Mountain Biking on the Gould's, JEM, Cow Bell, Cryptobiotic and Goose Bump Trails in Hurricane, Utah

Father's Day is finally behind us and we are back at it...  Mountain biking that is.  We met Pete at a set of trails just outside of Hurricane, Utah.  And seriously, they pronounce it "HurriKen".  I believe that is to easily identify outsiders.  Anyone with all their teeth is also suspect.  Anyway, we met Pete at 6 AM, a reasonable time to start given the temperatures are over 100 degrees by afternoon and only in the 80's that early.  Julie helped Pete on with his camel back hydration pack, I took his bike out of the back of his truck, "Got your car keys?", Julie applies sunscreen to Pete's neck, arms and legs, "Did you lock the truck?"...  Honestly, it is like getting a 5 year old ready for school.  I have to think he manages on his own the days we are not with him, or does he?

A few month ago, Pete had just gotten home from a relaxing trip to Vegas with Cookie and was now spending all afternoon, every afternoon in the garage going through cupboards.  We kept asking Cookie what could he possibly be doing spending so much time in the garage when she finally spilled the beans....  He was looking for his checkbook.  His checkbook, in the garage?  It turns out he stashes his checkbook in an inconspicuous place whenever he travels so that a thief will never find it if the house is ever broken into.  Well that makes sense I guess...but only if you can remember where you stashed it!  After weeks and many hours of searching, he finally found it in a different, more obscure location.  This seemed odd and we really got a kick out of it, until the HurryCane Incident, not to be confused with the town (previously mentioned), or the weather.  One of Cookie's sons had purchased a HurryCane as seen on Fox News for her as she can have some difficulty getting around the casinos.  He asked Julie and me to see if she was using the gift he had purchased more than a year ago.  While we were at the house for Sunday dinner we asked about the cane.  Julie and Cookie went to her room to retrieve the cane, still in the original box.  As Julie carefully opened the box to remove the cane, money started falling out...lots of it.  In fact the final count was $840 in twenties laying all over the table.  Cookie immediately turned on Pete, "Why did you hide money in there?".  "Me?, why would I go into your closet, open your HurryCane box and shove $840 in it?".  Pete was making some good sense.  Cookie has a history of stashing Vegas money for the next trip and not always remembering where she placed it.  In fact, Pete told us he found a stash of bills in one of the winter coats Cookie never wears.  He siphoned money from that pocket for months until it was all gone and never a word was heard from Cookie.  All we know is that if anything ever happens to them, we have to go through every coat, book, sock, you name it to make sure we are not giving away some Vegas trip.  Oh, and in case any of you are thinking about hitting Pete and Cookie's house for the cash/check book when they are away, it is now kept securely in our safe which I might add is heavily guarded, if you know what I mean.

Back to our bike ride.  We wanted to stage the seat in the backpack incident for all of you so you can see what we get to experience on our rides.  I have to admit Pete is a good sport and willingly subjected himself to our setting up the photo, the laughter and almost falling as we had him pose on a steep hill with the bike seat wedged into his backpack.  If you will remember, it happened on a previous ride on these same trails and Julie did not get a picture because she was too busy rescuing Pete.  Sometime I just think she has her priorities screwed up!

Pete walking his bike down the switchbacks
(Reenactment)

Julie assisting Pete with the set up for the picture.  What you can't see, Pete sliding and almost falling, Julie cracking up!

Seat hung up in backPack
(Not the actual event)

