Nik's Birthday // Dude Ranch // Zion and Bryce // COVID catches up

 Whew!  A lot of stuff in the past few weeks :)

I turned 45 at the end of Sept.  For whatever reason, I did start feeling older this year.  It's not necessarily a bad thing, just maybe I've reached a stable enough point in my life with family and finances and work.  Maybe it's all the gray hairs I've gotten the last few years.  Maybe it's my mom getting older and worsening with her dementia, after all she's only about 30 years older than I am.  Maybe lately I've felt like I'm not flailing around quite as much and not just trying to survive at everything in life.  Older certainly, maybe a little bit wiser, trying to exercise and eat healthy when possible, very lucky overall.

We had our neighbors over for Popeye's, drinks and
brownies... Already a good start to being 45!

That Petron bottle from Costco
is huge :)

I had a nice morning with Amy the next day and then flew off to meet up with Harsha and Mauri.  We had been planning this for a while among our close med school friends.  It would have been ideal to get all the families together with wives and kids but coordinating the schedule of so many people was impossible.  So we decided to do just the guys and even then we could only get three of us to go.  We had actually planned something about 2 years ago but then COVID happened and it got cancelled.  This year, we recommitted and were off to a three day vacation at a dude ranch in Arizona (Mauri's idea :)

First time on a plane by myself in years.. 

After some snafus with flight delay and the car rental, we all finally arrived and we headed off to get some lunch.  It was great seeing Harsha and Mauri in person again.  Honestly, the best part of the three days together was getting to catch up with these guys.

Thought we'd hit the sushi in Vegas before
heading out to the desert

The Stagecoach ranch was in Arizona, about 2 hours SE of Vegas and then another 30 mins on some dirt roads in the dark.  Accommodations were pretty nice, the hosts were welcoming and we were put into a room for three.

Stagecoach Trails Ranch

What does one do at a dude ranch, you ask?  

Ride horses, of course!

ATV's too

And shoot guns!  We got to shoot several, from a revolver to Sig Sauer pistol, a winchester rifle to a modern AR15 type rifle.  Pretty cool but I'm still not a big fan of firearms in general.

I did manage to hit a target at 75 yards with the (Winchester rifle)

The results.. Mauri had the most deadly shots and Harsha
the most accurate

It was pretty out there in its own way.  I remember I interviewed out in Tucson for residency and probably wouldn't have minded going there.  The nights were very clear as there weren't many lights so the stars were quite bright.

This saguaro cactus was more than 200 years old 
but was in the process of dying

There were also some ridiculous fall sunsets

An old corral where they used to water the cattle

We also took a day to go out to Oatman, an old west mining town/camp.  Just a few buildings on one street actually.  Mostly sustained by tourists and gift shops and a silly play of the wild west.

These guys enacted a bank robbery and
silly infighting among the thieves

Old style mine shaft, not sure if it was real
or a mock up (probably more likely)

We did have our share of troubles and had a flat tire.  We swapped it out but then had to go to a tire store to replace it.  Later, I was the one who returned the car and they neither noticed that I wasn't a Castellanos or any damage to the car before I made a quick getaway.

These guys made quick work of swapping the
spare tire while I documented the proceedings :D

We finished off our 3 days at the dude ranch with a nighttime quick draw shoot out.  We used prop revolvers which only took blanks specifically designed for them (for safety) and also required you to cock the hammer before firing which presented a bit of extra challenge.  I was the fastest draw among the three of us but lost to a young girl in the semi final round.

 

1.. 2.. 3!!!

I'll finish up the dude ranch episode with one more amazing sunset.  It's not in the picture but someone had dumped a broken flat screen TV in the field just to the side of this shot.  Really showed the contrast between our consumerist disposable culture and the subtle quiet beauty of nature.  

Just goes to show there's beauty everywhere if you look

On that Saturday, while I was at the dude ranch still, Amy had gotten everything packed and then drove the kids to Vegas.  They were all troopers and woke up at 3am and then set off for the 9 hour drive so that the kids would be asleep for most of the drive.  They woke up midway and went the rest of the way powered by music, audiobook and some Switch time.  Amy was exhausted by the time they arrived at Circus Circus so they checked in and she took a nap while the kids watched some TV.  Amy is amazing!

Vegas, baby, vegas!

After a bit of rest, they went out to get buffet and meet with the Connicks (who flew to Vegas).  The mediocre buffet at Circus Circus was not worth the inflated price, they are probably taking advantage of the kids being there and charging $22 for kids but c'est la vie.  They then went to arcade at the midway  and enjoyed the performances, especially Sora :)

Of course, they play Minecraft arcade

The next day, Sunday, I left the dude ranch bright and early to make it back to get Harsha and Mauri to their flights and then had to Uber it to Circus Circus because Amy had her own car trouble.  Our Sienna had been having a couple small issues so we had brought it to the mechanic for an oil change and inspection before leaving and they didn't say anything was immediately needed but that day, the battery died as Amy was getting the kids out of the hotel.  It was stressful but she handled it immensely well being alone with three kids.  She called AAA for a jumpstart and unlock and then drove the car (while it was smelling funny and the kids were like, "the battery is going to EXPLODE!", picked me up and we went to an auto parts store where they swapped out the battery.  Luckily, Sin City has services on all days of the week including Sunday morning :)  Then we were off to Utah!

