Six days back in Minnesota and I have yet to see the sun!! Only 12 days until I can return to Indio.
Trying advent of code, in Rust, but with help from GPT this year. Definitely takes the sting out of coding in an unfamiliar language. I’m not interested in it solving the problem for me, just helping with the mechanics.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Although there is a lot I am worried about in this post-election season, I’m focusing on the good today. I’m here in the beautiful Coachella Valley for the winter, playing golf in the morning, playing games and having Thanksgiving dinner with friends. Working it all off with some pickleball in the evening.
We have an amazing daughter and son, who married other amazing people. They are all making the world a better place in their own way. We have two grandchildren who are precocious, loving, and thoughtful, yet they are only 2 and 4 years old.
I have a wonderful wife who has somehow loved me for more than 66.66% of my life! I’ve had more than my share of successful careers, and now I get to work on a project that I love, that helps students who need it most, (Runestone Academy) and I get to do it on my own schedule, when I’m not too busy doing other things I love (see above). In short, I have a lot to be thankful for!
Turkey prepped, broth simmering, mayo-herb rub, ready, pasta sauce for tonight simmering… Gonna be a great 24 hours!
Downloaded the Windsurf Editor today… It’s built on VSCode, but with a super-advanced Co-pilot. Its truly amazing so far… Really making me think about how CS is going to be taught in the near future.
Love our new Samsung “Bespoke Fridge” especially the Whisky ball feature… It looks like it might use an ice press to turn large cubes into the balls, but I can’t confirm. If anyone has a link, please share.
Tough night for the Loons in LA. But we got a second on TV. And we made some new friends in the supporters section!
Three years ago I bought an MBP Max w/64GB of memory. I use it in clamshell mode 99% of the time. The Mini M4 Pro is calling me… Seems like it would really speed my docker builds and be just as portable.
Grand Staircase Escalante and Bryce Canyon
We awoke in the dark, to the sound of rain dripping outside our door. Falling back did not result in a lot of extra sleep. When it was light enough to see outside we saw that it was snowing. No rush to leave as the long hike we were planning was suddenly not going to be an option. So we took our time, and enjoyed the scenic drive and lots of scenic overlooks from Capital Reef to Bryce, with a little side trip down the Burr Trail.
Our first little hike was to the singing canyon.
Then we stopped at this amazing overlook about 17 miles down the Burr Trail. The trail goes for 74 miles before turning into a dirt road, and somehow connecting to a Lake Powell ferry. The overlook was far enough for us.
Here is a view looking back down the trail.
After a delicious lunch at the Burr Trail Burger joint, we drove through Escalante and enjoyed some great views.
We finished up the day with a great late afternoon hike in Bryce Canyon. It was cold and snowy when we checked in to the lodge. But we decided to head over to the rim anyway to check out the views. As we got there the sun started to peek out. We hiked from the Sunset Viewpoint to the Sunrise Viewpoint. About 3 miles, with a solid climb to get out of course. It was great to get down in the canyon out of the wind. The longer we were down there the sunnier it got and the views just got better with every step.
Tomorrow will be a long day in the car, driving from Bryce to Indio. Maybe through Zion depending on road conditions in the morning.
Capital Reef
We love to use the drive to California each Fall to visit some of the national parks. But it is tricky to find a national park to visit this time of year. Most things are shutting down, and in many parks the scenic drives are closing, and the risk of snow increases every day. Our original plan had been to visit Great Basin, but park officials closed the scenic drive two weeks ago. So we rerouted to Capital Reef. We are glad we did. The drive in was spectacular, going past Goblin Valley state park. As you approach from the North, its not hard to imagine you are seeing a goblin sleeping on its back.
What was so great about this time of year is the contrast of the yellow leaves on the Cottonwoods and Aspens, both as you approach the park, and as you drive through.
There are many interesting hikes in the park. For our schedule we chose do do the Hickman Bridge, which is about two miles and fairly easy. The views are great.
Or in some cases spectacular!
We also did a much shorter hike to Sunset Point, This was fantastic because we were the ONLY people on the trail, so we had the point all to ourselves to enjoy 360 degrees of viewing.
Today the plan is to make our way down to Bryce Canyon. Its cold and raining so we might not see as much as we had hoped, then Monday we will hop on the freeway and make our way to Indio! Can’t wait to reconnect with all our friends, and get back on the golf course and pickleball court.
Lunch stop in Victoria Springs. Nice little campground. Definitely a more scenic route through Nebraska than the interstate.
