Magic Dream Pants

I got these cycling tights for myself for Christmas and I was amazed how warm and toasty these are.....and they were only 50 weasly bucks! Usually I buy a lot of stuff from sierratradingpost.com and they sell mostly winter/hiking stuff. They sell a few cycling gear stuff and mostly winter stuff like skis, snowshoes, winter clothes, etc. They are really good at the price on the stuff they sell because all the items are a year old, I bought my snowshoes dirt cheap on Thanksgiving Day.
Anyway, back to the pants. I was worried that these wouldn't be warm enough and all the other ones I have bought ever since I starting biking were not warm enough, only good for 50 degree temperatures. I had always doubled layer(cycling shorts with leg warmers then tights over them) in the 40 degree weather and it sucked, sometimes my legs couldn't breathe. So I gave it shot on the ones I just bought, I read the reviews and people were saying they use them in 30 to 40 degree temperature sometimes in the teens. Most people complained about the padding and how long they were but after myself used them on a ride last Monday, I loved them. They were warm and comfortable. I am really satisfied with them. That day I rode in them, it was 28 degrees! When I was riding in them, they felt they could go down maybe another 15 degrees and still feel warm.
I looked at other websites like nashbar or cambria and all of their tights were in the $100-$200 range. Too pricey for me....ya, just for a few rides in the winter. Then I found these Canari's for $48 and I thought they were pretty darn good tights at this price range. Now I can ride outside when it's 20 degrees(maybe in the teens, hopefully) without hooking my bike onto the nightmarish, boring, weakling stationary trainer which I really hate, hate, HATE riding. Now, problem solved!

Some cool animals I see around here...

Go ahead, don't believe me, most people don't but I am going to tell you what I saw around here near good ol' Ephraim, UT.

Today, just about a half hour ago, I was driving up the Canyon Road in my car and it was a little dark, just on the paved part of the Canyon Road near some houses, I saw a Red Fox with a white tip on the tail crossing the road. I stopped to look for it on the side of the road and I saw him again and he was looking out somewhere else. It was the coolest thing. He also had a white face. Then he ran down into a stream and disappeared.

A few years back, in the winter time, I walked all around Mill Hill/Dead Horse Hill around a lot. Then every time I went up in that area, I would go watch this Bald Eagle sit on a big dead tree on a big branch. He or she was on the same spot every time. One time I dared to walk closer to get a better view, it was really cool to see the eagle flap away with it's big wings. I remember one time it was a very windy spring day, just last year I think, I saw about maybe 8 or so bald eagles flying in circles really high in the sky above the house, ask my mom and dad if you don't believe me. It was unbelievable to see a lot of them above playing in the wind.

About 5 or 6 years ago while I was doing some trail work on the Pioneer Bike Trail in Ephraim Canyon, while I was walking down the trail with an big axe in my hand, all the sudden I see a big black fluffy thing walking up the trail towards me, then it paused looking at me, suddenly it ran up the hill on the side of the trail running away from me. I thought, "what the heck was that? No, it can't be....a bear?" I didn't believe it for a while and tried to refresh my memory and couldn't think of anything else but it could be a bear. It was a Black Bear and they are the only bear species in Utah and you see them RARELY in Sanpete. It was the most unbelievable thing I have even seen in my life in my own backyard and it only lasted 5 seconds. I wish I could have saw the bear longer. Most people in town didn't believe me and thought I was crazy. They were looking at me like I was saying I saw an alien. But just this year, my friend's sister and mother saw a Black Bear in that same spot in Ephraim Canyon and now everybody believes me!

Well, I hope I can see more amazing animals around here at home and I just to need to be pretty darn lucky.

Oh yeah, I saw a few cougars maybe twice up in Ephraim Canyon. They are so cool! Go ahead, don't believe me but I know what I saw.

My Bathroom Ordeal

Stripping the floor was like torture. Like being a raped ape.

The other side of the wall I worked on: Made this room my secret hiding place, where I don't want to be noticed. My lovely tools, Washington state pictures and my expensive wheel some guy tacoed this summer hanging on the wall. If I really want to hide and somebody is really looking for me, the lovely spot behind the furnace and water heater is just right.

