Cache Valley Century

Am I crazy or what!?!?

I bought my road bike in June. I did a CENTURY (100 miles) ride in August!!!

I'm so proud of myself. It was hard, hot, and sweaty, but the feeling of actually doing it was worth a million bucks. I got invited by my friend Steph on the Wednesday before the ride, and said yes, and on Saturday morning I was on the ride!

We had an overcast morning, with great reststops and beautiful views. But, after about noon, the sun was out full blast burning down on my skin. Riding on hot, black asphalt didn't do much for the problem either. I started at 7:45am and finished at 5:00 pm. I took about 2 hours of rest throughout the day so my time was about 7 hours. I felt slow, but I couldn't have done it without being slow and steady, saving my energy for the last 5 miles of DEATH. I will probably do it again, but not for another year!

Here is the lowdown of the ride

August 27, 2011

The Cache Valley Century is a noncompetative bicycle tour of Cache Valley

in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho. It begins and ends on the south side

of the park in Richmond Utah. Richmond is 15 miles north of Logan and the

park is between 1st and 2nd west on 1st south.

Rest Stops: Century route: 5 stops with an option for lunch at 70 miles or at the finish Metric Century route: 3 rest stops with lunch at the finish 40 Mile route: 3 rest stops with lunch at the finish. All rest stops will be stocked with fruit, snacks, energy drinks and water.

Desolation Canyon River Trip

Brian, Karen, Mariah, Blair, Isaac, Mark, Chalay, Chelsie, Ross, John, Julie, Steve, Josh, CJ, Matt, Ruth, Shelby, Braxton, Nathan, Patty, Erik, Hayden, Kaleb and I took a trip through Desolation Canyon.

We were on the river for 5 days. We rowed, paddled, floated, ate sand, ate real food, drank a lot of water, did some hikes, checked out some abandoned settlements, and laughed.

Blair bought a disposable waterproof camera - hence the 90's look.

Blair, Isaac and I hanging on the paddle boat.

The paddle boat

Hiking to nowhere. It was so hot.

Probably peeing in the river.

Glamour shot on the river.

Getting back from a hike in the desert - had to cool off.

End of the trip, on our way back to civilization!

Paddle boat crew on the last leg of our journey!

The whole crew at the end (pre cleanup)!

BLT Tetons and Yellowstone Trip

So this was my final trip for my internship with the USU Outdoor Recreation Program. I think it was more successful than the first trip, and they definitely liked my food better this time ;)

So, I started out the 'trip' the night before we left by opening nearly 50 cans of beans, tomato sauce and tuna for chili and sandwiches during the trip. My hand was in so much pain, but the end result was great - they loved it!

Here is a pot full of chili - that isn't even all of it.

We drove to Teton Village the first day and took the tram to the tip-top of the mountain. It was beautiful. We then proceeded to the Gros Ventre campground in Teton NP and stayed the night.

The next day we met up with an organization called Tree Fight (http://www.treefight.org/) who are striving to save the White Pine from the beetles that have killed millions of trees across the US. We looked at some trees, took core samples and did a hike to the top of a mountain to check out the damage that the beetles had done.

That night we drove ALL the way through Yellowstone, but first made this stop at the Yellowstone river lookout. The sun was setting and the pictures and the view were incredible. We made it to our Hotel in Gardiner, MT and got to sleep in a quiet room with beds and showers.

The next day we went through Yellowstone to check out some geysers and the animals etc. I didn't take many pictures because there really wasn't much time and the students had the picture department covered! The trip was a success, but I was exhausted afterward.

I also was able to wrap up my internship and finish my portfolio and turn it in, just in time to get my A- grade posted and to finally be finished with my undergrad!!!!

Megan's Wedding

My very close friend Megan got married a few weeks ago and I won't hesitate to say it was one of the most fun weddings I've ever been to. Cheers to the Husman's!

This is Molly and I before the bachelorette party (sadly, its fuzzy) getting ready in the McDonald's bathroom.

Our table for dinner - Me, Rodney, Rissa and Claire

We got a picture with the Groom - Erin, Claire, Me, Matt, Molly and Rissa

And finally, a picture with the Bride! Me, Megs, Rissa and Claire

I'm very happy for Megan and Matt, they are a great fit for each other and will be (and have been) so happy together!

