A Long Trip

Sorry for the lack of blog posts, the kids and I have been in Kentucky and Indiana for the last while with very spotty Internet connections. That was a long trip, but before we left, we met Matt, who was on an even longer trip, biking from coast to coast to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. We had met him via my brother in Indiana who used to work with him. Matt stayed a couple nights with us so he could have a rest day. His rest day consisted of climbing 13,063 foot Wheeler Peak--not most people's idea of a rest day!

When he was ready to leave, we decided we would ride to the edge of town with him.

And then Matt was off to finish his grand adventure. He kept a blog for the trip, which is a fascinating view of the country. He was biking solo, carrying a tent and sleeping bag, and everything he needed to support himself. That involved lots of planning and some very, very strong legs and mental fortitude.

As we were driving to the airport for our trip, we passed two big (20+ people) groups of bike riders heading in our direction. We are along the Western Express biking route that extends from Pueblo, CO to San Francisco, CA, so we see cyclists daily during the summer. One of the groups was also supporting Bike the US for MS, which made us think of Matt. He successfully finished his journey--congratulations!

Camping and Biking and Trail Running at Sacramento Pass Rec Area

 Last weekend we had Saturday night free, so I came up with the grand idea of camping at Sacramento Pass Rec Area. It was camping night #7 for the kids (12 is our goal for the Desert Survivor's Get-Out-and-Camp Challenge, so we're doing really well!). We decided we would catch our dinner at the Sac Pass Pond, where rainbow trout are stocked by the Spring Creek Rearing Station.

It didn't take Desert Boy long to catch three trout and then Desert Girl two more. They were on the smallish side, but we decided we'd eat them all.

Meanwhile the almost-full moon came up.

And Desert Girl had fun being silly. We moved to the upper campsites to get further away from the road. They were recently redone with money from a SNPLMA grant, and the whole area is so nice. Even though it was a Saturday night, we had it all to ourselves, which was quite surprising because it's so easy to access and free.

We had our little camping trailer, which creaked all night. We might get a better night sleep in our tent, but it still is kind of fun to be in the trailer.

I woke up before everyone and decided to go scamper on the nearby rocks to take advantage of the great early morning light.

The road up and over Sac Pass looked especially pretty, with the Schell Creek mountains in the background.

A bit later I left to go mountain biking. I really wanted to check out the Mineshaft trail, a 4-mile long loop trail that departs from the Lucky Boy spur off the Sacramento Pass trail. Desert Boy and I had biked much of the Sac Pass trail last fall, and so I knew it would be technically difficult. But I found I can only take so much technically difficult. Once I got to the loop part of the Mineshaft trail (1.5 miles from the trailhead), I decided I would be much happier if I just did the loop as a trail run and didn't have to worry about going over my handlebars as I navigated the rocky course.

The views were terrific on the Mineshaft trail, and I enjoyed it so much (even though I didn't have a camera!). It was obvious that the trail doesn't get much use, so I built up some rock cairns marking the trail that had toppled over. If you want technical singletrack all to yourself, this is the spot! If you want a trail run all to yourself, this is also your spot! And the trails are designed for equestrian use, but I don't think a horse has been on them yet.

If four miles is too long, there is a shortcut--a wash connects the trail at the narrowest spot, so you could  make it a much shorter loop. There's also a two-track road that crosses the southwest part of the loop, so you could bail out there if you're bike riding and the singletrack is getting too much for you. 

You can find the Sac Pass Trail map here. 

Time to head outside!

Desert Girl's Mountain Biking Adventure

 Since Desert Girl has ditched the training wheels, she wants to go bike riding all the time. One Sunday afternoon we went for a little ride.

She's gotten a lot better keeping her balance and seems pretty comfortable on her bike.

So we decided to give her a little challenge at an off-roading place. Desert Boy was eager to take the lead.

He showed us last year at Sacramento Pass Rec Area that he has a talent for mountain bike riding.

Then it was Desert Girl's turn. I wasn't so sure how well she would do. And I was quite aware that I had no bandaids with me. This could turn out really ugly. I held my breath as she started down the hill.

She started gaining speed and going over bumps. Her front wheel wobbled, but she hung on tight, Barbie basket leading the way.

And she stayed on!

And she kept going. She didn't quite make it up the hill, but she was pleased as peaches that she made it down the hill. She even did it again.

I think we've got another future mountain biker.

Biking and Playing in St. George

We had the opportunity to go to St. George, Utah for a few days, so we made sure to pack the bikes, as they have such a terrific urban bike trail system. A different year we had biked to different playgrounds, so the kids were definitely on board with the idea that the biking was fun.

We started at Tonaquint Nature Park and headed upstream, following close to the Santa Clara River.

