sixteen years

Happy moveiversary to us: we moved to Utah SIXTEEN YEARS AGO!!!  On every moveiversary, I like to do a year-end summary post; like last year and the year before, this year has also seemed a little diminished.  H again preferred to focus on his trail running, so we hardly did any hiking together.  I didn't get a ski pass this year and, to be honest, didn't miss it all that much.  We are very lucky people, we know this.  And despite getting older and set in our ways, we are lucky to be able to continue to be as active as we are.  Here's what this past year - we count our "years" from October through September, given when we arrived in Utah - looked like.

October - We always start our "year" with a vacation week (ten days, really) in Moab, with hiking and MTBing and H's really successful trail marathon, plus a coyote sighting on Pipe Dream, hanging with our neighbor and cheering on the Moab 240; bought a new washing machine.

November - First snowflakes in Moab and SLC; A doesn't get a ski pass but H does get to sublet the ski locker again; new bar (to us): The Midway; A starts baking in earnest; Thanksgiving in Moab; Alta opens with a 21" base.

December - Friendsgiving with E and K; the ski bus starts; skiing for H (cold and not much snow); A's college friend and her family are in town; Christmas in Moab (porcupine tracks in Mill Canyon).

January - H takes the week between Christmas and New Year's off to ski (crazy long lines); A makes a vegan Wellington for NYE dinner; snow; coyote sighting in Dimple Dell; H has a 3.5+ hour ski bus ride home one stormy ski day; MLK Jr. long weekend in Moab (hiking and it's cold).Fe

February - Skiing and long lift lines; A gets a new library card; M enjoys going to work with H; President's Day weekend in Moab (6.5 hours and hellish driving to get there); Alta finally gets some snow; skiing.

March - A goes to Maine for a week and H and M go to Moab, missing her terribly; we do our first Sandy garage tailgate (and get chilled); turning to spring in Moab; storms at Alta; skiing.

April - Days of unhealthy air in SLC; successful foccacia baking (!); spring skiing; Easter Jeep Safari in Moab; trees in bloom in SLC; wildflowers beginning in Moab; Utah Royals game; Alta closing weekend and 534 season inches at closing.

May - Traditional spring break week in Moab (flowers, hiking, cycling, seeing N and L when they're in town for a wedding, Moonflower Co-op and renew Sand Flats annual pass); backcountry/snowshoing day at Alta; Memorial Day weekend in Moab (cookout with C and F); Dimple Dell walks for A and H; H trail-runs and cycles.

June - Yardwork begins (overdue); Pride party at E and K's; Dimple Dell walks; starting to get hot; we make our hike list hahahaha; Juneteenth in Moab (M catches a ground squirrel); H trail-runs/cycles.

July - A hikes at Alta and Snowbird; CSA starts; July 4 holiday in Moab (hiking - including return to Gold Knob - and cycling, cooler than normal); H trail-runs/cycles; Pioneer Day holiday weekend in Moab (wildfires, bowling alley beers, cookout with C and F).

August - A goes to Maine for a week and H and M go to Moab, missing her terribly; Dimple Dell walks with M; A and H get summer colds; wildflowers in the Wasatch; A hikes at Alta (including ridge run); H trail-runs/cycles.

September - Labor Day weekend in Moab (hiking, cycling, yard work); A finds new trails to hike at Alta; backyard hangout with E and K; more time in Moab; Dimple Dell walks with M; A bakes strawberry jam bars; H trail-runs/cycles.

And now, October 3rd, happy new year!

reruns but the desert so it's okay

We were back in Moab for Labor Day weekend, and delighted that it was slightly cooler, as in highs only in the mid 90s.  The fact that we were "delighted" by those temperatures means we have truly given up our east coast cards.  Truly, though, the weather was great with mostly clear skies, which allowed it to cool off overnight.  Good stuff.

A Millcreek morning

Also good stuff: our neighbor is home from her summer commercial fishing in Alaska!  She bought a new boat this year, so it was a bit of a learning curve with the engine and mechanics and new fishing gear.  But she learned a lot, is set up for next spring, and both she and her sweet dog made it all safely.  We spent several hours over the course of the weekend in her shady backyard, drinking beers and hearing her stories while Milton and Moscow did dog stuff.

