Creating the enterprise

Some friends and i are all on the same Minecraft server so we can help each other build things or destroy things.  We decided last week to start working on the Enterprise from Star Trek.  This seemed like the best idea ever at the start.  We began by clearing an area out for it because it was going to be huge, just like the one on the show.  After some thinking and planning it out, we decided to scale it down a bit because it would take 10 years to make a actual sized one.  We started by creating the giant saucer part of the Enterprise then after that was done, we could get an idea for how big we needed to make the rest of the ship.  Now as we are almost done, it is getting to be more work than fun.  The Enterprise is massive and working on any part of it requires a lot of time and planning.  We are not going to give up, we are just slowing down.  The exterior is just about done and we are working on the interior now.  The entire ship will probably be done next week and i can post some screen shots of the finished product then.  Of course the ship will not be entirely accurate, we are creating it based off of memory and pictures we find on the internet.

Minecraft

Ok, so its getting cold outside so i decided that i'm done climbing mountain for this summer and they can wait for next summer.  I have decided to start blogging about a game i am playing, called Minecraft.  Minecraft is a sandbox game in which you are in the first person view and you destroy blocks of your environment, like dirt and you can then pick up that block you destroyed and place it wherever you please.  You can make a giant crater of dirt and then build a big mountain of dirt with that dirt from the crater.  Aside from dirt, there are trees to chop down, flowers to harvest, ore to mine from gigantic natural mine shafts, and a lot of other things we see in the wilderness in real life.  With all these materials you build houses, castles, mine tracks which can be made into roller coasters, and anything else you want.  You are limited only by your imagination. 
One of the few drawbacks to the game is that the graphics look like they are 20 years old.  thats the only drawback.
Actually seeing this game will help you a ot more than reading this so i recommend this video from youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANgI2o_Jinc

It just has a guy who tells you the basics on how to play the game and i would recommend it if you want to learn more about the game or how to start playing it.

grandeur peak

This week i took things easy and hiked up grandeur peak from millcreek canyon.  grandeur peak is a little mountain that makes up the left side of Millcreek canyon.  It takes about 2 or 3 hours round trip depending on how many stops you make and how quick you go.  My friend invited me to go up with him because he is training to get up Mt. Olympus sometime before it snows.  We started pretty early around 9am, when it was still a little cold outside so we could beat the mid day heat from the sun.  The hike was really fun and it was nice to see all the leaves changing as well as other scenery.   We finished after about 2 hours and thirty minutes just before the sun made it unpleasant to hike.  This next week or sometime after i might try to do lone peak.

Albion Basin

This last weekend i got to go mountain biking up little cottonwood canyon at Albion Basin with my wife.  it was a lot of fun, we parked at the pay booth near the trail head and biked up about 3 miles. After a nice, not to steep ride up, locked out bikes up and hiked a half mile up to a lake.  We ate lunch at the lake and enjoyed the scenery and then took of back down the mountain and drove down the canyon.

Mt. Olympus

Today was a great day to go hiking, I got up early today and stated to hike up the Mt. Olympus trail head.  The air was perfect for keeping me cool as I hiked towards the top.  This is a hike i have done 2 times before and always seems to go on forever, but it is all worth it when you see the view of the entire city at the top.  Hopefully it will not snow too soon so i can try some other mountains out before winter.

Europe Trip

My wife and I spent the 2 weeks before fall semester began in Europe.  We went primarily to go through some Swiss canyons that are full of flowing water.  I have gone through these canyons before on a previous Europe trip and we had a blast.  This time was my first time taking my wife through the canyons.  We had a lot of fun rappelling through waterfalls, sliding down natural water slides into pools of water and cliff jumping.