Nov - 8th

The coolest kid's in town

I love those two little buggers more than I can even say. Although I am nervous about the little baby girl that will be joining us soon , mostly because I have no idea what the hell to with a girl, I am looking forward to another kid to join our family. Sloan is doing awesome and getting big and still takin care of us all. I'm a lucky dude.

Sowat Point

Saturday morning I took off from my in-law's house in Kanab with my minature thoroughbred Boozer and drove 70 miles to the top of Kaibab National Forrest almost to the north rim. We were heading for Sowat Point which look's down into Jumpup Canyon and Kanab Creek. I had read about a trail that drop's 2000 ft in one mile off this point down into the canyon's below but had never been to it. It was a cool morning , the temp reading 38 degree's but sunny and soon to be freakin hot. It was a pretty drive following narrow dirt road's though the forrest. After a little more than an hour of driving the tree's began to thin and the world opend into sky and big canyons. Looking to the South I could see where Kanab hit the Grand. Sweet view to say the least. I was dissapointed to see their were a couple truck's parked at the trailhead. It did look like their might be enough land down there for more than one person though so I put on my pack and started down. My plan was to drop off this point then from the bottom hike over a couple mile stretch and drop into Sowat Canyon which then hit Jumpup Canyon and finally into Kanab Creek where their is rumors of a beautiful spring where I planned to drink , swim and walk around naked for the rest of the weekend. Well that didn't happen. It was a good goal but unrealistic for only a one night trip. Plus I was not physically prepared for that 2000 ft drop with a full pack on. Damn trail was steep. My calves were thrashed and cramping and we were only half way. The sun was beating down by this time and it for damn sure was not 38 degree's anymore. At one point Boozer looked up at me & said " I think we should postpone this hike unitl this platoon is better rested". I agreed 100 % but we were almost down now and climbing back up this mother of a mountain was not an option. We made it down weak in the leg's and wobblin but other wise in good spirit. Luckily we found water quickly which I was worried about because I did not have enough to last me let alone the dog. After lookin over the topo I had of the area I knew I did not have the time or energy to get anywhere near Kanab so I made peace with this and spent the day hiking around the red rock play ground. Really cool place with pottery , flint and overhangs where although not much at all was left you could easily picture the Anasazi ruins that stood here. I had a perfect night with a perfect view and slept like a wore out dog in the dirt, with my wore out dog next to me. Oh, and the hike back out was a cake walk compared to coming down.

I Can't Live Here

Here as in society. It make's me weak sick and depressed. The only thing that get's me through a five day work week is the fact that my family need's food , shelter and gas money to get the hell out as soon as the bloody clock hit's five o'clock Friday afternoon. The last few month's that is exactly what we have been doing. Sloan the boy's and myself have only spent one weekend at our house in the last two month's. Sloan is about 6 month's pregnant now so I fear the 2008 family camping is about over. She is tuff so I'm sure she will be fine when Johnny, Chubbs and I take off into the hill's. The hard part for her will come when it get's to cold and I will no longer be able to take the two little hopped up badger's with me. This Friday evening we headed up to Pine Valley. We got a late start so the sun was already down behind the mountain by the time we turned on to the Grass Valley road. We usualy drive out by Pinto but being this late we chose a nice little camp site on a little hill looking out over Grass Valley itself. The temp went from a muggy 95 degree's down in shit town to a insanely pleasant 68 at our camp. I instantly felt strong , rejuvenated, and overly optimistic. In a fair world I would fill this five day's a week and the other crapola only two.