This is where Millcreek flooded by the Youth Garden Project

Outdoors/exercise-wise, our activities looked a lot like they have all summer.  On Friday morning, while H did a five mile trail run, A and M went to Millcreek.  The monsoonal floods have made a mess from the confluence on down, dropping lots of sand and actually making the lower creekside trail pretty flat to walk on.  Later that morning, A and H did a sixteen mile bike path road ride - H was on his MTB because we hadn't brought his road bike with us, planning for him to use his cruiser for bike path rids, but his cruiser had a flat tire so MTB it was.  Unfortunately, the flooding has completely taken out the part of the path by the vet's office - and if I were the owner of the house next door, I would be getting very, very nervous.

Circle O morning

Saturday H had planned for a longer trail run, so we all piled into the car and drove out to Moab Brand Trails.  H and M did eight+ miles while A did her Circle O loop (across the parking lot cutover to Bar M, to Circle O (counterclockwise), back to Bar M, back to the cutover).  A then did a solo bike path ride (21 miles) because H didn't feel like lugging his heavy MTB all that way.  Can't blame him.

Nervous but festive

For Sunday, while H recovered with a 4.7 mile trail run on Pipe Dream, A and M went up to Sandflats Recreation Area for a quick practice loop walk.  We met a couple of nice dogs and found a very interesting (if you find scat interesting haha) poop out on the rocks.  It was full of prickly pear fruits and too big to be coyote ... could it have been a bear?!!?  There are definitely bears in the La Sal mountains so it's not out of the realm of possibility that a bear wandered down towards town.  Later, A did another 21 mile solo road ride.  Sure do like that little Cannondale - super glad that I bought it.

Moody Sandflats morning

Finally, on Monday, H did a short three miler while A and M went back for the Millcreek loop.  Then, after much debate about avoiding traffic (leaving before noon on Monday or leaving at 4 a.m. on Tuesday so H didn't miss an early meeting), we opted to leave early to hopefully get ahead of the holiday traffic.  We got held up less than half an hour coming down into Spanish Fork, so I guess we did get ahead of most of it, and were back in Sandy with enough time for a long holiday weekend beer perched on the tailgate of the truck.  As one does.

Scat photo below.  Apologies for those who think it's gross - just keep scrolling.

an overcast weekend in the desert is better than no weekend in the desert

 We spent the last weekend of March down in Moab and while it wasn't the blue skies and balmy T I had hoped for, it was quite a lot better than what northern Utah got, which was rain and slush.  Down in the southeast corner of the state, it was mostly overcast but warm-ish (up to mid-60s occasionally) and with a few sprinkles of rain interspersed here and there.  It was also the final weekend of the 2024 Easter Jeep Safari and there was a definite uptick in tourists.

It's a little blurry (nighttime shot)

but this tree was spectacular

We did a little socializing, hanging out with our neighbor before she left for her Alaskan fishing season, and her roommate, before she relocated to Oregon for a new job.  We also went to Woody's with a friend - he went to high school in Moab and lives/works in town so going anywhere with him is like going out with a rockstar since everyone knows him; and we learned that our favorite bartender has left the Hoodoo for a different restaurant.  We'll track her down but we'll go back to the Hoodoo for its $2 PBRs.

These cacti turn purple in the winter,

to absorb more sunlight, so now that

they're green again, spring must be here

We also got out on the trails a couple of times.  Friday, H wanted to do a 10K trail run: we went to Moab Brand Trails so while he and Milton ran that loop, I hiked a shorter loop and finished up at the end with them.  The temperatures were perfect and the trails fairly empty.  On Saturday, H's knees were a little sore so we opted for just 3.5 miles.  I'm not sure the trail we picked - Moab Rim - was the best choice for knees since it's so steep, up and down, but it got us moving.  There was a Jeep Safari run there that morning so it was closed to other motorized traffic.  We saw a number of hikers, trail runners and dogs though.

