Didn't Pass on the P.A.S.S.

Price was good.  The weather was perfect and the riding was great.  I went yesterday and went to the P.A.S.S. trail system near Price, UT.  I've ridden there twice last year during spring and I wanted to do it again this year.  I did do a lot of riding during the week also.  Went on a killer one with a friend last Wednesday night and I took him on the trails I like on Black Hill.  I did that loop I really like.  My friend, Brian is a tougher rider than me so he stayed behind me the whole time just so that we can stay together.  It was a big difference with somebody behind me.  It made me push harder and go faster.  So I was spent that night and I got all personal records on that one on Strava.  Then I did 31 miles on the farm roads around Manti and Ephraim on my mountain bike on Friday.  It was a good ride also.

Back to Price.  Well, I felt pretty good but I could have felt a little better though but I thought I could do this ride easier than usual.  Luke's Trail was fun and fast then when I got on Floating Rocks/Lollipop/Shamrock and Roll trails, it was all loose and soil-ley.  So it was a lot harder to ride on.  The trail wasn't ridden as much as usual so I did have to walk on some climbs that were too loose but overall it was great.

There were some fun stuff all through the trails and this time I didn't go on the Yoo Hoo trail.  Last year I went on it and I hated it because there were a lot of cow tracks on it and the trail was diminishing.  So I went on Floating Rocks again on the way back.  It was funner that way.

Then back on Smo Joe's, it was a blast and more fast and was more packed down by other riders.  I guess that's what most Price locals do is ride on Luke's and Smo Joe's, they probably want to go on shorter rides.  Oh well.  After Smo Joe's and Knott Pete's, I went back on Luke's again and did the Alan Alley's Loop and came back.  Alan's Alley is short but really fun.  I liked it.

It was a great ride and I hope I can do it again next year.  This trail was easier aerobically but harder technical wise this year.  Probably because the trail wasn't ridden as much by other riders(just the northern part) and I have been riding and training better this year and that's why the mountain biking is getting a lot easier.

Felt like myself again...

 This week has been great, a little windy, but overall a good bike week around home.  I've been enjoying Strava and sharing it with other riders around here.  They ride way more than I do too because they are mostly roadies, it's good to know where they are going though.
 
                                       I

My birthday was Monday.  The boss called in sick that morning and so I had the day off.  It was pretty windy that morning but I still went riding.  I went around on the farm roads north of town and around the Quarries and Kane Valley.  Got pretty much 20 miles that day at a moderate pace ride.   Then I did a lot work in my mom's bathroom on that day, well, most of week....but got a lot done. Wednesday was a fast and fun mountain bike ride up the Green Gate Road and Flume Trail.  I did my personal best on that ride and got 8th place on the Flume downhill segment.  I was surprised too because I am not usually that fast on downhills.  Then I went on a few road rides at one hour each on the rest of weekdays.

Saturday, which was yesterday was my best ride.  I was going to go somewhere to ride, like Moab or Price for the day but Ephraim had the best weather in the whole state yesterday.  Moab was actually nice but more windy there and I also didn't want to drive that far just for the day.  Price was my first choice but the weather looked more rainy and windy than Ephraim.  So, I stayed home and enjoyed riding here.  I went up along Green Gate Road and up the canyon road until I got tired.  My plan was actually to go up to Willow Creek and go down Maple Syrup and Flume Trail.  I did get tired after Green Gate Road and getting on the canyon road but I kept going but just took it a little more easy.  I still grinded up but backed off just barely a little bit.  I made it up to Willow Creek and I haven't got that high in like three years.  I felt proud of myself and felt great!  I couldn't believe it too.  So, my goal is go higher up to Pioneer Trail when that is dried up.  Then maybe higher, don't know.  Anyway, I went down Maple Syrup and Flume downhill on my ride.  Those trails were a blast.

That morning before my ride, I bought this bike.  It's a Schwinn cruiser.  I bought this for myself and everybody in the family.  It's a $500 bike but I got it for $300.  I thought it was a good deal and I will love it for those summer evening strolls.  And my mom loves it.  Now my dad needs to try it sometime.

Here is the Strava workout I did on my ride yesterday.  I haven't done this ride in a long time!  It was fun!

"Strava it, or it didn't happen"....

I did my first ride with my new Garmin 500 bike computer I recently got for my birthday. I really like it I joined Strava and follow a few friends. It's really fun to record a workout. I did this ride yesterday morning and it was a beautiful morning, the sun was out and it was very warm! Loved it. I went to The Black Hill Trail System and did my favorite trails there and I felt like Super Man while riding. Here's the featured workout... {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252 {\fonttbl\f0\fnil\fcharset0 HelveticaNeue;} {\colortbl;\red255\green255\blue255;\red153\green153\blue153;\red249\green249\blue249;} \deftab720 \pard\pardeftab720\sl340\partightenfactor0 \f0\fs28 \cf2 \cb3 \expnd0\expndtw0\kerning0 \outl0\strokewidth0 \strokec2 }

Climb, climb, and climb...and rain, rain, and rain....

