Not sure where we left off….so will go backwards in time……

Monday, Aug 16, day 12….
Ace flipped the lights on at 6:39am and I started to move. He had the car all packed up and we were ready to go at a little after 7am.
Checked the air in the tires, got latte and a breakfast sandwich at Starbuck’s and we were off, homeward bound!!
ETA: 8:30pm (not sure about the 1 hour we gain, as it is 13 physical hours of driving time…)…

Sunday, Aug 15, day 11….
Headed to the Wasatch Mountain State Park Golf Course – today, we play the Mountain Course. The views from several holes display the Heber Valley in all its magnificence. The sky was a brilliant vault of blue, only one small fluffy cloud visible. Hot. Good thing we started at 9:38am! We finished at 2:30 –5 hours….Hot. These 2 courses (Lakes and Mountain) are really really nice and for all the play they get, they are in fantastic shape. Beautiful. Costs about $42 a piece with cart. Ace shot a 90, Buffe a 92.

Bev packed us chicken sandwiches, a few carrots, celery, and cherry tomatoes, oh, and 2 cookies. We had to stop at the 9 and get ourselves a beer. Sure tasted good….after golf, Bev took us to a milk shake place called Granny’s. It’s right on Highway 40. If you are ever in Heber, on Highway 40, STOP! You cannot believe how THICK, CREAMY, DELICIOUS, these Thick Milkshakes are. It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted! ,mmmmmmm,

Back at Bev’s, we all showered, Bev and I took “cat-naps” woke up refreshed and watched the tail end of the PGA at Whistling Straights. Too bad about the kid who grounded his club in the “sand trap”…..bitter lesson, but one he and others will not forget. That mistake will not be made again! Course looks pretty.

Dinner was a lovely cob salad Bev and I put together. Hey! We did a great job! I’d never made a cob salad before, this was great!

Saturday, Aug 14, day 10….
Headed out to the Wasatch Mountain State Park Golf Course; played the Lakes Course. Very nice. Hot. Played in 5 hours and 15 minutes. We started at 10:10am, right in the middle of the heat of the day, but we preserved and kept our concentration. Ace shot a 95, Buffe a 94.

We headed back to Bev’s, picked her up and headed up to h ear the Utah Symphony play Led Zepplin. Bev had packed us a “picnic” to long remember. Beautiful plastic wine goblets (and I do mean goblets!), which we filled up and began with Brie, roasted cherry tomatoes on French bread slices. Moving on to grilled chicken, a “medley” of roasted vegetables, and the remaining Vietnamese Salad (incredibly good). We had no room for the fresh fruit in lime juice and a sprig or two of mint……..

The symphony and singer and band did a very good job of playing and singing Led Zepplin. Lasted about 2 hours, and we headed home to bed.


Friday, Aug 13, day 9….
Dinosaur National Park. WOW. Parked the car, the shuttle took us the rest of the way to where the Ranger took us on a short hike up into the hills. Did I mention hot? Very interesting. Unfortunately, the main center facility which we could see from our hike, was closed. Supposed to open next year. Apparently back in the 50’s when they started building, they didn’t take the precautions they do with foundations especially considering the soil (bentenite I think it’s called, and not sure about that spelling either, I just ‘sounded’ it out and then spelled it). Anyways, the building started to sink. At this facility is the MAIN WALL of excavated dinosaur bones. They say it’s supposed to be quite something to see. On our hike, we saw exposed by wind etc. (not excavated) dinosaur bones, that was cool. The Ranger had visual aids, like little plastic dinosaurs, drawings, etc. Fun.

We then drove on the 22 mile auto-tour of this part of the park. We stopped at the Desert View / Voices hike. We left the river and headed up a draw for a mile. At the turning point we headed back, this time on the other side of the canyon / table / mesa (whatever it’s called, but in the foothills of the Uinta Mts) anyways, another 1 and ½ miles we ended back up at the car. We had lunch (which included an ice-cold light Coors, which tasted oh so lovely after that hike) then headed out for another entrance into Dinosaur Park. This was a 32 mile auto-tour that ended with a 2 mile hike along a ridge-back, through Pine and Pinyons, and hot sun. Overlooking the Yampa and Green Rivers. Hot. Boy was I glad to get back into an air-conditioned car! The view was like all the views you see down in Canyonlands, Escalante, Bridges, Dead Horse Mesa, etc country in Southern Utah.

Just at the entrance, there was an ice-cream place, yes, we had a couple of ice cream cones, then headed to Park City. Went through Steamboat Springs – man has it changed from when I was last here! VERY VERY NICE! Oh, we stopped here too for an ice cream cone, but instead had their milkshakes and malts. Did I say we were warm? Of course we were drinking tons of water too.

Arrived at Bev’s around 7pm – she had a lovely dinner planned and ready to throw on the grill. Flank steak wrapped in lettuce leaves with shredded carrot, Vietnamese Salad, it was tasty.

Thursday, Aug 12, day 8…..
Had breakfast with Joe, Dave and Becky at the Luxury Diner in Cheyenne. Then off to visit Mom in Windsor, Colorado. She kept falling asleep so we eventually left. As we headed out of town we stopped for soup and ½ sandwich. Then up into the Rockies and Vernal, Utah.

We got to Vernal and stayed at a non-descript motel, ordered in Chinese, read a little and went to bed. Tomorrow we were going to explore what we could of Dinosaur National Park. And do a little hiking too!

Tuesday...6th day

After a quick breakfast, Joe, Ace, and I headed for the Airport Golf Course. The sun was out and warm, we think we started around 9:30am. We followed two young boys that were rather fun to watch. We had to wait at every hole, so of course one's time-ing was a little off. It got up to 88 degrees; I had a cart, Ace rode with me for 9 holes, and then Joe rode with me for 9 holes. I parked in every piece of shade I could find. ;)

It was a great day, great golf. I shot an 85, Ace 96, Joe 100. (I always think it's a great day when I shoot well...)....

