White Pine Lake Hike

This was one of my last true weekends of the summer before going back to school, so we decided to make a long drive North of Logan to hike White Pine Lake in the Bear River Range.

The drive was almost two hours, so we woke up as early as we could. There was a minor cat attack in our household the night before, so we ended up sleeping in a little more than we wanted to; we planned to leave by 6:30am, and we were out the door about 20 minutes after that.

The drive to the trailhead wound through several canyons and was gorgeous. It was almost 9:00am by the time we started out on the trail.

We picked this hike because we read that it was filled with wildflowers this time of year. The first mile or so was just blanketed with all sorts of red, yellow, blue, white and purple flowers. The first part of the hike was mostly through meadows at about 8,000 feet. The views were incredible and the temperatures were at least 20 degrees cooler than in Ogden (this is a good thing).

About halfway to White Pine Lake, the hike dipped into a forest area on the way to the White Pine Basin. We saw two huge deer and a lot of other wildlife.

With a half a mile left to the lake, the storm clouds we had been watching all hike started to roll in. There were only a few rumbles of thunder that seemed far away and no lightening. Still, two hikers were just in the news because they took a romantic hike and one was killed by lightening, so we were pretty concerned.  We debated back and forth about what to do and decided our best bet was to take shelter in some trees and wait it out. Heading back would be almost as dangerous as continuing on since we would be exposed to lightening either way.

It poured for about 20 minutes, but we stayed dry and comfy under a few huge pine trees. After the storm things cleared right up and it was blue sky and sun for the rest of the day.

When we got to White Pine Lake, we were glad we waited out the rain. The basin and lake were breathtaking. We explored the area a lot, including the campsites for backpackers. We picked out a few campsites in case we backpack in sometime in the future.

Because the lake is in a basin, the hike back was mostly uphill. By the time we got the car, it was almost 1pm and we were starving. In the grand tradition of Utah, all the restaurants we had looked up as potential lunch spots were closed.

In a twist of luck, Dirk spotted The Beehive Grill on our way out of town. It looked brand new and was miraculously open. They had homebrewed root beer and awesome food. (Actually, they had great microbrews too…but we were too beat to drink any alcohol.) The Beehive Grill was the find of the summer and the perfect ending to a great day outside. 

Lake Blanche Hike

In honor of Pioneer Day we decided to hike Lake Blanche and explore the wonderful country Brigham Young led his people to so many years ago. Actually, we just wanted to get the hell out of Salt Lake City and the parade chaos.

Lake Blanche is in Big Cottonwood Canyon, which I’d actually never been through. We spend so much time at Snowbird in Little Cottonwood that we’ve never made it over to big brother. We wanted to get to the trailhead early because it’s a State holiday today; Unfortunately, Dirk’s car had some unexpected engine issues and we ended up making a quick stop in Kaysville to buy oil.

Even with the delays, we were on the trail by 8:30am. The parking lot was packed and overflowing onto the Canyon road on both ends. One thing about Utah, you are never the first person to any outdoor destination. Whether it’s the lift line or the trailhead, someone is more diehard than you are.

Covering 5.6 miles and three lakes, the trail gains 2580 vertical feet on it’s way to the glacial basin that holds Lake Blanche. It was one of the better trails we’ve been on in terms of signs and trail condition.

We started along a rushing stream and hiked up through some beautiful Aspen groves. It’s been so dry in Uintah that it was great to get into a lush green area; it was also about 15 degrees cooler up in the Canyon.

The trail got pretty steep at some points, but it was much easier than the Malans Basin waterfall-climb-of-doom. Just before the lake is a huge area of glacial rock formations from thousands of years ago. The lake was cool and very pretty, but a little crowded. We hiked down to the more secluded Lake Florence to have a snack before heading back.

The whole hike took 4 hours, which was pretty fast considering the distance. Then we went to REI where we spent an obscene amount of money on equipment. We were hoping to go to the state liquor store while we were in the area, but it was closed in honor of Pioneer Day. 

Adam's Canyon Hike

Adams Canyon is a 3.4 mile hike along a beautiful river that ends in a 40 foot waterfall. We’ve come to the conclusion that Sunday is the day to hike because most people are at church. We got started early and were on the trail before 8:30am. We had the trail to ourselves except for a few early-morning runners.