First wildflower of the season

Sunday we just did a town walk before packing up and heading north.  It was one of our better spring drives, to be honest: the snow that was supposed to hit Soldier's Summit never materialized, so the road was clear and dry, and since it was Easter Sunday, there was hardly any traffic.  

opening days (anticipated)

On Saturday (11/11/23), H and I went up to Alta to pick up our 2023/2024 ski passes: full-on season pass for H, ten-pack for me.  It was a pretty day for the end-of-early November: partly cloudy, pretty clear air, temperatures ranging from high 30s to low 50s across northern Utah.  We drove up the canyon a little after 11:30 a.m.; the various climbing and hiking trailheads were busy with folks taking advantage of the mild winter.  As we went past Snowbird, we shook our heads - the snow is thin at best.  But when we turned into Wildcat base at Alta, we were surprised to see 100+ cars in the lot and all sorts of folks milling around, layering up and putting skins on their skis.  We went into Skier Services to pick up our passes, noting the ropes across the Collins lift area and the CLOSED signs.  Ten minutes later, as we walked out, the ropes and the sign were gone and backcountry skiers were skinning up Corkscrew.  

Twenty minutes later, as we were sitting at the bar at the Hog Wallow, toasting the impending start of the ski season, three 20-somethings wearing ski pants came in.  They'd been up at Solitude, which was open (!!), standing in line for 30 minutes to do one bunny-slope run.  "We ripped up that seven inches!" one girl laughed.  And so it begins.

Here are the purported opening dates per Ski Utah (subject to change, of course):

non-mill creek moments

It wasn't all Mill Creek and town bikes over Labor Day weekend, however.  On Saturday, H, Milton and I hiked the Jackson's Trail/Amasa Back loop that we like so well.  Upon parking at the Amasa Back trailhead, we apparently just missed some BASE jumpers but at least were able to admire the new BASE jumping sign that has been erected there to explain to all the tourists why people keep flinging themselves off the cliffs above.  On purpose, for fun and with parachutes, I should add.

Colorado River view

There was some cloud cover and it was SO HUMID.  So humid.  Not that hot, temperature-wise, but so humid, for the desert.  As we made our way up to the mesa, sweat was dripping off our chins, elbows and fingertips and pouring into our eyes despite the best efforts of our hats.  It has to be in the running for the most sweaty I've been on a Utah hike.  

Cliffhanger portion

The humidi didn't affect the views, however, which were of course phenomenal.  We didn't see anybody on the way up, which isn't unusual, but only saw one trail runner along Cliffhanger, and then only five MTBers and two jeeps on the way down, which was.  And when we got back to the parking lot, it was quiet there too - far less traffic and fewer people than we expected for the holiday weekend.

Tenacious tree

Hike stats:  6.23 miles; moving 2:15 hrs/2.8 m.p.h; overall 2:27/2.5; 940' elevation

Flowers along the bike path

On Sunday, we three got our exercise by a town walk, touring Main Street and several parks until we'd gotten our miles in.  We also stopped in at Back of Beyond bookstore because it is also important to support local businesses that aren't bars. 

Graffiti along the bike path

something's afoot

 Content has been sparse since Memorial Day weekend, in large part due to my ankle sprain.  It's four weeks later now and while the swelling is less, it's still swollen and somewhat sore.  It's very stiff to walk on in the morning.  I've been wearing a compression wrap sometimes that helps with the swelling, and the doctor I (finally) saw recommended stretching for my Achille's tendon.  

Immediately after I sprained it, May 28

After two weeks of hobbling around, I couldn't stand it anymore and took my MTB out for some paved hill climbs around our Sandy neighborhood.  I wore that compression wrap and it wasn't too sore during the ride.  But when I stopped, I couldn't twist my foot to unclip from the pedal: I had to unlace my bike shoe, take my foot out of the shoe and then unclip the shoe from the pedal.

A little better by June 10

All of this is to say that hiking has been non-existent since then in northern Utah (plus most of our favorite trails are still deep with snow) and pretty vanilla in Moab.  We were down for a weekend recently and Milton was really needing some off-leash time.  While H did road rides (bike path rides) each morning, Milton and I walked down to the Jackson Street trailhead for the Pipe Dream trail to get at least a little trail time.  I limited us to two hours total, including on-leash sidewalk walking, so it really wasn't much to get excited about.  Except for the dog who got VERY excited to chase lizards, smally furry critters and birds.  Hopefully my ankle will continue to improve so we can go a little further afield next time.

