pie and beer weekend

Here in Utah, July 24th is Pioneer Day, the state holiday celebrating the Mormon pioneers' arrival in 1847.  For the non-Mormons among us, it is known as Pie and Beer Day and is a welcome day off from work.  Since it fell on Friday this year, we of course loaded up the car with t-shirts and the dog and went off down to Moab.  "In July?" you say, "isn't Moab stupid-hot in July?"  Well, yes, it did hit 106F but in all honesty, it really wasn't that much cooler in SLC, thanks to the heat dome parked over the west.

Morning light against the cliffs

The heat just means you have to get up and get going early, if you're of a mind to do things outdoors.  On Friday, while H did a five mile trail run, A and Milton drove to Millcreek Canyon for a four mile hike.  The creek is still flowing, but not a lot.  We made sure to be out the door by 6 a.m., getting to the trailhead before the sun had come up over the La Sals.  This time of year, if you go early enough, this hike keeps you out of the sun until the last quarter mile or so, so it's a good one with dogs.  After the trail time, H and A got on their road bikes for a 21 mile ride along the river/up to Arches NP/back along the river.  It was a bit too late in the morning for A, however, who struggled with the growing heat.

Total goober

So on Saturday, H did a six mile trail run, and then did a solo road ride (20 miles), while A and M returned to Millcreek for a 5.8 mile hike.  This time we went up the canyon a little further, crossing over to the other side (and flailing somewhat through the prickly plant matter) for the walk back down canyon.  We paused to chat with another hiker and throw a ball for his rescue dog (Milton watched, completely baffled as to why anyone would want to chase and retrieve a ball), and then chatted briefly with our neighbor A and her dog.  She was getting an admittedly late start and decided to bail out on Millcreek and instead drive up into the mountains for a hike to Clark Lake.

Art shot!

Sunday qualified as a partial rest day in that none of us went out on foot (other than an on-leash neighborhood walk for Milton).  But H and A got on their road bikes and did another 20 miles on the bike path.  Since we hadn't gone hiking/running first, we were able to start before 7, which definitely helped with the heat.  A was faster than she'd been on Friday (but by no means fast).

Goober in motion

Other weekend activities included reading, crossword puzzles and drinking beers with friends.

spring break (back half)

 Wednesday:  Some weather actually moved in and it was cold and rainy in the morning.  Still, H and Milton did their short trail run, managing to get back before it really started raining, although they did get caught in it coming back from Dave's.  When it had dried up. A and M went out for a six-miler on Pipe Dream, while H did a solo road ride.  50s is too cold for me for biking but just fine for hiking.  After an chill afternoon of reading, A and H walked over to our friends C and F's house for some yard beers and good conversation.  The fact that they are dealing with an infestation of attic raccoons made for a lively discussion.

Desert days

Thursday: After H and M did another short trail run, A and M headed over to Millcreek for a hike that was not along Pipe Dream.  We were the first ones in the parking lot but there were several vehicles there by the time we got back.  There is water in the creek but, due to the record-low snow levels, it is way under where it should be this time of year.  Still, Milton enjoyed himself quite a lot, splashing and wading in the creek.  From there, H and A did their road ride - it was a gorgeous day and NO wind.  We took Milton out for patio beers at the Spitfire in the afternoon and he scored a piece of bacon from another customer who had been saving it for her own dog, but who just couldn't resist giving it to ours.  That evening, we made sheet pan gnocchi and roasted veggies and took it over to our neighbor for dinner together.

Prickly pear (or just prickly?)

Friday:  The weather had been quite nice all week, rainy Wednesday notwithstanding, but now it was starting to get quite a bit warmer, pushing up into the middle 80s.  H and Milton did a trail run on Pipe Dream; then A and Milton did a hike on Pipe Dream; then H and A did their road ride.  We did go out to Woody's for a quick beer, but swung by the first Arts & Ag market of the summer over at shady Swanny Park.  

Serious thorns

Saturday:  By Saturday, Milton was definitely showing some cumulative fatigue.  Still, he did a short trail run with H and a town walk with A.  He didn't even complain that much when H and A set out for their road ride.  The afternoon was spent weeding, changing smoke detector batteries, and one last beer at Woody's - where another patron left $20 in the jukebox for us to play.  

In his happy place, on a trail

Sunday:  And then it was done.  We did a shorter (16 mile) road ride, moped around, cleaned the house, moped around, packed the truck, moped around, and drove back to SLC.  Vacation over.

