rewind: jeepin'

We've finally got the camera issue sorted out, so let's go back to jeepin' with H's parents!  H and his dad picked up our reserved jeep from Twisted Jeep Rentals first thing Monday morning.  This time we went with a four-door model (for ease of ingress and egress) and kept those doors on (for less chance of falling out).  We started out easy, with a warm-up ride out the Sand Flats road, to the Porcupine Rim trailhead and back.

L and P at Gemini Bridges

Next we went up the highway a bit to the Gemini Bridges road.  The first bit was as exciting as ever, as we met really the only traffic of the day on the one blind corner.  H's mom seemed glad that her side of the jeep was on the inside and not the falling-away cliff side.  We stopped at the popular Gemini Bridges area and walked out to the bridges.  There were a good number of people there, including one couple who were walking their tiny pet pig (!), Mycroft.  I got to pet Mycroft: she was very, very sweet and even wagged her tail like a dog; her people had to boost her up over some of the rocks because her legs were so short.

A motley crew

We continued on up to Route 313 where we turned left, then left again onto the Dead Horse Point road and then left once more onto the Long Canyon road.  Although we had done this route just last year, the road was much rougher, probably from all the precipitation Moab has had in 2019.  We didn't have to maneuver around any oncoming vehicles, however, and got through jostled but just fine.

Luxe lunch of PB&Js

At the bottom of Long Canyon, we turned right to continue out the Potash Road to the road to the Shafer Trail.  H's folks have seen that area a couple of times from the Dead Horse Point State Park pavilion; we wanted them to see it from down below.  After a quick snack at the national park's border, we drove out to the river overlook that is directly below the DHPSP pavilion.  We waved, in case anyone was watching us from up there.

Around 3:30 p.m., we'd all had enough so we retraced our steps, returned our faithful jeep and adjourned to the Moab Brewery to recap our day over beers.  Jeepin' is thirsty work, for sure.

finale (sort of)

When Sunday rolled around, the inevitable had happened: we had to go home.  But first, more MTBing!  After packing up, we left for the MOAB Brand trails around 9, since that is our traditional last-day ride.  It was 75 F and glorious.  The parking lot was pretty busy but we really didn't see many people, other than a tour group who let us pass when one of their members got stuck in a cattle guard.  (For the record, I always walk that particular cattle guard.)  We did our usual loops, then paused for refreshment afterwards, admiring all the dogs and vans parked nearby.

That's Arches NP in the distance

After that, there was nothing left to do but give Milton his Dramamine, load the truck and head for home.  What a great week in Moab.  I already can't wait to go back.

so much up

Saturday (we'll get back to Friday) was a great day.  It was clear and pleasant, sunny and about 70 F.  We left around 8:45 a.m. and drove up to the Sand Flats Recreation Area, home of the famed Slickrock Trail.  That trail is way above my MTB skill set, however, so we had something else in mind: riding the Sand Flats road all the way out to where the Porcupine Rim trail comes in.  From the Slickrock parking lot, this road starts out going up immediately and doesn't really let up.  Ever.

 Up

Vehicle traffic faded away after we passed the Fins N Things turn-offs and we had the road to ourselves for long stretches.  It's a dirt road, kind of soft, a little sandy, with occasion stretches of wonderful hardpack.

Up up up

And it is definitely up.  There were several steep sections but when it flattened out, we were still going up and I was SO SLOW.  I felt like I couldn't move forward at all.  But I'm pretty good at climbing hills and I just put my head down and kept going.

H with Moab Valley behind him

We turned around just past the Porcupine trail and went back the way we came, even though the road keeps going, into Colorado where it turns into the Kokopelli Trail and will take you to Fruita.  We had a slight uphill - and a wonderful tailwind so we flew up it - and then it was downhill for nearly seven miles, back to the truck.  What had taken me 1.5 hours on the outbound leg only took half an hour for the return: coasting down 1,200+ feet is much easier and faster than climbing up it.

