A New adventure sport... lomation, Krill, Tier drop

For some time now I have been waiting to go canyoneering. I joined a group last year called "the brethren" but until now I have been unable to go on any trips. Last Saturday, there was a trip planned, and Guthrie and I joined them for a great day in arches.

The first route we did is called "lomation" and is located in the fiery furnace. Not many do this route unless guided professionally with a Moab guide, because it is like memorizing a maze. Lucky for us Steve, my friend who took us (and co-founder of the brethren) knows his way around inside there.

It was absolutely amazing. Imagine exploring and climbing around on rocks, fins, washes and then rappelling down into slot canyons. It was even better because the weather forecast, which was wrong, turned many tourists away from arches so it was in a large part empty.

We first made our way to the top of the fins, then rappelled back down into the canyons.

The first rappel in Lomation is done by slinging off an arch, cliff arch to be exact.

Robert on the first rappel in Lomation

Guthrie doing the second rappel in Lomation.

Heading down to skull arch then up to the Krill route.

This is the same shot as the previous picture, only from the side.

This is the guy who kept us all safe.

The rappel in Krill canyon into the "belly of the whale".

Me rappelling into "Belly of the whale".

Upon completing Krill, we headed to park avenue and did Tier drop. A steep climb, easy route finding and then three rappels, each increasing in size.

The last rappel on tier drop. Park avenue is in the background.

Well another sport to which I am addicted. Canyoneering is amazing, there is no other way to describe it. I love mountain biking because of the scenery, the speed and the adventure, along with the physical workout I get. Canyoneering is just as fun with it's exploring, challenges of route finding or getting up, over or through something coupled with the adrenaline that comes with rappelling. Now guess what Esther wants for her Birthday in June; a harness so she can go...

After completing the three routes, Guthrie and I rode Deadmans Ridge (Part of the Moab Brand trails), a new trail in Moab, on the way out. (What Moab trip could be complete without some biking?) It was only about six miles total so no big deal.

There will be more stories to come I'm sure. We are doing another canyon in May and at least  one in June. Not to mention, kayaking the Little San Rafael in May and a bike trip I'm sure.

Man what a state we live in...

Fittest cities in America

2009 Fittest Cities in America - Men's Fitness

This is a cool article about the fittest cities in America...notice who is number one.

It doesn't really surprise me, every time I go biking, hiking or trail running I see hundreds out on the trails.

It's cool we live in a place and culture that places a high priority on physical fitness.

Now go exercise.

Tabegauche - 18 Road Trails - Fruita, Colorado

Starting out

I love new trails, new adventures and new places. Because of that for some time I have been wanting to ride Tabegauche and 18 Road in Colorado, close to Fruita and Grand Junction. We were planning another trip to Moab to test out the new Pipe dream - Hidden valley - moab rim trail, but the weather looked decent so we opted for Fruita instead.



G heading up andy's loop.

Heading up Andy's loop


I used my phone (Very cool having a smart phone, I used it for pictures, video, trail directions and maps, gps and music) to find directions and the trail maps on juicyfruita.com. So off we went. Rolling into and past fruita there was frost on the ground and a heavy mist in the air. We began questioning our decision, but decided that we were here and there was no turning back. 

 More of andy's


We started off climbing up the tabegauche trail, but it was a double track and we didn't drive four and a half hours to ride up a road, so we left the road on pet-e-keys went up to eagles wing then down to Andy's loop. Andy's was gorgeous, it involved a lot of steep climbing, and some walking, but it was worth it. (at the tops we saw another trail that went around the mountain we climbed and ended up in the same spot - next time we will try that). After climbing over and back down into a wash, we carried our bikes a little up a very unrideable section. Still worth it...We were finally at the top. There we picked up Lunch line to eagles wing, and climbed to the highest point. The view was amazing.

These are all views from Eagles wing.

From there we descended eagles wing to Holy Cross. All these trails are technical, but Holy Cross was our favorite, ramps, small drops, chutes, tight turns...it was awesome, the kind of riding I would drive 4.5 hours to repeat. 

From holy Cross we descended via Ali Ali, then Curtis lane. We ended up riding about 15 miles and climbed about 2000 feet. What a great ride. This is one we will do every year.

But we weren't done yet...

