What I learned in Las Vegas.....

Las Vegas is an interesting place, it is a city that really should not be there....its in the middle of the desert with the major water source coming from the dammed Colorado River, without this the city would not survive.

When we go to Utah we fly in and out or LV and spend a few days there before coming home, mostly to shop...which we did! But while I was there I was in awe of the "weirdness" of the place, yes that is the best word I could come up with!! So here is what I learned......

Smoking is STILL a nasty habit......

 

Elvis is not only still alive but he has cousins! 

You can gamble anywhere.....anytime......

Art is everywhere........even where you don't expect it...

Everything is done BIG!

REAL BIG! 

There is nothing romantic or exciting about gambling...

You can relax....a little....

and you can find normal people...sometimes..even from Germany! 

Ultimately I learned that I like Las Vegas better in the day, night time brings out the ugly side of the town.....and I can't spend more than a few days there......BUT that being said, I will go back, I will shop, I will hang out by the pool....and I will always love the desert! 

Till next time....happy chatting......

Adventures in Utah, a contrast in altitude....

Zion National Park

Those that know me know that I love to be outdoors, and there is no better place in the world to do that than right here in Utah. We are surrounded by canyons, Snow Canyon is a 5 min drive away and boasts some of the most beautiful red rock I have ever seen, about an hours drive away is Zion Canyon which is one of the oldest parks in the national park system and has towering cliffs made from Navajo sandstone that has been carved from the Virgin river over the centuries, the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon are also within reach.....so enough of the history lessons and more about being outdoors! 

Snow Canyon

Sand Dunes at Snow Canyon

Rock Climbing anyone? 

Dwight and I decided to rent a couple of road bikes and travel through Snow Canyon, since I have moved to Vancouver I have not had much saddle time and I certainly noticed my lack of bike fitness almost immediately! Still I am pretty happy with myself, I lasted 4 1/2 hours up and down some rather hilly terrain...and some not..... :-) 

The second adventure day took us to Zion - This place will take your breath away, I never get tired of coming here and experiencing all it has to offer. This time we choose a more difficult hike away from the  crowds and it proved to be perfect! Its called hidden canyon trail and round trip took about 3 hours which included a great stop at a viewpoint for lunch.  The trek up is a little bit of thigh buster and a little rough on the nerves if you are afraid of heights! I am not, Dwight on the other hand does not take well to being on a ledge where the cliff drops straight off and all you have to hold onto is a chain they have bolted to the rock! I don't think I was helping the matters much as I was doing the video recording while as I was walking along.....making him all the more nervous! But her did well, we survived and it was worth it. At the top you followed a wash through the canyon that wound its way into the rock......all I can say is wow! 

Hidden Canyon

Not so hidden canyon

Zion Hike

Waterfall in Zion 

I have put together a little video that captures some of our adventures over the past couple of days, I hope you enjoy.... 

http://youtu.be/T_tutB9V9j

We head off to Vegas next Wednesday so there is still plenty of time for more here.......we shall see what we decide to do!  

Desert Yoga......

I remember the exact moment I did my first yoga class, and why. I was home in Victoria, not working and not training, this meant that I did not get to see my friends very much because at that time they were working and they were training, which is all you can do when you are getting ready for an Ironman.  I remember talking to a friend who said - "come try this Hot Yoga class we have been going to on Monday nights, it will be great, we can catch up!"  Well, we both rushed in almost missing the class, there were a few other people there as well so we chatted briefly. Not really knowing what I had to do I followed the gang like a little puppy dog up the stairs into this room with what must have been 50 already sweaty bodies, most were laying down like they were taking a nap...I thought I could do this!

Then there was what I call the "sush" moment, of course I was there to catch up with my friends....not nap.....so we began our talking in the softest voice we could muster but I think it was my friends distinctive giggle that gave us away! We immediately got the sush from the room and the rest of the class was spent feeling like a child that was caught doing something wrong.....you know you look at each other in the mirror and try to stop yourself from breaking out into a all out laugh fest.

So although it does not sound like a good introduction into the yoga world, for me it was the perfect one. With friends, relaxed and having fun, I was hooked almost immediately. I was going to classes almost every day and loving what it was doing for my mind and my body.

