KanyonKris

Wrong Mirrors

2012-02-01T23:42:00.003-07:00

Ever since I started driving I've had my car mirrors wrong. I would adjust the side mirrors so I could see the side of the car. But according to this, that's wrong. The mirrors should show you the blind spots. Makes sense.

So I made this change a month ago because my Pontiac Vibe has big blind spots and I've almost sideswiped other cars a few times. The blind spots are clearly visible now, so that's good. But without being able to see the side of the car in the mirror it's hard to judge distance. In total I think it's a good change. If you drive a vehicle with bad spots, give it a try.

Gone With The Wind ?

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Next up for my commuting pleasure, Gone With The Wind.

Unabridged.

41 CDs = 49 hours.

Dug, I have doubts.

Brighton Night Ski

2012-01-24T23:17:00.003-07:00

I went night skiing at Brighton last night with Mark.

I was in college that last time I night skied and I didn't like it much. But I really enjoyed it last night. And it only cost me $17.

The snow was soft with no ice. It snowed lightly the entire night but not so much I couldn't see. And it wasn't too cold (mid to high 20s).

At night the resort seemed very quite and serene. There weren't very many people there.

I hadn't seen Mark for months so it was good to catch up.

The skiing was so good we stayed until nearly 9 (closing). Here's what we did:

We ended the evening with dinner at the Porcupine Grill. Good food.

I'll certainly be doing more night skiing.

Face-Off

2012-01-24T00:00:00.002-07:00

Had a bathroom face-off last week. It went like this:

My opponent had at least 2 steps on me. No doubt, he would reach the bathroom first. I had a moment of indecision. Odds are he was going for the single urinal which left me with the stall or abort and retry.

In a flash of insight I went for plan C:

Up the stairs to the bathroom above. And the urinal was free. Yeah me!

P.S. Going #1 in the stall isn't so bad. I have to do it often with 40-50 people on my floor. I just didn't feel like stalling it this time, and I didn't want to give my opponent the satisfaction of seeing me relegated to the stall. I may need professional help.

Ski, Finally

2012-01-22T21:58:00.002-07:00

I finally got out to ski.

Steve and I went up the Alpine Loop road from the Provo Canyon side.

There was enough snow covering the road and it was snowing lightly. Skiing up the road there were only a few other tracks, a bit surprising since this was the first decent snowfall all Winter and on a Saturday.

Steve just below the summit.

It felt good to be on skis.

It snowed pretty heavy the whole time. At the summit we ducked under the roof of the kiosk and ate. I discovered I was soaked. I dressed pretty light since it was fairly warm. I should have worn a waterproof shell.

It was a slow drive down, the road was very slick. At Sundance a car had gone off the road and crashed into a tree. It was slushy until the mouth of the canyon then just wet.

At home I took a long shower to get warm again. Then took a nap. I was wiped out.

Today I've been surprisingly sore. It seemed like a pretty mellow ski. The snow was a little sticky and the fresh snow took a bit more work. But mostly I have no ski legs. Hopefully we'll keep getting snow so I can fix that.

Stallwart

2012-01-16T22:40:00.004-07:00

I had a religious experience today. I feel I can share it with you, my close dissociated internet friends.

I was just watching TV when my favorite televangelist comes on. Seinfeld. I'm idly watching when...

(uh, sorry but you'll have to click away because the embedding isn't allowed for this video clip.)

Needless to say I was blown away, blow oh own away. Some may say it's just a coincidence that two of the restrooms at my new job have full-length stalls (the fortresses of solitude), but I know better. It's a sign. A reminder of my religious heritage. A call to repentance.

For years I've joked that the inclusiveness of the Seinfeld cannon on nearly every human topic qualifies it as a religion. I couldn't find any Seinfeld churches, but I'm sure there will be. Seinfeldology? It already has it's own holiday, Festivus. And it's foretold by the show itself:

(another no embed clip, humor me.)

Based on the success of Mitt Romney, I predict that in 2092 this country will elect a Seinfeldology President. You can tell your grandkids you were there when the movement started.

Bonus stall clip:

Dry Winter Ride

2012-01-15T19:46:00.002-07:00

Another Saturday, another winter mountain bike ride. But it was so warm and the trails so dry it was hard to believe it's winter.

I was going to meet up with Keith, Dan and crew to ride, but I was running late and didn't want to take more time detouring around the canal construction so I went up the water tank road. When I got to the top I looked down Zorro for 5 minutes but couldn't see any riders so I went on.

(I was a little relieved. All those guys are fast and I didn't feel like being the sweep.)

It was high 30s when I left the house but by the time I hit Betty it was in the mid-40s. And the trails were either bone dry or nicely snow-packed. Wonderful conditions.

After passing the Altar I took Upper Belt to 051. Up top I got nice views of the valley.

This is how much snow there was at the highest point. Crazy for mid-January.

I was wary of ice descending into Dry Canyon, but it was just as Rick said, gripy packed snow. The two steep spots were more exciting with the snow.

When I arrived at the Dry Canyon trail I wanted more so I pushed the 150 yards up to the connector trail over to Curly Springs. It was almost all dry and good to ride.

When wet the top is sticky mud, I was happy it was dry. I went a little ways up Curly Springs and it was dry, I was tempted to ride it but I had to get back to take my boy laser tagging. So I took a steep little trail that dumped me onto the old road with the gate at the bottom and then took the gate bypass trail.

I meandered down some other trails then took BST back. Does this look like winter?

On the way down I ran into Steve W., and a bit later, Adam and new neighbor Jeff. Adam had passed Jolene earlier, which I was glad to hear that she was out riding.

The laser tag place was jammed so we left after getting our reservation. We hoped to see some hang gliders / paragliders at the Point, but the wind had just shifted. So we roamed around Cabela's then hit the laser tag, Rachel, Kara, Kade and I. We had fun.

Another very fun Saturday ride. Such a strange winter.

New Year Snow Ride

2012-01-09T21:48:00.002-07:00

Snow is not the natural habitat for a bike, but it sure is fun sometimes.

Saturday around 11 am I headed out for a ride when it didn't like like a good day for a ride. It had snowed and the clouds were so low I thought I'd be riding in fog up in the foothills.

Turns out conditions were excellent for a winter ride. Only a thin layer of snow (1-2") and no mud.

I made my way up to the Altar. I wanted to clean it but goofed up and put a foot down a few times.

I thought I was smiling for this self portrait, but it appears my face is partially frozen, or I was more than a little winded, or having a stroke.

Continuing up Lament I encountered some old ice under the snow and spun out a few times.

The snow was the light, packable type perfect for snowballs and it crunched under my tires the whole ride.

Up on 051 I went looking for Prayer Circle. Part way out I took a wrong turn and ended up back on 051. Lap #2 I made it all the way to Area 51. It's a primitive trail, and I like primitive trails.

Going down Area 51 (westbound) was fun and fast (for me, in snow). And going down GWT was even better. I had a silly grin on my face the whole way. Saw a flock of 15+ turkeys.

Back at the Altar I went part way down Frank then took Belt and ended with Rollercoaster.

Arriving at home I couldn't feel my toes but I still had a grin on my face. This ride made my weekend.

$150 Android Tablet

2012-01-03T21:47:00.008-07:00

I like gadgets. And every so often I become entranced by some new gizmo and want it, badly.

Fortunately, for my bank account and my wife's commitment to our marriage vows, I'm the opposite of a spend-thrift (such a strange term, wouldn't spend and thrift cancel each other out leaving the meaning to be neither?). OK, I'm cheap.

So the result is: I find low-cost ways to get gadgets.

I've already documented my bargain bike lights.

This post describes how I ended up with this nice Android tablet for $150.

What you see is a hacked Nook Color ebook reader. (Not to be confused with the newer, more expensive Nook Tablet which looks similar, just a slightly lighter color, but can't be converted to an Android Tablet, yet.) The stock Nook Color runs Android but is overlaid with an ebook reader interface developed by Barnes and Noble. It has a high resolution 7" touch screen, a decent processor, good battery life and is fairly light weight. I bought a refurbished unit from Overstock.com for $150 (looks like they're out now).

First I rooted it (gained root access to the operating system) and installed CyanogenMod 7 (CM7, a tweaked version of Android 2.3) on the internal memory.

This worked until I did something wrong and it wouldn't boot. I decided I'd rather leave the Nook stock and run CM7 off a microSD card so I could revert it back to an ebook reader by simply removing the microSD card.

Several forum posts warned that a quality microSD card is important. The red-packaged SanDisk 8 or 16 GB cards I bought at Walmart worked for me.

I followed these instructions, then later replaced the plain CM7 with this enhanced MiRaGe Kang build. (I learned a new word: Kang - Taking another's work, sometimes modifying it, and claiming it as your own.)

This hacked tablet runs every app I've tried so far (here's a community created list). It's handy to have such a portable computer. We browse the web, check email, Facebook, play games, watch movies, etc. Jolene and I have been reading the Fat Cyclist book using the Android Kindle app (an odd twist, but it works perfectly).

It was a fun project at a bargain price. It's turned out to be popular with the whole family. And it sated my gadget lust, for now.

Update: You can buy a refurbished Nook Color for $149 on Barnes & Noble's eBay store.

Three Ride New Years

2012-01-02T19:31:00.002-07:00

I've had a nice New Years holiday.

Friday I got off work early and rode the Shoreline trail with Jolene. It was sunny and in the 50s. The trail was mostly dry. On the way home we were treated to this nice sunset.

Saturday we went ice skating with the in-laws. It's a tradition. We all had fun. But I missed skating with Jolene, the skates hurt her leg where the metal bars are. Afterward we had soup.

Then I went for a ride. I did the River Loop (I think that's what the lunch crew calls it). Up watertank, up Betty, Belt, down Frank and Johnson's Hole and the connector to Nun's Park, then up the BST and down Indian Hills. The north-facing BST was, surprisingly, dry and really good shape.

When I started this ride my legs were a bit sore from the ride the day before. And it occured to me that it's been a good while since I've done rides on back-to-back days. I thought it somewhat perverse that I enjoyed feeling of the previous day's ache as I climbed.

I haven't been riding much with the new job and winter, so I wondered how my legs would do on the climb up the Bridal Veil BST. To my surprise I did OK. It seems my fitness hasn't completely evaporated.

Coming down Indian Hills I caught another nice sunset.

Today we got our Pass of Passes at Trafalga and did a round of miniature gold while we were there.

Then I went for a ride (yeah, 3 in 4 days). I just missed Shammy but met up with Mark and Bry at the Altar. We went up to the puddle then went down Crank. I was considering going over to Dry Canyon but there had been some serious patches of ice on the way up and I didn't like the thought of encountering ice on any of the steep declines down Dry. We finished off with the Race Course and headed home.

Riding the last two days of 2011 and the second day of 2012 has been a nice way to send off the old and start off the new year. I hope 2012 is a good year for all of you.

Fortress of Solitude

2011-12-29T23:52:00.003-07:00

I made a serendipitous discovery today. The bathroom on the 2nd floor where I work was ocupado so I went up to the 3rd floor. As I walked in I was taken aback by this sight:

I don't think I've ever seen stalls that extend to the floor. I'm not as bathroom observant as the Elder Statesman, but I think I would have noticed and remember something like this. Has anyone else seen this?

At first I thought it looked claustrophobic, and I wondered if there would be enough ventilation - that's kind of important sometimes. But as I settled in to do my business I realized I liked the extra isolation.

I now dub this bathroom the Fortress of Solitude.

And the stall doors had this appropriate latch to indicated occupancy (since you can't peek under):

I feel like I just experienced the bathroom of the future. Well, at least 5 years from now.

Now my curiosity is piqued, do the bathrooms get better as the floors go up? I must know, or get used to disappointment.

Update: The 4th floor also has Fortress of Solitude stalls, but the 5th floor does not (Sorry Brannen).

Bathroom Flowers

2011-12-06T22:35:00.002-07:00

As I reported Sunday, the bathrooms at the new job have fresh cut flowers. I was told they are changed weekly. This was last week:

A right lovely arrangement, if I do say. Smelled good too, a big plus in a bathroom.

Monday morning I went to the bathroom, even though I had no business to do, just to flower situation. Sure enough, new and delightful:

If this is some twilight zone / dream / matrix / alternate reality, leave me be. I'll take the blue pill, Morpheus.

The New, New Job

2011-12-04T21:34:00.002-07:00

Wednesday I started a new job at Fusion-io.

It's kind of a new, new job because I'd only been at the last job at SecureAlert for 5 months. Working at SecureAlert was OK but I didn't love it. So when I got an email from Fusion-io informing me of another open position I went in for interviews. I say "another" because I interviewed at Fusion-io back in February but didn't get the job then, although I was very impressed with the company, products and people.

So now I'm at Fusion-io and really like it. They treat their employees very well. The break room has free soda and other drinks. Lunch is brought in 3 times a week. They sent a welcome package to my home with a hat, bag, water bottle, ear phones and a nice card.

My cube is better than any other place I've worked and came with a glass and thermos with my name on it. My PC is high end with dual monitors, and it arrived the day I started.

I work on the 2nd floor and have a window just outside my cube. The view isn't amazing, but it's nice to have any view at all.

The bathrooms are clean with automatic toilets and sinks (with auto soap dispensers) and include a feature that shocked and delighted me. (Dug, you better be sitting down for this.) Fresh cut flowers. As I washed up the first time, I smelled a floral scent but thought it might just be the soap so I looked closer and was amazed to discover the flowers were real. I mentioned this to a co-worker and was told the company has fresh flowers brought in each week. I'll check out the new arrangement Monday.

By lucky timing I was able to attend the group's team building event with Jolene. We met at Orson Gygi for a Chinese food cooking class. The instructor explained all the courses we would be making then turned us loose. Gail, Jolene and I made Salt and Pepper Shrimp. I'm not into cooking but I did my best chopping peppers, onions and garlic. Also helped with Chocolate Wontons and deep frying the Orange Chicken.

When it was all cooked we ate. There was plenty of food. The Orange Chicken was my favorite.

After the meal we went to the Desert Star Playhouse and watched a spoof on It's a Wonderful Life.

Jolene and I had a good time and got to know the people in my work group.

It's been a tumultuous employment year for me. At the beginning of the year I was laid off from the start-up I had been with for 4 years because they ran out of money. Then I was unemployed for 3 months. Then I was hired in 3 days at SecureAlert and worked 10+ hour days the first month. And now I'm working for a company that didn't hire me the first time around. Life takes strange turns sometimes.

Spontaneous St. George

2011-11-28T23:05:00.004-07:00

Jolene and I had been going back and forth on going down to St. George. On the drive home after a nice Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house, we decided to do it. Friday morning we packed up the car and headed south.

After dropping off our two youngest at the in-laws we rode Prospector from the Cottonwood trail head. Such a fast, flowy trail.

Then we rode Church Rocks both directions. Here I am chugging up a bumpy slope.

A little ledge dropping.

Then Prospector back to the car.

The next day we met up with Andy and Rhonda to ride Barrel Roll, Precipice, and the Rim trails on the other side of the gulch.

Jolene had done the Rim trails, but this was her first time on Barrel Roll - she liked it.

It had been a long while since we last rode with Andy and Rhonda, it was good to see them again.

It was well worth the drive to get in some Dixie single-track with sunshine and mid-60s (perfect not-too-hot, not-too-cold temperature).

We have an invite to go back after Christmas, we just may do that.

