Wasatch Crest
Here are pictures from our bike ride last weekend with our friends Ian. We biked the wasatch crest which is a beautiful trail with great views along the top of the Wasatch Mountains.
Mountain Biking
Brad and I went up to Jackson, WY for a weekend to camp and mountain bike. We did one of our standard weekends were we leave Friday right after work and get home really late on Sunday night.
On Saturday Brad and I drove to Driggs, ID (about 30min from Jackson), where Brad found us a really nice trail to ride. It was a moderatly difficult trail but the view was nice and we had a great time.
After our ride in Driggs we headed over to Teton National Park and biked the paved trail they recently installed going along the Teton mountain range. It was a nice easy ride especially after the difficult ride we had that morning.
After our bike ride we decided to go to Jackson Hole ski resort to ride the gondala and enjoy the views from the ski resort (it was free). As we were walking around Jackson Hole we discovered that they had mountain biking trails. Our oringinal plans were to bike Snow King one of the other ski resorts in Jackson, but after loooking at Jackson Hole's trail map we decided to change our plans.
So on Sunday we headed up to Jackson Hole again and biked for about 3 hours on the various trails they had. By the end of the day our legs were beat and so were we. It was a great weekend.
On Saturday Brad and I drove to Driggs, ID (about 30min from Jackson), where Brad found us a really nice trail to ride. It was a moderatly difficult trail but the view was nice and we had a great time.
After our ride in Driggs we headed over to Teton National Park and biked the paved trail they recently installed going along the Teton mountain range. It was a nice easy ride especially after the difficult ride we had that morning.
After our bike ride we decided to go to Jackson Hole ski resort to ride the gondala and enjoy the views from the ski resort (it was free). As we were walking around Jackson Hole we discovered that they had mountain biking trails. Our oringinal plans were to bike Snow King one of the other ski resorts in Jackson, but after loooking at Jackson Hole's trail map we decided to change our plans.
So on Sunday we headed up to Jackson Hole again and biked for about 3 hours on the various trails they had. By the end of the day our legs were beat and so were we. It was a great weekend.
Glacier National Park, MT
Brad and I had a great July 4th weekend. It started off with Brad's Mom and Grandmother flying into Salt Lake on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday morning we all headed off to Grand Teton National Park and Jackson, WY (My favorite place ever). After spending a day driving around the park looking at the great mountain range, and walking around Jackson we were all beat. We had a nice dinner and then crashed.
On Thursday morning we had a great breakfast at a little resturant, and then Brad and I headed to Glacier National Park in Montana, and Brad's Mom and Grandmother headed to Oregon.
Brad and I got to Glacier on Thursday night and set up camp. We had a great campsite right on the lake. We were beat from driving and excited for hiking and seeing the park next day and decided to crashed. Friday we woke up and drove all through the park. There is one main road throught the park were all the hikes and views are off of. So we took our time driving the Going to the Sun road, taking pictures and enjoying the sights. As we drove throught the park a baby moose ran out in front of our car, and we had to wait for it to find it way back into the wood. We never saw a baby moose before. We did two hikes that night, one around a lake and another to a huge waterfalls. Both were so pretty. On the way back through the park that evening we were still in shock from the great views and decided to stop at a turnout. As Brad stopped the car and I got out of the car I saw a ram running down the side of the mountain to the road. I told Brad to come and look at the ram, but as he opened the door he went to step out and there was another ram which was right behind our car already. So we were stuck in our car watching these rams and enjoying the view. It wasn't what we expected when we decided to pull over. We decided it was getting late and should get back to our campsite, as we were driving back we saw four mountain goats on the side of the road. We were still getting over the fact that we just saw rams and now goats. After watching the goats for a while we finally made it back to the campsite and crashed.
Saturday was very interesting day. We started off excited to hike out to a glacier but when we got to the trailhead we found out that the hike was a lot longer then what our hiking book said. Brad and I are good hikers but we knew we couldn't do a 10mile hike starting out a 11am, so we decided to change our plans and drive up to the north end of the park to a little town. When I say little town I mean two buildings. One a bar and the other a country store which sold the best bread and cinnamon rolls. It was cool because the town was having its 4th of July celebration with a picnic, live band and outdoor games. Brad and I got a cinnamon roll, a beer and watched the activities. Then we took the scenic drive back to our campsite and took a short hike around the lake by our campsite and sat by the fire planning which hikes we were going to do the next day.