Now that's a view

spring break (front half)

As I mentioned, we didn't go too hard during this year's spring week in Moab, and we didn't do anything new.  We did exercise at least once each day, though; and we did not go to the bar every day.  #adulting

I just love that sky so much

Saturday:  We drove down Friday afternoon and spent the evening with our neighbor and her dog.  She is often gone to Alaska by now but this year will be in Moab for the summer.  She may not be all that psyched about it but we are.  On Saturday, H did a trail run on Pipe Dream.  When he got back, A and Milton did a 4.6 mile hike, also on Pipe Dream.  (Sure appreciate a trailhead walking distance from the house).  After that, H and A did a road ride on the bike path, from our house to Lions Park, up/back along the river, up/back to the Arches National Park entrance (plus H went up further and caught up to A on the home stretch), then up/back on the river section, then home.  That afternoon, we watched the Kentucky Derby at Woody's (the bartender said she knew we'd be in since the race was one) and my horse freaked out whilst loading and didn't even run.  And that evening, our neighbor and her dog joined us for beers around the firepit.

Trail dog

Sunday:  H and Milton did a Pipe Dream trail run and then, while they went to Dave's for coffee/dog biscuit, A headed out for her long hike of the week.  I walked from our house to Pipe Dream, south on Pipe Dream to Hidden Valley, up and over Hidden Valley, and then down the Moab Rim trail.  It was a gorgeous day - definitely cooler than the last time I'd done that hike, which is 10.3 miles.  H and M met me in the Moab Rim parking lot, bringing snacks and beers.  I will confess to an afternoon nap, but I rallied and was up late enough for a firepit.

Lil teeny purple flower

Monday:  H was back to a solo trail run Monday, and A and Milton did a 4.5 mile hike on Pipe Dream.  A still had some fatigue from her big hike the day before, however, so H did a solo road ride.  When he got back, we all packed up lunch things and binoculars and beers and went to our favorite picnic spot above the bike path along the Colorado River.  After getting cleaned up back at the house, H and A strolled to Woody's for a quick visit, then returned for backyard beers with our neighbor.

Heading to the Moab Rim trail

Tuesday:  By Tuesday, Milton (who we think is around ten years old at this point) was showing a little bit of cumulative fatigue.  He did a shorter trail run with H, but A opted for walking across town and back for errands rather than doing a hike so he could rest.  A and H did their road ride and then it was time for another picnic, this time up at the Slickrock trailhead parking lot.  It is our opinion that Tuesdays are the least-busy of the weekdays and true to form, things were pretty quiet up there, relatively speaking.  We even spent a fair amount of time watching a bunch of ants carry a peanut from the covered picnic table to their nest.  (There were also MTBers and dirt bikers to watch and side-by-sides to bitch about.)  The afternoon and evening were spent at home, reading.

by the numbers

With much delay (due to super-busy getting caught up back at work, plus laundry, plus other stuff), I'm finally getting around to doing some little posts about our spring week in Moab.  We always do this, to celebrate the transition from ski season to summer.  If I'm honest, it was a pretty chill week - we didn't really go balls to the wall on anything (lol do we ever?), and even though we TALKED about it a lot, we didn't get around to MTBing.  It was mostly trail running, hiking and road riding.  

Trail running: Daily runs totaling 12 miles for H, who is getting back into it after some time off, and 8 miles for Milton, who accompanied him on all but two runs.

Hiking: 33 miles for A (this mileage does not count town walks) and 23 miles for Milton, who accompanied her on all but the longest (10.3 miles) hike.

Road riding: 217 miles for H (daily rides) and around 160 miles for A, who didn't ride two days, plus did about three miles less on each ride.

Most posts with more details (such as they are) to follow.

Here's a tiny little desert lupine,

about six inches tall

vacation end

And then the rain set in.  We hadn't gotten much weather during monsoon season, and Utah is always in at least some kind of a drought, so it felt ungrateful to complain.  But maybe not rain during vacation!  It felt like being back in Maine again - it always rained during our vacations there - except for, you know, desert.

