As I have never been one to turn down a good adventure (especially a free one), I joined a bunch of tweeps last weekend for a hike through a slot canyon in Zion NP known as "The Subway". My pictures weren't nearly as good as our "trip photog" Jeremiah's, so here are a few of his. Mine are posted on my Flickr page as well as links to more of his in my galleries. The hike took us approx 10 hours to hike in and out and in that 10 hours we experienced:

• scenic red rock vistas
• straight vertical climbs and descents
• rappelling
• swimming through frigid water
• wading through frigid water
• sliding through frigid water
• a hell of a lot of bouldering
• losing the trail
• finding the trail
• losing the trail again
• a late afternoon thunderstorm during flash flood season
• many entertaining stories from our guide, Super Firefighter Jim J.
• an impressive amount of swear words from the more conservative in the group
• discovering that Jenny has issues with gravity
• and many more thoroughly painful and entertaining adventures.

This mass of divine-smelling greenery is two tomato plants that I bought as little teeny seedlings, planted in a planter which was then destroyed by my neighbor's drunkass friends and the poor baby tomato plants thrown in the garbage...which I then rescued, cursed out my neighbor, and grew some massive plants! I just have to brag, because I have never grown anything this big before. And productive to boot! Next year, salsa garden!


I also planted a cute little cantaloupe plant, knowing full well that it was too late in the season to produce any fruit, so I held no expectations. However, it has grown to over 5 feet in length with multiple vines......and a little baby melon! Look how cute! I'm watching how big it gets before it freezes.

For the film festival this past weekend, my group and I stayed in Mountain Village, a cluster of lodges on the other side of the mountain of the town of Telluride. To get into town (and to work each morning), we had to take a 20 minute gondola ride through some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Everywhere I looked, it felt like I was in a postcard. Here are a few pics of the views from the gondola commute that became the highlight of my day....except for the part when we had to go BACK to the lodge at midnight and it was pitch black dark, in the gondola car by myself 1000 ft above the ground IN THE WIND. *shiver* Eerie.

Starting tomorrow, my Labor Day weekend will be spent working as staff of the Telluride Film Festival in Telluride, Colorado! I'll be tweeting from my Crackberry the entire weekend, if anyone wants to hear about what and who and how and when and why.