christmas in the desert (2)

It was absolutely gorgeous Monday morning (not least because we weren't at work).  Once it warmed up, Milton and I prevailed upon H to do a short hike with us.  We drove north out of town, then parked in the large-ish lot between the highway and the bike path before you get to Moab Brand Trails.  This is where the MTB trail Killer B can be accessed.  

Heading up Killer B

Longbranch

We went up Killer B (very steep switchbacks or an alternate hiking trail) to Longbranch (I really liked this stretch with its varied terrain) to a short stretch of Deadman's Ridge, which dropped quickly to the paved bike path.  We walked down the paved path - keeping an eye out for descending cyclists (of which there were none) - and then jumped on a short portion of Sidewinder, then finished up our loop on the paved path.  We had never done any of Longbranch, Deadman's Ridge or Sidewinder before so it was good to tick some of those off; we just need to finish the other bits of DMR and SW to have done all the trails at Moab Brand Trails, either on foot or on MTB.  (Distance: 4.11 miles)

Teeny arch at the Long Branch

and Deadman's Ridge intersection

It was a little cloudier Christmas Eve day.  H wanted to trail run and Milton, refusing to admit to any cumulative fatigue, wanted to go with him.  We all three went up to Sandflats Recreation Area where we had to share the Slickrock parking lot with all of four other vehicles - and only saw one dirtbiker while we were out on the actual trail.  H and Milt did a five mile run while A did an hour's hike, out just past the Abyss overlook and back.  (A also gashed her finger on a port-o-potty slide bolt and WOW let me tell you that it stung to rub hand sanitizer into it.)

At the Abyss overlook

We swung by Josie Wyatt's for a couple of $2 PBRs (Woody's being closed Xmas Eve and Xmas Day) and then that was about the end of it.  In the morning, we called our families to wish them merry things, did a 3.1 mile town walk, cleaned the house and then headed north to SLC.  There was weather due to come in but we avoided it and, being Christmas, the traffic was really quite light for the drive.  

Comin' in hot

It was about as un-Christmas-y as you could possibly get, with low key trail time, beers with friends and lots of crossword puzzles and reading.  But it was also relaxing and quiet and pressure-free - which is the greatest gift of all.

christmas in the desert (1)

 As everyone knows, Christmas was on a Wednesday in 2024.  Which is a silly day to have a holiday because it is very difficult to make a long weekend out of it.  We managed, however, with some creative work hours for A later in the week, and were back in Moab from December 20-25.  We drove down Friday morning, waiting for the sun to come up and the mule deer to clear out of the roadside in Spanish Fork Canyon.  Although it was a little weather-ish in northern Utah, it was clearing and pretty dang nice in Moab.

Cutie little dinosaur in town

Once we got unpacked, Milton and H got on Pipe Dream for a four mile trail run, which A did an hour-long town walk to finish up some errands plus get some exercise in.  That evening, we three went next door to our neighor's for solstice soup (and beers) with friends.  

That's a view

After it warmed up a bit Saturday morning, H did another Pipe Dream trail run (five miles).  A and Milton joined our neighbor and her dog for a hike out at Mill Canyon.  We drove out the Mill Canyon road towards Tushar Tunnel a little ways, then parked and tromped around on old 4x4 roads looking for views.  We found them, along with range cows, a big ol' jackrabbit that the dogs chased and a whole bunch of porcupine tracks - that the dogs fortuntely had no interest in.  We were both surprised that porcupines might be out there in the desert with nothing but twisted juniper trees, but later learned that those critters are indeed found throughout the state.  Who knew?!

Sunday was a little overcast, so H, A and Milton just went back to Pipe Dream: H and M did a six mile run and A did a 4+ mile walk.  We end up at Pipe Dream a lot in the winter but sometimes we just don't want to drive to a trailhead.

whither weather

Slow start to winter in northern Utah, looks like.  I hope all the Christmas vacationers have brought their rock skis.  Here's the weather forecast up to Xmas Eve:

H was saying that the conditions haven't been horrific because there haven't been many people skiing on the reduced available terrain.  It will be much worse when all the tourists come and there's double+ the number of people on that same reduced terrain.  Maybe Santa will bring some snow for the good little girls and boys.

auld lang syne

 Even though "winter" has "begun," the snow is pretty sparse around here.  And folks (skiers, people who use water) are nervous about it.  The horrific inversion/air pollution moved out finally, thank goodness, but the snowstorms are still underdelivering.  Friday brought 9-12" inches, and another 5ish over the weekend, bringing Alta's YTD total to 105" with a 38" base depth.  That's still not nearly enough.  Alta is really rocky.

