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.