In about a mile we reached Mathis Park, which has to be among the top five playgrounds I have ever been to. Really, it's that good.

Why?

Well, they have a natural looking climbing wall, for starters.

The playground equipment is unique. And high. And you really don't want your kids falling off it. I didn't mind that Desert Girl kept her bike helmet on.

Did I mention that the playground equipment was unique? Check out this skateboarder-inspired piece. I had to try it out. So did a number of other adults.

One section had some equipment for younger kids, and Desert Girl was eager to climb to the top of this by herself. Twice.

They also had these spinner cups. I got in one and almost couldn't get out, I just kept spinning around. I forced myself out before I threw up. I couldn't walk straight. These are instruments of torture. But some kids (not Desert Girl) really liked them.

Here's a view of some of the equipment from above. The rope bridge led to a little tunnel. The slide was really steep. I know from firsthand experience.

Something else I had to try was this spinning disk. As you walked on it, it moved. It was definitely good for balance practice!

Desert Girl's favorite thing, though, was the megaphone, where she belted out Let It Go.

We had to leave, but the kids made me promise that we would return. I can't wait myself to go back and try out some of the things we didn't have time for.

Later in the day my dear mother-in-law watched the kids and I escaped for an hour-long bike ride. I decided to follow the Virgin River.

The trail wasn't especially busy, and it was such a nice change from being in a vehicle.

I love the bridges!

I checked out a section of trail I hadn't ever been on, and it was lovely.

A part that made me laugh was next to a putting range, where the netting protects the bikers and pedestrians.

If you head to St. George, they certainly have an impressive trail and parks system. They have the map on their website, or you can find paper versions around town.

Mountain Biking at Sacramento Pass Recreation Area, Nevada

 When I was reading my friend Jenny's blog about their trip to the recently-opened Sacramento Pass Recreation Area, I was inspired to go for a visit.

They have a really nice sign with lots of information.

While my husband and Desert Girl tried their luck at fishing, Desert Boy and I decided to try one of the hiking/mountain biking/equestrian trails. To make it a little easier, we biked up the road to the equestrian trailhead, which also has three very nice campsites. Then we started down the trail.

It was fun mountain biking!

We reached some obstacles where we had to walk the bikes.

The trail was well marked in some places and in others we had to do a little searching. We rebuilt a couple rock cairns that had fallen over.

A little bit of the trail was flat and smooth.

A lot of the trail had rock obstacles.

I was quite impressed with how Desert Boy handled his bike.


























Here's a video that shows Desert Boy going over a particularly rocky section.


We were getting a little tired after mile two, and the aspens sort of took over the trail. Nevertheless, we persevered, as we knew we were close.

It turned out to be a great ride, and we look forward to going back and trying out some of the longer trails.

Meanwhile, Desert Girl had learned to cast well.

We had forgotten the worms, so we only got two trout in about 2.5 hours, so we'll have to go back and work on that too!

Sac Pass is definitely on our list for camping next year. The BLM did a really nice job renovating this area, and we'll be back!

Desert Boy's First Triathlon

Delta, Utah, had its first ever triathlon yesterday, including a kids event. Earlier in the year I had asked Desert Boy if he wanted to do a triathlon (thinking that might help him improve his swimming), and he answered an enthusiastic "Yes!" So we registered him and took him to the Delta swimming pool for the start. Adults had to swim 300 m, bike 6 miles, and run 1.6 miles. Kids swam 100 m, biked 1.5 miles, and ran .25 miles. Desert Boy had never swam that far before, so I was eager to see how he would do.

He quickly flipped on his back and did his version of elementary backstroke, which actually propelled him fairly rapidly through the water. At age 7, he was the youngest contestant of the eight kids competing.

As soon as he finished swimming, he ran out to the transition zone and quickly got stuck trying to put his shirt on. Transitions are never easy!

Once he started riding, he was stoked. He said there were people at the corners pointing which way to go. We had also driven the bike route right before the race so he knew where to go.

When he got to the track, a helpful bystander grabbed his bike so he could do his lap around the track. He didn't even bother to take off his helmet.

He liked the cheering section.

And then he was across the finish line! It took him about 20 minutes to do the whole race, and he was beyond delighted that he had finished it. Even better were the free swimming pass and drink coupon he got for participating, both of which he used later that day.

When I asked him at the end of our busy day (which also included flu shots, caving, a special lunch out, swimming, and more) what his favorite part was, he said the triathlon, and specifically swimming in the triathlon. So hopefully we'll be doing more of these races!

The organizer said they're planning to do the triathlon again next year, probably at the end of May or beginning of June so it doesn't interfere with school activities. If you're interested, check out Ready, Set, Tri on Facebook.