So, Saturday, H took the early bus up - not crowded, mostly employees - and hung out with the locker room regulars until the lifts opened.  It was cold and windy and lightly snowing all day.  The Supreme lift is still not open and it is still considered "early season" conditions.

Meanwhile, A and M did a 5k morning walk, and then hung around the house doing chores and awaiting the arrival of A's college roommate, Jennie, her husband Josh (both in town from Boulder, CO) and their oldest son, W, who has scored a liftie job at Alta for the season.  W was an A-Basin liftie last year and Alta has been on his liist of Places to Ski and Work.  The gang showed up late morning, did some car rearranging, and then headed off again for a quick lunch and to drop W at Alta.  Later, they reported three cars off the canyon road on the way up.  The snow had stopped by the time they were done getting W settled in.

Small storm situation

Milton was once again perplexed at having overnight guests, keeping a watchful eye on us all from his crate.  But it was really, really nice to catch up with Jennie and Josh - I saw her about five years ago but I haven't seen him since their wedding - and to hear about their lives.  They are skiers and hikers and bikers too, so we picked up some inside information on some good potential future trips.

H took off early Sunday to catch the ski bus; Jennie and Josh dropped W's car at the longterm ski area employee lot and Ubered to the airport.  That left A and Milton to do a Dimple Dell walk, get caught up on laundry, bake dark chocolate oat scones and make a red curry noodle soup for dinner.  When H got home, he was chilled: although the sun had come out late morning in the valley, it stayed socked in (terrible visibility) and cold (but not as cold as Saturday) up at Alta - the problem was standing in the lift line for an additional 20+ minutes for an undisclosed late-opening reason, and he never got warm again.  Back at home, he said that of the six ski days he's had so far, I wouldn't have liked any of them.  So I guess that's some justification for not getting a ski pass, at least for now.

the same only different

 Sunday morning didn't bring any new snow but some weather vagary had scoured the air pollution out of the valley for the morning, which was really, really nice.  Milton and I did a slightly longer walk, with some off-leash zoomies in an elementary school playground.  When we got home, I was a little at a loss as to what to do with myself, what with the clean house and the up Christmas tree.  I soon made myself a list and started checking things off: more laundry; baking dog cookies; roasting a butternut squash (a CSA holdover); starting a Liqueur 44 infusion; finishing holiday cards; dehydrating unused fresh rosemary and thyme (leftover from the savory bread pudding); and making leek and potato soup for dinner.

Meanwhile, H took his first ski bus ride of the year to Alta.  It was not crowded.  The snow conditions were unchanged from Saturday, but weather-wise it was cloudier, windier and colder.  My goodness we need snow.  And there is just nothing in the foreseeable forecast.  I hope it's not going to be another one of those years.

All the other lifts are open though

friendsgiving

 Traditional Thanksgiving can be awkward eating-wise for vegans.  So when your vegan-friendly friends say they're available the weekend after T'giving for a vegan T'giving meal, you jump all over that.

But first, H went skiing.  Since the last we'd seen said that the ski bus wasn't going to start until 12/13, he drove up.  Of course, there was a ski bus there and when H went to talk to the driver, he found out that the ski bus has in fact been running since the previous week.  Good to know.  There has been no new snow since the Tuesday before (real) Thanksgiving so the conditions were thin and hard.  Being up above the smoggy inversion in the Salt Lake Valley was a nice change, however - being able to see the sun and breathe clean air.  H reported that most chairlift conversations centered around how big a shitshow Christmas week - with all its tourist families - is going to be if we don't get some snow.

No smog up here.  Also no snow, really.

