Nevada to Colorado

LOVE by Cirque de Soleil is the best show ever!! Las Vegas gave me just what I was looking for. A nice tan, gourmet food, and good entertainment. We left Las Vegas on monday and drove into Utah, a state I had never Visited and it actually was some beautiful landscape. We stayed the night in a cabin in Moab, UT. Tuesday morning I rented a mountain bike and took off for some of Moab's famous mountain biking trails. I didn't have a whole lot of time so I did about 6 miles of moderate/slight technical trails and got to experience what its like to ride "slickrock". I didn't wipe out, but I got pretty close multiple times. If you have seen the movie 127 hours, my ride kinda of looked like that -minus the hardcore jumps. My highest jump was maybe 2 feet... but It was really fun and has made me really want a mountain bike! Moab is such a cool town and I would go back in heartbeat to bike and even hop into a raft on the river!

 After the Bike ride, I picked up mom and we made our way into Arches Nation Park and drove around to some really cool spots! The picture's below are the balancing rock on the left and the pine tree arch on the right. Then underneath that is the landscape arch, which is absolutely huge! The whole park is a geologic wonder and is unlike anything I have ever seen! I wish I had more time so I could have hiked up closer to some other arches, but that just means I will have to return one day!

 We left Moab tuesday and drove to Breckenridge, CO where we settled into our mountainside condo. Thank to my momma we got a good deal and spent 2 nights here! We explored the town, shopped the shops, and just took in a beautiful Colorado fall that neither of us had ever seen. The aspen tree's were beautiful in the turning of the seasons. We cooked most of our food and spent our evening relaxing in the Jacuzzi!

 ...Then we met the sly fox. This guy has been fed here before and he knows his cuteness will get him all the bacon he wants. He literally would just come sit at the patio door and wait for us to bring him more bacon before he would run back into the woods. 

 We made it to Denver today and met with miss Perryman! We had lunch in Golden then walked over to the Coors Brewery and sampled some of that rocky mountain cold beer. As you can see above my brew is not in a glass instead its in the Aladdin mug I have been trying to steal from perryman for a couple years now. She surprised me with it today and it is the best coffee mug ever! 
We are spending 2 nights in Denver before I drop off momma at the airport and head for Crooked Creek! Gonna spend the rest of our time here hanging out and picking up some last minute things I need before I reside in the mountains. This whole trip has been so amazing. God has blessed us with a fairly accident or drama free trip so far, and I just am so thankful my mom wanted to do this with me. A year of challenges is just days away and the opportunity God has given me to serve and learn will be a life experience that will change me forever. Thanks for following along, I will update after I am settled in at camp!

From Texas to Nevada

Between tuesday morning and yesterday, Mom and I have driven just over 1,400 miles. We stopped in Albuquerque, NM our first night and stayed at the Sandia Hotel which had some wonderful views to wake up to before we left at 6:30am to head to the GRAND CANYON.

I Won't try and describe how amazing it is, because no word or picture can really do it justice. Mind blowing, unreal, jaw dropping, it is absolutely astonishing to sit and look at. So part of the deal with visiting the canyon, was that my mom had to camp. Which meant my high maintenance momma slept in a tent on a cot. I have to hand it to her cause she was champ! The first morning at the canyon I decided to go hike into the canyon on the South Kabib Trail. I hiked about 1.5 miles in, for an elevation change of 2,000 ft. It was like hiking a mountain backwards, getting down there was easy. But climbing out was a whole new challenge. However getting down into the canyon allows ya to see some wonderful views. Next time I return to the canyon I am determined to hike to the river!

This is my friend SQUIRREL. He only loved me for my granola and banana I was eating. If only Zoe was with me this squirrel would have been her new chew toy.

So after camping for 2 nights, Vickie got her wish and we are in Las Vegas until monday. We have tickets to see Love by Cirque du Soleil tomorrow night and besides that I plan on spending most of my time soaking up the rays by the pool before I go into Hibernation in Colorado. I have 7 days until I start the internship so these last few days of hanging with my mom and seeing some beautiful sights is just what I needed.

Bye Tejas

First off, fun fact: Pete Delkus of channel 8 news in Dallas decided to put a picture I sent in of hail on the news today!

Thanks Pete!

Well, T-minus 9 Hours till I pull out of my drive way and begin a 12 day road trip that will take me to Fraser, CO. So the direct drive from Coppell, TX to Fraser, CO is about 850 miles. The route me and my mom are taking it about 2,200 miles...

^^^Me

This route was not picked out my desire to spend 36 hours of driving with my wonderful mother, but instead so we can see the great American Southwest. So I am taking my mom camping. Vickie (mom) doesn't camp. She stays at hotels. So I ask for prayers, mostly for my sanity. We are gonna experience a lot in 12 days, but I am probably most excited about Moab, Utah and getting to mountain bike in what's know has the mountain biking capital of the world! At the end of this I just hope me and mom don't fight... too much, and that we really get to just enjoy God's beautiful creations.

Thank you again for all who have supported me both in prayer and encouragement, and financially. It really means the world to me that I have so much support. This next year is going to be wonderful in more ways than I can count, but it will also be incredibly challenging physically, spiritually, and mentally. In the end, this is God's plan for me and I can't wait to share what he does in my heart and at camp. God Bless!