The trail was pretty steep – it went up 500 feet in the first half mile of sandy switchbacks. The trail turned into Adam’s Canyon and followed a stream for the remaining mile and a half or so. The temperature along the shady stream was much cooler than the 80+ degree sun.

The trail got a bit strenuous along some rocks and steeps, but after the Malans Basin hike it seemed pretty tame. We were amazed how many people run and hike with dogs on such a steep trail.

The trail ended at a gorgeous waterfall that sprayed cool water over the entire area. We played around in the mist for a while before heading out. The trail is out and back, so it was just a downhill trek back the way we came. On the way back, the trail became significantly more crowded with families.

All told, the hike took about 2 hours, which was a nice because it was already 95 degrees out by the time we finished at 10:30. We headed home with pretty much the whole day ahead of us. 

Who says Utah doesn't know how to party?

The Park City Food and Wine Festival is a huge annual event spanning three days, and it was the first big thing we did together after moving to Utah. The three days have everything from large tastings, to group hikes/picnics, to mountain biking. There is also a huge variety of tasting classes on specific types of wine. No one is capable of hitting every event, so we decided to go to the Grand Tasting and a few smaller events after it.

Since it’s summer even the best hotels at the mountain resorts are very inexpensive. We got an all inclusive package at the Waldorf Astoria. The room was more like a suite and was completely amazing - not that we spent much time in the room, but it was still nice to be spoiled for a night.

We spent the afternoon hanging out at the pool and relaxing before getting ready. The Grand Tasting was from 3-6. We had to take a gondola to get there, which felt pretty strange without our equipment. The venue was amazing; it put the Grand Rapids Wine Festival to shame. There were tons of great vineyards and restaurants represented – and they were serving and pouring truly gourmet stuff. There were a ton of people there, but it was so open that we barely noticed.

The folk singer had the smoothest, James-Taylor voice. About halfway through the day he sang a version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by an amazing Hawiian singer named Iz. It’s one of my favorite versions of the song. We started looking around at the mountains and the people, and realizing that we really did what we’ve always wanted to do. The song was about dreams actually coming true, and ours had. We both got all choked up, but we were wearing shades so I don’t think anyone else noticed. It was a great moment to share together after spending so much time apart.

After the Grand Tasting there was a cocktail and food party at the hotel complete with a pig roast and tons of specialty cocktails. We hung out there for a few hours, but were totally spent by about 9pm.

The only downside to this wine taste was that – unlike in Michigan – you couldn’t order discounted wines during the taste. Most were available at the State Liquor stores, but at full price. 

Kitty Paradise

Yes, decorating the home is important. But what’s more important? If you have pets, then you know that finding the right home accessories and furniture for your pet just about trumps everything else.

The great thing about our new place is the open floor plan. Most of the action centers around the open kitchen and family room, which is visible from the upstairs and master bedroom. The cats spend a ton of time in this area – Breck and Shakespeare have always followed us around, but we see Kirkwood a lot more with this new layout. She prefers to spend most of her time on the stairs. 

I went to PetSmart intending to buy one cat tree for the main area. Note about cat trees: they are not cheap! If I had any engineering knowledge whatsoever, I know I could build one for about $15 with supplies from the Home Depot. Oh well.

I couldn’t decide on just one, so I went ahead and bought two. One was assembled, and one required some assembly. They both have been a huge hit with the cats - except Shakespeare who is still clearly pissed that he had to move. He pretty much just sits on the couch and/or bed in protest. 

There is just one downside to all these goodies: our living room now has almost as many pieces of kitty furniture as human furniture. We aren't just crazy, closeted cat people anymore - one look at our home and it's obvious we are the ones owned by our cats. 

The "Moderate" Hike of Doom

Today was our first hike as Utahans. After combing through two different hiking books for weeks, we picked a hike that was close to our house with what seemed like an appropriate length and degree of difficulty. The hike was listed as “moderate” by the hiking guide, which means it’s for “adults with an average level of fitness” – sounded perfect.