Mid-Week Moab

2011-11-13T21:40:00.003-07:00

Wednesday I went to Moab with Jolene and her friend Susie. This would be Susie's first time riding in Moab. Always fun to take someone to Slickrock for their first time.

Here I go up the first steep ramp.

And Jolene.

As usual, I opted for the half pipe instead of the switchback.

Dropping into the Wooly Gully.

The last two trips I didn't make it up Cogs to Spare. I thought I had it on the first run this time but my tire was wet and sandy from a puddle and spun out right at the crux, rotten luck. I made it on the 3rd try. Here's the crux.

Finishing off Cogs.

We still had some daylight so on the way out of Moab we hit Bartlett Wash. I hadn't done Bartlett. I thought it would be a bigger area, but it was still fun. A slickrock playground. Here's Susie riding back down with the full moon above.

Had burgers at Rays on the way home to give Susie the full Moab trip experience.

Driving up Price Canyon the van slipped out of gear a few times then dropped into "limp home" mode which meant 40 mph the rest of the way home. Just glad the van didn't die.

Saturday I saw a message from Shammy saying the foothill trails were perfect. With the rain I thought they'd be a mess. So with daylight fading I changed and rode into the hills. There was some snow and little mud up high but overall it was good. At a muddy spot coming down Crank the front wheel slid and I fell over, banged up my side and forearm a bit. Finished the ride down Rollercoaster and Bramber. Fun ride.

Helloween 2011

2011-11-01T22:38:00.003-06:00

When October rolls around and the air gets cooler and the night comes sooner I look forward to the annual Helloween night ride.

Race/ride genius Rick started it some years ago. This year Rick was slammed with work so I pinged the group to gauge interest. Several people replied so it was on. It had been a few years since we rode Corner Canyon so it was the easy choice.

When I showed up a little before 9 I was glad to see bikes and lights. (You never know how these things will turn out.) People kept coming. We had a quick huddle, picked the best costumes, picked the route (with no small disputation), took a group photo then headed out.

I still shake my head in disbelief that Miles rode all night in that gorilla suit, and on his shiny, 2-week-old Pugsley.

We went up Corner Canyon, west on the BST, up Potato Hill and up Ann's to the top for a regroup. Went down Ghost then up Canyon Hollow and another regroup. The hard men went up Jacobs, the rest of us did the Rush joy ride then Creek View back to the EQ. Dug's video shows the action.

The traditional nightcap is breakfast food, ala Dennys or Village Inn, but Dug tempted us with In-N-Out, good call.

Ryan mentioned he'd brought some big boy big wheels if anyone wanted to take a run. I've been anxious to try them after seeing the crazy Squaw Peak videos so I was instantly in. Ryan took the maiden run down north Suncrest while I followed in his SUV. It looked OK so I did a run.

The big wheel was more stable than I expected. I thought it would be kind of squirrelly with the plastic rear tires and all. It handled 45 mph down the S curve just fine. Maybe I'll give Squaw Peak a run some night (hi dear!).

Rick, it worked better when you had the reigns, put 2012 in your calendar now.

Park City Mountain Tour

2011-10-23T19:42:00.003-06:00

Saturday Mark N. and I did a nice tour of some of the best trails in Park City.

We started up Armstrong. Most of the leaves have fallen but a few bright patches remain.

Then south on Mid Mountain. This spot in the Pines with the Aspen leaves carpeting the trail and decorating the trees like ornaments was striking.

About half way to Deer Valley this stand of Aspens glowed with sunlight and leaves.

We went up Team Big Bear and did the Flagstaff loop. We decided to explore more of the trails over on Bald Mountain so we took Deer Camp over. We found a stunt trail off Homeward Bound and played on the tamer stuff. I rode the log shown below (that's not me, I stole this photo).

We goofed around on Lila's Lair and Dog Pound then headed back on Mid Mountain.

We took Johns 99 (first time for both of us, it's a nice trail) then descended through the Aspens of Johns trail.

We finished up with Sweeney Switchbacks. My legs were drained and I was tired. But what a great ride. Cool air, stunning scenery, tacky dirt, an excellent mix of trails, and good company.

The meal at Tarahumara capped off the day.

Columbus Day Moab

2011-10-17T20:00:00.001-06:00

I headed down to Moab on Columbus Day with the guys.

Dug and Brandon made videos.

We carpooled down in the Mad Dog van. Then transferred to the shuttle van for the ride up Sand Flats Road. A storm a week or so ago had put snow in the LaSals so the Whole Enchilada was out, but we could still hit UPS, LPS and Porcupine Rim.

Dug wearing his sunglasses-of-many-colors.

A little snow up top.

The crew.

The views into Castle Valley never get old.

Jesse descending a ramp near the end of Porcupine Rim.

I didn't ride very fast or aggressively so I was always last. Kinda bugged me, but when I'm riding my bike instead of working I can't be too upset. UPS and LPS were new to me and it had been years since I last rode Porcupine - the trail has changed some.

We still had some daylight so we rode Pipe Dream. I liked it but it's a butt kicker. Riding from town it has a lot of steep ups. I was cramping so I bailed when we got to the south end and rode back on the road. They told me it was easier the other direction so I should have taken the trail back.

Finished the trip with a burger at Rays. Good times.

Park City Addiction

2011-10-16T10:25:00.002-06:00

Three Saturdays, three Park City rides. I may be an addict. Knowing the snow is coming I can't resist getting in mountain rides. And it's so good right now - cool temps, good trail conditions, Fall colors.

The route was: up Armstrong, north on Mid Mountain, then Ironman to circle Iron Mountain counter-clockwise, Mid Mountain over to and down Empire Link (my favorite PC trail), Down Daly with Ginas and South Sweeney Switchbacks. 21 fantastic miles.

Up Armstrong with a carpet of leaves.

Oh the colors.

Jolene threads a rocky spot on Mid Mountain.

Just wow.

The new section of Mid Mountain along the east face of Iron Mountain is rocky.

Mid Mountain Aspens.

Color everywhere.

Is this forest enchanted? I say yes.

Down in Daly Canyon we came upon this bull moose. Note my shadow, this was a little too close for comfort.

If I could I'd be up there riding right now. Worth taking a day off work.

Jamie's First Car

2011-10-06T21:20:00.003-06:00

Another life milestone today: Jamie's first car.

It's been coming for a while. Most days Jolene and Jamie were able to juggle the van, but some days left Jolene stranded at home. Jamie's been working and saving her money. Jolene has been surfing KSL Cars for weeks.

So here's the new addition to the family, a 2002 Toyota Camry with power sunroof, seats, mirrors, locks and windows.

We split the cost with Jamie. She has the option to buy us out. She's going to get a loan for $1-2,000 to boost her credit score.

Jamie is very excited, it was fun to watch her. Suddenly I feel older.

Shortyz - Favorite Android App

2011-10-04T22:09:00.003-06:00

I've had an Android phone for about a year. Overall it's been good. It's nice to always have a camera, notepad, contact info and games.

At first I went nuts downloading apps, now I've weeded out the duds and only add a few new apps a month.

For games, Angry Birds was fun for a while then I got bored of it. Stupid Zombies is a similar style game but deeper and more fun. Jolene likes Jewels. Alchemy is interesting but it got weird after a while. Flight Control is fun and I still play it. The Moron Test is clever but got old. Doodle Fit is a nice puzzle game, as is Unblock Me. Kade plays matching games once in a while. But there's one game that gets played way, way more.

Shortyz. It's crossword puzzles and I play it daily.

It downloads a bunch of free crosswords every day - I like Washington Post and USA Today best. For most puzzles it will tell you if you typed the wrong letter which makes the puzzles more friendly but I imagine purists are outraged - relax, it's just a game, play it how you want.

Nothing is deeper than language so it's no surprise that word games have long-lasting appeal. I've learned some new words along the way, of course some are just crossword fodder.

Most of the clues are adequate, some are really clever, and a few are such a stretch I groan. After a while you get to know the clue style of each puzzle writer.

I feel motivated to finish each puzzle yet it's easy to stop and pick it up later so it's perfect for on-the-go. Shortyz has kept me entertained through many waits and when it's my turn it's easy to put it away.

I enthusiastically recommend Shortyz. I'm sure there are good crossword apps for the iPhone / Touch too, go get one.

Park City Again

2011-10-02T20:45:00.006-06:00

Park City was so good last Saturday we hit it again, now with more Fall colors.

We started where Mid Mountain crosses Guardsman Pass road. Went south on Mid Mountain then climbed up Team Big Bear to the Flagstaff loop - it's really nice up there.

The new Road to Ruby trail seems unnecessary, but this section through Aspens was pretty.

Jolene at the south end of the loop. Look at the mountains, trees, clouds and blues skies - gorgeous.

Jolene just came up a steep spot on Flagstaff.

We took some trail over to TG but ended up on some trail above TG. The trails connected so it worked out. I like TG, narrow and rugged. Some good color along the way.

Surprised to see flowers up so high this time of year.

Then we took McConkies (a ski resort double track, unfun grind) up to Black Forest which started out OK but then got steep. Jolene's leg (the one she broke) was hurting and she didn't like the hang-your-butt-off-the-back descents so we bailed and walked the bikes down a ski run. My bad for not checking the elevation profile.

We finished off with Mid Mountain back to the car then ate a late lunch at El Chubasco.

On the way home we stopped and watch 20+ kite boarders zoom back and forth and get airborne at Deer Creek Reservoir.

I'm loving this warm Fall weather. I know it won't last so I'm trying to get out all I can.

Italian Eggs

2011-09-28T23:35:00.003-06:00

I'm not a food person. Oh I like to eat. I like a good steak or sushi roll or fish taco or fritter, etc. But I'm not into food as much as others. And only rarely do I think about interesting new foods or combinations, like salsa in a sandwich.

So it was one of those light bulb moments a few weeks ago as I made some scrambled eggs when I spotted this Italian seasoning in the cupboard.

Turns out the eggs taste really good with Italian spices. I'll be seasoning my eggs this way often.

And I am sold on spices in these little grinders, much more flavorful. We also have one for black pepper. Good work, McCormick R&D department.

Finally, this xkcd cartoon made me laugh.

Armstrong Double Play

2011-09-25T22:29:00.004-06:00

Wednesday after work I met Alex, Colin, Cory, Rick, Vincente, and Ian for a ride in Park City. We pedaled up the new Armstrong trail. I wasn't sure I liked it because I was so slow on the climb. At Mid Mountain we added layers for the descent (it got chilly up there).

We turned on the lights as we trudged up Powerline to Shadow Lake. Flew across Keystone, snaked down Apex, and finished off the descent with Crescent Mine Grade and Spiro. First night ride of the season and it was a blast.

Afterward we hit Squatters to celebrate Ian's last few days as a bachelor.

Saturday Jolene and kids and I went to a family reunion in Heber at the CAF Aero Museum. Then the kids went home and Jolene and I went to Park City to ride.

Jolene wanted to see Armstrong so up we went. It's a surprisingly pretty trail with lots of trees - I was expecting scrub oak and brush. I enjoyed it more this time, probably because I wasn't trying to keep up with fast guys.

About half way up we got this view across Thayne's Canyon - we'd be riding over there.

Jolene taking one of several switchbacks.

Heading south on Mid Mountain is some of the best trail in Park City.

Crossing over to the south side of Thayne's we rode right through some amazing Fall color via Crescent Mine Grade. (We've been here before.)

Then took Eagle down to Spiro.

It was a near perfect early Fall Park City ride. The trails were in good shape, the air was cool and crisp, the views amazing, and the ride an excellent combination of climbing, cruising and descending.

We zipped over to the Trailside Park for a quick spin on the stunts, easy slope style course and the skills loop. Jolene liked it.

On our way home we stopped in Midway to eat dinner at Tarahumara in Midway. I had the Barbacoa lamb tacos and Jolene a chicken quesadilla, both delicious. The salsa bar has over 20 kinds of salsa. Good food at a reasonable price, recommended.

Feeling restless Sunday, Jolene and I drove up South Fork and hiked a ways up Big Springs. I think we're leafaholics.

Wyoming Getaway

2011-09-13T07:00:00.003-06:00

Labor Day weekend we vacationed in Wyoming. We arrived in Star Valley Friday evening and stayed at the ranch house (it was 40 when we pulled in at 11pm).

A cat living in the barn had kittens, which were a big hit with the kids, especially Kade.

A Star Valley security system on the barn.

Saturday Jolene and I went to Jackson to ride the trail south of town. This was my 3rd time (previous report) and Jolene's 1st time. I was hoping the wild flowers would still be going strong, but they had peaked weeks ago and it was on the dry side. But the trails were in good shape and we still had a really good ride.

We started at the Nelson Drive trail head and went up Putt Putt, a trail I hadn't done before. It's a good trail with more up and down than Cache Creek.

At the end of Putt Putt we had to decide how big the ride would be. I had planned to do the big loop, but Jolene's ribs were hurting. We started up Game Creek and luckily Jolene felt OK so we continued with the loop.

The climb up Game Creek (coming out of the Cache Creek drainage) was not as steep as I remembered. Going down into Game Creek the trail was bumpy, but still fun.

We turned up West Game Creek, which had a lot of tall vegetation.

Up and up we went. I like this photo of Jolene.

We topped out on the ridge overlooking Jackson.

Then started down Ferrin, a fun downhill ride.

We continued with Upper Hagen and the Hagen River trail, where I had a nice crash. The trail threads between two grandpa-box-sized rocks, I cleared the first but caught my pedal on the second which tossed me off the downhill side of the trail and left me "hanging" from my bike (clipped in) and me head-first down the steep slope. After some awkward wriggling I got free before Jolene could roll up and take a picture.

We finished with the lower part of Putt Putt back to the van. We ate at the Dairy Queen and Jackson then drove back to Star Valley.

Jolene's cousin, Robert, has a new baby girl, which was fun to see.

At their house Kade found a toy chainsaw.

Kade had fun on their dirt track.

Monday morning I went for a road ride with Robert (Jolene's cousin). After a few miles of pavement we had 4 miles of dirt road up Phillips Creek then back to pavement through Turnerville and Thayne then back to Auburn. It was a nice ride with good scenery.

It was a nice, relaxing getaway for the whole family.

Strawberry Narrows

2011-09-11T12:13:00.003-06:00

Back on August 27, Saturday, Jolene and I joined Josh and a small group to ride the Strawberry Narrows trail (Josh rode it 2 years ago). It's a scenic 1.5 hour drive from our house.

Here's Sally at high point of the trail with the narrows in the background.

And most of the gang.

Looking across a bay with riders on the other side.

Lots of trees along the trail.

Even enjoyed some wild raspberries.

At the south end the trees end and it's sagebrush. We turned around here, Poison Ridge.

Back in the trees on the way back.

Riding along the edge of the water at times.

We went out 8 miles and turned around for a 16 mile out-and-back. I liked the flow and variety of the trail. And riding along the edge of a lake is rather unique in Utah. It's high enough that it's considerably cooler - 70 while Orem was 90. If this trail were closer we'd ride it a lot.

On the way back we stopped at Dairy Keen in Heber for lunch, good eats.

Another New Car Stereo

2011-08-22T23:58:00.002-06:00

Another new car stereo. The first one was for the Vibe, this time the van.

Old and busted.

Out with the old.

In with the new.