It's been a long time since my grumpy old father wanted a jetted tub or hot tub and this was the project, in the basement bathroom, my bathroom! Cool, I get to use it too. The plumber said the only place in the whole house we could put the jetted tub was in the basement bathroom because it was wide enough for it. I stripped off the existing shower and that took me a whole day because I put it in 10 years ago so that means it was put in very good and nicely. Dang, I did such a good job on that shower. I built a wall for the tub after the plumber gave me the plans then he moved the drain in a different spot, plus he had to move the water heater so the I could build a wall there. Then he put the tub in and voila! The old man used it that night after Mike and I put in an outlet for the tub. I even used it and had it turned down all the way because the jets had so much power! Two days later, I put in the sheetrock and taped it, then did some more mudding, etc.

Then the torture came, stripping off the linoneum floor. I did a little bit stripping with a mud knife and then I went upstairs to check on the internet to see if there was any stuff I can use to put on the floor to make life easier but noooo, there is no linoneum floor remover. They said if you're unlucky, you'll have to scrape it off, if it was a concrete floor. They said either that or just put a new floor over the old linoneum. Oh shoot! I would have done that! If I didn't already strip some it off, I would have left it and put the new floor over it! So I did a little more with misery and then called it day. The next day, my goal was too strip it all off but I did go to the hardware store to get a better scraper and I got the magic tool. The "magic tool" is what I called it and it worked a lot better but after a while, I still got bruises all over my hands, then I put on gloves which I should have done a lot time ago. Cutting the linoneum in squares and a scrapin' and scrapin', sweating and talking to myself about I should have left the floor the way it was. Finally I was done and my hair was all wet and I had sweat all over me and even my shirt was soaked. I went outside to dump all the crap out in the garbage, it was cold and I thought I was going to get sick because I had sweat all over me. Then I saw that dad had made a fire out at the firepit in the backyard to burn old garbage and wood. So as a reward, I sat by the fire for a while and I was really grateful that the suffering was over.

A few good rides

This was more of a surprise kind of riding, surprisenly the dirt kind of got dried but just for a short time. Maybe 2 or 3 days worth of dried dirt. All of Black Hill was ridable, just barely so it was fun to ride up there. Even I went on a night ride in the dark with a friend, Durke. He is an amazing rider, we were climbing up Black Hill and he was on a singlespeed and he was flying. While I was riding, I could see a white little light all the way at the top in the darkness of the night and he was waiting and then he came down a little bit circling around while I was still pedaling up. At the top was a really good view of the city lights and a tad little bit of red sunset down by Richfield. It was awesome, then it got cold, temperature really makes a difference when the sun is down but I made it. I couldn't get warm in the hot shower and I even drank some hot chocolate but I finally got warm after putting on a sweater and climbed into my bed. The day before the night ride, I just left church after the first meeting and went out for a ride because it was so nice outside and while people were sitting in the church pews, I was out enjoying the great sunlight and some fun exercising. Then on the day before that ride, I went on a short road ride up the Canyon Road, and two days before that one, also went up the Canyon Road. I am tired and good for a few days!

Powdered Sugar Wonderland

Good picture! Pretty.

Loved the snowshoes!

"Where's all the animals?"

Seriously, that looks like a tsunami....only made out of snow.

I needed Chapstik!

I checked out the snow at Fairview Canyon last Tuesday and it looked really pretty. I was thinking of not taking Duke but I thought, 'what the heck, I'll take him' but it turned out that he can walk on top of the snow. I went into a different area than the other areas I have been going to in the previous years and I am glad I did. I did run into 3 friendly snowmobilers out in the open areas and still there weren't that many people in the area. It was great and I got plenty of fresh air and exercise. I thought it was really pretty and it was really bright, I did have sunglasses but they did fog up easily after I broke the first sweat. I need some fog proof sunglasses or something. Anyways, after like 2 hours of hiking and screwing around, Duke and I were very tired and hungry but it was worth the hike and the sightseeing.