Meanwhile, down in said smoggy valley, Milton and I did a shortened walk, needing the exercise but not wanting to breathe the air longer than necessary.  Then there was a flurry of vacuuming, bathroom cleaning, holiday decorating and clean laundry putting-away-ing.  I had prepped food the night before, so when our friends E and K, and their eight year old terrier mix Stevie arrived late afternoon, things sort of ran on autopilot, allowing us to catch up.  Milton and Stevie get along well, although Milt seemed completely mystified, watching her act like an actual dog: sniffing every inch of every room, getting the zoomies in the basement, getting up on all the couches and chairs, playing with a squeaking stuffie and snacking on whatever anyone dropped on the floor.

Milt, H and Stevie

I can't believe I didn't get any photos of dinner but it was really quite good (if I say so myself).  We had roasted acorn squash, carmelized leek bread pudding (a/k/a stuffing/dressing), mashed potatoes and gravy and cranberry-orange relish.  Dessert was from all-vegan restaurant and bakery Sweet Hazel: key lime pielette, German chocolate cakelette and a giant frosted sugar cookie.  It was a really nice evening for which we are thankful.

thanksgiving recap

 Another Thanksgiving in Moab has come and gone.  We didn't break any new ground but we did cover a fair bit of ground, so that's good.  We drove down Tuesday night and the weather was ... not great.  It was raining and spitting snow basically from Spanish Fork to Moab but we really lucked out in that there wasn't any snow accumulation - not even slush - on the roads.  And because we drove down Tuesday, the traffic wasn't that bad.  When we got to Moab, we caught up with our neighbor over beers while the house warmed up: she confirmed that it had rained all day.  The puddles and the wet trails throughout the weekend confirmed that.

Delightful weather outside of Green River

But then the storm system moved out, faster than expected - it was supposed to have dropped 2-3 feet of snow in the Utah mountains but hit Colorado instead - and we had gorgeous (and cold) weather for the holiday.  On Wednesday, we had trail time on Pipedream (3.4 miles for A; 4.15 miles for H and M) and bar time at Woody's, where it was a very local crowd.  Thursday, H and M did another six miles on Pipedream and then we all did a Middle Earth hike, away from the holiday crowds.

Good job, little 2016 Crosstrek!

By Friday we were up for triple sessioning: a return to Delicate Arch for A and H (3.7 miles), then up to Sand Flats so Milton could get some trail time too (3.1 miles), then over to Josie Wyatt's ($2/PBRs).  Saturday morning we braved the mid 20s F cold and did an early morning Moab Rim hike, stomping up the "Moab Stairmaster" trail and then out to the overhead arch off the jeep road.  We went back down the 4x4 road, pausing to watch a couple of Jeeps navigating the Devil's Crack obstacle - nerve-wracking, that.

The overhead arch

And that was about it.  Unsure about the holiday traffic, we left early Sunday morning.  The sun was out, the roads were clear and the traffic was actually light, so we made good time getting back to SLC.  And now it's December - how is that even possible?

mixed bag

On Saturday, H went back up to ski.  It was really windy and overcast - a system is moving in - and spitting snow all morning.  The light was very flat.  But despite the less than ideal (and still early-season) conditions, he wanted to go: with the ski bus not yet running, and without snow tires on the truck, he knew that he probably wouldn't be able to get up to Alta on Sunday, once the snow started.  On the plus side, he had two different lifties separately comment on his mustache: one saying "that's a wicked good 'stache" and the other declaring it the "best mustache on the mountain."  

Down in the valley, Milton and I did a warm but windy morning walk in Dimple Dell.  I am once again watching too much Great British Baking Show and decided to bake a loaf of bread.  With yeast.  With the usual results: I think I overproofed it (I've read that when baking at elevation, you should decrease the amount of yeast - which I didn't do) so even though it rose, the loaf collapsed and was quite dense.  Still really good for dunking into mulligatawny soup though.