These days I don't practice hot yoga, I found the time restrictions of the classroom tough to meet now that I am working again, and I also found that I wanted more variety in my yoga. I tried the DVD thing, yeah that's not for me! Also tried grabbing a magazine and following the instructions on which pose to do when, nope still not it. So without sounding like a salesman of this website I must tell you what I found and how wonderful it is, at least for me.

Its called yogadownload.com you go there and download audio classes for your iPod. What I love so much about it is the portability and the fact that I still have an instructor in my ear telling when and what to do. This way I hold the poses as long as I need to, they give awesome instruction on body placement, and if you want you can download the pose guide as well....all that for about $5 bucks!  As their mantra goes, "Take Yoga Anywhere" - And I have!

I have done yoga on the roof on the Moana Surfrider in Wakikki, on the beach in Kona, and on the lava rocks in Waikaloa. And now every day I can choose form about 15 different classes I have on my iPod, from 30 mins to 60 mins and be practicing in the beautiful desert that I love so much.

This vacation just keeps getting better and better every day.......!

Till next time, happy chatting.....

Unwinding.....

So we are finally here, the trip down was rather uneventful....plane was on time, no long line ups, found coffee and breakfast. We did our regular stop in Mesquite which is just on the boarder of Nevada and Arizona......food and wine/beer were the purpose of the stop and it still makes me chuckle to see the slot machines in the grocery store!

With our stops done we rolled into the Entrada complex around 4:00pm...perfect timing to unload the car, unpack and then unwind. The view is just as beautiful as I remember it, the red rocks and the warm air made me feel at ease instantly, well almost. As we sat in the back yard looking at this amazing view I could help but think to myself that I needed to be doing something, you know that feeling that makes you just a little anxious, the one that makes you get up and down a million times but for nothing. I was very tempted to grab my computer or my phone and loose myself in hours of mindless activities but then I thought, no...thats not what this is about. This trip is about unwinding, taking time to relax with Dwight in an environment that is beautiful.

So I went into what I call a forced detox, no not of wine, but of stress, of stuff to do, of noise and busyness..... could I do it we discussed, could I possibly sit here for a few hours with nothing but the view, the sounds of the frogs at night and Dwight? The answer was yes, and it was wonderful......so much so that I plan on spending every night like this.........

a little taste.....See if you can..?

Off for some rest.....and stuff!

Well, its finally come....my long anticipated trip back down to Utah! Yes we are heading back down to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Not far from Las Vegas, not nothing like Las Vegas, St George Utah is home to one of the most relaxing, energizing and spiritual places on earth. It is easy to loose yourself in all that it has to offer.

Our plan, not to plan! I know, I know doesn't sound like me right....well this time we know where we are going and why we are going there. No races, no agendas, just the desert and whatever we choose to do on whatever day we choose to do it. Rock climbing, running, golfing, or just sitting and reading I am excited about each thought!

We fly into Las Vegas on Sunday and will jump in the car and head 1 1/2 hours north east to Utah, with a brief slip through Arizona. Then its 10 glorious nights at Entrada, a great townhouse on the golf course with a drop dead view. Then we head back to Las Vegas for some hard core shopping, some great eating, a show or two....but I think I will stay away from the 99 cent margarita's!

So I cant promise you outrageous adventures or even interesting ones, what I will say is that I plan to provide posts and and a few photo's while we are there and if you are remotely interested tune back in next week...or even on Sunday, you have to have something to do while on the plane!


Talk soon ........

Snow to Surf 2011 - 8 Stage relay race

Well I must admit this past weekend was a blast! We participated in the annual Snow to Surf relay race that is held in the Comox Valley on Vancouver island. Here is the link, and if you have never done this you should sign up for next year!

http://www.snowtosurf.com

HPR Team Yoko Ono made up of 9 people;   

• Dwight - Down hill skier
• Ann - Cross Country skier
• Karyn - 8km downhill run
• Rob - 8 km downhill run 
• Kelly - Mountain Bike
• Eileen - Kayaker
• Mark - Road Bike
• Laura & Rhodes Canoe

We landed in 4th place in the mixed masters category! Well done team! Everyone on the team made it happen! It cant go without mentioning that HPR had TWO teams in this race, which speaks to how much we love to race. It was so nice to have another team there.....because the race is so spread out you would have been alone in a crowd of other people you didn't know, what was really great is that each stage had another HPR'r that you could chat with while waiting for your turn to go.  Both teams did great and I think we may have even generated enough interest for a third team next year!!!! 