Made it to the summit!

Bald Mountain, summit: 8,445 feet

Looking east at the higher mountains from top of Bald Mountain

I finally made it to the top of Bald Mountain hiking up in the snow, actually more like on the 4 wheeler tracks on the road up to it. I started up at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning while everybody else were getting ready for a day of college football in their warm homes. Well, that football stuff isn't for me, I thought going for a hike would make a day more adventurous, rewarding, and happier. I've decided on this day, I would go all the way to the top, not just halfway or 2/3s like the other hikes. The morning was really nice and a little bit sunny, 13 degrees when I started, but good enough. The base was 5,900 feet and the top was 8,445 feet somewhere 2,500 feet of climbing. While everybody were fighting each other about the Utah/BYU football game on facebook, stadium, everywhere, I was up on the nice mountain thinking about nothing but the trees, fresh air, my dog, snow, walking, my bike rides this year, etc. It was so nice and not be part of the world. What a great day!

The bottom part from the valley up to the screen is steep and it's the funnest part because it goes by fast. Then after the screen is all switchbacks and a very easy to moderate climb but is really long. The very top, the last 1/4 mile is the steepest part of the hike but it has great 360 degree views. Very awesome! I used to ride my bike up this road and it's one of the best and hardest climbs ever. When I used to be 155 pounds and in better shape, I used to climb up this all the time to the top in 1 hour. Then go down the other side through Ephraim Canyon. I don't know if I have the strength to climb up this now but I haven't tried it in years. I am just afraid the bottom half of it which is the most steep and grueling part of the climb. Someday I will think about doing it again on my mountain bike but hiking up it is a lot easier. It would be a great bike ride to try out sometime. Go down the other side towards Willow Creek and go down the new Willow Creek Singletrack Trail and the Flume Trail. It's the climb that will be the greatest with all the views and everything. The hike up it is really great too. The climb up to it on the hike took me 2 hours and the descent took 1 and half hours.

Hiking

Lately, I have been doing some hiking, well, more like mountain climbing. It is way different than mountain biking. I haven't done some hiking in a long time so after my first hike, because of using the different muscles than biking, my legs were really sore for like 4 days before I could go on another hike, it's weird though, I went for an intense bike ride up Black Hill while my hiking legs were sore, I could still kick butt on my bike, doing hard climbing and everything, then on the day after my legs weren't sore anymore, neither my biking muscles or hiking muscles. So, on the next day, I hiked up Bald Mountain again and I went up higher this time, maybe like 2/3s up the mountain, almost to the top though, I got 'til where there were snow. I started hiking up like 8 am and it was 28 degrees and it wasn't so bad, I didn't want to put too much bulk of layers on me because I knew I was going get my body heat up climbing up the mountain and I did the layering just perfect. I really liked the Camelbak Denali I ordered from Campmor, a $17 waist pack with a water bottle holder and a little pocket to put an energy bar, phone, and keys in. It's nice, it came with a Camelbak water bottle! Duke came with me and he had a funner time than I did. I took a lot of pictures of this hike, sorry I picked a crappy, cloudy day for this one.
Pretty much I will be doing a lot hiking now, more like mountain climbing. When there's snow, I will put on snowshoes, and for the muddy hikes, all I have to do is go earlier in the morning when the ground is frozen. But I got to do some weight/body lifting this winter also. During the last two weeks, I have started on mostly core exercises because that is what I really need to work on. Then some body weight lifting, like push-ups, dips, plyometric jumping drills, and squats with dumbbells. The most important exercise I feel I need to do this winter are squats and core exercises. I have been doing some exercises on the exercise ball and it's pretty fun. The plyometric jumps are the funnest though, they make me feel like a kid again, plus, doing those are supposed to increase your hamstring strength by 44%, I think. That's what is so cool about winter, is to focus on strength exercises while there's a blizzard out there. Then get biking again when it's warm.

