Two Wheels Move My Soul - TJay Belt's hobby blog

The Street Bike is up again

2011-06-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

After discovering that rust and gunk had made its way into the carbs from the gas tank, and several attempts at cleaning by myself and neighbors and friends and coworkers, I finally got the Street Bike running again last night.

We cleaned the carbs (Thanks Rod). I cleaned the tank. I tried to remove metallic stuffs (Thanks Ben). I removed, cleaned, and ultimately replaced the fuel filter (Thanks Ed). I had suggestions and help from many others on how to fix it up. I tightened the battery leads, and viola, she was back on the street.

June 1st, the first good weather day in quite a while during the week, I rode to work again. Its nice to get back into the saddle.

Buckhorn Draw - Camping Review

2011-05-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

In what I hope will become a series of posts, I want to share with you our adventures, the good and the bad, in the hopes that you can learn from us and enjoy these same areas as we have. Since we have been shown by other folks over the years about certain areas for recreation, we want to give back and share the information that we gather thru our first hand experience. So, without further ado, we launch into the Maiden Voyage of our Camping Reviews.

We recently purchased a toy hauler to haul our bikes, toilet and to a lesser degree the fridge out with us to enjoy the great outdoors. I've always contended that having a potty is priority #1. A fridge is #2 and a bed is #3. Having a shelter into which these 3 items reside is a plus that comes with a trailer or motorhome. Not a priority, but a happy happenstance. We have all the gear needed to endure a few days camping in a tent in the wild, and have done so on many adventures. When the weather turns, its miserable to be in a tent. In any event, these are some of the thoughts that led up to the purchase of a mobile potty container that also happens to have a fridge, beds and several other amenities.

We started loading it up on Wednesday night, and got the bikes loaded inside on Thursday night. After work Friday afternoon we departed from Pleasant Grove and headed south to Price. After a brief pit stop for some food and sundries at the grocery store, we continued on our way. Between home and Price we encountered a couple places where out F150 and 7k trailer bogged us down to the point of driving just under 40 miles per hour. Some of those hills are tough to climb. Outside Price we were able to keep the speed as we traveled south to Huntington. Another brief pit stop in Huntington and we were on our way out to Buckhorn Draw in the San Rafael Swell. To reach this destination, from Huntington, you simply have to find center street and head east. This takes you through some town and then the outskirts of town. At one point you will encounter a sign redirecting you off the road you are on to enter the San Rafael Recreation area. Follow this sign. It knows what it is talking about. This new road that will continue to take you east through the nothingness and ranches. Soon you will see a road that veers off to the left, with signs indicating Cleavland or a Dinosaur quarry. Do not follow this, unless you want to go that way. It will not take you to Buckhorn Draw.

If your destination is not Buckhorn draw, than its really silly to continue reading this as the intended destination will be exactly that. Veering to the right will keep you on track to the destination already discussed above. Soon you will see mountains on your left, on the east of you. Unless you are doing this in the dark like we did this time, in which case you will see what appears to be a massive void in the distance that is deceptively large but unexplained with the lack of light that night usually provides. Know that these are mountains. At this point you will be able to find anywhere off the road to camp. There are several locations from which to choose from. If you continue to follow this road, and stay to the left, it will provide you with a dozen opportunities to camp in locations near and far to the road upon which you are travelling. Continuing up this road a few more miles you will eventually encounter a gate. I've read that you can travel through the gate, leaving it as it was when you found it. We did not. So i cannot direct you into that area as it is comprised of nothingness in my recollection.

Back to the road we were so recently travelling on. You will most likely notice other campers already taking up residence in some spots that you may realize are well positioned and you wish that you had started your journey many hours earlier in order to ensure that you secured that camping spot. Keep this as a mental note for next time. Not this time, because someone is already there and its a mute point to want that spot. Continue on until you do find a spot. something that screams out to you as a descent spot for you to setup camp and sleep.

As you travel this road, which is called the old railroad road, you will see small roads that shoot off to the left. Most of these are great camping areas, some close, some further. One of them actually leads you to some petroglyphs. But this is a great area to camp. Had you veered right, instead of left as described above, this road will eventually take you to a few different roads, all with interesting locations to setup camp. Further along this road, you will encounter a road that leads to the Wedge Overlook. If you have not seen this, its a must see. Amazing views. There are some single track trails that branch off of this road further east. As well as the beginning of the road/trail that takes you down into Buckhorn Wash and ultimately to Green River. If you continued on east, you may eventually end up running into Highway 6 that headed from Price to Green River. Between these camping spots and Highway 6 there are many other trails to ride your dirt bike on.

If you ever find yourself in Green River, swing by the Robbers Roost hotel and grab a map for the Emery County area. This map has great details about the roads and trails in the area. I have personally ridden and driven on many of these trails. In future posts, I will detail my adventures prior to this maiden voyage in the toy hauler. We'll discuss the other trips that I have been on with friends and family, and the things to look for and to avoid. I hope these prove fruitful for someone other than myself and my family.

New street bike

2010-11-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

Monday this week, I picked up a street bike from a local seller from KSL. It is a 1997 Honda Shadow ACE 1100. It's black, and it great condition.

I've known for years that I would eventually get me a street bike to compliment the dirt bike. As the years marched on, in my minds eye, I can see myself getting on a street bike for a quick ride to de-stress. I didn't want it to be too soon that I didn't appreciate it, or too old to appreciate it either.

Life tends to continue to get busier and more stress from time to time. It has its ups and downs. I used to be able escape briefly from life thru the TV and movies. Maybe im becoming immune to this, like one does if they take pain medication too often. Weekends tend to be less frequently able to be escapes, what with other plans, work on-call rotations, and sometimes the weather planing a part in thwarting my plans. I've noticed the last few months the desire for a quick hour or two of escape on random evenings, that would necessitate more planning for other activities. However a street bike ride would fit the bill nicely. Just throw on some gear quickly and ride away. No planning like I have to do to go dirtbiking, no coordinating with other peoples schedules, my own schedule and my families schedule... just get on and go. Assuming that there is time enough for the activity.

So, we were blessed to have found some money, sufficient to get a descent bike that can fit this bill. I started my hunt with a little more surgical approach. Heretofore I had been looking at a lot of possibilities. Once the amount was set, we had a cap, and that made it easier to search. Setting a lower cap also ensured that I got something that was descent. The hunt began.

With shopping buddies lending their expertise, with KSL providing options, and my excitement, I set out to find something I'd like. I set about to test drive some of the bikes to get a feel for them. The first one I tried, I absolutely loved. It had a lot of miles though. I kept looking, with this one at the top of my list. I tried a few more, and soon realized what type I liked. One weekend, my brother Brad showed up and hung out with us a few days, and I went to see a bike that was similar to those I've tried, but a little older. I didnt think that I would actually like it. However, I did. It had half the miles the first bike had, and felt great. A trip to the bank to get the money was a bust, as it gave me errors. So we had to wait for Monday to get any money. This let me think it over for the day.

I made an offer and he counter offered. Mine was 400 under. He went down a bit, I went up a bit, we settled somewhere in the middle. I got a good deal, he got a good deal. I got a bike.

Ive taken it out a number of times in the past week, usually in the dark, and just around the neighborhood. So far, I've gotten each member of my family (including my wife) to take a ride with me. They have all loved it, and I have had quite the workout of my smile muscles. So far, so good.

I'm anxious for some clear days, with little weather occurring, and cold or not, I will take her out for a ride and get acquainted. Come spring, well, I cant wait to take it out more and more and more...

A new way to play racquetball at lunchtime

2010-09-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

My long time rball partner has been taken away from me for work, since mid July. I have not had my twice weekly dose of racquetball workouts on Tuesday and Thursday since then.
I recently competed in the Orem Membership Drive tournament, as well as help run it with my awesome daughter (who put in 20 hours of volunteer work). I realized that even a few weeks, let alone months off from the sport can cause rust to appear on the body. I played poorly, with a few spots of shiny.
While at the event, another player and I were talking about consistent play, and he mentioned that he goes daily to the gym to play. Much more than I ever have done, and I admire him for it. I can do maybe 2 days, maybe 3 a week at lunch time. Some evenings, but not many. There is quite a difference in how he plays and how i play, and its because of the practice, among other things. So, he said to come down and find a game at lunch times.
I was loathe to goto the gym without an assurance that someone would be there. I went anyway, biting my natural tendencies to bow out and make an excuse and not go. While there, i was able to meet and play with 2 new individuals that were either at my skill level or above, allowing me and they to give each other a good run for points as we all were able to work out and get the needed exercise that the sport is ultimately giving us. I returned today, Friday, and ended up playing Roger and Sylvia. They are trying to compete in doubles tournaments more, and they played doubles against me. I got to play as if I were two players, against the two of them. Granted, this is more of a workout for me, and I get to server twice, allowing Evil TJay the chance to screw up, and LessEvil TJay the chance to make a descent shot once in a while. I ended up winning the game only by a few points, mostly due to ball placement taking advantage of their inability to quickly reach the ball in some (very few) situations. It was a great game. And it mixed up my game and exercise well. I hope to return and make this a new habit, picking up a game with whomever happens to be there and playing. This is not something i have done, and it falls outside of my comfort zone, tremendously. I like to have it planned and know that i will have a partner to play. Showing up, hoping to play, is difficult.
Hopefully the years of volunteering with the Utah Racquetball Association has garnered me enough acquaintances that I will be able to continue playing, even without a steady partner. Its been 8 years of playing with partners, and this is different for me. Wish me luck.

2010 AF Canyon - first trip

2010-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

With the weather being so wet in June, and cool, we didn't get up into the mountains to ride the area until August. Last night, 3 of us went up to Salamander Flats and staged for our first ride. This ride almost didn't happen, as a huge rain storm occurred earlier in the day. But with the sun coming out for most of the afternoon, it seemed like we could give it a shot. It was a cool 60 degrees, and the trail was slick in spots, but extremely fun. We take off from Salamander Flats and head to summit. This is always a great little leg to get started on, as it has some tight curves and rocky paths that are not hard to pass, but remind you of whats coming up in the harder sections. We got to summit and took a small break to make sure we were all ok continuing on. We were, and we took off, heading down the hill on 252 (i think). This is a quick little trail, and has some meadows that you pass thru rather quickly. The climb back up to 157 on the ridge is some of the funnest simple trail in this area. I love that leg. Once we got to the top of the ridge, we encountered a group of riders numbering above 12 riders. They were going opposite of us, and we met about midway. We had a great little chat with these folks about bikes, trails, and so forth. We continued up along 157 to the junction that would take us back to Salamander Flats. But at the junction, instead of heading right, we headed left, and went back up to summit. This was the first time i recall hitting this section of trail, and it was enjoyable. Once at summit, we could see that there was still sun in our favor, and it seemed like we were quitting early if we headed back to Salamander Flats now. So, we repeated what we had just done, and headed down 252 and back up to 157 on the ridge. Once we got to the turn off to Salamander Flats, we took it this time, and chased the sun all the way to the Staging area. We barely made it as the burning globe dipped behind the mountains, leaving us to pack the bikes and gear in the twilight. This is the perfect timing, having used all available sunlight to our advantage. While loading up, we could smell the dinners cooking nearby from the campers in the area. It smelt divine, as I had not had dinner yet prior to the ride. While loading up our gear, one of my knee guards went missing. I could swear it was right there a moment ago, but it was not there when i went to close up my bag. I looked all over the place, in the bag, around the bag, around the trucks, and so on. It was then that we remembered the puppy that had come over to say hi to us from a nearby camp. We strolled over to the camp and found the extra knee guard. This camp was the same one that had come over to invite us to feed on their leftovers. So we proceeded to enjoy their hospitality and chowed down on some yummy stew. We stood around their campfire, had some fun discussions and ate their stew. It hit the spot. As we talked and enjoyed the ambiance, the sun completely disappeared, leaving us to drive down in the dark. We realized that our wives may be worried, as the sun had set and we still hadn't returned. As soon as we got out of the canyon we made the calls to let them know we were ok, and returned home, tired, sweaty, full of stew, and muddy. I hated putting my bike away dirty and muddy. But with no sun to allow me to wash her off, i had too. Maybe tonight, i can get her back out and clean her up, gas her up, and get her ready for the next adventure.