After three hours of driving, we arrived at our Airbnb.  Two small block houses built on the edge of a ravine.  The view from the backyard was amazing, overlooking a river and canyon, and peaceful.  We hadn't been able to find any good/affordable hotels in Springdale, the town at the entrance to Zion NP, but this place was about 25 mins away so was close enough.

Many amazing sunsets this trip

Back together after three days.  Really much
better that way :)

Relaxing for the evening

The next day we got up early and headed out as we were worried it would get too hot by midday.  We drove and got in to Zion pretty easily.  The layers and colors of the mountains, canyons and mesas were really cool and a very different geography than what we were used to in California.  

View from the Middle Emerald Pools hike

Zion has a great system where they do not allow cars to drive on the main road during the busy season.  You park at one of the lots at the entrance and take one of the many shuttles that run up and down the main road.  Really a good system and one that other national parks could use to reduce congestion. 

Kids in the shuttle.  They mostly got along
great on this trip!

We started with the Emerald Pools hike going from the middle to lower pools.  This was one of the cooler parts as the water fell from the mid to lower pools and you could walk under the fall.  

Kids did great with hikes.  Stronger
than me already, even Jad

Really there were amazing vistas around nearly every corner and we took a lot of pictures.  We rested and had lunch after our morning hike then boarded the shuttle to go the Riverwalk/Narrows hike.  I think this was my favorite hike of the week.  Partly because I've never hikes up a river though a canyon like this but also because the kids did so great.  Even Jad just kept on going even though he was up to his hips in cold running water.  

Kai, Sora and Elysia were very cute
as they helped stabilize each other

We crossed the river three times then decided
to turn back.  It was lots of fun!

That evening, we relaxed with a dinner in the backyard with the kids while Vic and Kegan went out for a mini dinner date.  Amy went running the next morning and spotted a huge double rainbow :) Then we headed out towards Bryce. 

Double rainbow sunrise

We made our way back through Zion on route 9 and stopped to do two more hikes as we drove through the park.  The Canyon Overlook hike was really spectacular as you made your way up to the top of the plateau along winding paths on the cliffside.  A bit scary in retrospect especially with the small kids but we were all pretty safety minded so there were no deaths on the journey :)  

There's a 1000-foot drop just to the right
of this picture

Up at the top

Really incredible view

After that we stopped at one more spot for a small canyon and some petroglyphs that were left by the Native Americans who used to live in the area.  This was fun too as it was a bit different than the other hikes that we had done (they were all different actually) and we went all the way to the end of the canyon where we couldn't climb up anymore.  We also saw some cool quicksand!

Semi slot canyon

Took this pic on this hike.  I like the contrast between the blue sky, red layered rocks and wood lines.  

Sensitive to the max

We then drove the rest of the way (2 hours?) to Bryce Canyon NP where we checked into the VRBO at Ruby's Inn.  Apparently, this Ruby guy owned the whole area because there's a Ruby's Inn, Ruby's vacation rentals, Ruby's general store, Ruby's horse boarding, Ruby's this and that :D  After a BBQ dinner (there was a lot of meat and potatoes and mac and cheese on this trip), we squeezed a quick visit to the Amphitheater at Bryce to see the hoodoos (standing rock formations).  

Again, spectacular sunset

The kids were mostly well behaved on this trip.  They played a lot with Elysia and Kazu and generally were good though there was a bit of infighting among our kids, especially Kai and Jad.  I'm not sure why Kai has to always boss Jad around, typical older brother thing I suppose and maybe Sora knows just about as much as he does so he can't really boss her, or why Jad has to fight back so much, also probably a typical youngest child thing to have to fight for his own space.  Most of the time there was plenty of together play with Elysia but towards the end of the trip there were a couple days where it seemed like Kai and Sora were competing for Elysia's attention and then for a while Sora was left out which was not pleasant.  Eventually, they made up but a week together may be just about the limit.

Our VRBO at Bryce

The next day, we set off early to hike the Amphitheater at Bryce.   This was probably our hardest hike, going down the Queen's Garden trail and then back up the Navajo Trail.  The kids did spectacularly well and it was very cool to walk among the hoodoos.  I got tired on the steep climb back up and had to take it slow but Kegan stayed to help and chat with me so it was good bonding time too.  

Troopers!

It's getting hot in here..