Ace and Joe have put the pork ribs on the grill. I'm turning them every 30 minutes. they've disappeared out shopping somewhere's. Listening to Light Classical music, fan twirling above my head, clouds moving in, heat pressing down, sunny, it's quite lovely. There should be a houseful tonight, so fun!

Tomorrow we're heading out to Tom and Robin MacIntosh's place. Somewhere's East; that's all I know....ciao til later!

Sunday Aug 8 & Monday Aug 9 (days 4 & 5)

Buffe and Ace set out for Laramie where they stayed with Ace's sister Ann and husband Lee. Joe and Beth, Dave and Becky stopped as well -- Ann put on a delightful dinner of roasted chickens, roasted red potatoes, string beans, wine, iced tea, brushetta salad (YUM!) and apple pie with a caramel sauce poured lightly over the top. After everyone had left, Kelli and Leif dropped by to visit. Kelli took me and Ann down to see her bridal shop. It's very nice and my! the colors of all those gowns!! oo-la-la!! Kelli has so much enthusiasm for her business, it was fun to see. :)

Next morning after breakfast and visiting, we headed to Windsor to see Ace's Mom. We got there just in time to fed her lunch. We wheeled her outside to sit in the shade as the temperature was warm. She didn't want to go back in when we were leaving. But then she said, "OK". We will visit her on Thursday.

We got to Joe and Beth's and as Joe had just come back from an Alaska fishing trip (caught 96 pounds of salmon), we feasted on King and Silver salmon. oh my it was good. It tasted of the ocean.....Jordan and girlfriend Sara stopped by to eat with us. it was fun to see them.

3rd & 4th days...Sat Aug 7 & Sun Aug 8

The pool was so refreshing that first evening. It was quite hot, but there were clouds gathering off to the Northwest and slowly moving in.

Everyone finally arrived and got settled in their respective rooms, and we all headed to the outdoor area by the pool for pizzas, beer, pop, salad, and a birthday cake for Joe! The rain came overhead so we dashed into the lodge. We sat in there talking til late....next morning was the horse shoe tournament!

Saturday -- Horse Shoe Tournament!
Ace and I went for a long walk along the outskirts of the lake nearby. We could see thunder clouds coming in, so we headed back after about 30 - 40 minutes. It was a good walk and that helped with all the food and beer and gin & tonics consumed throughout the day! The rain and wind came up during the middle of the tournament, everyone dashed for cover. The wind down in Ogdon reached 100 miles, our wind wasn't that big, but it was quite windy! Some of the guys stayed to hold the 2 canopys down. After about 30 minutes, the rain and wind stopped so the tournament continued. Ace made it to the last 4 teams, but did not make it into the Championship Round.

Dinner that evening was in the lodge: lasagna, chicken alfredo, Ceasar salad, tiramisu, cookies. later that evening people started drifting away to rooms, the Evans-Little Reunion was coming to an end.

After a quick breakfast and a little more visiting, everyone loaded up their cars and headed out. Dave and Joe Evans are leading the next reunion.

2nd day...Friday August 6

After a rather tasty breakfast at the inn, we headed to the golf course in the Canyon. Canyon Springs Golf Course to be exact. Oh my it was pretty! down down down into the canyon we went. The greens looked like they should be par 6's, the Snake River was winding it's way along the course, the canyon wall were shades of tan, russet, black (where it had burned), white, the birds were chirping, it was cool, but the promise of an extremely hot day was fast approaching.

We golfed in 3 and 1/2 hours and we glad we decided to take a cart. It was hot by the 3rd hole. Ace shot a 94, Buffe a 93. I can see I have work to do before my club championship!

We dashed back into town and got a latte and then drove to the Vistor's Park / tourist info place which is located just above the rim of the canyon, where we ate our lunch. Then: Eden, Utah!

We took another canyon route to Eden; it was the North Ogden Canyon and was much shorter than the Odgen Canyon road we took 2 years ago. It opened out into a beautiful valley, Liberty was the 1st town we came to and then within 10 minutes, the Red Moose Lodge in Eden! We were the 1st of the reunion to arrive. We headed to the pool. Sun was very hot, sky very blue, ahhh, refreshing!

So later as we are going for a walk!

Ist Day

Sammamish, WA to Twin Falls, ID.....
8:24AM--1st stop: Starbucks. 2nd stop: Library (drop off book before leaving town). Hit I-90 running........

Sun was out, lattes were lovely, hardly any traffic, it was great.

I think the first "blip" on the horizon was G-forces of a zillion (or whatever, I exaggerate of course but could tell I needed the Driver to SLOW DOWN A TAD...)....:) he did. He claimed he wasn't going so fast and weren't G-forces fun?.....hrumpf

Ace listening to music...Buffe to Ace, "that music is awfully loud"....Ace to Buffe, "I can arrange for you to ride in the trunk"...I told him all I needed was a straw, a little bit of paper (to wad up in my mouth) and then BAM! A SPIT WAD to the head!....we ended up laughing at ourselves.

As we headed into Twin Falls, we thought the exit was not the right one, so we drove on past; 13 miles. Turned around. Drove another 13 miles. took the exit and drove until our iPhones would pull up the inn we were staying at. Of course we had driven way too far. Turned around. DRove back almost to freeway, took a left one block and there it was: Ameritel Inn. It's very nice!

Pesto, Pea Pasta and wine is our dinner. We brought it with us and it is tasty.

read. lights out.