North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains

We had a wonderful trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina with my parents.

The place we stayed was great:

This was taken from our balcony

There was an on-site lake with paddle boats you could ride around on. Matt took me out on a paddle boat and then stranded me on this island without supplies. He had a change of heart and came back for me later.


There was also an on-site miniature golf course.


Mom won!

My favorite thing about this place was that the lake was stocked with fish. We brought two fishing poles and Matt and I had so much fun trying to catch fish. I wanted to fish all the time. We even went out in the middle of the night once. If I look very excited in this picture, it's because I am. If you look closely, that tiny thing I'm holding is a fish. The first fish I have ever caught in my life!


This picture is from our middle-of-the-night fishing venture. No, Matt isn't flashing a gang sign, he is indicating that this was his third fish so far. We each caught four or five fish, all very tiny, and not worth eating...

This trip was extra great for me also because I got to spend time with my wonderful parents and my wonderful husband both at the same time, which has never happened before:

The whole vacation crew


The Matt & CarrieAnn birthday dinner to celebrate our upcoming birthdays


I love this picture of Matt


Mom and me


Posing for pretend engagement pictures


Ha ha! Dad was making me laugh the whole time. :)

I always really enjoy meeting local people when I travel, observing the local culture, and also just witnessing the funny, endearing things people do in general:

The man I'm standing next to gave me some fishing pointers and also gave Matt and me some corn to use as bait. And he had the best old-timey southern accent. A really fun guy.

This picture was taken on a trail on Labor day, so there were a lot of local people out that day. There were so many people hiking with their dogs. Way more than I am used to seeing when on a hike in Utah. The thing about it that was interesting to me is that we didn't see a single mutt. All pure-bred dogs, and a lot of them not the rugged outdoorsy type you'd expect to encounter on a hike. This woman was carrying her poodle to avoid muddy paws.

And here, at the entrance to the same trail, is a man who is about to go hiking with his cockatoo. He takes his cockatoo everywhere. I had to ask if there was a chronic problem with bird-poop on everything, since it seemed that would be the biggest downside of keeping your pet bird constantly by your side. Not a problem though. This bird is actually potty-trained. He sits on the edge of the toilet! If there is no toilet access, he goes on demand on whereever his owner indicates. The pet thing definitely has a different flavor in this area of the country. Fun.


This woman was taking copious pictures of a nature movie playing in the visitor center at Grandfather Mountain. Some might suggest that my Mom and I are quick to the trigger with our cameras, but this takes things to a whole new level. Of course I had to take a picture ;)

One of my favorite destinations was Grandfather Mountain:

The suspension bridge

Mom and Dad at the bridge

Grandfather mountain has a mini zoo. We went to the otter enclosure several times, but the otters were napping under a pile of pine straw and couldn't be seen. Multiple times per day, all of the animals have "enrichment time." The animal keeper shakes his keys so they know he is there with a treat or something interesting to play with. So we go to the otter enclosure for enrichment time. The keeper shakes his keys, and the otters pop their heads out of the pine straw to see what treat the keeper has in store. Then the next picture....


...They start to leave the pine straw when drowsiness overtakes them....

....They decide that maybe a treat isn't worth ending their nap after all, and they back plop down. It was the cutest thing. Otters are a new favorite of mine. Eventually they got up and came after their treats and frolicked together in their pond, which was also incredibly cute.


The bears were also very cool. At Grandfather mountain, they actually let you feed the bears! The bears do all sorts of charming things to try and capture your attention so that you will throw a piece of chow to them. They sit up on their haunches, stick out their tongues, etc.

Matt and I feeding the bears.

Another highlight was a visit to a section of the famous Appalachian Trail, which extends continuously from Maine to Georgia. A couple of weeks later for my birthday, Matt got me a book written by humorist Bill Bryson called "A Walk in the Woods." He documents his attempt to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. We've been reading together at night and it's good stuff. There are some extremely funny parts.

Matt posing next to a trail marker. Love his red beard starting to peak through :)

Dad on the trail, about to enter dense forest.

It was a beautiful place:

The mountains

Lots of road-side stands


Quaint little homes

Butterflies

One of the prettiest wild flowers I've ever seen. This picture doesn't capture how bright red it was. It was almost neon red I'd say.


More flowers

Thank you so much for the wonderful trip Mom & Dad!

The End of Summer: Part 3

Matt and I went on a little backpacking trip in the Uintas the weekend of August 28-30. He made a map of the route we took using Google maps when we got home. You can see it here if you want to check it out. We saw so many beautiful little lakes.

On the trail

Campsite at Wall Lake. I got Matt those green backpacking chairs for his birthday. I ordered them online, and the package showed up with pictures of the chairs plastered on both sides of the package. ARG! I was a bit upset they sent them that way, because Matt got home before I did and picked up the package. On the bright side, since the surprise was ruined, we got to use the chairs on this trip, well before his birthday.


Matt in Hidden Lake, final destination. The water was really cold. I ripped the bandaid off quickly and completely submerged myself first thing. I didn't last long at all though. Instead of adapting to the water, I felt like I was getting colder, so I got out. Matt went the slow-torture route, but once he was all the way in, he stayed for quite a while.