At the start

On Friday, A and M did a damp, 3.3 mile town walk.  Then H and A rode their MTBs down to the start of the Moab 240 to watch the crazy runners head off.  The Moab 240 is an ultra trail marathon that is 240 miles long (give or take).  Last year, it was hotter than normal conditions for the runners; this year, they had rain and snow and overflowing creeks and so much mud.  It is such a cool event and both H and I wish we had it in us to do such a thing.  It isn't so much the distance that's intimidating - I would LOVE to hike the course, over a period of (many) days - it's the sleep deprivation.  

At the bar

After the runners headed off, we rode down to Proper Brewing (it was on the way home) for one beer, then stopped at Woody's for one beer, before returning home.  It's important to support local businesses.

At Sandflats

Saturday found us three doing a quick Practice Loop (2.3 miles) hike up at Sandflats in the morning.  We figured it would be the least wet and muddy trail we could do; indeed, all the potholes were full of rainwater.  It dried up enough in the afternoon for another visit to the Spitfire for dog-friendly patio beers.  But Saturday night we got a massive thunderstorm - the lightning was incredible.  Milton was not pleased.

At another bar

On Sunday, after A and M did another townwalk (3.2 miles), the humans headed out on their bikes for the last road ride of vacation (20.2 miles).  It was much cooler after the storm but the rain had wrecked some havoc along the trail: lots of downed branches and sand/mud washed across the bike path.  Our ride ended up being shorter than we intended, actually, because the bike path along the river was flooded and impassable.

At the end of the line

And that was it.  We cleaned the house and did yard work Monday morning before packing up and heading back to SLC.  This fall vacation was perhaps a little less active than past year's due to the adverse weather.   But we did get out and do at least one thing outdoors each day, and had double sessions several times.  Plus all that weather meant A read ten library books!

vacation middle (2)

We mostly have good weather in Moab, it being a desert and all.  But Wednesday was really the last good weather day of our vacation week.  And I think we did a pretty good job of taking advantage of it.

Gap as we made our way down

While H did a five mile trail run and an 24.3 mile road ride, A and M hiked down Grandstaff Canyon, from the Sandflats antenna to the Colorado River.  We've done this several times before, most recently just in July (the Squirrel Episode).  We may not do it again for a while.  In July, it wasn't too overgrown but this last time, the going was tough once we got down to the creek.  Numerous times we just couldn't press through - forcing our way through Russian thistle over the dog's head left me badly scratched - and we scrambled up high, along one of the benches for much more of the upper hike than we have in the past.  Milton is such a good hiker, really agile and good at finding the trail, but the prickly parts weren't fun for him either.

Art al fresco

We made it out and H picked us up, having packed lunch and beers for some post-hike picnicing at our spot above the bike path/river.  That afternoon, after getting cleaned up, we walked to the in-town ball fields to meet our friends C and F and watch their four year old son play soccer.  That kid is far better than anyone else on his team and scored like eight times in a fifteen minute game.  After that, we strolled back to their house for a yard beer, and when it was time for their son's dinner, bid them farewell and strolled over to Woody's for a bar beer.

From whence we came

Thursday brought some rain.  We tried to time it for activities and did pretty well, all things considered.  A and M did a 2.2 mile town walk while H did a 4 mile trail run.  After a late morning grocery run (A had to shelter under a tree for a few minutes on the walk back), the weather cleared up.  H and A got their bike ride in and, more than that, rode all the way up "the hill" on the bike path (28.4 miles, 2:19 time because I'm slow), going up past the entrance to Arches National Park, all the way to the first kiosk at the Moab Brand MTB trails.  Having gotten my bike in for service pre-vacation certainly helped with the shifting and braking - I still much, much prefer riding up hills than down them.

Appreciate that sky

vacation beginning

 Since we got our little Moab place, we really don't go anywhere but there anymore.  It's got all we need for vacation: easy access to the outdoors for hiking and biking; easy access to town for walking to beers, food, shopping and friends; world-class landscapes; great high desert environment; dog-friendly.  Every now and again when I hear of a trip friends took, I get a momentary pang and think, "Ooh, that sounds nice."  And then I remember that we can go to Moab whenever we want and I appreciate our privilege.

So for our fall vacation - we do a week's vacation in the spring, after ski season ends, and then again in the fall, before ski season starts - we went to Moab.  We drove down Friday late afternoon, noting the increase in traffic on I-15, both for the weekend and for the temperate season.  It took us a wee dite longer than it does when we go down Thursday afternoons, so we stayed in and cracked beers at home rather than venturing out.