Now you see what we have to deal with!  You also get to see the extents to which we will go to provide entertaining blogs.  Speaking of pictures...  Pete has been trying to heal from his last several falls and can now cough without screaming, move his shoulders somewhat and has lost most of the scabs on his legs.  All of this has left him a little gun shy while riding.  He does not approach the loose rocks or steep downhills with the same vigor he once had.  On this particular ride we came up to two steep hills that are one after the other. I sped down the first one and waited for Julie and Pete.  Pete stopped at the top as did Julie.  She calmly walked Pete through the ride down the hill describing the best path and some nuances to watch out for.  Having done her job she came gliding down the hill to wait with me while Pete built up his courage.  Slowly he tipped the front wheel over the edge and ever so cautiously made his way down the hill without a problem.  I pictured a similar approach to the next hill and went down first.  This is a steeper hill with a steep drop close to the top and much more challenging than the previous hill.  As I was part way down, I could hear another cyclist roaring down the hill and gaining on me quickly.  To be honest, I was a bit angry with whoever this thoughtless rider was and planned to give him or her (politically correct) a piece of my mind once I got out of their way, just as I heard the crash.  It was Pete!  Don't ask me what got into him, although I soon found out...the bicycle seat if you know what I mean.  I quickly laid down my bike and ran over to  the pile up, man and bike, inter-tangled in positions neither of them was intended to be in.  Ok, as I was running to the pile up...a thought did cross my mind, if only for a split second...do I get a picture?  I know you are all gasping, but this was a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions and how could I pass it up?  I mean we had just finished setting up a picture to reenact a previous incident, and here it was, right in front of me!  Ok, I did the right thing this time and proceeded to untangle Pete from his bike.  At one point I was pulling his foot from the spokes and trying to raise his bike off of him.  It turned out the handlebars were twisted in an unfamiliar position with one end under Pete's stomach.  He kept yelling "It's caught, it's caught!", as I yanked on the bike to get it off of him.  I thought he meant his foot which I had just freed from the spokes.  Instead it was the handlebar poking him in the gut as I tried to lift the bike.  We eventually got it all sorted out and I'm happy to report that Pete is none the worse for wear with perhaps the exception of the seat impingement which should heal over time.

Not wanting to give Pete a day off, and wanting to end this blog on high note, we hiked today and spotted a baby Mojave Desert Tortoise !  And a big one.  Quite a good day for spotting tortoise.  

Adult tortoise

Baby Mojave Desert Tortoise (ahhh) with Pete's scrapped up shin

Father's Day 2016

I think Father's Day may be one of the most underrated "Holiday's" of the year.  Compared to MOTHER'S DAY, it is almost like an afterthought.  Hallmark dedicated shelf after shelf to Mother's Day cards while Father's Day gets a couple of spots for the meager selection, most of which poke fun at fathers...  Well, today that all changes!  I'm dedicating this blog to Father's Day and in particular PETE!

Historical Photo of Pete in his early father years.  Cookie is looking hot!

Pete today!

When we decided to retire, we had a choice of options (anywhere outside of California).  Sedona, AZ was one option.  Majestic red rocks, hiking, mountain biking, the "vortex".  Prescott, Flagstaff, Las Vegas, plenty of options.  We finally decided on Saint George because it had everything we wanted...and Julie's parents lived there.  I fully realize that most of us have to go where our jobs take us.  That is important and I totally get it.  When a job no longer dictates where you live, other things become a priority.  In this case, we wanted to live nearby Julie's parents in their, and our retirements.  Cookie had always longed for family dinners on Sunday's and we were going to make that a reality.  We were doing this for "our" parents.  It turned out that we are the ones benefiting from our close proximity.

The "Twins" at Angel's Landing, Zion National Park

How many times do you get to spend several days a week with your dad?  Most people never have that pleasure.  I did not, as my father died when I was in my early 20's.  I never got to know him man to man and I wish that had not been the case.  Now Julie and I are getting to spend adult time hiking, riding, eating out and seeing movies with her father.  We laugh and we talk and most of all we appreciate this time together.

Julie's dad worked really hard raising his family, he took her to her softball practices, attended games, picked through the trash at the ball parks to recycle aluminum for her spending money.  He woke up all the kids early when they would have rather been sleeping, gave them chores and taught them responsibility.  He taught her to drive picking routes neither of them had ever been on before, more often than not getting lost.  (Sounds a bit like our hikes today) He drove her off to college with all of her belongings, attended her college games when he could and has always been there to support her no matter what.  We can never repay everything he has done for Julie and there is no expectation, he is her father.  What we can do is let him know how much we appreciate him, enjoy his company and value his opinion.  We try to do that each time we are together, and if we fail some days, hopefully this blog will let Pete know how we really feel about him and how much we enjoy our time with him.

Pete is not only a great father and father-in-law, but he is our friend.  That is exactly what we were hoping for when we moved to STG.  Oh, and Cookie has gotten her Sunday family dinners, although we always get take out so none of us has to cook.

Happy Father's Day, Pete!  We love you!

Dad and kids Part I

Dad and Kids Part II

Pete Keeps Up with the Latest Trends in Fashion

I always knew Pete was a slave to fashion, but even I had no idea how far he would go to keep up with the latest trends.  I'm sure any of you who have viewed the news on line as I do have seen the latest star to expose the sides of her breasts in public.  Keep in mind I do not open these links, but I know they exist.  Well, we went to return Pete's cell phone which he had left at Walmart...in a shopping cart.  Being the wonderful son in law that I am, I went to the customer service counter (oxymoron) and asked if anyone had discovered a cell phone in a hideously pink case...my exact words.  One moment please as she gets on the store radio..."Has anyone turned in a cell phone in a hideously pink case?"...Oh, they have.  We will get it for you, just ANOTHER moment please.