We had heard a lot about 18 road...ridge line riding...fast descents...so I found the trail map again on  Juicyfruita.com...it turned out to be more like a glorified lambert park in Alpine. It is fun, just not what we expected.

We rode up Prime cut and came down kessel run the first time...a short 7 mile loop. Kessel run is very similar to rodeo in lambert, descends a gully and curves up each side, but much longer...it was fun, but after tabegauche kind of a let down.

The next loop we ascended prime cut again, this time a little bored, then headed over to Zippity Doo Da, just as we were getting to the good stuff, ridge line steep descents, I snapped my rear shock linkage in half...that is the second time,  it wasn't fully broken however, so with some zip ties, wire and duct tape I was able to lightly ride my bike to the road and return to the parking via th dirt road.

G went on and rode the entire loop.

G riding down a fairly common section on Zippity. Very Cool.

We were going to do a little more riding, but my broken bike negated that possibility.

Back in the car.

Change in Green river at our favorite gas station with clean bathrooms.

Buy mountain dew to stay awake.

Cross the street for dinner at Arbys.

Return to Orem.

It was an amazing trip and we will definitely ride those trails again.

Now on to the next adventures...Moab in April, San Rafael in May, Boulder Mountains in June, Rainbow Rim, Virgin Rim...

It's going to be a good year...

The first real Utah Valley Ride

For those who are familiar with the movie "Seven Brides and Seven Brothers", there is a time when the men and women of the village have been waiting all year for the pass to open. It's a memorable scene when the man rides into the village shouting, "The pass is open, The pass is open". That scene illustrates how we feel when the trails, however few they may be, are open.

Guthrie heading up from the Racecourse trails to the water tank road

The trails begin at the Timpanogos Park near the mouth of Provo canyon. After climbing a short dirt road, the single track begins. The trails wander and switch back for a short distance until they become steep before reaching the road. However, most of the trails are rideable.

Guthrie goes up first because it give me a chance to rest and take pictures, mainly rest though.

After reaching the road we took a right and went up "Betty" to the "Altar".

The trails were all in amazing shape, dry enough to ride without leaving ruts or tracks, but still damp enough that normally loose sections were tacky.

The views from the top of the cliffs are actually quite cool.

After reaching the "altar" we descended "Frank" to the water tank road. We followed the road around to where the singletrack continues descending on a trail known as "Dragon's Back". After hitting the Provo parkway trail, we headed up and connected with the Bst heading away from Bridal veil falls. We rode this trail for about 1 mile until we hit snow and mud, then turned around.

Normally the parkway trail is just a smooth coast back to the park, however today the wind was blowing fiercely up the canyon so the coast was now a pedal. It was all peaceful until Guthrie saw two other bikers ahead of us. Whenever this happens, Guthrie puts his head down a little, shifts down and tries to catch and then pass then, sure enough; his head went down, shifted down and accelarated. After passing them, you can't be passed again, so we held the pace until the bottom.

It was amazing to get out on the trails for the first time. Other trails are also ready, (Lambert park, Corner canyon) but the Foothill trails (follow the link to find a map) seem to be steeper and we have ridden them less. Over all we did 14 miles.

A great day.

The Bridge

It all began with a hat, during the last election. While picking up some medicine At walgreens, a certain hat grabbed my attention. Because I sometimes enjoy stirring up controversy, I knew this was the perfect hat for me...in Utah.

What was on this perfect hat? Vote Obama.

I immediately placed on our van dashboard and would wear it whenever the opportunity arose; Church socials, corporate meetings, any chance I got. The reaction was a little surprising, even for me.

Some would just laugh, others would question how I could support a man who was ruining our country, others were downright angry, ordering me to remove that "horrible thing".

Yet many times when I questioned why, I got the same answers. No one really knew much about this man, our current president.

I have always believed that many enemies are made because people don't try to understand this with whom they disagree.

I decided I wanted to understand our president so I read his book; The Audacity of Hope, and loved it. It helped me understand why he makes the decisions he does. I don't agree with many of the political decisions he makes, but I understand his motives.

Now I am reading the book titled "The Bridge", and again loving it. I read it whenever and wherever I can. Including doctor visits, or just waiting in line. The reaction has been similar to the hat; stares, glancing looks, dirty looks, or flat out questions like; " So you're reading about Obama huh?" You like him? I generally  respond that  I don't agree with many of PRESIDENT OBAMA'S policies but I find his life somewhat inspirational. A good father, husband and son.  Then I remark how many hate him but know nothing about him, I wanted to learn and understand all I can. Their response is anything from a mumbled, "huh" to "that's cool".

