thanksgiving long weekend, part 2

 The southern Utah skies cleared up after Thursday, giving us bright sunshine and blue for days.  It stayed on the chilly side, however, so on Friday and Saturday, when H wanted to go MTBing, I opted to hike with Milton instead.  My threshold for biking is about 50 F; any lower than that and my fingers and toes just get too cold.

Coming down the home stretch at MOAB Brand Trails

On Saturday, mid-morning, letting the sun warm things up to the low 40s, we went to MOAB Brand Trails (along with lots and lots of other people).  While H was putting his front wheel back on his MTB (we don't yet have a hitch on the Subaru for the bike rack, so we had to put his bike in the back, while Milton rode in the front seat with me), the dog and I took off for the North 40.  When we got to the main intersection with the Bar M trail, we turned left and walked that back to the cut-off, and thence back to the parking lot.  Milton took off twice after rabbits so when H rode past us on Bar M, I leashed Milton - so he wouldn't chase after H - and kept him on leash until we were almost done.  That dog would run until he dropped so we humans need to rein him in from time to time.

Dog in the desert

Sunday, we drove up to the Sand Flats Recreation Area.  We had to wait in line for a few minutes to get in - apparently everyone else was waiting for it to warm a little too - and then drove out to the radio antenna.  Milton and I took off on foot to Fins N' Things, where we walked to the Grandstaff Canyon overlook, and then ventured down into the canyon for a while before going back the way we came.  H, again on his MTB, just headed out the Sand Flats Road, riding uphill all the way to the Porcupine Rim trailhead, and then continuing on until he came to a sustained and steep climb.  That was far enough to get the mileage he wanted, so he turned around and flew back down the road, getting chilled along the way.  Milton and I were just getting back to the car when he rode by, waving to us, so we hopped in and drove down to the packed Slickrock Trailhead to pick him up there.

View from the Sand Flats Road

On Sunday, we packed up in the morning, unsure of what the traffic might be like for the drive back.  We found time for a stroll along the Colorado River first, however, parking at the Lions Park and walking the length of the paved bike path (said to be 2.5 one way, but it seems shorter than that).  It was quite cold in the shade but very pleasant once we got out into the sun.  There were some folks camped in the BLM campgrounds along the river but only a handful of people on the path with us.  On the way back, we stopped to watch three BASE jumpers fling themselves off the sandstone cliffs above us, pop their chutes and float down to presumably safe landings.  Those guys are nuts - I could never do that - but we certainly like watching them do their thing.

thanksgiving long weekend, part 1

We hustled on down to Moab the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, heading south as soon as we could and thus enjoying the avoidance of any holiday traffic.  Both H and I had enough work to do Wednesday that we didn't take vacation time for that day (and thus didn't get out to play in the desert); Milton was a little confused - although he often is - but rolled with it.

Arches NP border is just beyond that slickrock

Thursday was a little cloudier but still dry so we hit the trails.  We had learned to avoid Arches NP from our last Thanksgiving's Delicate Arch hike, with hundreds of other hikers, and instead sought out a trailhead that was less popular, returning to the Sovereign Trails off the Dalton Wells Road.  With the not-snowy weather, there were actually quite a few campers and vans scattered about the dispersed camping area.  We walked past one group, with two dogs to whom Milton gladly introduced himself, but once out on the trails, we scarcely saw anyone.

Making our way down

When we were here before, in April, we'd wished for a trail map because there seemed to be lots of trails, well-marked/blazed but with no maps, and we didn't know where we were heading or how far we'd be going.  This time, we had a map which H found at the visitors' center in town.  At only $4.00 it was a bargain - but it was also printed on thin paper that tore on its first unfolding.  We looked at it once, tried to take a photo and then just hiked - so we pretty much didn't have a map this time either.  (The new plan is to take it into work and make photocopies of each section so we'll have those for reference next time.)

Looking towards the La Sals

After parking at the trailhead lot, we kept walking out the dirt road until we came to a white-blazed single-track trail.  The Sovereign system has trails for jeeps, 4x4s, dirtbikes, MTBs and hikers; this one was for dirtbikes/MTBs/hikers.  We stayed on this trail through a couple of junctions, before switch-backing down a short, steep section and onto the Copper Ridge 4x4 road.

Striking a pose

We stayed on this across some slickrock and down through a wash until we came to a fairly major intersection with another singletrack climbing up another butte.  We took that and at the top realized we'd be able to make a loop by descending another trail that would take us back to the Copper Ridge Road.  

