shampoos, soaps, lotions, tweezers, razors and blades etc) I am going to look really cool running into a truck stop bathroom with this guy =)

And this is all the jewelry that I will be traveling with. I realize that this is a little much, but I cannot live without certain pieces of Steaze!

Next up-Bedroom. I have to reduce A LOT of clothes and shoes into ONE suitcase.