Yuba Lake Adventures

This weekend was amazing. I am head of the activities committee in our church ward, and I planned this huge trip for us down to Yuba Lake, about 60 miles south of here. (For those of you unfamiliar with what a "ward" is, it's the group of people we meet with every Sunday for church, and I am in a "Singles' Ward", full of unmarried people around my age. Great way to meet new friends and unmarried boys!) We all left Friday, several different groups throughout the day, me being in the first group to help scope out a campsite and set up camp.

We arrived around 2pm, and found a big spot right on the sandy beach of the lake. It was about 93 degrees with no shade, so probably about 100 in the sun, so we immediately set up a big shelter tent for us to sit under. The water of the lake was 66 degrees in the "cool" places, and about 70 in the warmer places, maybe even more. SO nice to swim in. The 5 of us that arrived early went for a swim after setting up camp, and when we reached the buoy out a ways from shore, our bishop, (we call him Bishop Kokkola, or Bishop) comes whizzing by on his beautiful boat and swings by to pick us up! From about 2pm to 6pm we were on the boat, wake-surfing. It was the first time I had ever wake-surfed, and I had a really hard time getting up at first! Took me about 5 times before I could stand up! But it was fun anyway, and just watching other people do it and take pictures of them was a blast for me.
Getting up for the first time...

A little freaked out!

Cole

Ryanne

Matt

Shot of the day: Matt as King Triton!

Rhett

We all biffed it, but this was the biff-it shot of the day: Rhett

Back flip

When it was time to go back in to greet the other groups getting in, Brother Spencer we call him (the 1st councilor next to Bishop) had dinner all made for us. It was SO good, especially after a day in the water when you get most hungry! Potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, seasonings, chicken and brats all cooked in the dutch oven. Brother Spencer has the biggest heart than anyone I've ever met. He will do anything for us, including searing his arm hair from cooking over the hot stove all evening! He continued to cook for the people coming in throughout the evening, and eventually we started a fire. By this time about 32 people had arrived, and we also had a volleyball net set up and music so people could play.

Brother Spencer and Jake. I love them!

When it got dark we had a "Fireside" and Bishop gave a little talk, we had a prayer, and Bishop said at the end of the talk "Now isn't Holly doing a great job?" AH! Then everyone applauded for me for all the work I put in to the trip, and I mentioned all the people that helped me with it. SO nice. I just love all those people so much. Afterward I pulled out my guitar, and we sang some classical music, some Jack Johnson, some Norah Jones.... among others. Good times. We also played a game called "Mafia". Great game! Most of us were up talking and playing games till around 2am. I took some cool shots in the moonlight just playin' around.



Early the next morning (6:30am) I got up to the risin' sun and took some more pictures of the boat on the water when Bishop went back out with some people that didn't get to go the night before. We had pancakes for breakfast, and talked by the fire most of the morning. It was a nice day; lots of clouds in the sky so it didn't get too hot. I took a swim, and around 10am we packed up camp to head back to town since the boats were gone at 10, the most fun was done! Went home and slept for 2 hours :)



It was just such a great weekend. I love my ward, and the new adventures I get to have almost every weekend!

Silly Goose

Yesterday I get to work, and there is a Canada Goose right in the middle of the parking lot, in the way of where I wanted to park. The parking lot is located in between our building, and a huge pond next to a golf course, that a lot of birds use. After waiting for the goose to get out of the way, he never did, so I just parked in a spot a little further from the entrance of the building. I was getting my things gathered into my arms from my car seat, and by the time I opened my car door to get out, there was the goose! He just stood there looking at me. I didn't have any food with me, and even if I did I wouldn't have given him any! I was like "well hey, what's up?". He still just stood there while I got out of my car, and when I walked toward him he never walked away like he was scared, he just stood there! I started telling him he should go back to the pond, with his fam, and he didn't care. Then I walked toward the door to work and he just followed me... Little turd! I went inside assuming he would eventually give up on me and go back to the pond.