Ride with Respect

From there, we took the CRR out through the wash, which turned out to be the wash we'd hiked last time, and followed the road right back to the car.  We ended up with just under six miles (probably at least nine for Milton who still doesn't know how to pace himself).

There was still some water in this crack and

lots of deer tracks in the sand leading to it

 

#shoplocal

H and I aren't big spenders, and the current pandemic has curtailed our spending even more.  But small businesses need all our help, especially as we head into winter.  The big boxes and Am@zon don't need our money - the local folks do.  With that in mind, here are just a handful of the locally-owned businesses that H and I like to give our money to - please feel free to do the same.

Grid City Beerworks - Our new favorite regular place, they opened mid-March 2020.  You read that right.  The beer is terrific, the food is very good (lots of vegan options) and when their dog-friendly roof deck finally opens - they're just waiting on permitting right now - Milton can't wait to go make new friends.

Saltfire Brewing - Another new discovery for us, Saltfire has higher octane brews than we usually drink, but we loved their Lupulin Dew Pale Ale.  They've got a brewery cat, a dog-friendly patio AND if you live outside of Utah, you can order their beers to be shipped!  They also sell coffee, available online as well.

Sticks + Stones Design - I got an enameled Utah necklace for my recent birthday and also have a pair of earrings.  Her designs are beautiful and simple and somehow just remind me of Utah's landscape.

The King's English Bookshop - Support your local bookstores, y'all!  I love TKE and have been shopping there for years.  Even pre-pandemic, I could order online and then pick up in the store, without paying for shipping.  Love me a bookstore.

Fishers Cyclery - Road, mountain and e-bikes.  Not open Sundays but they're been in SLC since 1930.  Great service and we've bought all our bikes there.

Salt Peaks Snowboard and Skate Shop - Snow- and skateboards, plus gear and accessories.  They were super-nice when we went in to get H a skateboard helmet, despite the fact that we were way older than anyone else in the shop;

A. Fisher Brewing Co. - Yes, there is a lot of beer on this list.  My heart goes out to all the little breweries.  The Fisher taproom is still closed but their patio is open, plus to-go beer sales. And they've got a full online merch store now too.

Western Nut Company - In business since 1966, Western Nut Company has amazing products - nuts, brittles, candies, chocolates - and I go every year for the holidays.  Their brittles are delicious!

Dancing Cranes Imports - Dancing Cranes Imports reminds me of what Pier 1 used to be, back when it was smaller.  There's jewelry, clothing, home decor, crystals, essential oils, etc.  They have an online store now although it doesn't look like clothing is available that way.

#shoplocal

stay-at-home

 Another weekend spent hunkered down.  Some of Utah's ski resorts have opened: Brighton, Brian Head and Park City Mountain Resort opened Friday 11/20, while Alta is due to open Monday 11/23, Snowbasin on 11/27 and Snowbird on 11/30.  We did go up to Alta Saturday morning to pick up our season passes; mountain employees were busy at Wildcat base, practicing setting up the corrals with "ghost lanes" to help with social distancing.  We got our passes but continue to fret about skiing: whether it's safe, whether it will be fun at all with all the necessary restrictions, how to get up there, etc.

Other than that, we stuck around home, staying distant and safe while Utah's coronavirus numbers climb ever higher.  Milton and I took a couple of long walks - although it got down into the low 20s, Saturday was especially gorgeous with clear skies and sunshine.  I baked socca and lemon blueberry breakfast cookies, plus a vegetable soup and black-eyed peas and collards.  I even vacuumed, whether it needed it or not (it did).

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, we'll have a few days to get out and do something more interesting than soup-making and laundry, I promise.  Until then, stay safe!

keeping the home fires burning

I haven't posted ... because we didn't do much of anything last weekend.  We had hoped to do our annual Sol-Bright hike, which we usually do after the first snowfall but before the ski areas open up; the weather was not all that great, plus the storms earlier in the week had brought a fair amount of snow, so we weren't all that inclined to go hiking.  We also weren't that inclined to rake the leaves but it was windy enough that most of that problem solved itself.

We stayed put: Milton and I went on lots of walks; did a bunch of laundry (and even put it away!); we made two kinds of soup - a green chile stew and a Moroccan harira - as well as two batches of pumpkin cranberry walnut muffins; and finished up this year's holiday cards.  Pretty standard, boring stuff.