Me fishing in Hidden Lake. I had never really fished before, but I always thought I might enjoy it, so Matt got me a collapsible fishing pole for this trip. My fishing stance there is pretty great. Even though I didn't have any luck, I thought it was fun to try. Once I got going, I didn't want to quit, but Matt coaxed me back to camp once it got dark. No fish nibbled, but the bats that came out at dusk were interested in the line and the float.


Hidden Lake in the evening. We didn't see a single soul while camping there. So peaceful.


I was so excited about the early signs of autumn that I posed for a picture with some fall foliage. Not only is "fall foliage" beautiful, it is fun to say.

Some pretty wildflowers. Dad, do you know what type of flower this is?

The End of Summer: Part 2

Last week we barbecued in City Creek Canyon for dinner. Matt made a fantastic dinner. Stake, salad, and scout bread with jam. After dinner, a round of Scrabble by campfire light.

Thanks for the great evening Matt! :)

The End of Summer: Part 1

My brother Alan and his wife Maren invited us over to their backyard to have a wiener roast. Their yard is so fantastic. Lots of flowering vines with hummingbirds all around, fruit trees, a fireplace, and a swing. Matt and I had a great time with them.

Matt and I enjoying the swing while trying to avoid small, moving objects

Isn't that fireplace lovely? On the table are fixins' for Chicago-style hot dogs

Our charming hostess, Maren.

Little Ivan, who bolsters my hopes of having a red-headed child, and Princess Katherine, who carried her marshmallow scepter the whole evening. Both cute to the max *pinching cheeks!*

The 4th of July

My super adorable husband who took us out to float in the Great Salt Lake.

Me in the lake for the second time in my life. The first time I was nine years old and didn't float this well. A little body fat goes a long way. Very cool.


Away from the sand fleas


Mikey with the little blind puppy at Grandpa Uttley's house. "Take me home Mikey!" That little pup pulled out all of his cutest maneuvers, but it didn't work. Mikey ended up rescueing another dog in need, so it was for the best.

A front row view of the fireworks in Richfield from the back of Grandma Uttley's care center. The twinlets and their Dad all in plaid. Mom Colleen is in the green shirt, and my brother-in-law Dan is the red.

My spot for the fireworks show.

Going "Hard-Core" in the San Rafael Swell

We set out for our Memorial Day Weekend backpacking adventure on Friday afternoon. We were apprehensive that forecasts of possible thunderstorms and potential flash-floods might ruin the trip. Our apprehension increased when we the saw the ominous clouds that hung over the San Rafael Swell.

The San Rafael Swell reef protruding from the desert floor




Ominous clouds and (it turns out) the wrong road

We tried to reach our trailhead and make camp before dark, but after a late start and a wrong turn the sun set before we got where we were going. We pulled over to spot with a fire pit just off the side of the dirt road and quickly set up our tent before the darkness and rain arrived. We cooked our beans and rice in the pitch dark and the rain, then retired to our snug little tent to eat it.

Our first campsite

It rained all night long, and in the morning it was still raining. Some water had gotten into our tent, wetting not only our tent but some of our clothing and our blanket as well. It was cold, our gear was wet, it was 6 a.m., and there was mud on everything. We tossed our went tent and beds into the car and took off, concerned that the dirt roads would become impassable mud bogs for our little Hyundai.

We couldn't imagine spending a whole weekend in the cold rain with wet gear and a wet tent. Before giving up completely and heading home, we stopped by Goblin Valley, which CA had never seen before. We were surprised to be the only car in the parking lot on a Memorial Day Weekend Saturday. It seemed we had the whole valley to ourselves.

Goblin Valley

In the relative cleanliness of the parking lot we were at least able to roll up our bed mats and pack our wet tent into its bag. After a week of planning our wilderness trek, I felt like a total failure for turning home already. We didn't feel very "hard-core," and that was painful.

But before we set out for home, my good little sport CA let me at least try to find the trail head to Wild Horse Window and hike about a little bit to see what there was to see. We found it easily, and I hiked about in my yellow rain poncho and investigated the trail a bit while CA stayed in the car to keep warm from the cold drizzle. That's when things got fun.

Can you spot me in my yellow poncho, scouting out the trail? Wild Horse Window is in the upper right.

Leaving the car, I walked around through the gullies and washes and then onto the trail up the rock of San Rafael Reef toward Wild Horse Window, and I started to get excited. The scenery was thrilling and I warmed up fast. I saw a place where an overhanging cliff made a dry spot on the ground, big enough to fit our tiny little tent. Watching (and photographing) my adventures from the car, as the morning chill started losing its edge, CA decided to venture out and join me. I showed her the dry spot, and we decided to stick it out another night. We felt a new sense of hard-coreness returning, and it felt nice. We returned to the car, packed up our packs, and set out.

Can you spot our little tent nestled under a dry cliff? (Taken from the trail on the Reef)

We set up our tent in the little dry spot without the rain fly and let the air blow through it dry it out, then set out on a fun adventure. The day become comfortably warm, and the clouds kept it from getting hot. The constant slow drizzle actually wound up creating a magical day. Crystal-clear water flowed down the Reef in rivulets and waterfalls and collected in hundreds of fairy pools all along our trail.