By Sunday morning the little storm system had moved in.  We got a couple of wet inches of snow in the valley (Alta got six inches) which dripped off the trees onto our heads when Milton and I went for a morning walk.  The clouds broke up a bit by early afternoon, revealing the Wasatch mountains with their new coat of white.  Once the sun was shining, H had a momentary "I could have gone skiing" moment.  But we had already determined to hunker down for the day, however, for laundry, vacuuming and reading.  I also did more, and more successful, baking: dark chocolate oat scones (recipe from The Full Helping's The Vegan Week) and pumpkin-peanut butter dog cookies (PETA's recipe).  The scones turned out well!  It's yeast I struggle with the most, apparently.

See? I can bake (sometimes)

opening day 2024

 With a season total (so far) of 59" and a base depth of 21", Alta opened for the 2024/2025 season on Friday, November 22, 2024.  They had posted that they would open the Collins and Wildcat lifts at 10 and that the skiing was for "expert skiers" only.  Twenty-one inches is barely anything at Alta: the terrain is so rocky that they really need to have a five foot base before you can leave your rock skis at home.  They've been making snow but that only goes so far.

While Milton and I went to work, H went skiing.  He got his pass and a really good parking spot (the ski bus doesn't start until a couple weeks into December), and reacquainted himself with the Goldminer's Daughter locals locker room.  He texted me throughout the day, reporting on all the regulars he saw - the usual cohort.  There was at least one monoski guy and one ski-blades guy in attendance, as well as lots of 20-somethings skiing way too fast for the limited runs and thin conditions.

Looking towards Devil's Castle

from the top of the Collins chair

It was a gorgeous day, though, in the 40s and mostly sunny - good for softening the snow a little.  He skied until 12:45 and then called it good.  Here's hoping for a safe and snowy (in the mountains) ski season.

posting up at home

 Ah, a pre-ski season November weekend in SLC - the very definition of shoulder season.  Alta is expected to open on Friday 11/22/24, however, so we'll get some skiing stuff to post about.  For full disclosure, I did not get a ski pass this season.  I just barely got in all ten days for my ten-pack last year, begrudgingly going up on cold and stormy days (although I had a couple of sunny spring days that were just so much fun).  And for some reason, Milton is having some separation anxiety issues - after six years of absolutely no problems at all - and we've started to crate him while we're at work.  He doesn't seem to mind it too much, and it is safer for him and the window blinds, but I am glad that I will be with him on the weekends while H is skiing.

Meanwhile, shoulder season.  Friday night, H and I went out to a new (to us) bar, The Midway, to see a friend's band.  (Milton hung out in the car.) We'd never been there before: it's got a mixed vibe, part sports bar, part working class dive, and a huge outdoor patio with firepits.  The band was fun, doing 70s and 80s covers.  The bar staff were all super friendly (nothing vegan on the menu except fries and chips and salsa) and we'll have to find out if the patio is dog-friendly.

It started precipitating as we drove home, continuing overnight and into the morning, leaving a couple inches of snow.  Saturday stayed pretty gloomy and cold, with snow showers off and on.  Milton made out like a bandit on walks: a four-miler with A in the morning, a 3.2 miler with H early afternoon, and then another mile or so later in the afternoon.  It seemed like a good day to bake (chocolate chip cookies and a chocolate-zucchini bundt cake) and braise (tomato-fennel braised chickpeas for dinner).

The weather system moved out and Sunday was chilly and gorgeous: 25F and bright sun when A and Milton headed out for their walk.  H had hoped to go for a bike ride but, given the temperature and all the downed and damp leaves on the road, opted for a trail run instead.  Clouds moved back in starting around noon, which led to more cooking: pumpkin muffins, homemade vegetable stock and a Thai green curry soup for dinner.

holiday weekend, in summation

Oh hey.  So, in real life ("IRL," as the kids say) we are reeling a bit in the aftermath of the election.  We are worried and concerned for our friends and family, as well as the environment and public lands we love.  But that (for now, never say never, I guess) is not what this blog is about so we will compartmentalize as best we can and keep sharing our experiences.