Moody skies Saturday morning

On Saturday, we hit the Pipe Dream trail: A and the dog doing a six mile hike and H doing an eight mile trail run.  Later in the day, H ventured out for a quick 16.5 mile road ride.  We got lucky with the weather, at least in the first half of the week, as it was mostly clear and lovely, with highs not getting out of the 70s.  That evening we met up with our friends C and F who had scored a babysittter: we swung by a block party hosted by a local realtor, then moved on over to Dewey's for beers and noshes.  And then that night, we were delighted to discover that our neighbor A had returned home from her summer commercial fishing in Alaska.  (Milton was pretty excited to see her dog Moscow.)

Brand new bar tape on the ol' Cannondale

Sunday was another beautiful day.  A and M did a 3.3 mile town walk (trying to alternate off-leash and on-leash days for Milton so he doesn't exhaust himself).  Then H and A did a 24.2 mile road ride on the Moab bike path.  For a change, it wasn't windy!

So rad

The afternoon saw us three having a picnic up at the Slickrock trailhead parking lot - where H and M did some long-boarding - then a quick stop by Woody's for the humans and a backyard firepit after dinner at home.

second half

 Those lovely cool temperatures didn't stick around through the whole weekend, unfortunately, and it steadily got warmer as time went on - although it never got out of the low 90s, so we were grateful for that.  Cooler weather is on its way and I'm sure we'll be bitching about how dang cold it is in January.  But for now, I feel like I can't even remember what being cold feels like.

Mile 6: Pipe Dream and Hidden Valley done

After H's big Saturday, it was time for A's big Sunday: another Pipe Dream/Hidden Valley/Moab Rim trek.  It was still pretty quiet out there.  There were three cars in the Hidden Valley trailhead parking lot and only a couple of people on the trails with me.  

Mile 8

I went just a smidgen longer than last time, opting to stay on the rock/Moab Rim trail proper, rather than going down Sand Hill to the wash.  I didn't want to have to dump sand out of my shoes after Sand Hill.  And funnily enough, it turned out to only be two-tenths of a mile longer, although it sure seemed like more than that.  Hike stats: 10.3 miles, 3:48:56.

Mile 10

While A was tromping around in the desert, H did a "recovery" road ride of 24+ miles.  He and Milton came to pick A up at the Moab Rim trailhead parking lot (with beers) and we stayed there a little while, watching some jeeps and other rigs make their way up the gnarly trail.

Needing a bit of a trim

After a nap for A that afternoon, we humans walked to our friends C and F's house for yard beers.  Which turned out to be kitchen beers because we all thought the A/C felt nice, despite the lovely shade in their backyard.

Skulls and sunflowers

And then it was Monday.  We did a bunch of chores around the house: weeding, trimming back trees, re-caulking some door frames.  Then we got back on the road bikes for the now traditional H 24/A 21 mile ride on the bike path.  Drinks at Woody's seemed to be in order for late afternoon, and then it was early to bed.  We're not stupid enough to drive back north through Spanish Fork Canyon on the evening of the last day of a long weekend; we did that once, getting stuck in traffic for over an hour, and now we wait and get up wicked early Tuesday morning for the drive back to SLC.

first half

 As is our wont, we skeddadled out of SLC and went to Moab for the long Labor Day holiday weekend, rolling into an unexpectedly quiet Main Street a little after 7 p.m.  Later, when we asked some friends in hospitality if things were slow, they said no, hotels were pretty well booked; I dunno, it sure seemed quiet.  And that's okay.

Oh

We got really lucky with the weather for the first two days especially.  A cold front rolled in and it was in the 70s (!!!!!!!) on Friday.  Delightful!  While H did a three mile trail run that morning, A and M did a 3.5 mile hike on Pipe Dream.  It was quiet out there too: we saw one dude on a MTB with his dog.  Late morning, A and H got on their road bikes for a ride on the bike path.  A did 21 miles (it had been about a month since I'd been on the bike and I could feel that fact in my sit bones) while H stretched a little further to make it 24.

Lawd

On Saturday, H had planned to do a long run and strung together 13.1 on Pipe Dream, up to Hidden Valley, through Hidden Valley and over the pass a little ways towards the Moab Rim trail.  He ended up with just barely under 2,000 feet of elevation gain too, and finished in 2:46:47, so it was not an insignificant run.  

