Residence Inn By Marriott Salt Lake City/Sandy

Baja California: An alternative Thanksgiving.

My brother and I are driving there tomorrow. Yes, MEXICO. I obviously can't go longer than a few month without leaving the country. It's a road trip. Road trips are my absolute favorite kind of trips! Driving, camping and beachin'. I won't have internet, so I'll have to update when I'm back in Salt Lake next week.

... along with last night, which was 100% free thanks to the late "Best Rate Guarantee" deal (may it rest in peace). Over the past 2.5 years, we have stayed in many hotel rooms for free across the country. Alas, Wyndham has changed their Best Rate Guarantee (known affectionately as BRG) policy so that it doesn't include free rooms, and this is the last room we had booked under the BRG deal. It's the end of an era, and boy, did we have a good run.

This is the earliest in the season I've ever gone snowboarding. There was enough snow, so my dad and I went up to Brighton. Well, kinda enough snow. It's still important to watch out for rocks and little bushes everywhere. It was also a ...

... spent too much time), but I didn't get to give them a proper good bye because I wasn't home when they headed out west. We were way past due for a reunion. The girls graciously agreed to pick me up from my hotel and get us to dinner. In theory this was a seemless plan, however 30 minutes and countless frustrated phone calls later, we decided that Salt Lake, despite any protestation otherwise, impossible to drive in and the fact that there are 5 marriots in the city only complicated matters ...

... asked me a couple of questions about why I was here and then scanned my finger prints. After my photograph was taken she told me that she would keep hold of my passport and told me to sit over by some customs office and wait to be called. I couldn't believe it. Something obviously had flagged up and I just had visions of me being sent home. I even told myself if I get sent home this would be it for me as I am not going through this every time I come across.
After half an ...

... to see people washing our windows at every street light with newspaper, more kids begging on the street and the poverty that existed in more rural communities.  The further we were outside of the main touristy areas, the less people spoke any English as well.  I remember once we parked the car to go into a store.  A man came over to wash the front window.  My dad just gave him a bunch of money to get him to go away, then we went inside.  When we came out ...

... professor. As a keynote speaker and corporate trainer he has spoken to large and small organizations in 45 states and more than a dozen countries. He has authored several books, including "The Divine Connection" and "May Peace Be With You". He received a master's degree in communications and a doctoral degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development from Brigham Young University, where he is a professor.




Salt Lake City, Utah, United States motabchoir01

The power of tennis - Susan, Yo, and I all got up, after a late poker night, to play tennis at 7AM. Either that or we were determined to get ahead of our workouts knowing what's in store for us that day... 2PM - Tea at the Grand America Hotel. Okay, so the tea ran about $20 per person; BUT, so worth it. It was a nice time with just the ladies accompanied with great tea and sandwiches, scones, and pastries. And not ...

... of states visited or driven through, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, California, Idaho, Utah of course, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana(hubby from here) Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, New York, DC, Connecticut, New Jersey. I have driven across the ...

After the short Jackson excursion with Erwin, spent the rest of the week with James, Cherie and Erwin in Salt Lake. The second week, I moved in with Tim, who like me is also taking a sabbatical and is living out in SLC full time. Tim has his own website at www.timwalton.net--check it out.