…although low tide!! What a crazy month it was! It seems things began to look up moving into the new (water) year. :)
Snowvember and welcoming in Water Year 2021 /
Early ThanksChristmasGiving in IL (including much leaf peeping and dining extravaganzas) /
We headed back to IL on the early side for holiday celebrations this year to avoid travel complications associated with COVID— had a wonderful little visit and got an early Christmas present from Mama Nature of getting to enjoy the leaves turning in incredible form!!! We even got to stay in the local AirBnB, aka Basecamp in the driveway. :) As always, happy times and decadent dining with the Dierkers!
Sour bats and big puffies /
This year we got in not one but TWO tiny family backpacking trips! Got in our trip with the Perrot elders in late October over a chilly, blustery weekend in the Hoover Wilderness. Was filled with lots of wind, snacks, and a beautiful sunset!
October turns, trails, and other times /
Adapt and revise /
September was a tough month of continually changing plans…was supposed to go backpacking, then everything caught on fire, our permit was cancelled, AND Alex got sick (all within 2 days)…never tested positive, but sure seemed COVID-y. Watched all of the Marvel movies in bed for a week and a half instead! Not our ideal use of PTO, but was necessary, and some classic 2020!
Vehicles and AQI /
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…our free time was primarily occupied by dealing with simultaneous car breakdowns, a very serendipitous opportunity to shuttle and borrow a functional car, making decisions about repairs and what type of new vehicle to replace the Jeep with, learning about TrueCar and the art of negotiation, and some running thrown in there too! Big month! In the background was the start to a pretty terrible wildfire season in the West, during which we also learned how to time our runs and choose routes on the fly in areas with the better AQI. Yay PurpleAir!