Pipedream

For example, we just got back from a long weekend in Moab.  We looked at the weather report - mostly sunny, chilly overnight, mid-50s during the day - and said tra la la we won't pack our raincoats!  And so Friday it was cold and rainy, with a couple of snowflakes, at least until mid-morning.  Saturday morning was chilly and overcast too, but the system - which was lingering after a bunch of rain on Wednesday and Thursday, apparently - finally moved on, leaving us with sunshine in the desert and snow-capped mountain peaks for Sunday and Monday.

Also Pipedream

We didn't do anything extraordinary.  There were a couple of days of trail time on Pipedream (all stats listed below); on Sunday, Milton and A scored a Jeep Arch hike with our neighbor, her dog and one of her friends, while H did an eight mile trail run out at Moab Brand Trails; and on the Monday holiday, we three did a town walk before heading back to SLC.  We are pleased to report that, at least for the time being, the PBR tap is fixed at Josie Wyatt's.  And we did stop in at Woody's Saturday afternoon whilst the bar was being decorated in advance of an evening wedding.  Not just a wedding reception: one of the Meandercat band members was getting married right there.

Spire

The drive north Monday was about as easy as that drive can be: clear skies, dry roads and not too much traffic.  It was sunny and windy back in SLC as a weather system moved in ... and then Tuesday, it snowed enough to stick.  In case we weren't sure: summer is over.

Culvert Canyon wash

Trail time stats: Friday: A/3.2 mile hike and H&M/4.0 mile trail run, Pipedream; Saturday: A/4.0 mile hike and H&M/5.0 mile trail run, Pipedream; Sunday: A&M/4ish mile hike, Jeep Arch and H/8.36 mile trail run, Moab Brand Trails; Monday: A&H&M/4.64 mile town walk

wrapping things up

While H and Milton did a five mile trail run on Pipedream Saturday morning, A did quick grocery store/bike shop errands and chopped down our past-their-prime sunflowers.  After that, H and A did the 31 mile road ride again, and timed A's climbing of that long hill: thirteen straight minutes.  Despite how long/slow that portion was, the ride was overall faster than Thursday's version.  Our afternoon including picking up Heidi Redd's new book, A Cowgirl's Conservation Journey, at Back of Beyond Books.

They're repainting the mural along

the creek under Main Street

On Sunday, we three went to Millcreek to do the regular loop.  We rigged Milton's harness up with our old handheld GPS (double-wrapping it in ziploc bags because he likes to run through the creek) to see just how much further he would go than us humans.  But he must have had some cumulative fatigue because he really didn't range that far afield.  We'll have to try it again when he's well-rested, maybe at Sand Flats where he likes to run so much.  H hadn't been up Millcreek for a couple of years and he was shocked at the damage from two summers' of floods.

Summer's end

In the late morning, after H fixed A's second flat tire of the week, the humans did a 21 mile road ride.  A's legs felt a little heavy - my own cumulative fatigue.  It was busy on the bike path with families, runners, walkers, dog walkers, e-bikers, cyclists and photo shoots.  We had afternoon beers at Woody's, obsessively checking the live updates of our Moab 240 runners.  The evening brought us a firepit in the backyard with our neighbors.  When the propane ran out at 8 p.m., it felt like vacation was over.  Nothing left to do but clean up, pack up and drive up to SLC.

Vacation stats: 204 miles on the bike; 33.3 miles running (H); 31.6 miles hiking

rest day (for some)

 On Friday, all three of us went up to Sand Flats for a quick 2.27 mile Practice Loop loop.  Milton loves it up there and covers a lot of ground: he can run way out but, because of the terrain (sandstone domes) he can keep an eye on us.  It was a gorgeous morning and we were early enough that it was really just starting to get busy as we were finishing up.  The campground seemed pretty full, at least the first couple of site groups.

Sandflats selfie

Then, after H fixed A's flat tire, H and A did a 23 mile road ride, with a pause on the way back to watch the start of the Moab 240: 240 miles, most of them trails, on foot, in under 117 hours across some of the Moab area's gnarliest terrain.  We chatted with some racers and spectators at the start and then cheered the racers on as they started.  With GPS and social media, it was very easy to follow the racers' progress, even as they were in such remote locations.  So we picked five racers - our Dutch buddy from the Moab Rim parking lot and four women (one we talked with, two we stood next to and one we had seen running on the bike path earlier in the week) - to follow, in addition to the two men's leaders and the two women's leaders.  We must have picked well because four out of our five selected runners finished and, strangely enough, those four spent most of the event within a couple of miles of each other.  The men's winner - Max Jolliffe finished in 69 hours 22 minutes; the final finisher came in just under the 117 hour cutoff.  It is amazing what humans can do.