This coming weekend looks to be more of the same, although the weather should be a wee dite better.  We'll see if we can't motivate a little more for this one.

change in the weather

 The wind on Saturday continued through the afternoon and, around 5 p.m., brought rain in with it.  It was blustery all night, sometimes raining hard for brief periods, and we were happy not to be out in a tent.  In the morning the storm had largely moved through (on its way up to northern Utah, where it would park itself in the mountains for several more days) but it was cloudy, still breezy and much, much colder without any sunshine.

Unsure about how the mountain roads would be, we wanted to be back in SLC before it got dark.  This left us plenty of time to go back up to Moab Brand Trails.  Temperatures were in the 40s - which is too cold for me to MTB - so Milton and I walked while H rode.  The dog and I headed out on North 40 and while there were occasional puddles for him to drink from, the trails were pretty much dry.  It must not have rained as much as it seemed to have.

Winter approaches

We planned to be out for 75-90 minutes, and to meet back at the truck.  Milton and I got back first and, after giving him some water and some biscuits, we climbed into the cab to get out of the wind while we waited for H.  He rolled in just ten minutes later, hands and feet cold, but the rest plenty warm since he had been riding non-stop (not having to wait for me).  The clouds shifted just a bit, lifting high enough for us to see the La Sals capped with snow once again.  Although I am not particularly excited about winter this year, those mountains always look good in white.

thar she blows

 Since it was only a matter of time (days, really) before winter arrived in northern Utah, we wanted to get our MTBs down to Moab.  We were on the road well before rush hour on Friday, allowing us to miss the big traffic on I-15 in Utah County, but getting us to Moab just in time for the crush of cars navigating the road work.  That tangle gave us an extra half-hour in the car but there was cold beer waiting for us in the fridge, so it all worked out.

Simply gorgeous day

Saturday looked to be the better of the two weekend days: cool and clear and sunny.  When we got out to the Moab Brand Trails for a late morning ride, we found that it was windy as well.  VERY windy, as the cold front started pushing into the state.  The wind was out of the south, meaning that it was a brutal headwind for the outbound legs on Rusty Spur and Bar M; amazingly, the wind stayed consistent so that we got an awesome push from the tailwind whenever we were heading north.  Love me a tailwind!  Later, we looked it up: it was literally blowing a gale out there.  Well, gusting to it, anyway.

We did our new regular loop: front side of Lazy EZ to Rusty Spur and back to the back side of Lazy EZ, then the front side again, to Bar M out to the Rockin' A/Bar B intersection, then north on Bar M to Circle O (I didn't ride Circle O that well as the wind gusts were making me extra wobbly).  At the north end of Circle O, I went left, to the parking lot cut-off, and H went right, continuing north on Bar M to the North 40 intersection and then back on the sandy jeep road behind the old chuckwagon.  That last bit was both wicked sandy and completely into the wind, so he had to work for it - and I was glad to have bailed out on that part.

what a great day

Even though it's November and it has to start getting cold and wet soon, this past weekend was just glorious.  Completely cloudless skies and temperatures comfortably in the 60s, we couldn't stop exclaiming about how nice it was.

Saturday was sort of a down-shift for us.  H wanted to do a road ride so Milton and I walked/jogged a 3.25 mile loop from our house; it's very nice to have him keep me company (since I don't like running very much) but he's a pain on the leash so it's never the easiest run, even with a downhill finish.  After getting cleaned up, we did some town errands, like dropping off ice cream for a friend who was scheduled to have her tonsils removed on Monday and getting a skateboarding helmet for H.  We tried a couple of different places but most of the shops are skate/board shops and are gearing up for the snowboard season, which means supply was low.  We finally found one that fit at Salty Peaks: we'd never been in that shop before and it was amazing, with tons of old skate- and snowboards in their museum - the ceiling and upper walls are covered with boards.  Very cool.

Of course there's a piano on the Big Easy

Sunday we convinced Ted to go MTBing with us at Round Valley, meeting him at 11 a.m. so as to take advantage of the warmest part of the day.  We decided to give our original loop a go, with some small variations: Matt's Flat/Cammy's to Seventy-101, to PorcUClimb and the top half of Down Dog, to Valderoad to Matt's Flat to Rambler (up the "Sweet Sixteen" side and down the "Sagebrush Switchbacks" side, which was busier than we have ever seen it), out Round Valley Express to the paved bike trail.  It was here that we discovered new trails!  We had no idea they were there but took Bourbon Street up and then left onto Big Easy, which brought us back to Rambler (near the Rambler/Ramble On intersection), which took us back to Ability Way and the trailhead.  Bourbon Street and Big Easy are terrific: easy climbing, nice smooth dirt, not rocky and - best of all - no one on them.  Super-nice.

