Piggy Sunset

Biking on the Kokopelli Trail

Saturday Morning in Colorado was the beginning to a very hot day. I think it hit 100 degrees. What better thing to do on a day like this than go mountain biking with Maggie and Fernando through the red rock in the desert. My idea! As the others cried out to us..."Drink lots of water", we headed out to the kokopelli trail. It was beautiful but 5 miles seemed like an eternity in that weather and terrain. After doing the first loop we decided to head back to town for lunch and try to avoid heat exhaustion.

Once we got back to town to drop off the bikes, Fernando noticed a pizza place across the street with a sign claiming it was the "greatest pizza". We just had to try it. Inside, we met the owner, Jen. She was a really cool chick from New Jersey. She wanted to stay away from the big cities and live some place where she could chill out and enjoy the scenery. So she ended up with a pizza shop on main street in Fruita, Idaho. It's definitely working for her. She looks like she is in her twenties but is really in her forties.

After lunch, we dropped Maggie off at the campground but Fernando and I were not yet ready to endure the heat again, so we decided to take an air conditioned road trip to Grand Junction. I told Fernando that this was *his* time to choose what he wanted to do for the next several hours. But then when we got to Junction I saw a sign for the Colorado National Monument and I kinda hijacked the rest of his time. It went something like this...."oooo, look, the Colorado National Monument...that would be cool, we should go"...Fernando: "ok". Wow that was easy.

We had no idea what to expect for the monument. Next thing we knew we were entering a national park and driving through red rock! There were a ton of cool rock formations but we still had no idea about the monument. We finally came across the information center and found out that the whole park is considered the "monument".

Ah ha.

That evening, the sun set beautifully over Country Jam and it was indeed a sight to behold. The large blow up pig over the stand that sold Dave's Famous Barbecue was like a beacon. A giant pork silhouette in the sun as if to say "you have arrived, this is Country Jam at its best. Barbecue, Tim Mcgraw, country music, beer and cowboy hats. It just doesn't get any better - but let's just throw a sunset on top of it and outdo ourselves. ". The big apple barbecue could never have this ambiance. Eat your heart out New York.


Pig Sunset

Sunday
Sunday was the day I was looking forward to the most - horseback riding and white water rafting. We rode on horses through the canyons and it was a lot of fun. I haven't been on a horse in a very long time. So the guy is giving us instructions on how to hold the reigns - pull to the left if you want her to go left, same for the right, pull back if you want her to stop, and lift the reins if you want them to go faster. We take off and head toward the mountains but have to cross a highway. My horse is going pretty slow and I am in the middle of the road. Then the guide turns around to me and says "raise your hand!". So, I put my right hand up in the air just like I would have to answer a question in school. They all start laughing at me...apparently he meant for me to raise my hand with the reigns to make the horse trot.

Later that day, the second part of our "saddle and paddle" tour was beginning. Apparently I didn't ask enough questions when booking the trip. I thought we had signed up for white water rafting, but instead I had signed us up for a river float. I was thinking the guide was a little crazy when she suggested before the trip that we pack the cooler with some beers. I'm thinkin, there's no way I'm gonna go down rapids with a buzz. About two hours into it I was praying for a beer. Instead, Fernando entertained us by taking the guide's seat, giving her a break, and rowing us down the river. He even rowed us through a class .5 rapids. That's point 5, not 5. :)

Later that day, Fernando, Maggie, and I headed back to Salt Lake. On the way we made a pit stop in the middle of nowhere to check out the stars! End of a great day.


Horseback Riding