We started off on the Malans Peak Loop a little shaky. It's a 5.5 mile loop that goes up 2300 feet from trailhead to highest peak. Although there was a well-marked trail head at the beginning, it soon became clear that this was the type of hike that did not have signs and trail markings. At times we were not sure which trail was ours (or if we were on a trail at all). Luckily, we had detailed directions and a map to help us navigate through the hike.

The first section up to the hike was uphill along a stream to a 400-foot waterfall. The waterfall looked like something out of the movie Avatar – it was truly unbelievable.

After the waterfall, the guidebook described the following “look for the canyon continuing east up the gulch to the right of the falls. A few ledges warrant caution, but they are not dangerous, and no technical equipment is required”(13).

Now, it was pretty clear that there was only one way up the gulch – the rocky path to the right of the waterfall just as the book described. Unfortunately, I’d describe the “ledges” as mini-rock climbing walls a normal person would only attempt with at least a helmet on. We climbed a big group of boulders and up the first ledge, thinking a trail would magically appear. It did not.

At this point, Dirk was clearly nervous. From what I could see, there was one more tough climb and then things would level out a bit. We stood before the second ledge as he went back and forth about turning around. The problem was that it would be very difficult to get down the area we just climbed. I was 99% sure that we were on the right path, even if it was a treacherous one, but I didn’t want to say that because I didn’t want to be wrong and lose all my credibility on every future hike. 

Finally, I used all my former-camp-counselor skills and told Dirk to “try and push himself” and get up the ledge. Dirk is normally the one pushing me when we snowboard, so this hit a nerve and he climbed the “ledge” with no further complaints.

After the two death ledges, it was still a hand over hand, crawl/scramble for over 600 feet. I don't think you could even consider this hiking because we were not upright. By that time, I was convinced we were in fact on the trail, but Dirk thought there was no way this was a trail labeled as moderate in a hiking book. (Ultimately, I was right – we were on the trail and ended up exactly where we were supposed to be.)

After we reached the top of the gulch, things got much better. We dropped into lush Malans Basin and hiked a few miles of beautiful forest. After that, we made our way up to Malans Peak, which offered breathtaking views of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake and the entire Wasatch front.

By the end of the hike, we were both glad that we didn't turn around at the waterfall, and agreed that we's hike it again now that we knew what to expect. The hike was a great way to see a huge variety of land, water and foliage over a short 3.5 hours. 

A Room of One's Own

All the unpacking and moving and shifting has finally begun to turn an empty McMansion into our home. One of the first things I tackled was the guest bedroom. Although we’ve invited people left and right, we don’t have any plans for visitors in the near future. Still, it’s always good to be prepared in case Jake Burton needs a place to stay. (Shakespeare is actually under the impression that this is his room, so hopefully Jake likes cats.)

The guest room is one of three bedrooms upstairs that share a bathroom. By far the best part of the room is the Wanderlust Bookshelf that I put together. It has all sorts of random books that represent travel, nature and an overall sense of The Great Perhaps. There's also an area of my very old, collectible books. 

Lazy Sundays

Living in God’s country, we’ve found Sundays especially peculiar. It’s the one day of the week when we feel like a clear minority. For people in our neighborhood, Sunday appears to be a day devoted to worship, rest and family. They don’t work, nor do they do anything that defines our Sundays (working out, running errands, gardening or grocery shopping).

Starting early in the morning, cars line the streets surrounding the temple, and many families of eight or more can be seen walking in the temple’s direction. These cars are there all day: church does not last the 55 minutes I remember back at Northbrook Presbyterians – it’s more like 5.5 hours. When church finally does get out, people sit on their porches and read – I’m assuming the bible. It’s a very quiet day.

It’s become clear to us that a person’s behavior Sundays is an important signal to curious neighbors. We’ve never been asked outright if we are Mormon, or anything about our faith. But it’s clear we are being monitored.

This morning, Dirk decided to wash and wax his car (keep in mind this tells people that he is not attending any church and that he works on Sundays). He looked down the driveway to see an adult man and small boy dressed in church clothes staring at him and talking quietly. When Dirk waved, they turned away and kept walking without anything as basic as a head nod.