He

While he was doing all that, Milton and A went to Millcreek.  We went a little longer than we usually do (5.7 miles) and found ourselves a preying mantis.

Comin'

Amazingly, H had not done quite enough by late Saturday morning.  We decided to take advantage of the still fairly cool temperatures (slightly warmer than Friday but it still did not get out of the 80s) and did a road ride.  This time he "just" did 21 miles.  That's plenty of miles for one day.

Mantis

Except that we did walk to Woody's and back for cocktails and that's another 1.75 miles roundtrip.  Not that we're weirdos who count everything.

summer has definitely arrived

 Both H's and my work recognize the Juneteenth holiday so OF COURSE we took advantage and made it into a long weekend in Moab.  It had been three (!) weeks (!!) since we'd been down there and the heat had kicked into high summer gear in the meantime; the water had evaporated from the toilet bowls (!!!).  We knew it was going to be really hot for a couple of days, and then really windy, and then a cold front was going to roll in and make things really crazy, so we planned accordingly.  This meant going to Woody's as soon as we got down there Wednesday evening, getting out of the house whilst the A/C cooled things down.

New sticker at Woody's Tavern

On Thursday, the holiday and the hottest day (104F) of the long weekend, Milton and A did an early morning hike (4 miles) at Millcreek.  Like, getting there a little after 6 a.m. early.  It was still warm, not really having cooled down overnight, but that time of morning, our route is almost all shaded, so it was actually fairly pleasant.  The creek is still flowing up there - before getting diverted and going dry through town - so Milton got to splash and wade.  H also took advantage of the relatively cool early morning temperatures to go for a 3 mile trail run on Pipe Dream.  That trail is not shaded in the morning, by the way.

Sunrise hitting the cliffs on the far side of the valley

A and H then did a road ride on the bike path: 21 miles for A, who turned around at the entrance to Arches, and 24+ for H, who continued up the hill a little further.  This would end up being the only road ride for A - it got too windy - although the vintage Schwinn did get taken out for some errands.

Such excitement (such a goober)

Saturday looked very similar to Thursday: a Millcreek four-miler for A and M; nearly five miles trail run for H; and then a shortened, twelve mile road ride for H.  It was not quite so hot (only high 90s) but it was very windy, and of course it always seems to be a headwind and never a tailwind.

It's a good day if you get slobber on your nose

on repeat (2)

 The second half of our long holiday weekend looked quite a lot like the first half.  Again, Milton and A did the Millcreek hike first thing in the morning, although on Sunday we went a little further upstream, crossing over by the beaver trees (former trees felled by beavers) and coming back down on the other side.  It had been a while since we'd been on that side and the trail has not seen nearly as much foot traffic, even fading out in a couple of places.

Cobbles exposed

There was certainly plenty of foot traffic in the left hand fork of the canyon, where the waterfalls are.  Sunday was apparently the busiest day: on Monday, we talked with a guy who was housesitting in one of the homes near the entrance to the canyon and he said that cars were parking all the way out to the main road and three separate ambulances came in Sunday to rescue people.  Sorry we missed that (sarcasm).

Still shady this early

H and A's late morning bike rides were similar too: A did the 21 mile version while H went a little further, starting up the hill past the Arches NP entrance a ways to put together a 24 mile ride. On Monday, the ranger hanging out at the Arches entrance told A that they only had to have one ambulance on Sunday, so Arches for the win!

Like having my own private canyon

The Moab Arts Fest was going on all weekend, and they lucked out on the weather, as after Friday high temperatures didn't even get to 90 - a gift for this time of year.  And we lucked out too, as we were able to keep windows and doors open a lot of the time and the A/C didn't even come on.  Pretty sure at least that will be diffferent the next time we get down there.  

alfjk;asd

on repeat (1)

We go to Moab a lot (obviously).  And sometimes when we're there, we just don't feel like driving to go do stuff.  There are trailheads for hiking and MTBing everywhere and some of them require a lot of driving from town; going to the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands requires 45 minutes in the car, for example.  So when we don't feel like driving, we tend to repeat the same trails, like Pipe Dream or Millcreek (which, yes, technically requires driving but only five minutes).  When we were down in Moab over Memorial Day weekend, we did not feel like driving and fighting the crowds.

