The plan is for it to have a wide range of terrain for all skill levels. There will be a loop trail, a pump track, a drop zone, dirt jumps, elevated trails, and jump trails designed by Hilride Progression Development Group. The 3 1/2 acre project was spearheaded by the Sweetwater County Mountain Bike Association in partnership with the City of Green River Parks and Recreation Department, and built using resources and employees of the City of Green River along with many local volunteers.

The park won’t be finished this weekend, but a good start will be made. So far the elevated trail is off the hook. There is a rock garden and then a section of ladder bridges from boulder to boulder, with a couple foot drop off, around more ladder bridges with more boulders, then to a log riding section. I can’t wait to put two wheels to it! The pump track is looking fun, but the jump track is going to be outrageous. I feel bones breaking just thinking about it, but I am excited since a park like this is exactly what I need to build on my riding skills.

Nat and Rachael from Hilride were great to work with. Nat is a machine who runs from place to place keeping all the projects and all of the volunteers moving forward. The mad man with the plan, as it were. The rest of the volunteers and the city employees were also great to work with. I learned a lot working on this project and I hope I can apply it to developing local trails in the future.

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Everyone always said that the color of the water in the Caribbean is amazing, and they were right. Wow. And there is nothing quite like watching a sunset from the bow of a ship without anything in site but the sea and the sky. Watching the Cuban coastline slowly pass by was a bit saddening, but neat at the same time. Maybe someday soon things will change and we will be able to visit there.

Our time on the ship was great. The service staff was wonderful, the food was plentiful and tasty, and there was lots of beer. Great shows, and of course, comedy acts. Of course I ended up being the stooge in the ventriloquist act, but that’s okay, I have thick skin and the guy was hilarious. And no, I haven’t been to prison and no I’m not the Island from Rock Springs who bought the sheep. That was a different Island from Rock Springs.

Jamaica? What can I say about Jamaica? It’s a beautiful place. Wouldn’t want to live there. Our tour guide in Ocho Rios, Phil Lafayette, was great. He was fun and interesting, and was a treasure box of information. He gave us a taste of real Jamaican food at a local eatery rather than a tourist hot spot, and showed and taught us a little bit about the local culture, fauna, and history. The place is full of grifters and scammers though, and constantly being on your guard makes it kind of hard to enjoy yourself. When we booked Phil, he warned us not to talk to anyone but him when we got into port, and now we know why. If you go to Ocho Rios either stay at a resort or call Phil. Trust me. Oh yeah, I also broke my finger climbing up Dunn’s River Falls. Fun. And painful. I also ripped the backside out of my Shorts. Good thing I had board shorts with me or it could have been an embarrassing trip back to the ship.

Crand Cayman was much more inviting. It’s also a beautiful place. It had amazing white sand beaches, and beautiful Italian women in thong bikinis. We did a little snorkeling and the kids rented kayaks and paddled around the bay, and we did a little shopping. We really needed more time to spend there, and I hope we can go back for a resort stay some time in the future. It’s a neat place to visit, but again, I wouldn’t want to live there. It’s the complete opposite of Jamaica in the sense that there is no crime and no creepiness, but they are also a very controlled society. A little too controlled if you get my meaning. I’ll keep my second amendment, thank you. Did I mention the beautiful Italian women in thong bikinis?

Overall, we had a great time and got to see some beautiful places. We got to take a quick peek at two cultures that were very different from ours and be around a lot of neat people. Since next winter will be Teresa and my 20th anniversary, maybe we’ll pick an island and head back. You never know.

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Not every vacation can go as planned, and sometimes you need a few rough spots to remind you to appreciate the good times. The raft trip turned around what had up until then been a pretty much horrible week. The following morning we made a beautiful drive along the Million Dollar Highway, and saw some beautiful countryside. It was a long day of driving but it is always nice to see new places.

-Island

J Island and McKenna participated in the Dolphin interaction also. They thoroughly enjoyed it.

During our vacation, McKenna also spent the week at Zoo Camp at the San Diego Zoo. She says she loved it.