On the other end of the spectrum, Dirk’s first weekend here revealed a non-Mormon neighbor smoking cigars and drinking Bud Light in his front yard all day. Later, he revealed these actions to be some kind of white flag to signify to Dirk that this particular neighbor was not Mormon.

There are upsides for us amidst this apparent Sunday chess match. For one thing, there is no traffic on the roads. Similarly, no one goes to the gym. Most gyms are actually closed; we belong to the only one in the area that is actually open on Sundays. (For the record, most restaurants and independent businesses are closed too; only chains like Target and Olive Garden stay open for business.) So we have the town to ourselves at least one day of each week.

There’s also the joy of trying to figure out what the neighbors think of us. We like to watch them on their porches and construct elaborate stories about how they are plotting to come and have “the talk” with us. We monologue their thoughts while sipping pale ale or cabernet. When one man answered his cell phone, we hypothesized our neighbor was calling his friends and preparing to come over to us with literature and the Book of Mormon. Or, maybe it was the man who wouldn’t wave back to Dirk calling to find out about us. We decided the child was probably named Malachi.  

How to torture cats

For months, we dreaded moving the kitties from Michigan to Utah. Using Dirk’s dog gate, we set up an area in the back of the Subaru Outback complete with a litter box, food and blankets. We had two main concerns: the heat (not much air conditioning gets back there) and Shakespeare attacking the other cats. The only way to explain Shakespeare is that he’s the crazy old guy living out of a shopping cart near QD – he’s unpredictable and scary, but you tend to learn to ignore his eccentricities over time.

I had the distinct pleasure of following Dirk for the beginning of the ride. This allowed me to watch the cats try to climb up the gate, hop from window to window and generally freak out. For the first two hours, they stayed back there with less whining than we predicted. We started to get concerned because the sun was beating down on them; soon Breck and Kirkwood were visibly panting. Shakespeare found a perch and seemed fairly calm, but Dirk said he was crying quite a bit.

About three hours into the ride, I witnessed Shakespeare escape between the car wall and the gate through some miracle of kitty contortionism. We pulled over and put him into the crate in the passenger seat, which made him surprisingly happy because he could at least look at Dirk to calm himself.

A few hours later, Breck and Kirkwood looked miserable. We decided to let them all wander around the car instead of keeping them in the back. Amazingly, they each found their own spot to curl up and did great for the rest of the trip. They went into the back to use the litter box and eat, but slept otherwise. It was so much better than we feared.

When we got to the hotel, we had to wrangle them into cat carriers to take them into the hotel. They all immediately hid under the bed in the hotel room, but came out for food without much persuasion. By evening, Breck was bounding around the room at spastic speed. In the grand tradition of Breck, he’s always just happy to be here. Even Shakespeare and Kirkwood curled up on the bed for the night. 

The next day went well with the kitties. Shakespeare insisted on sitting on Dirk’s lap for the entire ride, but apparently purred and slept when allowed to sit there. The other kitties were happy to sprawl out on boxes. 

The adjusted right away to the new place and all is (amazingly) back to normal - at least with the kitties.

The Great Perhaps playlist

1,000 songs on my iPod and I made my way through most of them on the trip. Here is the definitive playlist for those moving west.

Cat Stevens “Father and Son”

Indigo Girls “Closer to Fine”

John Denver “I Guess He’s Rather be in Colorado”

Clay Aiken “Moon River”

Rise Against “Audience of One”

Tracy Chapman “Fast Car”

Frank Sinatra "My Way"

Dixie Chicks "Wide Open Spaces"

Michael Buble "Feelin' Good"
Miley Cyrus "It's the Climb"
Janis Joplin "Me and Bobby McGee"

Conner Oberst "Moab"

Last chance for gear

One week until the move and there are still a few big things on the to do list. Other than packing, a top priority was heading to the MSU bookstore to stock up on Spartan merchandise. We won’t be coming back this football season, and ordering online really eliminates the fun of impulse buying.

I ended up buying a sweatshirt, three t-shirts and a hat. We were really tempted to buy a few more MSU pint glasses, but the thought of packing them made us reconsider.

Only one day could make this day complete: A press conference where Izzo announces he’s staying at MSU. What are the chances? 

Garden Envy

Since the season is pretty much over, I’ve decided to use the blog to document some of our adventures moving West.

