Jason bought me a new snowboard for Christmas, a Roxy Ollie Pop C2 BTX that I named Pop Pop. Although I was very eager to try out my new toy, and a few post-Christmas storms left powder aplenty on the slopes, persistent subzero temperatures and woeful tales of skiers getting frostbite on their faces and extremities quenched my boarding cravings.
Isn't my new board cool? Okay, so you can't exactly see it. No big deal. That cheesy grin on my face is evidence of its coolness.
Finally, after weeks of downright miserable weather, Mother Nature cooperated with my boarding itch. The storm that came through here last weekend dropped about 8 inches of snow up at Brighton and then quickly dissipated leaving blue skies and pleasant temperatures. That was all the invitation Jason and I needed to overrun the mountain.
Jadon was a moody skier but he did seem to enjoy himself between bouts of poutiness.
My brother Drew met us up at Brighton with his wife Simone and their six year old Jadon. They spent most of the day on the bunny hill because Jadon and Drew were both trying to figure out the mechanics of skiing; we humbly stooped to hang out with them for a bit there amongst the hordes of tumbling learners. Drew has boarded a handful of times but he decided to turn traitor and give skiing a try. He didn’t look very comfortable on skis yet he claims that he liked skiing better than boarding. How is that possible? Boarding is the r0x’r! I guess not everyone has my excellent taste.
Jadon could do a decent plow but he often refused to go downhill unless someone was holding his hand-not the easiest task for a person on a board. Luckily, Jason could manage this awkward maneuver just fine with his crazy boarding skills.
So how did my Pop Pop do? My new board is a really smooth ride and carves beautifully. It took some getting used to though, especially since Jason also bought me new boots and bindings. Thanks to all my new gear my morning was a little rough, with some unnecessary falling, but after I got a feel for my new board buddy I really enjoyed myself. I can tell that Pop Pop and I are going to get along fabulously.
Jason and I have vacationed in Moab many times but the pleasant weather, breathtaking scenery, and killer biking trails always call us back for more.
This was the view from our cabin's patio. Beautiful!Our cabin was nestled on the banks of the Colorado River. It doesn't get much more scenic than that.
Although we just went to Moab in June, we weren’t quite ready to acquiesce to winter yet so we traveled down there again for one last hoorah. We typically go to Moab in the spring or fall when the temperatures are about perfect; we had never been this late in the season so we weren’t sure what to expect. The weather turned out to be quite pleasant. Jackets were needed but we stayed pretty warm with them, except when the sun went down. Burr!
Partition Arch is a favorite of mine. It's like a window to an alien landscape.This rock had a face so Jason thought I should kiss it.
Moab was pleasantly uncrowded, the most deserted we have ever seen it. We were even able to secure a cabin at the Red Cliffs Lodge, a popular hotel that we have found it impossible to get reservations at during the busy season. Now that I have stayed there I can see why it’s always packed. Our cabin was situated on the banks of the Colorado River; we had our own private patio from which to gawk at the majestic sandstone cliffs that broke the skyline. Our suite had an inviting fireplace and a Jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom. I would highly recommend this lodge to anyone fortunate to find a vacancy there.
Jason did his impersonation of a dark angel in honor of the Dark Angel behind him.
We spent our time in Moab doing the usual: hiking and biking. While the day we spent hiking in Arches National Park was lovely, our real adventure was our bike trek. We went biking on a “trail” that we hadn’t tried before: the left side of Tusher Canyon. This was supposed to be only a moderately difficult path but I don’t think I’ve ever feared for my life while biking like I did as we traversed the narrow ledges of this canyon’s walls, ledges that slanted into a sandstone oblivion. The hundreds of feet between us and the ground were not broken by trees or bushes; nothing to soften a fall or hold onto meant that any slip-up could result in an abrupt encounter with the valley floor.
I snapped this of Double O Arch. Way to go me!
But potentially falling off cliffs wasn’t our only problem in Tusher, finding the cliffs that we would then try to avoid falling off was also a big dilemma. Like many of the lesser known Moab trails, the path up the side of Tusher Canyon was not marked and since it traveled over rock it wasn’t as if you could just follow the footprints of those that went before you. Our biking book said that after about 3.4 miles of riding to look for an obscure rock ramp on the right that leads up a passable portion of the slickrock. Earth to the author: how are you supposed to notice an indistinct bank of rocks that slope up when you are surrounded by upward slanting rocks? Needless to say that finding the “ramp” was tricky, frustrating, and involved a lot of backtracking.
Does that look like moderate biking to you? I don't think so. And yes, that tiny dot is me.I was holding my breath the whole time Jason was riding along this ledge. It made me really nervous.