Wild Horse Canyon

Stone, waterfalls, and fairy pools

CA in Wild Horse Window (click here for better pics by other people)

We turned from the trail to explore the mouth of Wild Horse Canyon, then hiked up the back of the reef to Wild Horse Window.


We returned to a dry tent in time to make a leisurely dinner of Tuna Helper in the evening light and settle down in the lee of our cliff for a long, dry, and undisturbed night.

Surprisingly, Sunday morning dawned sunny and blue-skied. We packed our swimsuits and a lunch and went for a short day trip up Wild Horse Canyon to a pool of water at the mouth of a grotto that we had found the day before. The water was cold but refreshing, and we made friends with a pair of frogs that lived in the pool. We sunned ourselves on the bare rock and ate a lunch of Macaroni and Cheese with dried beef.

A picture of our pool and sun lounge, taken the day before when it was raining

We returned to camp just in time for a big black thunderhead to roll in from the south. We stayed dry in the shelter of our cliff as the rain and hail poured down and the lightning flashed. The heavy storm lasted for about 20 minutes then turned into a regular drizzly rain as the thunderhead moved on northward up the Swell. We lay in the tent and listened to the rain outside. Soon there was a loud rushing sound which grew louder and louder until the sound of knocking, crashing boulders joined it. We emerged from our tent to see that a flash flood had turned the dry wash near our campsite into a violent torrent of muddy water and crashing boulders, about 5 feet deep. We weren't concerned; we were dry and safe, and the flood was exciting to witness. A stranger on the opposite side of the the wash wasn't as fortunate--he was stranded on that side while his hiking companion stood on our side.

Within a couple of hours the water level had a dropped a couple of feet and the man was able to make it across. The water continued to flow all afternoon and evening and through that night. In the night we heard some loud crashing sounds as chunks of rock broke off of a cliff and crashed to the ground not far away. By morning the wash was dry again, but the landscape had changed noticeably. We packed up our things and went home, content that we were sufficiently hard-core after all.


One of the funnest parts of our wilderness adventure was the wildlife. Over three days and nights we saw five frogs, four pronghorns, a stink bug, some crows, and bunch of naughty little lizards. How foolish do you think I feel for telling CA she could never catch a lizard?

Logan

Matt took me on a surprise date to a Logan farm a few weeks ago to see the baby animals

Hugging a goat

Babies hopping and peeping

The bunny wasn't so sure about this. He tried to make a run for it later.

Another cute specimen

After the farm, some time at the Logan Temple

Licorice ice cream (my favorite flavor) from a Logan dairy.
As you can see, it matches the color of our car.


Thanks for the fun date Schweetie!

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

Hold out for the cat yodeling.

One year!

Today marks a year since Matt and I decided to become a couple. We had been dating, and I ran into him unexpectedly at the institute building. I was really happy to see him. I ended up going to institute with him, and going to his house afterward. Before we went to his house, I told him that I didn't want him to get sick of me from spending too much time together. He said that he was feeling quite the opposite about spending time with me. We were talking on his couch and Matt said that he had a friend who wanted him to give a defined answer as to the status of our relationship, and that he told his friend that it wasn't defined. I took the opportunity to ask him if he wanted it to be defined. We decided to date exclusively. We've seen each other every day, except for one, since we have been together. It has been a fantastic year together. I love my Matt.

You have to try this

Posted by CarrieAnn.

Our carpets were looking REALLY BAD. I wanted to get a carpet steam cleaner, and Matt thought it was a good idea too, so we did some research, shopped the sales, and ended up with the Hoover F914-900 SteamVac.

I was really excited to try it out, and I was not disappointed. It is so much fun and so satisfying to suck all of that dirt out of the carpet.

The before and after!

The best Autumn on record

This has been one of the most fantastic fall seasons I can ever remember. Not only do I have a wonderful new husband to share it with, it has been much longer and warmer than usual. Sometimes in Northern Utah it seems like Autumn is over before it begins. It is my favorite season.

From a fall drive a few weeks ago:

Birthday #30 for CarrieAnn!! (Part II in the birthday week series)

Birthday week was great. My family made my birthday so much fun.

On the actual day, my parents sponsored a birthday dinner for me at the Garden on top of the Joseph Smith building, since they couldn't be here. I loved the food an the atmosphere.

While waiting for the food, my cute date consented to a sassy photo shoot. What great company!

That weekend, Matt threw a birthday party for me. It was fantastic. He had our house all decked out in birthday decorations, and he made great snacks. I saw friends I hadn't seen in ages. (Thanks Matt!!!!)

Here is me in my birthday gear--crown, glowstick necklace, 30th birthday blue ribbon--pretending to be the birthday queen (the balloons were my loyal subjects).

Alan and Maren, a necessary addition to any great party

Mike, Kellie, Lukifer, and Matt. Doesn't get better than this.

Celina bonding with Rufus

A slight snack mishap. These tricky mini corndogs came back to haunt us about a month later when a forgotten batch of them were found in the oven, burnt to charcoal!