Time for a Road Trip

I just filled up on $ 2.97/gallon gas!

Every one of us idiots that's still driving a tank of an SUV knows this is cause to celebrate. Maybe I should offer up a sacrifice to the Oil Gods of the Middle East and go on a road trip.

Back From the Break

Whoa...that was a longer than intended break from the blog posting. I'm not going to make excuses, mostly because I hate when when people say they don't have time to do "XYZ" task (although I have been fairly busy with work).

To get you folks up to speed, The Harbers are doing well. Laura has really started to get big (sorry babe). About two weeks ago I had the very cool experience of feeling my man child move in Laura's belly; she on the other hand gets to experience what it feels like to have a mosh pit inside of her. He starts to get real active right around her bed time. Ha ha

Cooler weather has set in Vegas and has made for some nice riding conditions. Mostly road riding these days, but I hope to hit the dirt a little more often. Unfortunately the cooler weather comes with more wind. I swear this has been the windiest year in Vegas history. Maybe I could commission AL Gore to do a documentary on the cause of increased windy conditions. My guess is that he would link it to the down turned economy.

I do feel bad not reporting about this earlier but to top of the summer we had the chance to spend a few weeks in China with the Nelson crew. It was truly one of the most amazing trips we've done. Before the trip China was not at the top of my list of places to visit, but after being there I would definitely recommend it to everyone. The good news is that no one on the trip picked up "The Bird Flu" or "SARS" (that we know of). More details on the trip later.

You Can't Count on the Chinese Calender

The Chinese have come up with tons of cool stuff like fireworks, dragon costumes, the Chinese star, and superior capabilities to built long walls. However, the Chinese calender falls short of the list of great inventions/achievements.

My oh so sweet wife has come to grips with the fact that she can't count on internet tests and/or the Chinese calender when it comes to foretelling the gender of our future child.


IT'S A BOY!

Family Vacation Report(s)

Anderson - Harber Trip



Even thought the first trip was over a month ago I figured it was still worth reporting. We spent a week in McCall Idaho with a few of the Anderson crew. My mom, Eric, and Cate made it for the trip while the rest of the fam were caring for babies back home, or spreading the good word in Mexico. It was a great change of scenery from Vegas; I like the desert, but I love the mountains! The Payette river was at a super high volume and raging. On the drive from Boise we stopped to check out a few guys paddling the class V section of the North Fork, those suckers are nuts.



We kicked back and enjoyed the cool weather, played tennis, a little golf, and ate at some great restaurants. Thanks again to the Andersons for the good time.


Moody - Harber - Hoopes Trip


The second trip was a bit more recent. Laura went down a few days early to Baton Rouge to get in all the southern living she could squeeze in before the Gulf Shores trip. I ended up flying into Pensacola mid week to meet everyone in Gulf Shores. The Moodys rented an awesome beach house that everyone could stay at; great access to the beach and super close to a nice pool.



We ate some great seafood, hung at the beach and played a few games of Risk (possibly the greatest game ever conceived by man). For those on the left coast that have not experienced the Gulf it's quite a bit different from the Cali beaches we're accustom to. Super fine white sand and warm water, the only draw back might be the jellyfish. I'm happy to report that this year I did not have to experience a jellyfish sting (unlike last year). Laura on the other hand just about became topless on the beach in an attempt to remove a jellyfish tentacle from her bathing suit.

I enjoyed seeing a different a part of the country that sometimes makes you feel like you've traveled out of the US, and of course Laura always loves going home. Thanks again to the Moodys for the fun trip!

Virgin River Rim Trail

When Mr. Sabrosa says that it's going to be epic riding on Cedar Mountain he really means it. I figured I was up for the challenge since I had been doing fair amount of riding, and the thought of escaping the Vegas summer heat was very attractive. The team included Mr. and Mrs. Sabrosa, the Tammer, and myself.

We started at Strawberry Point just a bit past Duck Creek; elevation 9000 feet. I felt like I was at the basecamp of Everest since I had just come from Vegas, about 2000 ft. The ride is 33 miles of some of the most incredible single track I've ever been on. Most of you are familiar with the Cedar Breaks area, well the trail basically skirts the edge of that whole plateau and then drops down to Woods Ranch. If your thinking that it couldn't have been that tough because the trails starts at Strawberry and drops down to Woods Ranch, you're wrong! I had slightly underestimated it myself; in total we climbed over 4200 vertical feet at an average elevation of 9300 ft.

Round about the 20 mile mark I started hurting; probably a combination of high altitude, some gnarly climbing, and not enough food. When the bottom falls out like this there's not a lot you can do but suffer through the rest of the ride. I told the crew that I was officially in "The Hurt Locker, " and yes John if the ride had continued much past Wood Ranch Davey Jones would have been involved. Although it was slow going for me after that point I still thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Towards the end of the trail we rode through some beautiful aspen forest, this is when the trees started talking to me. Maybe this is what Indians experience when they're on their vision quest.

Even though I got punished pretty bad the ride was well worth it. I would definitely recommend the ride if you're up for amazing singletrack, incredible views, and a ton of climbing.

First Ultrasound

Laura is with child!

There have been many jokes in the past both verbally and on this blog, but it's finally true. She had her first ultrasound yesterday and everything up to this point checks out great. It's an experience that I can't even attempt to explain when you hear your baby's heart beat. At this point he/she is only a little over 1/2", about the size of a gummy bear.

Laura is positive that it's going to be a girl but I'm not sure if this is based on some internal instinct or the countless Internet tests / Chinese calenders she's been doing. I'll be happy either way but I'm guessing it'll be a boy.

We'll keep you updated.

Mexican Bowling

After seeing this photo I'd think think twice before riding my bike in Mexico.

A car has plowed into a bike race along a highway near the US-Mexico border, killing one and injuring 10 others.
Police investigator Jose Alfredo Rodriguez says the 28-year-old driver was apparently drunk and fell asleep when he crashed into the race. The photograph was taken by a city official that was spectating.