This week turned out great on my riding.  I am back to a lot climbing.  By climbing, I mean climbing up the canyon road until I get tired.  Last Thursday, when the weather was super, luckily the boss called me and told me to not come to work that day.  I was kind of glad because all I wanted to do on that nice, warm day was to go on a big ride on my mountain bike.  I also had Tuesday off, so I went on my once a week moderate pace long ride on that day, the weather forecast forecasted a ton of wind, so I went that morning and tried to get back before the wind started.  I started at 8 in the morning and rode down west of town and around town for an hour and then went home to eat breakfast then switched bikes, so on my mountain bike, I rode another 2 hours on Little Pigeon Hollow Road to Spring City and back.  On the way back, the wind started blowing and I had a major headwind but I made it and logged in 35 miles that morning.
Back to Thursday, it was a ride I really enjoyed because it was all climbing and I love to climb.  I went up along the Powerline Trail and up on Green Gate Road then climbed some more on the canyon road.  I kept going up until I got tired and made it to that sharp curve before Ponderosa Pine Plantation.  I haven't got that high up in two years and it felt great.  I plan to go higher on the next ride.

 

After the climb, I turned around and went down the road then the Flume.  The Flume Trail was all packed down like I said it would(after one week).  It looked like a hundred bikers went down it.  It is really fast and smooth now.  It was a blast though.

Saturday.  Saturday was all rainy all day and cold.  At 7 in the morning, before the wind would start blowing later in the day, I went on a ride on my road bike.  I am glad I did it even though it was pouring rain, I just rode around town then up the pavement of the canyon road twice.  I rode for at least 1.5 hours and logged in 18 miles.  It was very wet, drenched, and cold.  I had a lot of fun though because I had a very good workout and my legs felt stronger than I thought.  It was like being in the Seattle rain again.  I didn't really have the proper bike rain gear but this blue jacket worked for a little while.  But I had no protection on my feet so my ankles and feet were itching so bad after an hour I got home.  It was really a blast though.  I hope I can ride in the rain again but it's rare in Utah to get rain like this.

I like spring....

I pretty much like spring, well, I like all seasons, whatever season comes.....I like it.  I'm a four season guy so that's pretty much it.  So now spring is here in Ephraim, UT and I love it.  This gives me the opportunity to ride quite a bit, if the weather permits.  It's April now so that means April showers.  But it's been pretty nice lately, with a little bit of rain on some days and I like rain too.

The Flume trail is all dried up and I went on that Wednesday morning before work, speaking of work, I got a new job and I enjoy it so much more than my last one.  It's a cabinetmaking job(my field!)in Moroni about 15 minutes from here and I've been working there for a month already.  It's really nice that I enjoy the work schedule better.  I go to work from 9:00 a.m. until 4 p.m., sometimes I go to work at noon so that's what did last Wednesday.  I rode that Wednesday morning on the Flume and it was great, it needs to be packed down more and I am sure it will by next week, it's a pretty popular trail.  The climb up it was different than most climbs other people do.  I like to go on the new trail from the hydroplant and then up the Green Gate Road.  I like that way because it's more challenging.  Everybody else just either go up the main Canyon Road or just shuttles up.  I don't why because that way is so BORING.  I hate it.  So that's why I like to go up the more challenging, harder way.

Thursday, I did a moderate intensity ride on Little Pigeon Hollow dirt road to Spring City and back.  About 20 miles.  Lately I like to go on that road for my moderate rides.  Then today was a very beautiful day.  I rode all around Black Hill and logged in 14 miles.  I did a lot climbing and felt great. I feel like myself again.  I'm now on full power on cycling, the last two years of training was really crappy and I don't why the last two years didn't turn out good at all.  My legs kept feeling sore almost every ride and now my legs feel good when I go riding.  I just don't why though.  Somebody told me it's probably because I didn't eat enough bananas and I was thinking I just needed the rest.  I don't know.  It's going to be a mystery for the rest of my life I figured but I did gain some weight which is not good.

I joined Strava and I follow a few friends but I don't have a Garmin bike computer yet.  I do have an old Garmin Forerunner 201 and it works but I can't figure out how to download my workouts on Strava.  I guess I will wait next month to get a Garmin 500 bike computer for my birthday.  Then hopefully I can figure it out.  I still have the liking to check out Strava lately to see where everybody goes around here.  I did this new route on Black Hill today I found out on Strava which is supposed to be the new advanced Vike on the Bike Mountain Bike Race Loop this year.  I liked that loop though and I didn't really do the whole thing but got most of it.  I won't do the race when they have it this year but I enjoy just riding it.  I'm just antisocial around here I guess.  I already got plans for Memorial Day anyway. 