Funky little flower

Thus, the first two days of the long weekend looked very similar.  First thing in the morning, Amanda and Milton did a four mile Millcreek Canyon hike, getting there early before the hordes.  We went out along the rim trail, then dropped down to the creek for the return.  We only saw a couple of people out on the trail but by the time we got back to the parking lot, the cars were starting to roll in.  Temperatures were super nice, especially in the shade.

The water is low but still flowing

After the hike, H and A switched gears (literally haha) and went for a 21 mile road ride along the bike path.  This entails going north out of town, then out and back along the Colorado River, then across the pedestrian bridge over the river and up to the Arches National Park entrance, then going back across the bridge, out and back along the river stretch and then back home.  The traffic on the bike path definitely increased from Friday to Saturday as more tourists rolled into town.

Cowboy hot tubs

Our Friday and Saturday evenings did differ slightly.  Friday found us at Woody's and then with a backyard firepit, watching the stars come out.  But on Saturday we went to C and F's house for a BBQ with several of their friends.  They've got a great backyard, cool and shady, and as it was a little cooler than Friday, the afternoon/evening was quite pleasant.

paintbrush

By Saturday we were all feeling some cumulative fatigue.  A and M did a neighborhood walk, and then A and H did their road ride on the bike path.  The day was clear and a little bit warmer than the last few, but not much wind so we were psyched about that.  This day's picnic was at the Amasa Back trailhead.  Ususally when we are there, it's early in the morning to start a hike; since we were there for lunch, it was packed and we got one of the last few parking spots.  As we had our sandwiches, MTBers started rolling in after their rides.  Milton got to make some new friends, of course.

Paintbrush

This turned out to be the hottest day since the car show, so our afternoon was spent lounging around at home, reading.  We strolled to Woody's for cocktails and then came home for a firepit on a simply beautiful night (until the threat of rain rolled in).

Ambiance

And then it was Sunday and we were all sad about it.  We did a 3.5 mile family town walk, then cleaned the house and packed the truck.  The drive back to SLC was uneventful except for the fact that Milton was so tired that he actually relaxed and fell asleep with his head on H's knee.

So tired

Vacation stats:  21 miles trail running (H only); 37.25 miles hiking/walking; 131 miles road cycling.

yucca

The next few days just flew by.  Wednesday Milton was still recovering from his activities earlier in the week (running off-leash and chasing lizards is lots harder than poky ol' on-leash walks), so H did his four mile trail run solo while A went grocery shopping.  Then we repeated the 21 mile bike ride, and A did a 3.5 mile town walk, including checking out the for-sale books at the county library, and then coaxed Milton out for a stroll around the neighborhood.  H made pasta salad for dinner and finally finished his jigsaw puzzle.  We had intended another firepit but some rain moved through and we just ended up putting all the outside furniture back into the garage to keep it dry.

Yucca

Thursday morning found H back on the trail for a run (4 miles) and A and M in town for a walk (3/5 miles).  It was a simply gorgeous day and A and H enjoyed their late morning bike ride quite a lot, although we did notice that the bike path was getting busier as we approached the weekend.  When we got back from our ride, we threw picnic stuff and the dog into the truck and headed back down the river road to our favorite picnic spot above the Colorado River.  No BASE jumpers and just a few folks out on the river.  That evening we were lucky enough to catch up with our friends and former Moab neighbors, N and L, back in town for a wedding.

Canyon wall feature

On Friday, all three of us did a Millcreek Canyon hike (4 miles).  We met a couple of nice dogs and spied a raven's nest, which was cool; the creek is very low, which is not quite so.  A and H then did their by-now regular bike ride (still more bike path traffic but not too windy).  After that we grabbed sandwiches, beer and Milton and drove up to the Slickrock Trailhead for lunch, purchasing our season pass on the way.  We talked with a bunch of MTBers up there - the trailhead was the busiest we've seen in months.

Neighbor alliums

After cleaning up at home, A and H walked to Swanny Park to check out the first Arts & Ag[riculture] market of the season.  It was pretty small - not much ag is ready for sale in Utah in May - so after a quick circuit, we headed back.  H suggested that we stop in at Josie Wyatt's "for just one" so of course we ended up talking to some tourists from Mississippi and also S, an acquaintance of ours whom we hadn't seen for some time.  S was headed over to a house party and invited us; we stopped by our house for the dog and some beers first and then we tried to find said party, but the directions we had were vague and we ended up just going back home, rather than start knocking on random doors.  We consoled ourselves with a backyard firepit as the stars started coming out.