Cameron Falls

Finally, the weekend is here. I love my weekends. I love my work too but it is always nice to have a couple of days with no pressure.

I decided to ride my bike today. It has been awhile because my tire went flat and my pump quit working so I couldn't pump it up. I've been too lazy to patch the tire. I've really wanted to ride however so I dug out my air compressor and change the quick disconnect from my nailing gun to my nozzle that fills tires. This afternoon my Treo went off at 2:00 to remind me of a dentist appointment I had at 2:30. Plenty of time if I was driving but I just can't ride my bike eight miles in 30 minutes. Even if I could I would be dripping sweat all over the dentists office. Luckily I was able to borrow a co-workers car.

The other day I was reading my National Geographic and I flipped the page and there was Cameron Falls. I believe it is the first time I have ever seen a place I've actually been to in the National Geographic. I'm not counting the famous places like the Great Wall or the Eiffel tower. It was pretty cool. And then as I continue on through the magazine I see an article about the largest swimming pool in the world. It is called the "Big Dipper" and it just happens to be in Alex's mission.

This week I went to another one of Sarah's track meets. As I'm sure you all remember Sarah runs the 300 meter hurdles. I love watching her run, she flies over the hurdles like a graceful swan. If only she could fly a little faster. It wasn't a great race this week but that is because the teams trainer made her quit training for a while so her heel could heal. I guess that is a common problem with hurdlers because the land on their heels and supposedly if she'd kept running on it it would have developed into a stress fracture and that can put you out for several months. As you can probably guess, just missing a week of training of course can put you in serious trouble as it did with Sarah. She looked beautiful and that is the most important part for me. Sarah doesn't completely agree with me but she is taking it all in stride. Win or loose, the girl is in great shape. Brandon measured her at 15% body fat and for a girl that's pretty skinny.

Tonight Sarah and some friends went to the Mormon Battalion visitors center. Just in case you don't know the story let me give a brief recounting. When the Mormon pioneers were driven out of Nauvoo in the middle of the winter they had a tough time of it crossing the plains. Brigham Young sent a message to the US Government offering to build cabins along the trail as shelters for future travelers. The Government came back and said they didn't need any cabins but they did have a war brewing with Mexico and they could sure use some soldiers. Brigham Young told the men that they really needed the money and if they chose to go he promised them that they would not have to fight anything more than wild animals. About 500 men and 80 women enlisted. After a long and arduous journey they ended up 2,000 miles later in San Diego having completed the longest infantry march in American history. They managed to miss all of the fighting. While in San Diego the Mormon Battalion dug the first wells, painted the houses, made the first brick foundry and lined the wells with bricks and they built the first brick building in California and one of the woman bore the first white baby in California. The visitors center was just remodeled and I'm told it is wonderful. Lisa and I haven't been there yet but we're hoping that everyone can go when they're here for Alex's farewell.

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Only two lifetimes ago, Britain ruled the largest and wealthiest empire in the history of humankind. Britain controlled a quarter of the earths land and a quarter of the earth's population.
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