So, in November (of 2009) Brian and I got to fly out to San Francisco and be a part of his best friend's (Kurt's) wedding. It was GORGEOUS there! We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge a few times, ate wonderful Sourdough bread, and relaxed on Pier 39. The wedding was simply beautiful, too! It was in a Catholic Church and the reception was at an unbelievably breathtaking winery. Brian got to be the Best Man, which he really enjoyed. (And he was very handsome in his uniform!! ;) ) I will attach a few pictures here, but there's no way to do it justice!
In December, I (Sara) had foot surgery... nothing too major, just a little bunionette that needed to be surgically broken and reshaped. In March, I had the plate and screws removed... and on the same day I went in for that minor surgery, Tundra had a knee replacement! She was a trooper, but I'm sure it was painful. She has recovered quickly and has been hiking a lot this summer with her new knee! No more limping, which makes me and Brian happy.
Here is a picture of her right after her surgery with her ice-machine-ice-pack on her knee. This was her comfy recovery position... ice pack, a pillow between her knees, and her toy birdies.Brian got a new job and is currently working at USAA. The job keeps him busy, but at least it's a somewhat solid job. In today's economy, job security is everything! Here is a picture of Brian on his first day at his new job.
We have had the privilege of doing lots of hiking and some camping this summer. We have hiked Pikes Peak (up the back way - through the Crags) and Stanley Canyon. I have done lots of trips on Section 16 and other local trails. Unfortunately, we usually only have the availability of doing one backpacking trip per summer (logistics of getting time off, etc.) so this year we thought we'd try backpacking up to a place that's situated between 2 fourteeners (Mt. Huron and Mt. Missouri, near Buena Vista).
It was our intent to pitch camp on the day we arrived and then hike up one peak the next day and the other peak
the following day and then come home. With the best of intentions, we set out hiking up Mt. Huron after setting up camp the day prior. We got an early start and the weather was beautiful! Oh, and our campsite was absolutely perfect. It was level, sof
t, had a beautiful view and a nice big fire pit nearby. Anyway, we set out to hike up Mt. Huron. The route we were taking was a "back" way and so 
the trail wasn't well-used (or well-marked) but we were making good time up the face of the mountain nonetheless. Finally, after scrambling and bouldering and scrambling some more, we came to a high point on the ridge of the mountain. From t
here, we could see the peak of Mt. Huron - but there was a rocky, spiney, treacherous distance of ridge we would need to hike in order to get to the top. Since there were pretty steep drops on either side of the narrow "trail" - we decided it wasn't worth the risk and we came back down.On the way down, though, I got a horrible leg cramp that would not release no matter what I did. I stretch
ed, massaged, ate potassium-rich snacks I had brought along... nothing worked. All the way down, it felt like my hamstring was being wound up like a guitar string. Upon reaching camp, I went immediately for the multivitamin I had brought along, thinking that if I hydrated well and gave my body some extra nutrients, it would release the cramp. Turns out that a little chipmunk thought he'd like to try my vitamins first! He literally ate a hole through the bag they were in and opened the pill box off in the trees. It was kind of funny! I found a vitamin in the dirt and blew it off, then gulped it down. :)So, as I'm hobbling around camp with my stupid leg cramp, Brian is preparing a snack for us that requires boiling water. Usually not a big deal for us... but we were both so exhausted from hiking that he somehow dribbled a little of the boiling water down his hiking boot and so his ankle got a nice burn on it! :( After seeing the skin that was beginning to bubble up on his ankle and me with my cramp that STILL wasn't letting go, we decided to pack it up and go home.
It was too bad it didn't work out. It was really a beautiful place with the lake nearby and the awesome scenery. We had perfect weather, and the deer around camp took our breath away. But it was time to leave, so we did. Maybe we will return someday! The four-wheeling road to get there was fun enough in and of itself to return someday and do it again!
So, after having a not-so-pleasant camping experience there, we thought we owed it to ourselves to have at least one good camping trip this summer. We decided to go to Stanley Canyon and backpack in with the dog. Tundra had a blast, everything went perfectly, and we had a very pleasant trip. Whew! :)
Tundra even loved swimming all day long in the 
reservoir, chasing ducks! Haha! I thought she might end up getting bit by one of the protective mama-ducks (since Tundra was chasing her little ducklings all over the water). But, turns out the ducks could swim just fast enough to stay away from the ever-curious Tundra-dog. Here she is, tired from swimming - and ready to go to sleep in her spot which was semi-in our tent. She also got to chase lots of squirrels around camp which also wore her out!!
As we were packing to leave the following day, we had the WEIRDEST coincidence of running into a friend of ours! She happened to be there that day (from Larkspur) and had happened to hike up the trail early enough to meet us, and HAPPENED to be a the off-the-trail-remote-location we had picked to set up camp. Weird. But cool.
Tundra did the incline for the FIRST time EVER today (August 13)! I am so proud of her. She was hot and panting like crazy! With her new knee, I wasn't sure how she would do, but she did great. We took lots of rest breaks along the way (I didn't want her to overdo it) and I kept her hydrated all the way up. Even with stopping so much, her time was 1:02. Way to go Tundra! :) And, another funny coincidence: I ran into a good friend of mine on the way down Barr Trail! What were the chances of that?! And she had even parked her car *literally* right next to me. How funny! :)
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