BugLab does Zion

WOW! This trip was AMAZING.

We left on Sunday afternoon. Monday we headed into Kolob Canyon, down La Verkin Canyon to sample La Verkin Creek. About an 8-9 mile day. Tuesday we were up at 5:30am and out of this canyon by 9:30. ...

working... ?

La Verkin Creek

We then proceeded to the Zion Visitor Center to double check permits. Then we went to the Grapevine Trailhead. It looked like this from the top. . .

We scrambled down on somewhat of a trail. We scrambled back up this with no trail. . .
A 9-10 mile day.

On Wednesday we went down the canyon walls once more to the Left Fork (of what, I'm not sure). Jessie and I sampled 2 sites down at the exit of the Subway. Wednesday was a 4-5 mile day. None of us could walk straight after this. We drove home Wed. night.

Here is a more detailed account if you're interested . . .

Anyway, my trip into Zion was incredible. I'm so exhausted and I can barely walk but I loved every minute of it. We started at Kolob Canyon bright and early (5:30) on Monday morning and hiked down about 4 miles. Then we split up our crews and Jessie and I scrambled down the canyon to the confluence to take a sample. We ended up doing about 7 miles that day and taking 3 samples. I can't tell you how heavy my pack was with my backpacking stuff and sampling stuff. It was Jessie's first backpacking trip so I kind of had to take the reins. Luckily I was well equip and had a working knowledge of what I was doing.

The next morning we got up about around the same time and hiked out. It was a rough 6 mile climb and we were out before 10 am. We kind of took it easy, stopped at the visitor center and ate lunch then we headed to the Grapevine trailhead. We got to the canyon rim and there was pretty much no trail after that so we scrambled down the wall and up to this really cool spring with a hanging garden to take a sample. Apparently there were some rare damselflies there that we collected. It was so pretty down there, and it really felt like the back country because I don't think normal people ever really go down there. We played in the water and cooled off. We had great weather the first two days - it was overcast but still very warm. We drove up to Kolob Reservoir to stay the night and saw another crew from the lab - really weird. It was nice and cool up there and I was surprised to find out that there is a little village up that road called Kolob.

Wednesday we were up so early again, and headed to the Left Fork Creek (I think?) and Jessie and I did the Left Fork section which is the exit to the subway. Fortunately for anyone who goes to the subway with me, they will have an experienced guide, since the trail isn't too easy to follow. It was still really pretty, even if we were exhausted and the sun was out. We sampled two sites and then crawled up the canyon wall one last time. We waited at the top to meet the other crew, they were two hours late. Apparently Sarah (she is the assistant lab director) dislocated her knee down in the canyon. It was swollen and bruised. I'm glad that wasn't me. Our drive home felt really long, but I'm home now, thankful to have had a shower and in my bed with pillows!

Moab

The staff in Arches

Landscape Arch (?)

Delicate Arch

To be completely finished with school, I have to finish an internship. I'm working with the Outdoor Recreation Program on campus to plan a couple trips for a group of international students from all around the world (i.e. Iraq, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Angola, Cambodia, etc.). The first trip we planned was a four day excursion to Moab. I planned some hiking activities in Arches NP and all the food. I really love programming for these students. They are a positive group and are happy to go with the flow. I have really enjoyed learning about their countries, habits and customs. Here's a taste of the trip, we're heading to Yellowstone in about two weeks. I'm excited!

Road Trip to Phoenix

My friend Megan is getting married, but before that happened she had to move to be with her fiance in Phoenix and I helped her move! We drove to Las Vegas for a night, we gambled (i came out even) walked around the strip and enjoyed a piano bar. The next day we drove to Phoenix, stopping for froyo along the way. Once we got there, we helped Matt (Meg's fiance) and his classmates celebrate finishing their first year of dental school. The next day we ate some top notch Mexican food, swam and went to the driving range. We went to the Braves vs. Diamondbacks game. Baseball is fun! We also ate at a great cajun restaurant. It's a bummer than Megan had to move, but its an excuse to go visit!