Tripping with Nicole in Utah...celebrating 11 years of fun!

11 years ago my friend Nicole and I were celebrating Thanksgiving with my cousin Amy and her parents Grace and Rog in Denver Colorado. Nicole and I spent the week touring Colorado, meeting Amy’s friends and thoroughly enjoying our vacation. I don’t think either one of us expected that I would be moving back out to Colorado in less than 6 months…needless to say I managed to work another “presto change” on my life; I left my friends and family in New York and started a new life in Colorado. Since that time Nicole, who still lives in Albany, NY L and I try to vacation once a year. We meet somewhere warm and fun for a few days of relaxation and fun. Admittedly, I messed that schedule up a couple times the last few years so this year I knew it had to be a great vacation. Nicole, how’d we do?

Thanksgiving 08 was spent touring around the beautiful state of Utah. We started our adventure in Glenwood Springs with John; we stayed at the very old and elegant Hotel Colorado, hung out at the hot springs and hiked the ever gorgeous Hanging Lake. I was so glad John got to spend some time with Nicole. It has been a big year for John as he’s met my family, college roommates and now Nicole. I’m thrilled that everyone is in agreement that we are a good fit! J

The hot springs were so relaxing and the setting was so beautiful it occurred to me we might not continue west but apparently Nicole doesn’t like “prune” fingers so we had to drag ourselves out of the pools and hit the road. The hike to Hanging Lake was more gorgeous than I remember and I could have sat under that waterfall for hours. I love the sound and smell of the fresh mountain water. I decided if I were a fish I would want to live in Hanging Lake. Living in Albany Nicole’s lifestyle isn’t quite as adventurous as mine and I have to say that she rose to ever challenge this week! There is a bit of a hairy climb up some rock steps with a steep drop off and Nicole zipped right up them. The anticipation of going down may have worked her a little bit but once we were down I think she realized she is a rock star and has nothing to worry about.

The next couple days were focused on Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. I had never been that far southwest in Utah and I was completely blown away by the majestic canyons, the mesmerizing hoodoos and the colors that make up every cliff and rock formation. The other thing that made the area especially pretty was the fact that fall comes late to the canyons and there were still many trees and bushes brilliant with their fall colors.

Bryce Canyon is full of hoodoos, red, white and brown rock canyons and miles and miles of trails to soak it all in! The first day we ventured into Bryce we took a lil trail run. As our friend Christine says, “Nicole should know better” but she was up for it so we took off into Fairyland for a run. It was one of the most stunning views I have ever seen. We ran straight down for about 1 ½ miles and we both knew it would only mean 1 thing…1 ½ back up at the end. J The sun was blazing and we stripped down to running tops and soaked in the rays! Taking photos was the only thing that saved me from getting my ass kicked by Nicole…every time it got too steep it was time for a picture! She did great and I was really proud of her. After lunch we headed back out to the park and did the “must do” Victoria Garden hike. It was another stunning hike that wound through the canyon floor, hoodoos and other formations. It was the perfect hike after a tough run. After the hike we drove out through the park and checked out the canyon from other views, checked out the grottos, killer crows and the sweet mule deer as the sun started to set. We stayed at Ruby’s Inn just outside the entrance of Bryce and I highly recommend it. Especially if you are there during “the season”. There are all kinds of things for kids and families to do. Nicole and I managed to goof off a bit and check out the “town” but it was pretty much shut down for the season.

The trip to Zion the next morning was much nicer than our late night drive into Bryce. We could see all the mountains and canyons and we found a little local store that had a great price on Smartfood Popcorn, Swedish Fish and Gummy Bears! Great road trip food! The drive into Zion was completely different than Bryce; the rock formations and ground cover were equally majestic and colorful but different. Once you enter the gate into the National Park you drive through the longest, darkest tunnel I have ever experienced. It was kind of creepy and I was ready to see the light at the end of the tunnel! When we popped out of the tunnel we were at the edge of this cliff that looked out over the most beautiful valley I have ever seen. The colors were bursting and the air was crisp and clean. The switchbacks down to the canyon floor were hairy and fun. We even saw a guy riding his road bike up the steep road and of course Nicole thought he was crazy and all I could think was “I wonder when I can come back with my bike?” we went for a mid-day run along the river on the flats in Zion. It was a good way to shake our legs out before we headed up the cliff face for a hike. The park ranger told us the “must do” hike was called Angels Landing. He mentioned some steep drop offs, cliffs and chains but we didn’t really appreciate his description until we climbed 2 miles to the top where the climbing got really interesting. There was another 500 feet of climbing that was up along the red cliffs. There was no discernible trail except for the heavy metal chains drilled into the rock face that hikers use to stabilize themselves while climbing. Quite a few people were coming down as we were climbing up and it looked like a doable hike at first glance. Once we got up a few feet it was clear that the hike down would be much harder than the hike up and we weren’t really interested in an air lift our of the canyon so we opted to try the West Rim Trail instead. Great decision! We did see a really amazing Mormon woman coming down off of Angels Landing with no assistance from the chains and no visible concern at all. It was as if she was just floating down the cliff side. Nicole and I were both in awe of her.