It's a Jensen HD5313IR CD Receiver ($90) from Crutchfield again. Sure I could save a few bucks at other stores but I like their excellent install guides.

It has HD radio, CD, Aux input, USB (with iPod controls) and SD slot. It sounds good. The controls are taking a little learning. It will be nice to use the Aux In with the DVD player. Jolene and I need to spend some time stuffing a SD card with music to put in this thing for road trips.

The install was pretty easy. I got the $10 wiring kit this time. The crimp connectors made the wiring much faster and were worth the $10, even if the crimp tool was barely adequate.

For $115 total it's a good upgrade.

Payson Canyon Dirt Tour

2011-08-21T21:42:00.002-06:00

Before I get to the ride, Friday evening we went to the Utah County Fair. We looked at animals, crafts, fruits, vegetables, preserves, trains, legos, etc. After eating some fair food we watched the ranch rodeo. No riding bucking animals, just common cowboy skills - mostly roping. Here's my nephew-in-law (on the left) getting ready with is team to rope a cow.

Saturday I got up early to join Jesse, Brandon and Miles on a tour of the Payson Canyon trails. This is home turf for Jesse and Brandon so Miles and I let them guide us around.

It was a good route. We started at the bottom of Beenie Creek then took the road up to Pete Winward, then Sheepherder, then up the gravel Santaquin Canyon road, east on Rock Springs then up Frank Young. Here we split up. Brandon had already taken off to get home. Jesse and Miles dropped down the paved road to meet a couple for another loop. I took Blackhawk.

Still some wildflowers along Sheepherder.

A little stream crossing on Sheepherder.

Miles and Brandon.

Me and Jesse.

I've never done Blackhawk this direction (counterclockwise), I liked it. It was a little unnerving going solo, especially with Jesse and Brandon having seen bears recently. I saw a few other riders. At Blackhawk Campground I ran into the scouts from my neighborhood.

Blackhawk was fun, but my legs didn't have much punch after chasing three fast guys. There were more downed trees and muddy spots than past years but overall the trail was in good shape.

The tasty desert to this delicious meal was Bennie Creek. It was in good shape and a blast. It has to be one of the best downhills in the state - long and flowy with a sprinkling of tech.

Thanks Jesse, Brandon and Miles for a great ride.

Draper Rim (Ann's) Again

2011-08-18T13:50:00.003-06:00

I finally got out for a ride yesterday. I thought about Millcreek or even Park City, but I was too lazy to drive farther. So I settled for Corner Canyon, as if that's really settling. I wanted to get up high where it's cooler, that's all. But Corner Canyon has some shade and the heat wasn't really an issue.

Up lower Corner Canyon, then Canyon Hollow, then Brocks, down Draper Rim (soon to be Ann's) all the way out to Oak Hollow and took the BST back then finished off with Creek View.

Draper Rim is still rough with plenty of roots sticking up but a pretty good line is wearing in. Gotta watch out but it has some flow and I had a good time descending it.

There is a new little sidecut trail to enter the tunnel on the east side.

The trail west of the tunnel has been smoothed and de-rooted. Pretty nice riding all the way to the end.

I stopped to take a phone call and a hummingbird kept buzzing me and peeing near me. I think I was in his turf.

There is an unofficial sign where Draper Rim crosses Maple Hollow DH. It says DH in graffiti script and points down and to the right. I like.

I really liked the long downhill west of the Maple Hollow DH crossing. Rolls nice, can go pretty fast but watch for loose gravely spots.

Patches of deep, loose sand in the culvert.

Why does the up-and-down section of BST along Mike Weir wear me out?

A word to the wise Corner Canyon rider: When you see white dirt, slow down.

If I had Rick's sales skills I would tout Draper Rim like he did for the Maple Hollow DH, which he called Crack Cocaine. It's a great trail but mellower, so maybe it's Mary Jane.

Bonus

Where is this toilet?

Winning Utah Sticker

2011-08-16T22:36:00.006-06:00

The nominees for most popular Utah window sticker are...

And the winner is...

Congratulations RAGNAR, you've jumped the shark.

P.S. - Since I'm such a non-runner, I think this sticker is for me:

30 Switchbacks, Bike Park, Tour Of Utah

2011-08-14T22:19:00.004-06:00

I joined Josh and Nate for a ride in AF Canyon Saturday morning. Tibble Fork Reservoir was misty.

We climbed up Mill Canyon. The bottom has a rough-and-tumble quality. I made so-so attempts up the steep grunts. The stream crossings were usually followed by moon dust which does wonders for chains.

I like climbing the switchbacks to the top. Get into a rhythm and grind it out. We counted the switchbacks on the way up, I was surprised by the total: 30.

Bounced through the rock gardens along the Ridge, but there are plenty of smooth sections. And the view is good.

Descending Tibble put a smile on my face. Just plain fun. Seems to be rougher than I remembered. Is it unclimbable now? I'd like to see it done.

Kade has been bugging me to take him to the skate park so I took him Saturday afternoon. He had fun rolling around. He's not very brave yet but still had fun. I rode his bike around a bit - big man, little bike, had a ball.

After church Jolene and I drove up the Alpine Loop to see the Tour of Utah take that KOM. It's amazingly verdant and cool up there, refreshing. We rang our cowbells for the racers. Still impresses me how fast those guys ride.

It Goes To 11, Times 2

2011-08-10T22:58:00.003-06:00

Today Jolene and I have been married 22 years. It doesn't seem that long. We are still in love and like being together. I'm a lucky man.

We went out for sushi tonight, it's our favorite eat-out choice. We went to Sushi-Ya for the $19 all-you-can-eat deal. We didn't kill their profit margin tonight, yet it was a good deal for us. Still savoring the flavors.

Reunion, Rain, Ride and Random

2011-08-04T23:57:00.004-06:00

There is too much, let me sum up.

We had a big family reunion Monday. My father-in-law and his brothers and sisters and their kids and grandkids. 120 people.

We had breakfast, took some family photos and played some games at a park in Cottonwood Heights.

It started to rain so the action moved under the pavilion.

The next day I took Jolene's nephew-in-law for a mountain bike ride up Big Springs. He's from Wisconsin where the trails are flat and the air thick, he suffered but enjoyed the ride.

Today I got home early enough to go for a mountain bike ride up in the foothills. It had just rained hard and I wondered if there would be mud, but then I remembered the words of Sunderlage the Wise: the UC trails drain like kitty litter. Sure enough the trails were fine and I had a good ride.

On the way back I looked for a Mad Dog bottle. Mad Dog runs a contest on Facebook where they hide water bottles filled with goodies. I finally found one, bottle #9.

Exiting Provo Canyon the sunset was fire and rain.

Still glowing strong when I got home.

Come on, sing it:

Kade caught some stag beetles at the reunion. He's spent hours watching and tending them. We're trying to feed them but I think from the beetles point of view it's a death box. One has succumbed already. A circle of life teaching moment is coming.

That's all for now.

Only Mostly Dead

2011-08-03T22:29:00.003-06:00

I need a magic pill, caffeinated sodas haven't been cutting it. The new job has consumed me lately. There was a big push to make 3200 units by the end of July. I've been putting in 10+ hour days. Saturday was 18.5 hours, then 12 more on Sunday. Can't remember the last time I worked so much. A little breather now but we have to get out another 1600 this month.

Jolene's had some gunk in her lungs for two weeks, maybe pneumonia. She starts coughing when she lays down. We're both sleep deprived and running on fumes. OK, enough whining.

I haven't been on my bike in over a week. Got out yesterday for a short but sweet ride up Big Spring. Took my wife's nephew-in-law. He's from Wisconsin, the altitude was not kind to him but he still had a good time.

Now Jolene and the two middle girls are at girls camp. Kade and I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 tonight. Looking forward to their return Saturday so we can get back to normal (I hope).

New Trail: Ann's

2011-07-19T21:59:00.006-06:00

I rode a new trail in Corner Canyon tonight: Ann's Trail*. I tried to ride it Thursday, but was stopped by the trail dozer cutting the final middle segment. Today I rode the whole thing (with one dab, rats). Ann's is the red segment in this map of my ride:

* Yes, another apostrophized trail name. This one is named in honor of a long-serving Draper trail committee member who is dieing. Thanks, Ann, for your contribution to the Draper trail system.

Interactive map here

The route is good, it's above Clarks. The grade seems a bit easier than Clarks. The tread is rough, soft, loose and loaded with rocks and roots. So many roots I had flashbacks to the punji sticks in 'nam.

Wait, I wasn't in Vietnam.

OK, here's what it looks like in a happy place:

If you like rough trails it's fun, if you don't you may not have fun. You may hate it. You have been warned.

The trail crews will be at it over the Summer and it will settled on it's own so it will get better. Know any Scouts that need an Eagle project? Uh, yeah, I really should do some trail work this year.

It seems every year Corner Canyon gets a new, fantastic trail. They're at it again. I'm amazed and grateful.

Tour de Donut

2011-07-17T21:02:00.003-06:00

Saturday Jolene and I did the Tour de Donut on a tandem we borrowed from Elden. It was a perfect summer morning.

Here we are trying out the tandem.

Yes, we were in donut costumes.

We had company - meet the zombies.

The donuts ready for battle.

On the first lap I ate 6 donuts, Jolene 3. Second lap I ate 4, Jolene 1. Those last donuts didn't go down easy.

More putting around on the cruiser tandem. Fun bike. We wished we had higher gears but it was OK riding mellow and chatting along the way.

Dressing down.

Fun event. The recovery was slow but glad to say I will be able to eat donuts again.

Thursday after work I went exploring in Corner Canyon. Shammy told me about a new trail that was being cut that branches off the new Draper Rim trail on the east side of the tunnel. It's freshly dozer cut and rough. Sadly the dozer was still working so I had to turn around. I'm sure it's all cut now.

I went up Draper Rim then up the DH trail to get to Eagle Crest. The grass is tall. Seemed nice at first, then I felt a sting on my shins. I'm now fully aware why grass leaves are called blades. Like thousands of tiny razors.

I finished off with a run down Rush and poached the new extension. It was soft and loose, not really worth riding but it was cool to see what the trail will be. Looks good.

Saturday evening after the Tour I got out on the foothill trails for a ride. It was eerily quiet for a Saturday. Only encountered a pair of horses and one other bike. With the sun low in the west I had lots of shade. A good, peaceful ride.

Draper Rim

2011-07-10T22:01:00.004-06:00

The new job is keeping me busy but I managed to get in a ride on my way home Friday.

I wanted to start at the equestrian center but there was a rodeo going on so I diverted to the Coyote Hollow trailhead by the temple. I needed to change (which would have been easier at the EQ bathroom) so I did the car door changing room method. I felt uneasy about it with the McMansions looming nearby. As I had my pants down a cyclist rode by and gave a knowing smile, he knew the drill.

I headed west on the BST then peeled off on the Draper Rim trail, which I'd heard was finished. Well finished isn't quite right, but good enough.

The tunnel was fun. It needs some landscaping but it works.

There are some spots of shade.

And some good views.

The bottom third of the trail is pretty nice. Places in the lower section had been worked on very recently. Beyond that it's rougher, as cut by the trail dozer, with lots of roots sticking up.

The trail crosses the Maple Hollow DH trail which I took. The trail is getting pretty beat up - brake bumps, broken off trail edges, ruts, etc. It's still a fun ride, just not as smooth as it used to be. Here's a nice patch of flowers half way down.

After the DH trail I took the Oak Hollow trail up. Draper is putting in a new water tank there so the trail is closed, but I kept going and ended up hiking the bike across a big pile of dirt. Better to take the road up. A bit of bypass trail was added south of the dirt access road to the tanks to get you back on the Oak Hollow trail.

Oak Hollow was a nice climb. The cut has sloughed in a few places but the tread is solid. The trail also crosses the DH trail, in fact it's at the same place as the Draper Rim trail.

I took the Draper Rim trail down. It works OK as a downhill trail, but it's still rough right now. When it gets all cleaned up it will be better. My front tire found a root that twisted the wheel and put the handlbar into my gut as I did a nice endo into the oak brush. I wasn't going too fast and I only got some scrapes. It's been a while since I crashed.

The Draper Rim trail creates some new loop options. My route was fun. Next time I'm going to go up Draper Rim, down Oak Hollow then return on the BST. Another loop I plan to do is, up Draper Rim, up the top of the DH trail, east on Eagle Crest then down Clarks or Canyon Hollow or Ghost Falls.

I didn't see any other people on the trail. With the Corner Canyon trail use growing, Draper Rim provides an escape.

Kudos to the Draper trails crew who keep making more trails. Draper Rim is another jewel in the crown.

Saturday Jolene and I drove up Payson Canyon to ride, but it had rained heavy the night before (didn't rain at our house) and the trail got progressively more muddy. It was the sticky, ball-up-on-the-tires mud. We turned around after 50 yards and went home. Bummer.

Plan B. I rode my road bike up South Fork where Jolene met me with the mountain bikes and we went up Big Springs. It's really nice up there, very green and the trails are in good shape. After the dirt I switched back to the road bike and rode home.

I'll be packing a bike most days in hopes of more after work rides. So many options: Millcreek, Park City, BST, Corner Canyon. Man, I love living here.

Two Good Things

2011-07-04T22:06:00.002-06:00

Two good things have happened recently:

I got a job last week. I'd been unemployed since April and I was starting to get nervous I might be out of work for a long stretch. Then last week I applied for a job on Monday, got a call to interview on Tuesday, interviewed on Wednesday, was hired Thursday and started that day. Happened so fast I think I have whiplash. They've got fires that need to be put out right away so I'll be busy.

Jolene went to the doctor a few weeks ago, and with the bone growth seen on the x-rays she was given the OK to mountain bike. Yeah!

So we rode up in the foothills.

And Corner Canyon today.

Notice something in common in those photos? Big smiles, that's what.

In other news:

Last month we attended a picnic in Provo (in a park along the river) sponsored by Mad Dog. Younger cyclists mostly. Seems they're infusing some Portland-like bike culture into the area.

We got tattoos.

Even Kade got one.

Kade and I did some jousting.

Then we rode up the pathway along the river and back. Good family times.

Last week we drove up the Alpine Loop and went for a hike. The mountains are spectacular.

So other than I'll be swamped at work and probably working long hours that will cut into my cycling, things are good for us and we're grateful.

Park City Overdose

2011-06-27T22:36:00.005-06:00

I hadn't been on dirt in over a week and I needed a fix bad. So after doing some work in the morning I loaded up the bike and head to a place I knew I could score: Park City.

I started with Spin Cycle from the Jordanelle side. After a short pedal up the paved road I peeled off onto some luscious single-track in the trees. Ahhh.

I took the turn onto Pipeline then changed my mind thinking it would be nice to ride a little more. I got more than a little. I went up Village then turned onto Lower Gap - ha, there was nothing "lower" about it, up and up it went. Then I went down to Gap Bypass and up Deer Crest so I could get back on Pipeline. Brilliant. It was actually pretty fun riding, just more than I bargained for.

Pipeline took me to Outlook (more climbing) which dumped me onto a service road. I was happy to see yellow arrows spray painted on the road and a few markers to help me find Spin Cycle.

The top of Spin Cycle had some tight, steep, loose switchbacks. Then some cruising through trees. Then the bottom was banking side to side down a gully, which was fun. Some of the bottoms were sharp and near wheel traps - looks like some water flowed there.

Next I drove to Trailside Park for some play time. I pedaled up the access trail and played on the stunts - some skinnies and a teeter totter.