Top Ten Reasons I Like To Ride My Bike Alone

10. I don't like to talk.

9. I can enjoy the ride, mountains, air, freedom more when I go alone.

8. I can get my training done better. Don't have to worry about going too short or too long when riding with someone else.

7. I really can't stand somebody else complaining. Mostly about climbing a hill or going over a rock.

6. The ride is more peaceful so I can actually think about something.

5. I can go whereever I want, whenever I want, and however I want.

4. When I go alone, I feel like I own the whole place.

3. I can talk to myself about my goals, life, and even say the 'f' word.

2. I don't have to stop so much. I can just keep riding, even though I am taking breaks when I am alone, I don't have to talk, I can breathe.

1. I go on a ride mostly to get away from people. That's the whole point.

Well, that's it. Ever since I have starting riding bikes who knows when? I have always liked to ride alone. I'm just better and more myself when I go on a ride by myself. No worries, no communicating, and just going for a ride. Could be just around the block or 50 miles, I'd rather go alone. So all the rides I been going with you, I did enjoy it and I do like to go on rides with you sometimes, maybe only 5% of all of my rides, then I am o.k. with it. So, don't make this post make you feel discouraged. I am just trying to be myself and I am happier when I am myself. So, I like to ride a bike alone, well probably anything too, work, sitting in my room, or watching tv, I'd rather do it alone, no matter what it is I guess.

Indian Summer Riding

The last 2 weeks I have been doing some sheer riding. I wanted to get as much riding I can get before it gets cold and snow. I'll still ride in the next month or so, hope so, if the weather will cooperate, you know, I don't really care because I can still go up and go snowshoeing or something. Anyways, I try to get some exercise no matter how I do it. It all depends on the weather outside. The last week and a half the weather has been very decent and wouldn't want to miss the opportunity.
I've been catching up some riding on Black Hill, Black Hill needed my attention because I haven't ridden up there since April or May(starting late May or early June, the skeeters get really bad and the place gets deathly hot), so, the Black Hill area is really great for the fall weather, probably the best weather because it never blows or storm that much in the fall time. It's really great.
Sorry I don't have pictures this time because I didn't want to waste time being some 'tour biker' taking pictures and being an idiot. I wanted to keep going and ride a lot without taking stupid pictures. I was having too much fun and didn't even think about anything else.
The best part of all of my rides was the "Broken Saddle Climb" on Black Hill, which is the most daring, gruelsome climbing I ever did around here. It's steep, not just short steep, but steep from the bottom of Black Hill to the very top. It's about 25-30 minutes long and the trail never levels out, maybe a couple parts but don't last long, maybe 20 seconds. Anyways, it's one of my best climbs, it's all singletrack, and sandy in most parts. The top is the worst, it just gets steeper and steeper and I just about die on that part but it's very rewarding when I get to the top and then go on a fun downhill on the other side. The climb is all VO2 max all the way baby!
Most of my rides were on Black Hill but I did go on the Flume Trail once which was last Friday and there is mud at the top. I could still ride on it but it's only maybe 50 feet of it. Everything else on the trail was great. Loved the singletrack climb up at the mouth of New Canyon until to the top where the Flume starts. Great downhill too. That is where I spent most of the summer though.
Well, this may be the last of the 'no arm warmers/jacket' weather until next spring, I think.

Black Hill singletrack riding

All the pictures are in riding order(the route I usually go on):

This part is now I call the "Broken Saddle Climb" because this where I broke my bike saddle just climbing up on this sandy trail. I just heard one of the rails snap.

I went on a good ride today and was very happy to do so, I remember as soon as I got on the first part of the singletrack on the ride, I thought, "man, I love this, I love this" That is when I knew I was born to mountain bike, especially on stuff like this. I kept thinking this all the way climbing to the top of the hill, I say around a 1,300 vertical feet climb, don't know, wish I had a gps. I did have a bike computer and I logged in 8 miles for like 52 minutes. It was a tough climb mostly. Glad I had that Western Family apple sauce before I left because that stuff gives me a kick, no need for a gel. After all that rain and snow, the sand was really packed down so it was a little easier to climb up. Speaking of sand, on the sandy part of the trail, I was just pedaling sitting down, going up hill, I heard a snap, then I checked my saddle and saw that one of my railings was broken in half. I hope the warranty will cover it because I didn't wreck breaking it. I didn't do anything to it, just pedaled and biked around and all the sudden, it broke, or maybe I am so heavy or something.

