Christmas & Snow

We had a great Christmas. Lots of wonderful presents, Aunt Annie visiting (yeah!), and just some relaxing time at home. We also got our first snow, which fell overnight and is now nearly melted (at 12 noon).

Pre-Christmas Hike in the Desert

We decided that we needed to get out and about, so we went on a small 4-mile hike in the Utah desert. Aunt Annie was along for the adventure, which we always enjoy. Besides the rocky scenery of the Bucktank Draw, there were several rabbits who scurried away, two meandering cows, circling hawks, and one owl who hovered over us as we kept interupting its perch. A bit chilly, but we ended up taking off our coats after a little bit of walking.

Christmas Tree from the Kaibab National Forest

We ventured up to the Kaibab National Forest/North Rim area of the Grand Canyon, to cut down our Christmas Tree. (just a $10 forest-service permit.) It was a bit of an adventure, and we all had a good time. We 4-wheeled down an un-plowed, un-paved forest service road, played in the snow, and then picked out a tree. Our tree has some personality -- it's a Charlie Brown tree which can barely support our ornaments -- but it was worth it. It was our first sight of snow for the season, and the kids had a fun playing in it. We also went at the Jacob Lake Inn for lunch before heading back to the desert. On the way home, Brian stopped at Lee's Ferry Anglers to buy some flies, as he is determined to get there to fish before the New Year.