After what seemed like an eternity, a nice gentlemen came up and asked if we could identify the phone...  Let's see, HIDEOUS pink case?  Who would knowingly ask for such a phone?  Ok, must be yours...

We took the phone to Pete who was working in the garage when we noticed the tears under both arms of his 20+ year old T-shirt.  I thought it must be falling apart, but then looking more closely, I realized the lengths Pete would go to in order to keep up with the latest fashion trends....

Pete keeping up with the Kardashians...

Because of my commitment to this blog, I painstakingly viewed picture after picture of side boob shots for what seemed like hours looking for one that I thought most closely resembled the look that Pete was going for.  Finally, totally exhausted I found it....

Watch for Pete on the cover of Vogue!

What about Cookie?

The Onion Ring Incident

Family Trip to Moab

 Young lovers...

If you have been reading our blog, it is becoming painfully apparent (at least to Pete) that we focus on Pete and very little on Cookie.  Part of that is due to the amount of time we spend hiking and riding with Pete while Cookie plays Parchese.  Also, you may have noticed that Pete seems to bring out a story or two no matter what he is doing or where he is going.  Sometimes while we are hiking I will think...I have to write about that.  On a recent mountain bike ride we came to a section of rocky switchbacks that were so challenging even I decided to use discretion and walked my bike.  (Gasp!)  Part way down the hill I decided it was safe to jump on the bike and take off as Julie and Pete were still walking their bikes down.  As Julie came to the last sharp bend, Pete called out for her to come help him out. She dutifully laid down her bike and ran back up the trail to where Pete was standing.  "I can't move", Pete complained.  "What is wrong?" asked Julie.  "It is my bike, it is hung up."  On closer examination, Julie found Pete's bike seat had tangled up in his back back preventing him from moving down the hill.  Once she stopped laughing, she freed him up to continue walking his bike down the hill.  "Did you get a picture?"!  My only concern...  No picture!!!@#$%  We are planning to stage the same incident if that is possible so that we can take a picture for all of you.

See how easy it is to get caught up in Pete tales?  Where was I?  Oh, Cookie!  Let's see, one particular event that sticks out in all of our minds is the Onion Ring Explosion.  Julie and I had decided to run a marathon a month back in 2014.  If you are planning to do this, don't.  It is relentless and unforgiving with some marathons only a couple weeks apart.  Julie had wisely scheduled the 11th marathon in Moab, Utah which is described as the toughest trail marathon in the United States.   We are not trail runners...how hard could it be?   Never mind that, more on Cookie.  Cookie and Pete graciously agreed to meet us in Moab to have some time together before the run.  On the evening before the run we were looking for place to eat.  We went to several restaurants that were full and ended up settling on a diner.  It looked like an ok place to eat, stainless steel decor on the outside, red booths and a large counter area on the inside. Not a lot of room to sit and wait for  table, but we will stand, what could go wrong?  Shortly after arriving, I noticed Cookie staring at the counter where the food is placed for the wait staff (politically correct) to grab the orders and take them to the tables.  She was fixated on the counter.  No attempt to talk to her would distract her from staring at the counter.  What was so important?  A lone plate of onion rings, growing colder by the moment.  She could not take her eyes off the onion rings.  Minutes seemed to drag by as the onion rings sat there, all alone under the heat lamp.  Minutes ticked away, finally she exploded at a poor bus boy that happened to be in the vicinity when she finally reached her limit.  "THOSE ONION RINGS HAVE BEEN SITTING UP THERE FOREVER!  I KNOW!  I'VE BEEN WATCHING THEM GETTING COLD!!!  WHEN IS SOMEONE GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?!"  Needless to say, the whole diner went silent.  The bus boy tried to make some excuse about being busy, but to no avail.  The onion rings were scooped up by a waitress and delivered to a nearby table, cold I'm sure.  Pete, Julie and I moved slightly away from Cookie for the remainder of our long wait for a table...

The dinner was fine, but I'm sure I tasted something like spit that was not my own in every bite I ate.  I'm sure it was my imagination....

No, not twins silly!  It is Julie and Cookie!

Grand Canyon Hike

Grand Canyon Hike 2016

Dave and Julie at the Grand Canyon (Pete is around here somewhere...)

