Destination Christmas

Christmas in the Tetons. Where did that dog come from?

The in-laws decided to spend Christmas out west with their lovely daughter. Their lovely daughter started scheming to create the most enjoyable destination Christmas possible. The lovely daughter did a tremendous job.

To be clear, sharing Christmas with the in-laws is a decidedly good thing. Papa Lew and Nana Jinny are excited to have a good time in the ways Julia and I are excited to have a good time. Christmas for the Coulter family generally involves Aunt Barb's gumbo on Christmas Eve and nordic skiing every day. This destination Christmas was well-crafted and easy to enjoy.

Schedule for the in-laws:

• Fly into SLC
• Immediately head north to Victor, ID for a Christmas in the Tetons
• Head back to SLC for a day of rest
• Drive to Zion NP for New Years in the desert
• Return to SLC and depart

Our first stop was a pleasant cabin in Victor. Julia picked a winner. Everyone agreed this was a cabin worth coming back to. But before evening time we needed to go skiing. So we went skiing in Teton Canyon and returned home for some good food.

Seriously, what is up with that dog. It made it into all the
good pictures.

This first afternoon/evening set the pattern for all four days in the Tetons. Eat, sleep, ski could almost completely describe what we did on any given day. Cumulatively the crew nordic skied on seven different trails and made two runs in the backcountry. And we ate a lot of Aunt Barb's gumbo.

Pretty standard posture when waiting for food. They did more
than their share of cooking though too.

Two adventures stuck out. On Christmas day we headed to the Teton NP and started up a trail towards Taggart Lake. We wandered along and enjoyed the clear and sunny views.

Heading to the Taggart Lake trailhead.

Isn't this nice?

Oh yes, it sure is.

One of many gorgeous views along the trail.

Taggart Lake and Middle Teton, Grand Teton, and Mount Owen.

Turns out the lake isn't too frozen. I can only imagine a good
crust ski out there.

As the sun set, we got back to the car. It was an extraordinary day wandering around under the Tetons. Lew and Jinny set an admirable standard for Julia and I in terms of being active if we have the joy of becoming grandparents someday. It was a very special Christmas ski.

Resting on the way back included turning around and
seeing this. 

Spin drift off Middle Teton.

The second outstanding adventure involved skiing off Teton Pass. As much as I gather, this is not the coolest place a person can ski up by Jackson. But Julia and I were very pleased. The first day we checked things out on the east side of the pass. Two days later we dropped down on the west side of the pass and climbed up to the top of Edelweiss Bowl. We did two laps and then headed down the east side of the pass to the nordic trails where Lew and Jinny had passed the time while we were gone. Good day. If Edelweiss Bowl is scoffed at by locals, I'd like to enjoy a run they don't scoff at. Also, it must be equivalent to a blue square.

First day's run down the east side.

Trying to practice some Avy 1 skills.

Though it wasn't considered an adventure as it was on groomed nordic ski trails, making ourselves tired at Grand Targhee was very satisfying. Julia seemed to be enjoying herself on these trails. Half way through the ski she was planning on getting a job in Driggs, building a happy little cabin in the woods, starting a ski race on the Targhee trails, and living happily ever after.

Isn't this nice?

Oh yes, it sure is. 

Convinced we got our money's worth in every way, we headed back to Salt Lake City to regroup and pack up for a trip to the desert. Julia and I had been raving about how wonderful Zion NP is and we planned to spend a few nights there and then check out the skiing at Bryce Canyon NP.

This was a good idea. Kind of.

It didn't snow the last time we were here in January.

It was a little cold in the canyon. But it was also very beautiful. And everyone was game to make the most of it.

Our view during lunch in Kolob Canyon.

Hello.

A view from the campground.

Another view from the campground.

And another. This is is what our evenings looked like for
two days. 

Along the Virgin River heading up towards Angel's
Landing. Little too icy to get all the way up.

Enjoying a snack on the Angel's Landing/West Rim trail.

A California Condor!

Looking down on the Virgin River from the saddle below
Angel's Landing.

We also took a walk up to Observation Point sans camera. Though we enjoyed a lot of beauty, eventually everyone was tired of being cold. So we headed to Bryce Canyon, which was cold and windy. But also beautiful. We decided not to ski. Strangely enough, everyone was glad. Must have been the wind chill. Also, we got a hotel room and ate warm food in a restaurant.

This was a very good use of Christmas Break. Everyone enjoyed themselves, despite my obvious struggles to adjust to the Coulter schedule/way of life.

My goodness they enjoy stopping to make a sandwich.

Regardless, I feel fortunate I can confidently say, "sharing Christmas with the in-laws is a decidedly good thing." I almost started to enjoy stopping to make a meal.

Shortly after we returned to take on the spring semester something else popped in my right leg. This time it was in my knee and exercising was no longer the primary method for reducing stress. About the same time I saw this video (I recommend exploring his website):

Then this video (I recommend several of his other songs):

And I decided to reduce stress by making this video:

It kind of worked. Heading outside with Julia to hang out with family and friends and get ourselves some tired legs is still the best approach.

Yup. Being outside is better.