We have a witch in the family. Isn't it wonderful? (Orlando, FL)

No words can describe how much fun Jolene had at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter so pictures will have to do!  She will definitely be handing out candy this October as Hermione.

Grand Canyon Hike (10th Anniversary since we tried this in the dead of Winter with ice)

About ten years ago, while Jolene was working on a travel nurse assignment in Phoenix we did a road trip to the Grand Canyon.  We ended up doing a very poorly planned hike in the middle of the winter down Bright Angel Trail (12+ miles) with a lot of ice/snow at the top and shortened daylight hours due to the time of year.  It took us sunrise to sunset, walking in sneakers, and using just about all the supplies we traveled down with to make it back out that evening.

We knew we had to go back and try it again but this time a little wiser and more prepared.  We had the right shoes, liquids, snacks, etc. and this time we would hike all the way to the bottom and stay a night at Phantom Ranch then hike back out the next day.

Even with all the preparation we still had to deal with temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit at the bottom and a thunderstorm and rain at the rim when we started the hike prior to 5 am.  We took the South Kaibab trail down which is shorter than the other options but with no water stops and nearly no shade.  It was a long day’s hike but the views were amazing.  We were definitely sore and hot by the end but made it down with nearly no injuries (nearly).



This log tripped Jolene and she gracefully ended up where she stands now... 



At Phantom Ranch we actually stayed in a couple of small cabins.  One had bunk beds for the women and the other for the men.  We caught up on our water intake, sat in the cool stream rushing into the Colorado, ate some Hikers’ Stew, and met our doppelgängers (A couple that had been married for a few years and was living down in Nashville until recently moving up to Chicago).



The next morning, we were up bright and early for a 5 am breakfast so we could start our hike out of the Canyon before it got too hot.  We took the Bright Angel Trail back out which is longer but a little less steep and had a couple of water spots.  We definitely still underestimated how tough this 11-mile hike would be right after our long day hike down.  The views were amazing but we definitely had to keep pushing to make slow progress out, especially during the second half.  This time we were at least prepared with electrolyte tablets, our snacks, and then Phantom Ranch set us up with two sack lunches as well.

While the hike seemed to take forever we actually made pretty good time out of the Canyon and did lunch at the South Rim.  We have both agreed the hike out of the canyon is the second toughest day hike we have ever done next to the day where we hiked up to Salkantay Peak in the Chilean Andes (Jolene barely survived that day!).

 

After resting up a little, we were back in the car to finish our small loop out West and headed to Kingman, Arizona for some rest.

Zion National Park (hikes)

With the busyness of Chicago, I had been looking for some time off away from electronics and away from people if possible.  We flew our hiking boots out West, picked up a car (went hybrid since it felt appropriate), and drove into Utah to Zion National Park.  We stayed right outside the park gates and could easily shuttle into the park to all the trailheads.  We stayed for a few nights and quickly set up a routine of an early breakfast, the first shuttle into the park, a long hike, and then a meal (Bit & Spur, Oscar’s, Jack’s) in the small town of Springdale. We would then figure out how to best use our late afternoon/evening (late hikes, watching the sunset, etc.).

The hikes we did while in the park were:

Emerald Pools – Great short distance hike, with some climbing but definitely a pretty walk under a small waterfall and taking a break by the upper pool.

The Narrows – Incredibly memorable and unique hike as you are mostly walking through the river that is channeling between the two canyon walls on either side of you.  We originally planned to use our hiking shoes for this but after investigation, I found a group that rented us water boots and a hiking stick to help prevent the twisting of any ankles and to make sure our shoes would be dry for our next hike.  I’m told you can go as much as five miles down this canyon before having to turn back but I think we made it less than four.  The going was tough.  At one point we were over our waists in water holding our backpacks above our heads to continue due to how deep the water got.

Note the hikers climbing the wall

Chains to help the climb

Angel’s Landing – Tough hike as far as the elevation change with an absolutely intense (more like obstacle course with chains) last half mile straight up to get to the peak. The resulting views were amazing.  I’ll have Jolene tell you about it someday but I’m told she's made peace with her spirit guide “The Rock Squirrel” out on the final ledge.

