i LOVE craigslist.

I think craigslist is one of the best things out there. I'm constantly finding the coolest things, but also practicing a lot of self control by not buying much. There have been, however, two offers that I could not have refused.

The first came several months ago- a pair of telemark skis that were in great shape and super cheap.

The second came just on Saturday. Someone in Farmington was giving away her old airline bike box, that she probably bought for over 200 dollars. Who knows if I'll ever take a bike anywhere on a plane, but it is good for moving or storing a bike securely, and heck, it was FREE.

Colorado Trail

This week was one of the highlights of my summer. A couple friends and I hiked much of the Colorado Trail. Even with the buckets of rain, it was a blast.

This is about 3 or 4 miles into the trip where we met the first person going the other way. "Where ya comin' from?" we asked.
"Denver"
Wow.
These pics don't do it much justice, but the wildflowers were amazing.
Here in the distance you can see purgatory, our local ski resort.
We stumbled upon the perfect campsite one day . Have you ever had such a view from your toilet?
Yes, that is snow.
59 miles, and about as many bug bites later.

Maryland

The last few days I spent in Maryland with my sister and her family. Except for a few days this last Christmas, I haven't seen them for 3 years. We went to Baltimore and wandered around, visited Mount Vernon, and spent lots of time just hanging out. It was a great time.

I also tried teaching Jarom here how to solve a Rubik's cube, but he just wasn't getting it.

Zions, Bryce, Grand Canyon, and Antelope Canyon

My parents and I wanted to do something together before I take off, so we spent a few days visiting some of the area's natural wonders. I took lots of photos.

I heard and spoke more German than I have in a long time. Europeans were everywhere! In fact, the first people I even saw after the drive over was a couple whose picture I offered to take for them. I could tell they were german, so we started talking, and it turns out they live less than a mile from my old appartment in Moenchengladbach! That was reason for another photo:

After a while I realized that they were everywhere, so I stopped trying to talk with all of them. Instead, I'd just stand next to them at scenic overlooks, listen to their conversations, and get really sentimental. It made me realize how much I miss it.

Unemployed...AND LOVING IT!

Friday was my last day of work! I figured that I'd be pretty tied up after going off to school. I've also reached my goal of how much I wanted to save up, so I decided to leave my job a little earlier than originally planned and have some fun this summer. There will be quite a bit of camping, a trip to Maryland, and lots of sleeping, so stay tuned for some sweet new posts.

Triathlon-take two.

I wrote that I was planning on another triathlon, so I figure I ought to write a few words about it:

THAT WAS TOUGH!

There. It was lots harder than the last one, but still lots of fun. The best part is that a couple of my cousins, Thomas and Tyson Taylor came down from Denver to do it too. It's been a long time since I've seen them, so it was great to catch up. (they both beat me.)

Nothin' like boating on Sunday

So, my parents went up to Utah last weekend to deliver a boat to my brother-in-law's brother. I went with them, because it sounded like a good excuse to get away from work. About halfway there, the tire on the boat shreds to pieces, and we're left on the side of the road. We don't have the right sized wrench to get the lug nuts off, and the spare is flat, so my dad took off to take care of that. My mom and I stayed with the boat, and enjoyed a nice afternoon. We got some puzzled looks from those passing by, but none stopped until a state trooper noticed us. He was quite nice and had the right sized tool, so we started taking off the tire. About this time, it's remembered that the boat and trailer have no licence plate. So, there's some praying going on that he won't notice, and it only gets more sincere when the SECOND state trooper pulls up. Dad got back with the tool we now don't need, we get the spare on, and he leaves to return the tool to the gas station he borrowed it from. The fuzz stay directly behind the boat the entire time he's gone, but don't notice. When dad gets back, we high tail it outa there. In the end, the spare started having its problems, and we had to overnight somewhere and get it fixed. Ahhh, good times.