what i did saturday

2010-07-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

so there i am in the water

ski on, rope in hand, nervous and a little bit frustrated.

its her first time this year, and for some reason, all previous instances of the actions taken to perform the task ahead are erased annually

i go thru the explanations once again, and again

we are lined up, ready to go, and I yell the fatefull words 'hit-it' and the task is upon me. breathing no longer necessary or possible.

i feel the tug of the handle in my grasp, and hold on like grim death

as i rise, i am showered with pellets of lukewarmess

then i descend, ever so briefly, as i always have, as the torrent deluges over and around me

then the tugging seems to lessen, and i sink, sink, sink...but im so close... i just needed a little more to go and hold on before birthing into the new world where i glide over instead of thru the water

just need to hold on a bit more, but already, ive sunk too far

suddenly i am met with a fierceness of resumed tugging at my hands and arms

i feel the adrenaline tell my muscles that they can make it, and pull this out, to just bear with it a little bit more...

but alas, they do not listen, or are unwilling to comply and i let go, sinking into the drink once again, back where i started

apparantly my little girl saw me dip back down ever so briefly and decided to shout the terminal command "down" which precipitated

my descent and ultimate demise at the end of the rope

My 2009 Christmas story

2009-12-20T21:38:00.000-08:00

This post has been moved to my personal blog

Racquetball League

2009-12-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, we took the kids to a youth racquetball league. This is where we met Roger Flick, a former BYU racquetball coach. He was the first to notice the potential in Kylie in playing the sport, and started our family down the road we now find ourselves, where we are all interested in racquetball in some fashion. Since that time, Kylie and Alyssa have played in many tournaments, and leagues. Both have even medaled in tournaments, including Utah State tourneys. Its been a fun adventure, and keeps the family together, while exercising.

Last year, Roger called me about the adult league that I had played in the year prior, to see if I was attending again. And if I was, would Kylie be interested in helping him out. She, of course, accepted with honors. What a great privilege this has been. The first time she did it, she simply helped with administrative tasks, while the league occurred. She would sit at the table, and do anything needing to be done, to record scores, keep track of players, boot people out of courts that shouldn't be there, and generally corral all the players in the league. This current league, she has participated. Playing most players, if not all of them, over the 12 week course of the league. It has been a wonderful experience for her, as well as the other players to assist in her training, and force them to think differently about their own game as they played her. She has grown to have some of her favorites opponents, and luckily I am still on that short list.

What a great opportunity she was given, and continues to experience with this opportunity. Thanks so much to Roger for allowing her this chance to improve her game, and social standing in the league as well as the Racquetball Community. Its a special thing for me to bring her each week as we get to talk before and after the league about all kinds of things, bringing our bond closer and closer with each passing week. We are truly blessed.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

This post has been moved to my personal blog

Labor Day trip 2009

2009-09-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

I finagled to have my first 3 day weekend off in almost 2 years, as I usually end up on-call these weekends for some freak of scheduling. I traded my time with another employee, and we packed up to go somewhere. A few days before the trip, we still had not nailed down where we were going, but we knew we were going to camp somewhere, hike on sunday somewhere, and sightsee, while the other 2 days, we were unsure.

We ended up picking Caineville, Utah and Capitol Reef for sightseeing. Caineville is about 15 minute from Capitol Reef area, and only about 15 minutes from Hanksville, Utah, which is a gateway to Lake Powell. There is a fairly famous riding area in Caineville called Swing Arm City. I have seen many videos of riding in this area, and was intrigued. So, the suggestion was to bring the motorcycles, and camping gear, and ride saturday and monday, while sunday we would simply drive around and walk around capitol reef area.

We took off way too late on Friday to make it in time to setup a tent. It would have been midnight, once we reached the camping area. So, instead, we detoured to Christy's parents home in Monroe, Utah, which put us some 20-30 minutes out, but was along the way enough that it saved us for that night. We arrived around 9pm. After a quick trip to Walmart to grab some last minute items (seems each trip needs this last stop), we went to their home, and crashed for the night. John and Lu loved it. The kids loved it. It was nice to simply pull up, and crash, even though i was really looking forward to another night in the tent as a family. The next morning, we got up earlier than anyone wanted too, and headed out. We quickly left, without showering, eating, or anything. We grabbed some bfast at McDonalds on the way out. It was sad to not get up and cook, like we had planned, but McDonalds has a pretty good bfast menu. John and Lu had decided to come along with us on Saturday, and ride with us. So, we all headed out to Capitol Reef. We stopped in Torrey, at a Kiva, and walked around it. The kids have been studying indians in school, and really enjoyed the stop. Once we reached Capitol Reef, we drove straight through it, looking at stuffs along the way. On the other side of Capitol Reef, I have never been, and was amazed at the desolation, yet stark beauty of the area. Before we knew it, we were at the camp site. Its a small area off the road, owned by a retired couple that owns property on the other side of the road for some farming. They have owned the campsite for 20 years, and its a bit run down, but still functional. We dont need a lot, nor want a lot when camping, as we are used to camping in primitive areas, so this was, even in its current state, a step up for us. There was a bathroom with showers. And we had the place to ourselves.
We setup our camp fairly quickly, and everyone seemed happy to help out. Once all gear was up, and ready, even the sleeping bags put up for the night, we were able to talk with the campsite owners, and get a bead on where to ride. We decided to drive the trailer and bikes into Swing Arm City riding area, which was about 10 minutes up the road.

Once there, it was even more desolate, bizzare, and open. It truly seems like an otherworldly location. It needs to been seen to appreciate. The massive mesas in the distance. The towering, sweeping piles of sand that have tracks all over them from other adventurers. The area looked like it was misplaced from the moon. We were the only people there for quite a while, and this was perfect for us. The kids could ride for long distances, and still be visible to the parents wondering where they were at. Treyson became a hill climber on this trip, and was so proud of himself. Alyssa finally had a place to practice jumps, and even pushed her little 90 to heights never before accomplished. Kylie got out and was going all over, on all 3 bikes, as she resorted to stealing her siblings bikes various times, as a gag. I took the girls around some large hills, to investigate, and found some amazing structures to gaze upon in awe and wonder.

A storm came up towords the end of the afternoon, and as it approached, we started packing up. We misjudged the timing of the storm by about 15 minutes, as it pounded down upon us with a vengence we have rarely felt by mother nature. Within minutes, we were being pelted with rain in such ferocity, that it seemed to have a mind of its own, and was in a terrible mood. The ground around us turned to a sludge, and we worried that exiting the area would not be possible, as we slipped and slid all over the path back to the road. Once on the better traction of the road, it took forever to slough off all the mud we had collected. We started worrying about the tent and other camping gear back at camp, and hussled to see the damage. Once arrived at camp, our fears were unfounded, as the storm barely touched our camp, our gear, and the surrounding area. All was fine. This ended the bulk of the day for us, as we were wet and muddy. We cleaned up as best we could, covered the biked for their Sunday nap, and had some dinner. John and Lu took off before dinner was prepared. Later in the evening, I took all the kids into town to get some items from the grocery store, ice being premium among the needs at the time. We had a great time going, shopping and returning, leaving mom alone at camp for some reading. Once reunited, we retired for the night.

Sunday morning was a leisurely one, as we arose, and took our time eating and getting going for the day. Naps were had after breakfast, games were played, short walks around camp. All in all, a nice easy morning. Close to mid day, we decided we had better make our way into Capital Reef and do some sightseeing. We stopped along the way at each item of interest, spent some time reading, learning, and more often than not, hiking the surrounding areas. Our little adventurers always seem to find a hill they can climb, and we assault it with vigor, and pictures to prove our actions occurred. We stopped for lunch on the side of the road, and had a great time in a small grotto eating and talking. There is a natural bridge named Hickman's Bridge that we went on. It was a steep climb, with a descent trail to follow. For some of the kids, it became a burden, but we each persevered and made it to the arch/bridge. Its amazing what things are out in nature, and if you will take the small amount of time and effort to visit, you will create memories to last you and yours a lifetime. What a great little couple mile hike we had. Even with the hardships along the way, we all enjoyed it. After hiking, we stopped at some indian drawings along the side of the road. Amazing to be in a place that had humans living and leaving their marks from so long ago. After we had seen a lot of the area, we headed back to our camp for dinner. Again, once at camp, we kicked back and simply enjoyed the together time. The camp area did have more visitors than just us, the first night. But most arrived late in the evening, and left early the next day. We essentially had the entire camping area to ourselves.

Monday morning started early, and hot. The storms had all passed thru, and quickly, we realized this was gonna be a hot one. We cooked some breakfast (one of our favorite things about camping is getting up, cooking hot chocolate, and making a hearty breakfast). We had to tear down camp, as we were going to depart that day, and along the way, ride our dirt bikes somewhere. We still didnt know where yet.
We took off from the campsite, intending to repeat the days events of Saturday, when we drove by Caineville wash. It was a dirt road, and I wondered how far we could drive with all the gear. We turned down this path, and wondered a bit. We ended up near what appeared to be an old airport landing strip, next to the wash. A wide swath of pavement, larger than a road, simply sitting there straight along next to the wash for a few hundred yards. We parked at the end of it, and unloaded the bikes. It was as good a place as any to stage for a ride. The girls and I intended on riding up the road, to see where it went. Trey and Mom stayed back and trey simply rode up and down the weathered airstrip. I jumped down into the wash to goof around, while i waited the girl out. They soon followed me, having believed that I had taken off without them on our adventure. We soon regrouped and headed up the wash, since we were already in it. The wash was wide, and wondered across the valley. It was not easy, but the girls had a fair time riding up it. We spread out, found our rhythm, and simply went where the landscape took us. The vistas were incredible, and each turn seemed to grant us another view into the vast desertscape. Kylie was leading, and took a turn up a tributary that slowly narrowed, until walls were encroaching upon us, but not in any dastardly manner. The towering walls were in such a variety of colors and shapes, that we found ourselves looking at them more than at the trail ahead. A wonderful adventure, we had.

We were gone for over an hour, and upon return, found the temperature had risen into the 90's. We were out of ice, cool drinks, and needed to head home. On our way home, we stopped in Hanksville and grabbed some drinks, gas, and snacks. We got to stop at the rock store that the kids missed last time we went thru to visit Lake Powell. After juicing up, we headed home through Price, along the route that is becoming so familiar to us in our travels lately. We made good time, stopped periodically, talked, watched movies, listened to audio books, and had a great time. Home was reached in a descent amount of time, and great time of day. Unloading is always a chore, but occurred in due course, all the while letting the kids slowly slip back into a normalness of the nighttime activities and get ready for school the next day.

