Black Magic Canyon - February!

Playing a little blog catch up!

Business and Biking in Bozeman

Darren had a little work in Bozeman, and a few places in between....

• A raft to set up in Blackfoot - met the nicest people.  Empty nesters/fishermen ready to adventure into rafting land.  A permit on the Smith this summer - nearly impossible to get a hold of.
• A dry box to pick up in W. Yellowstone at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery center.  We sent it there to be "bear tested".   Didn't go as well as planned, but was a cool stop nonetheless.  There are really a lot of interesting people, that do interesting things.  Did you know that a raven has the same body to brain ratio as a dolphin?  A funny thing to learn at a bear and wolf center, I know.
• 20 boxes to unload in Bozeman.  Ed was moving from Ketchum.  To fish. 

So, naturally we threw in the mountain bikes.  Asked a few locals about trails, ate in cool places - LaParilla, and the Chickpea Cafe.  We LOVED Bozeman.  What a cool place!  Mountain atmosphere, home to MSU, it really was a happening town.  I think I could move there.  But then Darren reminded me that until a month ago it was probably COVERED in snow.  Like since October.

Saturday morning we headed out to Leverich Canyon.   A 5.5 mile trail.  I have been tired (that is an understatement) since last Saturday's Ironman attempt.  Actually I have been tired for like 3 months.  So we were going to go easy.  I made it .75 miles,  as in 3/4 of a mile, and broke into a cold sweat, shaking, breathing SO hard.  It was steep.  But, .75 miles!  I turned around while Darren banged out the trail.  One of the funnest he's been on.  Thanks.    

We ate lunch, checked out a bike shop and headed to another higher recommended trail.  It took longer to find it than to ride it......it was beautiful, but eventually got too wet and snowy, and since it was an out and back, we knew the wet, gooey mess we were working our way up was the same wet, gooey mess we would come down. So we decided to sit on a log and rest in the sun instead of continuing.  3 miles in and I was struggling.  Still going, but struggling.  Oh my.

What a great weekend!  Besides that I was so tired.  Am still tired.  Everyone around here is tired of me saying I'm tired.  But I'm tired.  

Anyway, FUN mother's day weekend!  I'd go to Bozeman again in a heartbeat!

IronSwim

No this is not the ocean!

This picture was taken on the 1800m stretch of the Ironman swim Sand Hollow Reservoir, Hurricane, UT.

Hurricane lived up to its name on May 5.

This picture is the closest one I have seen posted that depicts what it was like on the back side of the island.

But I swam it.  2.4 miles.......felt more like 9.

That's all for now.....I'll post about the race later....

True Grit

Zen Trail, St. George, UT 

On March 17, Darren and I did the "True Grit" mountain bike race.    I did the 23 mile course, he the 51.  The picture above shows a piece of the Zen Trail.  Which is totally UNzen if you ask me.  The picture doesn't show the technical stuff.....I guess the downhill on Zen is totally Zen, but the race bypassed that part - a blooming poppy something or other that needed protecting...

It was one of the most technical trails I have ever biked, or walked my bike, on. I could see it becoming fun if I had a few times to ride it and know what was coming.  The other part of the race was a GREAT trail.  TONS of climbing.

Darren did amazingly well. 17th out of 70 in his category.  I was thrilled with my time.  I didn't know what to expect for my time.  If I ride Smitty's (20 miles) I consider it a LONG and tough trail, in 3 hr. and some change-  I feel great.  

So when I exited the trail with only 1.7 miles of pavement left in 2:50ish I was thrilled!  It was head wind all the way back and I have to admit I swore out loud at the wind!  I wanted under 3 hrs. so badly!  I tried to ride as aero as I could and cranked a hard gear!  I'm sure the people in the cars passing me thought I was a crazed lunatic surely escaping from a facility - 2:59.  I heard it called out, and saw it on my watch!

My time on the website says 3:01.  bullcrap.

Perfect weather, besides wind, challenging (to say the least) course.  Not sure I will do it again, though:)

First Kayaking of the Season!

http://frontierplay.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-boating-on-camas-creek-hour-from.html

Gila Monster Encounter by Darren

While riding a mountain bike extensively in Southern Idaho it is not uncommon to come across rattlesnakes.  With my phobia of snakes it's amazing how many sticks look like snakes and will freak the beejeepers  out of me while on my bike.

I now have a new phobia, thanks to my recent mountain bike race in St. George.  I was about 37 miles into the race, near the top of a steep climb in a rocky, technical section of trail - and in a very oxygen deprived state.  I swerved to miss a long flat rock. I looked down at the rock as my pedal went over what appeared to be a multi-colored , rubber lizard iguana looking thing.

My fatigued state of mind helped dull my senses and I then had  a 5 second delayed total snake freak out.  Then I thought, wow a rubber lizard!  What a cool prank to play on someone.   I'm thinking who would hike out to the middle of nowhere to place a lizard next to the trail?   Whoever it was, was really committed to giving someone a good scare.

Life would probably have continued with me always thinking I encountered someone's rubber lizard iguana thing out the middle of the desert.  Unfortunately, shortly after this strange encounter the rider behind caught up to me and asked if I saw the crazy lizard.  He then continued to tell me how this supposed lizard was actually very much alive, and hissed at him!

Come to find out this lizard iguana thing was actually an endangered Gila Monster.  Yes, they do have a venomous bite comparable to a coral snake.

I've been scarred for life and now I'm going to see sticks that not only look like snakes but also crazy lizard rubber creatures where ever I ride.   As I write this, I wonder if it's possible that the one rider was actually hallucinating that the rubber lizard thing actually hissed at him.  Yes, I'm sure that's the case.

Happy Birthday Darren!

It's Darren's Birthday.  On Facebook today it says he is turning 42. It's a lie.  He is much older than that today - 43!  But will always look, act, bike, ski, kayak (minus the waterfalls) like he is 25.


Some people are just like that.


Also, he LOVES it when I talk about him, tell people stuff about him, (ok he hates it)  so since it is his birthday I will talk about him, just a little.


He is the best dad EVER.  The picture above epitomizes Darren's relationship with our kids. Always involved, teaching, helping, playing, and working.


The picture is on the Snake River just below Jackson.  Darren and Brady, 8, have just purposely swam through "Big Kahuna" a giant wave in low water, as it was on this day.  Darren is teaching him about current, eddy lines, waves, holes.  I never tire of looking at Brady's cute little legs and Chacos cinched on his skinny feet.  The angle of his head shows he is listening, learning.  


If I had pictures of our entire life, there would be many like this.   


The kids respect Darren, I think a lot of it has to do with the way he treats them - he respects their intelligence, their abilities, their character - and expects as a lot out of them because of it - and they have definitely risen to the occasion.


OK enough.  He truly does hate stuff like this about himself. And, after all, it is his birthday.


I'll just add one more thing.


He is my very best friend.