Decided to detour to Moab on way to Colorado

Having seen the red rock beauty of Zion and Bryce I've often wanted to go visit biking mecca Moab (Arches National Park). Well why not now. This first picture is the view from our campsite:
Here are some of our favorite vistas from the day:

Couldn't believe this color contrast

In the center of below pic is the famous "Courthouse'

Laurie took her physical therapy training to a new level (keep in mind plenty of ice and mud on the 2 mile trip) so as not to miss some of the famous arches:

2-14 Valentine's Day Celebration

I just wish I had a picture of Dawn and I wearing our matching Valentines Day teeshirts! We had a great gathering at one of their friends place to all watch the somewhat corny (but cultish movie if you ski Snow Basin) called Frozen

MOVIE REVIEW

Frozen

last updated: 2010-02-06 01:55:41

Snow boarder and pipe enthusiasts take note:

It also turns out that the weekend we were at Snow Basin it was the final of the four venues of this years Dew Tour.

Dawn and John also have a Faux Da named Brooke Smith...and let me tell you Dawn pulled off the ultimate in getting previously seriously injured snowboarder Kevin Pearce to go introduce himself to Brooke and have this picture taken!!

2-12 Snow Basin sounds like a good idea!

So at 9:00 AM I called Dawn Lowery and ask if we could drive our rolling home to their driveway and ski Snow Basin with her and John the the next day. As one might expect with Dawn...of course that was a good idea! Well, the motorhome was too long for their driveway but we found a secure space to park it in their subdivision and immediately moved into their guest room. Again, since pictures speak a thousand words did we have a great time or what?!

We even managed a run from the start house of the 2002 Men's Olympic Downhill, and quite a few stretches from the Women's Downhill course as well!

2-11 One last night of fun before leaving Sun Valley

Every Friday afternoon all the Sun Valley Instructors have a meeting at The Inn. Afterwards at the bar there is plenty of opportunity for some great socializing. It was kind of a surprise to discover just how many fun, great instructors we've come to know. It's was also great to be included some of the great camaraderie going on. For those of you who know Franz Fuchsberger  (owns Fuxi Racing) one of the hot retail spots at Govey Camp, you immediately recognize some of his gear which Laurie was wearing and resulted in Jim Grossman and I striking up a fun conversation that included shared pics of his two kids...I swear looking at the angles of his 8 year old running gates there's a future Olympian in the making. Plus, if you saw the orange faux fur vest his adorable little daughter was modeling my Alpental friends would know that Fur Day may have future expansion opportunity in SV! Jim is a great fan of jazz musician Paul Tillotson who was playing at the Dutchin Room so we also went there for the final set of the evening and what great entertainment that was!

2/10 "Getting back on the horse!"

Three weeks to the day of my accident I realized I was sort of ready to ski again and with us leaving SV shortly I knew that it would give me a chance to ski and then have my final appointment with my PT and decide if it was ok to continue slowly or not. I'm not gonna lie...every bump I hit was excruciating, and I skied very tentatively. BUT I did ski...and I ask you...does this look like a happy girl or what??

Loewy Lodge RV Park!

MP arrived back at their house sooner than I thought and poor thing drives up only to discover her entire driveway is filled with our motorhome. However, true to her form, she was gracious as ever and it was fun to get to spend time with her.

We also got to see Richard the day we headed out for Utah. Can you believe this view they have down the valley from their beautiful home?!

2/9 Mike Murphy "final performance" in SV

For those who don't know of him he's a musician/comic who has performed for 34 years in Sun Valley. The place was packed, he was awesome, the crowd was totally into it!

Afterwards a dozen of us headed out to The classic Cabin Creek for  a great dinner and much fun

We actually got to go into the hot springs at Frenchman's Bend

In an earlier blog we posted a lot of pictures of the beautiful drive out to Frenchman's Bend where there are a number of natural hot springs in the river. Although the entrance to the most accessible was still a bit tricky with my injuries, I'd been told it was safe as long as I took it slow. For centuries people who are ill have travelled far and wide for the sometimes miraculous healing power that natural hot springs can bring. Honestly I've always assumed it was the same impact that a good jacuzzi offers. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe there is something to the natural chemicals that soak into your skin that IS uniquely healing. I'll also attest to the fact that sitting amongst the beauty all around us was a real emotional boost. Here's what I also know...we went there on the 8th and I went skiing again on the 10th! (but I am getting ahead of the story! That will be continued in the blogs I update tomorrow)

Gary is a coach at heart

During the 3 weeks Laurie couldn't ski, Gary skied with Tom and also connected with Connie and Doug Cameron who we initially  met at the 'ZONE' at a Husky game. All of us are also active members of First Presbyterian Church Bellevue. Gary got the chance to do some informal coaching with Connie and Doug along with some great friends of theirs (Dar and Tom Shilling) Although Laurie had to skip the skiing it didn't mean I had to miss lunch and dinners with these new friends.

We also got to introduce them to our favorite ski dvd 'Images and Concepts' produced by Sean Warman

2-2 Ciro's, Fischer lecture and the Sawtooth

Every Wed from 4-6 there is a great cheese and wine tasting event at Ciro's. We've also always heard about all the different cultural events around town. That same night at the Library the Fisher Nordic VP made an entertaining presentation.
 As it turns out, the REAL highlight of the night was that Gary got to reconnect with Leroy Kingland . Apparently he is a real legend in the ski business in the Northwest and Sun Valley. He was a renowned distributor for Head, Raichle, and Fischer. We don't know his exact age but if you look at this picture it demonstrates that much of flourishing is loving what you do and continuing to pursue your passions as long as possible
!

