Temple Square and XTERRA USA Champs Pre-Ride

     Day 2 in Utah brought a trip to downtown Salt Lake City to take in some of the sights, mainly Temple Square. With Shannon and I being LDS members there were plenty of exciting things for us to see at the Square. There were some questionable parking meters that had been recently installed. We parked in a group of three parking spaces that had just two numbers posted on the sign around them. The sign was also placed in a weird spot behind the car so we weren't sure what spot number we actually were parked in. We did a quick game of eenie-meenie-miney-mo and picked one before paying and then heading across the street to see some of the church buildings.

Salt Lake Temple

     Our first stop was at one of the churches most precious landmarks, the legendary Salt Lake Temple. It was the coolest building I have ever seen. Actually, every building in Temple Square is amazing, but the temple tops the cake for sure. Just as impressive as the buildings is the beautiful landscaping that abounds throughout the downtown area. there was some sort of garden everywhere you looked.

Shannon in a garden around the temple

Looking at the temple from a garden

     We were stalked by two sister missionaries who had noticed Shannon's "I Survived Warrior Dash" T-shirt. They wanted to ask us about the race. We got to talking to them and next thing you know we are getting a full-fledged tour of the Square by missionaries. It was a very good experience as they shared stories about how the early pioneers built the church buildings and how much time they put into every little detail. For instance, the only wood available to the settlers at that time was pine, but they wanted the church pews in the Assembly Hall to look like oak. So, each pew was hand-painted to looked like oak. Every grain and line in the wood was painstakingly added to the top of the pine wood. Pine columns were also painted to look like marble. It was pretty awesome to see how they offered their best efforts to make the Assembly Hall as best as they could to welcome in the spirit of the Lord.

Front of Assembly Hall

Inside Assembly Hall with the oak-painted pine pews

Shannon loved the detailed flowers etched on the ceiling

Side view of Assembly Hall

     We toured the two visitors' centers after Assembly Hall before heading back to the car to add some time to our meter so we could go tour the massive Conference Center. Before we even got to the car, I could see something sticking out from under the windshield wiper. Sure enough, we had a parking ticket. Turns out we picked the wrong spot number. But that wasn't our only problem. We also entered the spot number wrong on the digital meter, making us look even more guilty of not paying for our spot!

A sample cart that was used to drag the heavy stones into the Salt Lake Valley for the building of the temple and Assembly Hall. That was hard, hard work.

A cutaway display of the inside of the Salt Lake Temple

The display had every room detailed

Behind the cutaway was a great view of the real temple

A model of Jerusalem around the time of Christ

A very nice statue of the Lord in front of a painting of the stars and planets. This display took up an entire room.

Looking down the sidewalk toward the LDS Conference Center.

      After putting time on the right spot, we took a tour of the Conference Center. It is a really impressive structure. The plans called for a building that was taller than zoning restrictions allowed. The church didn't want to change the plans, so they dug a massive hole and built the building below ground in order to comply with the codes. We walked through pictures of the prophets and apostles, along with a tour of the auditorium which houses General Conference twice a year.

Conference Center

Inside the Conference Center

     Then we got to go onto the roof where there is a massive garden laid out. The garden represents the state of Utah. There's tall trees on the east side of the building to represent the mountains, then native grasses and flowers on the west to represent western Utah's' landscape. The soil they use for the plants is a mixture of real dirt and rubber in order to reduce the weight on the roof. I love hearing about how they plan out the small details for massive projects like the Conference Center building. It really is fascinating to see all the engineering it takes to make it possible and safe to hold conferences in.

Following Shannon and our tour guide through the trees on the east side of the garden

A fountain in the center of the garden

Flowers and grasses dominate the west side of the garden

View of the temple and downtown Salt Lake from the roof of the Conference Center

Shannon and I on the Conference Center roof with the Salt Lake Temple in the background

     After the Salt Lake tour, it was off to Ogden to pick up my registration packet for the XTERRA USA Championship that would be taking place the next day. We grabbed my packet, got my race numbers inked on my arms, attended the pre-race walk-through meeting and grabbed lunch at an Italian place before making the drive north through Ogden Canyon into the mountains for a pre-ride of the bike course.

Entering Ogden Canyon

Looking across the Pineview Reservoir toward the bright red hillsides covered with maple trees.

     We swung by the swim start area at Pineview Reservoir before parking at the Wheeler Canyon Trailhead. I had a flat front tire when I pulled my bike out of the car. I checked the tire and found a thorn. I was expecting that since I had seen quite a few thorns on my last few rides on the trail at home. I decided to go through the tire thoroughly before remounting. That was a good idea. I found three more thorns sticking in my tire, just waiting to ruin my race the next day. I went through the back tire too and found no thorns back there. That just goes to show you that you should give everything a good look-over before the race.

