SLC

After a great night watching Dave, Amy and I headed home to finish packing and lay down for all of 2 hours before heading to the airport. I call it lay down because is 2 hours really a nights sleep? Anyway we headed off to Salt Lake City, Utah to see Marc finally and bomb around the Outdoor Retailers show. After a very sketchy plane ride we arrived safely in Utah to find a very ill Marc. That sucked. But it was great to see him none the less as it had been 17 days since I had seen him. He was off riding from Portland to Salt Lake City for the Conservation Alliance while I was home working. Somehow I think he got the better end of that deal. Mmmm, after the bike trip was over for him, he still had to work the show for a week, so that's we headed out to visit him and hang out.

Brey-la-la and I spent Thursday running all over the show. It was crazy. It was held in this giant convention center in downtown SLC. It was like a giant mall of everything you like. Only thing is, you can only look, you can't buy (tons of swag though). Every possible outdoor type thing was there. It was great. We went into sensory overload.

Friday we headed out to Park City. Figured we'd get out of the city and into the mountains and do some riding. Oh and mountains they were. First we had to rent bikes, no problem finding them, just some problems getting them set up and they were tanks. Then we got a map and took off up the trail. I say up the trail instead of on the trail because that's what it was. The trail head was a very steep climb, which leveled out a little into a lesser degree, but still quite steep and we just kept going up and up. It was never ending. We switch backed a zillion times onto steeper and less steep sections, but still climbing none the less. At one point we passed a woman on her way down and I asked if we were near the top. She just looked at me with this look of utter exhaustion and amusement and laughed and kept going. I thought this was a bad sign, but proceeded on.

Then a couple guys came from behind and Amy took off with them. I was with them shortly as they were catching a breather, but then off they'd go and I'd be alone, climbing. At the next trail break they were waiting for me and Amy says they're headed to SLC and they'll drive us back. It's an 18 mile downhill into the town, all we have to do is get to the top. I reluctantly say ok, but warn them I'm going really slow as the elevation was kicking my ass, besides me not used to climbing this much. We take off again. Now we have to head up a very steep power line trail with loose rocks. I couldn't even ride, I had to get off and hike. At this point I was beyond hurting to pure pain and misery as I was breathing to almost the point of hyperventilation just trying to get some oxygen. We later found out we were above 10,000 feet. Yeah, since I live around maybe 500 ft above sea level, 10,000 was not good.

I get to another break, Amy waits with me and stays with me from here out. We are still climbing, up and up. We finally get off the power line and head into another set of trails, still climbing. As we reach a clearing, and the top of a ski lift I look up and see we still quite a bit to go to the top. There was no way I could go up anymore. I told Amy. She was disappointed, but agreed to head back as we had lost our guides by this point as well. At this point I finally asked her what time it was was to find out how long we had climbed. I try not to look at time as it just messes with my head. Turns out we climbed for 2 hours! Amy climbed a little less time as she had to stop and wait for me numerous times. But 2 hours of climbing, that's insane! We turned around and then headed back down. Only took us about 45min to get back down. It was beautiful. I did get to look around more on our decent as I could finally breath. We met a really nice woman out on the trail with her 2 dogs. She races road hill climbs. More insanity!

Here is where I can finally see the top of the mountain. Also the point where turned around as I realize there's no way I can get up there.
This is only part of the way up, way near the begining. That little town we're looking down on is Park City (and where we sterted).

Friday night we all went to the Keen party in SLC and they premiered a clip of the Conservation Alliance documentary of the trip Marc was on. It was cool. Saturday back to the show and more swag, then after the show was the Bouldering Championships up on top a parking garage. It was really neat to watch.

This is inside OR. These dogs are sporting life vests and fetching all kinds of water toys.

DMB

I'm going to see Dave Matthews tonight with Brey-la-la. I'm so excited! Most people I know don't really care for him. Some actually cringe at the thought. But I like him. He puts on a great show.

Funny Business In The Woods

Got up early and met up with Ethan and Jan for a ride at Iron Hill. I don't usually ride there due to all the creepy people that lurk in the parking lots and woods looking for hook ups. But with the race coming up, that's where people are riding, so I figured what the hell, I'll be with people.
Lap 1. Rode with Ethan and Jan. I felt bad as I wasn't having a particularly great day and was kinda dragging ass. Jan on the other hand was feeling spunky. So as we were about to head out for another lap I decided I'd go off by myself and just do part of the lap as I had to pull off soon to get home.
Lap 2. All is good for the first couple sections. Ride them cleanly, knowing the lines I want this time. Then as I am coming up tissue trail, all by myself, I spot 2 guys on the side of the trail. One is facing away from me and standing with his hands over his head like he's being frisked. The other has his pants around his knees, holding his junk, staring right at me the whole time as I ride by. He's didn't even try to pull his pants up or cover himself. Let's just say I was a little taken back by this. I didn't say anything, not even hi. I mean really, what do you say?
I got back to the car and luckily there were several cyclists there. This made me feel better. I got my stuff together and went home. That was enough Iron Hill for me.