Then I warmed up on the downhill pump/flow track. It was a blast. Hard-packed dirt, bermed turns, round humps to pump on and a few short tabletops. Very good flow and fun to pump.

The newest addition to the park is a bigger, intermediate flow course. It opened a week ago. After a drop off a skinny it snakes down the hill with big bermed switchbacks and mostly tabletops with a few whoops. A big wood slat wall makes a 180 degree turn - I got half way up it at best. There is also a wood step up - I didn't see it on the first run until it was right in front of me, good thing or I may have balked, it rolled easier than I expected. I could only hit the first of the two wood slat walls at the bottom. I am no freeride air rider but I still had fun stumbling my way down this course. I got a bit faster on each of my 4 (or was it 5?) runs.

Sorry, no photos, I was having so much fun I forgot about the camera. If you want to see how it should be ridden, watch this video (with old school rap soundtrack).

The last ride was Lost Prospector. I started at Solamere which took me to the east side Lost Prospector. Nice views.

Then across Skid Row (with an unintended out and back on Fox Tail, oops).

And around to Gamble Oak.

With a nice downhill run on Solamere Connector back to the car.

It was all good riding on some trails I've been meaning to ride for years. I got my fix. I hope my legs can move tomorrow.

First Alpine Loop Of 2011

2011-06-27T08:49:00.003-06:00

I tried to get to the Alpine Loop before the gates opened, but didn't make it. So I went for the Saturday after they opened. You guessed it, lots of cars. But lots is relative and I still had a good ride.

Just a few blocks away from my home I spotted another cyclist who had just turned onto 1200 North. He asked where I was headed, I told him the Alpine Loop and he joined me for the ride. Thanks for the company, Todd.

We went up the Provo Canyon side. I was off the bike most of last week, but surprisingly I rode pretty good.

With the wet Spring it's super green. And with way-above-normal snow pack and the Summer temperatures finally coming on, there was water running everywhere (the American Fork River is raging).

Views like this make the ride so much sweeter.

Saw several cyclists along the way.

Ahhhh.

And how about some video?

It was strange too look around and recognize places I skied just back at the end of April. Now the undergrowth is so thick it would be a hassle to hike, but back then with the snow I could go anywhere.

Not much more to say than it was a fantastic ride.

Man Camp 2011

2011-06-19T15:25:00.003-06:00

With the girls in St. George to watch The Little Mermaid at Tuacahn it was time for Man Camp (a registered trademark of Josh McCarrel).

Tuesday we loaded our packs and headed up Dry Canyon around 7 pm.

The shade in the canyon was welcome for the hike up.

We arrived at the meadow around 8, setup the tent and started a fire to cook dinner. Everything tastes better cooked over a fire, even the lowly death tubes (hot dogs). Kade roasted a Cheeto and had me taste it - it was awful, like scorched styrofoam. Some scouts down at the first fire pit gave us some smores supplies as they were heading out, very kind.

Note: Those giant campfire size marshmallows do not work for smores. They're so big it's nearly impossible to get the center gooey without burning the outside. Stick with the normal size.

At dark we walked to the edge to look at the city lights.

As we settled into the sleeping bags some animal crashed through the brush, it was probably just a deer but it didn't help Kade get to sleep. I didn't get much sleep either. But it was a perfect Summer night - chilly but not cold, clear sky, just the faintest breeze.

In the morning we started the fire briefly to warm up. We went for a little hike around the area. Then returned and packed up.

The hike down was quick. A few mountain bikers went by, getting in a ride before work.

We finished off the day with a 3D movie (Rio) and miniature golfing at Trafalga.

Thursday was spent at the Lindon pool.

We had a good Man Camp and I enjoyed spending time with my son. He's a great kid and I like being reminded how simple and joyful life is as a young boy.

Bike, Canyon, Bike, Bike

2011-06-13T22:58:00.004-06:00

Got away with Mark and Alex for a packed 1.5 day trip.

Thursday afternoon we drove down to Price and did the same loop as I did at the Price Trailfest (May 10th) minus YooHoo. I enjoyed the ride more this time. The Price trails aren't the greatest, but the decent single-track with a unique flavor.

After the ride we drove down to Green River then south of town to camp by the San Rafael River, which was flowing at 500 cfs (normal for this time of year is 200 cfs).

In the morning we rappelled into Three Canyon and hiked down to the Green River (or as close as we could get without having to swim the last 100 flooded yards).

The rappel in added some fun.

Red walls.

Sporadic springs make a for a surprisingly green canyon.

Even a few pools.

The exit climb out was a little spicy. Good thing we fixed a hand line for the 10 foot crux. I would have climbed it with a spot, but nicer to have the line.

Pretty deep canyon.

We had dropped our bikes at the exit and rode them back along the slickrock rim of Three Canyon. It was fun at first with a fairly wide rim of slickrock, but as it narrowed the navigation got trickier. A short push up a wash put us on the dirt road and back to the car.

After some rehydration (it was more than a little warm), Alex took us to a cool slickrock playground. We were like kids zooming around the bowls and domes.

A burger at Rays capped off the trip.

Spot-A-Potty

2011-06-05T22:10:00.002-06:00

With the freeway under construction in Utah County, my kids invented a new game: Spot-A-Potty. Count the porta potties as we drive. On a drive from Orem to Spanish Fork they counted 35. I'm looking forward to 2012 when we can go back to the old standby alphabet game.

Jolene and I went over to Alpine to catch the tail end of Elden's 100 Miles of Nowhere. We went up the south side of Suncrest for Jolene's first real road bike climb. She did OK on the climb but didn't like the descent.

After Suncrest we wandered around Alpine a little. Back on High Bench Drive we ran into Karl V. and chatted for a bit.

Back at the park in Alpine we ate some food and enjoyed talking with everyone there.

It feels like Summer is finally here.

Let Me Sum Up

2011-06-02T22:31:00.002-06:00

A bit of a blogging drought. You'd think I'd have plenty of time to blog while unemployed. Ironically the job made it easier, I had a routine and nothing much to worry about after leaving work for the day.

So here's the recap:

My oldest daughter turned 20 this week. I'm still reeling from this mind-blower. How is possible for me to be this old? I can't complain, she's a good person, in spite of her father. She finished her Associates degree, is working this Summer, and hopes to get into ultrasound school next year.

Saturday, May 21st, I did the Salt Lake Century. I like the route and it's kind of a tradition, a get-together ride with my cycling buddies from Linux Networx, even though none of them could make it this year. But I did happen to see Bruce (he's ridden with our group several times over the years) at packet pickup so we rode together. We had a great time chatting, enjoying the sunshine, warm air and the most rare cycling miracle of all - a tail wind out AND back.

(Note to self: Never do that pose again.)

The next Saturday I rode up in the foothills. I had some new route ideas and was excited to try them out. I went up the GWT past The Altar to see the avalanche I'd heard about. I found it about 150 yards past the 051 trail fork. It was still over 2 feet deep and right over the trail. I'd never been up GWT past 051 so it was fun to explore. When the snow melts I'll try going higher.

On the way down I turned onto 051 (Area 51 to many locals). It was all dry and in pretty good shape. I made the tight switchback in the gully and all three climbs, so that made me feel good.

I took 051 over to the west face to see if the Arrowleaf Blasamroot (thanks to Alex' blog for the ID) was still in bloom. I think the bloom is even better than a when I rode by a little over a week ago. Better get up there soon to see them, they don't last long once the heat comes.

I was tempted to go down Dry Canyon, it's so much fun. But I wanted to try something different. So I turned around and went down Crank, not a bad downhill ride at all. Then I took Rollercoaster which always has tall grass, but this year it's nuts and will only get taller.

Then I took the little ridge trail over to Ireland and down, because I like the two jumps on Ireland.

I could have taken the road back down, but it's been a long while since I rode Cliff so I took it down and finished off going down the Race Course. I had to take the paved trail back, but it was worth it to get some more single-track.

Nothing on this ride was big news, but simply seeing a little new trail, going the opposite direction and adding on a little more single-track made this a good ride that reminded me why I love mountain biking.

Now I'm down with a cold while the weather has cleared up. It's killing me.

Dry Canyon Hike

2011-05-14T21:47:00.003-06:00

Friday evening I took Kade hiking up Dry Canyon. It was fun to spend time with my boy. I also wanted to see how he'd do hiking and check out a camping spot.

Typical boy mosey along.

The hike was a little over a mile and he did fine.

At the meadow we found this cool hut. (Actually I'd seen it a few years ago since the 051 trail passes by 30 yards away.)

Kade with the requisite walking stick / weapon. Nice and green, it's like a lawn. Snowy Timp makes a nice backdrop.

I wanted to get down before dark, Kade didn't have the same sense of urgency.

He's a little nervous about camping but we're going to try it out next Friday.

Android Sunrise / Sunset Apps

On the hike up I watched the sinking sun and wondered how much daylight we had to complete the hike. I thought for sure I had this info somewhere on my Android phone, but I couldn't find it. So when I got home I installed these two apps:

Sundroid - Clean and simple, just what I needed.

Daytime Widget - Dawn, sunrise, sunset and dusk at a glance. And a big countdown to/from the closest event. I liked it so much I put it on my home screen.

Cross Back Country Ski

2011-04-30T20:53:00.005-06:00

I didn't believe the forecast. Snow? It's the last day of April, tomorrow it will be May. But there it was, two inches of snow on my lawn.

So what to do. It's Spring in my head which means cycling. I would have mountain biked up in the foothills, even with the snow, but my cycling gear was in my car which my daughter took to work.

Plan B: go ski.

I was concerned there wouldn't be enough snow cover at Aspen Grove but was relieved to see plenty.

It snowed on and off as I went up.

I peeled off the road and followed some BC skier tracks which led to a gully. The snow was really sticky, like cotton candy. So sticky I was able to go right up the fairly steep skin track with my waxless touring skis with only a few slips.

As I crested the ridge I had this fantastic view of Elk Point.

I'll pause here to note that on the way up the gully I realized I was heading into the backcountry. I thought I'd just go up a little ways and then traverse my way down. But the climbing was so good, and others had been up this same route, and it didn't look like an avalanche prone area, and hadn't I heard that snow is stable in Spring? And isn't this the chain of rationalizations that gets people into trouble?

So what did I do? Kept going up the ridge.

There is some method to my madness. I could see two skiers up on the ridge. I stopped and asked about the snow conditions and avalanche risk. The experienced guy assured me the snow was safe and pointed me to a good way down.

I went up the ridge a bit further and then started my zig zag traverse down the drainage I had come up.

Although it would have been more fun to make turns, I had fun zipping back and forth across the slope. (If you click on the photo below to get the larger version you'll see my zigzag route.) I tried a few telemark turns but crashed every time.

It didn't take long to get back down to the road. This photo is near the end. Notice the dirt bank and the taller-looking Elk Point.

May not have been the smartest thing to do, but I sure had fun on this last ski day of 2010-2011. Maybe it will snow again, but I put the skis away.

I gained 1800 feet on the climb.

Electronic Cigarettes, Really?

2011-04-27T22:16:00.003-06:00

Watching TV with the kids, you know, quality family time - and a commercial comes on for EZsmoker.

It's an electronic cigarette with a battery that vaporizes liquid from a cartridge to make smoke.

So many questions.

- There is no nicotine, so is the act of smoking that enjoyable?
(You can buy refills with nicotine, which I imagine most customers do.)

- You can smoke indoors now, but won't you still get dirty looks?
(I don't think touching it to your hand is going to convince people.)

- It has a red light on the end to make it look more realistic, really?

- Is it for smokers who want to quit or for people who want to smoke but are turned off by the health risks of tobacco?

- It's not really smoke but a liquid vapor of water and glycerine, not sure how I feel about breathing that into my lungs. Oh, menthol flavor is available.

It seems most eCigarettes are advertised for quitting smoking, which I can see being effective - getting some of the sensation of smoking without so many chemicals and social stigma and better control over the nicotine dose.

But EZsmoker doesn't take the quit smoking angle in their ads, they focus on using the product to smoke with less health risks and not having to go outside to smoke. I have a hard time believing this angle appeals to many people.

However ... EZsmoker would allow me to try smoking without the risk of getting hooked (I'd get the no nicotine refills). I'd be like Humphrey Bogart, right?

RAWROD Not

2011-04-24T19:37:00.003-06:00

RAWROD (Ride Around White Rim One Day) was yesterday. It would have been my 4th in a row.

I'd been mental off and on for RAWROD for the last two weeks. I finally decided a long dose of sunshine and riding would be good for me.

I got away before noon on Friday and I arrived around 2 pm. With time on my hands I rode the Brand trails - EZ, Deadman's Ridge, Bar B, Rockin A, Circle O, then the new lower part of Deadman's. Bar B and Deadman's Ridge were my favorites.

Somewhere on Circle O.

The new lower part of Deadman's Ridge. The tread was very soft.

Then I headed to RAWROD camp.

The Fast Friday group reported lots of sand. Hmm.

The brats were as delicious as ever (thank you, Elden and Kenny).

The wind blew all night. I awoke at 3 am and got no more sleep.

Saturday morning was cold and overcast. After only a few miles up Horsethief road I couldn't feel my fingers or toes. Then it started spitting rain. By the time I hit the paved road I was thinking about bailing but went on. About half way to the Shaffer turnoff I saw Elden, Lisa and Blake coming my way. I immediately made a U-turn and joined them.

The weather was the main decider - I've done RAWROD in bad weather (2009) and wasn't in the mood for it this time. Also my legs had no punch. In short, I just wasn't feeling it.

I loaded up the car and decided to check out Canyonlands, since it was free this week.

On the drive in the car hit 100,000 miles. Also notice the temperature.

Grand View Point did not disappoint. I even spotted RAWRODers and the support vehicles.

Island In The Sky is a nice park, some good views, but not as interesting as Arches and other parks so I didn't stay long.

I stopped for a ride at Klondike Bluffs. By now the weather had improved to mostly cloudy and warmer. I went up Klondike Bluffs then peeled off onto Baby Steps where I rode a section I hadn't done before. More signs and markers have been added so finding and staying on Baby Steps is much easier now. The new section was fun to ride so I'm glad I found it.

More rain on the drive home, even snow at Soldier Summit.

Not what I had planned when I left home, but I enjoyed how plan B worked out.

Sunglasses No-No

2011-04-20T18:00:00.002-06:00

To all manufacturers of sunglasses, don't do this:

You see it, right? The etched name, logo, whatever on the lens.

Don't do that!

I see that stupid etching in my peripheral vision and it bugs me. The lens is for me to see through, got it? Put your branding someplace else, the frame is fine.

Perhaps this lame branding can be expected from Pugs, the king of gas station glasses. But Tifosi? Come on. You want respect? To be a quality mid-level product? Well don't do cheesy crap like etch stuff on the lens.

You're welcome.

Picasa Four Image Upload Limit Gone

2011-04-19T22:42:00.003-06:00

It's about time!

I use Google's free Picasa to import photos from our cameras, organize them, clean them up, and upload to this blog and Facebook.

The BlogThis! button in Picasa had a limit of 4 images it would upload at a time. Now the Google folks have removed this limit. They also fixed a localhost bug. My life just got a little easier.

St. George Spring Break

2011-04-18T13:15:00.004-06:00

I was going to title this post "Escape to St. George", but I'd used it already. I guess it's a theme.

