LittleJudy.com

Archaeology Walk

I didn't schedule anythinng for this norning so I could watch the inauguration with some of the other guests. I was surprised that I didn't cry, but it was good that I brought along the extra kleenex which I offered the woman sitting next to me when she started tearing up.

After that I went to a cooking demonstration by the spa's executive chef. He made tortilla soup, broccoli soup and a cold honeydew mint soup. I liked that he gave a lot of nutrition tips in addition to the recipes. The germaphobe in me was happy to see that he's very big on proper food handling and storage. All of it was delicious and I am definitely going to try some of the recipes in my own kitchen.

In the afternoon I went on a walk with an archaeologist to explore ancient indian ruins and petroglyphs.

When I get home I will be adding more details and links about what we learned. Our guide told us about what Hopi indian spiritual leaders and historians have shared with him about their traditions. The petroglyph are etched into rocks perched high on a hill which he referred to as an outdoor classroom where the young learn from the Hopi elders. The petroglyphs tell stories about historical events, portray the cycle of life or fortell the future.

The Indians told our guide that their ancestors descended from people who travelled to the Americas on Phoenician ships and that is why some of the symbols look like letters in the alphabet we use today.
I will have more on this along with photos and links when I return.






 

Zion National Park

I've learned over the years that sometimes the things I'm most afraid of or want to do least turn out to be the best experiences.

Last night I was stressing over today's trup to Zion National Park.

I was concerned that the hiking would be too difficult and that I wouldn't have time to take any photos.

Before I fell asleep I let go of my fear and just trusted that everything would work out OK.

The trip to Zion turned out to be even better than I expected!

It was supposed to be a group trip with various hikes, but it turned out I was the only guest who signed up. So I had my own personal guide through one of America's most beautiful natural parks.
The guide and I really hit it off and it felt more like I was sightseeing with a girlfriend. My goal was to experience the wonder and beauty of the park, and to document what I saw. You'll see the results as soon as I get home and sort through the photos.

We drove two scenic routes through the park, stopping at different lookout points on the way. A lot of the trails were closed because of icy conditions. But we did part of Riverwalk and saw the petroglyphs.
Yesterday I struggled with hiking through sand. Today a lot of the trail was ice and snow. I was totally in my element after all those years traipsing through the snow at Interlochen!

We ended the day with a shooping trip to the craft and souvenir shops outside the entrance to the park.

Tonight's activity was supposed to be a star gazing walk, but the resident astronomer decided it wasn't a good night for star gazing.he gave a lecture instead. So that's twice I've missed out on star gazing. But, next Monday I start my astronomy class so I guess i'll learn aboutthe stars in New York.

 

Swinging In St. George

Well there's a blog post title that oughta raise my search engine rankings!

By swinging, of course, I mean nothing more than a relaxing sun-drenched moment in one of the many hammocks on the property shown here.

This was taken right before the photography walk with a local photographer around the property. He gave us a lot of tips -- some of which I knew already. But he did show me some of the settings on the Nikon he prefers to use and for what situations. I will have photos from the walk here when I get back.

This evening I had a very interesting life path reading with the same woman who taught the sound therapy class on Friday. It was not fortune telling or a psychic reading at all. It's more about where you are in your spiritual and emotional life right now and what direction you might choose to go next. She also checks out how your seven chakras are doing.

The reading was very enlightening and positive. It gave me plenty of food for thought and motivation spiritually.

And surprise surprise the throat chakra is my most well-balanced. It has to do with communication and speaking the truth.

The best part was when she described my inner child. You hear stories about someone's inner child in a reading is seen as in pain, curled up in a fetal position or angry and throwing a tantrum.

My inner child? Apparently little Little Judy is BORED and outside stomping around on ants! I just need to have a little more whimsical fun to balance out my life (knitting and crochet are grownup hobbies.)
Any suggestions?

My First Hike

I walk every day all over Queens and Manhattan. I think I walk pretty fast for a small person, too. But hiking is a totally different animal.

We walked to nearby Snow Canyon State Park this morning for an Explorer hike which is alledgedly beginner level. The tough part is walking on sand and navigating over and around the rocks. I didn't expect a sand path which was rather silly of me since -- hello? -- this is the desert. The guides were walking at a brisk pace and they both appeared in their 70s! I was miserable,but I did it and got some nice pix on the Nikon, which you can see here.

This shot is from my phone of Jenny's Canyon, which was ghoulishly named after a young woman who died hiking. She didn't die here, but this is said to have been her favorite spot. We also hiked through petrified sand dunes and visited Johnson's Canyon where, one of the guides said, early polygamist missionairies would hide their extra wives when the authorities were snooping around.

I am supposed to do the Zion National Park trip tomorrow and I have to admit I am nervous about it. But the guides assured me it won't be any harder than today, so I'm going for it.

This afternoon I have a body scrub, a photography walk and then a :shaman life path reading.' then dinner a nd a 'spirit walk' which is a meditation walk in a labyrinth on the property

And now ... Lunch!

i'll Have A Yoga On The Rocks, Please

After we got back from Meet The Mustangs I did Canyon Yoga. We drove to Snow Canyon, which is near the resort and carried our yoga mats and blankets to the rock formation you see here. I loved the class, stretching and breathing withe warm sun on my back and a breeze gently blowing. Everyone was completely blissed out at the end of class.