It's a Mouse?

I was driving home this afternoon and I saw this. Bug people are crazy. I know it's a company car, but still, it has ears and a tail.

It's Way To Hot For This

The other day I went for a road ride by myself. I intended to do a short ride, little climbing, nothing too strenuous as it was brutally hot outside. I take off and somehow decide that heading down 273 would be a nice change of pace as I always go any other direction but that one. So as I hit the first hill with no warm up, it hurts a little. Then the second hill, still not warmed up, other than boiling due to the heat, and I grind up it. I head into Newark for a change of pace. Then decide to take Creek Road as it will be shaded. Unfortunately that's 2 more climbs. At this point I realize I've done a little more effort than I had anticipated so I would start working my way home. I cut through campus to avoid major roads, also more shade. Just as I pull back out of a neighborhood I'm right in front of a big pack of riders. Great. I glanced their direction and didn't recognize anyone. I get caught by the next light. mmm I could turn around and say hi, but no one pulled up beside me, so I don't. Yeah I know, antisocial. The light turns green and I go on my way. A little faster than normal, but nothing crazy. I get to the next intersection and look back to check for cars and the group is right behind me. Ugh. It's green so I keep going. I figure they are just finishing up their ride and heading back to their cars. But just in case I pick it up a notch. I get the next light, but don't want to look back. So I pick it up a little more. I'm moving along and all is good until I turn straight into a big head wind. Yuck. I look back and no one is in sight. I figure they must have pulled off and finished up already. I grind on into the head wind. Get to the next turn and I hear voices behind me. I glance back and damn if they aren't right there. I couldn't believe it. Well I could. It's not like I can't be caught. But they were no where to be seen last I looked. I had a huge gap and then they were back on my ass. So I threw down again and just laid it all out. I knew I had 2 big straights before the next couple climbs. If they were going to catch me it would be on one of the climbs. So I figured I'd put as much distance between us as possible. Somehow I managed to hold them off. They never caught me before I pulled off. I know they could have caught me if they really wanted too. And I'm not really sure why it mattered whether they did. But for some reason it did, so I drilled it and about killed myself. I don't know why I do these things.

The last couple of weeks have been so busy in a really weird way. Mostly because I've been working constantly. Today was day 10 in a row. 2 more days and I finally get a day off. I can't wait.
I will say it is self inflicted. I swapped a weekend with someone else so I could have the weekend off that Harry Potter came out so I could read. So that caused me to work a double last weekend. And I could have had comp time during the week, but I chose to take one of the days the Friday the book came out and then Monday so I could finish reading. Then we're in August now and it just happened I ended up scheduled to work this Saturday. So put all that together and I get 12 days in a row of non stop work. Oh joy!
But hey, I was able to go get my ticket Friday morning that enabled me to get a great place in line to get my book at midnight. Then I read for pretty much the next 3 days to finish it. I'm such a slow reader it's ridiculous. This may sound a little obsessive. However, it's more that I hate spoilers. I can't stand when I hear the end of something before I get to see it for myself. So unfortunately, with a ton of spoilers lurking at every turn, that caused me to have to read the book fairly quickly so that I could know before I heard. Overall, not a bad ending. I just couldn't believe all the people she killed. She killed about everyone. I will not say anymore in case anyone reading this hasn't read it for themselves.

Big Hills with Big Bush

Sunday was Fair Hill. It's right in my backyard. But I just wasn't feeling it. So I wished the guys good luck and took off on the road. It was a sweltering day. One of the roads I wanted was closed and I took a really awful way to work my way around it. I haphazardly weaved all around Newark coming to an intersection, thinking "I don't want to go that way, that has a big climb". Only to go the other and realize it was a bigger one. I was sweating so bad it was pouring out of my helmet and into my eyes. My hands were so slippery it was hard to hold on to the bars. On my way home I decided I just wanted to be home, so instead of taking the longer more gradual climb home, I bit the bullet and went down the belly of the beast and did the 273 climbs.
To describe it better, 273 has a long false flat, then a deep valley that you have to climb out of and then a second smaller valley, which you also have to climb out of. So I don't choose this option unless I'm feeling extra spunky and up for a challenge, or like Sunday when I just didn't want to be on my bike for another minute and just wanted to get home the shortest distance possible.
The false flat was fine. There was a head wind, but it actually felt good in the heat. Then into the valley. Just as I'm started to head back up the other side I hear screeching breaks beside me. I turn to see Big Bush on the mountain bike, number plate and all. He turns and smiles and says "is this part of the course?". Very surprised, I tell him no, he was way off course. Still smiling he explains that he had pulled out and was headed back to the fair grounds. We chatted the whole way back.
Oh, it hurt so bad to climb and chat trying to make it seem like it didn't hurt. He was funny and nice, so it was all good. As we are just about up the first climb he says, "I thought once I pulled out of the race I wouldn't have to do any more climbing". I laughed.