Survived!

Getting to and from Mary Star today was no easy task.  Nothing like stalling in the middle of traffic a few different times.  But I made it.  Assuredly I made it.  I won't be trying that again any time soon but it can be done.

Got home right in time for baths.  Ah, nothing like Mary Jane and Betsy Jo splashing about.

"Cold water time!"  Yes, indeed... nothing like being able to drink some cold water from the tap after a nice long warm bath.

Beware the New Stick Shift Driver!

Watch out, San Pedro.  Mister John is heading down to San Pedro tomorrow in the CRV... yep, a stick shift.  Jump onto the the sidewalks... find some sort of escape route.  At least the departure from  home will be no later than 6:30 so the roads will still be clear of potential victims.

Dirt Road to Heaven

In the midst of our sojourn through Utah last week, a bunch of us drove northeast to the small town of Tropic, Utah, in order to go on an ATV tour through the countryside.  Uncle Greg, Aunt Lisa, Grampa Charles, Cousins Ryan and Connor, my wife, and I all readied ourselves for an afternoon of four-wheeling fun.  Never mind that I had never ridden one of these four legged things before in my life.  Or I completely lacked all skills regarding stick shift driving.

After getting to Tropic an hour early and seeing all the sites... ok, maybe just the cultural museum (which had an incredibly clean bathroom, thank you very much), we jumped on our rides and headed out into the wilderness.  Oh, but one cannot forget those helmets.  Mine was a bit too tight but I never felt the pain for the first two hours.  That was all dealing with the horrors of not falling off the path or then mis-shifting while driving up a steep hill of loose rocks.  But all was manageable and, yes, I survived.

Miss Jill ready to roll

Looking up from a canyon

Miss Jill also had a blast as she soared ahead at speeds up to and over 40 mph.  Go, Mommy, go!!!  I managed to pass Cousin Ryan and Uncle Greg to catch up to her.  Ah, nothing like having dirt-crusted faces at the end of the day.  But oh the sites to be seen.  After visiting an old mine (later filled in by the Bureau of Land Management, a seeming enemy of the people of Utah), we all rode a steep hill of rocks to get to an incredible mesa.  From there I briefly taped a video of the sweeping landscape.

At least the boots we brought for the hiking worked out for the rides as well.  My boots were initially black... I think they're a touch grey now.  Then again I might want to wash them.

Mister John decked out in glorious splendor

Off-Roading

While Mary Jane and Betsy Jo were napping in Arizona, Miss Jill decided to take Mister John for a ride through the desert.  Due to Mister John's lack of ability to drive a stick shift, Miss Jill took it upon herself to ride through the bumpy desert as seen here.  This is only a 30 second snippet; otherwise this might have been a bit too nauseating to watch.  While Mister John claims that the stadium where the Super Bowl was held is off to the right somewhere, it is quite difficult to see.  Maybe a little pause and some squinting will help.

None of the cacti were injured during the filming of this video.