Family Trip = WIN

Ride Report : American Fork Canyon Single track - 6/25/2009

2009-06-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday evening, Al and myself went up AF Canyon again to ride the trails. We didn't get anyone else to come with us.
We went up to Tibble Fork parking lot. As we were unloading our bikes and gearing up, we could see the rain approaching up the canyon. By the time I was getting my helmet on, the rain was coming down. We thought about simply riding up the road, taking the jeep trail to Forest Lake. But we decided to take single track trail 41 up to 157. As the rain fell, we drove down the road, crossed the dam, and climbed up trail 41. There are several videos I posted on VHoldR.com. (Video1, Video2, Video3, Video4, Video5, Video6, Video7, Video8). We climbed up the trail, and immediately ran into bikers coming down, and a couple dirt bikers undecided which direction they were headed. We passed them, and continued climbing up trail 41. At one point, I got mired in a bog, having picked the wrong line to get thru it. After spending some energy and frustration here, we continued on. Not long after, we ran into 2 other riders. We hung with them all the way thru trail 41, helping each other thru quite a few muddy obstacles. Once we reached trail 157, it seemed like we had spent way too much time on trail 41, and were worried about the time left before dark, and our ability to complete the circuit. Our worries were unfounded, as the rest of the loop was done quickly. We climbed up trail 157 until it intersected with trail 40. This was a rather quick section, that showed off a beautiful view of both sides of the mountain crest we were traversing. Once we crossed trail 40, we headed down. Close to the top of this trail, we encountered some quads that were on some trail that seemed to be closed. Later, we encountered some trail portions that seemed to have been widened, and I even went down a newly dug road of off the single track. It was in this area that we saw an incredible amount of trees that were being harvested. Stumps and logs were laying all around us. I'm not sure what was going on in this area, or if it was legal. It had me worried. We encountered some horesman coming up this trail, and despite my best intentions, I still startled the horse with my brightly colored, quick moving dirtbike, even in the off position. The front tire slipped and skidded down a few inches, startling the hose. Sorry horsey! We continued on down trail 40, which is quite a rocky narrow trail. I've come up this trail before, and it is quite difficult. Going down is differently difficult. We made it thru more muddy areas, thru chutes of dirt with rocks scattered about randomly, and the occasional large tree root providing extra added flavor. We soon started encountering small stream crossings. These watery obstacles are small at the beginning, and only fool you into a false sense of security; the big water crossing is yet to come. Unfortunately, we didn't get this portion of the trip recorded on video. I musta forgotten to turn it back on. My Bad. The river feeding into Tibble Fork is rather large, and wide, at lease compared to the other river crossings we had just gone thru. I almost made it all the way thru the river, but didnt dump in, which is always in the back of my mind. Ad I climbed out of the river, and up the last part of the trail, i slid off to the right of the railroad ties. As Al passed me, he had to point out the incorrectness of my line choice. At this point in the ride, i was off the trail, wet almost everywhere, and very satisfied that we had a great time. As we were loading up, we saw 6 other groups of riders loading up from their rides as well. We spoke with a few of them, and it seemed that everyone had had a great time riding the amazing trails of AF canyon.

Ride Report : American Fork Canyon single track - June 23 2009

2009-06-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

We went to salamander flats, and unloaded. Took trail 159 to Summit, then went down 252. We crossed Cascade Springs road here. We went up trail 252, connected with 157 again.

At the junction to Pine Hollow trail, we stopped to decide if we wanted to go down that path, and back up, or simply continue back to the trucks. Until this point, the trails had not dealt us any hardships, and we had a bit more light to play with, so we decided to take the detour down and back up Pine Hollow trail.
There are a couple events along this trail that are tougher than other trails have offered us so far. The first two events are some switchbacks that can be interesting to navigate. There is also a drop with tree roots that is easier going down than it is going up. Near the end of the trail, closer to the parking lot, you come out on the side of the mountain, and can see down into the canyon floor. This perspective lends to an interesting ride, as your attention is drawn away from the trail, where it most definitely needs to be. The last event is a slab of rock that barely provides a trail to traverse. None of these events are unsurmountable, by any means, but they do demand a bit of respect and attention. On the way down, one of our group decided to slide off the trail 6+ feet. He struggled getting the bike back on the trail by himself, but was successful. On the way back up the trail, crossing the slab of rock proved a challenge to 2 of us, and almost unsurmountable by the third. He decided to jump off the bike, down the hill some 20+ feet, and let the bike follow. The ensuing struggle to lift the 250 beast back up the hill took all 3 of us to accomplish. I wish i had some of that wonder woman rope in my pack to assist with the lifting efforts. Too bad I didn't get that portion on video. But I did get the entire ride, up until about 15 minutes before that mishap occurred. Check them out here.

http://vholdr.com/node/31863
http://vholdr.com/node/31877
http://vholdr.com/node/31901
http://vholdr.com/node/31883

After regaining our footing with both humans and bikes on the designated trail, we went back up Pine Hollow trail, connected back with 157 and made our way back to Salamander flats.

Good times were had by all. No humans nor bikes were harmed in the filming of this adventure. Only sloppy mud caked onto the bikes and sore muscles on the human riders is the only evidence of our ride. Well, that and some tire marks left on the mountain side.

Bunker Hill motorcoross track in June 2009

2009-06-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

As we approached yet another weekend in June, the weather folks were telling us that it was gonna be cold and rainy. Kinda like a typical day in April. We've had so many of these, that we have given up on Summer actually arriving, and any use of our boat will have to wait for warmer times.
In the meantime, we are still in riding season. 50-75 degrees is almost perfect weather for riding. With the dirt having been wet by the showers from above, no dust should impede our vision either. So, the choice is obvious. Dirtbiking. Somewhere.

During the week, we talk about going to 5 mile pass, Price track and then Delta Track with neighbors. Friday, after work, I come home, and load up all the bike onto the trailer, and put the trailer in the garage for the night. It has all we need, but food, drink, our bodies and a truck to pull it, all of which will be added on Saturday morning.

We get a lazy start to the day, not rising before 9am. We take our time getting ready, and actually drive off a little before 11am. Plans were to go by 10am, get there by noon, ride until 2-3, and return back to our valley. We had a concert to goto in a park near Saratoga Springs at 8pm.

On the road, we make a quick pit stop at the neighbors house, as his vehicles are no where near ready or loaded to go, and are still sitting idling by in front of his house. After knocking on the door, we find out that they had canceled plans, and were not going at all to ride. Bummer. We took off anyways.

As we are want to do, as we head south, we have to make our pilgrimage to our favorite store of the entire world, RockyMountainMC.com in Payson. We needed a couple small things, a helmet for Lyssa and a couple items to return. We place a will-call order for the items we wanted to get while on the way, thus minimizing the time spent in the store, yet still getting products we needed. However, Lyssa's head proved to be a problem, and 4 helmets and an hour later, we left the store with the items we needed. Convincing ourselves that we were partway already to Delta, we left in good spirits. The weather was cloudy all the way to Nephi, but we avoided the morning showers that were promised by the weatherman. After Nephi, we climbed over some hills, saw cowboys rustling cattle, and headed into the next valley. Here was when it started raining. And if i didnt know any better, i would have said that the clouds had scooped up the entirety of Utah Lake, and proceeded to dump it upon us, the entire way to Delta. About an hour of road travel and the entire time we were drenched. Just outside of Delta, it stopped raining. Once at the track, no rain was in sight of our nearby surroundings.

We rode and rode and rode. Kids were on the little track, and Dad on the big track.
Each kid had a good experience on riding, even Treyson got some seat time on the flats as he went round and round the parking area, as far as he could go. Alyssa rode so long, her legs and hands hurt. Kylie has a hard time sharing the track with other kids anxious to pass her. We all ended up learning and riding and having a good time. Dad got to use his new helmet cam, and hoped that it would work properly. It actually recorded some great video that I will post later.

As we were packing up to go, it looked like rain would soon be upon us again. It wasn't until we took off, and were safely in the vehicle, that we got pounded with rain again. On and off, most of the way home, we were inundated with deluges from above. Sometimes, we could skirt the storm, others, the road led us directly into its path.

On the way back, we went from Delta to Eureka to Goshen and then to Saratoga Springs. About 20 minutes before the concert, we checked the directions on Facebook to see where the place was at. Thats when we learned that it was canceled, due to rain. We stopped by our friends the Lyons home for a bit. While there, the rain started up again, and again, we thought the heavens had opened up their floodgates, and were outpouring its contents in its entirety. I have lost count how many times we got dumped on, and dumped on hard. All our gear was so wet. Luckily, the Lyons lent us a tarp to cover our gear bags.

We went home, and dumped the trailer in the garage, to await a day this week when we would actually wash all the muddy, items within.

some more pics in my facebook album

videos on ContourHD website

San Rafael Swell big bike ride in June 2009

2009-06-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

My buddy Al has a family camping trip that occurs each year in June. A few months before the trip, he invited me to tag along. We would be going down with other family members on Friday, in their sleeping quarters, and ride on Saturday in the Swell. After a few discussions, he opened up this trip to more people. I invited 6 or more folks to come with. In the end, after plan changes in Al's family, as well as other friends schedules changing, it ended up being Al, myself and Marcus going down in Al's motorhome.

The trip started with Al showing up with the coach on Friday morning, and leaving it at our house. I gave him a ride to work that morning, and after work, returned to home, and loaded up my gear. Marcus showed up with his trailer, which we put on the back of the coach, and loaded the bikes. He an I met Al in Provo, and we were off, like a 'herd of turtles', as my dad would say.

We had a fairly uneventful trip down to the swell, stopping in Price for food, motorhome/trailer lighting parts, and some gas. The only exciting thing to happen on the way down was the constantly back seat driving that occurred, mainly by yours truly. It turns out that Al cant drive the motorhome in a straight line, but insteads takes an approach of constantly jiggling the wheel as he drive. Either that, or it was so windy he could barely keep the coach on the road. I choose to believe the former.

Once in the Swell, we followed our maps in the dark to the camp spot that Al picked out on google earth. We are, of course, computer geeks. Having selected a suitable habitat for the next foreseeable future, we approached it in the dark, and dirt, with trailer in tow, and motorhome trying its best to climb and dip in the barely there road we had chosen. With flashlights being used from the inside of the coach to augment the coach's lighting, we ended up finding our spot, even without the gps indicators our cell phones no longer had, since we had long lost signals once we climbed out of the valley from Green River to the Swell.

The spot that he had found was great. A secluded little valley with small hills of rock surrounding us, we were cozy and protected from the monsters that lurk in the dark. One of these monsters in the night was similar in noise to a bird, but probably a lot larger in stature, though we never really saw it. Its incessant chirping went on into the night, the only sound that broke up the silence that camping outdoors typically offers. With no TVs, no cell phones, no kids, we were left to our own to sleep and rest up for the next day's adventures.

We woke up Saturday morning, and cooked up some Dutch Oven bfast.

After getting geared up and cleaning up the minimal mess we made outside the coach, we got our bikes ready and took off. We were camped off of exit 131, and near dirt roads, headed to Swazeys cabin. We headed over to the freeway and went under the freeway. We stopped at some indian drawings on the side of a cliff.

The morning ride was all done up north, and the goal was to hit Devils Racetrack.
We went road down a trail we call Kent's Landing, on the way to Fix It Pass, down the wash, and up Devils Racetrack, then back to camp.

