May 1, 2010 The beginning of an unusual week. 8:30 am The family met at the Devils Garden trail head in Arches National Park. There were 39 of us hiking, 37 family and 2 guests. It was a routine trail until we arrived at Landscape Arch. Then, Wow, the tricky part began. Parts of the trail were just plain scary. The adults carrying children had a real challenge to keep their balance, and the adults escorting kids had white knuckles from hanging on to little hands and arms. I was chagrined to have arranged such a difficult hike. But, all's well that ends well. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, the temperature perfect for hiking and the only mishap was me falling in the pond. I'm sure someone will post a photo of that.
I stayed an extra day and drove to Dead Horse Point which has wonderful views of the Colorado River and way out over Canyon Lands. Got a few photos, but it was misty with rain showers, so the photos are not great. However, it was a totally different mood than I have seen before. Next I drove on into Canyon Lands and to the Green River overlook. The weather had cleared a bit and the view was spectacular. The goal of the drive was to find the gnarled tree that Byrd included in his paintings many times. Surprise, I did find it and took photos. Too bad, it is now dead, no green at all.
Well, the next momentous occasion was Friday May 7. I was treated to a surprise birthday party. Thinking I was going to Maddox's for dinner, I was escorted to my ward house Relief Society room where I was greeted with a whole lineup of Family and a shouted 'Surprise'!
It was a wonderful evening (but kind of embarrassing) of dinner and kind words about me and musical numbers by my talented family. There were time when I became teary eyed and times of laughter. Thanks to a wonder family it was a marvelous evening, never to be forgotten. One failure during the evening- I could not blow out all the candles with one breath. And besides the wonderful gift of the whole party, I now have a Wii to play with in my spare time. Madi has it set up for me.