And they're off!

We, however, figured we had done enough with our 25.27 mile day (23 on wheels), and later that afternoon, picked up our friend Chris on our way over to Woody's for beers.  It really is amazing what humans can do.

We bought a sticker.  We like the fox.

paths and trails

By Wednesday, H was ready to do his first post-marathon run, taking Milton for a short two miles on Pipedream.  He reported that neither of them was moving super-fast, with Milton recovering from his ten-milers the previous day with A.  After that, H and A hopped on the road bikes for a 25 mile road ride, going a little past Arches National Park to where the hill really begins to climb (gonna save that bit for later).  Late afternoon found us at Woody's, where H and the bartender traded war stories about Saturday's trail race; the bartender had done the 15K.  Consensus: very sandy course.

Road riding goofballs

The next morning, all three of us did a short (just under 3.5 mile) hike on Pipedream, going north this time.  We met two friendly Underdog rescue dogs and saw a Grand County work crew rebuilding a washout.  We also saw the pink and blue flags marking the Moab 240 course.  

Need new handlebar tape

We dropped Milton back at home - it was so nice all week that we were able to keep the back door open, so he could be inside or out in the courtyard at his choosing, even if we weren't there - and headed out on the road bikes.  This time we did 30.5 miles, going all the way up that long (1.6 mile), steep (7% grade) climb to the kiosk at the Moab Brand trails road.  For A, climbing is way preferable to descending, but with the new brakes and new tires, descending was much less scary than before.

Not that tall this fall

not even half a marathon

A wanted to do at least one longer hike, so Tuesday was the Hidden Valley/Moab Rim loop with Milton (10.1 miles; 3:42 moving time with 18 minutes of stoppage).  There were no coyote sightings along Pipedream this time - no sightings of anyone or anything at all, except a rabbit or two.  It's been several months since we've been to the Hidden Valley trail head and when we got there after finishing the Pipedream stretch, we could see that it had gotten hammered again by the August floods.  The drainage that had washed out a couple of years ago had washed out again in the same place, cutting a deeper channel across the trail.

Huge washout

We didn't see anyone or anything in Hidden Valley or once we crossed over the pass to the jeep trails.  The day was bright and I made Milton wear his white t-shirt (now really more dirt-colored than white) to try to keep some of the sun off.  It was warm - all week was highs in the low 80s and overnight lows in the low 50s - but not too hot, and he even found one pothole still with some clean water to wade in.  We texted H from the top of the final descent and when we'd gotten down, past the jeeps and side-by-sides heading up the Moab Rim trail, he was there waiting for us with snacks and beverages.

Nearing the top of the HV climb

During our parking lot sojourn, we talked for a while with Roel, a Dutch runner who was scouting out portions of the upcoming Moab 240.  He seemed psyched about it, in a good head space, and more concerned about nutrition than the distance (240 miles), the elevation gain/loss (+31,000 feet) or the sleep deprivation.  We got his bib number to keep track of him.

In other activities, H finished his "recovery" period and did a 25 mile road ride (1:24 hours) on the bike path whilst A and M were hiking.  And the afternoon and evening were spent at home, reading and hanging out with our neighbor.

Town deer

recovery

 After the big race, H was supposed to recover for 72 hours.  So Sunday morning, A and Milton did 4.7 miles out and back on Pipedream (1:38 hours).  We had to re-route a little bit to give a wide berth to a coyote who was being very vocal about our presence.  (Milton didn't seem to care but A was nervous.)  

Pipedream

When we safely returned, A and H did a 21 mile road ride on the bike path (1:30 hours) because obviously a 21 mile bike ride is "recovery."  And later that evening, we "recovered" further, catching up with our neighbor and her dog.  Milton even chewed on a tennis ball!  (He only does dog things like that when he's with another dog.  Never when he's alone.)