Was it all worth it? Absolutely!!! The top of the plateau we risked our lives to reach was a slickrock paradise! It was all freestyle riding up there and gorgeous. And since it was off-season we didn’t see a single biker so all that slickrock goodness was ours to enjoy by ourselves. I would gladly get lost and face precipices to bike on top of the world like that again.
Defying gravity? No, it's just the sticky slickrock.
The bottom line? I would recommend Moab in November. You’ll need a jacket but you won’t have to fight throngs in the national parks or on the slickrock and you will have all the lodging options your heart could desire. Do it! Do it!
Fall is my favorite! The brilliant colors, the crisp leaves, the cool breezes with a hint of winter on their breaths.
As much as I love this season it always makes me feel a bit panicky. Since fall is a limited time offer, and the threat of winter only elevates its exclusivity, any moments not spent out in its golden and fiery hues seem a bit wasted. Once I sense that the countdown to the chill has begun, like the ticking of a bomb that is set to go off, I feel compelled to shove as much of autumn into my life as possible while I still can.
This year our fall here in Utah has been unbelievable. The weather has been beautiful and unseasonably warm so I have been especially determined not to squander what precious little is left of the loveliness. Jason and I, therefore, biked three different canyons in three consecutive weekends in a blatant attempt to savor the smell of decaying leaves and enjoy the slanted autumn sunshine: Millcreek, American Fork, and Provo. But biking alone didn’t satisfy my craving to be out in the midst of fall so we crammed as many other outdoor activities as we could into our already stuffed schedule.
The Millcreek Pipeline Trail was, as always, completely delightful but we got a little too distracted by the majestic scenery and somehow forgot about the early approach of darkness this time of year. So the last couple miles back to our car we had to ride like the Flash as our vision became increasingly obscured by the night. (Word to the wise: biking along the side of a cliff on a trail that’s a foot wide does not work well in the dark.)
Size isn't everything. Millcreek may be a smallish canyon bit it lacks nothing in beauty.I paused on the Pipeline to patch up a booboo.
The Great Western Trail to Pine Hollow up American Fork Canyon, one of our most frequented paths, was our second ride. We biked to my favorite meadow and even though its now-dry grasses weren’t nearly as beautiful as they are in the spring it was still a nice secluded spot for a quick break and snack.
Jason thought the trail surrounding the meadow was not nearly as much fun to ride as the meadow itself.Jason is quite the crazy biker. He cruised down this tricky part.
Big Spring Hollow Trail up South Fork in Provo Canyon, the last ride in our three week bike extravaganza, was deliciously colorful and incredibly warm (high 70s). We hadn’t done this trail in a few years and I distinctly remembered the uphill section being very challenging. This time, however, it was no big deal. I guess recently training for a half marathon does have its perks. Oh the ego boost!
Big Spring Hollow was divine...even the pesky uphill section.Ah...blue skies, red leaves...beautiful!
In addition to biking pretty much everywhere, we went rock climbing up American Fork Canyon with my friend David and took on the face of Eight to Eleven where his brother Danny fell and shattered his ankle bone last time we climbed. The memory of that accident gave me a lot of unexpected nerves as I tried to scale up at his fall spot. I got stuck once, probably partially due to my fear and partially due to my short arm span, and had to come down. But the boys convinced me to try once more and this time I relaxed and conquered it. I’m glad they didn’t let me give up because I am not prone to going easy on myself; I’m sure I would have regretted not pushing to the top…not to mention the bantering I surely would have received from those two had I called it quits.
Jason rocked Eight to Eleven. Being part monkey does come in handy now and then. Two manly men posing together on a cute little bridge; now that's not something you see everyday.
We also took our friend Arvinder, who is visiting from India, up to Timpanogos Cave. He’s not accustomed to trekking straight up mountains but his heart survived the over 1,000 ft ascend and we all enjoyed the unusual innards of this national monument together. Since we were already up in the canyon, after we hiked to the cave we opted to take a detour to Cascade Springs on the way home and see how the season was altering that landscape. I have to say that although Cascade Springs is quite picturesque there are many places in our surrounding canyons that are just as lovely, if not more so, that don’t have dozens of people milling about them. So I think I’ll pass on Cascade Springs next time. Man! Good thing I have feet and a bike to take me to where you only have to do crowd control on chipmunks and mosquitoes.
Timp Cave: I wish my insides looked so sweet!I took a moment on the way down from the cave to chill in the cool twisted branches of this tree.
Fall may be terminal but while it’s still kicking I hope I will get more opportunities to bike, hike, climb, or just read a good book in the backyard. It would be a shame to squander a season so colorful, pleasant, and fleeting.
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