Success

Sloan, her almost 5 month pregnat belly, the boy's and myself headed up to Pinto Friday afternoon to camp for the weekend and see if we could get a deer. Just like Cedar Mountain the weekend before we saw a bunch of deer but nothing with antlers. I had gone out hiking a bit here and their and was having fun stalkin around in camo and getting close to some of the doe's and fawn's. I have never done that before and it is pretty cool. Another thing I have almost zero experience in is shooting a bow. I practiced in camp the last couple weekends and could hit a target once in awhile. So with my skill's being what they are I was not worried about the fact that if I did hit a deer I would have to teach myself how to gut and skin him. Well I should have worried because it turn's out I am an incredible shot. Haha. Saturday night as the sun was going down we were driving around the dirt road's and we had circled around and had gone by the road to our camp I noticed two deer down by the river. I got out of the truck and jumped in back and had sloan pull up a way's until we got close enough to see that one of the two was a little two point. We got within 40 or 50 yard's before they looked like they were ready to bolt. I figured this was my probably my only chance to even shoot at a buck so I stood up over cab of the truck , drew back on the bow and let it go. I watched my arrow heading for the deer but lost site of it. I thought I must have missed because the buck took off back across the road and up into the tree's. I had jumped out of the truck by now and had knocked another arrow as I was running for the other side of the hill he had gone up , hoping that I might get another shot at him if he came down the other side. I only got a few feet because Sloan was yelling something at me and I could here the deer thrashing around in the tree's but not sounding like it was going anywhere. I thought to myself "Damn I must of hit him". I walked back to the truck where Sloan and the boy's were staring into the tree's. By the time I looked up and saw him he was allready laying down and only moving a a little more than a twitch. I couldn't believe it. Not only did I hit him but he only ran about 15 feet and was down for the count. I exclaimed my disbelief to Sloan and high fived the boy's. After waiting a couple minutes to make sure he was dead I walked up into the tree's to check out my first kill. He wasn't big at all but he was a pretty little two point all in velvet. At first I thought I had hit him low and in the gut but as I turned him over I realized that is where the arrow had come out. He was shot low about 3 inches behind his front leg. The arrow had gone completly through him and out the other side. According to the target I had been practicing on that is almost precisely where the heart is loacated. On the target I had never came close to this sweet spot. I would call it Divine Intervention. I guess God had heard my grocery bill's were getting a bit steep and he thought this could help. It was freaking AWESOME! I pulled him down the the hill and started gutting. I didn't know what I was doing but I did it. My badass pregnat wife even held the leg's for me while I cut him open. She likes to eat Venison but she has never gutted one or seen one killed and didn't exactly love the process but helped me anyways. I don't think many women would do this , especially pregnant. My other partners were right by my side the entire time too. Somebody asked Sloan if the boy's thought the gutting was gross. No they didn't. They were like wild monkey's with to much Red Bull in them. They were singin, screamin , dancin and prancin. They loved it all. Today Boden did get upset and cried but that was because I hauled the carcas off and he wanted to keep it. Just the weekend camping with my family was a hell of a good time. Getting a deer was just gravy.

Five Years & Counting

Sloan and I had our fifth anniversary this last Saturday. We didn't even see it coming. Well we both rememberd the month's and even week's before but some how we managed to forget on the actual day, at least most of the day. My Dad had stoped in the night before on his way back from Texas and he stayed the night with us wich was pretty cool because the Idaho people don't get to pop in all that often. We got to hang out a little that night and a couple hour's the next morning. Johnny and Jett had a blast wrestling and beating the hell out of him. After he left we packed up all our camping gear to head up on Cedar Mountain to camp for the the rest of the weekend. It was Saturday August 16th, the opening day of the bow hunt. Sloan and I did both remember that. She likes venison and I would like to shoot a deer with my bow that I don't no how to use. Anyway's as we were driving up Cedar Canyon enjoying the cool air as we headed up the mountain Sloan mentioned we should go up to Pine Valley and eat at the steakhouse for our anniversary wich was coming up..........As soon as she said it we looked at each other and said in unison "wich is today". It was only four oclock so we didn't miss it completely . Really we were both just happy that the other forgot so their was no bad blood. It was all good. We had a great day doing exactly what we most likely would have planned. Plus we were happy and in love on the 16th and not just because we had to be.

North Idaho Vacation

I took last week off from work so Sloan , Johnny Bo , Chubba and Myself could head up to Idaho to spend the week with the family. We had a great time. I think it's safe to say it was the best vacation we have had since we've been married. Just staying at my parents new place was a treat in it's self. The place is pretty sweet. Bodie and myself were bolth pretty upset with the fact that we couldn't live there. My parents spoiled the hell out of all of us taking us to do a lot of fun things and feeding us the entire time. If you know me and Sloan feeding us is not cheap and we demand food every few hour's so it's not an easy thing to put up with. The boy's loved running around the house chasing deer and playing on the huge lawn in the back yard. They took us to Silverwood Theme Park where we all had a pretty good time. The boy's have never been to any place like it before and they loved it. They checked out at least half of the city parks while we were up there also. I got to go see Ted Nugent on top of Silver Mountain ski resort with my Dad on the second or third night of the trip. It was an incredible place to get and watch a concert and Nugent was perfect for the setting. He freakin rocked and I had a hell of a good time. A couple day's later I had the privilege of floating the C'oeur D' alene River in a cool old little drift boat, also compliments of my Dad. I loved every second of it and can't wait to do it again. The entire family was awesome and hung out the whole week. Mom and Dad took off all or most of the week we were there and Tash and Boo barely left the entire time. It was freakin great to hang out with everyone. Thanks Guys.