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These pictures I mostly wanted as proof that we really did take the jet skis to Lake Powell, this is us home washing them off and drying them.  With driving around in Flagstaff to the Lava Rock Cave we got a fair bit of dust on them and my car so my Dad busted out his high water pressure cleaner.  

Also I hope you can tell, Josh & I totally MATCH!!  He brought me a matching shirt home from Alabama because he knows how much I LOVE to match!  

It was fun to see Josh & my Dad work together, they got the water cleaner to work but only after something exploded and flooded the garage bathroom.  It was funny to work with both of them.  

We didn't even use the red jet ski but we ended up cleaning it too.   Josh wanted to make sure he left the jet skis in the same condition we borrowed them.  I think he was trying to set a good reputation because he already asked me if my Dad would be cool if we just took them out to some of our local lakes.  I guess he really did like jet skiing, and hearing my Dad talk about the red jet ski being the "fun" one he got really excited and wants to PLAY!

We ended up cleaning not only both jet skis but my Dad told me to pull my car up because it was filthy (which means I had Josh pull it up) so we could wash it, and then Josh asked since we already had everything out could we clean his Truck too.  And then  we cleaned Mom's car just because, Josh even offered to wash Dad's CR-V a few times but no dice.  

From start to finish I had a seriously great weekend, I really like it when my boyfriend is in town!

More at Antelope Canyons

So basically just more pictures of the same really awesome place - Antelope Canyons.  We did the Upper Canyons, not the Lower Canyons.  The couple we took pictures with emailed about 25 pictures this morning.  He made them smaller so they would fit in the email and if there were any I wanted in "full" size he would email me.  Super nice couple.

I didn't realize they took pictures of us even while we were just walking.  It was really fun to go through all the pictures they sent, I tried to pick just a few but I think I still picked about 13 of the 25 he sent. 

This was SO pretty, they arch was BEAUTIFUL!!!  

I think the canyons just look so amazing in these pictures, it really captures the "wave" look I loved in there.  It's like you are walking through waves of sand in there.  So pretty.

This is toward the end, the light came in more and more once you get toward the end of the canyons.

This picture I LOVE!!!  The canyons look amazing and I like the lighting on my face and Josh in the shadow, this maybe my favorite picture. 

We were going for a "far away" look here - I am not sure how well I pull that look off. 

I absolutely LOVED it here!  I recommend visiting the Antelope Canyons every day of the week.  

Antelope Canyons

Saturday Morning Josh & I got up early to try and make the first tour at the Antelope Canyons, we passed it last night but it was already closed by the time we got there so we stayed out in Page instead of heading toward the Grand Canyons because that is where we planned to spend almost all of today.  So we head there and it is pretty crowded with tourists, and when we got there they let the first group go which meant we missed it and had to wait for the next group.  At first we were pretty bummed we had to wait, our group was just as big as the last one, but our guide we really lucked out on.  The other "guides" seemed seemed less chill and ours brought a guitar and let us do our own thing in the canyons at the pace we wanted.  The others just trucked on through it but Josh & I and another couple hung back and took TONS of pictures.  It was SO AMAZING!!!!  Seriously, there was not one single part I didn't just stop and think, WOW this is SO BEAUTIFUL!

My camera was already starting to die not even halfway through so Josh & I decided we had taken enough pictures and we would let my camera die while taking pictures at the Grand Canyon.  A little bit further we offered to take a picture for the couple ahead of us so they could be in one together and they were courteous and offered to reciprocate but when we told them our camera was dead they said they would take OUR picture with THEIR camera and just email them to us.  It was so genuinely nice, and it became this really nice thing throughout the rest of the canyons.  We really had a great time with them, we'd stop & take pictures for them & then switch & they'd take pictures for us (with their cameras - both cameras & they had nice cameras).  

So hopefully there is another post with pictures we get from them. I gave them my email address so if I get them you will see lots from the Antelope Canyons but I still have plenty so if not - just believe me the rest is super beautiful. 

This is where you enter:

Me entering the canyon :)

SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

It isn't very long but you do go down pretty far in a short distance.

Josh was worried about when we'd be there and if the lighting would be good, and he said we got a great time, the sun really made the colors bright and amazing.  

At this point my camera was starting to die and wouldn't focus great for us.  

 

It was so PERFECT!!!

Just beautiful and our guide with his guitar playing through the slot canyon set just a fun and chill mood.        Technically you are supposed to only have an hour in the canyon but our guide let us have between 75 to 90 minutes.   We had a really great time, I was very sad to leave.  

