Master videographer Karen put together this feature presentation from our trip to the Southwest just in time for Oscar consideration:

The Hangover NWHikers Style from sKareCrowe Films on Vimeo.

I really need to stay behind the camera.

Sorry to disappear without a word, but Jo and I whisked Karen away to the Southwest on a surprise birthday trip! We managed to keep it a secret all summer, so I had to make sure I didn’t spill any sort of beans on my blog.

We hiked through freezing water and endured the traumatizing smell of wet rental neoprene booties…

…drove down an absolutely mental “road” of deep sand and sharp rocks to see some of the most beautiful rock formations in the world…

…slithered (some more gracefully than others) through muddy slot canyons…

…and backpacked in the desert with only one minor quicksand incident.

I’ll write an installment of trip reports when I get all my photos up, but for now I just want to thank mah ladeez for one of the best vacations I’ve ever been on.

I’m still smiling.