There are many differences between Michigan and Utah that I’ve noticed going back and forth in preparation for the move. One of the biggest is Utah’s apparent State hobby of gardening. In Michigan it’s normal to throw up a few tomato plants, and maybe even add some beans and carrots. Usually, Michiganders do this on Memorial Day and are able to get it all done then. I’ve always questioned just how much people in Michigan actually eat out of their gardens given the rampant obesity – but that’s a whole other entry.

Here in Utah, gardening is different. Almost every house has its own mini-farm in the backyard. I’m talking plowed plots of land and box gardens with all different types of plants. Even the most well-landscaped McMansion contains a huge garden somewhere in the back. Each Saturday is some kind of unofficial, community workday, and everyone is out gardening all day long. (Mormons don’t seem to work on Sundays from what I’ve seen, so they have a lot to accomplish on that one day a week).

To give a taste of what I’m talking about, here’s a picture of the garden from our neighbors behind us. Notice the well; there’s also a watering system. If society as we know it comes to an end, these people will survive.

Our yard is a bit wild because the owners didn’t finish their landscaping and we’re not about to pony up the money to mulch huge, empty flowerbeds. I figured it would be much easier to grow a few essential (tomatoes, peppers, herbs) in pots rather than weed all the beds to avoid having the weeds spread back into my garden patch. This weekend, I put together my lame container garden (see below).

Interesting, my garden did give me some kind of credibility with the neighbors. After not meeting them at all, several different families introduced themselves and noted that I was growing a garden. Of course, mine is completely lame compared to all the other ones, but just the fact that I was growing some food seemed to give me a little credibility.

5/31/10

Conditions: Springtastic – 50-60 degrees and sunny

Location: Snowbird, Utah

It’s been hard to keep track of our days with Dirk hitting epic Spring powder while I pack up the condo in Michigan. The blog has suffered. Let’s just say that Dirk has more days than I do at this point. (Yes, I realize I sat at home with him during the months after his surgery. It doesn’t make sense to me either.)

Today was the second day we rode together over a great Memorial Day weekend. Snowbird is one of only a few resorts in the lower 48 still open. Even though it’s the last day in May, the snowpack is amazing. More rocks are covered now than were covered over Christmas.

Mineral was soft as early as 8:00am, so we spent most of our morning there. Unlike Saturday, we didn’t have to stick to the groomers today. Everything was soft and cushy. Most of all, it was warm and sunny.

After a short break to shed some layers and share a Gatorade, we headed to Provo. Little Cloud was still a bit form, so we headed back to Mineral where everything was soft and creamy. We took a ton of laps, and the snow was mashed potatoes and gravy later in the day. With our legs fully spent, we headed sown one more run on the front side before heading in.

Highlight:

I have two rules for Spring riding. Rule one: Don’t drink and ride – it’s not worth it. Rule two: If you wear anything but a jacket, it must represent your college football team. Today, I got a nice “Go Green” from a random guy on the chairlift. Turns out, he grew up just a few miles away from me in Birmingham. There are only two times I like to meet new people: on mountains or at MSU sporting events; this was the best of both.

Lowlight:

We were skiing on Memorial Day. There is no lowlight.

Après Ski:

After a quick stop at Whole Foods for dinner fare, we headed home…to our own house…to relax and make dinner. The only things missing were the kitties.

Days to go: As many as we can get

4/9/10

Day 20

Conditions: Hard

Location: Snowbird, UT

Our last day riding for a while was upon us as we headed to Snowbird this morning. In a cruel twist of fate, Snowbird opened the canyon road for the first time in days yesterday – the very day we scheduled both Direct TV and a washer/dryer to be delivered. We did have two great powder days at Snowbasin, so we weren’t too bummed about missing out on the Canyon crawl.

Things had a changed a bit today. Everything was skied out from the mob that showed up yesterday. Also, the temperatures had really dropped overnight. All that was left was an icy, hard-pack, even on the groomers. We rode as long as we could, but it only added up to a few hours.

With no signs of softening, we decided to call it and head back to the house to get some errands done. I guess that’s the beauty of living here: if it’s a bad day, you just go home, crack a beer and do some errands.  I can handle that.

