kurtandnichole.com

Been a while since I updated the site. In the last few months/weeks we managed to escape the Vegas heat and went camping in California. We did a trip with the toyota120.com group to Big Bear. A few weeks later we joined some of the local yotatech.com people up in Mammoth. Click on the above links to see our pics.

Also got a chance to show off my homemade rear bumper.

Well Nichole and I just got back from our 10 day trip to Europe. We began the trip with 4 nights in Paris, then 3 nights in Brussels and 2 nights in Amsterdam.

Paris was a lot more fun that what I had imagined. Their metro/underground/subway system was near identical to Londons and was very easy to navigate. People were friendly and Nichole and I did our best to try to communicate in the little french we knew. Several people came up Nichole and asked her questions in french. Store keepers also greeted her in french. Me on the other hand, they knew I was American, guess the shorts and Nike’s in the 55 degree weather screamed tourist. We made a few trips outside the city and visted some castles.

Brussels was our next stop. It was a fun place and we made it outside of the city and visted two smaller towns, Ghent and Bruge. The smaller towns were fun and the city center of Brussels was also neat. Food and Beer in Brussels was also incredible.

Amsterdam was next, weather was horrible. We found our hotel after about an hour of wondering the city in the rain. We would of been better off not finding it. A tent and sleeping bag would of been more comfortable than the Avenue Hotel in Amsterdam. We really only had one day in Amsterdam and we took a day trip outside the city to Merken and another town I cant remember how to spell.

If we could do it again we would of spent less time in Brussels and more time in Amsterdam. We also would of upgraded the hotel in Amsterdam.

We learned a lot of new things on this trip. Mainly that the PHL airport is horrible. Just try to fly there on southwest then check in at US Air international… You end up out side walking about a mile to the international wing of the airport with your bags. Luckily the 5 or 6 employees at the airport we talked to were no help.

Check out the pictures in the Gallery.

The last couple of weekends we have been going out off roading with the Nevada Toyota Territory off-road association nvttora. So far its been a blast, Bella and I went to Annivesary Narrows a few weeks ago while Nichole was up in Oregon visiting her parents. This past weekend Nichole, Bella and I went up to Mt Charleston with the club and tool Wheelers Pass. There was a total of 15 trucks for this trip. It was cold but we had a good time.

After having the 4runner for a few weeks we figured now would be a good time to take it off road. Joel took his 4th generation out and Nichole and I followed in our 3rd gen. With the dogs happily in the back of the trucks we did the 20 minute drive up north just past the speedway and drove out to the dunes. This was the first time for me to ever off road a 4x4. My previous 4x2 ranger was great at getting stuck so this was a new area for me. I was real impressed with how well the 4runner handled everything. Even with stock suspension and wheels we had no problems. The only real modification to the truck was that we took the running boards off and I welded a set of Stubbs welding rock sliders on the frame. And yes, I welded them to the frame… I have the burns and scabs on my arms to prove it.

Anyways, Nellis Dunes were fun, lots of kids out there on quads and such so keep an eye out for them if you go for a trip. We also found an abandoned suburban, hopefully the cops will pick it up. Nichole took a ton of pictures. You can take a look at them Here

Nichole and I went camping this past weekend. We headed up to Utah to camp at Zion National Park with Joel and Gena. We brought the dogs with us but it turns out Zion is not the most dog friendly park out there. They only let dogs on one 1.5 mile paved trail. So we walked that trail and relaxed for the remainder of our trip. Fire restrictions kept us from bringing wood or duraflames so we were forced to use charcoal to make our campfire. It took about an hour to get going (no lighter fluid) but you have no idea how easy it is to roast marshmellows over something that hot. Lots of pics over here.

Had a little visit from Randy and Karry at the end of last month. They brought their little creation with them “Rylan”. Nichole and I have been bad and have not been out to see them since he was about a month or so old. Take a peek at the few pics we took during the weekend over here.

Nichole and I decided to go south this summer to New Orleans for a 4 day trip. This was the first time for both of us to go to this part of the country. We stayed a block south of Bourbon Street at the Omni Royal hotel. Other than the thin walls it was a great place to stay. We met a ton of people while we were out there from all sorts of places. Like always Nichole took a ton of great pictures of the area. We got some really nice shots from Oak Alley, Swamp tour and the Garden district. We also took a ride on the steam ferry and spent some time in the Aquarium. Even though its 115 in vegas right now, 90 degress in the south with 80+ humidity is not something I am used to anymore. Pictures are here.

Joel, Gena, Dan, Laura, lil Riley, Nichole, myself and the dogs took a little 2 mile hike up to Mary Jane Falls on Mt. Charleston. The hike took us to about 8,000 feet above sea level. The view was great and it was nice to get out of the heat for a day. Take a look at the pictures here and also at Joel’s site.

David, Brandee, Nichole and I took a day trip over to Willow beach. Its about 40 miles outside Vegas in Arizona. We rented some kayacks and did about 5 to 6 miles up and down the river. Pictures are posted here.

Nichole and I went on the Hoover Dam tour and took a ton of pictures. We also took our first helicopter ride around the damn. It was a lot of fun. Pictures are posted here.