When I came back I went to the spa for a 50=minute Swedish massage to extend my bliss even further. I felt like I might be getting one of my migraines and asked the massage therapist to concentrate on my head, neck and shoulders. Whatever she did worked and I felt much better afterward.

Then it was dinner time. I had poached tilapia with stewed tomatoes, tossed salad, mixed steamed vegetables and mango crisp with lemon sorbet for dessert. I sat at the community table again. Susan and Lisa were there and three new women: a lawyer from Denver, a journalist from San Francisco and a businesswoman from Long Island. We stayed long after dinner having a lively chat and parted at close to 10:00 p.m.

Tomorrow morning I am going on my first hike. It's two hours and supposedly at an elementary level. This morning I had a fitness test and was cleared to go hiking. I've never gone hiking before and was n't sure what I'd be up for. I have a VO2 rate of 43 which the physiologist said was excellent, so I am a little less apprehensive. The best part was based on the results of the treadmill and oxygen tests plus body fat analysis I was given a twelve week fitness plan to follow when I get back. I'm psyched!

Horse Whispering

This afternoon we went to Kayenta Korralsto spend time with wild horses or mustangs as they are also known in a M.E.E.T. the Mustangs program run by Windhorse Relations. 

It really was an amazing experience. We had a chance to interact with the horses, feed them and even hug them. The mustangs are raised differently from domestic horses. The method of "gentling" is based on trust, rather than fear used in traditional disciplinary techniques. One of our guides explains that through trust the mustang develops a willing relationship with its trainer, and only does what it wants to d

The heart hug was the best part. Basically you stand in front of the horse with your arms around the horse's neck and your heart beating against his heart. The horse stays perfectly still and relaxes with you. It was a deeply spiritual, calming moment.

Click here to see my photos from the session.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served buffet-style in the main dining room.

I had mixed grains, scrambled eggs, potato with chili and light potato pancakes with chives washed down with herbal iced tea. Yes I am carbo loading!

Guests can sit wherever they want for breakfast and lunch. You have to make reservations for dinner, though, which is from 6:00 until 7:30.

Tea, coffee and fresh fruit are available all day in the dining room. There's also a little cafe that sells sandwiches, wraps and snacks.

A View From A Room

So quiet this morning! Nothing more than birds and the random group of guests. At left is the view outside my room at the Red Mountain Spa.

My room is in a two-story motel style building with around 40 rooms. There are several of these buildings on the property as well as a group of two story villas that look really nice.

My room faces the east where I can watch the sun rise over the mountains.

Now I'm off to breakfast and then my stress test  In the afternoon I have a massage scheduled.

My First Night At Red Mountain

I checked in as the sun was settng, unpacked my suitcase (I always put all my clothes in the closet and dresser and my toiletries in the bathroom because I hate living out of a suitcase even for one night) and then scheduled a fitness test for tomorrow.

Dinner was lovely. I asked to sit at the community table which was a large round table seating 12. I made two new friends, Susan who is an accountant and is here to take a peaceful break for a week, and Lisa who is a headhunter for law firms. Dinner was really good and really healthy. I had a tofu stir-fry with vegetables, spaghetti squash, a salad, and for desert a tofu carob creme brulee that tasted like the real thing (i.e. choclate and custard).

After dinner, I was supposed to go on a star-gazing walk, but since I was the only one who had signed up it was canceled. Instead, Lisa and I went to "Shaman Spirit Healing Through Sound With Crystal Bowls." I thought it was going to be a little too "out there" for me, but music is so much a part of my life, my upbringing, and who I am that I actually found it to make sense. The theory is that there are seven chakras that control different aspects of our spiritual energy and each chakra has an associated major scale (i.e., the first or root chakra equates with the key of C major). The belief is that you can balance your chakras through sound therapy with the coodinating key. I think at some point physics will explain all this and science and spiritual theories will be reconciled.

Tomorrow morning I am taking a stress test to determine my fitness level and in the afternoon I'm going to "Meet The Mustangs" (the cars not the horses). It's like swimming with dolphins only it's wild horses and you're in the desert.

For now, I'm going to take a shower and get into the fabulous complimentary spa robe and crash on the very comfy bed shown above. I brought my CD player and headphones to ward off noisy neighobrs (yep, they're here too) but I forgot my sound masking CDs. The good news is that  realized for the first time that you can make an impromptu noise masking machine by turning on the radio and tuning to static. Duh! It works like a charm and I'm getting drowsy already. Hasta manana!!!

The Road To Utah

The ride to Red Mountain Spa started out kinda dull. After a traffic jam -- which the driver said is an all day thing in Vegas "because nobody here can drive" -- we spent about an hour on a dusty desert highway. But then we started going through a gorge by the Virgin River and we saw some beautiful rock formations.

I will have much better photos from the Nikon when I return.

The sun was already starting to set when we got to the resort so I didn't take any pictures of the Red Mountains yet. But I will tomorrow morning!

I am uploading photos from my cell phone and then finishing these blog posts on the TV Web browser, which may explain some quirkiness. I really didn't want to bring my laptop because I knew if I did, I would definitely find work to do!