February 2019 - Skiing & Shell

February is our wedding anniversary month. This year the meter read 17 years on the 9th of February! 

We couldn't really celebrate it that exact day as we had a dinner with some Belgian colleagues of Geert who live in Ohio and were in town for a meeting. But, we made up for that a few days later with a date in Salt Lake. We went to 'White Horse', a cozy & trendy cocktail bar where delicious food is served. We loved it!

February is traditionally one of the best skiing months here in Utah, so Shell chose the best time to come and visit us.
He arrived on the 14th of February, but he had to wait a few days before he could hit the slopes, because we first had to go to St George (south of Utah) for another soccer tournament.
While I left to St George with the boys on Friday morning for Hendrik's first game that evening, Geert headed to Bryce Canyon with Shell.
When we were almost there, we got the message that that first game was canceled  because the fields were too wet ... great 🙄! If they would apply the same rules in Belgium, it would be the end of soccer there 😆. 
Our next game was only at 4PM the next day, but since Hendrik needed to rest, we slept in, had an extensive breakfast @ the hotel, went to the cinema and tried out the local hospitality sector:'Emerald Smoothie' for a delicious smoothie, and 'Mad Pita Express' where we had a pretty good gyros.
In the mean time, Geert and Shell visited Bryce Canyon National Park. When they arrived there on Friday night, they were just in time to catch the sunset.

The plan was to do the Navajo loop trail combined with the Peekaboo loop trail like we did in April 2017 (April 2017), but due to the huge amount of snow, all trails in the park were closed. But you cannot say they didn't try:

And they were rewarded with some awesome views. I mean, Bryce is a pretty surreal place, but with that amount of snow ánd with the blue skies they had, it's even more special.

After visiting the park, they would join up with us at an AirBnB in La Verkin, about 30 minutes from St George.

But first, Hendrik had to play two games. However, in the second half of his first game he got a red card for 'abusive language' which was completely ridiculous ... sadly enough, the calls of the referees here are often incredibly wrong and thus very frustrating. But in this case it was even worse because we found out a little later that we drove almost 5 hours for not even a single game! The red card meant he wasn't allowed to play the next game and the last game on Monday ended up being canceled as well due to bad weather 😖.

Although he wasn't allowed to play the second game, he still wanted to go and support his team.

On Sunday, there wasn't a game (one of the perks of living in religious Utah 😏), so we went to Zion National Park to do Angel's Landing again. It's a dangerous hike that we already did in November 2017, with gorgeous views but when you're crossing the spine of Angel's Landing the pathway is only a few feet wide with 1000 feet drop-offs on both sides. Not to be recommended for somebody with a fear of heights ... so not for me ... but I did it anyway ... twice! Ok, I'll admit that I was almost crying both times, but I made it.

This time, the last sketchy part of the hike was completely covered with snow. Sounds more dangerous, but with the spikes that we put on our shoes, I actually had more grip than with my normal hiking shoes without snowy conditions.

The first part of the hike is paved, with some steep switchbacks leading to 'Refrigerator Canyon', a place where the sun cannot penetrate ... hence the name. No steep incline there until you get to 'Walter's Wiggles', a set of compact switchbacks that brings you to 'Scout Lookout' on the top of the ridge above Refrigerator Canyon. 

paved switchbacks

in Refrigerator canyon

at the beginning of 'Walter's Wiggles'

Shell helping out a lady get up the 'Wiggles' without spikes

At Scout Lookout you get the first beautiful view on the canyon below. We were also treated by a very different, unexpected view:

A lot of testosterone, striking a pose at Scout Lookout

The advantage of hiking this trail in those conditions, is that you don't have to share that narrow trail with too many people 😅, except for this crazy bunch.

Anyway, if you want the real deal, you need to proceed further beyond this point, and that's where the dangerous part starts. Luckily just a few of that (loud) group continued, and only 3 of them made it to the top. As you can see, they were not really equipped for the challenge 😏. The 3 guys who made it, were just completely crazy ... I mean they went up on their sneakers, and 2 of them even had shorts on!!!

right after Scout Lookout

At some point, you get a good view on the ridge you have to cross to get to the top. Mentally this is a very difficult point for somebody like me with fear of heights.😨

Right before going up there, it's less narrow, so a perfect place to catch your breath, prepare yourself for what's to come, but also to take in the beautiful view.

 on the ridge with drop-offs on both sides

 At the top, with this view in the background:

 

Also at the top, but with a view to the other side, ... 

... this view

But what goes up, most come down! You would expect that to be even more difficult for somebody with fear of heights, because you're looking down and your balance isn't as good. But strangely enough it went (kind off 😏) better.

While going down, the weather deteriorated quickly. The view got really bad and it started snowing. Maybe that's why it went better ... because I couldn't see a thing 😆! 

