Battle-Grove Loop PR
So nice, I did it twice. Battle Grove Loop. Always amazing. The Battle trail is in rough shape – high water and lots of erosion. Long stretches of the trail were literally underwater.
Galbraith Mountain Nostlagia
Visited my childhood mountain bike trails with my childhood mountain friend – Ken! So great. It unbelievable how much the place has changed. Signage, first aid stations, etc. To be honest…I kind of miss how it used to be. Less-developed, possibly illegal, and more isolated. Much more crowded now.
Hoher Kasten and the Appenzell Alps
Switzerland is every bit as charming and picturesque as everything you’ve seen in the movies – only more-so. They seem to be trying to out-Swiss themselves to the level of self-parody. It is absolutely stunning. I was only able to run in the Appenzell Alps. Breathtaking. Climbed up to Hoher Kasten summit, followed ridge line SW past Furgglenfirst to Saxer Lücke and down to Bollenwees and Fälensee Lake, then down the (often painfully steep) road past Lake Sämtisersee.
Yes, Lichtenstein
When you’re driving and a freeway exit says “Lichtenstein,” you exit. Burg Gutenberg and the royal castle.
Mont Saint-Eynard
What a time for my watch to malfunction. In any case, unbelievable views above Grenoble, France. Wowzers.
Rhein Gorge Castles
Wait, what? Yes. Castles along the Rhein Gorge in Germany. Sometimes work brings me to unbelievable places.
Aspen Grove Avalanche Debris
An enormous set of avalanches built up quite the slide on the Aspen Grove trail. Speaking with some old-timers, they hadn’t seen anything like this in decades.
Mountain Biking?!
In the 90s as a teenage mountain biking was my primary hobby. I still have the same old ’95 Specialized Stumpjumper hardtail (no front suspension even!) and I finally took it out for a spin. First proper trail ride in over a decade. It was a lot of fun…except for the slipping and sliding due to the commuter non-trail tires I put on it a few years ago…and the bad brakes. Went over my handlebars once.
More Road Work + PRs
Over the past few months I have been pushing speeds on pavement and it has actually been a lot of fun. Today, I went a bit nuts and threw down just over 16 miles. That made for some PRs. 10k PR – 47:19 10 Mile PR – 1:18:34 Half-Marathon PR – 1:45 25k PR – 2:09 Here are some other recent flat terrain PR-earning runs: 13 December 2018 10k PR – 49:24 22 December 2018 10k PR – 48:16…
Jello Legs Redux
Excited to see trails drying out and feeling up for some speed, I tried to PR on the long squiggly trails on the south side of the the mouth of Provo Canyon. PRs! Felt so good.