I don't have any pictures of the Grand Canyon because we didn't make it to the Grand Canyon, about an hour away the jet ski trailer right tire tread comes off.   It was going okay until Josh realized that my socket wrench was too small to fit the bolts on my Dad's trailer rim.  So we waited and a couple of nice guys came over to try and help. Josh called AAA, but one guy actually had a socket wrench big enough and got the job done for us.  BUT we were pretty beat at that point & neither of us slept great the night before.  We still had an hour to the Grand Canyon, and hour back & we wanted to camp in Flagstaff because we are caving Sunday morning before we head home.  Josh left it up to me, he said he was game for whatever I wanted.  I made the executive decision to head to Flagstaff to set up camp and get a good night sleep.   It was another really fun day, very eventful, and love the memories :)

Day on Lake Powell

This past weekend I took a day and half of PTO (paid time off) to have a long weekend with my boyfriend.  We left Thursday evening and headed up to Page, AZ so we could be on the lake Friday morning!  My dad let us borrow his jet skis for the weekend so as soon as we woke up we headed to Lake Powell and we did what I remember doing as a kid. . . we went to the Glen Canyon Visitors Center!  

We went to Lake Powell with the intention of seeing Rainbow Bridge, my Dad also lent us one of his GPS trackers and warned us that it is very easy to get lost in the canyons.  I remember going as a kid and never getting lost so I was not worried about getting lost, I was concerned about the jet skis running out of gas (the fuel gauge doesn't work so you have no way of knowing how much you have).  

So we go through all the registration and inspections - which is crazy now with the zebra mussel certification they make you get now. . . 

Anyway, we get out on the lake, we just took out one because I didn't really want to drive and looked at the maps we were given and figured where we would need to go to see Rainbow Bridge.   Long story short, we didn't make it.  We kept heading back to Antelope Canyon and the Antelope Marina.  Finally after asking several people one person who worked at the Marina helped Josh and showed him the buoy system.  NOBODY told us that the buoys are marked with numbers and you follow the numbers based on where you want to go! 

At this point the water is very choppy, I don't love jet skiing on the best of days and my arms and legs were starting to ache with clutching Josh & the seat.  So with not knowing how much fuel we had and a still very long ride ahead of us we just decided to play around where we knew the area.  Josh LOVED jet skiing!  He would literally giggle with joy when we went over big wakes, every-time we got wet, and especially when he picked up speed and got to go fast.  

After we left the Lake we stopped at a scenic view point and I LOVED it there.  The rocks were so pretty and the view was pretty scenic :)

We took a ton of pictures here, I picked a few but there were a ton.

My hair went a little crazy, Josh liked it and the shot of the dam in the background is pretty cool.

Me crawling into a little hole, this place was awesome. 

It is just so pretty, at the Lake the canyons were really beautiful but on the jet skis we wouldn't really take pictures so I am so glad we got some here. 

Awwww

That is so cool, the camera doesn't quite catch the colors  but I think you can see the different layers, and that they are different.  It was so amazing!

 

That night we did a little hike Josh remembered from when he last visited on a trip he led earlier in the year and we got to watch the sun set over part of the Lake.  Very Pretty :)

It was such a crazy awesome day!!!!  

Mountain Biking Trip

I bought a mountain bike a couple of weeks ago, I haven't rode a bike since I learned how to back when I was 5 years old.  There are a ton of gears and things to remember when riding, plus you have to wake up crazy early or stay up late to not ride in intense heat.

Saturday 06/09/2012 I was supposed to meet up with a co-worker at South Mountain at 6:00 a.m.  Josh & I got there on-time but apparently that is a pretty popular place to go super eaerly because there was no parking.  It took us like 15 minutes to get to the ramada and my friend doesn't text so we kept missing each others phone calls so he took off to the trail.  

Josh & I started on what I felt was a pretty rigorous trail & he suggested very kindly that we find a more "fun" trail.  That meant a dirt road that hikers use.  It actually turned out to be a good starter for mountain biking.  There was ups and downs, dirt & rocks, I feel I did really well.  There is an Indian House at the end that we went up to & two really nice women too our picture (because I forgot my camera).   They turned out to be lesbians, but really friendly lesbians who took our picture again when we met up again back on the trail!

It was really fun, it was a little rough at the beginning, I got very tired going up the hills but after taking a break at the Indian house and catching my breath I felt much better.  I am very excited to come back.