Thursday morning we left gloomy, 39 degree Orem and arrived at Snow Canyon to play in shorts and t-shirts.

We scrambled around on the slickrock for a while.

Then biked down the paved trail.

The kids played at the sand dunes, while Jolene and I went for a bike ride up the west fork. Shh, don't tell her doctor.

Friday morning I left our hotel on St. George Boulevard and rode the Pioneer Rim trail. I didn't find the east end but got on it after a while. I took a non-standard way down to Red Hills Parkway, checked the map, found the trail head and started out City Creek trail, where I snapped this flower photo.

I took the alternate trail to the south up the stair-stepped rock then down and explored Owen's trail, which has some good technical stuff. I continued on City Creek which has sections of old double-track and some good single-track. Then took the paved trail along Bluff Street and city streets back to the hotel.

After late breakfast we saw a few historical sites: Brigham Young's summer home and the Tabernacle. These old buildings are impressive but the tours were too long.

The park by the Tabernacle has a wading area and a fountain the kids can play in. We decided to stay dry.

After lunch we drove out to Gunlock Reservoir just as something to do. We've been to St. George many times over the years and we're getting thin on new things to do. When I did the Cactus Hugger Century a few years ago I liked this area so we went to check it out. The water exiting Gunlock flows over orange sandstone in some nice falls. If I'd had my swimsuit I would have taken a dip in the pools.

We drove up to Veyo and had treats at Veyo Pies - I shared a slice of banana creme pie with Rachel.

That evening we went to the park and had a nice picnic. The temperature was perfect. The kids played while we talked.

Thanks to the magic of Facebook I learned that Mad Dog Keith was also in St. George so we got together for a ride Saturday morning. Keith was kind enough to show me a nice loop ride that he'd done most of the day before. We went out on Barrel (Cacti) Trail a ways then dropped off the rim and down to Stucki Springs then took a connector trail that connected us back to Stucki close to the Rim trails which we rode to the top where I took this photo.

Kieth and I rode back to Green Valley via the wash trail on the north side of the bluff.

We took the kids up to Pioneer Park, always a favorite, and squeezed up the crack and wandered around on the rocks a little while then ate lunch.

In the afternoon we did a family ride with Jolene's brother's family along the Virigin River. We all had fun cruising the paved trail watching people float by in canoes, kayaks and inflatables.

The kids crammed into the hot tub.

That evening the adults went out to eat while the kids watched movies at home.

Sunday morning we packed up and headed out. We stopped at Cover Fort. We've driven past it so many times, this time we stopped. We just wanted to look around but couldn't' without a tour guide, really? We got bored and said we had to get going.

Overall it was a good trip. The sunshine and warm weather were just what we needed.

Unemployed

2011-04-12T11:48:00.001-06:00

Being unemployed has distracted me from blogging. March 31st was my last day at work.

Interesting job market right now. There are job openings but employers are slow to hire and there are many candidates vying for each job. I've had some interviews. Some recent prospects look promising. I believe I'll find a new job I like, but it may take a while.

I've also been working on some projects. So I've been keeping busy.

Oh, and I've been playing just a little.

On April 3 after the snow storm Kara, Kade an I built a snow arch. We were going for Delicate Arch, I think we did OK.

On April 1st I went with Jolene for her first bike ride after breaking her leg last Fall. Just a 13 mile road ride around town. She did OK on the bike. The bumps made her broken leg feel weird.

Then on the 5th we went up South Fork (of Provo Canyon) for a 26 mile ride. There is slide across the paved trail (maybe it's gone now).

On Friday the 8th I skied with Mark and his brother Paul at Brighton with over a foot of fresh powder. It was glorious. May have been the best ski day of the year for me.

The next day, with more new snow, I did a short cross country ski with Tall Steve. It was fantastic.

I got a mountain bike ride or two in there somewhere.

It's kind of nice to be able to do stuff when the mood / opportunity strikes.

I proclaim this the Spring of Kris.

Lucky Kade

2011-03-27T23:58:00.004-06:00

My good wife gave us a theme for St. Patrick's Day: We Are Lucky.She gave us all paper cut-out clovers to write things we're thankful for. She wasn't thrilled with one of Kade's entries:

for being able to make farting noises and farting

In typical insensitive, immature male fashion I found it hilarious.

Bluejohn Canyon Hike

2011-03-21T15:15:00.001-06:00

Tuesday Alex and I headed south to hike Bluejohn Canyon. We arrived after dark, setup camp off the road a little ways and got to sleep around 11pm.

In the morning we loaded our packs and headed for the west fork (see the map).

(The above map is from Slot Canyons of the American Southwest.)

The west fork had one downclimb and some interesting rock and semi-narrows.

At the junction we continued down to the short slot section before the big drop into Horseshoe Canyon. (This is where Aron Ralston had to cut off his arm that was pinned by a boulder, the inspiration for the film 127 Hours.)

The slot dropped quickly and featured sculpted walls and one section that was quite dark.

At the drop off we turned around and went back up the slot. It was a little more work and had one climb out the top.

We hiked back up Bluejohn and up the east fork. It was quite a while until it narrowed. We walked up the slot about a quarter mile then came to water and turned around. We also explored a ways up a side slot.

Finally we went up the main fork. It has some nice narrows.

The final obstacle is a 90 foot climb. It was more work and more difficult than I remembered, but we made it up OK.

After completing the climb we walked a little farther up the drainage then headed overland back to the car (thank you GPS).

It was overcast and warm so the weather worked out. Grayish clouds went by, but they didn't hold significant rain. On the way home we had some slow driving in a full-on blizzard going over Soldier Summit and down Spanish Fork Canyon.

In early 2000 I was big into canyoneering. It felt good to be back in a canyon again. My thanks to Alex for driving and putting up with my inaccurate recollection about the upclimb.

Knot Warmers

2011-03-18T16:32:00.002-06:00

Cycling gear tip:

To keep arm and leg warmers together, tie them in a knot.

The knot also makes them easier to find when groping around in my bag of cycling clothes.

To put one arm warmer inside the other when taking them off, hold the first one you take off in the other hand and pull the second arm warmer off and over it.

Yeah, simple little tips, but might be useful to someone.

Animals And Us

2011-03-11T11:14:00.003-07:00

Driving around Saturday I listened to an episode of To The Best Of Our Knowledge about our illogical, emotional and often conflicting relationship with animals.

During the interview with psychologist Hal Herzog, author of "Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat...", he notes that in a fairly large study over 60% of those who identified themselves as vegetarians had eaten meat in the last 24 hours. Huh? I guess that makes me a vegetarian. I wonder what Scott thinks about this. (Go to 6:20 in the program.)

As part of the program they talked about one of the first commercially cloned dogs. It was interesting, then I perked up when I heard them talk about how a woman who had her dog cloned had tracked down and seduced an LDS missionary she was infatuated with when she was younger - didn't see that coming (At 20:20).

The program was interesting and I think I'll add it to my podcast list.

Jamie's First Ski

2011-03-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

Oops, I've had the draft of this post since mid-February. Better late than never, I guess.

Back on February 9th I took my oldest daughter (19), Jamie, skiing for her first time.

We went to Alta because they have free 2-3 bunny slopes. It worked very well for teaching skiing. Thanks, Alta.

She didn't have any trouble standing and scooting around in skis so we went right to the towrope to try her first slope. She did fine on the towrope, which can be tricky for beginners.

I had talked her through the principles of snowplowing and she went down the slope very well. Then I added turning, and she picked that up quickly too. Pretty soon she was going pretty fast down the slope.

So we went to the next bunny slope that was a little longer. She did good there too. I was impressed how fast she picked it up. So I told her about parallel skiing. She had some trouble here and kept losing her balance, but I'm sure it would just take some time for her to get the feel of it.

At 3pm we joined the line for the Sunnyside lift for free skiing. (Alta opens this lift for free skiing everyday at 3pm.) She did fine getting on and off the chairlift.

She got going a bit too fast on some of the steeper slopes (that's why I gave her my helmet to wear) but overall she did fine.

She's so busy with school and work that it was fun to do this with her. I'm sure if she went one or two more times she'd have the basics of parallel skiing down and able to ski on her own.

Days Draw To Remember

2011-02-28T22:20:00.007-07:00

I held out a long time, but the temptation (in the form of years of blog posts, photos and videos) was too much. Today I lost my back country skiing virginity.

dug's last ski post was the last straw and he graciously offered to take me up and let me use his gear. The location was Days Draw in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

I took my best stab at clothing but overdressed and it was warmer than I expected. Didn't take long up the skin track before I was sweating. And that was the flat part. When we hit the steep part of the climb I had sweat running down my face.

I was surprised how much work it is to climb in big boy skis. My heart rate was way up, breathing heavy. My quads seemed to be OK, but the hip flexors were complaining from sliding the skis up. dug summed it up: you're climbing a mountain.

dug showed me the kick turn. The idea is simple, my execution needs some work. I think I was getting better toward the end.

Seeing my labored progress, dug offered me three choices to start down. I went one more traverse past the first option. The view was grand.

dug talked me through taking off the skins and getting set to ski down. It felt weird to go from grippy to slippery skis.

Off the ridge was pretty steep. I get tentative on the steeps. I survival skied my way down, tipping over a few times. dug, on the other hand, made effortless turns. The snow was deep and amazingly fluffy.

(these photos are from dug, thanks man.)

The next pitch was less steep and more open. I did OK here and loved the feel of skiing such soft powder. And here's where I found my quads had not escaped the climb unscathed. I would go few hundred feet and have to stop to catch my breath and let the legs rest. The powder may be light but it still takes work to ski.

After three or four stops I was back down to the skin track. It's like skiing down a ditch. I did OK but stopped a few more times to rest the legs. Most of it was easy going, a few ups and a few spots negotiating terrain.

The boots fit pretty good but they squeezed the sides of my feet a bit. I was glad to take them off, that's a good feeling.

My sincere thanks to dug for supplying the gear and showing me the ropes. He had to wait for me many times and I appreciate his patience.

I can see why people love skiing the back country. It's all wide open, so many places to ski, and the snow quality is exceptional. And the mountains are gorgeous in Winter. But it comes with a price, a high one - it's no little jaunt. Those turns are truly earned, I realize that now. My hat's off to all of you back country skiers, you work hard for that snow.

What now? I'm not sure. I'm confident my fitness and skiing would improve if I BC skied with some regularity. As a side effect, I now more appreciate the convenience of the resorts. But you don't get powder like I experienced today at the resorts, only rarely. I'll probably keep my eyes out for good deals and used gear and put together an alpine touring setup. I'll also take an avalanche safety class - that's good info regardless. That's what I'm thinking right now.

Bicycle Bills

2011-02-24T23:29:00.003-07:00

There are a few bills being considered by the Utah legislature that affect cyclists.

First, House Bill 155 would allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yields - if the way is clear just roll through. Sounds good to me. Idaho has this law and accidents haven't increased.

(photo came from here)

Second, some cyclists are up in arms about House Bill 114 which would do away with Daylight Saving Time (DST). The concern is we'll lose that extra evening hour of daylight in the Summer. Rubbish. When the DST date comes we'll all go to work an hour earlier instead of changing the clocks. I've already outlined my dislike of DST so I'll say no more.

I sent e-mails to my representatives giving my opinions on these and a few other bills. I even received a reply from my senator (I was surprised he reads his own e-mail, I assumed he had a staffer for that). You can find contact info for your House and Senate representatives.

I found it interesting that Utah legislature website has won awards. It's a bit spartan but it's easy to find bills, read them and see the current status. Anything that makes our political process more accessible is a good thing in my book.

More Violent Art

2011-02-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

The artist known as K.A.D.E. is prolific. Here are more of his creations.

Can you spot which cupcake was decorated by Kade?

It's the dead bug bottom right with it's eyes and spots X'ed out.

Then the renaissance boy turned to poetry.

The cute border notwithstanding, here's what Kade wrote:

One, two Cindy Loo

Three, four kick the boar

Five, six eat my Twix

Seven, eight gain more weight

Nine, ten kill Ben

And like people finding masterpiece paintings on the back of amateur works, we find these on the back of Kade's homework:

Death, destruction, violence, bombs, swords - we've got nothing to worry about, right?

Violent Art

2011-02-18T09:47:00.003-07:00

I think we've established that our boy Kade isn't an academic overachiever. Perhaps his talents lie in other pursuits. How about art?

Jolene found this in his backpack:

Note the blood-dripping K and the exploding, on fire D.

Should we be worried?

Antelope Island Ride

2011-02-17T09:00:00.001-07:00

Tuesday I took the day off work to mountain bike at Antelope Island with Rick. Price was our first choice but they don't have enough dry trails right now to fill a day.

The day would be a wildlife bonanza, and it started right where the causeway joins the island with two Bald Eagles.

We took the Eastside trail which follows the eastern shore and ends at the old ranch house 13 miles away. It's a nice trail with only a few wet spots. Nothing technical but it was good to get in a rhythm and roll. It was a beautiful sunny day in the mid 50s.

At the ranch house the ranger told us two Great Horned Owls were roosting in a Cottonwood just 30 yards away so we checked them out.

We got a permit to go up over the saddle west of the ranch house. Lots of goatheads south of the ranch house so were warned to stay on the one of the double-tracks to avoid punctures. It was a good climb, steep in spots. Here's Rick reaching the top.

Really nice views all around of the Great Salt Lake, Wasatch Range, the Oquirrh Mountains, etc. This photo is looking northeast.

I spotted a trail marker and it turned out to be a nice little single-track that went south along a shoulder. Even had a bit of technical stuff. It ended at a dirt road we could have used to go back down, but we decided to return on the trail since it's more fun.

On our way back we spotted a Coyote and a small herd of Antelope. But the best surprise was these two buffalo right near the trail. They were laying down and when I was a ways out they looked like rocks. I whistled and they still didn't move so I assumed they were rocks. But when I got about 30 feet away they spooked and stood up and I hit the brakes. The buffalo stayed by the trail so we skirted around them. They are huge and look the size of a car up close.

It was a very enjoyable 32 mile ride. Antelope Island is only 20-30 miles from the urban Wasatch Front and yet it felt really serene and isolated out there. An excellent Winter getaway ride that's close by.

Watson Is Jeopardy

2011-02-16T13:48:00.004-07:00

The game show Jeopardy is doing a special three-show series pitting the top two champions against a Watson, a computer developed by IBM. The first two shows were Monday and Tuesday, the last will be tonight.

Last week I watched a NOVA documentary about how the research team at IBM developed Watson. The hardest part was not the answers, but programming a computer to understand the answers. The team worked for over 3 years. Watson failed an earlier audition for Jeopardy but finally got good enough to compete.

I didn't think much of watching this contest, seemed like a novelty - man vs machine. But as Watson continually plowed through the board answering question after question correctly, it got a little spooky. Computers aren't supposed to be able to do this, but there it was for all to see.

I didn't get a sense that Watson is an artificial intelligence. While playing Jeopardy requires certain skills, it's a niche and nothing like the breadth of experiences human being deal with every day. Still, it was eerie watching Watson answer even fairly convoluted questions and come up with the correct answer most of the time.

That said, Watson has a huge advantage because he gets the entire text of the question (yes, it's technically the answer in the Jeopardy format) when it is revealed and a machine can easily time the button press more accurately than a human with reaction delays. The human players (Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter) were able to beat Watson to the buzzer only a few times. Getting first crack at almost every question is a huge advantage that Watson exploited.