Days to go: 30 (Yes, I know we’re not going to make 50…)

4/7/10

Day 19

Conditions: Powder

Location: Snowbasin, Utah

When we work up this morning the road into Snowbird was still closed after snowing all night long. We had a great day at Snowbasin, and knew that there would be plenty of fresh snow there today – especially in the areas that were unrideable yesterday.

Another quick drive and we were there. We spent all morning riding the Strawberry Gondola, the area that had horrible winds the day before. We were amazed at just how huge the area was. We literally spent all morning getting to know every chute, cliff, natural pipe and hike. There was so much to do on just one chair, and we had the whole place to our selves. (Most of the locals has taken the past few days off work to ski, so it was inevitable that they would have to do back to work).

We rode and hiked nonstop until about 1pm. By the time we broke for lunch and sat down, we realized that we were exhausted and decided to pack it in for the day.

Highlights:

Seeing just how great Snowbasin is. We had tons of conversations on the chairlift with season pass holders, and it truly solidified our decision to buy a Snowbasin pass and just do a few days at the bird next year.

Lowlights:

We were a bit tired and did quit early. That’s always a bit of a morale killer. But as locals we’re allowed to quit early, right?

Après Ski:

We prepared the condo for the big day tomorrow: Directv, washer and dryer all being delivered and installed.

Days to go: 31

4/6/10

Day 18

Conditions: Powder

Location: Snowbasin, Utah

The road into Little Cottonwood Canyon was closed today after 7 feet of snow fell in 7 days. But we weren’t too disappointed because we got to check out our new home mountain: Snowbasin, Utah.

The Basin reported 24 inches of snow, so we weren’t too disappointed that we couldn’t make it to the bird. It’s a huge mountain with 3,000 acres of terrain and 500 inches of annual snowfall. But even more impressive than the mountain is the lodge and the food. Vail and Deer Valley have nothing on the lodge at Snowbasin. The bathrooms were so nice they were almost picture-worthy.

We struck up a conversation with a ski instructor, Paul, who talked to us for about a half an hour about the mountain, where to go and why it’s just as good as The Bird. He definitely made believers out of us before we even boarded the gondola.

We got to know the John Paul chair and had some fantastic powder turns all morning. We both finally mastered the exact angles and stance widths to use for powder so that (for once) everything was seamless.

The visibility deteriorated later in the day, so we called it a bit early. And, in case you’re wondering, the Bird never opened.

Highlights:

Discovering the Snowbasin is literally 20 minutes from where we live! We started imagining how awesome it will be to live this close to such a great place to ride and it was almost overwhelming. No more 3+ hour drives to lame ass Boyne Mountain.

Lowlights:

Getting scared off of Strawberry Gondola. We had decent visibility for most of the day, but the Strawberry area was insanely windy. We could not see anything and ended up on a sketchy traverse. We really needed to get to know the mountain better before taking on that area in blinding conditions.

Après Ski:

Errands, errands, errands. There is a lot to do when you move!

Days to go: 32

4/5/10

Day 17

Conditions: Powder

Location: Snowbird, Utah

Our first day back in much too long, and we drove to The Bird to find plenty of fresh powder. It had been dumping for days and days, but there was still plenty of fresh to be had. Dirk also fulfilled a life-long dream of buying a Snowbird season pass. Sure, it was just a Spring Pass...but he had a moment. 

Mineral and Road to Provo were closed, so we spent some time on the front side lapping our usual tree runs.

At noon, patrol announced there were major lightning storms and that all lifts were shut down. The lifts had to remain closed for 10 minutes after each occurrence of lightening or thunder, and every time there was lightning or thunder, the clock reset. Let’s just say that there was a lot of thunder.

We took a leap of faith and left. We had many errands to run for the upcoming weeks. As it turns out, Snowbird never reopened at all.

Highlight:

That “it’s good to be back” feeling! Despite minor aches and pains, we managed to have some great runs. Just the feel of the boards on our feet was therapeutic.

Lowlights:

Leaving at noon. That sucked.

Après Ski:

We headed home and complete a ton of errands. Then I cooked dinner in our brand new house. Gas stoves rock!

