8/31/2011

on the road again

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited to be going home on Monday.  I mentioned before that I'm the weirdo that's always ready for vacation to be over and to go back home.  I must have said "guess what? we're going home today!" to Joe 48 times that day.  Because we were almost done with our stay in Utah the kitchen was severely lacking breakfast options.  We decided to go out to Squatter's since Carol & Chris had mentioned they had great breakfast.  They were right on the money too, everything was delicious.  My mom & Shana both ordered the bread pudding french toast which was out of control good.  My wrap (574 calories) was tasty and Joe's sausage gravy over biscuits was heavenly.
While we were waiting for the bill I checked my phone to see if there were any caches near by (I told you it's addicting).  We were in luck, there was one just across the parking lot.  Once the check was paid I headed straight out to make the grab.  It was an easy find under a giant boulder and some smaller rocks. 
The best part was that it was hidden in an information area about the 2002 Winter Olympic games and they had podiums set up.  We all took turns posing as Olympic medal winners.
There was another cache hidden just down the road from our rental house so I asked Joe to drop my mom & me off on the way back up.  We thought it was hidden on an electrical box but the coordinates led us a little further up to this tree next to the fire hydrant.
It was a quick find and then we were on our way back to the house.  It was a little further then we anticipated with the winding road so we climbed the embankment instead and walked through the backyard.  We spent the rest of the early afternoon packing up our stuff and snacking on anything left in the fridge.  Before we knew it it was time to head to the airport.  We had about an hour to spare before our flight started boarding so Shana, Bill, Joe & I wandered around the shops and other terminals.  We were super excited to come across a TCBY!  We haven't had one in our area in years!
I ordered a vanilla waffle cone with heath bar (498 calories).  I figured it was the last day of vacation, why not go out with a bang!
Pretty soon it was time to board the plane.  We all made sure we had our carry on bags and said good bye to my uncle, he still had another 3 hours until his flight to Oakland. 
The flight home wasn't too bad.  I made sure to get some cheap headphones at Walmart for the flight back but they were definitely cheap and I could barely hear even with the volume turned all the way up.  It was ok though, just served as background noise while I read The Help (I'm a little worried I'm not going to get any time to finish it now that I'm back home again).  I snacked on peanut butter M&Ms and Twizzlers for dinner since we were in the air from 6-11pm and there wasn't a meal included. 

When the plane landed I checked my fitbit and noticed I still needed about 1000 steps and I only had 40 minutes to get them before midnight.  As soon as we were off the plane and in the airport I started moving and didn't stop until we got to the baggage carousel.  Thankfully the Philadelphia airport is pretty big and I manged to get them with 8 minutes to spare.  We were able to grab or bags and find the car really quickly so we were a little ahead of schedule.  I was hoping to be home by 2am so I could get a little sleep and unpack before going to work the next day (my boss has graciously allowed me to come in late).  We managed to get home by 1:30 and I was out like a light by 2.
1. 15 Spend Free Days: 10 days total.
2. Breakfast: 574 calories + Lunch: 0 calories + Dinner: 0 calories + Snacks: 1088 calories = 2114 burned - 1662 eaten = 452 total calories burned, 14 days total.
3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes: 597 total.
4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  11055 steps.  24 days total.
5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of housework: 9 days total. 

playing in Robert's backyard

Sunday was the unofficial last day of our vacation.  We weren't flying out until Monday evening but with all the packing and such we weren't going to do anything exciting that real last day so we needed to make the most of Sunday.  I started the morning with some oatmeal.  We were starting to run low of most of the food we purchased for the trip so I just tossed in a few strawberries and some peanut butter.  Not the greatest combination but it got the job done (334 calories).  Once we were all clean and fed we went down to Main St in Park City to check out a street fair we had heard about earlier in the week.

