Jungle Tour and Snorkeling

The other activity we chose to do was speed boats along the water out to a snorkeling point (and back). I had a lot of fun driving a boat for the first time.

We took the local bus from the hotel to Aqua World a few miles away. I think it was $1 a person and a pretty short ride. The bus was either filled with local hotel workers or tourists.

The group of us were taken along the waterways by a guide. It was simply follow the leader after learning a few common hand signals such as slow down and speed up. We got to go past a lot of other hotels, a really peaceful lagoon, followed by a James Bond-esque high speed chase out to the snorkel point.

The snorkeling was fun, but average, if you happen to have lived in Hawaii and done a lot of snorkeling. But I think this might have been the first time for the kids. I ended up buying the professional photo and video they made of our trip and us. It was a little pricey, but these guys had a boat and a drone out there taking footage of us and I couldn't pass that up as my souvenir from the trip.

Parasailing in Cancun

One of the activities we did on site (or on beach) was parasailing. 

Jonathan and I did it together while the girls preferred to stay on the soft sand. It was a little nerve racking, and seemed pretty short, but it was a good time. I didn't have the courage to take pictures of the views for fear of accidentally dropping my phone. I wonder how many phones are at the bottom of this ocean?

We had an exciting ride through the waves on a jet ski just to get out to the boat. Sometimes at the start the bench we were sitting in tilted left or right just enough to make you feel uncomfortable that it might tip hundreds of feet above the ocean. Otherwise it was a blast. Included: a few other pictures in portrait mode.

Cancun Mexico

Spring Break! This year we decided to do something very different and book an all-inclusive resort in Cancun. We stayed at the Wyndham Alltra in the Hotel Zone for about a week.

The sunrises were amazing and the food was pretty good. Although we talked about the possibility of doing some activities elsewhere, and/or renting a car, we mostly just stayed at the hotel and played in the pool, sat on the beach, and took advantage of what we had available close by.

I'll make a few posts with pictures grouped by type. Here are the pictures of the sunrises, which were great to wake up to, along with coffee from the in house coffee shop.

Cold Stone Creamery

Julia at her first job at Cold Stone, off of Academy and Woodmen!

Mom's 70th Birthday

Happy Birthday Mom! After I got home from Tucson we all celebrated Mom's 70th Birthday in style at The Melting Pot downtown. This was so much fun and really good food. I ate so much but it was worth it. We don't really go out to eat ourselves, and definitely not to places this nice, so it really was a treat. Glad we could celebrate this together.

Even More Tucson Pictures

These pictures are from our team rides through Gates Pass and Mount Lemmon. Talk about opposite experiences, with one day being a fantastic ride and the other miserable.

Gates Pass up and around Saguaro National Park was a great day. We started in a big group, and probably hand a nice tailwind, because we put in about 50 miles to the Visitor's Center without even feeling like I had started to ride. I remember commenting that this was probably the easiest 50 miles I had ever done. As a result, after climbing the pass and descending back into town, Matt and I hatched the idea to ride back to our houses so we could end the day with a sweet 100 miles. We stopped for some coffee and donuts and then rode back up The Loop to our houses. It was a great day, and perfect timing, as the ride and calorie burn didn't hit me until last two or three miles.

Mount Lemmon was another story. This was the second year in a row that I had an issue on this climb. Last year I got an unrepairable flat tire. This year, everything was great until we got up to the higher elevations and a storm blew in. I didn't have enough clothes, but after last year, I was determined to make it to the top and then warm up in the buildings. I made it to the top, but practically froze myself doing so. I hopped in the team truck and it took me awhile to stop shaking. We picked up most of our other teammates at various points and shuttled everyone down to a lower and warmer elevation so that they could ride the rest of the way down the mountain. I decided that my day was done, and stayed in the truck! 

More Tucson Pictures

A team photo, my favorite sign in Saguaro National Park, and more pictures from the aforementioned Silver Bell Mine and Loop rides.

Tuscon Team Camp

I headed down to Tucson for the second straight year for some riding and some fun. Getting outside in the sun and riding my bike with a bunch of teammates is such a nice change.

This year I drove down, stopping in Albuquerque both ways. The drive was pretty easy and I preferred it to flying in many ways. You can bring pretty much whatever you want.

The team camp this year was similar to 2024. Since I have a lot of pictures to share, I'm breaking it up into three posts so I can talk a little bit about the trip.

Justin and I went down separately, but earlier than most people. I drove down over the Super Bowl weekend, which meant a nice long ride around The Loop on Sunday before the game. We met up with Justin's friend, and former Colorado resident, Nate at his property for a ride on Wednesday. Erik joined us for the windy spin too. Most of these pictures are of the route out to Silver Bell Mine or at the BnB that he runs and manages.

A few of these other pictures are of me and Justin riding around The Loop the day Justin arrived or up around Dove Mountain where I stayed before joining the team house.

DECA Orlando Trip

Julia, Miles, and dozens of other students at Pine Creek went down to Orlando for a few days to attend a national DECA conference. At least that was the premise, but I think most of the things they will remember are going to Universal Studios and Disneyland together. They had a great time and made some great memories.