Days to go: 33

4/4/2010

The beginning of April, and we’ve racked up a meager sixteen days of boarding. Bad snow, injuries and the job search all seem muddled together into a winter that has been at the same time worthless and productive.

We started driving Dirk’s things out to Utah last night. In addition to my normal neuroticism, I have a special neuroticism for towing things behind vehicles. It’s always made me nervous, back to the days of hauling my grandfather’s bass boat behind a minivan for summer vacations.

With the U-Haul packed to the brim we racked up fourteen fun-filled hours on Friday. We spent the night in Kearney, Nebraska and woke up bright and early to complete the trip. Three hours into Saturday’s drive, we stopped for gas. As we pulled in, I heard a peculiar whining sound - but Dirk was convinced it was coming from a dog in the car next to us. As we pulled away, the whining sound was back. We debated whether to take a look, and Dirk finally instructed me to drive slowly while he stood outside the car and took a look at the wheel. As soon as he got out, he summoned me.

I don’t know anything about cars, but even I could tell that wheel was F-U-C-T. The Truck Stop mechanic came over to help Dirk’s diagnosis.

“Don’t you drive that thing there one more inch! Bearings bust; spindles bust; that wheel should have fallen off miles ago,” he grunted in Nebraska-ease. “I can’t fix it for you, so you best just get a room for the night here and try to work it out with U-Haul tomorrow. The closest dealer is in Ogallala.”

It was Easter Sunday and we had an undriveable U-Haul. But I have this thing about creepy Nebraska towns and any motel chain that is located in the same parking lot as a Truck Stop. I guess watching The Hills Have Eyes combined with the 20/20 Hotel Horrors expose finally caught up to me.

We called U-Haul and started progressing through the various menus – computerized and human. Over an hour later, the mechanic from Ogallala showed up. Great news – he can fix it! Well, kind of. He has to drive back to his shop (20 country miles away) and get the stuff to try and fix it. But before he leaves, he commented that he sees this “all the time” with U-Haul trailers because the mechanics never oil them up for cross-country distances. (Hmm…that makes us feel great about the other wheel on this trailer.

He leaves. An hour later, he returns. He works on the wheel for a half hour and then reports that he can’t fix it. We’ll have to get another trailer; luckily he’s made the wheel temporarily road-worthy so we can drive it there.

We drive the trailer to his shop in the middle of creep-town and have the distinct pleasure of unloading the entire trailer and trying to Tetris Dirk's stuff back in. Now, this is no ordinarily-packed trailer. Dirk has personally fastened his own hanging-clothes bar by drilling it into the side of the U-Haul and the box spring. So, this transfer is a huge process and takes at least an hour. (And, yes, the whole time we were packing the new trailer, we were wondering if this new one had been prepared for cross-country distances).

Five hours after initially stopping for gas, we were ready to get back on the road. We had over ten hours of driving still to do. We did make it safe to home sweet home at around 1am Utah time. But every mile was filled with worry and terror as we waited for the new trailer to break.

It could have been worse...the wheel of the first trailer could have fallen off and all our stuff could have been ruined. But, really, that's just another reason U-Haul is on my shit list. So, did we get any money back? Well, the trailer was $500 and we got $35 refunded for our trouble.....

1/1/10

Day 16

Conditions: Powder/packed powder

Location: Snowbird, Utah

The last day of our Utah trip and it couldn’t have been more bittersweet. It was a fantastic trip with incredible snow, but it’s also the last time we’ll be riding for a while. Dirk has bicep surgery in just a few days and January and February will be shot as far as riding goes.

We hopped around from Mineral Basin to Little Cloud. It was soft everywhere, and there was no one around because everyone was sleeping off New Year’s Eve.

Our last run felt sad and we both had to stop before finishing the run to process the moment. We’re just getting into mid-season form and we have to take time off. But, there will be many more days, and the surgery does need to happen – Dirk’s arm still looks awful.

We got a great shot of the Tram during a particularly sketchy traverse

Highlight:

Mineral had a few inches of fresh on top of the powder from yesterday, making the moguls smooth and forgiving.

Lowlights:

Leaving.

Après Ski:

We loaded the car and headed to Kearney, Nebraska before making our fway home.

Days to go: 34