And Cyclocross Begins!

Our first race of the year was at Fort Buenaventura in Ogden.  I'd only ever been there in the snow so I didn't realize what a pretty place it was.  Naomi and I had lots of fun exploring and taking goofy pictures, but I'll just put the cute ones up here. 

Kory raced his single speed.  The course had a bit of everything.  In this section, they had to ride under a bridge over river rock and through a sand pit.  Most people found it faster to just get off their bikes and run.

Gray might look cool and collected here, but he was a bundle of nerves all day.  We got there at about 9:30 in the morning and he didn't race until 3:00.  It was just too much watching and waiting!

Kory looks so expert in the turns!

So much mud!  I think it rained the entire night before and was still sprinkling when we got there.  Here's Kory with some fellow teammates, Robert and John.  The race announcer commented a few times about how cool their arm warmers were.  I have to agree.

Naomi found a great vantage point for watching the race that also doubled as the perfect place for a nap.

 

Finally, time for Gray to race!  This was his first time to race his new bike.  It's bigger than his last one but he handled it like a pro.  The kids have been practicing barriers in the back yard for weeks so it was no surprise that he flew right over these.

Graysen said that his goal was to be the first one to pass the announcers stand (a point about 40 yards after the start line where the course narrows and a racer wants to find themselves at the front of the pack).  The announcers were giving coupons for a local restaurant to the first person past the announcer stand in every race.  That smile says it all, he shot off the start line like a rocket!

Conferenct Weekend

I love general conference weekend!  During one of Saturday's sessions Gray put together a storage cabinet for Naomi's bedroom.

 Our Oct. conference tradition is to watch the morning session while eating pancakes with strawberries then to go for a drive to look at the fall leaves and listen to the afternoon session while we have a picnic lunch.

 We found a great place to picnic in Logan Canyon with a beautiful view.  Gray, didn't last long.

  The Aspen's were brilliant.

Field Trip

Naomi's class went on a field trip to Antelope Island and she took my camera with here.  She took lots of pictures, but here are a few highlights.

Las Vegas

 Oh Las Vegas, what can I say.  It's the strangest city on the planet, although I haven't visited every town on the planet, it would take a lot to convince me otherwise.   We did have a great place to stay, lots of space and no casino to weave our way through.  Our hotel had a rooftop pool and I spend lots of time there with the kids.

 The kids loved having their own apartment at the hotel.  Access to cable tv came in second to having a swimming pool.  I'm sure in this photo, Naomi's working on homework.

 We walked down to the M&M store, which was probably the most fun place we went to in Vegas.  The kids also had to admit that driving a Toyota Camry might actually be cool.

 Indiana Jones at the wax museum.

 Eating at In-n-Out before CrossVegas is a tradition.  Included in our group were Wes and John, some great guys who work at the shop and also went to Interbike with us.

 The kids with Greg LeMond!!

 The kids and I also spend a little time at Interbike checking out all the fun new bike related stuff coming out next year. 

Caved

 Yes, we finally caved... 

 

After fighting with about a thousand springs then tying up the net then untying the net then tying the net again the right way (this involves tying something to each spring, yeah) we felt we deserved a treat so Kory built a fire and we roasted up some sweet goodness.

 

Feet hit the trail

 Gray and I have been doing some trail running, mostly on the trails behind our house but we needed a change of scenery so we headed to Logan Canyon.  We made our way along the crimson trail more at a quick hike than a run.

 I love the view from this trail and I couldn't have had a better running/hiking companion.

 Kory is a more serious trail runner.  He likes to do crazy long trail runs and ran the Logan Peak Trail Run for the second time.  It wasn't quite as intense as last year since the course had to be shortened due to the five feet of snow still on the trail. 

Coming in for a strong finish.  I don't have that kind of stamina, he looks like he could turn around and do it again.

Father's Day 2011

 This year for Father's Day the kids painted pictures for Kory.  I looked out the window one afternoon and saw them both out in different parts of the yard working on their creations.

 On Father's Day, Naomi got up and started making breakfast in bed for Kory.

 Gray on the other hand...

 

I somehow didn't manage to snap a picture of Kory on Fathers Day, but it was a fun day with our family and hopefully a special day for a great dad.