Sunday was a beautiful day and a great day for hiking. We took one hike to these two waterfalls. Brad and I were shocked that there weren't many people in the park, especially being a holiday weekend, but we didn't mind. We enjoyed both falls while eating trail mix and gornla bars. After our hike we went into town, got some souvenirs, ice cream and headed back into the park. We then did this amazing hike out onto a glacier and to an overlook of another glacier and a lake. Brad and I both thought this hike the highlight of our weekend. As we were hiking we were joined by mountain goats along the trail. They were right there on the path enjoying the great sights with us.
Then while look up at a mountain we saw another ram which was walking along the ridge of the mountain. It was so neat to be so close to wildlife in their environment. The views were wonderful and the hike was great. We never walked on a glacier before so that in it self was cool and the views and goats just added to it. Then we went back to our campsite to enjoy our last night at Glacier.
On Monday we woke up, ate packed up our tent and heading for the hiking trail. Brad and I wanted to squeeze in one more hike before making the long drive back to Salt Lake. We picked a shorter hike that lead us to a lake which had about four huge waterfalls flowing into it.
We enjoyed the sight and hiked back slowly knowing we had a 13 hour car ride in front of us. We drove through the park one more time and off to the highway back to Salt Lake. Brad and I both really enjoyed the park (so far we haven't found a National Park we don't like) and can't wait to go back again.
All in all the weekend was perfect. The campgrounds were nice, the sight were beautiful, weather was perfect (not to hot and not to cold) and the company was great. Brad and I just like being outside enjoying the beauty.
Check out our pictures. I am sorry there are so many but there were so many great views and moments (plus I love to take pictures).
On Thursday morning we had a great breakfast at a little resturant, and then Brad and I headed to Glacier National Park in Montana, and Brad's Mom and Grandmother headed to Oregon.
Brad and I got to Glacier on Thursday night and set up camp. We had a great campsite right on the lake. We were beat from driving and excited for hiking and seeing the park next day and decided to crashed. Friday we woke up and drove all through the park. There is one main road throught the park were all the hikes and views are off of. So we took our time driving the Going to the Sun road, taking pictures and enjoying the sights. As we drove throught the park a baby moose ran out in front of our car, and we had to wait for it to find it way back into the wood. We never saw a baby moose before. We did two hikes that night, one around a lake and another to a huge waterfalls. Both were so pretty. On the way back through the park that evening we were still in shock from the great views and decided to stop at a turnout. As Brad stopped the car and I got out of the car I saw a ram running down the side of the mountain to the road. I told Brad to come and look at the ram, but as he opened the door he went to step out and there was another ram which was right behind our car already. So we were stuck in our car watching these rams and enjoying the view. It wasn't what we expected when we decided to pull over. We decided it was getting late and should get back to our campsite, as we were driving back we saw four mountain goats on the side of the road. We were still getting over the fact that we just saw rams and now goats. After watching the goats for a while we finally made it back to the campsite and crashed.
Saturday was very interesting day. We started off excited to hike out to a glacier but when we got to the trailhead we found out that the hike was a lot longer then what our hiking book said. Brad and I are good hikers but we knew we couldn't do a 10mile hike starting out a 11am, so we decided to change our plans and drive up to the north end of the park to a little town. When I say little town I mean two buildings. One a bar and the other a country store which sold the best bread and cinnamon rolls. It was cool because the town was having its 4th of July celebration with a picnic, live band and outdoor games. Brad and I got a cinnamon roll, a beer and watched the activities. Then we took the scenic drive back to our campsite and took a short hike around the lake by our campsite and sat by the fire planning which hikes we were going to do the next day.