At the coach, we revitalized our gas and bodies. We had some lunch, sat on the couches in the coach and relaxed a bit. It was a nice break. Once ready to go again, we went down cut roads and washes, using our intuition and maps to find our way to the start of Red trail. PArt way through Red trail, we hit the cut-off to 5 Miles of Hell. Here we took a few pictures to prove we were there, and then we walked in a bit of 5MOH.

We decided to ride in a bit. We did maybe 1/2 mile in, and then went back out, having left 1 of our 3 outside the entrance. Once all back together, we continued on Red trail. Got our butts kicked, but got out alive and only missing a kill switch and a bent clutch lever. We took Blue back to the cut roads, and headed back to camp. It was a long day, and we were tired, and satisfied.

After riding in the Swell, we returned to our camp. We were beat. We took off our gear, and loaded up the bikes onto the trailer. After securing all our gear into the camper, we headed out. It was late in the afternoon, and we were close to dinner time. Price was too far away for dinner for one in our party, and we decided to go into Green River to satisfy the need. We headed to Ray's. Once in Ray's, we didnt see a place to sit down, for our party of 3, except for scattered seats at the bar. Feeling that the wait would be too long, we decided to try Ben's next door. No one was there, which should have clued us in to something... Suffice it to say we didnt have a great eating experience, but we did get filled.

So, now, its late, after 8pm, maybe closer to 9pm. We head out into the night, headed back to our homes. We were cruising along, when I heard a new noise in the engine. I am not a mechanic, but i do have a keen sense of hearing and smelling. Often to my dismay, I sense things as they change in these two senses. I speak up that i hear something in the engine that sounds a bit off. We stop talking and listen. Sure enough, belts sound like they are making different noises than they normally do. As we listen to the symphony of cacophonies being issued from the old motorhome engine, it gets louder and louder, more shrill even. One of our party mentions that his car did the same thing, and when he sped up, it would seat the belt better, and cease the noise. As we kept driving, speeding up a bit, the noise soon ceased. Almost immediately after that, we heard a couple loud thumps within the engine compartment, hitting the lid between us and it. It was as if some creature was trying to get out. As soon as we heard the thump, the temperature gauge decided to get active, and see how far to the right it could swing, and how fast it could reach a new position of reporting. This was when the driver realized that we needed to stop, and stop now! This is not an easy feat for any motorhome, and our old coach was no different. We slowed down, tried to pull off the road the best we could, and came to a disappointed halt to our trip home. Stranded along the side of the road, we were 20+ miles outside Price.

The three of us work with computers for a living, and riding is our hobby. Fixing mechanical engines is not something we are adept at. We, nonetheless, set about digging in to see what happened, how to fix it, and weigh our alternatives. It was about 10:30 on a Saturday night, in the middle of nowhere, with only 1 cell phone that was active. 3 computer geeks trying to fix an engine with no spare parts. Luckily we had some help from other people that we could call and gain more knowledge from. 1 vehicle stopped to assist us, and was able to tell us that for the next mile and a half, there was no better place to pull over. We felt that we would not make the trip of a mile and a half, even limping along with the missing belts. We called a tow truck. Almost 2 hours later, we were finally on our way to Price. We were deposited in the Walmart parking lot, knowing that from there, we could get to parts stores in the morning to get the pieces we needed.

It was at this point that we learned from the tow truck driver that Price was going to be excperiencing a city wide power outage most of the morning. This was going to affect most businesses, as they had decided to not even open at all on that day. The next morning, the driver of the motorhome took off to look at the stores, and 2 advertised that they would not be open. 1 didnt advertise either way. He decided to call in a favor from a friend from Spanish Fork. After a couple calls to parts stores, he got a list of products we would be needing, and had his friend go get them. The friend then drove out to us to install them. Once in Price, we realized that a few of the items would not work, and we needed different items. So, some of us set out with the newly arrived mode of transportation to hunt down a parts store. Luckily, one had just opened, and had power. So, its now after noon on Sunday. And a parts store is open, and within walking distance. We swapped some product with others we thought would work and tried them out. After doing this a couple times, we finally got all the parts we needed, got them installed, and fired up the motorhome. Viola! Success! After 15+ hours of worry and planning and discussions, we actually had a movable vehicle with us and our gear on our way. We returned to the road and headed home. Its around 2 or 3 in the afternoon now, and we have missed most of any of our morning Sunday activities. We were happy to be on the road again.

As we traveled home, we talked about all the other things that could have gone wrong. We were happy to have been blessed with just the 3 guys with this failure. What if the driver had been going with his wife and kids? What if, what if, what if...

We were grateful to have cell phones, and people to research information the internet. We were grateful that 1 family stopped to see if we needed help, and was able to assist us in making a vital decision. We were grateful that we could park in Walmart lot until we could get it working again. We were grateful for good friends that could swing by stores and get parts and deliver them to us, 2 hours from their home, and that they would do that in the middle of their weekend. We were grateful we brought tools and had the brains to use them, somewhat, to solve the problem. We were grateful for a store to be finally opened and provide us the needed parts to fix the engine.

We are grateful for a great weekend of riding, and a safe resolution to a catastrophic engine failure. We are grateful to be home, safe and sound with a great story to tell, and an awesome adventure that ended in all smiling.

2009 April Spring Break

2009-04-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

This week was our spring break and bi annual trip as a family. We were going to goto Bryce, but the kids said that they wanted to go camping and dirt biking instead. So we planned a trip to 5 mile pass. We have a favorite camping area to stay at.
The area is near trees, nearby tailings with large hills to climb, and near a flat area where the little kids can have a great time riding.
For this trip, we borrowed a motorhome from my friend Al. He was very gracious in allowing us to use this toy. We treated it as our own. Sunday before we went out to camp, we picked up the large vehicle from Al's home, and brought it to our house. It was nice to have it at our house to load and pack at our leisure. Monday was a warm day, and we were able to load some things into the motorhome. Tuesday and Wednesday were terrible weather days. In between rain storms, we would run out to the motorhome and load it up with items. Some of the items we loaded into the storage of the motorhome, instead of the back of the truck, because of the rain and possible snow. I laugh at that last description, because there was no possible snow by Tuesday night, it was actual snow. We were unable to load up the motorcycle trailer, because it was going to rain and then snow. Instead of heading out Wednesday afternoon, in the insane snow storm that dumped 6 inches on us, we just stayed at home, with everything loaded in its various places in the motorhome and motorcycle trailer. Instead of spending the night out at 5mile pass, and possibly getting more snow, we stayed home, and planned on going the next day.
That night (Wednesday night), it snowed even more. Before we were able to leave, I got on top of the motor home and removed the 6 inches of snow on the roof. More snow was removed a second time from the back of the truck. The wood that we had picked up on Monday for the fire, had been rained on and snowed on a few times, making it useless for the fire. This was unloaded and stored on the driveway. The sun was up, the weather was getting better, the snow had stopped, and we hoped for a large enough window to get finished packed and get out to the camping area. The weather seemed to be cooperating with us so far. We got loaded up and headed out around noon. We stopped by the gas station and loaded up the LP and gas, which ran about $130. There was still snow everywhere we could see, and yet we were loaded up to go dirt biking in the desert.
Once we got out to 5mile pass, we setup our camp area as much as we needed too, with the fear that it might still snow or even rain that night. Much of the camping supplies were left in storage in its various locations. The kids bikes were unloaded and they were allowed to start riding. They ride a bit, then play in the trees, build some forts and 'houses' within the trees, they climb the nearby hills, they simply have a blast out there. Thursday was a bit cold, and most of us hung out dressed up warmly, and tried to play. Some of us went inside for most of the day. The night was cold, but the lure of a fire drew most folks out into the cold to do the mezmorized dance nearby the fire. I, for one, love to make and enjoy the fire of camping.
The next day, it was a bit warmer, and we played a lot more. Dad's actually got out and did a couple big bike rides and had some fun. I learned that my shoulder is not up to 100% from before, as a hill I have bested before, got the best of me this time. After lifting the bike up a bunch of times, i was noticeably tired and affected physically. I was still able to ride better than I had hoped, but not as amazingly as I had hoped.
Saturday was a lot warmer than the previous days, which had some of us complaining already about the heat. It was mostly dry wherever we went, with small puddles of water in the lower places on trails. Rarely though were these encountered. When we got up higher, we did see a lot more water and mud. One trail even seemed like it was made up of a slick layer of goo with a river running thru it. We stopped for a bit and watched rock crawlers attempt to climb some serious rack walls. We had 2 big bike rides on Saturday. One of the tips even led us to two trails we have never ridden before. The area amazes me when we can find a new trail, after all the other trails we have ridden over and over before.
The first day, Treyson wanted to ride his bike. We rigged it up with the training wheels and the rope governor. We used a rope with a handle to attach to the back of his bike so that someone could run behind him and control his progress in the wrong direction, should such an event occur. At one point, Christy broke the rope, and we decided to try him out without parental control. We would go along with him on a flat area and tr to get him to ride a small pattern over and over. When got good enough for this, we 'd expand the area. At one point on Saturday, he ended up doing some 40 loops on a large area until he was so sore and tired, he couldn't ride anymore. He has improved so much over these last few days of riding. At one point, he wrecked, ending with himself under the bike, between the training wheels and the front wheel. He was crying and scratched up on the back, and thru the tears, answered the question 'do you want to go back, or do you want to keep riding?'. He wanted to keep going. So we did. He was so proud of his accomplishments.
Alyssa had a small wreck that tweeked her handle bars and broke a cable control for the throttle. We fixed it up, and she was out riding again soon. Kylie rode a lot as well, but looked like she was outgrowing her bike. We'll have to revisit this again sometime soon.
All in all we all had a great time. The motor home heated us up in the night. We ate outside all of our meals, as we love o do. We had fires each night and loved sitting around and talking. We looked at the stars and showed constellations and stories. The kids even told scary stories to each other.
Friday night, as I was sitting by the fire late at night, we saw a UFO. It was a bright blue light that seemed very close and lit up the entire camp area briefly. Looking up, and to the east, we saw a bright blue light travel across the sky and burn out quickly. As the excitement caught us, I exclaimed that I wanted to see more. A few minutes later, we were treated to another similar event, on the other side of the sky. We have no idea what it was, but enjoyed the experience.
After spending 3 full days and 2 full nights out there, we returned home late Saturday night. It was too late to unload, so we took some items in, and went to bed. Today, most of us just laid around after church, and chilled. It was a great trip with lots of fun had by all.

2009-04-05T09:51:00.001-07:00

testing updates to Ping.fm via Twhirl

Battlefield Utah 03-28-2009

2009-03-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (March 28th), I was lucky enough to participate in a paintballing event called BattleField Utah. Its located on top of a mountain near Eagle Mountain. It hosted 150 players on 2 teams. Game started at 10am, and ran until 1pm, we had a break for lunch, then it started again an hour later and ran until 4pm. We entered the fieldd after registering and getting marked for a team with a colored tape on the arm. Once on the field, fully dressed and protected, we proceeded to our dead zone. There were refs on the field, and other players actually playing. Once at the dead zone, we had a tent where we could take off our masks, and regroup. When time was up, on 15 minutes intervals, the ref would allow us to respawn. Each time i was killed, which was fairly often, i would return to the dead zone and wait to reenter the game. Some times, I had gotten great shots off, actually killing off other players. Other times i ran too quickly to the front lines and simply was eliminated. Some times, i would go out with other folks and team up and take out the other team. I didnt keep track of the times that I was killed, or the kills that I had. What i did do was recognize that i had a blast, worked up quite a sweat, went thru a bit of co2 and paint. At the end of the day, I had a blast and would do it again. There were some really frustrating times when players on the other team seemed to be cocky and were doing and saying things that got my ire up. But, after all, we were out with guns trying to kill one another.
I do enjoy the speed, stealth and actions of paintballing. Being able to give and take hits that are not leathal, but feel the rush, is an amazing thing. The field was large and allowed 150 people to move around easily. Flags were in well placed locations, and not visible until upon them. I would do it again, and look forward to doing it again next year.