There was some signing of trail songs..
and meowing too

A look back at the switchbacks
on the way up

Thor's Hammer hoodoo view from Navajo Trail

That evening, we went to a rock shop where they sold gemstones and crystals.  Kai got a cool geode which they cut in half for him.  Sora got a bag of misc stones.  Jad got nothing because he was not behaving and hitting a lot that day.  I got a cool carbonundrum rock too!

Kai and the kids watching the geode cutting

The next day, we left Bryce and headed to Kanab where we booked one night in a fancy glamping tent.  It was nice, a big tent with real beds, heater/AC as well as a very clean bathroom and shower nearby.  On the way, we stopped to find some sand caves, created as the winds blow over and through the cliff faces and wearing down the sandstone.  It was very cool how you could just rub your fingers along the sandstone and wear a groove in the walls.  Easy to see how years of wind blowing could create these big caves.

We had to climb a bit to get there..
adventure around every corner :)

Cool caves

Patterns in the walls

We then went to our tents to relax.  The property was very nice with trails and caves in the nearby cliffs to explore.  The highlight was the lake where they had a couple small kayaks and SUP boards for guests to use.  Very serene.  Would I do it again?  Maybe but it was pretty pricey so maybe not.

Really nice property

Kai doing SUP

We grabbed BBQ (again!) that night in Kanab.. 
you can see we all had some salad to offset the meat and carbs

That night, we went for dusk/night hike
and saw some neat caves

Jad had been sleeping on cushions on the floor
for most of the trip so he got his own bed in the tent

Sunrise on the lake

On the way out and back to Vegas, we stopped at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.  These giant dunes are formed as the wind winds its way through this particular valley and deposits the sands.  They rent boards and sleds to slide down the steep hills.  Some of the videos we have are pretty epic but I don't know how to embed videos here..

Up on top of the dunes

Partway though our sledding, the clouds moved in and we were like, "oh good, some cover from the hot desert sun".  Then it actually started to rain .. and then it hailed!  I was pretty exhausted from walking uphill in the sand so I got really cold.  Sora was so sweet when she saw that I was feeling miserable that she came over and shielded my body with her own.  Jad got into it too.  Then they walked with me back to the parking lot :)

My helpers

We drove the 3 hours to Vegas and stayed that night at the Marriot Grand Chateau, a more family friendly hotel that I booked on points.  We had a rinse in the pool and then showered to get the dune sands off then went out for dinner.  Kegan and Vic were super nice and watched the kids so Amy and I could get a date night out.  We had had the notion that it would be super cool to go to Paris for our 12th anniversary but that didn't happen last year with the pandemic.  At least we got to go to the Paris in Vegas for dinner :p

Out on the strip with 5 kids.. Jad saw the feathered, scantily clad women
and was like, "who are these turkey dancers?"  Sora said,
"you can see their butts"

Le Eiffel Tower.. ahem, in Vegas

Dinner at Mon Ami Gabi

We took a quick stroll to the Bellagio
before heading back to the hotel

The next day, we got up fairly early and headed out.  We drove for 9 hours with a quick stop for ramen lunch (not bbq!) in Modesto and was home by about 6pm.  

I don't need no spoon to have ramen

Overall, the trip was great and it was fun to travel with the Connicks.  I'm really glad that the school  district gives us this random week off in Sept when most others are still in school.  Hopefully, we can keep doing these little trips :)

Now the COVID story.  The week before leaving, Amy had given a ride to Noe on Monday to gymnastics and on Tuesday, we were told that Noe was COVID+.  Amy tested herself and was negative but did start to have some congestion on Thursday.  She tested herself again but it was still negative so she thought that she was in the clear.  She went to our neighborhood garage party on Friday and then left for Vegas on Saturday.  Janet, our neighbor who had also been at the garage, reported a couple days later that she was COV Amy was quite careful during her trip, sometimes even wearing a mask while we are in the car or indoors.  She got better fairly quickly but did notice that her sense of smell was a little bit off.  I started feeling congested when we got to Bryce and developed a mild sore throat and body aches.  I did wear a mask sometimes but was not as good as Amy.  We still carried on and did everything we had planned on the trip but immediately upon getting home on Saturday evening I tested myself and almost immediately the test showed COVID+.  Everyone else still tested negative, though I'm pretty sure that Amy was the most immediate source.  I went to quarantine myself and it was fine.  I had mostly mild symptoms but, unfortunately, 3 days later, Jad had some congestion and he also tested positive.  So we had to quarantine together in my room for like 5 days.  Jad slept in the closet, where we set up a cot for him, and couldn't go to school so we spent the days reading, playing with legos, watching TV and coloring.  We also went out to the street during the day when all the kids were gone and practice riding his bike.  I asked him partway through if he was bored with being in the room but he said, "no, I like being in the room with you".  Very sweet this kid :)

Jad finally learned to bike!

Playing on the tablet while I worked call center

Ok, that's it for this very long post!  A lot of things happened last week too but we'll save that for next time and you'll have to just be in suspense :p