41 Miles of Pure Paddling!
Monday morning we set off on a 40 mile canoe trip down the Gunnison River. We started in Delta and landed in Gunnison. This is first morning as we pushed off...lots of smiles and no sore muscles yet.

The first day on the river went really well...Alan and Julie flipped their canoe, another guy flipped his kayak but our boat stayed upright the entire time. That night we paddled up a little stream and slept on top of a waterfall. If you look just behind me in the picture you can see it. This is me first thing in the morning after sleeping under the moon, stars...and cottonwood trees which did wonders for my allergies!

We spent the entire trip moving through canyons...this is the early morning sun lighting up the Dominguez Canyon where we spent the night. We also hiked up from our campsite to a cascading waterfall...a good little pool for clif jumping but I was too chicken!

Julie and me at the bottom of the waterfall feeling good after 12 hours of sleeping...man, we look tough with our little green squirt guns! :)

Day 2 on the river with my boat partner, Josh. He was in charge of steering and did a good job except for the one time we ran into a boulder...and then there were a few times that the headwind took control of our boat and we were doing 360s in the river trying to get going straight again...let me tell you, paddling through a head wind is 100 times harder than peddling through one!

The second day was tough with all of the headwinds but we made it to the Grand Junction dam after 41 miles of paddling and a lot of crazy headwinds!

Forty Mile Canoe Trip
Yup, you read that right, I am going on a 40 mile canoe trip this weekend. Tommorrow afternoon we will be driving to Delta, Colorado to start our canoe trip down a river...not really sure what river, but we are going to head down it for 40 miles...and I really stink at steering canoes. Hopefully I get a really skilled driver in my boat! :)

"Baby Betty" has arrived!
Joel and Christa had their first child last night, Amber Lynn Siebersma. This is the happy family not even 12 hours after she came into the world...and Joel was kind enough to let me be the first person to hold her outside of the family! That's the perk of having a flexible day job! :)

So the joke on "Baby Betty": Joel and Christa wouldn't tell us the name they choose once they knew they were having a girl. So for the past nine months we have been calling their baby "Betty." While I thought the name might stick with her throughout her life as a nickname, she is way to cute to be a Betty, joking or not!

A Weekend Trade: the Rockies for the Appalachians
You are probably wondering where I went for the past week or so...No, I wasn't drowning in school work (I actually am on break right now), I was actually coaching out in North Carolina for a few days. Let me say one thing, North Carolina (where I was) is anything but flat! After our ride on Friday, Peggy and Bobby (my athletes) took me sightseeing. We went up to Grandfather Mountain, the highest peak in the Blue Ridge range.

This is the bridge on top of Grandfather Mountain...on a calm day you can walk across it...the afternoon we were there, I would have been nuts to step foot on it. I now have a healthy respect for 24 mph winds with 70 mph gusts!

This is the view from up top...the picture does little to justify the incredible view!

New Track Bike!

Woo-hoo, my new track bike is built and ready to ride! I am really excited about this one as the rear dropouts are wide enough so that I can fit multiple gears on one chain. Ah, the simple pleasures in life! :)

Congratulations Mandy and Levi!!!
I spent the weekend in Hudson, WI for Mandy and Levi's wedding...as sad as I am to loose Mandy (and Col!) as a roommate, I am so excited for her and Levi! This is the group shot of all the Colorado kids that trekked up to the cheese state for the weekend.

And I must say, Mandy looked amazing!!! :)

Mandy's brother-in-law provided home-brew beer for the reception afterwards...If you look closely, you will notice the beer is named after Col...that's his picture on the label! :)

And what is a weekend in the Midwest without time on the water?! We talked Jake and Brent into taking us out after the reception was over! :)

Last but not least, we of course had to eat some cheese curds! This was the first time I have had fried ones...I think I like the regular ones better because they squeak in your mouth!

Welcome Home Crystal!
Crystal just got home from 6 weeks in Belgium on Wednesday. She stopped by last night with fun pictures to see and delicious chocolate to sample. European chocolate is, hands down, better than anything in the US! By the way, Crystal is going to be moving in with us since Mandy and Col moved out this week.

Hanging Out with the Boys
Peter is in Colorado for a few days and the boys came down to have dinner with me. I would have to say we had a delicious dinner the "The Famous" and we may have Peter convinced that he needs to move to Colorado after graduation next year! :)

Climbing Pics
Here a couple of pictures of my incredible climbing abilities last weekend. This one is me going up the 5.5 (the easier one.)

And this one is me headed up the 5.7...you can't really tell, but I am at the hardest part of the climb, it took me forever to get over it...I am actually resting in this shot, that's why I am smiling and note the blood streaming down my leg!

(PS: My track race was rained out on Saturday, that's why I haven't posted anything about it.)

Very Sad News!
My favorite ice cream shop in town, Michelle's, shut the doors yesterday...they serve the best chocolate malt I have ever tasted. And, I never got to use my caramel apple certificate from getting my braces off. Had I known they were closing, I would have gone in there right away!

Congratulations Alan and Julie!
Yesterday was a pretty exciting day for Alan and especially Julie. Not only did she get to go skydiving for the first time ever, she got engaged upon her landing while still strapped onto some other man! :)

More Climbing

Camp Elim brought their climbing wall down to the church last night for youth group. All I have to say is that a climbing wall is much easier than climbing a real rock wall! I definitely still like riding my bike better though! :) Check this out, I got three of the high school guys to race Alan (who is a very experienced climber.) The rule was Alan could only use his arms...he made within a foot of the top without any foot action!

CHECK IT OUT!!!

So, do you notice anything different about me???

Yes I got my hair cut yesterday but let's look closer...

Do you see anything else that is different?

Maybe the "One Plain Carmel Apple" gift certificate will help you out...I FINALLY GOT MY BRACES OFF after 2.5 years!!! Woo-hoo!!! :)

Back on the Track!
Today was my first track workout of the season...it's funny how I feel really fit right now but my times on the track were embarrasingly slow. It's gonna take me some time to develop "track" legs! And I rushed through my workout because of those scary clouds rolling in over the peak...now that I am done, I really don't think it is going to rain!