PhotoBlog

I have a couple hundred of my favorite photos posted on my photoblog website. Here is the link....photoblog. Check it out! I also print up different sizes of my photos for friends and family members, if anything catches your eye I can print them in any size you want. Some of my coworkers have taken a liking to my photos and now they grace their homes.

First week of classes.

My first week of classes at the Arizona School of Real Estate & Business started yesterday morning.  For 3 weeks I will be attending class for 9 hours a day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  I will also be working on the days I do not have class.  So it will be 32 hrs of work each week and 27 hrs of class each week.  I must say that I am one of the youngest in my program out of 100 people.  My teachers are amazing and within one day of classes I've learned way more than I could have ever imagined.  I am so excited for the next couple of weeks.  It will be difficult with school, work, and training for my duathlon but I know I can do it.  I have a very special visitor in less than 3 weeks from Colorado.  We plan to do many hikes in the area and maybe even take a trip up to Sedona. 

I found my new favorite hike in the Phoenix area.  It's called Eagle Ridge at McDowell Mnts.  I went on a hike Sunday afternoon and it was beautiful.  The trail was very unpopular, something I appreciate very much in a trail.  I do so many trails in the area that are packed with people but this one was far away from the city and very secluded.  Hope to take many visitors on this hike. 

Monday Ride

Cody & I decided to take our Monday off and go on a long ride.  A 35 mile ride to be exact.  It took us around 2.5 hours.  We started from our apartment and rode up to a place called Eagle Ridge at Fountain Hills.  This community sits right in the McDowell Mountain Park with million dollar houses and beautiful views. It was a challenging ride because of the many hills we had to climb to get to this point but it was well worth it.  It's great ridding with someone who challenges you when you are about to drop over on the side of the rode going up the 10th hill of the day.  Cody is an amazing cyclist, just one of his many talents. Here is the route we took... map.

Sunday Night.

Friday training-52 minutes

-23 minute ride to Papago (climbed two hills)

-15 minute stair run, carried bike up stairs , immediately regretted that decision. 

-14 minute ride back home

Saturday training-30 minute trail run at Papago. Ran in shorts and a tank top.  Thank you winter in Arizona!

Signing up for a Skirt Chaser the weekend before my race. Put on by the lovely Red Rock Co.a company where a good friend of ours works. The females get a 3 minute head start on the males so Cody will basically be chasing me while running in a skirt ;).  I could only wish, but really I will be wearing one.  

I just watched The Patriots play a pathetic game of football.  I had a bet going around work that the Super Bowl would be against the Pats and the Falcons, guess I lost that one! I hate the Jets, I hate the Steelers even more so hopefully Green Bay will win.  Cody and I both have MLK day off tomorrow so we are planning a very long ride in the McDowell Mnt. Park to test out my Duathlon course.  A high of 77 tomorrow will make this a perfect day. Possibly seeing Blue Valentine later in the evening.  Have a happy Monday!

Here is a little clip of Cody and Bear...enjoy!

Duathlon training.

My Duathlon is in 37 days.  The race consists of a 3.5 mile trail run that climbs 150 feet in elevation, a 21 mile bike ride along rolling hills, and then finishing it off strong with a 3 mile trail run. I'm very excited and anxious all at the same time.  Training has been going well.  On Wednesday after my two hour hike with my friends I thought it would be a good idea to do a trail run at Papago Park.  I ran for 25 minutes at a pretty quick pace with multiple hill climbs.  This park has the largest Jack Rabbits I have ever seen! Some of them are the size of Bear (no joke, he likes to try and chase them). It makes the run more enjoyable when you have a gigantic rabbit running 20 feet away from you.  Today I am going to bike around Papago and hit up this amphitheater in the park and do some stairs then ride back home.  Here is the webpage for the race if you want to check it out.....DesertClassic.

(After my run on Wednesday, stretching by a Teddy Bear Cholla)

2 weeks into the New Year.

Myself and a few friends from work decided to hike South Mountain, the largest city park in the nation at 17,000 acres on Wednesday afternoon.  We hiked on the National Trail for about two hours each of us with our dogs, a lab, a yorkie, and my mix of a dog!  The temperature reached 70 degrees that day but with the sun beating down on us it felt much warmer.  
Bear has been a true blessing for me.  As soon as I get home from work he immediately greats me with love and slobber.  I look forward to the drive home because I know I will be greeted by the happiest puppy in the world. He does amazing on the trails.  Cody and I wanted to start him at a young age to get used to the trails.  The second day we had him we took him on a short hike at Papago Park. Now he is a trail blazer! I can't wait to see him grow and experience new trails with him. 

The BCS National Championship was hosted in Phoenix this year.  So my town was overtaken by Ducks and Tigers.  To show our support for the Oregon Ducks we decided to go to the Oregon pep-rally. There were thousands of Duck fans at this pep-rally.  Of course there were some fans dressed up as Ducks.  Cody saw this lovely fan running by and snapped this shot.  I must say he looks nothing like the real mascot for the Oregon football team but he tried.  Sadly the Ducks lost but it was fun while it lasted. 

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is located in Springdale, Utah.  I had the pleasure of visiting this amazing park on May 17, 2010.  The reddish Navajo Sandstone immediately catches your eye the moment you enter into the park. The US Congress added Zion to the National Park list in 1919. With over 140,000 acres of land I got to experience a tiny portion of this sacred land. The Lower and Middle Emerald pools were the first hikes on our list.  We decided to wear our water shoes so when we got to the pools we could walk straight into them.  

The next hike to cross of our list was a little hike called Angels Landing. Here is the trail description on the parks website...Strenuous with steep drop-offs and narrow trail. Not for anyone fearful of heights. After viewing this gigantic rock standing at 5,785 feet I was a little hesitant but realized that I didn't come into this park to pass up the opportunity to hike one of the most beautiful chunks of rock I had ever seen. This 2.4 mile trail takes you up a series of switchbacks, 21 to be exact in just one spot called Walter's Wiggles. When you get past Walter's Wiggles a chain is your next life support. Not only are you gripping onto a chain nailed into a rock but with a quick glance to your right a thousand foot drop lingers at any moment. 

Cody made it to the top of Angel's landing, I had to stop at Observation Point after a failed attempt across a very narrow path with drop offs on both sides.  There was a moment when I was passing through this drop off where I literally froze up. I could feel the wind hitting my entire body and it felt as if the entire rock was about to tip over.  Cody was trying to talk me through it but I knew that this was one of those moments where I had to make this decision for myself.  I felt completly limp and in danger.  I quietly turned around and headed back to the point where I got to watch Cody make it all the way to the top.  

(The point where I had to turn around)

This was one of those hikes that I will never forget.  It was the most beautiful landscape I had ever seen in my life and the experiences I had in this park will last a lifetime.  After researching more about this hike I had found out that a month before we went on this hike a woman fell to her death from Angels Landing.  You can see the list of deaths on a couple websites where children as young as 14 have fallen due to this hike.  I like to consider myself a pretty experienced hiker but this was a moment where I am thankful I used my gut feelings and knew I was putting myself into a situation where I could seriously kill myself.  I know when I can handle something and when I can not.  Cody knew he could get to the top because he was confident in his climbing abilities, where I was not. 

  

(Cody at the top of Angels Landing, 5,785ft)

I hope to go back one day.  The Narrows are on my Bucket List.  Unfortunately we couldn't hike through the Narrows on our trip because the water levels were too high. If you ever have a chance to go to Zion please go.  It's an experience unlike anything else. You can feel how significantly small you really are and understand that this Earth is something to be far more appreciated.