Team Building Exercise = Shooting Guns?

2009-03-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, March 18th, my team at work and a couple other guys went out to west of Utah Lake and brought a ton of guns and shot up stuff for a couple hours in the afternoon. Michael has military training and a few guns to match that training. Dan has a share of guns himself. I think Scott even brough some of his own. I only had a 22 shotgun to contribute.

We all met up in Lehi, grabbed some lunch, and took off south of Saratoga Springs to find a place to shoot stuff. Surprisingly, there were already 4 groups of folks out there shooting, so we picked an area of the mountain that was secluded to set up.

We got a table setup, and spread out our weapons. Targets were setup, and we talked safety, and started shooting the small caliber weapons first. While shooting some of these, we heard a few stray ricoshets buzz past us. Kinda freaky sound, knowing that folks are around you shooting in your general direction. We honked out horns, hoping to get the message across. The strays seemed to cease for a period, and we continued setting up some targets for the higher powered weapons. While out in the field setting up stuff to shoot at, we started hearing some more strays come by. The hackles on the back of my neck were standing at attention and seiously forced me to take cover. Dan actually saw the bullet fly by, even with the pocket of air in the front breaking the sound barrier. I didnt see it, but felt enough to get a bit freaked out. We quickly dismantled our setup, and bolted from that area. No way we would be relaxed shooting stuff, with others shooting at us.

Once relocated, we setup some more targets and got to shooting stuff. All 5 of us took turns using different weapons and going through a bit of ammo. We had shotguns, various handguns, a few rifles, even an m4. It was all kinds of fun. Many things were hit, shattered, and so on. We found a ton of stuff laying around to shoot at, as well as had brought some of our own things to hit. I believe that we all had a good time, and most importantly, we were safe, and no one was hurt.

It was a great excursion and a lot of fun for all was had. Doing things with your coworkers outside the structure of work is always entertaining.

Below are some photos that we took of the event.

2009 Marv Jensen Spring Smash

2009-03-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

In March each year, there are usualy a few rall tournaments. This year, there were 3 that we participated in. 3 Weeks in a row. It was fun, but tough.
This week, we had the Spring Smash tourney. I played at Marv Jensen for almost 6 years while working at ACS. So, this facility, above all others, feels like home for me. Which is good, since we spent at least 2 hours and sometimes as much as 5 hours, each night from Wednesday to Saturday. After a couple days, it seemed all we did at home was shower and change to come back to Marv Jensen again.
Alyssa, Kylie and Myself all played in this tournament. The girls ended up being in a combined division, and played a Round Robin format, even playing each other.

Alyssa has progressed a ton as a multi bounce player. She played all single bounce opponents, and held her own for quite a while. She would run around and get to balls that we would have thought down. She warmed up so seriously before each match, and practiced until she was ready to begin the games. During the games, her little legs kept pushing and pulling her all over the court. She got some incredible shots and played very well. While playing Kylie, she actually won 1 of the games, and lost 1 to Kylie. Before the tie-breaker was started, and after realizing it was after 9pm, we decided to call off the last game. Alyssa scored 1 more point than Kylie and was labeled the winner. What a night. 3 games were played by the girls, and all were way tired.

Kylie had trouble getting into the games, as she faced boys a lot older than herself, and didnt have the multi bounce to fall back on like Alyssa did. She did play well, and has improved so much. She can stand up against the boys, but gets a bit nervous and shys away from some of the shots, causing her to loose her cool and get her head out of the game. It was amazing to see some of the shots and gets that she was able to pull off. She enjoyed the tournament and realized that we all need to practice a bit more. We will be pitting the 2 girls against each other in our famliy games, and play them like real games witha ref and all.

I played alone on Thursday night, with none of the girls having a game that night. I played in C division. My first game, i was so off and so cold that I could only muster 4 points. My opponent was one I had played previously, in another tournament. I had beaten him in 1 game, and lost in 2 other games. The same thing happened this time. I truly thought i had him in the tie-breaker, as I had control of the game (I felt) for quite a while, but ended up loosing the momentum and lost the game. So, I was out of the regular tourney, and shunted into the Consolation round. My next game could have been Friday or Saturday. We went Friday to watch the girls play, so found out when my game would be. It was slated for Saturday at noon. If I won that game, I would play another game at 3pm on Saturday. We awoke Saturday, got all ready, took my powershot to get jazzed up for the game, got dressed, and make the trek up to Mark Jensen, to find out that my noon game was really just a 3pm game. Bummer. When I did get onto the court, I was ready to play, having watched 3 hours of play previously. I ended up winning the Consolation final in 2 games. I won a can of new racquetball's, yeah!

We love playing this sport. We love interacting with the community and love watching other players compete. Some of the games are intense, and we learn alot simply by watching others play. In the end, I hope that these activities brings our family together, and helps us stay active, learn to compete, gain skills that can be used in many other aspects of our lives.

2009 UVU rball tourney

2009-03-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

I entered into the UVU tournament, after Preston and Mike asked me if i was gonna play. I was gonna take a week off, and not play, since I had played in the Luck of the Heights tournament the week prior, and am still playing in a tourney next week (Marv Jensen Spring Smash). But after getting asked by multiple people if I was playing, i decided to support the tourney. Plus, being in UVU, was closer than most tournaments.
My first game was Wednesday night. I was excited to play, but leery, because I was still sore from a workout previously. I worried it would hinder my play. But forged along anyway. My first game, I lost. I didnt play well at all. But after being warmed up, I played much better the second game, and won. Onto the 3rd game. This one, i musta flipped my 'play crappy mode' switch, and lost. I wish i could figure out the magic that allows me to play so well one game, and soo poorly the next game.
So, now that I lost my first game in C Division, I was in the consolation round. My next game was to be on Friday night, almost the same time as my daughters play. However, the way that the draw worked its way out, I didnt have to play on Friday, but again on Saturday morning.
Only Alyssa could come to my Saturday game, as the rest of the family was busy with other things. So, we went down there to UVU, Alyssa and I, and attempted to find a place to park. It happened to be at the same time as some 'Run' event sponsored by UVU, and parking was atrocious. It took my 20 minutes to find a place where I could actually park. We finally made our way to the courts, and I warmed up. I was able to bring in my wireless headphones this time, and listen to them as i warmed up. I havent done this for quite some time, and it was nice to not have wires inhibiting me again. So, I warmed up, got in some great shots, got a sweat going, got moving. I felt good. I started playing my first game, and scored 2 points, while my opponent went on to score 15 points, regardless of the flailing that I did in and around him. I just stunk it up. Shots that are money makers for me, would come up 10 feet short. Frustrating.
In the second game, I turned a new leaf. I did really well. Alyssa recorded the event, and while I was watching this second game, I actually heard some spectator say 'wow, where did he pull that shot out'. I assume this was reference to the obvious history of the first game shenanigans. I ended up winning that game. And onto the third game, where I was able to pull out a win. Now I had a chance to play for the final of the consolation round. I could be the winner of the loosers.
This next match was to start at noon. Just an hour away. My arm and shoulder were pretty sore, so I tended to my wounds, even found some ice nearby to put on them. This helped me feel better. I rested and got ready for the next game.
The opponent was someone I had played before, but didnt think I played well against. During the first game, I kept up for quite awhile, even leading for a bit. I was feeling good, but obviously not 100%. I kept in the game about half the points, before I started hurting pretty badly, and everything went downhill from there. I lost the first match, and during the second match, I couldn't have played any worse, had I stood outside the court and just watched.
3 games on Wednesday. 5 games on Saturday. I won 3 of the 8 games. I must win more games in order to win... haha.
I did have a great time. My shoulder and arm are not suffering today as much as I thought they would be. Maybe I'm getting stronger after all, but am not entirely strong enough yet. I will keep working on it, and trying to get better. I would like to get up into the B Division someday. Maybe next year? I need to have a goal to get better. I do play so that I can be in better shape, and believe that this is being accomplished. I also like the social aspect of the game, and have made incredible friendships thru my play. This game has also strengthened us as a family, as we all participate in games and practice. It puts my kids and me on an even playing field when we coach each other. The strength of character it is building in my daughters is incredible. They have confidence to play, socialize, and even take on responsibilities as coach, referee and judge in tournament matches. Its great to see how much they have grown in the past few years, and I believe that his sport, and our participation in it has been a positive influence on us in many ways.
We will continue to participate. Play. Train. And grow. Both as racquetball players and people.

Paintballing and Motorcycling?

2009-02-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

This Saturday morning I got up, geared up, and took off before 930 to get to the paintball field. I have been following a local paintball store since my wife bought me a paintball marker and some other gear a couple of Christmas' ago. Periodically, the owner of JT Paintball will send out emails about games. This one was located on a great field near Eagle Mountain, Utah that is operated by Desert Edge. This is a great field, with a lot of room to play. I've been out there last year with 100+ people playing.

The field is located on a dirt road, past various farms. Its a typical Utah high desert area, with cedar brush and various other obstacles that make up some great hides to hunt the other team from. I even saw a couch out in the middle of the playing field. When we get rid of our couch, i may just bring it out there, since it'll add to the field of play, and make a great obstacle to shoot from.
There are two fields that Desert Edge plays in, and I have only been to one of them. I went to the other one first, thinking that it was where the game would be. The view was amazing, as it looked over saratoga springs, into lehi and the lake beyond. I could see my house. But no one else was there. I wondered around for a bit, enjoying he view, until i headed to the other field. Here, I
found a few folks, 10+, gearing up. After I geared up, we divided into teams and went out onto the field. I was one of 3 people that had played there before, so felt like i knew what was going on. I love playing here, because of all the trees and shrubs and built up obstacles. When using the trees, you can easily down the field, and see legs and bodies moving. If you sit still, and use the trees as cover, you may be able to sneak up on them. Its a great area, that allows you to move around in easily. I had some great shots, picked off some people, but was never the last on my team. I ended up getting shot each time i went onto the field. One was a great shot by the other guy. I had just hunted down a guy from the other team, and took him out well. All agreed it was a great shot. But afterwards, i was cocky and wondered away quickly, right into the waiting gunsights of of an enemy. Great shot. Another time, i had chased down 3 enemies, pushed them back with the help of a teammate. But when i went right, and he went left, he got distracted by another enemy, leaving the three to concentrate on me. I blew it, and ended up getting hit by a sniper guy in the trees, as i hunted 2 in a stand nearby. I never saw the guy in the tree, and he tagged me in the knee.

None of the shots were as hard as the week before during speedball. Each time i returned to the parking area, I could barely breath. Its a long walk back after getting shot, but even taking my time, i couldn't breath, as I had been exerting myself during the game so much. It felt great to run, jump, evade, shoot.
After the games (3-4), I packed up and headed home. Stopping by a gas station to treat myself with a Diet Sunkist and a Chocodile. I went home.

Once at home, we finally took down the Christmas lights. They usually spend quite a bit of time on our home, but it was time, and we had the afternoon. With all the family helping, we made quick work of it.