Getting to the end of the southern

Utah wildflower season

no, seriously, it's really nice to see the sun

Saturday was even nicer.  Once it warmed up, we put H's MTB in the Subaru (sure would be easier if I would just get a hitch put on there so we could use the bike rack) and drove out to Moab Brand Trails, Milton unhappily sitting on my lap.  It was busy - well over forty vehicles - and the Moab Trail Ambassadors had their table set up, ready to educate the masses about Leave No Trace and trail etiquette.  We were pleased to see that there were folks talking with them, taking advantage of their local knowledge.

Milton's swimming pool was open

While H did his MTB route, Milt and I headed out onto our usual loop: up and over the cutoff from the parking lot to Bar M, right on Bar M to Circle O, left on Circle O back to Bar M, left on Bar M back to the parking lot cut off.  I don't know where all the people from all those vehicles were: we saw one trail runner with dog and one MTBer on Bar M, and while we heard voices when we were out on the rock, we had Circle O all to ourselves.  

Shake it off

We've done it enough that Milton knows the route. He loves it out there, especially on Circle O, where he ran and ran and ran (and swam) and covered a lot of ground.  I think I did around five miles (give or take) and he easily doubled my distance.  H caught back up with us as we were heading back to the parking lot cutoff; the dog promptly abandoned me to run back with the bike.  Back at the car, he was pretty tired - but not so tired as to be unable to introduce himself to the kids parked next to us as they unloaded their MTBs.

All kinds of Jeeps in town for Safari

Sunday was even nicer, one of those unicorn days in southern Utah where it's warm in the sun but not at all hot.  I was strangely feeling the need to pull some weeds so while I did that, H and Milton went back to Moab Brand Trails with H's MTB.  Milt gave it his best shot but he had clearly overdone it the day before: he managed to trot along with the bike for seven miles but with two miles to go, he'd just had it.  They were on the downhill portion of Lazy-EZ and H said that they were getting passed by little girls on pink bikes and little tiny dogs.  How embarrassing!  

oh wow there's the sun

 As I mentioned, before the Giant April Storm inundated the northern part of Utah, we went down to Moab for the weekend.  Having had such a snowy winter meant that we really didn't get any valley inversion/pollution in SLC - which was frickin' fantastic - but it also meant that we've barely seen the sun.  Almost all of my [admittedly very few] ski days have been overcast.  I don't think either of us has seasonal affective disorder but, man, we really wanted to have some sunshine.

Heading down the wash

We didn't get any sun on the drive down: rain and spitting snow and some road slush, not enough to be too sketchy for driving but more than enough to coat the Subaru with salt and dirt.  And our neighbor Amelia said that Moab had gotten some hard rain over the last couple of day - the ground was quite soft, perfect for pulling weeds (sigh).

 

View through the wash and across 

the Colorado River to Potash Road

Friday was quite nice, however, with just a few clouds in a nice, blue sky.  It was warmer than we'd been in weeks, although with the breeze, it was cool if the sun went behind a cloud.  Milton and I had convinced H to go for a hike with us and I didn't want to get wet, so we went over to the Moab Rim trailhead to scramble around on the rocks.

Mini arch (about golf ball size)

There were just a few cars in the lot when we got there, but we knew the trail would see some action as this was the first weekend of Moab's April Jeep Safari.  We powered on up the Stairmaster hiking trail, pausing to de-layer about halfway up.  At the top, we continued out along the 4x4 trail and before we got to the Tire Test Hill climb, we veered off into a wash.  We'd seen people with climbinb gear heading out there in seasons past and had wanted to check it out.  Before long, the wash was full of water so we had to climb up onto the sandstone domes in order to keep going.

A desert pond!  Complete with pond weed!

When Milton made moves like he was going to chase a squirrel, he got relegated to being on leash, at least while we were near the cliff edge.  We were up above the Kane Creek road, looking across the river at Wall Street; below us, the wash we'd been in ended in a dramatic pour-over.  I'm guessing that's where climbers go but no one was there at that time so we couldn't confirm.  As we were climbing the sandstone, H exclaimed, "It's a lake!"  And true enough, hidden in a pothole on top of those cliffs was a tiny, ephemeral pond.  It was full of water, ostensibly from the recent rains but judging from the water weeds, it must hold onto its water pretty well. 

Determined tuft

We continued on away from the cliff's edge - allowing Milton off-leash again - and made our way across the rock back to the 4X4 road.  There are more washes that I want to explore out there but we saved them for another day, heading back on the road.  As we descended the steep rock ramps of the Moab Rim 4x4 trail, we passed a couple of Jeeps on their way down.  Back in the parking lot, they stopped to chat with us for a bit: they were in town (from Missouri and Texas) for the Safari.  They were also very charmed with Milton, who was just glad to have parking lot people to meet again.