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Weeping Rock – We snuck this one in our final afternoon/evening.  It’s a short hike but decent views and a chance to walk up to the canyon wall where water literally weeps down the edge of it to your feet causing discolorations in the rocks.

Vegas Baby! (Brief stopover)

When planning a brief vacation out West, as I shifted jobs to be more local, the best airport to start that trip just happened to be Vegas.  We knew we had limited time before we had to leave the city so we hit the city like pros.  We landed at 7 am straight out of the gate we dropped our bags off at the new LINQ hotel and were eating brunch plus mimosas at the Flamingo.  We did the usual quick gambling since the flashing lights told us we should, but we still made time to bounce down the strip with a pina colada and see the Titanic Museum which is currently at the Luxor (worth the trip).

The highlight of the trip was getting to visit one of Jolene’s doctor friends from Northwestern.  He had moved out to Vegas the prior year to practice and it was fun to catch up with him.  He even took us to his favorite steak joint off the strip for cocktails and a bite to eat-THANKS!

Can’t wait for an excuse to go back…

4th of July - Siblings Weekend (Chicago)

We've been looking for an excuse to get the siblings out to our place and The 4th of July was as good of an excuse as any.  Also, Kristina had not yet visit so we brought her out to keep a close eye on all the other trouble makers.  Definitely needed with this group...

It was a great time.  We celebrated the Summer birthdays and did a Jolene birthday dinner with crab cakes and filets.  We walked over to the Oak Park Parade and also headed up and did fireworks at the high school.  The brewery trip to Lagunitas with their trippy hallways and "Adult Daycare" was also very entertaining. 

Good times were had by all.  Dave even extended his trip, staying for a week and a half to make it to an interview out in Wisconsin.  We tried to make him lick the Bean downtown and he took us to meet up with some friends at Kaiser Tiger.

Can't wait to plan the next time everyone can come out!

Casablanca, Morocco - "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world..."

Rick's Café

Once again a two week UK trip came up for work.  I negotiated one last trip from my significant other for the weekend I would be out there (since she'd still be at home and wasn't happy about it).  I took a look a few weeks before I was out there to see how unique of a place I could get to with direct flights from London knowing I'd only have a couple days.  One of the options that popped up to the top was a flight Thursday night by Royal Maroc to Casablanca!  Knowing very little about the city or the country it was in I went ahead and bought a ticket.

Hassan II Mosque

It turns out I learned a lot while I was there.  I showed up towards the end of Ramadan and was asked when I showed up if I would be fasting with everyone else!  I did a crash course of French on the plane ride over but still was an utter failure when questioned in Arabic/French as I entered the country.  Fortunately in most cases people knew English so I was able to navigate my way through the city.

Hassan II Mosque was definitely a highlight and is an exception to the rule as it is open to the public to look around.  Sadly, my favorite experience was probably at Rick's Café which was recreated by an American expatriate to mimic the fictional gin joint in the movie Casablanca.  The food was good, they had local beverages, and I ran into a Australian couple from South of Perth that I got a chance to hang out with or awhile.  

 

 I stayed right off the edge of Old Medina and the lined up shops and everyone trying to make a sale was definitely a little intense.  I also did a lot of walking around the rest of the city as well since negotiating with the taxis (petits/grands) was a pain as they all wanted a pretty serious markup knowing I wasn't even close to a local.

I can honestly say it was HOT in Casablanca, and I can point you to the only tree in the entire city that would provide a little shade.  This did lead me to also spending a decent amount of time at the pool under an umbrella catching up on Ernest Hemmingway novels (I now live close to the house he live in and it feels wrong not knowing his famous stories).

Parents in the Windy City

After initially postponing their first trip to see the new house, my parents finally made it out to Chicago this summer.  While we did make it downtown for some of the usual activities, the focus was definitely on the hanging out locally.

We saw the Frank Lloyd Wright homes (torrential downpour half way through made it a two part trip).  We also went to the Hemingway home and museum.

We made it to a couple local restaurants but we did quite a few meals at home.  The favorite meal was Jolene teaching my family how to do cook her family's childhood favorite, "Chicken Fried Steaks" and the appropriate sides.

The previous month the DiLoretos were in town for Easter but our yard only had one random tulip.  Since we made them take a picture as a group with it, it only made sense for my parents to recreate the picture with the side yard in full bloom.