It was similar to all of the "fests" we have at home.  Lots of tents with vendors selling jewelry and other handmade items then an area with food & drink.  I was almost out of suitcase space after our outlet shopping excursion so I reminded myself not to buy anything unless I absolutely had to have it.  Luckily, there wasn't anything I had to have!  And because I had eaten breakfast less then an hour before we left the house I also had no interest in food.  But there was one both that Joe just couldn't pass up.  It was from a place called Jimmie Cracked Corn and they were selling corn on the cobb with different toppings.  He went for the type with parmesan cheese and when I tried a few bites it was very good.
One booth was featuring animals made of old metal parts and you better believe I stopped to take a picture when I came across these armadillos!  I called Shana over and I totally would have gotten them for us if only I'd have the suitcase space.
That was about it for our time at the fair.  I really wanted to find a Park City sweatshirt to take home as a souvenir but was having a hard time rationalizing paying the $50+ that all the stores wanted for them.  I had been hoping to find something cheaper at the fair but didn't have any luck so Joe and I made our way back to stores up Main St and hit all the sale sections of the shops.  I finally found a white sweatshirt with a moose on it (one of my prerequisites) that was super cute and less then $50 so I bought it and we moved on. 

At the other end of the street we found a farmer's market.  All of the fresh produce and bread looked awesome.  Unfortunately since we were heading home the next day so it didn't make much sense to pick up anything, although I later found out that Shana & Bill split a loaf of bread between the two of them.  I tried the best white peach I've ever tasted some asiago bread that was equally delicious.  It was super cute and I really wish we had markets like this at home.
After a few hours of wandering around we all met back up at the car, it was time to head to Sundance.  This was one of the must see locations Carol & Chris had given us, they said there were a lot of artisans and great views.  Our plan was to shop the artisans shops/booths and then hike to a waterfall.  We were blown away but the views as soon as we stepped out of the car, it was the first time we'd seen a mountain high enough to still have snow at the peak.
We stumbled across the ski lodge immediately and decided to buy lift tickets and hike first.  I also checked my phone for any nearby caches (it's so addictive once you start) but the the signal was terrible and nothing would pull up.
We decided on the Stewart Falls hike because it was primarily down hill and my mom was still having problems with her breathing at the altitude.  It's funny, I never had any problems with the altitude, I tried to attribute it to my being in good shape but apparently that doesn't have much to do with it, I guess I just have good lungs, lol.  We took the lift up to start the hike and we just kept going higher and higher I was actually starting to get nervous towards the end and had to look straight forward at the mountain instead of up or down.
Bill wanted to attempt the Arrowhead Summit route but the map showed it going straight up and the rest of us weren't interested.  Since the paths started at the same spot he and Joe decided they would start off with the rest of us and go off on their own if they felt like it once they got to the turn off.
It was evident right from the beginning that this hike was different from the one we had taken near the house on Tuesday, it was much scarier.  The trails were narrow and there was no tree line on the outside to make you feel safe, I was totally freaked out and pretty much clung to the side of the mountain!
The route was pretty though.  We wandered through one meadow area that reminded us all of Jurassic Park.  It was really neat, you could see where the grasses were matted down from animals sleeping there at night.
I tired to take a few pictures of Joe and me to use for five for Friday posts but he and Bill were eating sunflower seeds so most of his smiles looked like this...
When we bought our lift tickets the cashier mentioned that due to recent weather conditions there were some area where we might get our feet wet.  We encountered one of these areas about half way to the falls.  We had to cross over a smaller waterfall while holding onto a rope along the back side.  I managed to stay dry and decided that cashier was being dramatic.
We were a little ahead of everyone else at this point so we stopped and waited for them, we also figured they might need help getting across.  Joe took this opportunity to play a little CHESS with friends on his iPhone.
Once everyone else caught up it didn't take much longer to reach Stewart Falls.  It was pretty crazy, we just walked around a curve and there it was!
Joe decided to climb up the far side where some people were taking pictures.  I'm not sure this picture really shows how steep it is.  He got up there pretty quickly though and it was nice that he was wearing an orange shirt so we could keep track of where he was. 

