Trip Day 5

Jen and I met up at 6:30 again to try the "3 mile" trail to Mueller Park.  On the first half, we did much more hiking than running.  It was steep and rocky and spider-webby, but absolutely gorgeous.  As the miles ticked by, Jen and I commented many times how it would have been a black comedy to have had the kids try and hike this way to get their dinner the night before.  There would have been whining and crying and gnashing of teeth, culminating in flashlight search parties.  We weren't complaining.  It was beautiful, and while we still weren't worried about being permanently lost, we enjoyed the climb.   Somewhere around mile 5 or so, we saw an insane mountain biker who confirmed that, yes, this path did eventually end up at Mueller Park.  We both had stumbles and trips and once I cracked my head pretty good on a tree that was suspended across the path at exactly the right height to be blocked from view by my visor.  A mile or so later, we met a runner who said he had just come from Mueller Park.  It was about 4 1/2 miles away.  Ha, ha.  We were on the down hill side now and realized we needed to pick up the pace and run the rest of the way.  It would have been perfect, but for the guilt that we had left our families for much longer than intended.  After passing many more extreme mountain bikers and some hikers, we made it to the park!

I asked a nice family if I could borrow their cell phone to call home and say not to worry.  (It had taken us 3 hours to travel those 10.4 miles over the mountain.)  Hooray, we had checked in!  We had a measly couple miles left till home.  We had started out for around 5 and were finishing with almost 1/2 a marathon!  Life was beautiful!  And then I tripped.  I had gotten careless and stepped halfway in a pothole just in front of the Frank Lloyd Wright house. I felt my ankle twist and was going down fast and hard face first.  I managed to roll into the fall and narrowly avoided nasty road rash, but my ankle was instantly swelling.  It looked like someone had swapped my ankle bone for a tennis ball.  I was so mad, it didn't even hurt.  It was just shaking like crazy, I guess that would be the adrenaline.  Jen flagged down a car--it happened to be the very same family I had talked to moments before, ahhh, the embarrassment.  Chris came with my girls a few minutes later to pick us up.  We didn't get to finish our 1/2 marathon.

I showered on one foot then spent the next 2 hours on the couch elevating and applying horridly painful ice packs for 15-20 minutes with 10 minute breaks.  Chris is the right person to have around when you get hurt.  This is the second time she has doctored me.  (The last time was 14 years ago, digging gravel out of both my arms.)  She had a marvelous brace and a pair of crutches from when she broke her ankle a few years back.   They came in handy for the next couple days.  The girls had a lot more fun with the crutches than me.

Meanwhile, Isaac was still in Pleasant Grove and my girls were mostly over at Kelly's with all the other girls but Katie.  Matt was busy helping with various tasks.  At 1:00, we gathered our girls and I slowly stepped/swung, my way out to the truck.  We were meeting up with Jen and Troy's crews to go see Despicable Me.  We gave it a thumbs up.

Post movie, we headed to the Bountiful City Parade.  It's always the day before Salt Lake's--meaning the day of my dad's birthday.  Happy belated birthday!  Don and Chris had gotten up in the pre-dawn hours to try and put up chairs, but had a lot of competition.  It's a Utah phenomenon.  The kids tried to stay cool waiting for it to start.  When it was in full swing, they were busy trying to catch, or scrounge for, candy, frisbees, or first aid kits.  At least that was our ware this year.  Isaac has caught t-shirts in years gone by.

Jen. Chris, Beccy, Jared, and Isaac pictured. 

Alie, Katie, Jess, Curt

Quick drink break before resuming positions to catch.

Don was on the Bountiful High, 50 year reunion class float.  I missed the picture opportunity and Matt ran down the street to snap this one, but Don's back was turned by then (he's standing up).  

I love the light in this shot.  Matt's elbow, Rylee, Makenna and grandma Chris.

Jake and Jess on the look out for loot.

Rylee and Makenna using fan and mist-ers to keep each other cool.

Makenna went around and gave everyone a turn being fanned.  This was Andy's turn.

After dinner, we all went to Kelly's house to watch the city fireworks and let off some of our own.  Our family stopped at the Indian Reservation again on our way up, plus Andy bought a big kit from Costco.  There were enough to split between two nights.  

Makenna and Alie showing off their new Italian souvenirs.  

All the grandkids stayed in Bountiful to sleep in Grandpa's back yard.  8 were in the big tent, Isaac and Jared in the little one.  And Kyle and Curt had cots on the deck.  Grandpa had to spend half the night out there too as penance for telling Big Foot Stories on the back yard hike.  

Oh, one other note worthy tidbit, Jessica's super loose tooth finally came out.  She gave a napkin to grandpa, and with one good grip, it came right out! Matt convinced her that it might be better to not put it under her pillow in the tent with 7 other kids.   I am hoping to get copies of tent pictures from other family members.  I'll add them when possible.