Merril, Motorcycles, and the Arctic Ocean

Merril wanted to ride a motorcycle to the Arctic Ocean and found 2 other adventure-seeking friends to go with him! Ryan Rosenberg and Jared Hummel. I just like this picture!

This is a hotel on Lake Louise. I bet it's freezing 10 months out of the year.

They found a hot spring to have a bath in. It's nice to soak your bones when you've been riding 15-16 hours a day. 😅 Merril said the hot springs were nice and hot! They stopped on the way there and the way back.

But look at his face! He loves it!

They reached the arctic circle without any problems.

We went to our own Arctic Circle on the same day. It was pretty tasty.

They had to be careful of bears. This campground had an electric fence to keep them out.

They made it! It looks like afternoon but it's more like 1 a.m. 🤯 The sun barely sets this time of year. 

One is bound to get some helmet head.

They had to catch a boat to cross a river. During the winter, the river freezes over and people drive across the river. During the time of year when it's too slushy for driving but too much ice for the boat, you just don't cross the river. It's closed for about a month in the spring and again in the fall.

They saw caribou, lots of bears, mountain goats, elk and deer. Everything went pretty great until the end when Merril's fuel pump stopped working about 11 hours from the truck in Montana. Ryan and Jared went to get the truck and Merril stayed back with the bike. When they met up, Ryan and Jared slept and Merril drove home. 

One bit of luck! On the way back they made a stop for dinner and people asked which way they were going. They said South and people said good because the road had just washed out behind them. If they hadn't gotten past the washed out road, they would have had to make an almost 500 mile detour. Oi. But they made it so all was well. 

Merril's hands are pretty tired but other than that, everything else was good. I'm glad he has crazy friends so he doesn't do these things alone. 😀

My Garden Brings Blessings

My garden makes me happy. It brings me food! The apricot tree is almost done and the veggies are coming in regularly. 

While Daddy's gone, we went to see a movie. We saw a new animated movie called Bad Guys. It was pretty cute. A bunch of thieves turn their lives around. Good 'ol summer vibes. No schedule!

Summer Sugar

Yummy shaved ice, one of my favorite summer treats!

 

Juliet's 15th Birthday!

We didn't plan ahead enough to schedule an appointment with the driver license division in Hurricane and there were no appointments on Juliet's 15th birthday. Luckily, there's an office in Cedar City and it had a few appointments left! I wanted to make this happen for Juliet! We made an appointment in Cedar City and drove up there on her birthday. She passed and we remembered all the right documents! 

She was so excited to drive home! Let's be honest, she's been driving for a while now. She's pretty good. I'm sure I'll be terrified at some point.

We picked up Nicole and went to Yogurtland.

Birthday cheesecake!

Juliet had a friend party on Saturday and Nicole made this gorgeous cake for her!

Juliet is a great kid! It's fun to watch her grow up! 💗

Fixing Jack's Truck

 Jack's truck came from Grandpa Campbell's work.  It was an old yard truck and Jack got it for free. Free vehicles tend to need some work now and then. It was leaking coolant like crazy! It was time to change the intake manifold and valve cover gaskets. Jack got started on the truck but became frustrated when he couldn't get some bolts out. I started to help him because I have small hands.

We changed the thermostat too because it was right there.

This project took several weeks but we got it buttoned up finally. Merril isn't pictured but he provided the expertise.

We forgot the o-ring on the fuel rail. When Jack started the truck up the first time, it started spraying everywhere. I thought the truck had gone from bad to worse.

But we quickly realized out mistake and it was an easy fix. Now it doesn't leak coolant!

It was a lot of work and but now it's running perfect! It's great when projects work out! Jack's getting good at fixing things and making them work again. 👊

Now Mikayla Wants a Cello

The Intermediate School had a free summer class in order to garner interest in the band and orchestra department. Mikayla learned about a lot of instruments but decided she really likes the cello. She still has another year of elementary school and we're not close enough for the early morning program. She's excited for it when she gets there. I could have a cellist and a pianist, just like The Piano Guys! 

Mikayla and I wanted to plant flowers in the strawberry bed this year. We planted dahlias.

And California poppies because my girl is in California. 🌻🌺

Fish Lake SAR Conference 2022

This is the easiest camping trip ever. We hauled the Jeep and dirt bikes and kayaks with this diesel pusher motorhome. We lost a tire on the way up. We got it fixed and on our way.

There was a rock climbing wall this year. The National Guard brought it.

While Merril was in classes, the kids and I took off on a trail ride. Mark and I slowly drove the Jeep on a trail. 

Mark had to stop for a potty break and we found a dollar bill. It's been sitting in the wilderness for a while but that was fun!

The weather was lovely this year. Not too cold.

Merril helped cook breakfast one of the days. 

It's fun to have an excuse to hang out with the Beattys and the Howards.

There was a motivational speaker on the final night. He asked for a volunteer that wanted $100. Jack's hand shot up. He asked if Jack would still want the $100 bill if it was crumpled, torn a little, and stomped on. Jack said yes. The speaker toyed with him but eventually gave him the $100. We couldn't believe it! Awesome way to end our trip!