Chillin' with the Craigger

Craig Huxter is a piece of work.

My older brother by six years, Craig (who we call "the Craigger" for reasons I can't remember) is not someone you'll easily forget.   His personality overflows every room he walk's into.

He's a consistently happy, overwhelmingly outgoing, wound up ball of enthusiasm that seems to infect everyone around him with a jolt of electricity.  You could meet him once and ten years later you'd immediately recognize him.  You wouldn't have a choice because he'd be yelling and waving to you from across the street while stopping traffic to come say hello.  And he'd not just remember you, he'd remember your middle name, your phone number, the names and ages of your kids, their birthdays, and that thing you'd briefly discussed about your lawnmower ten years ago.

And between his bald head, piercing blue eyes and bright clothes he's not to be missed.  He never fades into a crowd - instead he commands the attention of everyone around him - without even trying.  And when he speaks you have to listen - if only because you can't imagine what he will say next.  He's not exactly shy.

He's the sort of guy who - without a second thought -  will strip to his tighty whiteys in the middle of a department store to try on a pair of pants because the changing rooms are full.  He is the sort of guy who laughs so hard in a movie theatre that everyone in the audience starts to laugh at him instead of the movie.  True stories.

And we got to spend a week with him.

Day 1: Skiing.  We went to the Brian Head Ski Resort about an hour and a half north just outside Cedar City.  When we left our house in Santa Clara (elevation 2700 ft) it was 50 degrees and sunny and we wondered how there could possibly be any snow to ski on this early in the year.  When we arrived at the top of the ski hill less than two hours later (elevation 11,000 ft) it was -12 F and blowing a gale.  What an incredible difference the elevation makes.

Sadly, Craig and I calculated that it had been over 20 years since the last time the two of us had skied together - something we've vowed to correct.

It was cold... very, very cold.  Having grown up at the base of a ski hill in Newfoundland, Canada I can remember very few days when - despite hats and goggles and face masks and thermal layers over thermal layers - it was too cold to ski.  This was one of them.    We got in a few quick runs, each followed by a quick warm up before we called it a day and headed back to lower elevations, warmer temperatures and a hot toddy or two.

Day 2: Golfing.  It was cool and crisp and clear and not a breath of wind.  We busted the bank for a round at the Sand Hollow Golf Club, a jaw dropping course set in the middle of the Utah desert with a 360 degree view set among Utah's famous red rocks.  We had a great day.  The course was wide and forgiving and the relatively low temperatures meant we had the course almost to ourselves.  The locals wore wool hats and mittens.  I wore a fall jacket.  Craig wore shorts and a t-shirt.  (Crazy bugger.)

Day 3: Hiking.  We drove through Zion stopping frequently for photos and enjoying the solitude (and scarily close encounters with deer) that come from being there during one of their slowest weeks of the year - that lull in between Thanksgiving and Christmas when everyone is too full, to tired and too broke to go anywhere or do anything.

We hiked up to the mouth of the Narrows and later to the East Canyon Overlook - which is quickly becoming my favorite hike in the park.  Never have I hiked a trail with more to see in such a short distance.  A half mile along the edge of a cliff, looking down into a slot canyon, through an alcove and then to the very edge of a 1000 ft cliff overlooking the east canyon.  Spectacular.  On our drive we saw deer, big horn sheep and buffalo.  Another great day.

Days 4 to 6: Vegas.  We stayed at the Luxor - the classic budget casino hotel.  We hit the outlet stores.  We hit the poker tables. We hit the buffet.  We walked the strip and got tickets to a show.  We even drove to an outdoor range and shot a handgun.  It was the quintessential Vegas weekend (just short of stealing a tiger from Mike Tyson).

All in all a great week with a great guy.  Love you Craigger.  Let's do this again soon.

Up next... Christmas with the Nienow clan.