Afterwards, and since i had removed things in the garage to pack the Christmas lights, my dirtbikee was out... asking for a new handlebar to be put on. I started taking pieces off the old bars, making sure that i marked where things were, unlike last time. I slowly removed everything, and got the new bar put on. This time, i didnt attach it to the triple tree first, but attached the items first. Last time, i had a heck of a time with cables being too tight, having been put on incorrectly. I was slow and methodical and successful. I didnt get the grips or barkbusters put on, but did make good progress for having done it myself. I rarely do well with mechanical tasks, but did ok this time.

So, thats how I was able to combine paintball and motorcycling. I actually wish there was another way to combine them. Ive often thought it would be cool to get paintball geared up and ride quads. One paintballer on the back of the quad, one driver of the quad. We team up and play agains other similar groups. I would imagine there would be some severe injuries, but prior to that, i bet we'd have a blast acting out a real life Mario Kart.

I sure enjoy these hobbies, and am thankful for the time and abilities to participate in them whenever I can.

Random Things

2009-02-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

Recently, on Facebook, I have been tagged for some Random notes from other people.
I avoided writing them down for a while, but finally got to them today. I wanted to keep a record of them here on my blog as well.

So, I'm simply reposting them here.

This one was difficult. Trying to come up with things that people may not know about. I am sure that some people will recognize some of them, but hope that the overall feeling is of newness.
The link is here on Facebook

And here is the contents of that post.

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Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 4:00pm

I got tagged for this a few weeks ago, but put it off. Now, I guess should try to fill it out.

1. i do not have those little crescent half moons under my fingernails. None of my fingernails.

2. I have never seen another person not have them on their fingernails.

3. I have never eaten a hotdog from a gas station.

4. A goal in my life is to die without ever having a hotdog from a gas station.

5. I have never felt an earthquake, though i have lived in areas that have suffered earth quakes.

6. I killed my high school girlfriends cat, but never told her.

7. I love to play in the water, but am constantly afraid of what is in the water.

8. I just finished building an addition to our entertainment center. This is a project I have been trying to finish for 8+ years.

9. My home computer is surrounded by MDF.

10. My shoulder will click sometimes, since I tore my AC joint. Weirds me out.

11. The only time I really drank alcohol, was a 1/5th of vodka poured into the water tank of the motorhome so it would not freeze. Next day, i had i swig of it, and spit it out.

12. I can not tell the difference between Marijuana smoke and any other kind of cigarette smoke.

13. My sweet wife can tell the difference.

14. I was once (ok many times) party to tying up the next door neighbor girls to telephone poles, all under the guise of practicing our Boy Scout knots.

15. A movie i will always stop to watch is Tremors

16. I love to watch motorcycle racing with my wife and family. But do not like NASCAR.

17. I have had an MP3 player for many years, way before ipod existed.

18. I hate when animals poop in my yard (I don't have any animals) and the owners don't clean it up.

19. I collect coins and bills. Started while in Argentina serving a Mission for my Church.

20. My favorite treat is anything with chocolate and nuts. oh, and a Chocodile. And Apple Pie. Oh, and Reeses anything. Ok, I have lots of favorites.

21. Can still speak fluent Spanish, with an Argentine accent.

22. Love Baloo the bear.

23. I love blogging. I love reading others' blogs.

24. I have had over 600 hits from 33+ countries on my SQL Server Blog since starting it in November.

25. I hate driving.
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AC Joint - Update 2009-01-24

2009-01-24T22:32:00.000-08:00

Today we went over to Orem Rec again to finish watching the rball tourney and let the girls play a bit. The girls didnt play, but I got to ref some games and watch some great games. This got me thinking that even though I lost my second game in C division, I was happy that I was able to play. Just 162 days ago, I was out at 5 mile pass, suffering from a torn AC joint in my shoulder. I looked back just now at my blog and saw my 50 day update, having gotten back on the dirtbike and was riding again. So, 162 days from tearing it, I was able to compete at a descent level in rball tourney. Yeah Me.

How I spent my day off (2009-01-23) - woodworking

2009-01-23T23:24:00.000-08:00

Earlier in the week I worked extra on Monday and Tuesday, enough to cover an entire day. So, Friday, I took the day off of work, having worked 40 hours in the previous 4 days. I was tired, so got to sleep in. However, when I was awake, I, as always, felt the push to get something done. I always feel this push.

I have been working on an entertainment center addition, but with the cold weather, i have been stymied with the staining process. Today was a great day of weather, and I actually worked in my shortsleeves, and was able to hear the heater shut off on its own many times during the day. I finished staining and steel wooling the entertainment center today, and finished up some touch up parts I had not known what to do with yet. I added backing to different portions of the project. I even spent quite a while trying to get the doors to work. I didnt come up with a definite solution yet, but am on the way to one, I hope. I did scope out the wood for the drawers, and actually put together part of one to test it out and learned a lot.

Some pictures are here, in my flickr site.

Also, while I was waiting and confused on direction, I made a couple clocks. One was for a friend of mine's Birthday gift. The wood had been previously cut out to size to accept a clock, so finishing it was relatively simple. I also converted an idea for a clock that I had seen at work into a wood version. Its a 3" block that balances. Its hard to describe, check out the pics.

After all, I spent quite a bit of time in the garage, working on a few different projects and made some great progress. I ended up going to Home Depot and picking up a new saw blade and some quick clamps with my christmas money.

It was a good day.

2009 Orem Open - Racquetball tournament - game 2

2009-01-23T23:16:00.000-08:00

Game two pitted me against a guy from the Orem League that I have never played well against. Rory. In the first game, I actually was up in points for a bit, which suprised me. But I soon lost the lead, and never gained it back. I did put up a fight though.

In the second game, I simply sucked. Nothing seemed to work. If I didnt skip the ball, I would end up placing it where he would dink shot it in the corner. So, it was soon over, and I had lost. Too bad.

But, the goal was to play after having injured my shoulder 4+ months prior. I played a lot better than we all figured I could. I had to ice up after the first match, but I didnt on the second game, and the next day my arm and shoulder were fine. So, my strengthening regiment had helped. My trips to the gym have helped. And my patience in waiting to play has helped.

Now, I need to continue on, building more and more, and practicing. More tourneys will come my way, and I hope to be ready.

Tomorrow, we will go to Orem Rec again, and watch our girls play some games with other kids their age. I hope they enjoy themselves and do well in their games.

2009 Orem Open - Racquetball tournament - game 1

2009-01-21T20:41:00.000-08:00

This week is the Orem Open in Orem, Utah. The rec center is where we often play racquetball as a family and where I go during the days now on lunch break to play twice a week. So its familiar territory.

I signed up for this tournament, the first since separating my AC joint. I have not been playing as much racquetball as I did last year, due to the injury and changes in my schedule. I sure miss it. So this is my chance to test my body and endurance at a tournament level. I entered this tourney in a higher level than I was playing last year. So, I was a bit worried how the shoulder and arm would hold up.

To make matters worse, Monday at lunch I went to the gym to run on the elliptical, then Monday night I worked extra doing releases, and was tired. The next day, Tuesday, I played racquetball with a buddy of mine at lunch time, then went to a Racquetball League form 7pm until 830pm. After the league, I started backing up databases for an hour, then proceeded to work on a Billing Staged Run for work, until 2am in the morning. The next morning, Wednesday, we had a Company Kick Off event, that started early, at a distance from my home, so i had to go a bit earlier than normal to 'work'. I ended up working until 5pm that day, and ran home to eat some dinner and take a nap. I was so tired. I didn't see myself playing well at all after the last few days, and what was four 8 hour days of work already by Wednesday.

So, I'm tired. But jazzed about playing again. The nap was awesome, and actually helped incredibly. I showed up to the tourney, saw old friends from the rball community, caught up on what we've been doing. Soon, it was my turn to play. I got ready, and started warming up. I was able to use my free ipod nano I won from SQL Server Central.com as SQL PASS last November from Steve Jones. I warmed up and we started to play. My shoulder isn't in the best shape, but held up well, and I was able to bang out some great shots. I led the first game for my first 11 points, then gave up the lead, and kept the game close, until my opponent ended up winning me by a couple points. I was ecstatic. I had done so much better than expected.

The next game was on. I ended up running 11 points with my opponent not scoring at all. But i couldn't hold it, and gave up a few points, maybe 6 or 7 points, before winning the second game. Woohooo. I'm on a roll now.

The tie breaker was a game to 11 points, where the other 2 games are to 15 points. So, its nice to not have play as long on the tie-breaker, since I'm usually so tired by the third game. I started the tie-breaker strong, but as usual, made mistakes, and let a lot of points get away from me. I was able to nail down some solid serves, and even got quite a few aces. The last point, I could taste it, but ended up skipping my shot, giving my opponent a chance to loose. I was able to gain the serve back, and was excited. I stood up to hopefully get my last point, and pulled out one of my favorite serves. A Z drive serve with my forehand, from the left side of the court. The Z ends up in the back left behind me, and hopefully bounces oddly in the corner, preventing a return, if any. I aced this serve. Last serve of the game, and it was over. Woohoo.

So I won my 1st match in the Orem Open in C division. This is a huge accomplishment for me, and I treated myself to a chocodile from a gas station on the way home. My entire family came out and cheered me on. They always are such a great support to me, and help me and coach me and simply love me, no matter the outcome. I love to play this game, and am excited that I'm doing it again, even with this shoulder injury nagging at me. I am sitting here now typing this with an ice pack on my arm. Soon, I'll put it on my shoulder, and cool it down.

I play again tomorrow at 6pm. I'll post those results in a new post.

Words Words Words and Wordl

2009-01-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

On my Work related blog, I recently posted a blog about using Wordl. This is a word jumble tool that lets you input a website, or a series of words. For work related stuff, I had the idea of doing some Wordl's about my resume, my blog, twitter, etc.
But over here, on my family blog and hobby blog, I wanted to do something a little more non careerish.

So, I did our family mission statement. Not 1, but 3 different views of the words that make up our family mission statement. I liked the results.

Then I posted a few other documents I had that were church related.

Here is the Wordl from 'The Articles of Faith'

Here is the Wordl from 'The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood'

Thanks to the internet, and the Guttenberg project, I was able to pull text versions of the Book of Mormon into Wordl and produce the following jumbles.

Book of Mormon Preface

Book of Mormon - 1 & 2 Nephi

Book of Mormon - Jacob

Book of Mormon - Words of Mormon

Book of Mormon - Mosiah

Book of Mormon - Alma

I would like to add more to this as I find ideas to do Wordl jumbles on.
Let me know ideas, if you have them, in the comments section and I will publish the results.

How we spent turkey day

2008-11-30T23:50:00.000-08:00

This year, we shirked the shackles of normalcy and chose to go away from home for celebrating Thanksgiving. Having recently visited Moab, and unable to get the taste out of our souls, we decided a return trip was in order. This time, we were able to find a place to stay within Moab, thus alleviating us of the need to travel back and forth from Green River, like we did last time.

We planned on visiting a few different parks while there, but ended up only visiting Arches. My parents came along with us for this trip. They came down to our home on Tuesday and we all took off on Wednesday mid afternoon. We ran by Walmart on the way out of town and had our oil changed while waiting. Well, actually afterwards, and since they delayed too long. But they got to suffer the wrath of Christy when it wasn't done in time.