Water troughs at Porcupine Rim trail

That afternoon, we put on old sneakers and took Milton to Millcreek Canyon.  This is a well-known spot where the locals go to cool off in the desert heat.  It is also off-leash and since it is a narrow, high-walled canyon, we felt okay letting Milton run free for a change.

Exploring

We hiked slowly up the north fork of the canyon to the first pour-off/pool, with multiple stream crossings and many people and dogs for Milt to meet.  Then we found a trail that kept going upstream and, since most folks had stopped at that first pool, the crowds really thinned out.  We kept going until we got to a second pool; the canyon keeps going, however, and it would be fun to keep exploring further.

Gorgeous day

Milt did really well off-leash: he would run ahead but then stop and look back to make sure we were following; he came back when H called him; he was interested in the other dogs but not obnoxiously so; and he had no qualms about wading right into the water.

Diving right in

We returned home a couple of hours later, got cleaned up and went to Woody's for drinks, leaving an exhausted Milton asleep on the bed, feet twitching as he presumably dreamed of wading in the creek.

round and round

After a wet and cold Wednesday (more on that later), Thursday was clear-ish and chilly in the morning.  We waited for the sun to come up a bit and then left around 9:15 a.m. to go to the MOAB Brand trails.  It was sprinkling a little when we got there so we puttered around for a while, finally hopping on our MTBs around 10.  We did our usual two rounds of cross-country trails (Bar M and Rusty Spur) for a total of 16.5 miles as the skies cleared - we watched it raining in Arches NP before the system moved off further to the east - and it turned out to be sunny and cool.

 Turned out to be a nice day

There were post-ride parking lot beers, of course, then we went back to get cleaned up.  In the afternoon, we took Milton to Moab's Bark Park.  He is such a friendly little dude and likes to meet other dogs, but he has no idea how to play with them once he's met them so we thought the dog park - if not too busy - might be a good opportunity for him.  There were about six or seven other dogs there when we got there and when we got inside, they all came up to check out the new guy.  A couple of them really wanted him to play, feinting and pawing at him, then running away so he could chase them.  But Milt just wanted to watch, leaning in close to us, and after about fifteen minutes we could see that he had had enough.

Post-ride

That evening was a quiet one.  When we took Milton for his evening walk, there were tons of swallows dancing through the air, catching insects near a small pond; we also saw three chunky mule deer, watching us from an in-town meadow, completely unafraid on that calm night.

town day

We're still dealing with photos, so we'll have to circle back around to Monday's jeepin'.  On Tuesday, we just played it chill with a town day.  First, in the morning, H's dad, H, Milton and I took a walk in the Millcreek area up Powerhouse Road.  The falls were cranking with all the snow melt but since none of us (except Milton) was inclined to get our feet wet, we opted out of wading up the creek.  Instead, we climbed up the ridge above the creek for a view of the area.  Milt got to meet a couple of off-leash dogs too, so that was very exciting.

Hiking above Millcreek

That afternoon, we walked up and down Main Street so H's folks could check out the town.  I picked up another couple of guidebooks at Back of Beyond Books (such a great store): one to the Sand Flats Recreation Area and one for Dead Horse Point Road hikes.  We had lunch at Zax's (veggie pizza and beer) on the upper level with a view of Main Street, which made for great people- and vehicle-watching.  We kept things mellow in the evening: reading and drinks as the sun went down and a stroll around the neighborhood with Milton (where we saw bats - how wonderful!).

continuing our tour of the parks

We stuck with the early bird schedule on Sunday as well, out the door at 8 a.m. to go to Dead Horse Point State Park.  H's folks commandeered a picnic spot not far from the overlook pavilion while H and I did an 11.4 mile MTB ride around the Big Chief loop of the Intrepid trails.  We saw practically no one, although a new overflow parking lot near the first set of yurts does seem to send riders clockwise on that loop - whereas the MTBers coming from the main parking lot tend to go counter-clockwise.  Once I remembered to look ahead (and not at my front wheel), I felt like I was riding pretty well.