A stream running alongside the Wheeler Canyon Trail

The initial climb was a wide gravel road through the canyon

Climbing up the shady, but colorful Wheeler Canyon

     The pre-ride was awesome! I was stiff after all the driving and hiking so it felt good to loosen the legs. The trails were dry and dusty. The sights were beautiful. The trails took you up through sections of woods and cow pastures, while also providing epic views of the surrounding mountains, Ogden Canyon and the Pineview Reservoir. It was very helpful to pre-ride here as you quickly realize that the trail may not be technically challenging in most places, but it is definitely physically demanding. The finish is quite a bit higher in altitude and you must earn your way to the top. The climbing is never very steep, but it begins to wear on you as the grades seem to go on forever.

Flying by cow pastures on my way up the mountain

     I particularly liked the Sardine Peaks trail. It features many switchbacks, some sweeping, some tight. You  climb the north side of the mountains on this trail and reach the highest altitude on the course of 7300 ft. There is a nice overlook where you stand on a steep ledge looking down into Ogden Canyon with the Pineview Reservoir, where you begin the bike course, in the distance. To the south you can look down upon the finish area at the Snowbasin Resort.

A wooded section of Sardine Peaks

Overlooking the Pineview Reservoir near the top of the Sardine Peaks Trail

Looking into Ogden Canyon

It was a steep drop-off into the canyon from just below the overlook

Me sitting on the edge of the overlook with Ogden Canyon just behind me

     I enjoyed the sights for a while and then screamed down the descent. I was glad to see some rocks and tight turns along the way just to keep things interesting. The dust was deep on the descent and was sure to pose a problem on race day. Overall, I was pleased with the race course. I rarely like the layout of XC courses at mountain resorts, but this one was not as bad as I expected. It was almost entirely climbing, but it was still fun. I was actually excited for the race.

Highlights of my pre-ride from the GoPro chest cam

     Shannon picked me up at Snowbasin after I finished the course. We stopped for some ice cream at a small joint in Ogden Canyon before heading back to Gma's in West Jordan to get things ready for the next day's main event. A race report will be posted soon.

Road Trip

    It has been a busy few weeks with our recent trip to Utah to visit family, race the XTERRA USA National Championships and ride our bikes in new places. I'm doing my best to type the blogs, upload the pictures and edit the videos. I'll get the whole trip posted up soon.

     The final two weeks before the trip were spent cramming for the test...the test being the XTERRA USA Championship. What I've done to prepare for triathlon this year is not even worthy of being called training. Since July, I swam just three times and ran four times to supplement my bike training. I got in three practice triathlons at home prior to going to Utah, all of them taking place at my parent's house where I was able to swim in their pool and then ride and run on the trail. Each one made me feel a little more confident in my ability to at least complete the Championship race. My last test came a week before the race when I completed full race distance with relative ease. I knew the elevation of Ogden and the length of the run would be my biggest challenges in the race.

     Vacation couldn't have come at a better time. I have been increasingly frustrated at work the past few months and definitely needed the break. I have some issues with work, but I do love some things about it, like finding ways to make physical therapy fun for the patients and myself as well. Pat had a patient that needed to practice using her hands for her job and needed a volunteer. She happened to be a dental hygienist and I happened to need a cleaning. So...

   It was awesome! She got practice and I got clean teeth right before my trip. Shiny teeth for the lots of smiling that was sure to come in Utah.

    It was a rainy few days before our departure that made packing really fun. Not. It wasn't easy, but we made it work without getting our stuff soaked. We took Shannon's car because mine is not quite as dependable as it used to be. And her car has a tad more room in the trunk which we were sure to need with two weeks worth of clothes, race equipment, camping gear and three bikes on the packing list. 

    We finally left Tennessee the week of the race, on a Tuesday afternoon. It felt so good to be on the road. We have been planning this trip for almost a year. The first day's plan was to drive to a friend's house in Independence, MO, near Kansas City. We cruised through liight traffic enjoying the scenic roads of Kentucky and eastern Missouri while the sun was still up. I drive for most of our trips, but Shannon was quick to step up and split drive time with me for this trip as we had 27 hours ahead of us to make it to Gramma's house in West Jordan. 

     We stayed the night with Shannon's old roommate Shu Ling, who took care of us with a nice place to sleep and a great breakfast waiting the next morning. Shu Ling made sure we didn't leave hungry and, just in case we were still a little hungry, she started packing snacks for us to have on the drive. I think we left with everything from bags of nuts to grapes, gummy bears and beef jerky.

     This trip was my first time traveling west of St. Louis in a car. I've been to Texas a few times, and have flown to Las Vegas once and California twice, but had never seen anything in between. Northern Missouri, southern Iowa and Nebraska were not very exciting, but I still enjoyed seeing them. Driving I-80 in Nebraska is interesting because it is very different on each side of the interstate. The north side is flat and covered with wheat and corn, while the south side features a meandering river and multiple quarries and farms.

