Capital George Pioneer Trail

The Capital George Pioneer Trail is located near Fruita, Utah which is located Hwy 24 between Torrey and Hanksville, Utah...almost in the middle of nowhere.

Eventually the road turns into a walking trail. This trail was used by pioneers crossing the southern Utah landscape east to west to settle in Nevada and California.

Along the trail there are many native American petrographs. Pictured above is what looks like a scorpion or a deer.

The rock walls also feature a "Pioneer Regrestry". When pioneers traveled w/ their wagons along the trail they would carve their names in the rock with the date of their passage so when their family menbers made the same trip the following year...they could tell if they had made it that far.

West of Torrey, Utah

Difficult to see, but my Xterra is sparked on the side of the road in the picture above.

Climbing up the hill.

The picture above and below....Views from the top of the hill.

Southern Utah is beautiful. A friend once told me "the southwest is intoxicating". I believe him to be true.

Early August 30th of this year while tracing a stretch of highway west of Torrey, UT I came across a beautiful mountain range. As I looked at the top of the "hill" I thought it would be cool to view the morning sunrise from the top of said hill. I estimated that it would take about 2 hours (I will allow you the reader to decide if a 2 hour climb up a relatively steep incline should be called a hill or mountain) to climb the hill in time to see the morning's sunrise.

As I began the climb I found a secure "wash-out" area that I could use as a trail. When I exhausted that route I began zig-zagging back and forth constantly working my way upward until I made it to the top.

I beat the sunrise by about 15 minutes. As I sat on a boulder preparing my morning coffee I began to think how many other people stood or sat in my current location to view a sunrise. Most likely, I was wasn't the first...hopefully, not the last.

The ultimate question of that day was...How many places in the United States, or the World could someone view a sunrise for the very first time?

www.trainingwheelsnotincluded.blogspot.com

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

These are some of the sights I viewed while pedaling through Bryce Canyon National Park. It was a great day of riding. Photos taken on August 29, 2009.

ZION NATIONAL PARK

Photos from my trip to Zion National Park this summer. The top photo...I pedaled my bicycle up that road.

byCycle.org

I came across this web-site this morning while reading a post on Adventure Cycling's facebook page. byCycle.org is similar to mapquest.com in that it gives turn by turn directions from point A to point B. byCycle.org gives these same directions for the best bicycle route from point A to point B. The directions will include bicycle paths and roads with bicycle lanes when possible. Currently, the site only includes 2 cities, Portland OR. and Milwaukee WI.

I have a lot of friends in Milwaukee. Let me know how well it works after you give it a try.

www.trainingwheelsnotincluded.blogspot.com

Sunflowers: 2009

This year's crop of sunflowers were vibrant and colorful as ever. Once again the sunflower field was near the intersection of Hwy K and Hwy A, about 4 miles north of Bristol WI. This area is perfect for bicycle riding. The absence of traffic is amazing. Its as if you are pedaling on highway width bicycle trails. If you ever want to try this area out...contact me as my arm never has to be twisted to go for a bike ride.

www.trainingwheelsnotincluded.blogspot.com

NORTHERN PIKES

My good friend Todd and His son traveled North to Canada this past summer and caught these impressive northern pikes.

Evening Ride

Mid to late summer is a great time of year to get a bike ride in. Typically, the evenings are very calm and if you hold-out long enough you are able to get a glimpse of some beautiful sunsets.

Photo taken last night, north of Sun Prairie WI, just east of Hwy N on Vinburn Rd.

Picture-less Bicycle Ride

The first Training Wheels Not Included Bike Ride was a success this past Saturday. Although the wind played havoc with the participants all finished the route with smiles and happy spirits.

The route was just shy of 26 miles. We had 10 bicyclists and 9 bicycles cruising the back roads of Dane and Columbia counties. It was nice to see a group of people who don't normally pedal long distances challenge themselves with this ride. Most of the participants said it was the longest distance they've ever pedaled in one day! Great Job!

Congratulations to Amanda, Brock, Deb, Jamie, Lee, Nicholas, Randy, Ryan, Sy, and Todd for taking off the training wheels and going for a long bicycle ride!

Unfortunately...no one took pictures of the ride! Very bad planning on the part of the head organizer :-(

BIG RED vs. John Deere

Although the opinion that this new John Deere tractor is more powerful than BIG RED is debatable...one thing is certain...BIG RED gets more miles per gallon.

Bicycles On Lock-Down

Hmmm...Seems like over-kill.

