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Utah Rocks!

Jason and I just had an insanely wonderful weekend. Months ago we decided we were going to head down to Moab for some mountain biking as soon as it got nice and warm this spring. Our Moab outing was going to be my official biking restart after having surgery last fall. We chose last weekend as the date for this adventure and were ready for 3 fabulous days of biking and hiking.

Me and Jas on the lift. Notice the big smile on my face.
Me and Jas on the lift. I was a happy camper!

Then something unexpected happened that forced us to alter our plans…a storm came through Utah and dumped over 40 inches of exquisite new snow in our mountains. This forced us to alter our plans because we simply cannot resist that much heavenly powder. We abruptly changed our 3 day biking adventure into a 4 day snowboarding/biking extravaganza. Awesome!

The bubbas taking a picture break
The Bubbas taking a picture break: Aaron took this opportunity to make a giant snowball and promptly threw it at me.

Friday we went boarding with our friend Aaron, who also ditched out on work at the last minute because he was powerless to resist the Siren’s call of the snow. None of us had any regrets about skipping work to board! The fresh powder was amazing, the resort was extremely empty, and the weather was warm despite the lingering storm. Oh bliss!

That's me wrecking on my first attempt to really board powder.
That's me biffing it. It was my first attempt to really board powder. It turns out that riding on lots of ungroomed powder takes some getting used to.

The second we got back from boarding we unloaded the snow gear from our car, took showers, and reloaded the car with our biking equipment. And we were off to Moab. We arrived there a few hours later extremely exhausted but completely satisfied.

Yes! Those are shorts. And yes, this was the very next day after boarding.
Yes, those are shorts! And yes, this was taken the day after we went boarding, on the Monitor and Merrimac trail.

The next morning it was time for some spectacular slickrock biking. For those of you who are not familiar with Moab, what’s wrong with you? Just kidding, but in all seriousness, Moab is a mountain bikers’ Mecca. This small city is in close proximity to countless gnarly biking trails, including the famous Slickrock Trail (the most popular biking trail in the world), and several national parks. If you are into hiking, mountain biking, river rafting, dirt biking, ATVs, or off-roading, Moab is your place.

Jas riding the rock candy at Bartlett Wash.
Jas riding the rock candy at Bartlett Wash.

We’ve ridden The Slickrock Trail several times, so this trip we decided to try some of the other amazing rides Moab has to offer. The first new trail we tried was the Monitor and Merrimac. It was superb, with lots of slickrock, sand traps, and breathtaking views!

The second trail we cycled was Bartlett Wash. This ride over slickrock was mostly freeform-meaning there was no trail marked through the majority of it. While that meant that there were ample opportunities for exploring “Bartlett’s playground”, it also meant that you had to keep a close eye on where your bike was headed as you weaved around boulders, sandstone ledges, potholes, and drop-offs. Jason, unfortunately, wasn’t being observant enough while coming down a steep hill. He went over a two foot ledge and flew over his handlebars, giving himself some nasty road rash on his shoulder, upper arm, and knee. It looked pretty painful but at least now he has a wicked awesome story to tell.

This is the ledge that took Jason out. Here he is reinacting his wreck.
This is the ledge that took Jason out. Here he is reenacting his wreck.

During our stay in Moab we also took a break from biking to hike through Dead Horse Point State Park and the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. The vistas were magnificent and the sunshine was even sweeter!

Jas at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands.
Jas at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands.

So that, in a nutshell, is why I absolutely love Utah and will never ever be tempted to leave. Jason and I were snowboarding in over 40 inches of new powder one day and the very next, after only a few hours of driving, we were mountain biking on fantastic terrain in gorgeous weather. Only in Utah baby! I’m grinning from ear to ear right now just thinking about it. If only heaven could be that sublime!

This is me at the Grand View Point in Canyonlands. I liked this tiny tree that had found a home in a rock crack.
This is me on the Grand View Point trail in Canyonlands. I liked this tiny tree that was growing out of a rock.