Every stage had a story that made it special....from the down hill ski that made you climb up a hill in your ski boots before coming down, the crazy x-cross country/downhill exchange, the down hill running that was more that a little steep....over 12% grade at times! The mountain bike started calm and easy then they hit you with a super technical section that singled out people for sure.....they kayak had a obstacle course to go through, the bike (well lets just say that mark crushed it!) and the canoe went off into a wicked head wind!

All to finish by running up the boat ramp to ring a bell to get your beer tickets!!! 

What a great time......lets do it agin next year!!! Here is a little slide show of the activities, including a few video moments during the event and of course the all important finish!!! Hope you enjoy! 

Til next time Happy chatting.......

Sub Cultures.....interesting weekend....

So we had a great little trip this weekend up to Whistler, we do seem to be spending a good deal of time there lately. Our intention was to go up and do some skate skiing so I would have at least done it once within the last few months before the Snow to Surf race! In that respect we did not have much luck, even with all of the snow that is still around they closed the Olympic Park! So although I was unable to brush up on my skate skiing skills we were able to spend an incredible weekend downhill skiing….The skies were clear, the snow wonderful and the lift lines short, you couldn’t ask for a nicer time to be on a pair of downhill skis.

Blackcomb Mountain

The one thing that did take us by surprise was the “Telus World Ski & Snowboard festival” that was in full gear when we arrived…. I suppose we should have known this but we have both been rather isolated due to work lately.   The place was packed, with all kinds of stuff going on…including concerts all day and night……we stayed at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler again so we were able to visit the crowds and then return to our little quiet sanctuary later in the evening. It was way to much fun, great energy and good crowd! 

So after wondering around the crowds we couldn’t help but notice what I would call the vibe of the town.  There were certainly a lot of young people in the crowds but it was more than just that, it was the underling subculture of the sport that they were celebrating. Culture meaning…they have their own language, their own rituals and rights, even their appearance becomes uniformed. And for some reason you immediately think about and smell that world-renowned BC bud!   

On reflection when I think of other instances where this occurs I cannot help but think of triathlon and all its subcultural norms. From aero helmets to compression socks, to buzz cuts and pony tails there are very obvious sub cultural traits that you become part of. 

There are many subcultures and throughout history we have participated in them, think about the 60”s Hippie…. what comes to mind? Haight Ashbury crowds with tie die clothes, if they were wearing any, free love, and of course drugs. 

So we know they have always been around, that they manifest in many different forms, so why do subcultures exist? Is it that we just want to belong, or that we what to be recognized to being part of something that others are not?

Hard to say really, subcultures are created when a group of people branch off from the original culture that share a set of beliefs that differ. I guess we could say that this is the case but it seems to be more than that. It has the feel of belonging that transcending just being with "like minded" people. Sharing the cultural beliefs that are created allow us to be a part of something that we may not have been had we not joined.  

So once there can you move in and out? Or is it more cult like and you are forever trapped in the "family"? Well I think Charles Manson would be disappointed with the answer, subcultures are not dark cults they are just people sharing. So you can move freely, some people tend to stay for longer times than others, some people never leave.....which ever you are know that its good to be in a place that makes you feel good. 

look at the size of that helmet!

I like to consider myself rather flexible as I move in and out of the different subcultures I am exposed to, however there are always some parts that I just cant seem to buy into. 

Take the Ski/Snowboard subculture…..those oversized toques are about the most unflattering item I can think of for anyone to wear, for triathlon I must admit I could never really put an aero helmet on and keep a straight face, my yoga practice is dear to me and I am sure I could not live without it now, but the chanting is definitely not for me.

I think we can be a part of many different cultures and personally my belief is that it’s not the rights, rituals, the clothes or the language. It’s the people that are most important, they are the ones that keep you involved…the relationships you build and the friends you make will last longer than any of the things that consume sub cultures………

Looking forward to seeing some friends next weekend during the Snow to Surf relay race and catching up......

Till next time, happy chatting.....