Dog things

On Monday, A and Milton did their usual Millcreek loop (just under 4 miles - I was sure that it was longer than that).  H and A did a repeat of the 21 mile road ride since H was still recovering.  We attempted beers at Josie Wyatt's but the $2 draft PBRs are still flat.  Bleh.

Millcreek

marathon man

 For our vacation, we left a little early on Friday afternoon, to get down to Moab in time for H to pick up his race packet.  Because on day 1 of vacation, H ran a trail marathon.  Let us pause to appreciate that.

Pre race (note Milton 

making new friends)

It was his first trail race and his first marathon: the Mad Moose Events Arches Marathon and Half.  There were actually four possible distances: 50K, the marathon, the half-marathon and a 15K, with about 650 total racers and 100 marathoners specifically.  The well-run event took place out on BLM land in the area known as "Behind the Rocks," starting and finishing in a pretty valley that we'd never been to before.  The road in/out was rough, although 2WD cars could make it.  It was super cool back in there and we would like to go back some time to explore/camp/hike. But not until we have a younger truck that will handle that road better.

Heading out

On Saturday morning, we three got there early - before the sun came up - and although the race organizers offered a 6:30 start to the longer distance runners, so they could maybe get ahead of the heat of the day, H decided to stick to his planned-upon 7 a.m. start.  Which was a good idea since the sun didn't come up until after 7 and the rocky trail would have been treacherous in the dark for anyone without a headlamp.  He was hoping for a 6.5 hour finish, which would get him back around 1:30 p.m. 

Mid-race photo 

A and Milton watched H take off, and then stuck around to watch several of the later starts.  Around 8:30, we did some hiking: up along the cliff behind the start/finish line and then, after all the runners had left, out and back on the first hill of the race course.  That was a long hill!  And a heck of a way to start a race.

Overhead

At 11, we got snacks and then hung around the finish line, talking with finished racers (including a woman from Wiscasset, Maine - the next town over from where A grew up!).  Around noon, A had a feeling to start watching the finishers come in ... and THERE WAS H, finishing well ahead of schedule at 5 hours 9 minutes and 19 seconds!!!!!!!

Almost done

We were so proud of him!!! He reported that the course was really sandy (which had been confirmed by all the runners A had talked to earlier) and had way more elevation gain than he'd trained for.  His hips and calves were stiff, and his stomach was a bit upset from all the sloshing around for 26 miles.  But overall H felt pretty good and recovered quickly enough for us to walk to Woody's for a celebratory beer in the early evening.  Walking over was a good idea too as it helped loosen his legs up.

Race results: H won his age group and was 14th out of 100 for the marathon.  He hasn't gone right out and signed up for another one yet, but he was very pleased with his achievement.  Damn right!!!

csa summer: fourteenth and fifteenth boxes

Before we dive into the desert, here's the final two CSA boxes from our CSA summer.  Since we weren't going to be in town to pick up the last box, I requested an extra box to pick up on the penultimate week.  And since we are at our LIMIT on squash, I requested that the last box be apples and not a double CSA share, which was the other option.  So in addition to a whole box of apples (multiple varieties), we got corn, peaches, two acorn squashes and one butternut squash*, potatoes, onions, a tomato, a couple of apples and some bell pepper.

We ate the corn right away, of course, and while it wasn't the best we'd had all summer, we both thought it was surprisingly good for October corn.  The peppers and an onion went into a tofu tikka masala (sauce from Trader Joe); we ate the peaches and tomato and some apples whilst on vacation, and the rest of the apples will be peeled, cored and cooked down with cinnamon into pie filling.  And, obviously, all that squash will be roasted and mashed for Milton.

