Guess Where?!

A tent.....mountain bikes....

red rock.....bright blue sky.....

A stinky pooch excited to be alive....

3 Happy Campers......

you guessed it, MOAB!!! Dave's birthday was on Friday and his birthday wish was a weekend away in Moab, and well, what the birthday boy wants, the birthday boy gets (within reason of course, hehe). It was an awesome weekend full of biking, hiking, digging, movies, and playing in the sand.

Friday we woke up to a bright, blue, beautiful Moab morning. Dave offered to watch the girls and let me go on a morning run. I have to tell ya....it was amazing. I usually run with my ipod but didn't have the headphones so was forced to run without music. I loved it. It was just me, the early morning light, the road and lots and lots of sagebrush. It was invigorating. When I got back to camp I watched the girls while Dave went for a bike ride. He did the whole-14 mile- slickrock loop. It's a killer ride. I was REALLY impressed. After he finished we went on a hike to Corona Arch. It is one of my all time favorite hikes in Moab.

That evening, to celebrate Dave's birthday, we decided to forgo a dinner of hotdogs and opted for pizza instead. We also grabbed a cake from the nearby market and had a grand ol' birthday celebration in Pizza hut :)

The next morning we woke up to cloudy, gray skies, with rain a fallin'. Poo. Ah well, nothing to do but make the most of it. So, we set off for slickrock in the rain. This time I was biking while Dave pushed the girls in the stroller.

Guys....this ride was a huge achievement for me....I became a REAL mountain biker! The only way to become an all-out-real-mountain biker is to experience a crash-a good one. A slow motion tip over doesn't count. Anyway, I ate it, I ate it hard. I was barreling down some awesome downhill when I hit some sand at the bottom. The sand jerked my tire and took my bike right out from under me....I went flying. The thing I was most aware of as I crashed was my head plowing into the ground and bouncing a few time. While I was laying there, stunned and trying to assess the damage some fellow mountain bikers stumbled upon me. They had seen the whole thing. They helped me up, brushed me off, and let me know that mountain bikin' ain't mountain bikin' unless there is blood involved. After I assured them I was ok I sat down to wait for Dave and the girls. They were a ways behind me because the stroller really wasn't meant for that kind of terrain. When they got there I re-enacted the whole scene for them. Dave snapped a picture. After all, a girl's first crash is something to capture.

So, the damage....I am bruised and sore from my shoulder down to my knee. My elbow is swollen something awful and my helmet now has some pretty good scuffs and dents. Thank goodness for helmets!

After biking we decided to take a break from the rain and get some diggin' in. We did Gemini Bridges and Metal Masher...twice.

We got lost, we got REALLY lost, hehe. We were going around in circles on top of the mesa for hours. But, no worries we made it back to camp safe and sound :) When we got back to camp the rain was still coming down hard.

We retreated to the tent and watched a movie. Seriously, I LOVE whoever invented portable DVD players. They are a lifesaver in such situations. That evening the rain stopped and we were able to go out on a beautiful walk and get some wiggles out.

It was a great trip, it really was. I love that all Dave wanted for his birthday was a weekend away with his family. I sure hope he had a good birthday. We sure love him and enjoyed spending time with him!