Sunday was a beautiful day and a great day for hiking. We took one hike to these two waterfalls. Brad and I were shocked that there weren't many people in the park, especially being a holiday weekend, but we didn't mind. We enjoyed both falls while eating trail mix and gornla bars. After our hike we went into town, got some souvenirs, ice cream and headed back into the park. We then did this amazing hike out onto a glacier and to an overlook of another glacier and a lake. Brad and I both thought this hike the highlight of our weekend. As we were hiking we were joined by mountain goats along the trail. They were right there on the path enjoying the great sights with us.
Then while look up at a mountain we saw another ram which was walking along the ridge of the mountain. It was so neat to be so close to wildlife in their environment. The views were wonderful and the hike was great. We never walked on a glacier before so that in it self was cool and the views and goats just added to it. Then we went back to our campsite to enjoy our last night at Glacier.
On Monday we woke up, ate packed up our tent and heading for the hiking trail. Brad and I wanted to squeeze in one more hike before making the long drive back to Salt Lake. We picked a shorter hike that lead us to a lake which had about four huge waterfalls flowing into it.
We enjoyed the sight and hiked back slowly knowing we had a 13 hour car ride in front of us. We drove through the park one more time and off to the highway back to Salt Lake. Brad and I both really enjoyed the park (so far we haven't found a National Park we don't like) and can't wait to go back again.
All in all the weekend was perfect. The campgrounds were nice, the sight were beautiful, weather was perfect (not to hot and not to cold) and the company was great. Brad and I just like being outside enjoying the beauty.
Check out our pictures. I am sorry there are so many but there were so many great views and moments (plus I love to take pictures).
Extreme Outdoor Activies in Salt Lake
Brad and I had a great weekend here in Salt Lake. We started off on Saturday with a great bike ride up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Our ride was over 14 miles longs and for all of it we had great views of the mountains and canyon (see pictures). Brad and I did have a little bit of excitement at the end of the ride. We were going up this one trail to get over to our car and on the way up the trail Brad yelled at me to turn around and I did. He then told me to drop my bike (we left our bikes on the top of the hill because we really didn't want to ride up the hill again) and head back down the hill. I was very confused but listened to him. On the way down the hill Brad informed me that there was a huge bear crossing our bike path up ahead. We walked down the hill and waited for about 10 minutes before heading back to our bikes because the bear looked like it was passing through. We hiked up the hill and saw that is was bear free and picked up our bikes and rode for about 30 seconds before we spotted a huge moose on our trail now. Brad and I stopped and just looked at each other speechless. We decided to ride back down the trail and find another way to our car because the wildlife obviously did not want us to use the bike trail. After ride for a while we made it to the road up Big Cottonwood canyon and Brad got a ride to our car and then came back to me and the bikes. Brad and I still can't believe we saw both a bear and a moose.
Then on Sunday Brad and I decided to get up and hike Mt. Olympus. This mountain, for those of you who don't live in Utah, is one main mountains on the Wasatch and is the most prominent and recognizable mountain in the Salt Lake Valley. It is 9,012 ft tall. The hike is 6 miles round trip and has about a 4,200 ft elevation change on the hike. That means it is very steep.
Brad and I have a great view of the summit at our apartment and have talked about climbing Mt. Olympus many times. We finally find some time. Brad and I knew this was going to be a long hike, but that the views would be worth it, and we were right. We took our time and spent all day hiking. At the end of the day we just wanted a nice long shower, dinner and a bed. We were so beat when we were done but so worth it. Check out some of our pictures.
Now that Brad and I have our hiking legs on, we are headed to Glacier National Park up in Montana on the Canada boarder for the 4th of July. I should have pictures up late next week of that trip.
Mountain Biking in Moab
Brad and I took a long weekend and went to Moab, UT. This is one of our favorite places in Utah (we have many favorite places). In Moab is Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Dead Hourse Point State Park. Moab is also know for its great mountain biking trails, especially Slickrock (which has appeared in numberous mountain biking magazines over the years according to Brad).