Dinner in Zion was at the Pioneer Inn (we stayed at the Pioneer Hotel which was very clean, quaint and had awesome beds!) Who knew that grilled cheese could taste so good! We shopped a little but again the town was pretty much shut down for the season. The next morning we awoke for a hike up to the Emerald Pools before heading to Salt Lake and Park City. Emerald Pools was gorgeous and quiet as no other late season tourists were around yet. We checked out the pools, took tons of pictures and I taught Nicole how to build her own cairn. She will never get lost in the desert now! We could smell the rain in the cool air and we luckily timed it perfectly. As we were loading our car to head north the rain started to come down. Nicole may like good food but I am a real pain in the butt if I don’t get my tea in the morning so we checked out a funky local coffee shop and hit the road to Salt Lake.

As we were driving to Salt Lake City to see my friend’s Christine and Joe we both created the illusion that we are very important people; getting caught up on email and phone messages. Plus we wanted those we love to know we had survived the mountains and canyons in Utah! The visit with Christine and Joe was so much more than I would have expected. Of course I knew Christine would be a great hostess but I had no idea she lived in a palatial home in a swanky neighborhood that normally people would call the police if I were walking around in. Christine came home from work early and we headed to Park city for a quick tour and dinner. Although we didn’t see much other town what I did see I loved and I can’t wait to go back for winter fun! As is the rule when traveling with us, Christine learned quickly to pose for silly photos and behave like a goober in public.

Thanksgiving started cold and rainy but the 3 of us were still thrilled to head out to the local Human Race 5K run. It was to benefit the Utah Food Bank so we kept telling ourselves that it was a good cause and we needed to go. It turned out to be the perfect day for a race. It stopped raining when we started and started to rain after we finished. A quick trip to Buck Bucks for my mandatory hot tea and then it was home to cook and prepare for the feast. As a side note I must tell you that Nicole and Christine both ran terrific races! Christine’s goal was to walk but of course she got caught up in all the excitement and ran the first mile with us. Then Nicole and I ran the rest at a very strong pace. I am sure I will regret telling Nicole to “dig deep” in the last ½ mile as it is already coming back to haunt me but she really did dig and she did awesome! I always get great joy from watching people do more than they thought they could. I think we all have so much more in us if we want to use it. Nicole, when are we running that marathon?

Our early afternoon hike above Draper was really fun. We took Sydney, Christine’s dog, and checked out the burn area above the city. It still smelled a bit but we could see all the amazing new growth coming in all ready. Dinner with Joe and Christine and their friend Nicole was hysterical. Honestly, we prepared enough food for a small village and by the time we sat down to eat we were all stuffed in minutes. Of course I managed to try everything that hadn’t taken a breath and the pies were awesome! They mocked my wheat/grain/veggie turkey but I know they would all admit secretly that it tasted yummy! In fact I ate it for the next few days! We made the pies the night before and they tasted soooo good! Everything tastes better the ready whip! After eating too much we watched Run Fat Boy Run! I knew I liked Joe but I knew we would be permanently connected as we laughed at the same things during the movie. It is a hysterical movie if you have any interest in running!

The last leg of the trip included a tour of northeast Utah and much of Wyoming. It was flat, clear and easy traveling. We spiced the trip up with a visit to the Sierra Trading Post outlet store in Cheyenne. I was worried it was going to be crazy with people on Black Friday but it wasn’t too bad and I managed to get some Christmas shopping done!

Part of the highlight of the vacation was the fact that Nicole got to meet many of my friends on a run Saturday morning. We met them on the Highline trail. Even though we didn’t run with them for long it meant a lot to me for her to meet so many warm and welcoming people. My intention is to encourage Nicole to move to Colorado to try something new in her life. I don’t know if she ever will but I can say that I have shown here many aspects of what like could be like and as long as I don’t drag her on any 30 or 40 mile runs I think she might consider it!

Nicole and Christine have now bonded and will be an integral part of planning our trip to Queensland next September! Yahooo!