Incidentally, Jason and I were a little concerned about how my ankle would hold up to multiple days of intense physical activity. I am extremely pleased to report that it did splendidly. It was a little unhappy about the snowboarding, as usual, but the rest of the weekend it didn’t complain much. Yeah! Also, I noticed that it felt more stable while biking than it used to before surgery. Double yeah! Way to go ankle! I’m so proud!

Rachel April 26, 2009 1 Comment

The Best Day of Boarding Ever!

Have you ever had an absolutely perfect day? You know, one of those days when the entire universe seems to have miraculously aligned just right for you and life is uncharacteristically blissful?

I had one of those days on Friday. Despite the current officialness of spring, we got hit by a snow storm on Thursday that dumped heaps of snow in our mountains. It was the lure of that fresh snow that convinced me and Jason to skip work on Friday and hit the slopes at Brighton Resort.

The weather forecast for Friday predicted temperature highs in the twenties and gusty winds, so we were expecting a cold blustery day. We were therefore very pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be sunny and calm. With highs twenty degrees warmer than predicted and oodles of soft powder covering the mountain, we were in boarding paradise.

Jas on the lift-he is oogleing the snow.
Jason on the lift-I have no idea what the silly face is for.

But not only did the stars line up perfectly to create the ideal combination of sunny weather and fresh snow, they also seemed to favor me with unprecedented boarding progress.

For years I struggled to develop my toe-carving skills but only had limited success until the end of last season when I finally had a breakthrough and figured out the basic toe-carving motion. I was unbelievably excited about that breakthrough and this season I have been attempting to refine my still sub-par carving abilities. Although my skills have improved with every boarding outing, my carving was still pretty shaky…until Friday. Amazingly, on Friday everything came together.

That's me under all that snow attire with a perma-grin!
That's me under all that snow attire. You can't tell but I've got a supremely satisfied look on my face.

All of a sudden my carving became nearly effortless. I didn’t have to concentrate and steep hills didn’t intimidate me. I was completely floored by this unanticipated achievement and having a fabulous time! You just can’t beat the feeling of gliding gracefully over fresh powder while soaking in sweet sunshine-especially when you are genuinely surprised that somehow, suddenly, you are able to do this.

What an incredible day and what an incredible sensation! Thanks to my new skills I feel like I can now claim that I am a “boarder” rather than just someone that goes boarding. Hallelujah!

Unexpected carving success + unexpected lovely weather + luscious new snow + no crowds = the best day of boarding ever! We will definitely be boarding again soon, though it will be hard to beat such an utterly perfect day!

Rachel March 30, 2009 No Comments

Snowwalker

Despite the fact that we live in a valley surrounded by gorgeous mountains, and we love spending time in those mountains whether they are currently snow covered or leaf laden, Jason and I never attempted to snowshoe until last Saturday.

Jason’s parents gave us snowshoes for Christmas and we were eager to try them out so last weekend we headed up to the Nordic Center at Sundance Resort with Jason’s brother Jeremy, Jeremy’s wife Kara, and Jason’s parents.

The Whole Gang
The Whole Gang

It was a beautiful day for this activity. The sky was a pristine blue, with not even a trace of clouds. We followed snowshoe trails that wound through aspen covered hillsides and Mount Timpanogos was our backdrop. It was very serene and peaceful-a much different experience of our now frosty mountains than what you get whizzing down them on a snowboard.

Trekking down our first hill
Trekking Down our First Hill

Although snowshoeing was more work than Jason expected, he still seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. We look forward to going again soon and trying out another location. With so many beautiful spots to choose from it will be hard to pick one.

Gorgeous!
Gorgeous!

On a side note, during our snowshoe outing we ate lunch at the Foundry Grill at Sundance. It was reasonably priced and quite yummy. I had a pesto pizza covered in pine nuts, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, Portobello mushrooms, and goat cheese. It was made fresh in their wood-fired oven. Delish! If you aren’t drooling right now you must not have any taste buds.

Rachel February 3, 2009 1 Comment
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