Gorgeous day up at DHPSP

Next stop was Canyonlands National Park.   We actually had to wait in line at the entrance station to get in!  It was only for about five minutes, and there were only ten cars ahead of us, but I think that's the first time we've had to queue up for Canyonlands.  Dang tourists!  We headed out to the Grand View Overlook, and had to park at the Orange Cliffs view lot and walk down down to the overlook.  The view was indeed grand - and quite a bit more visible than when we had been there last.  We watched the ravens doing their barrel rolls for a while, then continued on our tour, stopping to peek over the edge at the Gooseberry trail so H's parents could see what hikes we like to do.

Viewing the grand view

Back in town, we hit Walker Drug for various supplies, then Twisted Jeeps to reserve a jeep for Monday.  And then, to continue our tradition of taking H's parents to dive bars, we stopped by Woody's Tavern for beers and margaritas.  It was Cinco de Mayo, after all.

moab: in the beginning

We're about halfway through the laundry from our Moab sojourn - that, and mowing the lawn, and sifting through thousands of work emails, and going out for beers with friends has really gotten in the way of posting here.  But now the weekend approacheth, and it's going to be a rainy one, so there's no excuse for not sitting down and sharing with you.

 May flowers in the desert

We shared the first part of the Moab week with H's folks.  They got up at the crack of early in upstate New York and then were landing in Salt Lake City before noon on Friday.  H picked them up at the airport while Milton and I loaded up the truck.  And then, looking somewhat like the Joads with gear piled high in the back of the truck, and four people and a very drooly dog in the cab, we headed southeast.  H's folks were understandably exhausted by the time we got down there so we had an early dinner so they could head to bed.  H and I watched the stars come out first.

Balanced Rock

Everyone in the crew is a pretty early riser so we got up and got going Saturday morning, hoping to do a quick survey course of Arches National Park before the tourist hordes arrived.  I think it's been several years since H and I have gone into Arches, despite our love for Moab; I like the hiking at Canyonlands better and Arches just gets so very crowded.  It was just past 8:00 a.m. when we drove in, however, and there wasn't any line at all.

So delicate and yet so hardy

It was a little chilly at the start but the sun was out and grew stronger as the morning wore on.  We drove out on the scenic drive, making several key stops wherever we could find a parking space - Balanced Rock, Sand Dune Arch and the Fiery Furnace overlook - but it was well after 10 a.m. by the time we got to the Devil's Garden trailhead and the lot was completely full.  And the people kept pouring in: it was around 11 a.m. when we left the park and we figure there were 175-200 cars in line at the entrance, waiting to get in.

Cannot beat that view

That afternoon it was clear what we were going to do: it was Kentucky Derby Day so we went to the Alley sports bar to watch the horse race.  I figured we'd have to ask them to put the race on one of the televisions but boy, was I wrong about that!  Not only was the race on multiple screens (including the biggest one) but several people were wearing Derby Day hats and the bartender had made Derby pie for the occasion.  We had all picked our horses but AMAZINGLY, with the massive upset, H's dad actually won, having picked the longest of long shots - Country House to win.  We told him he had to pick up our bar tab.

soon: moab

We are back from a week (!) in Moab.  There are photos to sort through and lots (and lots and lots) of laundry to do.  Posts coming soon!

season in review

It was pretty impressive, with over 600 inches of snowfall and a sustained base, meaning that terrain was open that hadn't been open in years.  It was crowded, with the Ikon pass hordes infiltrating our territory.  Although we didn't ski nearly as much as we have in the past, there were some really, really good days.  H even got interlodged for the first time!  Here's a quick look back at Alta's 2018/2019 season, as seen by us.