Almost there ... you see the relief on my face 😅. No idea what Shell was thinking 😆

Back on the paved trail, with Angels's Landing in the back. Amazing that we were standing all the way up there 1,5 hours before!

We started the hike from the Grotto trailhead, the 6th stop of the Zion shuttle (in spring, summer and fall the park is not accessible with your own car ... although it was still winter, I assume the shuttle service was in use as this was a holiday weekend). But according to a ranger from the park, there was a really beautiful view on a waterfall in between stop 5 and 6. So we decided not to take the shuttle back at the Grotto trailhead, but to hike to bus stop 5. Or we missed it (but then it couldn't have been as impressive as he made us believe), or we are not as easily impressed as the ranger ... anyway, it was not really worth the additional hike.

Although it was already dark and late by the time we got back to the entrance of the park, we rewarded ourselves with a beer and some chicken wings before heading back to the AirBnB.

Both nights while staying @ La Verkin, we had dinner @ the 'Stage Coach Grille', and there was a reason why we returned the second night! The food was really good, which is not a given in Utah!

On Monday, all games were canceled due to the bad weather as I mentioned before, but they did have penalty kicks. Hendrik's team won the bronze medal 🥉 this way 🙄 ... not really something to get too excited about.

On our way back home, we had lunch at 'Centro Woodfired Pizzeria' in Cedar City where we've stopped on previous trips too as it's a charming place with delicious pizza's.

@ Centro Woodfired Pizzeria 

While @ the restaurant, it had started to snow. The start of a storm that was going to come in that night, and that meant that Shell's first ski day (the reason why he came to visit us ... besides our charming company of course) would be a powder day (Utah is known for it's extremely fluffy powder snow)! On a powder day, the slopes are never groomed and it definitely requires a different skiing skill when the snow is up to your knees!

I stayed home because I had other things to do, but Geert and Shell joined up with Alain, one of the Belgian spouses here in Utah. Alain was Geert's instructor on Alpha Jet, and Shell and Alain worked together too at some point during their military career, so it was kind of a reunion on the slopes.

The next day was still a powder day, and this time I díd join together with Hendrik as he had a day off. 

Since it was going to be my first powder day experience (I've always avoided those days as it requires skills that were not in my range yet 😏), I wanted to start with a blue slope. However, when we I got off the lift I got confronted with the fact that the blue slope was closed (avelange danger) ... only black, on-groomed slopes were open!!😨

My emotions shifted from anger (yelling to anybody who tried to motivate me), to fear (crying ... when nobody was watching 😬), but none of those where really helpful! In the end I just overcame all these emotions and did it ... my style looked like shit, and I did taste quite some snow if you know what I mean, but I did it! 

for those who didn't know what I meant 😏

But most importantly, I even liked it!

And that wasn't the only big step I took that week. I finally did the Olympic men's downhill for which you need to take an additional tram after the lift, that brings you to almost 2900m. The first part is scary steep (74%!),but once you pass that, it's not that bad. 😅

shitting my pants before hitting the Olympic men's downhill slope

right after the steepest part (impossible ta take a picture sooner 😏)

The rest of the week was filled with great skiing and the fantastic vistas that come along with that, and more than enjoyable nights.

Gorgeous view with John Paul lodge in the back

On their way to Snowbasin, Geert & Shell were treated with this Moose crossing the road

Apres-ski @ Alain & Els

Dinner @ home

Dinner @ Els & Alain

Dinner @ Osaka, our favourite sushi place

Shell's flight back to Belgium was on Saturday afternoon. 

Mmmm, what fun thing could we do during his last few hours ... wait, we didn't do Antelope Island yet! 😆

3 Belgian, former-F-16 pilots together on Antelope Island ... what a sight 😆

When Shell left, there was only 1 day left in February, and because I spent most of my time with our visitor the weeks before, it was time to catch up with with the ladies ... during the day I had a lunch with some of them, and in the evening I did some more catching-up in the jacuzzi @ Simone's place.

Lunch @ Twigs Bistro and Martini bar

That last week of February, Hendrik also had try-outs for the High School soccer team. Almost each High school has a soccer team, basketball team, football team, ... 

The high schools have their own competitions going on for all these sports, and it's kind of a big thing.

We just got Hendrik transferred to a new High School as he wasn't happy at all at the previous one. We chose that school because it's known for its good academics, but it's also known to be extremely Mormon and not diverse at all - read 'only white, rich kids'! We completely underestimated the social impact that could have! In the beginning of February this social impact was suddenly translated into Hendrik skipping classes, grades that were dropping and just a very unhappy boy at home. We knew that something wasn't right and after this we finally took the decision to take him away from that school! It wasn't easy to make that transfer happen in the middle of a school term. On top of that, it was even a bigger challenge to make sure he was eligible for these try-outs! But we made it happen!!😅

We got the news that he got selected out of the 70 boys that last day of February, and we couldn't have been happier! 

A perfect end of a great month, and a perfect new start for him @ his new school.