*  See - if we'd just gotten a double share, that would have been FOUR acorn squashes and TWO butternuts.  It's just too much.

getting out from under it

 This photo is a literal depiction of Milton "helping" us with the three tons of laundry after our fall Moab vacation.  It is also a figurative depiction of us getting out from under said laundry (which we had to do at the laundromat the day we got back to SLC because our washing machine is kaput), as well as work and weeding and all the other real life nonsense that stacked up whilst we were romping in the desert.  Fear not!  Posting will begin soon ...

fall colors

 I'm sorry, but Utah cannot hold a candle to the northeast when it comes to foliage colors.  New England has it in the bag for vibrant reds and oranges.  That said, the west does yellow very well because of all the aspens.  We've got reds and oranges too but they are usually muted, softer shades.

Crispy

On a recent weekend in SLC, A double-sessioned on Sunday, heading up to Alta after a 3.2 mile walk with H and M.  It was 64F at 9:15 a.m., with clouds moving through.  I did the usual loop I like to do for exercise: park above Albion base area, walk up the summer road a little bit, continue up through the meadows to the Catherine's Pass trailhead, go up to Catherine's Pass, across the top of Catherine's Area and then back down through the campground.

Coming down on Rock N Roll

It is definitely fall up at Alta.  The wildflowers are brown and crispy and the hikers up there are looking for foliage now, not flowers.  I only saw a handful of people out on the trail, which was a welcome change from the summertime hordes.  The upper parking lots were all full, though, so I guess most everyone was hiking to Cecret Lake.  Aspens must not like to grow much above 9,000 feet because that's where the best colors were, a gorgeous variety of yellows and pale oranges.

Summer road

As I drove back down the canyon to the 90 F valley heat (that is far too hot for this time of year). I was astonished at all the traffic heading up the canyon.  Oktoberfest is still going on at Snowbird and I guess people were heading up there to enjoy the nice day.  There was a solid line of cars from Snowbird entry 2 all the way down to the mouth of the canyon and beyond, all along Wasatch Boulevard - almost as bad as on a powder day.

Not pictured: the four times it rained

on me on the way up

segue out of summer

 When we went to Moab for a long weekend towards the end of September, we definitely noticed an uptick in how many people were there.  Labor Day weekend was still quiet but three weeks later, there was lots more traffic, both vehicular and foot varieties.  This is good for local businesses, many of whom have said that this summer was really slow.  Well, it's busy season now and not slow anymore.

Last of the flowers

On Friday, while H did a four mile trail run, A and Milton did their now-patented Millcreek loop.  We didn't quite as early a start as we have been, mostly because the sun isn't coming up until after 7 a.m.  We were still early enough to be ahead of the heat - which wasn't all that hot, relatively speaking, only in the low 90s - and the people, and there's still a good amount of water for the dogs to splash and wade in.  After everyone's trail time, H and A did a 20.85 mile road ride from the house: out along the river and back, up to Arches National Park and back to the river, out along the river again and back home.  We noticed more traffic on the bike path too.

Oh, no, maybe this is the last of the flowers

When we had arrived Thursday evening, we popped over to our neighbor's house.  She mentioned that she wanted to do the Grandstaff canyon top-down hike and was getting a small group together for Saturday morning.  Did we want to go?  We did!  At least, A and M did as H had a twelve mile trail run planned.  So Saturday at 6:45, A and Milton piled into her truck with her dog and met the crew at the Grandstaff trailhead, after a quick stop at the Love Muffin Cafe (where A got a vegan apple/cinnamon muffin).  We arranged to shuttle vehicles and then drove up to Sand Flats where six people and five dogs commenced the hike.

Most of the crew

Funnily enough, for a group where five of the six are fulltime Moabites, A was the only one who'd done this hike before.  We opted to walk in the wash the whole way instead of the bench trail; this was because there's so much water for the dogs.  The canyon creek is spring-fed and everyone was amazed at how much water there was.  We were also amazed at how quickly the one golden retriever got completely covered in burrs.  There was a little bushwhacking and a little scrambling, and we found a little pool of quicksand and a little snake (non-rattling).  But everyone got out safely, aside from a few scratches and burrs, and it was a great hike with the canyon to ourselves until we rejoined the main Grandstaff/Morning Glory Arch trail.

Snek

On Sunday, Milton only got an extra long neighborhood walk so that H and A could do another road ride (duplicate of Friday's) before heading back to Salt Lake.