An All New Year
We took a week off from work and headed home to Utah to spend Christmas with family and to spend a little time in our new house. It's funny how much work needs to be put into a new home to make it livable. It shouldn't be a surprise but, it was and unfortunately we didn't get all of it done in the ten days we were there. What's even worse is that we didn't get out into the back country the whole week. But it wasn't a total loss.
We met with a few friends and family to discuss some of the upcoming trips we are planning for 2018. The two highlights of the year will be our return to Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari and our first off-road trip to South Dakota later this summer.
We missed the Jeep Safari last year due to being in California and while we won't be able to attend the entire nine days this year, we will get to be there for most of it. We'll have some logistical problems with lodging and getting our Jeeps into town but those are just minor inconveniences. As always we'll have a great time traversing the red rocks of southern Utah and I'm excited to catch up with some old friends.
The last time I was in South Dakota I boppin' around barely potty trained. I have vague memories of peering up at Mt. Rushmore and mixed in with strange, pasty looking figures that resembled presidents. I'm obviously overdue for a visit. This time, however, we're taking our UTV's to Mystic Hills Hideaway for some dirt road exploration. They have over 3,000 miles of trails begging to be explored and we're going to seek them out. We also want to see some of the touristy things like Mt Rushmore, while we're in the area. The best part is in most cases we don't even have to leave the UTV's behind. A street legal UTV can operate on paved roads in South Dakota, so it's possible to go right from the trail and over to the grocery store without being hassled. How cool is that?
We'll also be heading to Death Valley National Park to explore the desert before the heat of Summer sets in. Our time here in California is starting to shorten and I don't want to miss my chance at visiting this national park. We're going to pack the tent and sleeping bags into the Jeep and head off into the harshest environment in the U.S. Can't wait.
Despite not getting out to have any physical adventures, we did enjoy being home for the holidays. We have a lot to be excited about in the new year and we look forward to sharing it with you. We hope you had a great holiday week and we wish you a happy new year. Come back on Tuesday to see our visit to Cabrillo National Monument where we walked through an historic lighthouse. Have a good weekend and an even better 2018!
Brandan