Such a great day

On our way back through SLC, we stopped by a new-to-us brewery: Saltfire Brewing Co., not too far from Grid City on West Temple.  Their beer is available to go or to drink on site; it's only in cans because it's higher point, which meant we had to choose carefully.  Luckily, their Lupulin Dew pale ale is very, very tasty.  They have a nice, west-facing patio, which would be too hot in the summer but was perfect this late fall day.  We enjoyed our beer and enjoyed talking with the table of girls sitting next to us, all fairly recent transplants to SLC from the east coast who had hiked to Lake Blanche earlier.  Best part: the patio is dog-friendly so we will definitely be going back and bringing Milton along to work the crowd.

rocky roads

A cold front was due to move in midday on Sunday and we wanted to get some trail time in before it happened. We also wanted to stay south of town, knowing we'd be ensnared in traffic when it was time to head back to SLC, so we headed out to the Sand Flats Recreation Area, avoiding that line of vehicles waiting to get in by parking at the Hell's Revenge exit lot.  It was a bit cloudy but the sun was breaking through in spots, highlighting cliffs in the distance.

The cliffs lit right up

As we walked in the out-door and started climbing on the sandy, rocky 4x4 trail up to the level of the sandstone fins, we had the place to ourselves, other than a few ravens playing in the increasing winds, doing barrel rolls and dive-bombing each other.

Enlarged so you can see that Domino's delivers

We did much of the same route we had done last Thanksgiving weekend by following Hell's Revenge in reverse, then hopping onto the Slickrock trail for a bit.  Then we got back onto the HR trail in time to watch a bunch of vehicles coming down (and going up) some really steep sections.  The winds really started to pick up as we headed for the HR entrance, whipping stinging sand into our faces.  Milton hates to wear his goggles but I think they would have helped in this situation.  We exited the trail, coming out on the Sand Flats road by the entrance station, and walked back along the road to where we had parked the car.

Domino's goes where no delivery has gone before 

The skies were darkening quickly so we opted for a speedy pack-up and departure, driving through heavy winds (I felt bad for anyone tent-camping at that moment) and sprinkles of rain until we got to Green River.  A quick burger and fries at Ray's marked the end of our weekend as we got back on the highway, drove through very light snow at Soldier's Summit and finally arrived back in SLC to temperatures in the 30s.  The taste of winter wouldn't last long (temperatures warmed up throughout the week) but it did remind us that it's on its way.

This is actually so steep - the photo doesn't do it justice

Hike stats:  5.27 miles; moving 1:56 hours/2.7 m.p.h.; overall 2:18/2.3 m.p.h

strolling steelbender

 We got caught in traffic last Friday night as we came into Moab: traffic backed up starting at the bridge and extending past Potash Road, costing us an extra 45 minutes.  Because of this, when it came time Saturday morning to decide on a hike, we knew we wanted to stay south of town to avoid the hoi polloi.  I thought it might be a good time to revisit Steelbender.

Love the aesthetic

The last time we did this trail (which was also the first time we did it) was this past April.  Then, we'd explored all the short hiking trails at Ken's Lake first before checking out the 4X4 road about Faux Falls.  It had been sunny and warm and we didn't get too far before Milton started overheating.  This time we drove up the dirt access road and parked before the cattle guard, just up the hill from where Steelbender officially starts.  It was sunny but not hot, even cool in the shade.

Desert boys

Since this is a 4x4 trail, the hiking is easy, if loose, sandy and rocky in places.  It crosses Millcreek first thing, then continues up over rolling ridges before dropping back down into a sandy valley.  We had it to ourselves for the first bit.

Blue skies and dirt roads

After a while, we did hear engines coming up behind us: six side-by-sides.  We stepped to the side to watch them come up over an obstacle, then passed them shortly thereafter when they pulled over to regroup.  They weren't driving like idiots or blasting their music, and a couple of them made a point of petting Milton, so we liked them.

Road to nowhere

We kept going for a while until the trail looked like it was coming out of the rocky section into that sandy valley that would - eventually - lead to the exit in a Spanish Valley neighborhood.  We decided to turn around there, so we still don't know exactly where the trail comes out.  On our way back out, we again passed that group of side-by-sides, plus four MTBers (brave on such a sandy trail!), one jeep and a herd of about eight old-school 4-wheelers.  We saw two more MTBers and a small group of side-by-sides back at the creek, so people were definitely out and about, even south of town.

Hike stats:  6.04 miles; moving 2:15/2.7 m.p.h.; overall: 2:57/2.0 m.p.h.