Wes's plans to do the Xterra Off road Triathlon this year were a bit deterred but he conquered none the less. He injured his thumb skiing, then re-injured it enough to be casted. His original plans to go with some other people fell through so me and the kids decided to tag along at the last minute.
And I'm so glad we did!! We left thursday and decided to make Friday all about the kids. So we stopped at the huge sand hill and the boys climbed and played in the sand till it came out their ears. But what the heck, nothing a hotel pool can't cure. It was around dusk when the bats started coming out to Carson's sheer delight. They were high enough on the hill to see the bats at eye level. Carson says when he grows up he's going to invent the bat catcher 300. I swear he has animal DNA. I need to post the video of him running like a cheetah.
The next morning we hiked Corona, an old fave of mine, I knew the kids would love because of the small technical challenges, loads of lizards, rock pockets to crawl into and two arches at the end of the short hike. We took our time chasing lizards, looking for arrow heads and 'meteorites' and talking about the paths of indians and pioneers.
We picked up fresh yummy sandwiches at Legers in Chevron where Wes's buddy works. Then it was off again to Hole in the Rock and cooling off in the little river down by slickrock. It's a fantastic secluded spot with slow pools of shallow water and shady areas.
We ended the day with a BBQ with some friends of mine and Wes's who were down doing some riding. The kids played in the water features and when the sun went down, bats invaded our pond. It was so fun to watch them we'd take some flash photography and look at them in the camera to get a closer look. The kids were exhausted and by the next day for Wes's race, they were more than happy to just sit and watch.
The following morning I made Wes a green power smoothie for his race and we headed over so he could get warmed up. His sister and brother-in-law were also doing the race and I became designated race crew. I took pictures, handed them water, toted my kids around in the bike trailer and only got yelled at once by one older racer for having the stroller too close to the RUN sign. I guess he couldn't see the huge 4 foot sign clearly enough.
To make matters a little more complicated I managed to lock my keys in the car with the camera, snacks and diapers. ARRRGGHH! I must've said this quite loudly as the people next to me offered to call AAA. That would have taken forever as I was in the middle of no where and I would have missed the race. I looked for a spare I knew wasn't there because i never got around to putting one in. I circled the car several times, said a little prayer, looked under the car again in some random spot, and to my utter and most exquisite joy there in a little hole was a spare key! How quickly the hole in my stomach was filled with gratitude. Morgan then chirped, "Oh yeah, I put that there, you had it on the fridge and I took it off and put it under the car."
Do I believe angels assist us at any given moment? Absolutely. Morgan got a huge banana split that night.
Wes placed first in clydesdale category, second in age group and tenth overall. It was an especially gratifying win because he did it without caffeine or excess sugar and felt great. ( I think it had a lot to do with the green smoothie:)
He has made it a goal to give up caffeine and so far it's been a great success. So proud of him!
Afterwards we hung out at the pool, hit some shops, bought some clean shirts, went for a run (which actually felt really great to do, I've done nothing but bike lately and it doesn't seem to keep the pounds off like running). My only time of solitude and I spent it hammering up the hill to slickrock. Ah, such goodness.
I'd love to stop and paint the landscape, spend hours drawing the broken horizon. I've been getting a huge itch to start drawing and painting again, and I do try to do a little here and there but for now it's captured in camera for a later season--- the rocks will still be there, the paint always ready to be handled. But the little voices, the tiny hands covered in dirt, tender squeals and smiles so big you can't see their eyes are what capture my heart and fill every minute of my soul.
PS I will post more pics as soon as I figure out how to clear out scratch disks and unload my camera...
PSS:About morgan and his bike: He spent a long time helping to earn the money to get this particular bike he had his heart set on. When we finally went to buy it, I heard him say as he was gathering his moneys, "Good-bye money, helloooo bike!!!"
Also, while entering Moab and driving around all he had to way was, Small town, BIG playground!!"