We headed south and it got dark as we went thru the canyon from Spanish Fork to Price. As we approached Price, it was rather dark, and the weather started getting worse. A little rain, then more rain, then snow. As it was dark, i noticed that my lights didn't seem to be working on low-beam. So i shifted it to high-beam. Before switching it, people kept flashing me with their lights, to let me know mine were not on. As i switched to high-beams, of course people let me know my high-beams were on now. After stopping at the local k-mart, and getting some light bulbs, i weathered he storm to install them, as the rain had turned to snow and covered us with its icy coldness.

Once again able to see well in the deepening dark, we took off to get to Grog's for dinner. After

waiting a half hour for the food ti arrive, we ate a scrumptious meal. I had been regaling my family with tales of Grog's for some time now, and they were not disappointed. A trip was planned to get back to this establishment and eat again. Sometime in the spring, maybe, we'll attempt a return visit. Yummy food.

Luckily, while in the eatery, the weather ran itself out and we had an uneventful trip from Green River to Moab, as far as the weather is concerned. Once there, we located the Lazy Lizard Hostel and retrieved directions and keys to our home away from home for the next 3 nights. The office was connected to a living room area that was full of hippie types singing and playing instruments. All seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. We went a few blocks away and found Gramma's house. It was a cute little manufactured home and looked like a grandma lived there. Walls were thin, but heat was sufficient. Rooms had beds in them, and each room was connected to its own bathroom. We had 3 rooms for us all to spread out in. We unpacked, collected our stuff and went to bed.

The next day we awoke and the weather had not gone away, but was fully enveloping the valley with a constant drizzle. The valley's roof seemed to hover just above the level of the walls surrounding us. As we approached Arches, we realized that we'd be in the clouds most of the day, and in the rain. We tried to dress the part and go outside and still see some of the park, but the low lying clouds and rain prevented us from seeing much of anything that wasn't close up. We spent a few hours anyway driving and attempting to see as much as possible. This was thanksgiving day, and we were amazed at the quantity of people out in the weather anyway. We wanted to goto Zax for yummy pizza, but they were not opened on Thanksgiving day. We called a bunch of other places, and found quite a few closed. We did see a place opened up, and excitedly went in to get fed, but were rebuffed, being told that we needed reservations. So, we headed to Denny's instead, and had a great meal with the family. After the meal, we found the local theater and watched the new Bond film and Bolt, splitting the family in two to see both.

The next day, Friday, we were able to get back to Arches, with only the memory of the former day's rain littered about the ground, and soaked into the rocks. Everything remained a bit wet, but the sky was fairly clear and totally different than the previous day. We were able to see the park in a completely different light than the day prior. We visited the Devil's Garden area and hiked up to a few of the arches in the area. Some great rock climbing was had by myself and Alyssa as we found another escape route from Navajo Arch. Being up there in the arches, seeing so many different arches was incredible. The trail was fairly easy, and lead us up past Landscape arch. This arch was incredible, with its football length size, and 6 feet in the narrowest point height. Amazing that it has not succumbed to gravity or erosion yet.

The next day (Saturday), we found the park even more dry and still different than the prior day. The sky was clear of clouds for the most part. The temperature was a it cold, enough to force sweaters on us, but not enough to be truly cold. We went out to the windows area of Arches and walked out to north and south windows, along with turret arch. All of these gave us great chances to climb rocks and see incredible views. The canyons beyond and to the north of us still clung to the mists of the morning, and provided an incredible views. At turret arch, we were able to climb up an enormous pillar nearby. Alyssa made it all the way to the top with me.

After visiting turret arch, we headed down to another arch just south of there. Kylie and I went around to another area nearby and climbed up into it. Its an arch in its infancy. Incredible to see the layers of rock, the scattered clumps of dirt and rocks. We went over to the actual arch and climbed in and around it, getting great views and incredible memories.

After this last arch we retreated back to the beginning of Arches and took some pics at the main sign. Then, it was on the road again, all the way back to Green River, where we stopped for a lunch at the infamous Ray's i have always heard about. Having never eaten there, and having talked it up to my family, i was nervous that it would suck. Far from it. Some of the best fries I've ever had, along with an incredible juicy burger. My fears were laid to rest, and we had a great meal again. When we ate, we ate out well. After eating and filling our bellies, we took off, and went back home to Pleasant Grove. The sun descended as we travelled, giving us some incredibly vibrant colors across the mountains and mesa's. The sun made its final descent, leaving us once again in the dark as we traversed the mountains and valleys to reach our home. Once home, the journey ended, we were sad at is end, yet happy to be home once again.

Update : Day 50, after tearing my AC joint

2008-11-08T18:30:00.001-08:00

This week, I went and play racquetball with the family and Bishop Paas. I was thrilled that I could play, albeit not at my high level of last season. I was able to swing and get to the ball, and return it.
Today, I went out to 5 mile pass and road my dirt bike. It's the first time i was back on it since Iwent down 50 days ago, tearing my AC joint. I went back to the rock that threw me down. I rode around with Kent, Kevin, JT and George. Tyler was even there riding with his dad.
We road simple trails and I was able to do it, with a little bit of struggling. I was and am thrilled I have been able to heal quickly and get back into action. I need to strengthen and get better, but I'm back baby!

Here's a picture of me out riding.

shoulder update

2008-10-28T20:04:00.001-07:00

On September 20th, i went to the hospital and had an x-ray.

1 month after my accident, i visited the doctor. this was the monday after christy's bday, so October 13th, 2 weeks ago. He saw my shoulder x-ray and commented that it was healing up a lot better than he thought it would have. The bone was dropping a lot more than he had hoped, and was on its way to healing well. He told me i could stop using the sling and start using the arm and strengthening it. He also said that withing a month, i could probably do whatever i was strong enough to do.

So, i took off the sling, and started moving. Within a few days, i was getting a lot more motion from my arm and shoulder. Soon, i was able to bath most of my body without wincing a lot. I could even put a shirt on a lot more easily now. Day by day, i was amazed at what i could do, and what actually still hurt a lot to do. The shoulder stopped hurting, except when touched or bumped. The other muscles started aching, from inactivity, and the resumed activity they were now suffering. So, wierd pains started appearing. I would get a knot in my back muscles. My upper peck would get stiff and sore. My tricept would stiffen up and ache. It was odd, and random. With increased activity, i was sure to have some side effects of pain and achiness.

I have continued to work thru it, and try to make a pattern of it, and avoid the worse of it. I even went to the gym in the first week, and got some advice on strengthening it. After a few simple exercises and a few days of ouchiness, here i am.

Continually rehabilitating, stretching, strengthening and hoping to get back on the bike and a racquet in my hand before the snow hits. My goal was to be moving in a month, hopefully back to ability to play soon after that month expired.

I have hiked to Delicate Arch, Mesa Arch, camped with the family, been to the gym, started doing pushups, mowed some of the yard, and relearned to dress myself. These are all goals i have acheived in sooner time than some thought. I must be patient, and not hurt it, but continue to get better.

I fell over, again

2008-10-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

3 saturdays back, on a dirt bike day with the family, i took off from camp, and road away a bit fast. yearning for some speed and that thrill of excitement that my dirt bike give me, i went up a hill near where our staging area was. I had just been riding with trey on the front of my bike, and had been going slow, and needed some speed. Up the hill i went, twisting and turning, and pushing the bike just a bit, that i was on the edge. Its a great feeling to be on the edge. Sucks to slip off it, but awesome to ride up close to it. Up the hill i went, and then down. The downward slope was easier than the uphill. I had the impression that i shold turn around and reverse the path i had just followed. But i ignored that idea, and kept going down. I hit the bottom and made a turn to the left, onto a quad track. around the bottom i went, and started up the shallower side of the hill i just climbed a short distance away. on the top of this hill, i remember there was a rock on the trail, and i had the thought that i needed to ensure that i missed it.

As i crested the top, i saw the rock, and realized i was a bit closer than i had wished. I missed the rock with the front tire. Apparently i didnt miss it with the back tire. I went down, and went down hard. My right shoulder must have gone down first, and then i rolled onto my back, and skipped like a rock gliding across the surface of the water for a couple bounces. I distinctly remember bouncing. The thought went thru my head that i was glad that i had my chest protector on, and was being protected on my back as well. When i stopped moving, i was a bit hurt, but worried i'd pass out or something, if it was worse, so i yelled, screamed outloud. This was to make sure that my family and friend Kevin could hear me, in case it was worse. Now i got mad at myself. I had gone down again... i hate wrecking and making mistakes. I hate getting hurt. But love to ride, and ride hard. Its an eternal struggle us suffer and enjoy.

I got up, and started to brush myself off. I went to my bike and tried to lift it. My right shoulder hurt, and i couldnt use it well, so i lifted with my legs, chest and left side. I got the bike up, and leaned against it. At this time, Kevin rode up and asked how i was... I lied and said fine, or i told the truth and said i was hurt. I really can't recall, as a wave of shock was overtaking me, and my breathing was starting to freak out. I asked him to get the kickstand, because i didnt think i could walk around the bike, and hold it at the same time. I continued to go into a mild shock. An interesting feeling when you are aware of its approach. Kevin looked at the rock i had jolted out of its hiding place, and mentioned, as he rolled it off the trail, that i had moved it some 3-4 feet. I started pulling my gear off, so we could look for signs of damage on my body. I actually tried to take the chest protector off, before my helmet. doh! i got my gear off, and we loked around, me looking in the front, he looking on the back. He laughed and pointed out that my jersey, which is full of venting holes, had made am impression on my back, and i was pockmarked with little holes. This was thru my garment that it had been pushed, and made its impression. I had a couple cuts and some road rash on my back. So, thru the chest protector, thru the jersey, and thru my garment, i had hit hard enough to gain road rash. Wild.

My arm was ok, but my shoulder hurt a bit. i lifted it and moved it around to test it. seemed just a bit sore... but i had a bump on my shoulder. I looked up and saw my kids and wife approaching. In an effort to be brave, and strong, i put my gear back on and got back on the bike and drove it back to camp. Telling them as i passed them that i was fine. I lied again. Apparently i wasn't fine, but still in a bit of shock. I got to the trailer and stopped my bike and got off. I had to walk 40 feet to a chair to rest, and knew i needed to rest a bit. As i walked to the chair, i realized that i was not going to make it, and i sat down about 5 feet from my bike. When i was ready to move again, Kylie had gotten back to camp and was near me. I asked her to help me to the chair over there, and she abliged.

I sat down and started taking my gear off. As i unclipped my boots, i found i was unable to pull my feet out, since i had nowhere to put my socked feet without getting them dirty, so i just kept them in the boots, but slightly elevated. I was still experiencing a mild shock and my breathing was wigging out. Soon, my legs and arms started to shake. My legs more wildly than anything else. As my daughter approached, she noticed this and asked what was wrong. I told the truth this time, and said i had no idea. She pulled one of my boots off, and that leg stopped shaking. I realized that i had simply been elevating my foot, and it was just a muscle twitch. Whew. Kevin loaded up all our bikes (1 wr250f, 2 ttr 90's and 1 pw50) and the rest of the family loaded up the rest of our gear. They put all my gear into my bag, knowing nothing was in the correct location, and that it would kill me later that it was all unorganized. I knew that this was true, but was unable to assist and organize it.

