Snowshoe Hike Around Tibble Fork

On a recent trip to Utah I had a wonderful time on a Sunday afternoon showshoeing trip with some of my family. I went with my brother, Brad and his wife, Laurie, and my son Kameron and my wonderful daughter-in-law Jodie.



We started out at Tibble Fork Reservoir in American Fork Canyon and went up and around on the Tibble Fork Loop Trail. Only Brad and I had ever snowshoed before, but really, how hard is it? If you can walk you can snowshoe! About 10 minutes into the hike we were shedding our jackets and hats because of the exertion and the brilliant sunshine!

Usually when our group gets together we take twice as long as the average person doing the same trail and this trip was no exception. We had some fun blazing our own trail through the unblemished snow but this was quickly abandoned when we realized how much harder it is cutting a trail through 4 feet of virgin snow vs. walking on a nice trail.

Halfway through our hike we walked through a beautiful meadow that could have been on a postcard! We were certain we were going to run across a moose because this seemed like a perfect place for one to be. We looked and looked and near the end of the hike Brad silenced us all so we could see the animal lurking in the woods below us. We were unable to get a picture as the little squirrel was way too fast for our camera. That was the extent of the wildlife we saw on this trip.

Near the end of our most recent adventure we had a river crossing to contend with.........

We finished up the hike and were happy but tired. Snowshoeing is actually a little bit more difficult than just walking! Thanks again Brad, Laurie, Kam and Jodie for another wonderful adventure. Can't wait for the next one!

Snowshoe Hike to St. Mary's Glacier

This past Sunday I was able to spend the day with my friends Laurie, Jim (Laurie's BF) , Laurie's daughter Lauren and her friend Torey. We started the day with a delicious breakfast at the Country Road Cafe in Kitteredge. We then headed over the mountain to St. Mary's Glacier Trailhead.

By the time we made it to the snowfield the wind was howling and I felt like maybe I was climbing Everest! Molly didn't seem to be too affected by the wind and ran and played and chased blowing snow. We climbed on for quite a while with the 30+ mph winds howling at our faces but for some reason we never reached the top. I think someone was playing tricks on us because the up never stopped. Finally after freezing my forehead off and practically blowing off the mountain, we decided to conquer this mountain another day. We headed down the mountain and once we were off the snowfield it became a pleasant hike again.


Despite the winds it was a great day and I can't wait to go out again and explore the mountains of Colorado. It was also fun trying out my new snowshoes that Jim gave me for Christmas! Thanks Jim, they are great!!

New Family Photo

Thanksgiving this year was wonderful as we had the whole family together in Colorado for the first time. We used this time to get a family photo taken with all of us. We had a nice fresh snowfall which made for a beautiful background for the photos. Unfortunately, we couldn't convince everyone to look at the camera at the same time, especially Molly, but I think the photos still turned out great. Thank you to my friend, Laurie for taking the photos for us.

Yummy Rice Pudding!

OK, here it is. Kameron and Jodie have been asking, bribing, demanding and have resorted to threatening me unless I post my Yummy Rice Pudding Recipe. So here it is! Now please tell me the good news! This recipe was given to me years ago by Kameron's Grandma Kuhni, Barbara Kuhni, the very best cook ever.

Rice Pudding

2 Cups Water
1 Cup Rice
2 Quarts Milk
1 Square Butter
1 Cup Sugar
4 Eggs, Beaten
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Boil rice and water in a large saucepan until water is gone.
Add milk and butter and simmer for one hour, stirring VERY often.
Add sugar, stir well.
Put a cup of rice mixture with beaten eggs, stir well then add egg mixture to the rest of the rice mixture. Blend in vanilla. Cook 5 more minutes.
Can be served warm or chilled.
Top with cinnamon or nutmeg.

Turkey Trot

This past weekend Jim and I, and my friend Rachel, ran the Longmont Turkey Trot. It is a fundraiser run for the Longmont Youth Recreation program. Jim ran the 10k and Rachel and I ran the shorter 2 mile fun run. Jim was a little bit upset that I signed him up for the 10k without talking to him, but he didn't answer his cell phone, so that is what happens! I guess next time he will answer. But, Jim did wonderful, of course. He finished the run like a champ! Rachel and I ran like champs too, just not as long.

Fun with My Sister and Her Kids

My sister Carla came out from Utah a couple of weeks ago and brought her four kids and two dogs to visit. We had a lot of fun visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. We went on a hike, did a little scrambling on some rocks and then went to Estes Park and had some delicious pizza!

We also went on a bike ride around Macintosh Lake in Longmont with the whole family and couple of the kids friends. Note the gigantic pile of bikes in the back of Jim's truck!

We also spent a day at the Butterfly Pavillion where the kids got to hold a giant tarantula, checked out all kinds of bugs, and a beautiful butterfly landed on Becca.

The girls helped me make bread for dinner one night. We pretty much covered the whole kitchen with flour but they had fun and the bread tasted great! We also went climbing at the indoor climbing gym where Sara amazed us all by turning into an amazing little climber. By the end of the afternoon she was climbing like a pro! It was a wonderful visit. We miss the Stone family!

Anniversary in Pagosa Springs, Colorado

This past weekend was our 10th wedding anniversary! WOW - Ten years of wedded bliss! Jim and I went to Pagosa Springs, Colorado for the weekend and had a wonderful time riding our mountain bikes, eating great food, and of course, soaking in the famous hot springs. Unfortunately we didn't take very many good pictures but we did have a wonderful time. Here is to another 10 years!