I've pedaled my bicycle thousands of miles and I've never used a lock of any kind. Maybe I'm too trusting?

www.trainingwheelsnotincluded.blogspot.com

BIG RED

Earlier this Spring I purchased a new bicycle. After months of research and loss of sleep I decided on a Co-Motion Americano. I wanted to get a few miles under my belt before posting a blog entry regarding my new ride.

After nearly 2000 miles pedaled...it is safe to say that I love my new co-motion. The bike rides smooth and is very solid over rough roads and crushed lime-stone. My co-motion begs to be pedaled up hills. The crank is very strong and the gearing is very exact. Last Friday I completed my first century ride of the year. My route was northbound and I fought a strong head-wind coming out of the northwest. With the drop handlebars, an aspect that is new to me, I was able to cut through the wind somewhat easily. I look forward to experiencing many adventures with my Americano.

I've named the bike...BIG RED. The bicycle rides "big" and is dark red...Not to mention, I've always had a soft spot for red heads...BIG RED.

Co-Motion Bicycles are made in Eugene, OR.

THE MULE is officially retired. I estimate the THE MULE has between 45000 and 50000 miles on her. She was ridden hard and put away well worked. THE MULE...rest well my friend...rest well.

Ditch Full of Crocus

Each spring on my favorite bicycle route "The Sun Prairie / Columbus Loop", there is a farm that has a ditch full of crocus. It never fails...no matter how cold, no matter how much snow...in mid-March the crocus flourish.

These photos were taken in early April of this year.

Crocus Facts...

• crocus is placed botanically in the iris family.
• there are nearly 80 species of crocus
• predominate colors are lilac, mauve, yellow, and white.
• the name crocus is derived from the Greek "krokos" which means saffron or saffron yellow.

Kokanee

My brother-in-law, Aaron, caught this kokanee last September north of Mackay Idaho on the Big Lost River. The kokanee is the landlocked version of the sockeye salmon that runs in Alaska and in some places in British Columbia.


"Fly tackle has improved considerably since 1676, when Charles Cotton advised to 'fish fine and far off', but no one has ever improved on that statement." ~ John Gierach

Cold Weather Fly Fishing

Some of you may not think this looks fun...Wading in ice-cold water in freezing snowy conditions that could make Santa Claus wish he was back in the balmy confines of the North Pole.

These pictures are from my friend Ken (pictured). He, his father and brother made a trip to Montana early this Spring to try there luck with the local trout population. They had a great time...I'm jealous!

If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles ~ Doug Larson

Saguaro Cactus

Saguaro, pronounced "sah-wah-rah", cactus are native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and some parts of Mexico. The Saguaro blossom is the state flower of Arizona. This species of cactus can have a life-span of over 150 years. It takes up to 75 years to grow a side-arm.

These photos were taken earlier this year by my boss.

Bandanna Bicycle

This photo was taken near the Altun Ha Mayan Ruins in Belize.

This single-gear classic is a great example of how one doesn't need much cash to give your ride a customized look. The owner took 4 classic blue bandannas and stretched one over each side of the spokes and then tucked them between the tire and rim. The owner of the bike was at the ruins selling coconuts, some of which can be seen on the left of the photo.

Personally, I found the bike and its owner much more interesting than the ruins.

Colorado~Snowboarding

A co-worker recently took these photos while snowboarding in Colorado....Bright blue sky, white snow...Colorado might be America's most beautiful state.

Mountain Goats

Mountain goats abound the rocky cliffs of Glacier National Park. These were spotted on Hidden Lake Trail which begins at the very top of Going-To-the-Sun-Road.

Pike's Peak State Park...Iowa

Pike's Peak Sate Park is located a few miles south of McGregor, Iowa. The park is ideal for hiking and viewing the mighty Mississippi River.

The park is named after Zebulon Pike. In 1805, just after the Louisiana Purchase, government officials sent Pike to explore the Mississippi Valley in search of suitable sights for military posts. Pike recognized the park as an important strategic sight for such a post. Government officials agreed on the vicinity, but in the end choose flatter land on the other side of the Mississippi River which is now Prairie du Chien. Several years later, Pike was sent westward and named the more famous Pike's Peak in Colorado.

My wife and I camped in the park last Fall. The park has nice camping facilities and has easy access to the many hiking trails. The above photos were taken in late February. While over-looking the river, the sound of breaking ice boomed and echoed across the valley. The racket didn't seem to bother the deer.