Hike stats: 5.68 miles; 2:12 hours / 2.6 m.p.h. moving average; 2;16 / 2.3 overall average; 1,600' elevation gain

divide and conquer

On our last day, we decided to divide and conquer Moab Brand Trails: MTBing for H to MTB and hiking for me and Milton.  If it had been just a little cooler, we probably could have both MTBed and had Milt run alongside; it's still warm enough that we didn't think that was the best idea for him.  It was another absolutely gorgeous day.  We got going around 9 a.m. and while the parking lot was quite busy, the trails weren't too bad.

Swimming/wading

Milton and I saw absolutely no one out on Circle O; H only met a couple of riders on his MTB loop.  Milton ran a lot, chasing critters, so much so that I ended up putting him back on the leash for about fifteen minutes until he stopped panting so hard.  There was plenty of water for him, though, with clean to drink in the shallow potholes and muddy to swim in the deeper ones.

Shake it off

H met us at the northern end of Circle O and Milt ran back to the truck with him.  He was very tired and had torn a claw enough that it was bleeding a little, but he didn't flinch or whimper when I poked at it so we don't think it was hurting him much.  In fact, after eating some of his breakfast, he felt good enough to cruise the vehicles parked on either side of us, looking to make new friends.  Milton is always up for new friends.

Art shot

regrouping

 After the Murphy Hogback hike, we took a rest day.  Sort of: while H MTBed back out at Moab Brand Trails, Milton and I did the northern section of Pipe Dream (from Jackson Street to the northern terminus).  Then, we packed a cooler, grabbed our books and drove out to the new picnic spot along the Colorado River.  We hung out there for a couple of hours, reading and people-watching.

The next day, we headed to Pritchett Canyon.  We'd seen some videos showing that the canyon had been hit hard by one of the August floods.  As we were driving out there, we realized that this was the first day of the Moab 240 as there were lots of runners coming down off of the Moab Rim and running out along Kane Creek Road.  We had intended to park in the OHV-trailer lot, right next to Pritchett Canyon, but that lot had been taken over as a base camp for the race so we parked at the Amasa Back  lot instead, which meant we got to see three BASE jumpers launching off the cliffs.  We checked out the base camp as we walked past - breakfast (including multiple vegan options), gear exchange, medical tent, portopotties, water - and cheered with the other fans as the runners headed out on Jackson's.

Ravaged by the floods

Pritchett got hit pretty hard.  The cute canvas tents at the mouth of the canyon had been swept away - although one set of bunkbeds was still standing - and the trees and vegetation in the wash had been scoured clean.  We also immediately noticed that the floods had drastically changed the 4x4 obstacles, completely changing the lines.  This canyon was already one of the most difficult 4x4 routes in the area; now everyone is going to have learn the new routes.

Much, much, much more precarious in real life

We had only planned to be out for a couple of hours, but when we met three Michigan jeeps, we stopped to watch them winch themselves down into the wash before Chewy Hill.  Usually this is "driveable" but the flood had taken all the sand and dirt out of the wash bottom, leaving behind massive boulders to navigate.  We turned around here but we could only imagine what the rest of the trail looked like.

After getting cleaned up, we walked over to Josie Wyatt's to see Crystal before her shift ended.  This place is considerably more upscale than our usual haunts, given that it is the bar at the Hoodoo, but the best kept secret in town is that they have draft PBR pints for $2.00 and extremely reasonable sandwiches on the lunch menu.  Shhhhhh - don't tell anybody.

Hike stats: 5.98 miles; 1:58 hr/3.0 m.p.h walking; 2:19/2.6 m.p.h. overall; 680' elevation

murphy hogback

Our other long hike (both of the long hikes were suggested by H and I gladly agreed) was to go back to Canyonlands National Park for the Murphy Hogback loop.  (Technically a lollipop.)  We've done this trail twice before, in 2016 and in 2018, and I always remember it as one of my favorites.  