Also, the questions seemed a little easy. They were typical for Jeopardy, but I expected tougher questions given Watson is playing two Jeopardy champions. The questions seemed to have plenty of clues and very few of them involved puns or other linguistic quirks that Watson may have had a hard time with.

Still, Watson's performance was impressive.

The IBM research team has already targeted medical research as a field where Watson's technology could help doctors pull the information they need from the vast pool of medical research.

I can't yet shake that creepy feeling I had. Probably because I've read too many SciFi books and watched too many movies where the machines become intelligent and bad things happen. This image is funny (or is it prophetic?):

I found the image here.

Ski, Ski, Bike

2011-02-13T21:29:00.002-07:00

Tuesday I took the day off work to ski Sundance. I couldn't pass up the $20 Facebook lift pass deal with a fresh snow kicker. I went solo, seems everyone had stuff to do.

I was on the second chair and went straight to Bishops Bowl. Made a run where I only crosses other tracks once or twice. Only 4" of fresh powder but it was just enough to get that powder feel. I don't get many powder days so I was grinning from ear to ear.

Here's Bishops as I came up for my forth run.

It's mine, all mine! I made that track to the right on my previous run.

Sundance wasn't crowded so I just kept lapping Bishops. I made 2-3 runs elsewhere.

Several times I'd get into that cool powder turns rhythm where your turn slides the snow then it builds up and suddenly goes solid causing you to bounce into the next turn. Love that feeling.

About 3 pm my legs were turning to jelly and I was getting sloppy so I called it good and went home. Man, that was a good ski day.

Saturday Steve and went up to Aspen Grove to cross country ski up the Alpine Loop road. Neither of us had skied this side before. It's a bit more windy but still fun and the snow conditions were excellent.

Snack break at the summit.

Near Aspen Grove the peaks seem to jump up they're so close.

Steve coming down the road.

Steve and I have been having fun trying new routes this year. We've got a few more ideas we hope to get to if the snow holds out.

After the skiing I puttered around the house until I went out side and was surprised by how warm it was. I couldn't resist and hopped on the road bike for little ride down to Provo and back. I was so happy to be back on the bike I was out of the saddle romping on the pedals. Then I got into a long-ish climb in Provo and faded bad. But it sure felt good to be on the bike.

It was a good week.

Winter Shock Repair

2011-02-03T20:37:00.003-07:00

There's always something on the bikes that needs to be fixed or maintained. But below freezing temperatures repel me from the garage. However, if I can do the repair inside then it's not so bad.

My shock has been leaking air (it lost 50 psi during the St. George trip) so I swung by Bike Peddler and bought a seal kit (and scored a few tips from Parish). The shock came off the bike pretty quick and the rest was comfortable indoor work at the kitchen table.

The Fox instructions were pretty good and the guide on ih8bikes had a few useful tips. The seals inside the air sleeve were tricky to get out and even worse to get in (thankfully I'd bought some dental picks on one of my trips to Harbor Freight). Overall it was a pretty easy job.

When I put the air sleeve back on it was noticeably more air-tight so I hope this solves the pressure loss problem.

Seinfeld Trailers

2011-01-31T13:41:00.004-07:00

I like Seinfeld. I also like Modern Family, 30 Rock, The Office, etc. But Seinfeld has a special place in my heart, and brain (I am unapologetic about the memory space occupied by Seinfeld quotes).

A coworker directed me to these fake movie trailers made from Seinfeld scenes - they are excellent. I'm impressed by the editing work and music selection for dramatic effect. Enjoy:

Overachiever

2011-01-25T22:10:00.003-07:00

I think you know this character.

His teacher asked all the students to write a paper about school - favorite subject, least favorite subject, what you're good at, etc. Here's what Kade wrote:

Allow me to translate:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I don't like school. It is boring. I like reading. I don't like math. I want to improve in nothing. I'm good at reading.

Love,

Kade

Here's hoping he's a gifted athlete.

Crutch Free

2011-01-23T21:41:00.005-07:00

Wednesday the doctor told Jolene she could ditch the crutches and start walking on the leg she broke 16 weeks ago. She was very careful at first, but now she's getting around pretty good. It still gets sore and swollen but it's way better than crutches.

Very good to see her on her feet again. Time to setup the trainer.

Yearbooks

2011-01-20T22:04:00.001-07:00

I'm going to share a secret about myself. I have a rare condition that causes me to age very slowly. I'm actually 146 years old. Don't believe me? Have a look at a few of my many yearbook photos.

1950

1952

1968

1978

1984

1986

1988

1990

1996

Please vote for your favorite year in the comments.

I spent a few hours playing with Yearbook Yourself with the kids laughing at the results. The top one (1950) makes me look like my grandfather who always wore a crew cut and horn-rimmed glasses. The bottom picture (1996) freaked out my wife, it came out eerily good.

This is what the internet is for.

Escape To St. George

2011-01-19T22:39:00.005-07:00

It's been cold and altogether too wintry here along The Front. But it has also been cold and wet down south. No escape.

Then this week St. George dried out and so escape plans were made. Alex and Rick had extra motivation: new bikes. 29ers. Alex a Santa Cruz Tallboy and Rick a Specialized Epic.

We escaped Monday evening, stayed in a cheap hotel in St. George and were riding dirt in the morning.

First up: Precipice, Sidewinder,Barrel Roll. We started with vests and arm warmers, but within an hour we'd peeled them off to feel the warm air and sun on our skin. Glorious. The trails were tacky and perfect. Alex and Rick got the feel for their new steeds quickly and we relished the ups, downs, drops, curves, everything.

That's snow in those mountains in the distance.

The new bike boys.

Then we crossed the wash and rode most of the Rim trails: Up Rim Reaper and Rim Rambler then the Rim Runner and Rim Rock loops. Mellower than Barrel Roll but still fun.

We packed up and drove over to Zen. Great trail but I had forgotten how relentlessly technical it is. I did OK but wasn't cleaning the tricky stuff.

Then I took a bad line off a ledge and dropped the front wheel in a crack and endo'ed. As I went over I thought "I can't get injured with Jolene's leg still broken." I broke my fall with my hands (hurt my wrists) then landed hard, on rock, on my left side which partially knocked the wind out of me and gave me sore (probably bruised) ribs.

We finished the rest of the ride without incident and the extra adrenaline allowed me to ride the ledge drop to the right around the bolder when dropping into the ravine (video below from Alex). A little redemption.

Alex almost to the ravine bottom.

Loaded up again and drove to the Cottonwood trail head for the Prospector trail. Jolene has done this trail but not I. It was fun and fast. Good tacky dirt but the sand traps had dried out enough to be deep and loose. A happy lap around Church Rocks and then back to the car to load up and drive back home.

Alex's helmet-cam video of me riding Church Rocks.

A refreshing escape for a day full of dirt.

Longer Timpooneke XC Ski

2011-01-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday I did a longer cross country ski with Steve and Kerry. Started at Pine Hollow (like last time). When we got to the Timpooneke turnoff we decided to see if we could go all the way out to the front (west face) of Mount Timpanogos.

A few snowmobiles had made a nice packed track. There was an inch or so of new snow and we made fresh tracks all the way out.

About half way out the road looking north with American Fork Canyon below and Box Elder Peak in the distance.

Steve with Tibble Fork in the background.

I had forgotten how big the slide area is the road crosses. I went across first and felt very exposed, even though I knew the avalanche danger was low. Kerry turned around here. See Steve in photo for scale.

Looking up above the slide area. Gave me the willies.

I stopped to listen to the maiden for Dug. I think I heard her say "Tell Dug to watch out for..." then the wind gusted and I missed the rest. I couldn't tell if her tone was angry for being skied on or inviting Dug and crew to come back.

We made it to the "corner" before the road heads south across the Timp bench. I was hoping for a good view of the valley below and the surrounding mountains, but no dice, the clouds had rolled in.

Mostly downhill on the way back. Coasted down a few sections but mostly poled or kick-glided. Nice to have gravity working for us on the return.

Here's a map of the trek. 15.5 miles at a decent pace was a good workout.

Brain Food

2011-01-13T22:12:00.003-07:00

What is money? We use it every day, but have you thought about what it really is, how it was invented, how it's created?

Listening to NPR a few days ago I caught part of a fascinating This American Life program: The Invention of Money. The next day I downloaded the broadcast and listened to the whole thing. It's really good.

Prologue: The people on the island of Yap use giant stones as money and what that means.

Act 1: How Brazil escaped hyperinflation.

Act 2: How the Federal Reserve creates money.

Teaser questions - Why is the stone money of Yap still relevant today? Is stopping runaway inflation more about fiscal policy or psychology? Does the Federal Reserve create money by printing bills? Who oversees the Federal Reserve? What is the Federal Reserve doing differently since the recent financial crisis?

Listen or download

I've also been listening to a collection of short stories by Cory Doctorow. All are well written and have interested me. Cory focuses on near-future fiction, usually some current-day technology extended and/or used in a different way. Being a techie I like this stuff, but since most of the stories illustrate a misuse of technology, and being in the 5-10 years out range, it was a downer to consider. You know, far out stuff you can shrug off, but possible tomorrows are uncomfortable.

The stories are available to read in a variety of formats or listen to as MP3s. And all free.

Yesterday I took advantage of Alta's ski free after three deal. A bit of a drive for 1.5 hours of skiing, but it felt good to be on skis and breathing fresh air - appreciated all the more on the drive down and seeing the brown-red soup air in the valley. I tried some backward skiing, and did OK but it's awkward. I even found some chop to ski.

Today I zipped up American Fork Canyon to XC ski. I went up from Pine Hollow to Salamander Flat and back. With a small off piste detour. Other than one snowmobile coming down as I was going up, I had the place to myself. Serene and lovely. I skied at a decent pace (for me). It was snowing on the way down - finally some new snow. I hope it clears out the gunky valley air.

XC Ski Timpooneke

2011-01-09T21:48:00.002-07:00

Saturday I headed up American Fork Canyon to cross country ski. I thought about skiing Granite Flat but decided on Pine Hollow.

Good snow pack up the road. I hadn't been to Timpooneke in winter in a long time so that's where I went. I explored the trail I mountain bike, but a large pine had fallen across it so I decided to go farther up Timpooneke road. It was nice and I'm not sure I'd ever been up it on skis.

I went out 2 hours (4 miles, checked the map at home) and turned around. I didn't wear the right socks and had some painful blisters forming on my heels.

Going down was nice. I usually had to push, but in a few places I could glide. I got into a rhythm skating down the road - a bit ungainly on the classical skis but still fun.

I had some sunshine at first, which felt nice. And it was pleasant to get out of the valley haze and into clear air. Sure felt good to get up into the mountains.

Nerfageddon

2011-01-06T23:07:00.003-07:00

Kade got a Nerf gun for his birthday before Christmas. Of course he's shot family members, it hasn't been too bad but still.

So for Christmas we got Nerf guns for the girls. You know, cold war tactics, arm everyone.

Kade has bravado but this is not a stand-off, more like suicide-by-sister

The Angels and kid brother Bosley

The weapons

It's been fun. We've had several skirmishes throughout the house.

Christmas day we had a battle that lasted over an hour and we were laughing a lot. Head shots are always funny. Kara squeals when she gets shot, or even a near miss. Kade likes to charge. Jamie and I like to wait for good shots, or snake one through the banisters.

Kade shot the gun so much he rubbed the skin off his thumb.

Reloading is easy since by now the house is littered with foam bullets. We've lost a few behind the stove, way under the fridge and I'm sure other inaccessible places.

Good wholesome family fun. (If any of my kids becomes a murderer, well maybe it wasn't such a good idea.)

Santa, India Style

2010-12-30T18:38:00.003-07:00

My aunt Gayle and uncle Don are in Chennai, India. My uncle is there for a six month work project.

They started a blog to chronicle the experience. Plenty of funny moments as these middle-aged Americans experience a place so very different from home. Gayle was thrilled to finally find diet pepsi. The traffic is crazy, bugs get in everything, there are wet and dry toilets, the power goes out a lot, they haven't yet grown an appreciation for the local food, etc. But they are managing, and even enjoying some sight-seeing.

There is a small Mormon congregation there and they had a Christmas party. The highlight was this Indian take on Santa Claus:

I have a new nightmare.

Rider Of The Year

2010-12-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

MTB Action is doing a make your own rider of the year cover thing and it got me thinking, what was the most outstanding ride this year? It's been a good year, but my dear wife breaking her leg up on the Ridge trail was certainly the most memorable, just not in a good way. So I grabbed the template and did a little image editing to make the image above.

She dealt with it well, however you can see the look of resignation in the photo. That was a sad day.

The visit to the doctor last week wasn't the good news. She was hoping to start walking, but the bone growth / fusion isn't far enough along so more crutches. She was bummed. Hopefully the next check up will be better news.

And now for something completely different, a mash-up of Lionel Richie, A-ha and The Cure.

Favorite Books Of 2010

2010-12-21T21:26:00.006-07:00

I read a fair number of books this year, here are the ones I most enjoyed (in no particular order).

Brave New World - An engaging story set in a possible future. Well written, engaging and thoughtful.

A Confederacy of Dunces - A most odd protagonist bumbles along causing chaos in his wake, yet somehow it makes sense.

Ghostopolis - Written for pre-teens but the story is so imaginative it's appealing to all. A few plot problems, but forgivable. The illustrations of this graphic novel are excellent - dramatic, expressive, art.

More Information Than You Require - Hodgman's humor doesn't work for everyone, but if it does this book is a treat. The audiobook is read by Hodgman and includes many guests, which elevates the material and makes it a fantastic performance piece.

Snowcrash - A full story with action, intrigue, inventive technology and strong characters. My first cyberpunk book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Neuromancer - The grand daddy of cyberpunk and rightfully so. Fast-moving story, sparce and precise writing, intriguing characters, novel concepts and depth. Not a breezy read, Gibson expects you to pay attention and rewards you for doing so.

Peace Like a River - Take the expressiveness of poetry and tell a big story. Just delicious to read.

Straight Man - If I told you the plot it would sound dull. Kind of like if I summarized the movie "As Good As It Gets". Russo takes a mundane story and makes it fun and funny; I laughed a lot.

The Corrections - I almost aborted this book. Franzen aptly and deeply paints his characters, with all their destructive quirks. Enid's relentless, guilt-inducing nagging repulsed me. Yet the writing is brilliant and reveals real humanity, even if it's often ugly. There is a lot of truth in this book, about how we live in this age and what we care about.

Heart of Darkness - Not the most accessible story, but it serves as a canvas to explore what drives people and where it takes them. It's hard for me to stay tuned into these older styles of writing, yet Conrad several times nails an expression so perfectly that I was in awe.

Les Miserables - I listened to the abridged version and was enthralled. Stripped down to the main story it's amazing how strong and exciting it is. This is a classic that anyone can, and everyone should, read. You'll be entertained and it will stick with you a long time.

A Briefer History of Time - An excellent introduction to modern physics. The explanations are clear, and many are the best I've read. "A Brief History of Time" was good, this update is better. The concepts are often strange, counter-intuitive and difficult to grasp. But even if you understand only a little you'll have new wonder for the tiny subatomic world and the enormous sprawl of the universe. And it's only 176 pages.