While he was up top taking pictures and being adventurous the rest of us tried to figure out the way back out.  The trails weren't marked extremely well and no one seemed to know exactly how to get back.  Finally my uncle found a small sign near the ground pointing the way, the only problem, it was across the falls from where we were.  We had to walk across and the safest way required passing through ankle deep water, touche cashier...  Now that we all had wet sneakers it was time to head out.  But Joe still needed to come back down, looks like the best was was crab walking/sliding down feet first...
A little while up the trail we realized we hadn't taken a picture of the two of us by the falls.  This was the best we could do without doubling back and we're far enough away that Joe doesn't look "special" because of the seeds!
By this point we were all hungry, tired and ready to be finished with the hike.  Even though it was almost 2 miles shorter then our hike earlier in the week it was way more exhausting!  I had forgotten to bring my garmin watch so I had to run SportyPal on my phone instead and my battery was starting to die.  Joe and I went off ahead hoping to reach the finish line before my phone quit.  Luckily it wasn't too much further so we got to sit and rest while we waited for the rest of the crew.  The time listed is our actual moving time since I paused the app whenever I stopped, we were actually out there more the 2.5 hours.
Once everyone else emerged from the trail we hightailed it to the car where I immediately peeled off my wet shoes and socks.  I was so happy I thought to grab a pair of flip flops before we left the house.  We were all starving, it was after 5pm at this point so we'd missed lunch.  We didn't want to wait the 45 minutes it would take to get home to eat so we looked on Yelp for somewhere close by to grab dinner.  We decided on The Hub cafe.
When we walked in we had to laugh.  It was like a diner at home only decorated with "country" style.
We decided to give it a shot.  No one said anything until we were in the car and pulling away but we all had our doubts.  The staff seemed unorganized and the place just looked run down.  But we felt much better once our waitress showed up, she really knew her stuff and was super fast.  I ordered the club sandwich (662 calories) which came with a side salad which was a bowl of iceberg lettuce and some croutons with ranch dressing (83 calories).
They were advertising fresh peach pie ala mode (406 calories) for dessert and I decided to give it a go.  Everything else had tasted fine so far and I skipped lunch so I could totally fit it in to my calories.  It was good but it wasn't what I expected, it was basically just a crust with peaches poured over it then topped with whipped cream.
As soon as everyone was finished eating we left, no one wanted to spend any more time in there than (hope that's the right word, Shana commented that I use the wrong then & than a lot) necessary.  We were all cracking up the on the way to the house about how we should have just waited and found some place better to eat.  When we got back I was all about a dip in the hot tub so I poured myself a glass of wine (123 calories), changed into my suit and headed downstairs.  Joe was excited I actually wanted to use it so he was right behind me and Shana & Bill joined us soon thereafter. 
The rest of the night wasn't crazy exciting for me.  I spent the evening uploading pictures to Facebook and blogging while Bill, Shana & Joe finished off the rest of the alcohol and food in the kitchen.  They would occasionally come check on me and tell me how lame I was for being on the computer but I just tried to ignore them.  I finally fell asleep around 2am but Joe and Bill were still going strong in the other room.
1. 15 Spend Free Days: 10 days total.
2. Breakfast: 334 calories + Lunch: 0 calories + Dinner: 1151 calories + Snacks: 123 calories = 2894 burned - 1608 eaten = 1286 total calories burned, 14 days total.
3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes: 597 total.
4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  18867 steps.  23 days total.
5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of housework: 9 days total. 

