Yes! We made it safely into Salt Lake City. It was a nasty drive on backroads through Colorado with heaps of fog, pcycho cyclists, and free range (wandering) cows. The kids held out pretty well for their first all day drive. My nerves will never heal themselves naturally.
Staying again at Melissa's great friends Kim and Derrick. Its were Quock and I stayed last year (Austin and Anna too). I am of course, blogging at my favorite away from home location...... The SLC public library. Mark my words when I say that Conde Nast traveler has not featured this fine public library yet! and I have been praising it for over two years. Travelers take note, you could run a multi-billion dollar company out of the SLC Library and never draw attention to yourself. In addition they SERVE excellent coffee.

The last two nights were spent at Nick and Carols home in Estes Park or I should say on top of Estes Park. Carol was a photography teacher at Winter Park High School when most of my friends and myself were there. I met Nick kayaking in the Everglades with Marty. Last year I stayed with Nick on his island farm in Argentina. Anyway, they have a wonderful home overlooking Rocky Mountain National Park. Their yard is full of great bouldering sites which the kids loved playing on to the sheer terror of Melissa. Nick cooked amazing meals, showed the kids all the stars with his telescope, and made sure the smores didn't run out. Sam and Gator hated leaving and made me promise to move to Colorado near Nick.


Our plan is to hang out with Kim and her family for a few days, hit a few micro-brew pubs, take the temple tour, and just unwind from traveling. After that we will head into Idaho, visit some hot springs, may be slide east into Yellowstone or Grand Tetons, then some how end up in Great Falls by Thursday to start planning and shopping for our river trip.


Both of the boys miss everyone back home. Almost everyday they ask if Beckett can come play or if we can just go home and see Nanna. They also always want to call Aunt Tricia on the cell phone.