A Walk in the Woods - Bryson tells his tale of hiking the Appalachian trail so well, you'll feel like you were there. And plenty of humor, thanks to his buddy Katz.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid - Another Bryson. This time it's his childhood recollections of growing up in 1950s. Magical and entertaining.

I enjoyed putting this list together and being reminded of how much I enjoyed reading these books. I've got a pretty long list of books I want to read but feel free to make suggestions or comment on the books above.

Polyoutdoor Utah

2010-12-15T21:01:00.006-07:00

Alex and I have been bouncing trip ideas around for a while. Tuesday schedules coincided.

Alex picked me up before dawn and we drove to Castle Dale then 20 miles on an excellent dirt road to The Wedge to ride the Good Water Rim trail. The view into Little Grand Canyon is spectacular.

That's the San Rafael River down there.

The trail hugs the rim of Good Water Canyon and it's several forks. It's 15 miles of mostly flat with lots of turns (think slaloming). It's a nice middle ring cruise. Some rocks to bump over, but nothing technical.

It was cold-ish but with layers we were comfortable.

We went from the south trail head to the north end and back for a 30 mile ride. The views are always changing and often dramatic, and it's nice to stretch the legs, but I wish it had more technical stuff to spice it up. Riding a new trail is always fun, but I doubt I'll return to this one since it's off the main travel routes and there isn't much else to ride in the area.

After the ride we drove down Buckhorn Wash to check out the rock art. It was impressive and well worth the short 10 mile drive.

Then we drove to Price to ride Luke's trail. We had just enough daylight for an out-n-back ride. Neither of us had done any of the Price trails and we were both impressed with Luke's. It also winds along a rim, but has more technical features which made the trail more fun to ride.

I'd like to go back to Price and ride more of the trails in the area. The word is, if a storm comes from the north it usually doesn't snow in Price, so it's like a mini St. George with half the drive.

(This is the top of Luke's and isn't a good representation of the trail. It's much more interesting.)

Today I went skiing at Brighton with Mark. The $20 lift ticket (if you bring a donation for the food bank) is irresistible. And 8 inches of fresh powder made it a no-brainer.

We got first tracks over on the south boundary. Delightfully fluffy powder. Like skiing on a cloud.

And it was my first time with my Salomon Foil skis and new boots. The boots were comfortable all day and the right amount of flex. The Foils were fun, fun, fun. The moderately wide skis floated in the powder, the short length made turning easier and quicker, and they carve through chop way better than any skis I've ever had (which is nice because I struggle skiing chop).

The Foils are twin tips and I thought about trying to ski backwards, but we were too busy skiing the fresh snow. Maybe next time.

With 40 miles of mountain biking the day before I was concerned my legs would die fast. But skiing must use different muscles because my legs did OK.

We skied all over the resort and I had a great time.

So many places have a more limited climate, terrain, etc. But Utah has lots of desert for dirt sports, a fair amount of lakes and rivers for water sports, and good mountains for snow sports. And it's all close enough to do what I did: mountain bike one day, ski the next. (It would even be possible to do both, or even all three, in the same day.) What a pretty, great state! I love living here. Forget polygamy, the many outdoor sports and recreation is the real poly in Utah.

Review: Bacon Cheddar

2010-12-13T15:19:00.004-07:00

I try to keep the sandwiches I make for lunch interesting, so when I saw bacon flavored cheddar cheese in the grocery store, I had to try it. I like cheese + I like bacon = buy.

And the package looks inviting enough:

When I opened the first slice, the appearance was, well, not what I'd call appetizing:

The smooth texture of processed cheese with pinkish red splotches, which are the bacon flavor, I guess. I paused, hesitated, but pressed on.

The smell is pretty good - smells like cheese and bacon, but on the artificial side.

I broke off a corner and tasted it. Pretty yummy, for processed cheese. Nice cheddar flavor. And the bacon is there, but definitely on the artificial side - like Hickory Farms.

Tangent - Where did all the Hickory Farms stores go? There use to be one in the University Mall for like, forever. As a kid I'd graze on the samples. The store always had that smoked cheese smell that was inviting yet vaguely fake. We had several variety packs over the years at home - either ones we bought or were given to us. It was fun to unwrap those tiny rounds of cheese and try each one. Spread some on crackers. Then add a slice of sausage to the cracker. It seemed exotic as a kid, but now there's the cheese counter at Super Harmons.

It tasted OK on my basic sandwich. The cheddar and bacon flavors came through.

But really, is there any substitute for real bacon? OK, those bac-o-bits are kinda tasty. But now you can buy pre-cooked bacon that you just warm up in the microwave, there's no excuse not to have the real thing - which I will be doing from time to time for my sandwiches.

Sorry, Cache Valley, this is my one and only pack of bacon cheddar cheese.

Thus ends the great bacon flavored cheese experiment.

Kade Is Eight

2010-12-12T20:37:00.003-07:00

Our youngest turned eight today. One of his presents was a(nother) Nerf gun. He likes it. We're glad he's keeping frags to a minimum.

I went for a road ride Saturday. Overcast, hazy and cold. I went up Provo Canyon on the paved trail - hardly anyone on it so I could go fast. Went up South Fork and saw at least 40 wild turkeys near the end of the road.

Tidbits

2010-12-09T22:44:00.003-07:00

Saturday I decided to go for a mountain bike ride. At 2 pm. I think locals will spot the problem. Not sure why I didn't. My defense: I really wanted to ride my mountain bike. The water tank road was fine at first, then I hit mud at the last pitch of the climb. The tires balled up and the drive train was gravy. I bailed down the Cliff trail and I was relieved it only had a few spots of mud. When I got down I dunked the bike in the Provo River to wash off the mud - I was there 10 minutes and plenty of mud remained, but the drive train was clean. Yeah, bad call, a road ride would have been the way to go.

On the way back I saw a hawk dive on a mouse not 20 feet from me. The hawk dropped off the top of a telephone pole, tucked back it's wings and dropped swift and silent right on the poor rodent. Not as cool as a Golden Eagle taking a snake, but I got a kick out of it.

I went for a road ride Tuesday at lunch. It was sunny and 45. I enjoyed the ride even though the decline in my fitness is significant and disappointing.

I also rode today at lunch. Not as nice. Overcast, hazy and 42. But the forecast looks like rain the next 3 days so I figured I better take it. As always it felt good to pedal and move on down the road, but I sure don't have much kick. Oh well, still plenty to like about riding.

One of the kids got Ghostopolis (a graphic novel) at the library. I picked it up on a whim and couldn't put it down. The story is unusually imaginative and fun (although it does have some problems). The illustrations are fantastic and excellent. I finished it in under an hour. Everyone in our family read it and liked it. The 8 year-old loved it (he skipped the big words, the pictures helped). A fun story with cool pictures. A movie version is in the works starring Hugh Jackman - the story would work for a movie, hopefully they do a good job with it.

I'm having some gadget lust for the NookColor. I fondled, er, evaluated one at Best Buy. Very portable, screen looks good, web browsing, and of course ebooks. I like the idea of ebooks, but at the current prices I doubt I'll buy many. The library has 2,300 titles available, but not many best sellers on the list. There are plenty of free classics available. The kicker is it can now be rooted so you can run any Android app on it. That makes it the cheapest tablet available. So tempting.

Jolene's broken leg still hurts. She's getting around on the crutches pretty good, but when she's up for a few hours her foot and ankle swell up and turn purple. This doesn't sound right. We see the doctor next week so we'll see what he says.

Friday Frisking

2010-12-06T20:41:00.004-07:00

A week ago Friday I tried to fix the alarm system at work. It indicated it couldn't call out so I figured I'd clear the error. I found some info on the internet and decided to give it a go.

I set off the alarm but figured since it couldn't call out so it wasn't a problem. I tried several things but couldn't clear the error. I was about to give up when I heard a tap at the front door.

I couldn't see through the tinted glass but unlocked the door anyway. It was a Bluffdale policeman. He asked me to step outside, face away from him and take a wide stance. Then he frisked me.

I was flummoxed but eventually gathered my wits and asked him if it was about the alarm. After he seemed sure I wasn't a criminal he told me they got an alarm code indicating people at our office were being held by armed assailants. Well, that explains his wariness.

He had me sit in the squad car (locked in the back seat cage) while he checked the building. He asked if anyone else was in the building, I told him there was one other guy, the CEO.

This is what the CEO told me: the officer called up the stairs identifying himself as a police officer and telling him to come down. He thought it was me joking around so he blew it off. The officer called up again and as the CEO came down the stairs and turned the corner he sees the policeman with his drawn gun pointed at the ground. The CEO raises his hands and says "Whoooa!". Then the officer frisks him and they walk through the building so the officer can see there is no one else there and everything is OK.

So, me screwing around with the alarm gets me frisked and put in squad car and the CEO facing a drawn gun and then frisked. I'm not sure why I still have a job.

When Life Gives Me Lemons

2010-11-28T14:31:00.002-07:00

After I'd run some errands Saturday I had a few hours before dark (5 pm, ug) and it was 40 degrees - ride time. Both tires were flat from my last ride on my mountain bike so I brought them into the house to fix.

Rear tube had 3 punctures so I chucked it. I have this rule about patching tubes - 1 or 2 patches then chuck the tube. So I removed the thorns (evil goat heads) and put in a new tube.

On to the front tire. A pinch flat. I patched it. When I inflated the tube it had two more punctures so I chucked it. Last tube, no spare.

Put the wheels on the bike and rolled down the driveway. I pumped the brakes to make sure they were good and heard a horrible screeching sound from the front. Turned around and back to the garage. The spring that holds the pads apart had been sucked into the pads and were mangled.

I found another spring in my junk box and eventually got it installed. It made a clicking noise but seemed to be working. I didn't want to risk it. I guess the pads are worn out. I didn't have a spare so I was done with the mountain bike.

I pulled out the road bike. The tires were flat. I pumped up the front. I started pumping up the back and heard a hissing sound. Took the wheel inside and patched the tube. Pumped it up and it held.

A half hour past when I had expected to leave, I headed out for a road bike ride instead of a mountain bike ride. Even though I was a bit grumpy from the string of mechanical problems, once I was riding my mood improved and I had a good time.

I rode down University Avenue and roamed around the BYU campus. It was dead, due to Christmas break and the BYU-Utah game. There was a new building there I'd never seen before. I rode through Timpview then back to Orem.

I stayed warm and enjoyed the fresh air and moving under my own power. I like lemonade.

(And I'll be going to the bike shop to stock up on parts tomorrow.)

127 Hours

2010-11-25T10:21:00.002-07:00

I saw the movie 127 Hours last night with some friends. I liked it. Scenic cinematography, creative editing, keeps moving, excellent acting by James Franco, and a gripping story. I give it a B+.

I do have some bias. The film was shot in the canyon country of Utah, a place I've visited many times. The film also features canyoneering, something I was heavily into for 3 years and very much enjoy. In fact, I've hiked parts of Bluejohn Canyon 3 times. I also read Aron Ralston's book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

Spoiler Alert - I'm going to comment on the film below.

Aron did ride his mountain bike to where he dropped into the canyon, and he did crash once, but pretty sure he stayed on the road. I don't think there are any big stretches of slickrock to ride out there. Still, it was fun to see a good stand-in rider ripping it up a bit on a bike.

"The Dome" doesn't exist. There are many slot canyons where you have to stem up off the ground, but very few have water underneath and none have pools of clear water. The water in canyons is muddy at best and usually scummy, sometimes with a floating rotting carcass. Canyoneering is not for germaphobes. The pool in the film is actually the crater pool at the Homestead in Midway. Some have complained about the film taking this fictitious detour to "The Dome", but I was OK with it because there are some magical hidden places out in canyon country and they are worth the effort to see.

The book kept me engaged during Aron's 6 days stuck in the canyon, but I wondered how the film would keep it interesting. I thought Danny Boyle (also directed Slumdog Millionaire) and James Franco did an excellent job showing Aron's attempts to free himself, his video-tapped messages to family, his daydreams / hallucinations / memories. Some scenes may have gone a bit long, but I was never bored.

There is no narration conveying Aron's thoughts, just acting. Cody Clark (review here), the critic for the Daily Herald felt this was a mistake. In general I like Boyle's call here because with no voice-over you are more fully aware of the silence and emptiness of the canyon. However it does mean the viewer doesn't know exactly what Aron was thinking.

Narration is most missed when Aron finally figures out how he can break the bones in his arm to get free. This was a high point in the book - Aron reported that it filled him with hope. In the movie the impact of this moment is lost.

The amputation scene was hard to watch. It was graphic. I've seen worse gore, but it's more distant - in this film you can't help put yourself in Aron's place and wonder if you could cut off your own arm. It's more personal. I was determined to watch it, but it was uncomfortable. I had to tell myself it was just surgery. Watching the amputation impacted me more than reading it - seeing left little doubt what amputation entailed.

Back in 2003 when this happened to Aron and I heard the story, I thought about what I'd do in that situation. To be honest, I'm not sure I could have cut off my arm. It would be so easy to keep telling yourself that someone would come along and you'd be saved from having to cut off your arm.

The high point of the movie for me was when Aron made the last cut and staggered back from place he had been stuck for 6 days. The feeling of freedom was strong and poignant.

This wasn't the end, Aron still had to scramble down the rest of the canyon, rig his rope and rappel over 100 feet down into Horseshoe Canyon - one handed. The film handled this well.

At the end of the rappel was a pool of turbid water which he immediately drank from since he ran out of water days ago. I heard some audiences had almost as much difficulty with this scene as with the amputation. Really? If you've ever been truly thirsty you know you'd drink any water in this situation.

The end of the film was moving. Seeing the real Aron Ralston with his wife and young son the message is unmistakable - you are only seeing this scene because Aron did something very difficult and he very well could have died. Life is precious.

Defenestration

2010-11-22T10:33:00.004-07:00

Defenestration - the act of throwing a thing or especially a person out of a window.

This montage of movie and TV defenestration scenes is art. And very entertaining.

Grouping the scenes into categories was brilliant. People crashing out windows, in windows, diving, blown backwards, thrown, kicked, through windshields, animals (horses?!), motorcycles, cars, people on fire - even one mountain bike.

That's a lot of candy glass. I'll probably be hearing the sound of breaking glass all day, but it's worth it.

I recognized maybe 10 scenes.

Boat Loads Of Shame

2010-11-19T14:36:00.003-07:00

In a recent post, Watcher mentioned being introduced to and liking the Avett Brothers. I'm always interested in good music so I investigated. Watcher said he likes Talks on Indolence, it's fun but frantic.

I found their song Shame for free on Amazon and really like it. It's mopey and morose. Perhaps they meant it as a serious song, but I find it amusing and, well, funny.

Have a good weekend.

Ding Dong The Cast Is Gone

2010-11-17T21:43:00.002-07:00

Today Jolene got her cast off. She's happy about that. It was a long seven weeks for her.

The leg looked gross. Mottled red skin, some nice scars, swollen. I wanted to take a picture but was forbidden. So how about pictures of the cast, as decorated by the family last night in hopes it would be off today (so that totally worked).

From the x-rays the doctor says it's healing nicely. Now the leg feels unprotected without that cast and she's concerned about bumping it. But she's looking forward to sleeping better tonight without the bulk cast.

Today I had an, epiphany? No. Revelation? No. How about a realization.

I've been doing some household stuff Jolene usually does. I drove carpool this morning. Helped Kade get dressed, fed and off to school. Microwaved some leftovers for Jolene. And made a run to the grocery store - that's where the realization occurred.

