Pining for the Fjords

But what about Part 1 ? When last we blogged, Chris and I awoke at McDowell Mountain Regional Park with our buddies Bryan, Jen, and Jake on a Friday morning in early November, ready to run Ragnar Trail Arizona! As always, my eyes popped open way too early, and I killed time waiting for quiet hours to end by surfing my phone in my sleeping bag.  Eventually, my bladder convinced me to leave my warm confines, and I ventured to the bathrooms.  With quiet hours officially over, it was time to get some hot water going for coffee/tea and take some pictures of the sunrise. Sunrise over the nearby mountains Once everyone else woke up,  we started breakfast as well -  sweet potato scrambles Once it was light, we could also see more of the aftermath of the storm the afternoon before: The busted tent/canopy graveyard.   So sad! Before too long, Rachel, Andrea, and Christina had joined us (as well as Amadeo, serving as our resident photographer this year), and we helped...

The global pandemic that rolled through in 2020 put a crimp in our style in many different ways, but one of the items we missed most from that time period was having the opportunity to participate in large athletic events like races, fun runs, and our annual Ragnar Trail weekend .  While we still did laps around the neighborhood and other workouts (when we weren't dealing with heart issues or other such things), there's something special about the gathering of like-minded folks getting together to celebrate the fun of running that just can't be replicated on your own. Our Ragnar AZ Trail 2022  "Breaking Rag" Team: from left, Rachel, Jen, me, Chris,  Andrea, Christina, Bryan, and Jake Like we normally do, back in late 2019, we'd signed up for the 2020 running of Ragnar McDowell (since renamed to Ragnar Trail Arizona), normally held in early November.  When that was canceled, Ragnar deferred our registration to the 2021 event, provided it would occur.  The orga...

Don't miss Part 1 ! This is the face of a dog who wants  her real house back,  thank you very much. None of us slept super well the first night at Houston Mesa Campground near Payson; while the new mattress from Nectar was insanely comfortable, every now and then, we'd hear the dogs tip tapping around their section of the camper (the living room, essentially), and we'd get up to check on them.  Thankfully, no accidents happened the first night, and eventually, we all got up and moving around to greet the day. A Yeti-like Chris, making breakfast  on the Camp Chef Bagel toasting time! With breakfast settled (sausage, cheese, harissa mayo, and arugula breakfast sammies on the bagels you see above), we strolled the kiddos around the campground, checking out the sites and encouraging them to attend to their needs. At the campground entrance Our trip to Payson was only two weeks before our Ragnar Arizona Trail event, so we figured this would be a good time to get in some ...

Hello there, friends and family! Happy holidays from Amy  and Chris! (photo taken at Grotto Falls  in Great Smoky Mountains National Park) We hope this blog post finds you doing well and enjoying the winter holiday season, whenever, wherever, and whatever you may be celebrating!  In an effort to be more environmentally responsible, the annual Olsen holiday card has gone virtual this year (it also saves money, we'll be honest, but that lets us send it it out to more people, so win-win!).  If you're a regular reader of this blog, welcome back, and if you're new around these parts, we're glad you're here! Per the norm (2020 being the exception, of course), we were pretty busy in 2022, and we've attempted to cover the notable moments of our year below.  We've blogged about many of these events and adventures, and if that's the case, you can click on the associated hyperlink to read about them in more detail. Holidays 2021  - After not being able to visit wit...