The Janke Family

Yearly Archive: 2012

Red Mountain Trail

We explored the Red Mountain Wilderness Area a couple times the last two weekends. The Red Mountain Trail is actually a couple different trails that start just north of Diamond Valley on Highway 18 (GPS coordinates N 37° 16.784 W 113° 39.163). We first explored the trail two weekends ago with Dan & Beth in the Jeeps. You can only Jeep in about a mile on the middle trail. It is an awesome Jeep trail strewn with large boulders. From the end of the Jeep trail we hiked about a mile and half to the East Snow Canyon Overlook. It was Amazing! Then last weekend the boys and I joined our neighbors the Gooch’s to explore the North trail. We rode mules all the way to Hell’s Canyon above Kayenta (approximately 20 miles round trip). This part of the trail included the West Snow Canyon overlook & awesome red rock country. We stopped for lunch overlooking Hell’s Canyon in an area with dozens of huge water pots full of water and Triops. Henry rode a mule & Erik rode a mustang that Paul Gooch bought from the BLM wild horse adoption program. They were awesome cowboys! They are tough little men!

House Update

Just a quick update on the latest Janke activities. Our house is finally being framed! Hopefully, fingers crossed, there will be no more delays. I thought it was hilarious that the first equipment they delivered to the job site was a generator and a microwave! Erik has been ripping it up in tennis camp, Henry has been in swim lessons, & Maci rules the roost with a fist of terror! Mo turned 29, again, this month! And, we are both really excited for school to start in August! I got an email from Linda Hollard, she is retiring after 39 years with Qwest/CenturyLink! Congratulations Linda, way to go!

Top of Zion 2012

My employer (TCN) put together a 12 man team to run the Top of Zion Relay last weekend. It is a two day 200 mile relay race across some of the most unbelievable scenery in southern Utah. Each runner in the 12 man team ran 3 legs, for a total of approximately 16 miles. It was an amazing experience and a total blast to compete with the other TCN Team members! Physically I was totally destroyed for days afterwards. My first leg was a 10K @ approximately 9000 feet elevation. I ran it in 42 minutes (7 minute miles!). My second leg was an 8 miler in the middle of the night, I posted a time of an hour 18 minutes (9:45 minute miles). My final leg was a short 2 mile run, which I ran in 15 minutes (7:30 minute miles). I averaged approximately 8:05 minutes per mile across my three legs. I think that is pretty awesome for an old fart like me!

Solar Eclipse 2012

I have sent many of you the pictures I took of the solar eclipse, but I though I would post them to the The Janke Family Blog. The eclipse yesterday was an annular eclipse. Similar to a total eclipse, but the moon’s apparent diameter is smaller than the visible disk of the sun, leaving a ring (annulus) of fiery light around the edges. The last time this event was visible from the western United States was in 1994. I took these pictures of the eclipse with my phone! I put the special glasses over the phones camera lens & adjusted the camera settings so the image wouldn’t wash out. It was pretty awesome to watch!

Maci Shopping @ Target

Here is a super cute video of Maci shopping @ Target & saying hello to everyone she meets. She is a social butterfly. Once her feet hit the ground she is off looking for people to talk to and adventures to be discovered. Of all my children she is the first I have considered putting a leash on! She is an amazing little girl & has her Daddy wrapped around her wee little finger.