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A Capitol Holiday

Jason and I hit the eight year mark this month. Yes, we’ve had eight blissful years of marriage.

Jas under Hickman Bridge in Capitol Reef.
Jas under Hickman Bridge in Capitol Reef.

It was my turn to plan our celebration activities this year. After looking into a bunch of options I decided on a weekend getaway to Capitol Reef National Park.

A kind man took this picture of us. We are standing above Capitol Gorge.
A kind man took this picture of us. We are standing above Capitol Gorge.

We stayed in the little town of Torrey, just outside Capitol Reef, at the Red River Ranch Lodge, named one of the 25 best American lodges by Travel and Leisure magazine. The lodge was built on an old stagecoach stop, which explains the giant ancient trees that surround this roughly 15 year old building. Its spacious interior is decorated almost entirely with antiques, giving the impression that you just walked into a bygone era.

Us standing outside the Lodge at Red River Ranch.
Us standing outside the Lodge at Red River Ranch.

The balcony in our room overlooked a field with grazing bison, which added to the sense that somehow we had become lost in time. True to the atmosphere of the lodge, there weren’t any TVs in the rooms. While some would complain about this lack of ready entertainment, Jason and I found the change quite peaceful and relaxing.

Jas relaxing in the lodge lobby.
Jas relaxing in the lodge lobby.

We spent the weekend hiking, horseback riding, reading books sprawled out under the shady aged trees in Capitol Reef’s orchards, driving over scenic Boulder Mountain, and stuffing our faces.

My horse's name was Ruby. Jason's was DK. He asked our guide if that stood for Donkey Kong.
My horse’s name was Ruby. Jason’s was DK. He asked our guide if that stood for Donkey Kong. It didn’t.

Torrey, with a population of less than 200, isn’t exactly where you would expect to find fine cuisine, but believe me, we definitely found it. Café Diablo, located in an unassuming little building on the outskirts of Torrey, was just as good as our favorite restaurants in Salt Lake City or even San Diego. Yum! While the food at this southwest restaurant was presented flawlessly and tasted fantastic, the atmosphere was extremely relaxed. We came in straight from hiking all day in Capitol Reef, we were sweaty and sandy, but none of the restaurant staff seemed to mind at all. The owner, and I assume head chef, wandered from table to table greeting his customers while wearing his chef garb, shorts, and sandals.

This was what Jason ordered: trout encrusted with pumpkin seed in a lime cilantro sauce.
This was what Jason ordered: trout encrusted with pumpkin seeds in a lime cilantro sauce. It was so good!

We ordered everything from spicy appetizers to desserts topped with their freshly made ice cream, and ate until we could eat no more. It was an unexpectedly delicious and refreshing experience.

We watched the sun go down at Sunset Point in Capitol Reef one evening. It was beautiful!
We watched the sun go down at Sunset Point in Capitol Reef one evening. It was beautiful!

Another restaurant we sampled, which was also very tasty, was Hell’s Backbone Grill located in Boulder, 30 miles from Torrey. This charmingly serene little restaurant specializes in cuisine that utilizes locally grown produce. They have their own organic farm just three miles from the restaurant. Jason ordered chicken tumbleweed enchiladas; that may sound like something you would feed a cow rather than a person but it was actually quite flavorful and scrumptious.

Jas was eager to make a fool out of himself by posing as a crazy cave creature for this picture.
Jas was eager to make a fool out of himself by posing as a crazy cave creature for this picture.

We enjoyed our little weekend excursion: lots of sun, beautiful scenery, and surprisingly good food.

Jason convinced me to also act like a derranged rock creature.
Jason convinced me to also act like a derranged rock creature.
Rachel May 20, 2009 2 Comments

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
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