I kept going up anyway because the saddle was still holding up with the other rail, the weather was perfect and I knew this is where I wanted to be at this moment, all alone, no one around, in the middle of no where(maybe a town 5 miles away, lol), so I felt pretty good too. Pretty good for having the stomach flu during 3 days before, I tells you, I'd rather be suffering up a climb than be home from work with a stomach bugger. Well, maybe anybody would, but maybe I'd rather be suffering a climb than being at work, there we go, that's more like it. I don't know, I like my job though but I still rather suffer on a climb than working.

The downhill on the other side of the hill was a blast, short but still a blast. I remember I got cold and it was 67 degrees, probably because I am still sick from the stomach flu. Well, it was really fun and I hope to do some more riding up there before it snows then after that, I will be riding it again in March, after the snow melts and dries up.

Sovereign Singletrack Ride

I did this bad ass ride last weekend and was one of my funnest rides I ever had in a long time. I haven't ridden in the Moab area for like 12 years and I thought I NEEDED to go ride down there sometime. A friend around here that used to live in Moab told me about this trail and said that it is like the best mountain bike trail in Moab. It is shared with motor bikes and I saw quite of few motor bikers and also mountain bikers alike. I liked it how it was technical and had plenty of slick rock and dirt/sand mixed. The weather was nice to me this time and it couldn't be better, there was no wind and the temperature was really nice.

Some fun ridin' sand.

Slick rock

Sign

On the map below, I went on the blue markings which is the Sovereign Singletrack. I went northbound which is the harder way(all uphill). I am kind of glad I went that way because I can do better on the climbing than the downhill on technical trails. I thought I was going to do the out and back but after I went to the other parking lot on Dalton Wells Road, I was worn out because it so technical. I was going to go back to the Willow Springs Road trailhead by going on the pipeline road but I couldn't find it. I did ride on the Sovereign ATV Trail for a while to find it then I turned back and called my ride to pick me up at the Dalton Wells Road. This trail was great and I would definitely go do it again next time I go to Moab. Next time I will camp there in the sand and that will make the trip more exciting.

This is a video of some girl riding on the trail I got from utahmountainbiking.com. I think I know this Kellie and does look like the Kellie I am thinking. If she is the one I know, she is in a different mountain bike team now.

Old mountain bike equals urban bike...

For a long time, I have been thinking about buying a cheap bike for a riding around town(urban bike). I saw a few for like $350 but I was hestitant about the parts on them and I saw one at Mad Dog Cycles for about a $1,000 which was too nice, a singlespeed with a quiet rubber chain, had an insulated coffee cup(hot chocolate for me because I am a mormon), was very light, and had very good parts on it but I thought it was too pricey for me for an urban bike.

Instead I thought of a very affordable, recycleable way. Rebuild my old, old bike! This bike was unriddenable since 2005 and was sitting in the basement that long. It is a 2000 Klein Attitude, I wouldn't sell it because the parts were all worn out and bad. It needed a new wheelset, new crankset, new bottom bracket, new everything. So I got on online and looked for the cheapest parts I could get that would suit for the bike. I went to nashbar.com, blueskycycling, and cambriabike.com. This is what I have got:

wheelset: $70

crankset: $40

wider handlebars: $30

white handlebar grips: $9

isis bottombracket: $15

crank bolts: $5

cassette: $35

slick tires: $10 each

tubes: $5 each

one inner cable: $4

v-brake pads: $6 a pair

chain: $25

After figuring out and waiting for the parts arrive(used the cheapest shipping charges), it took three weeks to build finally ride out on the streets. I got mostly the sale items and still saved a lot of money plus I don't have to say goodbye to my old bike! It is perfect for just riding around the roads because the fork leaks when I take it out on the trails. It feels like a new bike again. I can just use it when I don't feel like putting on my cycling shoes and cycling clothes and gear. Just to go out ride with my dogs on Witch's Knoll and up the paved Canyon Road. I also have a bicycle one wheeled trailer I can hook on to go down and get groceries sometime.