H making his way down

We didn't get on the actual trail until 10 a.m. as it takes an hour to drive there from town, plus we'd waited for it to warm up a little.  There is a big, fancy, new parking lot at the trail head (although a pit toilet would be *chef's kiss*) and plenty of parking.  Although we were far from the first people there, we were the only ones not doing just the overlook.

Looking back up at the mesa

This time, the trail down the cliff face seemed a little more intimidating as it is very exposed.  It was in good shape, though, and still only took us about thirty minutes to go down (and also back up).  The hogback section is my favorite: easy walking with expansive views.

H on the hogback

When we got to the White Rim Road, we had to wait for about fifteen minutes for road construction.  No, seriously.  Here we were, out in the middle of literally nowhere, and a flagger waved us down: they had set a small charge to remove a rock from the steep hill section of the WRR between the hogback trail and the wash trail.  We found a small tree, hunkered down in the shade for sunscreen reapplication and snacks, and continued on our way when he gave us the all's-clear.

View towards the White Rim Road. Note the white rim.

The wash portion was easier walking than it sometimes is since the sand had been well-packed by the recent rains.  We made our way to the base of the cliff, rejoining the trail we'd come down on.  It took H 32 minutes to get to the top of the mesa; I struggled a little bit from the wooden bridge to the top, but once I got off the steep section, I bounced back.  I suspect it was a nutrition issue as neither of us had the stomach for post-hike beers back at the truck.  We did manage to quaff a couple at Woody's later, though.

Hike stats: 10.61 miles; 3:44 hrs/2.8 m.p.h. walking; 4:06/2.6 m.p.h. overall; 1,590' elevation

in which we actually get on our mtbs

We did get out MTBing a couple of times - a rare occasion this season, I must admit - but since we didn't go anywhere we haven't gone many, many times before, we didn't take any photos.  So I'm just going to lump these two excusions together in this one post, for posterity.

It was another gorgeous day at Moab Brand Trails: clear, sunny, scarcely a breeze, cool but comfortable.  We noticed that some of the dirt trails had taken a little damage from the recent storms: some runoff channels, some looser rocks, lines slightly different, but nothing too bad.  I was not riding particularly well, with no confidence and shakier-than-usual bike handling skills.  I did manage to catch up with a dude riding an e-MTB on the back half of the Bar M loop, though, so I felt pretty good about that.

We also got back up to Dead Horse Point State Park.  It was very busy, because we were later than we often are, having waiting for it to warm up (as opposed to the summer months, when we try to get on the trails just as the sun comes up so it isn't too hot), plus it was a Saturday.  And although it was busier than we've experienced it for a while, it truly wasn't that bad out on the trails as we were able to leapfrog several groups at opportune times.  I rode much better this time, even managing this one tricky uphill/corner/tree/rock combination that usually gives me trouble.  It was a good ride and great weather.  It's no wonder that October is one of the busiest months in Moab with days like that being common.

hidden valley to moab rim

Everything was still drenched in the morning so MTBing was out.  We had wanted to do a couple of longer hikes while we were here and today seemed like a good opportunity to knock one of those out:  the Hidden Valley/Moab Rim connector.  We had first done this in 2020, without Milton; this time we took him with us, knowing that he could easily do the distance.  After H dropped the truck at the Moab Rim trailhead and biked back, we three set off on foot from the house, jumping onto Pipe Dream via Jackson Street.  The trail was definitely rougher than it had been just a couple days before because of those big storms on Saturday and Sunday.  It was a gorgeous morning but humid and the ground was saturated.

This massive cut just as the trail starts to go up

When we got to the Hidden Valley trailhead (lots of cars), we were shocked to see it inundated with mud from slides coming down the cliff face.  Half the parking lot was ankle-deep in sticky mud and the connection from Pipedream to the parking lot was obliterated.  Also obliterated: from the parking lot to the base of the cliffs.  You could see the gash in the cliff where the water had shaken the dirt and rocks loose; we had to pick our way down and then up across the slide path to start the steep part of the climb up to Hidden Valley.  From just a little way up, you could see the devastation the slide had caused and it had slid very close to a couple of houses.  That must have been terrifying, with the noise of the water and the huge boulders getting tumbled down.

We made good time going up, passing a couple of groups, and then had the valley traverse all to ourselves.  Milton was staying pretty close - as he'd already done a fair amount of running recently - but sprinted around the meadow whenever he saw a bird.  As we approached the saddle, we saw a huge group making their way up towards the petroglyphs (a tour group, I presume).  Once we crossed the saddle and headed down along the Moab Rim trail, however, we saw no one.