 Well, it's been a good week and Happy Easter!

Moab Spring of 2014

I went to Moab this weekend to do some riding.  I just got back this morning and I came home feeling happy and bike replenished.  Saturday morning I left and got there at around 11:00 in the morning and I couldn't wait to do some Moab style riding.  First I did a new trail on the Amasa Back called the Hymasa, it just opened this year and I wanted to try it.  I wasn't disappointed at all and it was also a pretty good hard trail which was all climbing all the way to the top of Amasa Back.

Hymasa Trail looking down.

Self portrait with the Amasa Back in the background.

When I got to the top, this is the view.  It was breathtaking.  I rode a little bit of the top of Amasa Back jeep trail and I was planning to to go all the way to the viewpoint and maybe ride a little bit on Pothole Arch but I felt like I should turn around and go ride on the trails at Dead Horse Point state park which I was planning to do the next morning.  It was a weird feeling.  So I turned around and went back down on Hymasa even though I am too chicken to ride down on Captain Ahab.  I keep hearing Captain Ahab is "too hard" or "just for experts".  Hmmm, maybe next time.

So, I finished the ride and went to town and got a big thing of cold chilled Gatorade and a sandwich and ate while I was driving.  Pretty much all the loading, unloading, stopping at the gas station, and driving to took a good old two hours.  So I took pretty much a two hour break before I got riding again.  I was pretty tired from Hymasa so the break was good while it lasted.  The Dead Horse Point Intrepid bike trails is relatively new and very intermediate difficulty.  I liked it though because I could go pretty fast and it's on top of a mesa, I like trails like those.  So I did a 14 mile loop on all the Dead Horse Point bike trails.  There were many different trails but I kept taking left at every trail fork and did it clockwise. I did the ride at moderate intensity.   I loved it and there were hardly anybody there and there were quite of few people at Amasa Back though.

After riding at Dead Horse Point trails, I was rewarded with this view.  It was amazing.  I haven't been to Dead Horse Point ever since I was a teenager and it was nice to see it again and even better, to ride up there.  Also, this was the first time I've ever been to the Amasa Back area.  So that was pretty cool.
After I was done with Dead Horse Point, I rushed back down to Moab and ate at a fast Mexican restaurant and ate some fish tacos then caught a movie, "Captain America" at the theaters to watch.

After that, I drove to the Kane Springs Campground and crashed in the back of my truck which was a very comfortable bed inside my new Softopper.  The night was pleasant and very warm.  The next morning, the sound of thumping of rain onto the Softopper woke me up and it was raining.  At first I thought I was glad I did that Dead Horse Point ride yesterday instead of today.  I was pretty lucky.  So I got up and ate breakfast somewhere and had banana walnut pancakes and went home while it was pouring rain all over Moab this morning.  It was a great little trip and I enjoyed it.  I did my calculations and I rode about 24 miles and took a total of 3.5 hours on Saturday.  It was enjoyable and did plenty of riding myself.

The Softopper made in Boulder, CO

I got something to add to my truck to make me want to drive it around more.  A topper thing for the bed of the truck.  It's pretty versatile, I can fold it down if I want to load big stuff in the back and I can fold it up to sleep in it or put tools in it.  And I like the style of it.  It is USA made so it is pretty well made and should last a long time.  It will be good for Moab trips so I can sleep in the back.  I also traded in my tires for some better tires.  When I bought this truck last year, it had mud tires on them and I really hated them from day one.  So it took me a year to get rid of them and they still had a lot of tread on them so that means I didn't drive my truck around at all.  I put only a thousand miles on my truck since I bought it a year ago.  Now I think I drive it around more since I put on some all terrain tires on them and they are more quiet and they are better on gas.  That's pretty much what I used my tax refund this year, a Softopper and tires.

In the future I want to get this system and use it to load very long lumber on my truck and this is also made from Softopper from Boulder, CO.  I think this is a great idea to load stuff like this, you can also load a canoe with it.  Well, sometime.  When I have more money.

Also, in the future, I want to get an 1upUSA hitch bike rack system for my car, parent's car, and my truck.  It's versatile and also made in the USA.  I hear good stories about this rack and it's supposed to be the best in the market. You can add up to 4 racks on your hitch but I am just getting one since I always go by myself all the time. I'm still keeping my Thule rack on my Subaru roof but I will use the 1up hitch rack for my fat bike for my Subaru and use it for both the mountain bike and fat bike on my truck and parent's car.

 

I can also fit my fat bike on this rack if I get the fat bike adapter kit for an extra 34 bucks.  It's that easy!  I want to get this whenever I have a lot more money.  If the day ever comes!  In my dreams.