I still think it comes down to the lack of trying to understand those with whom we disagree. There would be much less anger and hatred in this world if more common ground were found between those with different beliefs. Republicans think democrats are wrong, democrats think republicans are wrong, yet I think a nation or people divided against itself cannot stand.

It's time we try to understand those with whom we disagree, I think then and only then do we realize how much we truly agree upon.

NOVA Rocket

All of my children love the NOVA science program. They talk endlessly about officer wakamatsu; how great he is, his stories, his life and experiences they have with him.

Whenever they do something NOVA related the excitedly share it with the other children. The older ones remember their similar experience and the younger ones  comment how excited they are to be able to do the same thing in he future.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised really. I frequently enter a room with all the children huddled around tiny's laptop watching mythrbusters. They have now watched all the available seasons.

But I digress...

One of the NOVA projects is about rockets. You can draw one, but if you make one you get something special. It is highly encouraged. When it was princess' turn for the rocket project the two older brothers convinced her she had to make one.

After much indecision and contemplating, she decided to make one out of rice crisis. The teachers said it had never been done before, but princess was determined so they gave permission.

A two liter bottle was body the mold, the fins and numbers were cut out using cookie cutters, and the glued on using heated marshmellow.

She was very proud of her creation...I think it turned out very well. The best part was doing it with her.

Popcorn and Tank

My children love popcorn. Not the microwaveable but the old fashioned, cooked in a pot, on the stove kind.

The problem is that a great amount of steam escapes from the vents in the lid.

Upon arriving home from work on Tuesday, this was the sight which welcomed me; tank, in full popcorn protection, feverishly stirring the pot.

I inquired regarding the outfit, he replied it kept him from getting burned.

We love this kid!

St. George Biking

You know those days when everything is right? The Temperature, breeze, attitude, trail conditions...everything. Saturday was one of those days.

My brother and I decided it was time for our first biking trip. Our fitness level was fairly low, so I spent about two weeks spinning everyday after work, and he worked out twice, I still couldn't keep up.

There were some new trails we wanted to try called Zen, Barrel Roll, sidewinder, and Guacamole. It had rained the week before, but with seven days of sun and a light breeze the trail conditions were in biking lingo, "Hero Dirt"...amazing...perfect.

We hit the first trail called Zen.

It is a amazing new singletrack that climbs about 1100 feet and includes technical climbing, descending and great views. I consider it a must ride.

After Zen we rode some semi-new trails outside of Santa Clara called Barrel Roll and Sidewinder.

These are also fun trails but not at the level of zen, a little less technical, but some great flowing sections, perhaps more intermediate.

After finishing Barrell Roll we, along with every baseball team in Utah, stopped by subway for lunch.

Black Forest ham with lettuce, onions, cucumbers, pickles and Yellow Peppers. Perfect.

After Lunch we headed out to a rarely ridden trail just outside of Arches called Guacamole. It was by far the best of the day and a perfect ending. The trail is a combination of dirt singletrack and slick rock, very similar to little creek or Gooseberry mesa. The road up was beyond the capacity of the Saturn so we pedaled up the trail, the ride was more than worth it.

Over all a great day riding. 27 Miles, 65 degrees, sunny with a light breeze.

For the ride home we took the scenic route through Zion National Park. Very pretty and very empty this time a year.

Dinner was at Arbys in Panguitch, which is where that first photo originated. Guthrie sporting his Bieber-hair-helmet.

In two weeks is Fruita.

The season has begun.

She still dances

Have you ever seen one of those videos that are terrible, people are talking in the background and it's too dark to really see anything? This is one of those videos. I only share it because Dawn is dancing in the middle, I am sitting, with the rest of the husbands, on the edge. She is one of the women in the center.

Our new stake threw a "Hearty" party (Their pun not mine) and Dawn wanted to go so I tagged along. The turnout was very poor, but we still had fun.

It was enjoyable meeting new neighbors. Our new ward has 4 retirement communities within it's boundaries and many widows. Our first week in church we were like celebrities. A new family!!!

The same week we were introduced in church, we also spoke. The oldest three, Dawn and my self. Everyone did well.