I simply sat in the chair, looking out at 5-mile pass to the north, alone, with all the activity occuring behind me. When we were all loaded up, they all cmae to get me and put me in the truck. I asked Kevin to give me a blessing, and my family gathered around as he performed this blessing on me. Then I went to the truck and tried to get in. I wish i had a lift at that moment that could pull me in, as i had a heck of a time getting into the truck. I got an ice pack from Kevin and put it on my shoulder. At this point, i realized i had done some damage and possibly broke something in there. It hurt tremendously at this point, and my body was wigging. Luckily Kevin had held onto a pain pill form one of his previous accidents, and had one with his moto gear. I took it, and im sure it helped curb the pain. Though i really couldnt tell, as the pain was pretty intense anyway. With much help from Kevin and my family, we were loaded and ready to go home, or to the hospital. The decision would be made en-route. We took off, and i felt every bump and hole in the road, which were many until we actually got to the road. As we went out of 5-mile pass, i recalled the accident i had there close to 2 year prior, but this time i was sitting up, in my own vehicle, and able to watch out the window, instead in the back of an ambulance. We went home.

It was a Saturday night, and i had church meetings in the morning. I needed to get some help to unload the bikes, as my wife and children couldnt alone. I needed to know what to do about my shoulder and other injuries, and needed to see someone about them. Along the way home, i made some calls to home teachers, to see if they could meet us at our house and help unload. I called one of the counselors in the bishopric to report on some task i had to perform. I then called our former home teacher, current chiropractor and bishop. I told him what had happened, and asked if we could stop by his house and have him take a look at me. He agreed.
We reached our home, and it was real hard to sit in the truck and let others unload my gear and bikes. I felt weak and helpless. But then i remembered that i was in pretty severe pain, and wouldn't be able to help much anyway. Once all unloaded, we ushered the children inside with instructions for the rest of the night. We took off to see our neighbor and friend, to let him look at my bones and suggest what happened, and what to do. After looking at it a bit, and referencing the interned, he told us he thought it was a torn AC joint in my shoulder. He proceeded to call another member of the neighborhood and ward, a doctor of anesthesiology. He came over and agreed. He had just gotten off a long dirt bike ride, and we talked about that for a bit, and it was the best i had felt since going down earlier that night. I actually stopped hurting for a bit, as we discussed his long bike ride, the different bikes he had used, my bike, etc. An effective painkiller, i would have never guessed, talking about dirtbiking was. He suggested writing me a perscription for a painkiller, and we agreed that in the morning we would retrieve the script and get it filled. We went home, and i sat on the couch. I took some alleve and a sleeping pill i had left over from my previous bout with dirt bike induced pain. I have slept on that couch, and spent a lot of time on it for the next few days. I put ice on my shoulder for a few days, on and off, and took pain pills on a regular basis.
Being that i was on-call at work, and that Monday was going to be a big day of tasks, some of which were assigned to me, i was loathe to skip it. I went in a bit late, after 9am, and got busy working. I could scarecly drive, as i was only able to use my left arm. But i made it, and got to work, and got setup at my desk. I had to move the mouse closer to me right arm, and was successful in using it, as long as i didnt move my right arm much. I sat still and started performing my tasks. I was real tired and sore in short order and really couldnt work much more. Luckily, my coworkers and boss noticed this and sent me home a bit later. I had a dr appointment around 1ish and i swung by to get him to look at me.
I got x-rays and saw the doctor pretty quickly. He showed me on the X-ray and on a model what i had done, and how it would heal. My sweet wife had swung by and gotten me pain pills and a sling earlier, and i was using both these presently. The doctor complimented my sking and said it was perfect for what i needed to be doing. Keep the arm still, let it heal. Come back in a month, and we'll look at it again, he said. He gave me another prescription for another pain pill. I took it, and went home to sit on the couch. I wasnt allowed to go to work the next day by my wife, and the next day my boss said he didnt want to see me there either. So i had 2 days of sitting on the couch and watching everything i could on the TV and DVR. I got pretty bored, but was unable to do much else but sit and prop my arm up, and try to sit still. I slep on the couch/lazy boy.
When i went out, i put on the sling. I could drive, but with some difficulty. Showering was ok for everything i can reach with my left arm. But some things were unreachable. Drying was equally difficult, and i often needed help with both these tasks. Dressing myself, especially my shirt, was next to impossible, and i needed assistance with this as well. As the days went on, i measured my new movements and abilities with how much further i could reach in the shower, and once i was able to put deodorant in my left pit, with my right arm, you'd have thought i'd won the lottery. within a week, i was able to do most of these things by myself again, thought i greatly enjoyed and appreciated the assistance my wife provided. Everything is still a bit hard and energy consuming. My arm gets sore from being held still, and the muscles in my bicept and tricept seem to get sore from inactivity and imobility. I tend to have to stretch them out and rub them a lot, but not move the shoulder much. I've gained a lot of movement, and i can feel the bone in my shoulder sticking up where it shouldnt be. My arm can be lifted a lot more than the first week, but stop before it hurts, unsure of how far i should push it. 1 more week, and I'll see the doctor again, and hopefully get some answers. I have stopped needing the heavy pain pills at night, and stopped taking them during the day by the end of the second week. I have almost stopped taking the extra strength aleve and tylonol during the day, most days. I had to take some today, for example, but its not every day.
In any event, i feel that i am on the mend, and cant wait to be good enough to get back on the bike again, and see how she faired. The handlebar is bent, and may need to be replaced. The radiator gaurd on the right was bent, but now looks like the left side, from a previous accident. The bark buster is all busted up, and needs to be readjusted. But i want to be able to ride before the snow hits. I hope that i can.
So, moral of the story... stay on the bike. Unlike everyone that keeps telling me i need to stop riding, i answer them by saying i need to stay on the bike and stop falling off. Truth be told, i need to slow down a bit, find other ways to experience that adrenaline rush and high from riding, and stay a bit further from the edge. I love it, but being hurt during riding season sucks, even more than simply being hurt and unable to apply my own deodarant to the left side of my body.

rball season is upon us

2008-10-05T15:44:00.001-07:00

the weekend after labor day was the first tournament of the year. I signed up in 1 division, and hoped to do well. My back has been hurting me for a few months now, and we finally figured out it was probably my chair at work that caused it. So bending over still caused me pain. I had not played in a month during august because of it, and was bit rusty. I started waring up for the first game, and was suprised i was moving well. I had taken some advil and sprayed biofreeze on my back in preparation. When the game got underway, i started off well, and was dong well against my opponent. I had a couple instances where i bent too far over, and it hurt a bit. But i recovered. I kept playing, and got tired, soon. about 6 points in on my side, and my opponent caught up and surpassed me easily. I never did catch up. He took the first game, and we went onto the next game. I played better in this one, but still was down, and never caught up. so i lost my first tournament game, heartily. Sad, since i felt that at my height last year, i would have easily done a lot better, and probably won the games. Oh well, goal was to play, see my rball family of friends, and get back into the sport after a frustrating month of back pain. Those goals were accomplished. I hope to practice well, and get ready for my next tourney in november.

American Fork Single Track

2008-08-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Wednesday August 6th, a group of us went up American Fork canyon and parked at Pine Hollow trail head and rode mane trails on the trail system in this canyon. We love the single track systems up here; they are closeby, take you thru beautiful and rugged areas. We rode trail 047 up too 157, over too summit, then down 252, then up 252 where it hooked up with 157 again. from there, we went down to tibble fork lake parking lot, rounded the damn, and back up one of the 040 or 041 trails too 157 again, looping back to where we started it all. 2.5 hours or so was the entire trip. We had a couple falls, but no real bad ones. It had rained, so the trail was wet in areas, and all the vegitation had water on it. One river crossing allowed me to get wet all the way up to my shoulders, and the wet trails allowed mud to get into crevices on the bike and myself that i never expected. Marcus didnt make it, and Kent wasnt able to complete it. We'll have to do it again, to give all a hance to experience it.

4th of July 2008

2008-07-05T10:26:00.001-07:00

4th of july weekend. Spending 2 days on the lake. After a week at powell recently, 2 days again is tough on us all, but we bear with it, and play in the sun all day long. yesterday, we all skied, except trey. I got some great water, as most people on the lake took off for the festivities of the 4th. We stayed a bit longer than normal, and just relaxed and played with our friends, the larsens and richens. hope today is a great day as well.

Luck of the Heights 2008 rball tourney

2008-03-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

I entered into this tournament in the Men's C division. My first game was against mallory on Thursday night. The first game, i won fairly easily 15-9. The second game, i lost way too easily. And then i lost the third game as well. Nothing seemed to work for me that night, after the first game. Odd.

My consolation game was Friday night at 7pm. I played Jesse VanValkenburg. I lost the first game by 2 points. I played way hard, but came up short. Second game, i was able to do much better and won 15-9. I figured i'd take third game, and had a 10-4 lead, but Jesse got all my serves, and came back and beat me 11-10. Tough loss for me. We ended up playing almost an hour and half. I even took some dives to get the shot, and even got up to get the next shot. My knee is still hurting, but it was a blast to get the shot. We videoed most of my games to review and learn from. I shot video of the girls as well, so they could see and learn from their games.

Kylie and Alyssa both entered the tournament as well. Both played 2 people in round robin format. Kylie played 2 boys her age, and scored well against both of them. One boy was new to tournaments, while the other has beat her before. She set herself some goals, and accomplished them, and was real proud of her performances. This is her second tournament as a single bounce player, and its taking some getting used too. She had a private instruction with Roger Flick last month, and he taught her a great serve. She used this serve and scored some great points. She took third in her division, winning her a container of new balls.

Alyssa played as a multi bounce player against two girls playing as double bounce. Lyssa has some mean serves for 2 bouncers to snag. She scored a lot of points, winning her first game, and doing real well the second game. She took second in her division, winning her a new glove.

Paintball 2008-03-01

2008-03-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

JT paintball organized a woodsball event and invited anyone to join. When Kevin and I showed up, there were very few people, but soon we had two teams of 8 or so playing. We got up to payson canyon area, and there was still snow in the mountains... more than we had thought would be there... the field was a foot and a half of snow, crusty on the top. In places, you could actually walk on top of the 18 inches of snow... however, ususally, you broke through. So each step was an interesting adventure, and running was almost impossible. So combine new equiptment, with unknown footing, and snow everywhere, and you had one heck of a game area. We played many different types of games. Each time, you wanted to be on the team that stayed put, because the trudge to the other side of the field wore you out, with half or more of the steps breaking thru the snow.
Needless to say, by the end of the 3+ hours we were there, we were cold, wet, tired, and thrilled with our first time out this year. Everything was wet. But we had a blast.
Paintballing is a blast. You run and duck and run again. Its such a kick...
I spilled my hopper of ammo out, and spilled a bag as well. Live and learn. Need to be more careful in the future.

January 2007 rball tourney

2008-01-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

I played 19 games of rball last week. Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday day.
I entered in 2 divisions, D Singles and D Doubles. I played with Charles Conklin in doubles.
The tournament ended up being a Round Robin format, with a lot of games. I had hoped to win more than I did. I expected to win more singles games, but had a tough time winning. I came back in a lot of the games, and won the second game, then thought I would take the last game, but failed to execute. In doubles matches, we won one fairly easily, but had to fight the rest of them to the end. Some games we did really well in, and one many games, but not all.
The tournament was for charity, for breast cancer. We participated in the silent auctions and won a pink backpack for Alyssa. Both Alyssa and Kylie helped out a bit, with washing dishes and other chores. They also played a lot with friends, and even helped coach me in most of my games. Kylie is getting an eye for the game, and enjoys watching and helping me. I truly appreciate her input and assistance.
The tournament was fun, but not as much a success as i had hoped for. Its only the second time i played doubles with Charles. We learned a lot, and hope to do better next time.