Round The Block

Sorry no photos!  Too much lycra involved in this event for photos.  

Anywyas, Katie and I rode "round the block" (click link for map) Saturday-  Its a bicycle ride that usually goes from Jackson > Victor > Swan Valley>  Alpine > Jackson.  We started around 9am at Katies house in Wilson.  It goes over two passes ( teton pass, and pine creek pass) and the ride from Swan Valley to Alpine has some steep long climbs.... It worked out to be about a 113 mile loop for us.

It was a beautiful day; no flat tires, a cool morning and warm afternoon- with no brutal headwinds to speak of.   Total saddle time was a bit over 7 hours for me!  Not bad for my first century ride!  

Great ride!  Would definately do it again!   

Wind River Range

Headed southeast into the Wind River Range this past weekend with a group of friends to do some backpack fly-fishing.  After nearly 3 hours of driving we arrived at our destination;  Big Sandy Opening.  From the trailhead we set off  on the western side of Cirque of the Towers.  

Day 1:

Our Gang... notice Katie trying to convince Chloe to join the group

Mirror lake

Marms Lake... The constant sight of rising trout convinced us to camp here... The view wasn't bad either. 

Katie slaying trout 

Brook Trout

Dinner

Day 2:

Woke before sunrise and there was a good frost on all our gear.  Watched the sunrise and brewed some coffee.  Today we hiked nearly 5 miles to Shadow Lake, an isolated lake on the opposite side of the popular regular  Cirque of the Towers area.  We didn't see a person the entire day.

Marms Lake at sunrise

Basecamp

Hiking to Shadow Lake:  

Danica 

Chloe the dog

Washakie Creek 

Mount Washakie

Our destination - Shadow Lake

Katies fly box

Chloe with the Sharks Nose in Background

The quiet side of Cirque of the Towers... Sharks nose is the prominent peak

Shadow Lake

... Later that night...

Cold Chloe in the tent... We have sleeping bags- she has our down jackets.  

Day 3:

Woke around 5am to heavy rain, wind, and thunder.  Ran outside to grab anything that may not be protected then fell back asleep in hopes the rain would stop.  Around 10am the tent filled with light and the storm was over.  It was clear to the west but storms were all around us.  We had little choice but to dry our gear out and then head back to the car.  The weather gods were on our side and a patch of blue sky followed us all day.  

A dusting of fresh snow in the nearby high peaks... probably around 11,000'. 

Storms over the Cirque 

While hiking out we found this little creek overflowing with trout!

Chloe couldn't believe how many trout were stuffed in this tiny creek

View while leaving the Winds

I must say the Wind River Range is one of the most impressive mountain ranges in the United States.  Its easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  I can't believe its taken me this long to explore in these mountains.  I will return but next time hopefully for more time.  I think 5-6 days would be glorious!   

Closing Day: Munger Moto

Sadly, the day has come for dirt bikers to respect the seasonal closure on the Munger Mountain singletrack trails.  This means no more dirt biking on the glorious trails in my front yard for 10 months!!  So, to celebrate, I took the day of work and rode over 35 miles of single track!  

I captured the first 12 mile loop with my helmet cam-  here's the 1st person perspective for ya!! 

3rd Annual- Red Top Meadows Pig Roast @ The Ranch

More photos and stories to come!

Mountain Bike- Ditch Creek to Horsetail Creek

Just finished a 23.9 mile mountain bike loop.  It involved all types of riding, paved road, dirt roads, two tracks, and single tracks.  We didn't see a person on the trail all day!  It was beautiful.  It was mostly uphill but the downhill section was amazing and totally worth the climb.  It felt like a roller coaster, with drops and turns that were so flowing.  Some sections were so steep and so fast that you had no choice but to point it straight downhill and hold on.  We were all shaking with adrenaline when we finished.  

Tetons and wheelies... what more could you ask for?!

Python crushing this super steep section! 

It was a great ride! 

South Fork Canyon

Last weekend, we rallied the troops and did an overnight camping trip on the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho.  It was a 30'ish mile float, mostly through a gorgeous canyon. All together we had 14 friends out on the river; floating in 3 drift boats, 1 raft, a cata-raft, and a duckie.  The fly fishing was great and we were catching rainbows, cutthroat, and brown trout.  Here are a few shots from the river- probably a few more to come!    

Tim, myself, and Chris... Man what a cool hat I was wearing!  

Not a great fish photo but notice the PBR cube behind, the coozie around my neck, and the goofy smile... It all adds up.