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Moab Part I: Riding the Carousel

This fall, our traditional Moab trip didn’t happen until nearly winter. Due to scheduling constraints that will be the topic of another post, we didn’t have an opportunity to head down there until the latter half of November. Consequently, Moab wasn’t quite its usual pleasant self during our visit but at least it was 20 degrees warmer than back home. Plus, the frosty weather added another layer of ruggedness to our already radical adventures. (Insert those deserved snickers here.)

Gypsy is a short but sweet romp over rippling slickrock.
Gypsy is a short but sweet romp over rippling slickrock.

Our first day in Moab, we decided to bike Klonzo South, a section of the Klonzo Area that wasn’t finished until after we hit that trail system last year.

The temperatures were chilly on Klonzo’s unprotected outcroppings. I’m not talking about “wear a jacket” chilly; I’m talking about “wear three jackets because the wind is going to carve an ice canyon out of your belly” chilly. Still, who’s complaining? (Besides me, of course.)

The Edge deserves its precipitous name.
The Edge deserves its precipitous name.

We biked about 7 miles over Klonzo South’s short interconnecting loops. My favorites of these trails were Magician, Wizard, Carousel, and Gypsy. They twisted over a lot of rolling slickrock and vibrant desert dirt. Awesome!

I have a tendency to sing with my tunes while I bike.
I have a tendency to sing with my tunes while I bike.

I was not so crazy about Hotdog, a curvy strip placed on a steep hillside. Hotdog was no more difficult than the other paths but I didn’t care for it. Why? After some introspection, I realized that I carry my claustrophobic tendencies with me when I bike. If I feel trapped on a tiny hint of a trail that’s sandwiched in unescapably-abrupt terrain, claustrophobic discomfort sets in. This may seem completely illogical considering the wide-open settings where mountain biking takes place but no one ever said phobias make perfect sense.

You can't take pictures like this with an iPhone.
You can’t take pictures like this with an iPhone.

The day was soon over after some turns on Magician, The Edge, Wizard, Carousel, Gypsy, Hotdog, and Zoltar. Curse you sun for your winter laziness!

Zoltar mostly rides over slickrock. Jason likes mostly riding over slickrock.
Zoltar mostly rides over slickrock. Jason likes mostly riding over slickrock.

Following Klonzo, it was back to the hotel to write papers until midnight. The reasons why I had to spend my evenings on homework during my beloved Moab trip will have to wait until another post and the urgent details of our treks through Arches National Park will have to wait until next week.

Rachel December 12, 2015 No Comments

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah

I do not appreciate heights. They don’t bake you dinner or have a cute cousin they can set you up with. They really serve no purpose other than to make you feel queasy and wimpy. However, in recent years, heights have gone from intimidating to insignificant for me, which is good news because the story I’m about to relay might be a whole lot wetter otherwise.

Jason's never met a height he didn't like.
Jason’s never met a height he didn’t like.

One of my birthday gifts from Jason this year was a zip tour at Sundance Resort. Finally, months after my birthday, we made it to Sundance to enjoy this present on a perfect fall day. And, may I boast, my previous elevation anxieties did not blight our pleasant experience in the least.

The lady in line ahead of us nearly had a panic attack here at the top of Bishop's.
The lady in line ahead of us nearly had a panic attack here at the top of Bishop’s.

With 2,100 feet of vertical drop, Sundance brings it down more than any other group of zip lines in the United States. They have four spans including Flathead, which runs 500 feet above the ground, and Outlaw, the sixth longest zip line in the United States at 3,871 feet. Notwithstanding those impressive stats, my favorite section might possibly have been Bishop’s because its view is even more impressive than its dive.

That is the face of fun not the face of fear.
That is the face of fun not the face of fear.

Zip lines are aptly named. Sundance’s fastest span, Outlaw, averages speeds around 80 MPH and can hurl riders over 100 MPH. Frankly though, you don’t realize just how fast you’re going until whole clumps of trees vanish behind you in an instant.

Outlaws don't scare me.
Outlaws don’t scare me.

Despite these speeds and spans, I didn’t hesitate at any point or have to muster my courage. I just pulled on that handle and shot down the mountain like a string of snot on a waterslide. So why the change in valor? It really comes down to exposure not guts. The first time I took on a zip line I was a little terrified but I did it anyway. (Thanks stubborn streak!) A whole bunch of zips and ropes courses later, I could jump off a five-foot bridge and not notice. Yay!

What an ideal day to travel two miles dangling hundreds of feet in the air. Thanks Jason for the present and thanks Rachel for doing the things that freak you out until you no longer find them freaky.

Rachel October 30, 2015 No Comments

Stoned Again Part II

Our last full day in Yellowstone, after eating a large breakfast at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, we moseyed over to West Thumb’s assortment of geysers, pools and mudpots with my parents. Right on the shores of Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb’s hydrothermal oddities seem like a replacement for a beach dreamed up by Dali.

The Thumb Paint Pots are a field of miniature mud volcanoes 3-4 feet high. There is nothing smallish about their peculiarity.
The Thumb Paint Pots are a field of miniature mud volcanoes 3-4 feet high. There is nothing smallish about their peculiarity.

Following their tour of West Thumb, my parents departed for home and Jason and I continued our park explorations on our own. We took what we thought would be a short stop at Upper Geyser Basin and ended up staying there the entire afternoon in a very ADD fashion.

Black Pool used to be murky with growth until it got too hot for microorganisms to handle.
Black Pool used to be murky with growth until it got too hot for microorganisms to handle.
Observation Point gave a different perspective of an old favorite.
Observation Point gave a different perspective of an old favorite.

First, we decided to hike to Observation Point, which gives a 160-foot perspective of Old Faithful’s bursts, and then we trekked to Solitary Geyser, a feature changed forever by us hopeless sapiens. After that, we thought we might as well stroll around and see if any features were currently erupting or would be erupting soon. We discovered that Castle and Riverside Geysers were scheduled to gush within the next few hours and, geyser gods permitting, we could probably catch both shows and read a few pages of some good books besides. It sounded like as decent of a plan as any.

Castle Geyser erupts about every 14 hours and has one of the most interesting cones in Upper Geyser Basin.
Castle Geyser erupts about every 14 hours and has one of the most interesting cones in Upper Geyser Basin.

I am proud to report that our reading and waiting were conducted expertly. We witnessed Castle’s ramparts flooded with insistent fountains and Riverside’s rainbow gracefully arched across the Firehole River. It was quite the double feature.

This feature was named Belgian Pool in honor of a Belgian man that fell in and died many years ago. Jason's shadow slipped in but suffered no serious injuries from the incident.
This feature was named Belgian Pool in honor of a Belgian man that fell in and died many years ago. Jason’s shadow slipped in but suffered no serious injuries from the incident.
With herds of bison roaming freely across unaltered hillsides, Hayden Valley seems lost in time.
With herds of bison roaming freely across unaltered hillsides, Hayden Valley seems lost in time.

In total, we wandered about five of six miles around the basin, often in circles, before the sun called it a day and we had to too. I guess time flies when you are staring at pressurized water heated deep underground by magma from an active volcano.

Riverside Geyser produces 75-foot columns during its picturesque outbursts, which happen roughly every six hours.
Riverside Geyser produces 75-foot columns during its picturesque outbursts, which happen roughly every six hours.

So next time you have a family member cancel on the same vacation two years in a row, be unperturbed. Be happy in the knowledge that your trip will go on and your enjoyment of it should too. For life is too short not to stop and smell the sulfur.

Rachel September 14, 2015 No Comments
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