Thunder Mountain - Red Canyon, UT

We heard great things about this trail, which is in Red Canyon, just outside of Bryce. There's no mountain biking in the National Park - so we heard this was the next best thing.

The views were spectacular - but the trail was very poorly maintained. Lots of ruts and washouts. Lots of hike-a-bike. Very challenging. 15.7 miles with about 2,000' of climbing.

Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, UT

Definitely the best cycling adventure of the summer. Not only a great workout at 64 miles with 5720' of climbing; but incredible scenery, an unexpected moose encounter, and wacky weather.







We started late to avoid the morning thunderstorms. The afternoon forecast was "sunny and clear - chance of precipitation, 10%." Uh... these certainly aren't sunny skies; but we'd only gotten sprinkled on a tiny bit so far. Our luck would run out soon...
At least I was off the mountain when the skies opened up and poured down rain and pea-sized hail...
Soaking wet, I took shelter in this car port for 1/2 an hour or so. While I was there, Brian called me from a ranger station on the mountain. (He'd done some bonus miles and wound up behind me.) The nice rangers gave him towels to dry off and blankets to stay warm.
When the sun came out, I hit the road. I had a monstrous headwind and could only manage 7 to 8 in the flats. It was pretty scary once I hit Provo Canyon; and once again rain threatened. I pulled off the main highway to look for shelter, and came upon the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls.
Brian called to say he made it down the hill but that it was pouring again. He took shelter in the Harmon's grocery store; where ultimately I picked him up after riding the last 9 or so miles soaking wet in the rain with thunder and lightning all around me. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. But boy was I happy to get to the van at Deer Creek State Park! What a day!

Big Cottonwood Canyon to Guardsman Pass

The climb up to Guardsman Pass is considered one of the toughest rides in Utah; so of course we had to conquer it! We started down in Holliday, about 5 miles from the turn onto Big Cottonwood Canyon. Start to summit was 23.5 miles with 4820' of climbing. YOWZA!
We stopped in Brighton for water and a short break before making the final push to Guardsman Pass - an additional 2 miles and 1000+ feet.
No fancy summit sign... But the view was great! Just under 10,000'.
No rewarding descent for me. A mile down from the summit I flatted, and found my rear tire shredded. Fortunately it was Sunday, and there was quite a bit of traffic; so it was easy to hitch a ride down. Nice views even from the back of a pickup truck.
Here's where I waited for Brian to come get me.

Wasatch Crest Trail, UT

Some of you may have expected to see posts from Colorado... But, alas - we didn't get there. Who-da-thunk we needed to make RV park reservations more than 6 months in advance... Which we didn't. So we couldn't get a single place to take us for more than a day or two. So here we are in Park City, Utah.

We've been here before - so we knew the mountain biking was EPIC. Today we did a trail we'd never done, which is one of those MUST DO trails: The Wasatch Crest Trail. Here are some pics from our 29 mile, 3100+ feet of climbing, primarily singletrack, most excellent day!

A Bit Of Nostalgia

As we journeyed back towards the west, we made a brief stop to visit a close friend that lives in Kansas, not too far from where Brian spent his formative years...
Brian's childhood home: I wanted to knock on the door and ask if we could look inside and also check out the backyard; but Brian was too shy.

Brian said the house looked smaller, and the trees on the block were way bigger.
Ahh... High School. Brian said it looked exactly the same except for the new swimming pool. Also, the ball fields used to back up to farmland and endless greenery; and now there are just endless strip malls. Well, they say you can't go home again...

St. Louis, MO

We're here in the St. Louis area for four nights. It's HOT and muggy... but we're making the best of it.

We rode 50+ miles of the Katy Trail- America's largest rails-to-trails path. It's 225 miles stretching from just outside Kansas City to St. Charles (20 miles from St. Louis). Over half of the trail follows Louis & Clark's path up the Missouri River.

Who could resist Grandma's cookies in St. Charles? Not us! Honestly, three of the BEST cookies we've ever had. Delicious, soft and YUM!
Brian feeling small next to the greatness of Lewis & Clark, who started their journey right here in St. Charles, MO.
Riding along the Missouri River.
Can't come to St. Louis without experiencing the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour. One of many of the Budweiser Clydesdales. They're HUGE!
One of Lance's yellow jerseys on display in the Anheuser-Busch tour museum.
Brian is smiling because there's FREE BEER at the end of the tour!
The Arch. We didn't go to the top because it was insanely busy and the wait was over 2 hours! Oh well! It was cool to see from the outside.
We next visited the City Museum, which is sort of a museum, sort of a crazy playground for kids. The gist of the museum is to display artifacts, statues, signs and other quirky things from St. Louis and other cities in the U.S. It was wacky!
Artifacts from historic buildings demolished because they didn't meet ADA requirements. Sad. Very sad.
Brian on the wheel. He didn't last long. He said it was a barf machine.
Brian's probably too young to remember Bob's Big Boy - but I got a kick out of this shot.
The City Museum has all sorts of crazy slides, ladders and things to climb on; most of which would make personal injury lawyers drool.
Brian at the end of the 10 story slide... A spiral from the top of the museum that made both of us a little dizzy.
For dinner we went to the Iron Barley, which was featured on BOTH "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" and "Man vs Food." Thanks to the Travel Channel for this great find! The food was excellent and unique and the service was friendly!