Another not to be missed restaurant in Ketchum is the rebuilt Sawtooth Saloon (that burned down a few years ago) so we enjoyed a late dinner following the lecture with Tom and Cheri!

1-31 The Watsons also know how to throw a great party!

This was a "wine party" with @ 24 people...so very lively! Each couple was to bring a bottle of wine in a paper sack that had to be priced under $20. Each bag received a number on the bottom of it. To select the bottle you would then take home they bought one of those "claw machines". (the larger versions are found in grocery stores and casinos where you see all the prizes an then use 'a claw" to try and pick up your prize and then dump it into the exit slot.) The Watson version had finger puppets with the wine bottle number written on the bottom of each one. The Seattle/Sun Valley connection must be 2 degrees of separation so it was fun to meet/reconnect with some great people!

1-25 at Tom and Cheri Watsons

The Dahl's (who we'd been staying with since the accident left for a trip back to Seattle on the 24th), and since I was still having difficulty navigating steep steps the Watson's graciously invited us to stay at their home.The best pic I can include of this stay is of theirs (and my) beloved dog Fischer Rose!!

If anyone ever needs physical therapists in Sun Valley area

I was in enough pain from the accident that I was willing to try both traditional and non traditional therapists. Highly recommended was Michael Rollins

who is certified in "Active isolated stretching and strengthening". He also uses ARP wave technology which is similar (but different) to the electrical stimulus used by many therapists. He is also also highly trained in Tai-Chi...guess what... I learned that rather than breathing regularly I hold my breath while in the midst of a focused activity...this could be a life changing discovery!

I also worked with Dean Rutherford who is a Chiropractor in Hailey who did wonders to straighten my neck that was very misaligned after hitting my head so hard. He also added traditional electro stimulus to my treatments.

When Michael had to leave on a business trip he recommended 3 PT's. I chose Jill Pardini who is a certified PT and SCS. Her clinic is Sun Valley Sports Therapy which operates within Zynergy which is an awesome sports facility. Following her treatments I then had access to the clubs aromatherapy steam room and Jacuzzi which allowed for additional stretching/range of motion exercise. She was the perfect match for me....a great blend of optimism and reality!

Today is 2-25. Injured and novice blogger that I am, I am FINALLY going to post individual blogs!

One thing I've learned is that the "post date" isn't really the day something happened. Starting with this series of blogs I'm going to add additional commentary and pics of some of the wonderful people and fun events that occurred during our extended stay in Sun Valley while I was rehabbing from my accident on Jan. 20th. And then continuing with our journey as we left for for Utah on Feb. 12th, and finally arrived in Colorado on Feb. 17th. Although out of order, we hope that you're able to absorb some of the joy we've experienced this past month!

And to think I always thought "to blog" meant to update info frequently!??

So much has happened in the past two weeks (plus lack of network availability) that it turns out that I am a dud blogger. However, as of last night we are finally settled in Breckenridge so ready to get back at it. In a major effort not to bore any of you to death, I'll try to select the pictures that are the most inspiring and keep the verbiage to a minimum. Yeah yeah I know that is an oxymoron where I'm concerned. More later!

Oh...have I mentioned parties??!!

Another delightful quality of life in the Valley are all the impromptu gatherings! While staying in my "hospital room" at the Dahl's there was much to be celebrated! One night we even went over to Dar's...another Tri Delt seen in middle of photo) She'd recently arrived from Hermosa Beach..so how cool was it to get to celebrate her Birthday with a bunch of her SV friends??!

Walking, Breathing in breathing out!

So one thing that (via some of my latest therapy) has finally penetrated my thick skull is that proper breathing is far more important to health and healing than I've acknowledged so on Sunday we "practiced" proper walking and breathing by cruising the halls and viewing the wonderful old pictures at Sun Valley Lodge. (I also found that walking and shopping throughout the mall was also very therapeutic!)

Recently, while Gary (Faux Pa) was giving a mini ski lesson to our Faux Da we noted that the "baskets" need to be behind you. She had no idea what a "basket" had to do with skiing. So for others who might also ask that question here's, a visual of the poles of old from the pictures displayed through the lodge:

Back in the day when you travelled to Sun Valley via train very long skies were the all the rage:

We love how Sun Valley, Ketchum and Hailey have been modernized without totally losing all the original charisma:

The Birthday Boy!

I recognize that not all of you have ever heard of "Hoops and Yoyo" who are featured in Hallmark talking/singing cards but for those who do appreciate their wacky humor here's Gary modeling the Birthday Kung Fu Master card along with his new after ski boots that are well suited to the zero degree temps we're getting used to"

And since he's currently off working out at Zynergy with our buddy Tom and doesn't get to preview this blog, here's a particularly charming shot of the Birthday Boy!

Last year Sun Valley added a new gondola that goes up to the historic Roundhouse and this year they've extended the hours so you can enjoy a fabulous dinner:

This shot shows the original beams that were used in the original construction:

Ski Odyssey Modified

One of our goals in taking off to "follow the storms" was to also really experience a lot of different areas. Yet, with Laurie's injury (and the new full-time job I have doing therapy!)we've had the chance to spend over two weeks in Sun Valley. Truth be told, it's never been my favorite ski hill, so the initial plan was to just stay 3-4 days with the focus on catching up with friends more than skiing. So many friends who have made this their part-time home always talk about the multitude of activities the Valley offers along with the incredible beauty. Well for sure we now "get it"!! On Friday we took the breathtaking drive up to Frenchman's Glen. The Big Wood River runs through it:

And in a couple spots there are natural hot springs:

It's been years since I read "the Bridges of Madison County" but immediately thought of that when we came upon this view:

And here's the back view of Warm Springs (site of my accident!) as we're heading back to Ketchum:

How could you not be inspired by the beauty of this day?!