Today is Greg's BIG 3.0! At first I was a little bit bummed on the weather. It's that time of year in Utah where it's too wet and cold to do anything fun outside, but it's still way too early to go snowboarding. So I figured we would just have a lazy day around the house, which is alright with me since those lazy days are few and far between for us. But we ended up taking a long ride on the 4 wheeler way back into Promontory and around the new Jack Nicklaus Golf Course. It was fun, and very pretty!
I have been wanting to share pieces of my journal entries from our trip to the Sierra Nevada's for a while now. This trip goes down in my history as one of the best ever. The main reason for that is because it was during this trip, deep in the Sierra Nevada Forest that Greg's overwhelming good energy knocked me off my feet! I fell head over heals for his hilarious sense of humor, his unique perspective on life, his love for adventure, and not to mention the six pack stomach he was rockin' (owww) ;) He and I would stay up most of the night, each night we were there, just talking about everything. We connected on so many levels. It was somewhere along that River that I knew who I would go through life with and I realized at that time also that my best friend and companion was someone I have known since I was a toddler... kind of a crazy awakening.
Sunday, July 25, 1999
We just passed Reno, headed towards Truckee. I'm in Leslie's car with her, Greg, and Jake. Up ahead of us is Thayne in his F350 pulling Jake's jeep and trailer. Then ahead of them is Von and Beth in their F250 pulling the forklift trailer hauling dad and Thayne's jeeps with Sasha and Cina in the back of the truck. It's quite the caravan. We are all pretty much ready to get off the highway and on the trail. We are planning to hit Fordyce Creek first, then Rubicon...
We are finally headed out f the desert and into the pines....
Wednesday, July 28, 1999
We've been stranded for two days. We spent Monday night in "the ghetto" because Thayne's jeep broke down on the summit so we slept in bug ville and made poor man tacos on the rocks. But last night we finally made it as far as the river. It is PARADISE here. The river is so gorgeous. Crystal clear, but cold as ice. That didn't stop us from jumping off it's cliffs or riding it's current... Chris is all around us. He is the breeze, the icy water, the burning sun. I can feel his spirit everywhere. I do miss his voice though. I wish he were here to make us laugh. Greg is doing a good job at that though. He has so much energy. Last night he and I crossed the river by walking over a log that hung on top of a waterfall. It was a full moon so everything was glowing. We went to the island on the other side and put our feet in the sandy beach. Everything was black and white because of the full moon. It was a beautiful night. Now we're loading up the jeeps and getting ready to cross the river and finish this trail. Tomorrow we will start Rubicon if all goes well.
Thursday, July 29, 1999
Sierra Trek denied us of passage. We made it across the first river crossing, barely, with a lot of close calls and very scary moments! But when we made it to the second one that night we decided it was definitely NOT passable. So we camped there and had to go back the same way we came in. Leslie and I chose to walk down river to the log I had walked across one night ago. I was NOT getting back in the jeep to cross the river. The first time across the water was up to my waist (in the back of the jeep) and we were literally floating down river. I don't know how we made it to land, but holy WOW my heart was pumping! "Land Ho!" Those words from Jake were a sigh of relief for me. I'm pretty sure I nearly had a heart attack... now we're headed back to Tahoe for showers and dinner, and who knows what we will do with the rest of our days here...
Tuesday, August 3, 1999
We're back to Salt Lake now. I've never been more bummed to be here. We had the best time possible in Tahoe. Me, Jake, Leslie and Greg ran that little Tahoe town.... We ended up in a little Karaoke bar where Jake sang his version of La Bamba "Do you wanna ride my Llama?" It was surely a classic moment not to be forgotten... Now that I'm home all I want to do is move back there. Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places I've been. The people are so welcoming.
Things are very different for me now back here at home, in a good way. I can't even explain why yet. I just never knew I could feel this good, I always thought that would just be a dream. The craziest part about it is I have known him for years and years and I never saw this coming until it knocked me off my feet. I fell, just like that...
And that is where our story began... it's now been nearly 10 years... 10 great years!
Happy Birthday Greg!
9 comments:
Hey Sue, I figured out how to do it. Thanks.
thanks so much for sharing that. how fun to read! and how invaluable are those journals you've been so good at keeping?!
i've always heard about this trip. epic for sure! i've also always heard about you & greg disappearing and everyone else scratching their heads saying "WTH???!!!" may have been hard to wrap their brains around then, but i think you guys are a match made in heaven now. glad you found each other.
the pics & stories made me nostalgic for those 4-byin days, including the rubicon trail. holy gnarliness!!!!
love you guys.
Oh yea...and I love the LOVE story. Yall are sooooo adorable and so meant for each other. You look like such babies in those pictures. Cute!
Oh the many wonderful memories... Mine from that trip are not so romantic as yours. Someone had to be the responsible party to make sure we all made it home in one piece. The breakdowns, the river crossings, losing all weeks worth of meat on the 1st day out, the jeep fire... those are the things your mom was worrying about while you were off with your head in the clouds. I never had a clue what was happening to you, but I'm very happy with the outcome. One of my favorite memories of that trip was my bet with Greg at dinner. That was a riot trying to keep him in line for a free meal, my memory says, I won! He always claimed different. Thanks for the memories. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GREG That's the 4th, Right!
Happy Birthday Greg!
Oh, the memories! I LOVE your pictures. This week is very nearly one of my best yet. The first reason being that I was with the very most cherished people in my life at the time. There weren't a better group of buddies. The moments in the back country there were irreplaceable...all of the things that took place were just so epic, so classic. I am laughing to hear Beth's perspective of the trip. As youngsters, you are so oblivious to the real pressing matters at hand. It's all just joy and living in the moment! But without a doubt, I never saw you and Greg's relationship coming either. But I have to say (and I don't mean this to sound cliche) you two were MADE FOR EACH OTHER. I couldn't imagine either of you with anyone more perfect. I love Greg as much as I love you (which is more than words) and together you guys are a force to be reckoned with! Love to you both...And happy birthday Greggers, you OLD man!
(For some reason I am shocked that he has finally caught me in age! I always thought he was trailing by more years!)
Great story. I can not believe you guys crossed that river. Oh wait...yes I can. It is Jake and Von. I've never met Greg, but Happy Birthday anyway! It really does sound like you two are meant for each other.
Nice Story. :) Happy Birthday, Greg!
Emily is house sitting and I told her if she has some time to log in to your blog and read the whole thing. She is starting right now.
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