Park City Bunk Beds/Entertainment System Project

We are finally finished with the Park City project. It was bunk beds and an entertainment system thing in the same room in a condo at Empire Canyon in Deer Valley resort. It was a lot of work and my boss did most of the work. I just helped out. The hardest part of this project was transporting everything up on the 4th floor in a large building with condos(thank goodness for elevators). The elevator was nice and dandy except we couldn't fit the 4'X8' panels in it so we took about four trips carrying those sheets(about 4 big sheets) up the stairs and they barely fit all around. The hardest part was climbing up four floors, we did take a 3 minute break halfway up each time.

Ya, at first everything was in pieces and I had no clue what the whole room would look like or what everything was set to be when it was done. I did look at some plans but it looks way better in real life. The bunk beds and entertainment system is all a cherry wood species with a dark stain to match all the moldings, cabinets, etc. in the condo. Looks very nice. I guess I've overheard that the bunk beds alone are $7,500 but I don't know how much the entertainment thingy thing cost and I don't even want to know. It was a lot of fun building and wood finishing the whole system in the shop and installing everything. I guess I have to admit working in Park City is pretty fun especially in the off season when no one is there. Wish I had my bike though, I could have ridden a little bit on the trails close to there after we were done each day.

My 2011 Mountain Bike Race Schedule

For the races in 2011 next year, there will be 11 instead of 13. They took out two of them, Jackson Hole and The Canyons races. I still need to do 7 of them to meet my race team requirements for next year.
This year has been great and I am hoping for a better one next year!

March: #1 St. George
April: #2 Hurricane
May: #3 Five Mile Pass/Lehi
#4 Sundance Resort
#5 Soldier Hollow/Heber
#6 Draper
June: #7 Deer Valley Resort
#8 Sherwood Hills/Logan
July: #9 Snowbird Resort
#10 Solitude Resort
#11 Snowbasin Resort
Aug: none
Sept: Endurance Race- 12 Hours of Sundance*

*I'll spend the whole year thinking about whether to do the 12 Hrs of Sundance or not. Also if I can get in a team doing it.

Forrest Gump Ride

Yesterday was like the biggest biking day of the year. I both road biked and mountain biked the same day. It started out that I wanted to do a regular 2 hour road ride in the morning and take it easy, but it turned out to be a 2 and half hours. Then I wanted to mountain bike in the afternoon after I ate lunch, I've decided that after my morning ride. My brother and his family came for a visit and said they were heading up the mountain and fish. My mom decided to go up because it was at Lake Hill, so I took a lift up and decided to ride down the Pioneer Trail and Flume Trail from Lake Hill. When I was dropped off, I decided to do some climbing but just for a little bit, I thought I could just go to the GBEEC, when I got there, I decided to go longer, to Bluebell. When I got to Bluebell, I felt going a little more, hmmmm, maybe to Philadelphia Flat. Nope, I didn't stop there, I went all the way to the top of the mountain and boy I was tired. About 2,500-3,000 feet of elevation of climbing(the top was at 10,500 feet), I think. Then I turned around and cruised down the canyon. Ended up going down the Pioneer and Flume trails.

I ended up riding 40 miles of road riding in the morning, from 5 Mile Junction through Spring City, Mt. Pleasant, Moroni, Wales, Chester, and Spring City again. It was great, no wind at all! I don't know how many miles on the mountain biking part but I assume around 22 or so, but it was a 2 and half hour ride also so I got a total of 5 hours of riding that day with road riding and mountain bike riding combined. I stayed in zones 2 and 3 all day but got into zone 4 sometimes, probably the hill climb I was in zone 4 for a little while. Going at that of a moderate pace just kept me going that long and it was great to go that long. I felt pretty good but very tired at the end(for some fat guy like me). I felt very rewarded though.