Some days I feel like the luckiest girl alive...

good friends grouped around the campfire at Luge Night.

Bryon goes for a sub-four minute lap.

i drove back to Salt Lake (from Tonopah) this weekend with several things on my "to do" list.  number one:  Luge Night.  my buddy Karl has a natural luge track built in an un-named area of an un-named canyon here in the Wasatch.  i mustered up some motivation after the 6 hour drive from Nevada, and loaded up the backpack with cheap beer, donned my Vasque running shoes and my Kahtoola microspikes (because Karl had threatened us with a race... ) and headed up to the track.  the plastic sleds were provided by our host.  some of my favorite ultra-endurance peeps were there.  there were some new faces too (although not new to the running crowd; i had never met a few of them in person).  what a great night.  we stayed out 'til after midnight, and i gave the folks from the Outdoor Retailers' show a ride back to their respective hotels downtown.

charmers on the Rail Trail ~ these two had everyone fooled!

number two:  Outdoor Retailers' trade show.  although i've lived in Salt Lake City for twenty years (!) i had never actually been to the show.  thanks to my friends at Vasque Footwear for giving me the green light to attend.  i promise, i will not let you down with my reviews of shoes this summer!  on Saturday, i met up with my friend Kyle, whom i have known since kindergarten in Michigan, but hadn't seen in about twenty years (since high school).  wow, i swear he hasn't changed a bit.  it was great to cruise around to the booths, talk with like-minded folks, and catch up with my childhood friend who has been so generous to me in getting me lined up with Vasque trail running shoes.  i returned on Sunday to bam-schmoozle a few more retailers and get some pro-deals.

beautiful afternoon in the Silver Summit valley.

number three:  get my skate on with the dogs.  since i spent all of Saturday and most of Sunday at the trade show, i was running out of time to go for a skate ski with the dogs.  never fear!  although the Rail Trail had not been groomed since the recent snow and wind, i rallied again and got the dogs out for a 6-mile skate.  i must admit, my balance and technique have improved over the years.  parts of the trail were icy and other parts pock-marked with dog prints.  heck, there was even a section that was covered in wood chips (fyi ~ skate skis do not like to *glide* over wood chips).  but we powered through!  the afternoon views of the Silver Summit valley were beautiful.

we were all smiles today ~ lucky.

with days like these, i feel as though i'm just about the luckiest girl alive.  i even got to eat breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants (the Park Cafe on 6th East and 1300 South) with one of my best girlfriends and the Salt Lake Fire Department Engine 8 crew was there (one of our favorite crews.  sorry, guys, i'd say "favorite" but you are in close running with Station 2, and a girl cannot be expected to choose between the likes of two spectacular crews such as yourselves... )

tomorrow i will cruise back to Tonopah for another 3 days of work at the hospital.  i'll probably try to stop by Ward Mountain in Ely on the way, weather permitting (last time it was actually too warm to skate ski there and i post-holed for all of 5 minutes before calling the dogs back to the car).  next weekend i have good friends in town from New York (state) for skiing at Brighton and dining at Red Iguana.  honestly... how did i get so lucky?