Oh, there he is!

Before you start yelling, "Elder Abuse!", he wanted to do this hike. We have been wanting to get Pete to the GC so that he would consider the Rim to Rim hike with us before reaching 70 years old.  As you can imagine, there is not much time.  The only good times to take such a long hike in the GC are in May or October to take advantage of the cooler weather without having to deal with snow on the North Rim.  To give him a taste of what we have planned, we decided to take him on an "easy" hike beginning on the North Rim, heading down the North Kaibab Trail to the Cottonwood Camp Ground 6.8 miles down the trail.  Oh, did I mention it is 4,161 feet of elevation change?  That is not really important until the climb out, another 6.8 miles with 4,161 feet of elevation gain!

We started the morning hike like any other morning getting up at 2 AM and picking up Pete at 3 AM for the 3 hour drive to the North Rim.  The drive went without a hitch with both Julie and Pete sleeping most of the way and missing the endless deer on the sides of the road and crossing the road right in front of the truck.  When we arrived it was  time to pull out breakfast, use the rest room and gather up the hiking gear which included backpacks with hydration bags, food for the hike and the all important hiking poles.  Hiking poles are sometimes a pain to carry, but can come in handy on a nice trail that is mostly climbing because they allow the use of your arms to help drive you up the hill...if you know how to swing you arms in coordination with your legs. More on that later...

The early part of the hike was chilly which is always better that cooking.  We ran into an occasional hiker along the way as we progressed down the path.  "How much further" became the constant theme when Pete would talk.  He is exceptionally quite early in the morning which is unusual for him, but typical until he wakes up.  Mile after mile he trudged along with his friend, "gravity" helping him along the downward path towards Cottonwood.  

The scenery was absolutely breathtaking!

The beautiful scenery along the way helped the 3 hour hike down pass quickly.  Before we knew it, we were to Cottonwood.  There were a number of hikers in the campground area, some just starting out after spending the night, others just passing through and stopping for water and a quick snack like us.  

Time to head up!  "How far is it back to the car?", Pete asked finally understanding that Mr. Gravity was no longer his friend, but was now his worst nightmare!  "6.8 miles, the same amount we came down", I responded in a gentle manner so as not to alarm him.  The first 2.1 miles to Roaring Springs are a gentle warm up of gradual ups and down just to get us ready for the big climb.  When the trail finally turned steep, Pete only had 4.7 miles of very strenuous climbing to go.  Walk, rest, rest rest...walk, rest, rest, rest...  Each time Pete would stop which was often, he would lean against a tree, rock, anything so long as he did not have to stand upright.

I guess I did not take as many pictures of Pete in his resting position as I had thought so I have included two from a previous hike so you get an indication of how he looked.  People coming down the trail or passing us on their way up would stop, very concerned with his appearance and ask things such as "Hey buddy, you ok?" then once realizing he was with us, "Is he O.K.?  He does not look good."  This great show of concern basically went on the for the next 4.7 miles...how annoying!  It got to the point where we implored Pete to stand up straight and "look alive" when hiker were coming our way.  We did not want to appear like we were killing him!

Julie posing with Pete!

After 5.5 short hours (9 hours total), we emerged from the same trail head on which we had started.  Before I move on, the hiking poles....  You will note that Pete has them in several pictures.  He does not use these to assist with his hiking, but to lean on when taking breaks.  When we started to climb in the Grand Canyon we noticed his poles were of no use.  He would stab them into the ground randomly, but never in such a manner as to be of any assistance in hiking.  I pointed this out to Julie who jumped into action for a hiking pole lesson...  Right foot goes forward as the left hand goes forward, then left forward as the right hand goes forward...Walking 101.  Nope, did not work.  His arms move randomly from his feet and the best he could do was occasionally get the right arm and foot moving forward together.  Below is a picture of this lesson.  I'm sorry it is not a video because it was mesmerizing to watch.

The "Lesson"

The lesson failed miserably and we had to confiscate one the the poles as it was more of a hindrance than a help.  He did much better with one pole in a Gandalf, Lord of the Rings fashion.  

All in all, it was a good day.  We got to hike one of the most beautiful hikes in the country with our favorite hiking partner, Pete.  He was tired, but very accomplished in completing such a challenging hike.  He says he never wants to do that hike again, or heaven forbid go the entire way across.  Well, he is wrong!  Just think how great he will feel when he completes the entire Rim to Rim hike!  

If you see us on the trail, don't ask about Pete, it only feeds his self pity!  

Happy Trails!