This was 8am. By 3pm it was time to go home, so when I get outside I notice some people hanging out by a car, and there was the goose! Just standing there on the sidewalk near the building. They were watching him and laughing, and I noticed the goose was sort of panting and drooling.....ummmm this did not look normal. I immediately knew he was dehydrated.... but why the heck did he not go to the pond only 15 yards away?? I brought out a cup of water to see how he would react to it, and started lightly pouring it on the ground next to him. He drank it mid-air really fast, and shook his head into it. He was definitely thirsty! (It was 92 degrees out, even hotter in the sun, and even hotter still, because it was on hot cement with no shade.) So then, in front of a few coworkers, I started chasing him. I chased him toward the lake (he didn't care at first but the more I pushed him the faster he walked--I even literally touched his back a couple of times!) and I'm sure it looked pretty hilarious. We got to the grass, and at this point he didn't know what to do, he didn't want to go in the water. (I didn't blame him, the water looks NASTY! The past week there has been a huge algal bloom, and the top of the water just looks like grass, not water; not to mention all the trash in the pond too) but I started tossing rocks in the pond to show him it was indeed water. He still wouldn't go in, so I again started pushing him with my foot until he finally flew, right over the water and into the middle of the pond.

I watched him dunk himself over and over, and fluffing his feathers and drinking heavily. He looked like he was in heaven! Hopefully he found his family, and I'm sure by natural selection he will die soon cuz he's so dumb... but at least he lived another day. So that, my friends, is the story of how I saved a silly goose.

Ok, really new job this time :)

I just got a job working at Park City Mountain Resort! This mountain town reminds me a lot of Mammoth Lakes, CA, my home-away-from-home. I will be working on the mountain helping the kids (and adults, but mainly kids) with the rock wall, zip-lining, and riding the lift up to where you can ride a toboggan type thing called the "alpine slide" down the mountain. Fun stuff. I'm going to be happy working outside, with kids, at least until mid-October when the season ends. I'll still be working part-time at the security company I'm at now, until mid-Augst when it's over.

Park City is about 30 miles from where I live, in the mountains, where the Sundance Film Festival occurs every spring. Pretty awesome place! I start next Tuesday.

UPDATE: I've been working there about 3 weeks now and it's such a blast! I'm outside all day, get to meet a lot of people, not to mention we get some pretty awesome thunder-and-lightning storms up on the mountain! One morning we had to close the alpine slide for about 3 hours because a MOOSE was standing near it. So great.

Climbing in the Uinta Mountains

This last weekend I was invited to go camping with some great people out in the High Uinta Mountains in Utah, about an hour and a half's drive from where I live. It is SO BEAUTIFUL up there; it reminds me a lot of the Sierra Nevadas, just a little more lush (but not Oregon lush). We camped at a lake called Ruth Lake, about a mile's hike from the road. First thing we did was hit the mountain to climb! I had only ever climbed outside once, and only made it 15 feet up before I decided "that's high enough", as I'm someone pretty dang afraid of heights (although things like rappelling and skydiving have helped a bit). This time I climbed 40 feet my first climb! It was a class 5. 9, which in rock climbing jargon means a moderately difficult climb.
By the time all of us climbed one wall the sun was setting so it was time to hit up camp. By now the storms started rolling in! We had a night full of thunder and lightning and rain and sleet. Nothing like sleeping in a tent with a pitter-patter over your head all night. Some people weren't so happy with this, like the guy that DIDN'T bring a tent, or the guy who brought a tent, but turned out it wasn't completely waterproof so he got a liiittle wet...

The next day was sunny so we hit up the mountain again for more climbs. This time I worked on 5. 6's, more of a beginner's level climb, and reached about 50 feet on these, one of which I was able to climb up over the edge and sit up on top and admire the view of the valley. So spectacular.
(Can you find me in these pics?)




That afternoon a few of us decided to jump in the lake, and I'm always someone who enjoys swimming in mountain lakes and potentially swimming all the way ACROSS them... but this time I didn't. Probably cuz the others got out after about a minute and I didn't want to be left out there, ha! Then we had some lunch, and I felt it was time to take some pictures of the area while the others went back up to climb or nap.



That night was another night full of thunderstorms! We awoke to rain the next morning, only to have about a 20-minute window to pack up camp and walk out before it started raining again! The trip was a blast, and I am so proud of myself that I was able to climb so well! I can't wait to get out and do it again. My whole body is sore, what a work-out! Good times with good people.

Me and Stewey

So since I cannot get a boyfriend out here in Utah, I picked up this handsome man the other day. We played in the park and had a grand old time. I didn't let him kiss me though... too soon for that.