View from the saddle

There was even more water and mud in the wash than there had been the day before, and there was so much fresh water in the potholes that Milton was able to swim a little, albeit inadvertently.  As we descended the front side, with its expansive view of the Colorado River, we encountered three side-by-sides, one dirt biker and three brave (foolhardy?) MTBers on their way down.  Having just done this bit the day before, my knees complained about the steepness.  All that was forgotten when we got to the truck, since there was beer waiting for us.  

That evening, to celebrate move-iversary (thirteen years in Utah!), we three walked to the Spitfire.  We were in time to see our favorite ex-Woody's bartender, Crystal, and talked with her for a long time, getting to meet her giant Great Pyrenees mix, Hildy.  And later that night, it stayed clear enough for a firepit with Amelia and Moscow.  Long, full day for us all.

Hike stats: 10.00 miles; 3;23 hours/2.9 m.p.h. walking; 3:44/2.7 m.p.h. overall; 1,780' elevation

getting ahead of the (bigger) storm

Moab Rim seemed like a good hike for the next morning as I figured the potholes would still be full of rainwater; I was right and didn't even need to bring the extra water bottle I usually carry for Milton.  It even rained, just slightly, just sprinkles, as we churned our way up the Stairmaster trail (the hiking-only trail to looker's right of the Moab Rim jeep road), but the clouds had mostly cleared out by the time we got to the top.

Clouds clearing (for now)

We met a group of friendly jeepers - well, the guy on his back underneath his jeep wasn't that friendly but the rest of them were - who liked Milton a lot,  Then, we continued around the loop, going up Tire Test Hill and then down Sand Hill, which was actually in great shape, all packed down from the recent rain.  The wash was wet and muddy and we had it all to ourselves, not meeting anyone else until we were heading back down the front side.

Wide open spaces

Later that afternoon, H took his road bike to Chile Pepper, hoping that they could figure out his shifter issue.  And then we went back to Woody's where it was busy with Sunday football fans.  Since we don't care about football, we went out onto the patio where we were treated to quite a show as an even bigger than yesterday storm rolled in.  It rained really, really hard and got cold, with a period of hail and quite a lot of impressive lightning.  This time, on the walk home, Millcreek was out of its banks and we had to wade (just up to our ankles) for a bit.  No firepit that night - it rained until after we went to bed.

"Lightning possible" lolol no kidding

getting ahead of the storm

Upon our return to the desert, we had a couple of wild weather days.  Saturday, while H worked on his road bike (shifter cable issues), Milton and I did the Pipedream MTB/hiking trail from Jackson Street to the Hidden Valley trailhead and back again.  After the morning rain moved out, it was gorgeous: sunny and cool.  And not too crowded as we only encountered five MTBers, two trail runners, one hiker and four horses-and-riders, plus two dogs.

Chockstone

Some of the trail had been impacted by small dirt slides but nothing was entirely washed out; some of the side-hill sections were simply more side-hill-y.  Milton scared up a desert cottontail that quickly eluded him in and among the rocks, and it was still too cool for lizards until we were on the return trip.

So blue

That afternoon, we rolled (via skateboard and town cruiser) to Woody's for a beer - although there was still a lot of red dirt on all the streets and I got anxious for my whitewall tires.  The bartender was in a good move and had time to show us photos from her month-long stint in Alaska; another customer bought a round of tequila shots for the bar, to celebrate that he'd done his first BASE jump that morning and didn't die.  Hooray!

Incoming

While we were there, a fast-moving thunderstorm blew in from the west, bringing lots of lightning and a spate of hard rain.  The gutters in the streets filled up and were flowing fast; Millcreek got muddy and came way up but stayed within its banks this time.  It was over in less than a half hour, however, and we were able to get home dry, in time to invite our neighbor Amelia and her Underdog Moscow to come over for an evening firepit.

 

one of our favorites

 Milton and I were going to do the Moab Rim trail on Friday.  We invited H to come with us; when he said he'd rather do the Jackson's/Amasa Back loop instead, we hopped right on that good idea.  We didn't get a super-early start, waiting for the sun to come up, but things are starting to cool off now so being on the trail at sun-up is not quite so crucial these days.