We got in Friday early evening into our campsite. We cooked dinner and enjoyed the great out doors. That night about 930ish we went to Arches National Park and hiked to Delicate Arch. It was really cool because it night and so very dark. (Brad and I both had lights, don't worry.)When we go to the Arch we were a little disappointed because we really couldn't see it because there was no moon to light it up, but our disappointed ended when we saw all the stars. We layed down and just scanned the ski for shooting stars for about an hour (We saw a bunch). It was a great night. Since we live in the city its always too bring to see the stars at the night, and it was just perfect Friday night because we were miles out in the middle of the desert with no lights around us at all. We were mostly alone hiking out to the Arch, there was a group of teenages who hiked out right behind, and then on our way back to our car we saw a boy scout trip of about 12 people hiking out. So Brad and I aren't the only crazy people who hike to the Arch at night.
On Saturday we slept in since we didn't back from Arches until after 1am, and hung around the campsite, waiting for late afternoon to go to Slickrock to mountain bike. It gets really hot during the day in Moab since it is in Southern Utah, so it is best to do things really early in the morning or later in the day. We choose later in the day. We were both really excited to bike slickrock it is the trail of all trails to ride as a mountain biker. It was cool and it looked like it was going to rain, but it never really rains in Utah so we didn't worry about. The trail had some really tough up and down hills, but it was a great trail. We had a great time and already have weekend in July when we are going back to ride it again.
On Sunday Brad and I got up, and hung around the campsite. We enjoyed the morning and then decided to go on another bike ride on a random trail in Moab before we head back to Salt Lake City. We picked an easier one since we were both beat from Saturday's ride. We had the perfect weather for the ride and choose a great trail.
Like I said before Brad and I already have a weekend in July picked out to head back to Moab for some more mountain biking.
We got in Friday early evening into our campsite. We cooked dinner and enjoyed the great out doors. That night about 930ish we went to Arches National Park and hiked to Delicate Arch. It was really cool because it night and so very dark. (Brad and I both had lights, don't worry.)When we go to the Arch we were a little disappointed because we really couldn't see it because there was no moon to light it up, but our disappointed ended when we saw all the stars. We layed down and just scanned the ski for shooting stars for about an hour (We saw a bunch). It was a great night. Since we live in the city its always too bring to see the stars at the night, and it was just perfect Friday night because we were miles out in the middle of the desert with no lights around us at all. We were mostly alone hiking out to the Arch, there was a group of teenages who hiked out right behind, and then on our way back to our car we saw a boy scout trip of about 12 people hiking out. So Brad and I aren't the only crazy people who hike to the Arch at night.
On Saturday we slept in since we didn't back from Arches until after 1am, and hung around the campsite, waiting for late afternoon to go to Slickrock to mountain bike. It gets really hot during the day in Moab since it is in Southern Utah, so it is best to do things really early in the morning or later in the day. We choose later in the day. We were both really excited to bike slickrock it is the trail of all trails to ride as a mountain biker. It was cool and it looked like it was going to rain, but it never really rains in Utah so we didn't worry about. The trail had some really tough up and down hills, but it was a great trail. We had a great time and already have weekend in July when we are going back to ride it again.
On Sunday Brad and I got up, and hung around the campsite. We enjoyed the morning and then decided to go on another bike ride on a random trail in Moab before we head back to Salt Lake City. We picked an easier one since we were both beat from Saturday's ride. We had the perfect weather for the ride and choose a great trail.
Like I said before Brad and I already have a weekend in July picked out to head back to Moab for some more mountain biking.
REAL Salt Lake Major League Soccer
Well Brad and I went to a major league soccer game last Saturday night. We got tickets through my work so we had great seats and didn't have to pay a thing. The game was against the Colorado Rapids and it was a good game. We tied 1 to 1 both goals were within the last 10 minutes of the game. Brad and I had a real good time. It was a good game to go to because David Archuleta (runner up on American Idol and SLC resident), sang the national anthem and then at the end of the game gave a free concert. Now you all know that I am a huge country fan, but we sayed and enjoyed the concert.
Timpanogos Caves
Well Brad and I finally got around to going to Timpanogos Caves right here in Salt Lake. We have spent a lot of our last year and a half traveling to other places and not doing/seeing the stuff right here in Salt Lake.
Timpanogos Caves are made up of three moderate-sized limestone caves: Hansen Cave, Middle Cave and Timpanogos. The caves were very pretty, with some really neat formations. We spent a lot of time in the caves learning about the history of it, and how people came across them. Brad and I had a really great time at Timpanogos.
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