Owling at a rest stop in Nebraska

View of a small town in western Nebraska from a rest stop

Learning some history while taking a few minutes away from the car

     Once in Wyoming, we stopped by the Sierra Trading Post Outlet Store in Cheyenne, where I scored a good deal on a rain jacket and pair of Pearl Izumi bib shorts and Shannon found a nice price on some baggy mountain bike shorts.

Train across the plain in Wyoming

Wyoming sunset on Day 2

     Between the crazy headwind we had on I-80 and the ethanol-rich gas we had to buy, we got crappy fuel mileage the rest of the way, but we pushed on, knocking off the last 17 hours to Gramma's on Wednesday. We got to her house really late. I stayed awake by sipping a Monster and eating Shu Ling's beef jerky. I ate more beef on this drive than I've had in the last two years.

    It was dark when we arrived so I couldn't really see Utah yet. We didn't sleep in much on Thursday as we had a full day planned out. This was our day to take in some of the local sights. I was disappointed to see a hazy view of the mountains. They looked similar to the mountains in east Tennessee, almost blue. Here in Tennessee, it's the humidity that causes the blue look and limits sight distance. But Utah isn't humid. Shannon thought it might be smog since we were in the heavily populated valley just to the south of Salt Lake City, but that didn't look right either. We later learned that the haziness was caused by the smoke from wildfires in Idaho drifting into the valley and getting hung up by the mountains. The valley where we were is bordered on the west by the Oquirrh Mountains and on the east by the Wasatch Mountains.

     We first headed toward the Oquirrh Mountains to visit the largest copper mine in the world, the Kennecott Mine. It was one big hole.

2.5 miles across and 0.5 miles deep

Big trucks hauling big loads

Video: panning across the site of the mine

    Kennecott has a very informative visitor's center and a good viewing area of the mine. They spend a lot of time and resources planning out the mining and the restoration of the land afterwards. I enjoyed their displays on equipment such as the one on the truck tires. 

That's one big Michelin

10,183 lbs! $25,000! I'm glad I drive a Taurus...

     Shannon wanted to take me on a cave tour as well, so after Kennecott it was off to the Wasatch side of the valley to see the Timpanogos Cave at Mt. Timpanogos. Shannon has visited Gramma many times and gone to school at BYU in Provo, so she knew this was something we would like to do together. The cave tour begins with a 1.5-mile uphill walk along a paved trail that winds around the rocks on the edge of Mt. Timpanogos. We saw wildlife, great views of American Fork Canyon and even a fault line on the hike up to the cave entrance.

Entering American Fork Canyon by car. I wanted to my bike sooo bad!

Walking up to the cave

View from the hiking trail

View of American Fork Canyon. There was a wildfire burning up at the top left.

Tunnel along the hiking trail

The tunnel went right through a fault line. You can easily see the rock layers moving in opposing directions here.

Another tunnel ahead

This warning sign almost makes it look fun...

Looking out American Fork Canyon towards the valley

More funny warning signs. Yes, I have a weird sense of humor.

Ground squirrel on Mt. Timpanogos

GPS Map of the hike

      The cave was cool. There were some cool formations too look at and some interesting stories on how the cave and its offshoots were discovered. It's definitely worth your time if you are ever out in Salt Lake.

Inside the cave. I have no idea what I took a picture of. I just did the ol' point and shoot in the dark.

     After the cave tour, we drove further up into the canyon and then deeper into the mountains. Shannon wanted to go visit Cascade Springs. She had been there before, but it had been quite a while. The drive there was beautiful. The road was narrow and twisted it's way up to the top of a ridge and then back down. Again, I was wanting my bike!

Climbing up through the colorful maples on Hwy. 92 (Alpine Scenic Hwy)

Narrow, twisty climbs had my mouth watering for a ride

     As you can see from some of my pictures above, my camera lens got dirty on the inside and it haunted me throughout the trip with ugly dots and specs on a lot of the pictures. Sorry about that. It really ruined some great shots in my opinion.

     Cascade Springs was beautiful. The red maples were so bright that the hills looked like they were on fire. The springs travel over 2 miles under the mountains before they emerge and flow through a mountain pasture. It's a very cool place full of beautiful sights and the calming sounds of rushing water. The water was so clean that it made you just want to take a sip from the side of the trail.

Shannon and I in front of a bright maple

Walking trail around Cascade Springs

Nearby mountain

     We then took a gravel road out the back of the Wasatch Mountains into a small town called Midway. Then we drove back to West Jordan and had dinner with Gma, Gpa and Amber before watching the BYU football game on TV. It was a good first day of exploring and visiting with family.

Gravel road to Midway