8/29/2011

making a geocaching comeback

After my vacation overload on Friday I was in severe need of some alone time on Saturday.  However that wasn't in the cards.  We did decided to split up though, the boys went fishing and we girls went geocaching.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  I started the morning with a little blog reading, it's so hard to stay on top of all of them when you're out of the house and far from a computer all day.  Let's not even discuss the comments I'm getting from everyone around here about my computer time, they just don't understand my special relationship with blogland.  Anyway, I was reading a peanut butter fingers post and came across these.  Aren't they adorable?  I'm sure you've already noticed I have an issue with buying things with initials and now I'll be adding these to my collection.
Since I had already knocked spending money out for the day I was on to breakfast.  I made myself a bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter and banana (492 calories).  I went a little overboard on the peanut butter but it was pretty delicious and I'll be incorporating it more when I get home.
The boys left really early to go fishing, I'm talking around 6am!  We ladies didn't head out until after 9.  For those of you who don't know what geocaching is here's a little background.  Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game.  Players try to locate containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online.  My mom got really into it a few years ago and I used to go out with her all the time but then my finances got tight, I started working 2 jobs and there wasn't time anymore.  This was the first time I'd been out since then and I may be making a comeback.  Especially now that there are phone apps that make it so much easier to search!  I know I haven't given you much info but hopefully you'll get the idea as I go on.  This is a shot of our first cache of the day.  It was back behind an office building in a field.  It is an ammunition can that contains a log (they all have logs to sign in so you can prove you found it) and some other little trinkets for trade.
My mom's plan for the day was to grab a few caches in Wyoming & Idaho so she could mark those states on her map.  She put together a route that would take about 5 hours driving time with stops to cache here and there.  I was surprised how quickly we got to Wyoming.  We couldn't have been in the car more then an hour when we saw the sign & pulled over to take pictures.
We grabbed the first cache just over the state line.  It was in the parking lot of a shoe store on a light post under the metal base on the concrete pillar.  It was a small container so there wasn't room for anything more then the log, I wrote down our nicknames (I'm sacysdimples from when I was working at Camp Sacajawea with the nickname Dimples) and we were off.
Next we stopped a few miles up the road for another cache.  We were a little put off because this one was on school property.  Caches aren't allowed to be placed on school property in NJ.  We hopped out of the car and followed the compass on our phones toward the hiding spot.
Once again it was hidden under the light post base.  Once you've found a bunch of them they get easier to spot.  There are only so many places to hide something in plain sight.
We only needed two for the state to count but we decided to try for one more.  I'm pretty proud of this one because the online logs said the last two people that attempted to find it couldn't.  It took me maybe five minutes to locate it!
On our way from Wyoming to Idaho we passed back through Utah.  Of course we had to stop and take a picture with that sign too.
We had to drive a while to get to Idaho, I read The Help most of the way.  We started to get hungry for lunch just before we reached the state line and it was already 2pm so we decided to stop and eat.  All we could find was one "drive-in" after another.  It was strange because you didn't actually drive in, we parked then walked up to the window, ordered and sat at picnic tables to eat.
We decided on the Hometown Drive-In because it had the shortest line.  I was a little concerned about eating from what looked like a glorified snack bar so I stuck with chicken fingers & fries, how badly could they screw that up?  I also ordered a raspberry shake because every drive-in was advertising their famous raspberry shakes (860 calories).
Everything was tasty but I barely ate half the chicken.  The shake was just to good not to finish.
Within minutes of leaving lunch we were at the Idaho border.  Time for another picture!
We grabbed one cache that was at the base of the a sign for the Oregon Trail.  Shana was super excited about it and posted a picture on Facebook that received all kinds of funny comments reminiscing about the game we all played in middle school.  They told her to watch out for dysentery and forge the river!  Our final cache was up a winding drive with a gorgeous view of Bear Lake.
The cache was hidden in a reflector on a pole.  This is the kind of cache that would have stumped me in the beginning but I'd seen one like it before so I knew right where to look.

And with that we were finished our adventure, all that was left was to make the 2ish hour drive back to the house.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the boys had brought home six fish!  Joe and his friends never have much luck fishing back home so it was great that they were able to do so well out in Utah.
They got to work on cooking dinner pretty much immediately.  Bill & Joe took care of the steaks and fish while Lynda make roasted broccoli and baked potatoes with cheese (750 calories).  I wasn't hungry after my huge lunch but I made myself eat a little of everything because everyone had gone to so much work.  I know I shouldn't have but it's vacation...
We spent the rest of the evening relaxing around the house.  Mostly watching the news and checking Facebook for updates on hurricane Irene.  I haven't mentioned much about it but the weather at home was pretty crazy while we were away.  There was an earthquake on Tuesday and the hurricane was set to hit Saturday night.  A lot of our friends were on mandatory evacuations from their homes.  We were all lucky enough to have great friends and neighbors that put our yard furniture away and made sure our pets were safe.  But it was still nerve wracking to be so far away during a crazy time.
1. 15 Spend Free Days: 10 days total.
2. Breakfast: 492 calories + Lunch: 860 calories + Dinner: 750 calories + Snacks: 0 calories = 2099 burned - 2102 eaten = +3 total calories burned.
3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes: 491 total.
4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  7947 steps.  22 days total.
5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of housework: 9 days total.