Nearing the top of Jackson's

There were just a few cars in the Amasa Back parking lot when we pulled in, got our gear together and headed back up the Kane Creek road to the Jackson's trailhead.  The little foot bridge across Kane Creek has been washed out in one of the recent floods but the creek was narrow and it was easy to get across without getting wet.

Looking down into the old river bottom

The way up went quickly, as it usually does.  We could see a few jeeps and side-by-sides across the river, making their way up Poison Spider, but on our side of the Colorado, things were quiet.  We saw no-one on the Jackson's portion and no-one on the Cliffhanger portion.  Just blue skies and views for days.

Towards the La Sals, past Behind the Rocks

We finally crossed paths with some MTBers on their way up as we were about a quarter of the way down the Amasa Back 4x4 road - I guess we did get an early start after all, relatively speaking.  There was some motorized entertainment by then as well: three side-by-sides and then, later, four jeeps.  The jeeps were a little sad: a couple of the guys were on the ground underneath one of them.  Hopefully they got it going again but if they didn't, this guy can totally come rescue you.

Tandem BASE jump with a successful landing

When we got back to the car for snacks and beers, we were in time to watch a tandem BASE jump go off the cliffs above us.  It must have been the girl's first time because she was screaming and giggling the whole way down.  I sure love to watch them but have no desire to jump off a perfectly good cliff myself.

Hike stats: 6.18 miles; 1:53 moving time / 3.3 m.p.h. moving average speed; 2:11 / 2.8 overall; just 930' elevation

visitors from back east

Towards the end of August, we had a couple of visitors - the first non-family houseguests in at least two and a half years.  G and B had supposed to have been in Europe with the other half of their family, but B's brother ended up needing knee surgery, the European trip got postponed and the guys pivoted to come out to Utah.  B is a big climber so we had encouraged them to go to Moab (late summer heat notwithstanding).  They stayed with us in SLC for a couple of nights first, however, so they could work on logistics.  Milton was thrilled to make new friends: he was sitting in B's lap before we left the airport the night we picked them up.

Friday afternoon, the four of us went up Little Cottonwood Canyon for a hike.  G and B ski in Maine and wanted to see Alta.  We parked at the Albion lot and made our way up to the Catherine's Pass trailhead through the Albion meadows, then kept working our way up to the pass.  It was cloudy and cool and we kept our eyes on the weather; we did get sprinkled on just a little bit on the way down but lightning wasn't an issue.  From the pass, we continued up and across Catherine's Area, and then descended via the road.  The wildflowers are past peak, of course, but the guys were impressed with the scenery nonetheless. 

G and B at Catherine's Pass

On Saturday, the guys ran some errands to the grocery store and REI and picked up the van they'd rented.  We got them loaded up - Milton was quite concerned about the van but climbed in anyway, wanting to tag along with his new buddies - and sent them on their way.  They texted us a couple of times from the road (delay due to landslide across Route 6 above Spanish Fork) and told us their plan was to camp at Big Bend Campground on the Colorado River.  

Taking in the views

Then, as news reports and videos of Main Street Moab being under three feet of water started rolling in, we didn't hear from them at all.  We were a little nervous for them but knew that they were probably out of cell range.  We left them a message or two and then tried them again on Sunday.  We finally heard from them Sunday afternoon: the storm and flood had been so localized that they didn't know it had happened until they came in town for more water.  They'd had a good night camping, then did some bouldering Sunday morning ... and when they got to town and saw the flood damage - and their phones blew up with all the received calls and messages - they were like, huh.

All was well and they went on to fill their days in Moab quite nicely: a sunset side-by-side ride on Hell's Revenge and another night camping down by the river; climbing with a guide way down Kane Creek Road and a night camping at Oowah Lake; MTBing with a guide up at Dead Horse Point State Park, a quick evening tour of Arches NP and a final night camping at a campground in town as they were eager for showers by then.

Nope, nothing fun happening here

When they got back to our house in SLC on Wednesday night, they were full of stories to share (and belly rubs for Milton).  And then they were off again Thursday morning, back to Maine with their ears still ringing with our, "Please come back again soon!"  (And we made out quite well as the recipients of all sorts of groceries that they hadn't eaten and couldn't take on the plane with them - woohoo!)