July 10-13, 2008 are a few days of vacationing that will be hard to forget. We wanted to do something unique and somewhat adventurous in attempts to celebrate five years of (insert euphemism here) marriage. In fact, before I continue with the “tell you all about the trip” blog format I will intermit a non-typical tribute to my beautiful bride of five years:
Roses are Red and Pansies are Blue,
Five years later our love is still true.
It’s hard to explain the way that I feel,
My connection to you is almost surreal.
I know I cause stress and find it quite funny,
When you proclaim, “Honey! Stop spending money!”
You’re patient with me even when I pass gas,
To me you are more than a nice piece of cake.
Our trials and fun times have been really sweet,
We’ll be just fine if the past five could repeat.
You’re so good to me and have superior skill,
I love you so much and I always will.
I suppose there are some friends within the blogging community (particular the men) that will poke fun and make light of my attempts to express myself poetically. I am prepared to withstand the persecutions and taunting that may result and welcome the repercussions. Now back to the trip…
We went to SLC Thursday where we stayed at the Radisson Downtown. We enjoyed an excellent dinner at The Roof (top floor of the JS Memorial Building) and then caught the flick “Get Smart” at The Gateway. The movie was excellent and the dinner was okay. To be honest, at $35 a person I expected a higher level of service and food quality than was received at The Roof. The atmosphere included a live pianist and an excellent view of Temple Square. The buffet food was certainly buffetish. The desserts were amazing.
Friday morning we got up early and went to Intermountain Harley Davidson of SLC to rent a 2008 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic Electroglyde. We met Ashley’s parents that morning to join us on the open road. We traveled a little over 320 miles that day on the hogs. We took I-15 to Idaho Falls then up to Ashton where we took the scenic byway through Mesa Falls. We then went through Island Park and to West Yellowstone. I had some concerns about us being sore after riding a motorcycle that long. I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable and smooth the ride was. I had absolutely no soreness at all. The only noticeable discomfort was the sun and wind burnt face and arms. Ashley was in hog heaven sitting on the back of the bike. She had her camera in one hand and the iPod in the other. She wanted me to wear a t-shirt that says, “If you can read this, the bitch fell off.” I told her no.
On Saturday we took the bikes through Yellowstone National Park for some sight seeing. We travelled up through Madison to Norris then up to Mammoth. We saw all of the typical things like rivers, waterfalls, elk, bison, etc. After we left Mammoth we had our first black bear sighting. The beauty of being on a bike is that you can pull over off the road and sit there and watch the wildlife without trying to park a car. We went over to Hayden Valley and then came back through Dunraven pass and back to West Yellowstone. That night we say Hello Dolly at the Playmill Theater in West Yellowstone which was excellent as usual. That day we saw many elk, buffalo, deer, bald eagle, three bears, and a plethora of scenic snapshots.
An observational note about Yellowstone National Park: I have spent countless hours in that miserable place. My father is obsessed with the park and imposed his Yellowstone obsession on us as children. The things I associate Yellowstone with are boring drives, cold picnics and long bug infested hikes. I’m not typically one to notice and/or appreciate the natural beauty of the earth so Yellowstone to me was just another place. I have to swallow my pride and proclaim that Yellowstone on a motorcycle is a whole new world full of amazement and awe. For some reason I was never able to really see it for what it is in the back seat of the family van. I can’t imagine how anyone can tour the park in a vehicle after doing so on a bike. It was awesome!!!
On Sunday we began the long journey home. We went back through Yellowstone and through Teton National Park. We stopped for lunch in Jackson Hole, WY at Bubba’s Barbecue and then went home via Bear Lake. After returning the bike back to SLC Monday morning the trip odometer read 983 miles. Ashley took 150 pictures off the back of the bike. The sun and wind blistered our lips and arms but the slight discomfort was all worth it. It ranks as one of our favorite vacations of all time. It did however create a very large and serious problem: I have to find some money and buy a Harley. I didn’t want to be faced with this dilemma but I am. I have to face this problem like a man and get ‘er done. I’m up for it.
The pictures are your typical Yellowstone scenery pictures. The only difference is that these pictures are how things are perceived while perched on the back seat of a Harley. Enjoy.
Jare and I went paint balling. It was way fun, but there were a few casualties. Okay not really, but there were a few war wounds. We went to the paintball course by Zanavoo. Jared sliced his hand on a barrel and had to get 9 stitches. Does it surprise anyone that as he is gushing blood he was still playing until he got out? I also had quite the bruise, not quite as impressive as Jare's wound, but I was quite proud.
Now that our Ultimate Loser competition has ended (I will post before and after pics as soon as I get them) we have been trying to find things to do to stay in shape. So this weekend we went on a hike with Eric and Tina to the Wind Caves. Even though our car didn't fit in at the parking lot since we were the only ones not driving a Subaru, and we weren't packing Pita Pit for lunch, the other hikers accepted us and we had a really great time. The hike up is pretty tough, but as you can see once you get to the top it is worth it. The view was amazing! I got my hair highlighted earlier in the day, so look close you might be able to see it.
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It wouldn't be summer with out a little visit to 1st dam.
