Ryle Loftis, age 8, said it best, rolling her eyes at the dads getting the motorized metal contraptions ready to go for our day trip out in the desert. "Boys 
and their toys..." She's right... it wasn't enough that we were going to be spending all day out in the great outdoors. No, we also had to drive our off-road Rhino to Saturday's soccer game, 
BEFORE the trip. Darren and Wayne are so obsessed with their toys, they spent hours tuning, pruning, and yes, even welding a new steel cooler holder on to the back (I have to say, I was pretty impressed with Darren's handiwork).
Zach is a pro at riding with his dad in the Rhino... Zane, not so much. First of all, the helmet is so big that he resembles a bobble-head doll. 
Then, if we really get going, the dust and wind get in his eyes so he covers his head the entire time - we've come up with a new technique where I contort my arms (strapped in my seat) 
just right, so that I can hold his helmet steady against the back of the seat and at the same time shield his eyes from the wind and dirt. "What about goggles?" you say? Goggles would be great, if there were any that would fit around his big head and not snap off every time the helmet whipped around. Once we were properly strapped in (a feat in and of itself), and applying the Shield-Steady-Zane technique - the ride was awesome! It was a beautiful day for riding... mild temps, a little cloudy, a little sunny. Bizarrely enough, within the first five minutes of the ride, Zane fell right to sleep.
At the end of a bumpy ride up the road, we were rewarded with a little old "Rock House" along the trail. That's where we stopped to picnic with the Loftis family and
the Smith family. After scarfing down sandwiches in record time, the kids were off exploring the wash (amazingly with the rain we had, all of the washes were running with water) and climbing up to a cliffside mining cave. It felt a little "Blair Witch Project" for me, but I braved in about 50 yards or so and then had Darren take the kids in farther... 
Haley wanted to go in farther and farther (she's the brave one) but fortunately we got called back to camp before I was persuaded in to going any further and discovering I was right about some hibernating bear or something deep in the cave. 
We ended the day down at one of the b
igger washes where the kids threw rocks and 
tromped through the water. It was one of those perfect days that you wish you could save in a jar... but 
like fire flies, never last long there. Nonetheless, it will stay a good memory of wonderful friends, wonderful Arizona weather, and wonderful boys and their wonderful toys.
February 15th, 2009... Six months of preparation came to a satisfying end today at approximately 1:30pm Central-Standard-AJ-Time. The 8th Annual Lost Dutchman Marathon, the Real Arizona Marathon, concluded with record numbers, beautiful weather, and hundreds of amazing experiences. After talking to MANY runners and spectators, today, I understand why Runner's World Magazine calls this "One of the Best Little Marathon's in the Country". 
As if the inspiring runners (an 89 year old woman finished her 4th marathon today), generous sponsors and hundreds of INCREDIBLE volunteers weren't enough to make it an amazing endeavor... LDM Inc. (a non-profit organization made up of volunteer board and committee members) takes their profits and... get this... unlike the "big name races" they turn around and invest it back in to their community. Last year, youth in the Apache Junction/Gold Canyon area received over $25,000 in scholarship money for after school programs, swimming lessons, graduation scholarships, and athletic sports fees. It makes me proud to be associated with such a great event... and exhausted... I'm going to sleep for a week!
