It's a whole new Snowbird season in more ways than one - a lot more! The 2009-20 rides begin with our annual "season opener" up Lime Kiln Canyon and into the Parashant Grand Canyon. [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Ride 01 - Lime Kiln/Red Pockets]
I wish I could say it was the time zones or "Daylight Savings" sleep shifting which was the cause of my lack of "Oomph" the past couple of weeks. I mean, what small amount of wind there ever was under my sails seems to have taken a sabbatical!
As if you needed any more reason to gloat, those of you who own Garmin GPS units have yet one additional reason for being glad you do — the new Map Overlay feature just announced for the Colorado, Oregon (200, 300, 400 and 550), and Dakota models.
The one thing that I look most forward to all year has blown up in my face… the annual ride up to Kennecott overlook with my bud Jeff and his kids.
I didn't think much about it when Mom and Dad were invited for a "drive" a couple of weeks ago by some life-long friends in Ogden.
The signs of the times are upon us. Our favorite source of produce, Fujiwara's Farmer's Market (on 124th S in Riverton, near I-15) is beginning to fill up with straw bales — an absolute indicator that Halloween is screaming down the path directly at us.
For some time I have been worrying about combining all the trails we have ridden our ATVs in the winter snowbird headquarters area into one composite map. I finally bit the bullet and just spent the time to do it — and here it is: Mesquite-Bunkerville Riding Trails
More than a few times this week we have looked out the back window of Summer Snowbird Headquarters to see standing water in the back yard. The poor fruit trees have been propped up to prevent them tipping over in the mud.
Something has happened in the construction business. Lots all around us, which have sat vacant, full of weeds, for the last four years, now have holes dug and forms laid. Mounds of construction dirt all over the place — now pretty much mud and swimming pools.It seems that the people I follow on Twitter [Mike Massimino (Astro_Mike), Scott Parazynski (SPOTScott) and Mark Polansky (Astro_127)] are all going to be home this weekend.Pessimists, we're told, look at a glass containing 50% air and 50% water and see it as half empty. Optimists, in contrast, see it as half full. Engineers, of course, understand the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.”
The first exit in Heber brought us to the Claim Jumper whose wooden-beamed facade touted all kinds of food from fish to steak and prime rib. The decor was a tasteful "early farmhouse" right down to the split-beam floors and cracked-log tables with rusty farm implements and brands as decorations.Home is the place where it feels right to walk around without shoes.”
I don't know about you but I'm about saturated up to my gills with lies! Dishonest tobacco companies, lying bank executives, spin doctoring presidents and politicians and of course door-to-door salesmen.The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.”
Kirby vacuum's have been notoriously sold door-to-door for years; but to sink so low… Before she walked out the door almost NINETY-MINUTES later we had to fight off her "Boss" who was "just helping her out because she was new at this" and his Kirby Vacuum demonstration — not once but TWICE!It does not require many words to speak the truth.”
Why on earth would ANYONE buy anything, ever, from someone who had just used deceit and/or any form of deception in order to get one's attention?! Are we supposed think that a liar will deal fairly with us in any other part of the transaction? I certainly don't.One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.”
One does have to give the mountains credit for the show they are putting on — and the Salt Lake Valley air is uncharacteristically clean and clear; but, sigh, most of my buddy's are riding back down where we just left.Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”
What in the sam *%! have we done! I'm sitting here looking out the window of Herriman Snowbird Headquarters at at least 20 feet of snow outside our door!The misery is made all the more poignant knowing that Charley and the club are going ATVing Saturday, down on Gold Butte. In fact he says they intend on riding every weekend in April. Hopefully they will send me their GPS trails.It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
"So it is," (said rabbit).
"And freezing."
"Is it?"
"Yes," said Eeyore.
"However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately.”
We spent a "downtime" day beginning to put things back in boxes and close out Snowbird Headquarters.Over the course of years we have tried them all. And, except for a couple of notable disgusting venues which we cannot forget, even in our sleep, we pretty much re-try them anew each year. We claim it is to give them another chance because they may have changed for the better; but, it's more likely that it's because snowbirds have trouble remembering from one year to the next.The best travel quote of all time:
“If you don't knock it off, we'll turn this car around.”
HEY... we finally made it to the river! OK, we were aiming for the lake, but what the hey! [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Ride 23 - Clives to "lake"]
At the 112 - 113 fork we turned to the right, down toward the Virgin River "Landing" - at least that what the sign says. As it turns out there is no landing, just post and cable blocks to the end of the trail in some willow flat-lands.
We went back around and took the road to Fisherman's Cove. It was rougher and down a wash but got a bit closer to the lake.The trail sort of ended in a deep, washed-out drop-off; so, we considered it a hiking trailhead and had only walked about 300 yards down the wash before we stumbled upon the real, live Virgin River.May all your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you.”
