Pitch-in at the Riley Resort!

Wanna hear some good stories from our resident Marine? Plan to attend a pitch-in at the Riley Resort on Saturday, August 22nd! The Rileys will provide the venue, meat, swimming pool, hot tub, and horseshoes. Please RSVP in the comment section and let us know what you might want to bring (so we don't have duplicates!)

wisdom teeth extraction & cows

We managed to get a smile out of Kelli Jo today, which was an accomplishment since she had her wisdom teeth removed on Friday.

Jenna headed up North for the weekend to visit her friend's grandparents farm.

Here's a picture of big mama before Jenna milked her.

Almost one of the few

Eric seems to be enjoying boot camp. This week he wrote that "Actually, it's quite beautiful because I get to stare out DIRECTLY at the sunset behind the palm trees during hygiene inspection... it's like I'm on vacation every night!"
When he comes home on leave, he said he is not too picky as long as he gets to see all his loved ones. So to honor his request, we will have an open house for him on Sunday the 16th. I suggested waiting til the second weekend he was home but he said he would prefer Sunday because by the second weekend he hopes to have seen most people. I know some of you will be unavailable but I hope to talk Carrie into having a family gathering the second weekend. (hint, hint) You would get to spend more 1-on-1 time with the new Marine.
I would love it if any who have received letters from Eric could bring them. Eric is such an entertaining writer. Remember his stories he sold in grade school? (Yes, Laura. You are a good writer also)
For those interested, that weekend (14-16) is also Katie's play and the Indiana State Fair.

Visiting the AT

I would say we "hiked" the AT, but a couple of days is more like a visit. Wes & Stacie let us tag along and gave us an inside look at life on the trail. Their packs were setup to be light and fast. We got the details on how they made the camp stove from coke cans, and used "heet" for fuel. They also talked about some of the relationships that were cultivated on trail. Sounds like they have made some life-long friendships.

While waiting for them at the inital meeting place, we asked several thru-hikers if they saw a girl with pink hair, and about everyone knew them. One guy, said "you mean Rainbow" (Most people on the trail have nicknames). We started hiking south until we ran into them. After we made it back to the car, we went into town to eat, and replenish supplies. After finalizing plans, we began our hike.
The first part was about a five mile climb. At the shelter, we settled in, started a fire, and fixed supper. We were settling in for the evening, early to bed, early to rise. We thought we were going to have it to ourselves, but a couple hikers showed up late. Thankfully they were quiet and even sleep outside. The one guy said he only sleeps in a shelter if it's raining.

After breakfast and conversation with the other hikers, we hit the trail and saw a big deer, a covey of grouse, and a couple wild turkeys. The hiking was fun and their were some great vistas. Some of the peaks were Bald Mountains, which Wes said were cleared for cattle grazing, cattles can't go down the steep slopes so fences weren't need. We stopped and took a picture at the spot were Wes & Stacie surpassed 800 miles on the trail. The climbs weren't as drastic this day, and the scenery changed throughout the hike. Stacie kept telling Wes to let us lead, she was afraid that Wes would sprint through the trail if he was in front. Although we had to to tell kelli to slow down a few times, that worked pretty good having her take the lead.

When we hiked out of the woods, and went to a went to our pick-up spot, some "tourists" came up to us and asked where the AT was. So I felt like a real hiker for a short while. There was a unplanned reunion with some of Wes & Stacies trail friends (Memo and Father). It turned out they were staying at a B&B (of sorts) for the fourth, so Wes & Stacie decided to join them. Mr. Williams showed up in his pick up truck and took me and kelli back to our mini-van. We got a good workout, and enjoyed our visit. They will be in Shendoah Valley Park soon, so plan your trip.




Each Shelter has a journal which, when full, is stored and preserved.


Home-made camping stove, made from coke cans.

Food bags. Tin cans keep animals from climbing down rope.

We just refilled our water bottle from a stream using our filtered pump.

You can see some of the bigger mountains we climbed in the background.

800 miles on the trail and counting.

day break stop for us.

Waiting for Mr. Williams to take us back to our car.

Happy Fourth of July from Chicago!!

We do our big show on Independence Eve. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

fun in the arizona sun

Scott just took Katie, Kate, and Sam horseback riding in the Rincon Mountains. Kyle, Viv, Emily, Michele, and I are hanging out at the house. Here's a snapshot of our last couple of days.




The kids having fun in the rain and muddy backyard!

Kyle and Viv are worn out!

The view from Michele's driveway.

Getting ready to go to Colossal Cave

It's monsoon season in Tucson! Kids loved it!

The Riley kids take Phoenix by storm....

The sign says "WELCOME TO PHOENIX"

(They made it and now, I think Katie wants to be a flight attendant.)