I parked the van, snagged a cart outside and as I head in I noticed the Stovetop stuffing right inside the door and remembered it was on the list so I snagged it right there. Usually I hardly notice the specials by the door. But this was just a small realization.

The bigger realization came a few steps further when I saw our preferred brand of corn chips on sale. I instantly recalled they usually cost $2 per bag so when I saw the 2 for $3 sale I knew it was a good deal and bought two. Then it hit me, I never noticed grocery prices before but now I do. I guess I'm learning grocery shopping by repetition and exposure. Didn't expect that.

Bathroom Surprise

2010-11-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

I had an odd bathroom experience last weekend.

I stopped for breakfast at the McDonalds in Cedar City. As I opened the bathroom door I hear two men having an intense discussion. As I entered I noticed they weren't at the sink to my left, nor at the urinal to my right. Could they be in the stall?

I sensed awkwardness. Not hair standing up, but suspicion and a touch of creepiness. And not enough to make me retreat, although I wasn't discarding that option.

I took a step or two toward the stall and was becoming aware that the voices didn't sound right, even with the echo-y acoustics of the tiled bathroom. One more step and I figured it out.

The video below attempts to recreate the event.

Yes, there's a flat panel television above the urinal. And it was tuned to a sports show with two guys energetically recapping the recent college football games. It startled me to hear this in a bathroom, and that's not a place for startling. Imagine if it had been females talking on the TV.

I'm all for nice bathrooms, and I was impressed that a McDonalds would have such a well-appointed facility, but the TV is too much. There are no TVs blaring at the library, the same should be for bathrooms. A little music to distract from any unfortunate noises, but no TV.

G & G Weekend

2010-11-07T21:04:00.005-07:00

It was a Guacamole & Gooseberry Mesa weekend.

The weather was perfect - it was hard to believe it's November.

Here's the view from Guacamole:

Alex on Guacamole.

We found a new (to us) trail marked with spray-painted dashes. It was a playground of small but fun and interesting technical moves.

After the ride we camped on Gooseberry Mesa by the windmill. The view of Zion bathed in evening light was spectacular.

I forgot my camera for the Gooseberry ride. We did a figure 8 route starting on Windmill then the Practice Loop, Cattle Grate, God's Skatepark, Hidden Canyon, Yellow, The Point, Rattlesnake Rim, Hidden Canyon again, Bowls and Ledges, then Windmill back to camp.

Here's the group shot on the point:

I did pretty good in Hidden Canyon. Some stunts I finessed smoothly, others I just mashed through, flubbed some. At times I was smooth on the technical stuff, other times not. But I had fun the whole time. I made it down the Rattlesnake, one dumb dab on the way up, then down again - such a fun feature.

The pace was brisk yet relaxed. No bad crashes or mechanicals. Just a good, good ride.

We made it back to camp around 3 pm and rested a bit. Some of us wanted more so we headed east on the north rim trail (Rim Job) and roamed around for a while.

Vicente cooked shrimp and steak paella for dinner. It was delicious. He's from Spain and knows how to cook it right. Check out the gas-fired paella skillet he brought:

Two days of biking, eating, camping, sitting around the fire, talking, laughing, sunshine and starry skies. Good living.

Burning Down The Car

2010-11-01T21:27:00.003-06:00

With the Hell-O-Ween ride in my backyard I decided I should be a good host. So I put up a sign (because that turn by the Orem Cemetery is hard to see in the dark) and bring a fire.

The fire was a roll of quality toilet paper soaked in kerosene in a metal bucket. As people arrived I lit it up. Everybody likes a fire, right? Provides light and heat. Riders gathered 'round. A nice touch.

When we left it was still burning a bit so I tipped it over and it went out.

After the ride I put the bucket in the back of my car. I thought about dumping out the charred TP, but Rick reminded me that I was a Life Scout too so I packed it out. When I got in it was a little smoky so I rolled down the windows - don't want smoke smell in the car.

As I went a bit faster the wind fanned the smoldering TP and next thing I know I've got flames in the bucket. Not good.

I quickly pulled over, opened the hatchback, and dumped out the flaming bucket and spent the next 5 minutes stomping on it until no more embers remained.

When I told my wife the story she laughed and laughed.

The car smelled like smoke for 2 days. At least I didn't burn it up.

No one can question my commitment to Hell-O-Ween (but questioning my intelligence is fair).

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T18:24:00.004-06:00

For the Hell-O-Ween night ride I was Ron Burgundy.

We carved pumpkins Saturday. Tried some patterns this year.

I went with the flaming pumpkin again. Using better toilet paper the flames lasted 45 minutes. That's Kade as the Grim Reaper.

Kara was a rapper.

I went as Neo.

Since Jolene is still down with a broken leg, Rachel handed out the candy - and entertained herself by making a sphere from glowsticks.

Jamie was Pocahontas.

Kade and Kara scored a pretty good haul, even with the rain shortening the trick-or-treating.

A lot to like about Halloween. Watch out, Christmas.

Willpower Test

2010-10-28T11:34:00.004-06:00

FAIL

Shaving Seinfeld

2010-10-26T13:47:00.002-06:00

The Muffin Tops episode of Seinfeld was on last night. It's a good one.

George: All right, let me ask you something: When do you start to worry about ear hair?

Jerry: When you hear like a soft russeling.

George: It's like puberty that never stops. Ear puberty, nose puberty, knuckle puberty, you gotta be vigilant ...

and

Jerry: I did something stupid.

Kramer: What did you do?

Jerry: Well I was shaving. And I noticed an asymmetry in my chest hair and I was trying to even it out. Next thing I knew, (high pitched voice) Gone.

Kramer: Don't you know you're not supposed to poke around down there.

Jerry: Well women do it.

Kramer: (high pitched voice) "Well women do it." I'll tell you what. I'll pick you up a sundress and a parasol and you can just (high pitched voice) sashay your pretty little self around the town square.

(Watch it)

later

Jerry: I can't stop. Alex thinks I'm naturally hairless.

Kramer: You can't keep this up. Don't you know what's going to happen? Everytime you shave it, it's going to come in thicker and fuller and darker.

Jerry: Oh that's an old wives tale.

Kramer: Is it? Look at this.

Kramer walks off-screen and opens his shirt. On-screen Jerry reels from the sight.

Kramer: (high pitched voice) Look at it! Look at it! And it's all me. I shaved there when I was a lifeguard.

Jerry: Oh come on. That's genetics. That's not going to happen to me.

Kramer: Won't it? Or is it already starting to happen?

Quad Chin

2010-10-19T22:25:00.002-06:00

In my last post I noticed something disturbing. No, it wasn't the photos of Jolene's stitched up leg (although they are attention-getters), it was this photo:

You see it, right? It sure jumped out at me. Evidently I have FOUR chins.

Or are they gills? I'd be happier if they were gills.

But they aren't gills, they're rolls of skin. Like a Shar Pei.

I already have a hard time remembering to suck in my gut for photos, now it seems I need to not scrunch up my neck. Perhaps turtle necks are the answer.

Dug, may I borrow a phrase? I hate myself.

The Cast

2010-10-17T19:50:00.001-06:00

Uh, yeah, blog posts have slowed down. This care-giver stuff takes time.

The kids were out of school so we went to Lagoon Thursday. Rachel didn't feel good so she stayed in the car until noon when she felt better and joined us in the park.

Kade loves bumper cars and Flying Aces - must have done each more than 6 times.

Having fun on the rides. It was a beautiful day.

The park was deck out Halloween style. This dance number was fun to watch. Before the show the wolfman sneaked up behind Jamie and growled in her ear - yeah, she was startled.

Friday was Jolene's appointment with the doctor. When they took off the splint Jolene didn't like the look of her leg, all swollen and lumpy with incisions closed with staples. (The squeamish may not want to look at these photos.)

She got a pretty blue cast. It fits snugly and supports her leg better. It feels OK propped up, but hurts when it hangs down, like when she is up on crutches.

We've figured out and settled into a routine now so most days go fairly smooth. The kids and I are getting better at meals, shopping, laundry, school, etc. Sure makes us appreciate all Jolene does for us.

I had another nasty cold last week but felt good enough to go for a ride Saturday. Wow, I had no zip. Hopefully that blew out the crud so my next ride will be better.

The Hardware

2010-10-08T10:38:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we got some x-rays of the hardware in Jolene's leg.

I winced when I saw it. That's more hardware than I expected - two plates and eighteen screws, by my count.

The good news is, it looks like the breaks are closed up nicely. That pointy sliver on the Fibula doesn't look good, but I suspect it will grow back into the main bone.

She has less pain now and it doesn't throb so bad when she stands up. She's getting around on crutches OK. Still, she spends most of the day riding the couch and it got old 3 days ago. She has read all the comments here, on Facebook and e-mails - thank you all for the sympathy and words of kindness and encouragement.

I was determined to fill in and be Mr. Helpful. I did not expect it to be so tiring. I've been a zombie this week. Double my coke intake for the next seven weeks? Those energy drinks seem like a really good idea now.

Jolene will see the doctor next week to get a cast. We'll know more about her mobility options then.

Maybe she'll be bionic.

On The Mend

2010-10-03T19:10:00.002-06:00

Jolene left the hospital Saturday. She is comfortable and happy to be home. She has much less pain and is managing OK with pain pills.

She will see the doctor this week or next to have the splint removed and some sort of cast put on.

She's doing OK, but gets down when she thinks about being disabled for 8 weeks. I had to cancel our up-coming family trip to St. George / Grand Canyon, that was sad. I'm just glad her injury wasn't worse.

This photo was taken in the emergency room and is the best (worst) one I have of the break. Not startling, but there is something eerily wrong.

This is her splint. Are moon boots back in style?

She also hit her arm and has a bruise-of-many-colors.

I'm intrigued by this picture hanging on the hospital (Utah Valley Regional Medical Center) lobby wall. Anyone know about "The Pride of Provo"? Nice track stand for the photo.

We're establishing a new routine with Mom out of commission. The kids are stepping up and I figured out how to cook dinner. Tomorrow will be my first day getting the kids off to school.

Broken Leg Photos And Thanks

2010-09-30T22:13:00.003-06:00

Jolene will be staying at the hospital overnight. She may come home tomorrow. The pain is still pretty high, but with morphine she can rest. We haven't seen the doctor again, but the word is she can't put her weight on it for 2 months (she'll be on crutches).

Here she is after I moved her off the trail and we got her comfortable (and gave up trying to splint the leg).

The Search and Rescue team goes to work. Get an I.V. and morphine in, sweet pain relief.

Strapped in the stokes and ready to roll down the trail.

If you look really hard you can see the breaks.

Thank You!

I'm sad Jolene broke her leg, but I was deeply grateful for all the help we received from friends and complete strangers.

- Within minutes of the crash, four guys on motorcycles stopped and stayed with us for 2-3 hours, instead of enjoying the ride they had planned. One of the guys was able to make the cell call that got help coming right away. Two guys rode down Tibble and brought back a jacket and blanket for Jolene. They got the fire going. They offered to give whatever they had to make a splint. They didn't know us, yet they treated us like friends. Wow.

- Josh and Nate stayed at least 2 hours to make sure we were OK. We had to badger them to leave with darkness fast approaching. And Josh has continued to check in us. Other mountain bikers also stopped and offered to help in any way.

- The Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue Volunteer Team was amazing. The first two arrived on motorcycles, saw to Jolene then gave updates to the rest of the team. Next four guys arrived carrying the pieces of the stokes. Then the rest of the team arrived with the medical personel who jumped right in and got Jolene ready to travel. These folks buy their own equipment and spend personal time for training. When they get the call, they come running - dropping plans to see a movie, leaving a son's soccer game, etc. I am deeply grateful for what these people did for us.

- Every medical professional did a fantastic job - from the ambulance staff to the hospital doctors, nurses and staff. I was very thankful for their skill and service.

- Family and friends have been incredibly supportive. Jolene's brother works for the Orem Fire Department and he came to the ER on his day off - his medical knowledge and familiarity with emergency situations was very comforting to us. Jolene's Mom and Dad came immediately to the ER. I got calls, texts, facebook updates, etc. from her and my brothers and sisters. Friends, coworkers and neighbors expressed concern and offered help. And the people we know from biking and through the internet have wished Jolene well with kind words.

This flood of people rallying to our aid has deeply impressed me and filled me with gratitude. It seems there's a lot of bad news these days, but this outpouring of compassion reminded me how much goodness and kindness is out there. There's no way I can repay what all these people have given - all I can do is offer a heart-felt thank you!

Breaking News, Literally

2010-09-30T07:52:00.007-06:00

Update 2: Surgery is done. The doctor said the tibia was pretty easy, but the fibula was tricky. She is in recovery now.

Update 1: Jolene is in surgery now. The doctor said it should go fine. She'll be home later today.

Jolene broke her leg mountain biking yesterday.

Riding along the ridge (157) trail just before the 4-way. I about went down on a downhill slight left-hand turn where the edge of the trail has sloughed away. Sadly, Jolene crashed.

She endoed and landed on her right leg hard. I was just ahead and heard her yelp then say "I broke my leg!" Sure enough her ankle didn't look right. When I tried to move her it hurt badly. I finally got her off the trail but by the way her foot was dangling it was clear both bones above the ankle were broken (tibia, fibula).

Not 5 minutes later four guys on motorcycles came by and stopped. One guy had an AT&T cell phone that got signal so he called and got Search and Rescue (S&R) on the way.

Mountain bikers also stopped including Josh (the photos are his) and the Bike Peddler group ride. We fiddle with some splinting ideas, but any little movement of her foot was incredibly painful so we decided to wait for S&R. But we all built a little fire to keep busy as the sun was setting.

As it was getting dark two S&R guys arrived on motorcycles. They helped and made radio contact with the S&R team. About half hour later the medical guys arrived - gave her morphine and put a vacuum splint on her leg. They loaded her in a stokes (a litter with handles at each and and a wheel under the middle) and wheeled her down the Deer Creek South Fork trail to a waiting ambulance.

This was the S&R response that arrived at the summit parking lot (photo by Josh).

At the hospital (UVRMC) they got her comfortable, took x-rays then got her in a room. She will have surgery today to install screws, plates whatever fix it up.

She wasn't happy about breaking her leg, but thanks to so many kind and helpful people she got off the mountain and taken care off. I'll have more later.

MIA

2010-09-26T22:04:00.003-06:00

Since my last post (2 weeks ago) I rode in Park City with Watcher and the crew Thursday the 16th. It was a good ride - half or more in the daylight, the rest at night with lights.

We started at Park City Mountain Resort and went up Sweeney Switchbacks and part way up Johns then down 4:20 then up the dirt road to take Empire Link and Ontario Bypass up to MidMountain then across and down Spiro (pretty fun in the dark).

The Maples were starting to turn colors.

Then Saturday (the 18th) Jolene and I rode Big Springs to check out the autumn colors. We had a nice ride. The photos tell the story.

Jolene drove home and I biked by going up Dragons Back then up Betty and over on 051 then down Dry Canyon.

And that was my last ride. I got the nasty cold Jolene had and it hit me for a full week. I now have more sympathy for Rick being laid up for 6 weeks (how did you survive?). I think I'm over it and hope to be out riding soon. It's clear I'm a cycling addict, I've been having withdrawals and miss the mood boost I get from riding. Get out for some Fall riding before it's gone!