Doesn't seem like we saw the sun much after this 

Flat light is more like it

 Snowing a bit

The mid-January interlodge montage 

Early February ice beard

I feel like he got his money's worth out of these 

Enough snow for a good Supreme Bowl run 

World Telemark Day

I'm standing on about fifteen feet of base 

Until the 2019/2020 season!

closing day 2018/2019

Ah, closing day for Alta's 2018/2019 season.  Bittersweet as it always is: the season seems so long (end of November to end of April) and yet it's done already; we're ready to move on to hiking and biking and yet it's difficult to put our ski gear away.

On the old way to Supreme chair

After I took my brother to the airport for his flight home, H and I puttered around the house before heading up to Alta.  We got onto the Collins chair around 9:30 and, amazingly, the snow was already soft.  It just hadn't gotten cold overnight and never froze up - that was great!  It also was a little cloudier than it had been on Saturday, meaning that the snow never got sticky, even into the afternoon - that was also great!

Final chair selfie on the final day

There were more people skiing Sunday than there had been and folks had gotten out their closing day costumes: lots of tutus and unicorn horns, a telemark gorilla, a flying squirrel, a whole bunch of short shorts and jeans shorts.  Public service announcement: if you fall whilst skiing in shorts, you're going to get wicked road rash/snow burn.  Not an issue for us, as we're not costume people.

Alta's "Wiggle-Cam" shot

Since the snow was soft right from the get-go, we covered some ground, doing an around-the-world from the top of Collins, down the old cut-off to Supreme, past Supreme and Alf's to Albion and across the rope tow back to Wildcat base.  Rollercoaster and Extrovert were skiing well; Razorback was pretty good but also pretty bumpy.  We did a bunch of laps on the front side too, where we could watch all the people throwing themselves down the Wiggle (a/k/a luge run, a/k/a snake run) that had been set up in the Ballroom.  It was huge, with high sides, and people who took corner 3 too fast found themselves launched out of it.  It was very entertaining to watch.

Jeez, you might as well close for 

the season then if there's no more beer

I cried uncle around 2;30 - even though the snow wasn't sticky, it was bumped up and heavy and my legs were tiring quickly. H noticed that the Goldminer's Daughter had sold out of beer so we skipped the patio and instead had a couple of our own in the parking lot.  We walked around a bit too, to see if there was any closing day revelry going on; there were a few grills going but everyone was pretty bundled up and the chilly breeze was keeping the tailgating on the quiet side.  Back at the truck, we toasted the season and loaded up our gear.  I both can't believe skiing is over and am also ready for it to be over.

penultimate 2018/2019

If you wanted to know what an iconic, stereotypical spring skiing day was, Saturday was it.  Cloudless skies, nice temperatures, bright sun, scant crowds ... and snow frozen up overnight to bulletproof conditions for the first hour.  Spring!

The Ballroom behind me, shining in the sun

With no edges to our skis, there wasn't any point to skiing early on the front side.  We (and everyone else who was up at Alta (which wasn't all that many, to be honest)) went to the Sugarloaf side, which is angled to catch the sun better.  It was still frozen to start, but was getting noticeably softer with every run until it was just perfect around 11:30 a.m.  Razorback in particular was fantastic: soft and creamy to carve through.

Around 12:30 p.m., just as H and I were finishing up our fries at Watson's, my brother texted me, saying he was halfway up the canyon in an Uber.  He had just come off a ten day/self-supported kayak trip through the Grand Canyon and was flying out Sunday morning.  After his buddies dropped him at our house, he grabbed the ski gear he had in our basement and came up for a few runs with us.  It's really nice for H to have someone to ski with who is as good as he is.  While I stuck to the mushy, sticky groomers, the two of them played around on the mountain, taking runs down Chartreuse, in Devil's Castle (which was fantastic, buffed smooth but soft enough to carve), along the High Traverse into the front side.

Between 2:30 and 3, however, the strong sun was making the snow very, very sticky.  We three had quick sandwiches and beers in the parking lot before piling into the truck to head home to Milton.  The penultimate day of the season was in the books - just one to go.