Moab

Our US Christmas roadtrip now has brought us to Moab, Utah. We checked the weather everywhere, concluded it was bad everywhere and decided we most wanted to see Utah and all the weird sandstone there, so we went there anyway. With the exception of a horrible long drive here it is awesome! We actually used three dayes to get here. The first day we used 3 hours getting our car from Avis, who has a mixed up computer system.... Then we slept in Mojave desert, drove to Vegas next day. We then decided to drive on against Utah after checking the weather forecast, realising that neither really wanted to see the strip (and that I can't climb due to my stupid knee) and setting our watches to Nevada/Utah time (according to Martin). Well into Utah and the mountains the temperature drops to just above 0. We stops in a town called Richtfield and eats, and also discovers that the time is 9pm and not 7pm.... Also that the road ahead is even worse. So we sleeps there and reaches Moab the day after.

Moab has the best mountain biking of the planet (according to Moab), and that is totally the case. We have now biked three days and sight-seen one, and we both love it! Every other minute while biking Martin is yelling "wow! look!". The only bad thing is that I really miss Norwegian Christmas and my family and Mo i Rana and snow... I don't really get much Chrismas feeling here... The little town is also awesome though! (even though it's not really Mo i Rana :) It has a really nice Microbrewery with good beer and really nice cheap food. And a cosy little cafe called the Love Muffin! What more do you need to make the perfect biking place?!

Martin biking up slikrock, Poison Spider trail.

Me and Utah!
Biking on the edge :) - Eagles Perch trail

Bagels for lunch, Martin taking the photo and focusing more on my bike than me, and also mocking me for biking in yoga pants, Long Johns and knee pads....
Martin at Gemini - Eagles Perch trail

Martin imitating Balance rock and Balance rock, Arches National Park

Men working....

Us and Delicate Arch
Us under Delicate Arch. It was a lot larger then I thought...

Americanization

Life back in San Francisco bay area with Martin is good. Although I must admit I really miss Norwegian December... No snow here... And no real advent... After growing up a place where there is lot of snow and no sun at all in December, sunny and green doesn't really feel very Christmasy. However, it is really nice not to freeze :)

Other than that, days goes by, me working from the apartment in Menlo Park, Martin working at Centre for Design research at Stanford. We also got a trip to Pasadena, Los Angeles because I had a meeting there, and we have seen San Francisco and celebrated Thanksgiving American style.

San Francisco!

Thanksgiving at Greg's parents place. I like that holiday, just about being happy and eat :)

We also whached Stanford-Oregon State in American football with Greg. Oregon state lost.. a lot.....

Since neither of our parents bothers to make us advent calendar when we are so far away, me and martin made for each other :)

Biking in the hills of the Peninsula. It is REALLY nice biking there. Only problem is that it is about 25km to bike on road to get to the nice mountain biking.... Totally worth it, but still, a bus going there would have made more time on trails, less on road...

Old Woodside on the way to bikeing

Me biking in Corte de Madera creek park

Fancy American Christmas decorations (the threes are huge!)