Some rides at home...

We had a very mild winter this winter so I had the chance to do some big long rides.

Ephraim Canyon Road

Then one day I took off work early to do a long 50 mile ride around Gunnison and Mayfield areas.  It was so warm and unusual for early February.

I haven't done 50 miles for so long but I did it.  The key is to stay under 155 beats per minute for your heart rate....then you can go longer.  Heck, I felt like going all day at this rate.

This President's Day weekend, I did a big ride again.  I'm trying to do more bigger rides for base training then when summer comes, I can gun it on short mountain bike rides at high intensity.

I rode on the Interstate 70 Frontage Road from Salina until it got too muddy and snowy.  Or I like call it Salina Creek Road.

First time I have ridden it and I really like it.  It's good for low intensity riding, just a very gradual incline but mostly flattish...and some hills, not big though.

The one steep hill.

I turned around here.  I was trying to make it to the tunnel you see from driving on I-70, but I was only like 1/4 of a mile from it where I turned around.  I knew it was there but the mud on the road was so thick that it was building up on my tires.  I should have turned around long before that because it would've been nice to not clean my bike after the ride.  I am going to do this ride again this spring anyway.

And I bought some posters for my room to keep me motivated for my rides.

And some Tour de France posters to keep me motivated for long rides because that is what I am trying to work on right now.

The animals

Since I have 1:00 pm church now, I love to go on Sunday morning walks with the dogs.  So crisp and beautiful.

Benji has been going out with me and Duke lately and he is the one that enjoys it the most.

Lily Tiger trying to decide if she should go outside or not.

Getting snow on you is better than mud.

We had a visitor once at the shop, a Saint Barnard.

Such a big dog.

Another dog.  An Australian shepherd.

Cows during my walk around the farm during lunch break.

Somebody buried their dogs.

And the shop cat cats around at night then sleeps all over the warm shop during the day.  I got some pictures of the weirdest places where he sleeps.

Winter Trips: Moab and Death Valley

Delicate Arch

Landscape Arch

Arches National Park

I went on an alone trip to Moab, UT and visited Arches National Park and Grandstaff Canyon(formally Bill Negro Canyon because I guess someone got offended).

Double O Arch

During that time, there was more snow in Moab than every else in Utah in my opinion.  So the trails were icy and slick.

Thanks to these ice trekkers during my hikes...lifesavers!  I was passing everyone.  Most people without trekkers were literally crawling all over the trails...on their knees and hands!

When I drove through the Arches National Park entrance, I was getting cash out of my wallet and the ranger noticed that I was wearing hearing aids.  He asked me if it was permanent, then I said yes.  He said I was qualified for a lifetime pass of all of the national parks!  Nice!  It totally cheered me up and I am excited about it.

I stayed the night in Moab then the next morning I hiked Grandstaff Canyon.  It is just east of Moab and it's not in a national park.  There were a lot less people on this trail.

Lot's of snow but I am sure now by February it's all melted.  I loved it better with snow.

Pretty with the fog and there were a lot of creek crossings along this trail.

Morning Glory Bridge at the end of the trail.  Got hike to somewhere for a reason, right?

Pretty big arch and I got this good picture of some random hiker.  Wish I can send this to him but oh well.

Morning Glory Bridge

Hiking back.

Ice trekkers are a must have for winter hiking!

On the first weekend of February, my parents and I visited Death Valley National Park.

Because we went in the winter, we didn't feel the 120-130 degrees temperature Death Valley get in the summer.  Death Valley has recorded the hottest place in the world (134 degrees).  In the world!

After visiting the visitor's center and ate lunch, we checked out Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the western hemisphere.

Dad proving it.

So cool to be below sea level.

We walked about a mile out and back.

I grabbed some salt and tasted it.  Good!

Then we went on this fun 9 mile drive called Artist's Drive.  This one way road was fun and winding.

Badwater Basin down at the bottom.

Then I went on a hike for a couple hours at Golden Canyon area while my parents went back to Furnace Creek.

I hiked up to Red Cathedral.

View from Red Cathedral.

Then after that I took the trail up to Manly Beacon.

Top of Manly Beacon

Manly Beacon

Hiking down.

At the end of the day, we all walked on the boardwalk trail at Salt Creek.

There's supposed to be pup fish in the water but we just saw little ones.  Very rare to see water in the desert.

After the night stay in Stovepipe Wells, we checked out the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.

Pretty cool place to play in.  We should of brought plastic sleds.

Imagine walking in this at 134 degrees, talk about torture.  The temperature was in the 70s and 80s when we were down at Death Valley.

Then after leaving Death Valley, we stopped in Beatty, NV.

There's some good bike trails at Spicer Ranch just north of Beatty.  Some guy built these trails and he did a nice job.  I loved the trails.

I rode for about 2 hours but I wanted to ride more of the trails but we had to get back and my parents were waiting.  They went back to Beatty and visit a museum and ate lunch.

A canteen along Canteen Trail.  Fun trips!  Trail maps of the MTB trails in Beatty: