Teaching Simon to Ski

This month we put Simon on real downhill skis with metal edges. He's done great, but hates turning cause it slows him down too much. Check out the video.



He's also had a pretty good month with other fun winter sports.




Here's a link to other fun photos that we've been privy to.

2012-02 - Nelson Ski Trip w/ Walter

We skied some steep stuff off the north slopes on Evening Ridge. Check out the video below.




Click here to check out the rest of the photos from the weekend.

Photo Montage

Much of our time this spring was consumed with the purchase and sale of
houses, intermixed with fun and frivolity throughout the Okanagan. Summer has
been no slower with the completion of a kitchen renovation, triathalons, travel to Seattle,
and more fun and frivolity in the Okanagan.

The best way to catch up is with a photo montage. Click here to see
what's been going on, mainly in Simon's life as we are but mechanisms for his happiness.

Happy summer everyone!

Sorcerer Mountain Lodge

January 15-22

The week started off on a rough note when the road to Golden shut down just before we tried to get through. We were effectively Revelstuck in Revelstoke. Still being the self entertaining men that we are, we found solace in beer, bowling and strippers. We check the road report every two hours to see if we could get through, and conceded to the fact that we had missed out flight at around 9am. While we sat in Denny’s eating a good healthy meal we were contact by the hut owner who told us to head to the local Helicopter Hanger and hitch a ride from Revelstoke, at our own cost. Many people would have deliberated, hummed and hawed over it, but our group decided that for the amount of snow that had been falling, and the fresh Pow that is promised, it was worth it! We hopped in and tookoff. Shortly after take off the pilot looked at Walter and asked for his credit card, put the joystick between his legs and started writing and flying…quite the coordination! After a great 45 minute ride we landed, unloaded the heli, and hit the slopes.

The week ended as it began, and every day between was the same too. More new snow, more fresh tracks, and more new snow. Damn life is hard! For a ski vacation you really couldn’t ask for much more, other than for someone to break track for you every day…and, with careful planning inthe group of 19, we pretty much had that too. Regionally, avalanche conditions throughout the week ranged from Extreme through Considerable, but locally we didn’t see much movement. We were cautious, dug pits, paid attention to what was happening around us, and were only plagued by one small slough on a slope that we had been skiing all morning. This being said, we were skiing some pretty gnarly terrain, hucking ourselves off mini cliffs (up to 20ft), and bombing down some 40+ degree slopes. In most instances the only movement we saw was the snow billowing over our heads.

We managed to ski most of the terrain that was immediately around the cabin and most of the treed areas within a short walking distance, but stayed off the big glaciers and exposed terrain. Considering how many of us there were at the cabin, we rarely skied across each other’s tracks, but admittedly this was in part due to the fantastic snow we received. All in all, I was very impressed with the terrain, with my only hesitation being that at the end of each day we had to hike back up to the cabin.

Click here to check out the photos, and click here to check out Loic's photos.

Moab, Utah

We arrived in Moab, Utah on Wednesday night just in time to experience a tornado watch, severe thunderstorms, and winds that knock limbs off of trees. Needless to say, we decided to get a hotel room that night.

The following morning we awoke to sunny skies and were ready to ride. We had heard the night before that Moab was hosting a 24hr mountain bike race this weekend and estimates of 4000 people would be flocking to the area for it. We decided to secure ourselves a camping spot before everything filled up. Lucky we did to, as much of the camping was already full, and by the end of the day 90% of the sites in the area were occupied.

That day we decided to ride an area that is somewhat of a Moab legend, called Slickrock. Located just a few miles out of town, 95% of the trail is located on solid bedrock that undulates throughout the landscape. In a few of the low lying areas we were forced to ride through soft red sand that pushes and pulls your tires, testing our balance. As the trail is located on a plateau, and winds its way up and over, around and beside massive rock formations, we were presented with some incredible views. The trail itself was about 13 miles, however we added an extender 1.5 mile loop just for fun. By the end of it we were punished, from the constant thumping, and the beating sun reflecting down and up from the rock. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and checking out the town of Moab.

We were both feeling sluggish the following morning, and decided that it would be a good day to go for some hikes. Having visited the visitor info centre the day before, we selected a couple canyon hikes to try and avoid the sun as much as possible. We started on a trail named Negro Bill Canyon. It wound up through the canyon adjacent and through a beautiful creek. The shade from the cliffs above, and the

cooler air temperatures from the creek made for a beautiful hike to Morning Glory Arch. As we arrived we witnessed a group of people rappelling off the arch and into the canyon. One person on either side of the arch to counter-balance each other down the 150ft drop. It was pretty cool, and I made a mental note to bring our climbing stuff next time we come. I was feeling spry on the way back and decided to do some wall running at the base of the cliff walls. The curved transition between the canyon bottom and the cliff face was perfect. I am not sure how high my feet actually got, but it felt as though I was essentially horizontal on the wall. That being said, often when you think you have aired a huge jump, you were in fact only 6 inches off the ground, but hey, its all about how extreme you THINK you are!

That afternoon we went and checked out Corona Arch. After a short hike in, we were rewarded with a beautiful view, and some interesting side slope hiking. We approached the arch itself and hiked through the span to see that there was a “trail” up that would allow you to walk over the arch itself. The trail however consisted of shallow foothold that had been cut into the rock, and a 200-foot drop off to the right. After some consideration, we decided that going up may not present much of a problem, but coming back down would be challenging to say the least. The fact that there were climbers hangers also suggested that we may not want to try the route without some rope and gear for extra protection.

We then explored the dirt road at the end of road 279. It brought us past the potash mine and up into Canyon Lands National Park. The road was amazing, though Dee would describe it differently. It was a 4x4 road, or at least as much of a 4x4 road as I would want to bring MY truck on. The operative word being my. We bounced our way through dry river beds, up steep rock

inclines and over ridgelines. The road eventually brought us to the end of a canyon and a 400-foot plus headwall ahead of us. There was no obvious way out. I plugged our way up, following the road, trusting

that it had to lead somewhere. It did! Following the contour of the cliff and the natural steps, the road wound its way up. From the bottom there is no way you could tell that the road picked its way up, but from the reverse angle, looking down, it looked pretty amazing. We finally crested the top of the canyon walls to find our selves within Canyon Lands National Park, and without having paid the mandatory $10 entry fee. We broke in! With daylight fading we explored parts of the park and cooked dinner in rest area and ate dinner at the top of the world, overlooking a 1000ft drop.

Amasa Back Trail proved to be an experience for us both. It is a shared route with the 4x4’s, and let me tell you, that what those guys were doing was scary as hell. The first decent onto the trail consisted of a series of rock ledges at least 3 feet in vertical height. We rode around them while the Jeeps bumped and skidded their way down. We then proceeded to follow a couple bike tracks up the wrong trail, which after a couple kilometers petered out on top of some sizable cliffs. We backtracked and followed the main route the rest of the way. Our pace was that of some really friendly drivers who we bantered with. Their main concern for the area was stewardship and preservation while enjoying the backcountry. I was shocked to say the least, but they turned out to be real cool guys. As Dee and I reached the top of the trail we rested and ate lunch. She had hit her limit for the day and sent me onto another trail with a guy named Rich from Salt Lake City. Thank goodness he was there too, as I flatted shortly after leaving Dee and didn’t have a spare tube. The ride was a fast flowy singletrack trail out to a lookout. We elected not to take the extreme route back to the parking lot, as when we looked down it we saw the first three features on the trail would be ones that we would be walking. The main Amasa Back trail was super fast with tones of wheelie drops and choose your own adventure lines. What fun!

That afternoon we saved another few bucks by combining our shower fee by doing some of our laundry at the same time. Peeeww, it was time too…our bike jerseys were starting to STINK!!! As mentioned previously the Moab 24 hour race was taking place over the course of the weekend, so we decided to check it out as daylight fell and the racers switched on their lights. When we crested the hill above the race course start/finish it looked like a Nascar event. Tents, trailers, motorhomes and bike company tents were set up as far as the eye could see, literally. It was a small mobile city. We parked in the heart and went for a walk. The atmosphere was electric with cycling enthusiasts, racers and officials. After snapping a bunch of photos we returned back to camp at a reasonable hour while the racers pushed their endurance and stamina throughout the night.

In hopes of completing our own test of physical endurance, we headed out towards the Sovereign are the next morning. De wasn’t feeling it that day, so we did individual rides. She rode the standard Soverign Trail, while I looped and circled throughout the area. It was some of the most fun classic cross-country trails

that I have ridden in a long time. It was a mix of slickrock, gravel washes, and silt/clay. Rolling hills with steep drops into historical river valleys and steep climbs to rocky out croppings. I had a great time! We met back in the parking lot a couple hours later and took off to Arches National Park, where we completed the hike to the Delicate Arch. Shortly after leaving the parking lot to the Arch, it was obvious that this was somewhat of a pilgrimage. The trail seemed as though it was shoulder to shoulder, and looking up hill there was a steady line of people marching to and from the arch. Once we arrived though the crowds dissipated, somewhat. Most people were courteous and aware that everyone wanted to view the arch without a throng of people under it. The hike to and from provided a variation of terrain to keeping it interesting. We walked along a 5 -foot wide ledge on the edge of a small cliff, meandered along step slickock, and weaved our way through desert geography and fauna.

Sunday night the crew arrived. Chris and Gord pulled up at around 6:30pm and told us that Nadine was too busy at work to arrive. I was some skeptical, but trusted their caniving minds. A few minutes later Nadine arrived on her bike, parked it and joined the conversation as though she had been there the whole time. Lesson learned…never trust your friends.

Monday morning we rode Slickrock Trial. Dee and I had done this trail days earlier, but were happy to do it a second time. Nadine and Dee took things a little slower than the guys, who pushed the pace while still managing to find time to enjoy the views. By the end we were all crisped from the sun and ready for some shade. Thankfully Nadine and Chris had brought their shade tent and set it up at camp. After a short rest we split up into two groups. The late arrivals went and hiked Negro Bill Canyon while Dee and I showered at the local hostel, went to the bookstore and checked out some bike shops.

Tuesday was the day that Dee and I had been waiting for. When we arrived we talked to some locals who told us that we had to o the Porcupine Rim Trail, but that we needed a shuttle to do it. Having done some research we found out that it cost $25/person on the shuttle, so we elected to wait until Chris’ truck arrived to save some bucks. Chris and I set up the shuttle in the morning and we all loaded up and went for a drive up the hill…unfortunately we didn’t really know where we were going. We had a map, but it was pretty ambiguous. In classic Roberts’ style, I pushed on despite the warnings and pleading from my wife. This time it turns out that I was right, though we didn’t get as high up the mountain as we had intended. Our original destination was at the top of the section of trail called Hazard, however we only made it as far as Kokopelli’s trail head. Hazard would have added another hour or so of sweet singletrack from what we understand. From Kokopelli’s trailhead however proved to be one of our favorite trails ever. The start is a super fast rolling 4x route that we flew down. Some sections were pretty sketchy as we were going so fast and catching so much sir that we were flying into unknown and unseen territory. This led to some hold on and hope like hell that our lines worked out. Luckily in each case, it did. As we descended the trail changed into switchbacking downhill cross country. We wove our way through the forest and along the canyon cliff top. In some sections we were within 3 feet or less of a 400 foot drop, while in one section of the trail there was a crack in the rock that extended away from the cliff about 6 feet. We didn’t realize it at the time, but as we rode over the crack, there was daylight below our tires…that was exciting!

Eventually we found ourselves descending a very rough 4x4 trail that jarred and pounded our bodies and bikes or about an hour or so. This was the trail’s only downfall, as once we were through that section we were into another sweet section of singletrack. This section traversed down the canyon rim, following natural steps in the cliff face. The narrow singletrack was fettered with small rock drops and rolling jumps that we had a great time airing off of at top speed. Classic cross-country stuff! Exhausted from adrenalin and physical effort we finally arrived at the truck. Off to a quick burger and fries at Milt’s Stop and Eat in Moab before running the shuttle and procuring 5 showers for the price of 3.

Our last day before leaving, and we were subjected to some great speeches by Nadine at breakfast. My own personal favorite was “Chris, will you warm my banana for me?” It was blatantly obvious that it was a completely innocent comment, however everybody’s mouth dropped open and the comments started flying…there was some good roasts! Once the dust settled on that one, we packed up and headed off to Arches National Park to check out the Fiery Furnace hike. The shade from the canyons provided some shade, but there were still sections where we were exposed to the full heat of the furnace, which proved too much to Dee. She returned to the truck to rest in the shade while the rest of us forged on. Nadine conquered, or suppressed, some of her fear of heights and we scaled our way up narrow cliff ridges, and over narrow slot canyons. What Fun! When we returned to the truck, the newbies took off to hike into the Delicate Arch while Dee and I rested and cleaned the truck. They returned just before dinner, starved and tired from the active day. We decided that we needed Mexican Food. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, but both Dee and I agreed that it was the best Mexican food we have ever eaten.

The rest of the trip is fairly uneventful with a long 23 hour drive home. This included some stops at REI, a couple missed/wrong turns here and there, renting a cheap motel room in Baker City - Oregon, and a smooth sail through the boarder. In total we logged about 5600 kilometers, and crossed through 6 states.

Click here to check out the photos.

Yellowstone

This whole driving business is great. It allows me to get ahead on the blog update while Dee steers the ship. The only rule is that if there is anything interesting to see, she has to give me warning, as I only get short glimpses when I look up from my typing.

The drive itself was fairly uneventful. Long hours spent in the truck, listening to good tunes, watching the land go by. Through the boarder and into Washington State the landscape didn’t really change that much from the south Okanagan, and as we moved east past Grand Coulee, we past the best city sign I have ever seen, Electric City. Incidentally, it was near the Grand Coulee Dam, so I suspect the name was derived as a result of the dam construction. Moving east toward Spokane, huge agricultural fields dominated the landscape, reminding us of southern Alberta.

Spokane is a beautiful city. Both Dee and I were impressed with its layout, greenspace, and the relative compactness of it. In comparison to other cities in similar flat land geographies, it had little sprawl, had a vibrant and urban downtown core with some great pubs and restaurants that littered the main streets and back allies. So many of the buildings had interesting historical architecture, and were made of rich red brick.

We camped at the Riverside State Park, just 10 mins out of downtown. It was natural, quiet and secluded. The best part of it all was that we arrived, threw up our tent and took off for dinner and a movie. We returned late that evening and went straight to bed, only to rise early and take off into town to look for breakfast. That meant that we had free camping :)

We drove to Bozeman MT that evening, passing through various landscapes on the way. Most of the places we made pit stops at were pretty, or had elements that were stunning. The street trees in the mature districts of Mezula were fantastic with bright orange and yellows, which when pitted against the historic brick buildings were dramatic.

Finally arriving in Yellowstone we were greeted by mountain sheep near the entrance, and formally welcomed by the resident Elk of Mammoth when we visited the Ranger Station for information.

We visited the Mammoth Hot Springs, which much to our chagrin were not bathing hot springs. Still, the boardwalk provided with an opportunity to stretch our legs for the first real time in a couple days. I hope that I managed to get some decent photographs, though I am rather skeptical of my ability at the moment.

Steaming buffalo sleeping off the frosty morning, lounged by the side of the road on our way to the Lamar Valley. Stands of blackened lodge-pole pine stood guard on the hillsides, like soldiers; unaware that the battle had long ago ended, and they had lost. The mountains wore a cloak of smoke and fog that they gently shrugged off as the valley opened. The gatekeeper – an imposing buffalo, eyed us from the middle of the road and challenged us to a game of chicken. After a few nervous minutes watching him approach the truck to within 5 feet of the drivers door, we decided that we were the chicken in this game and swerved around him. As we entered Lamar, the valley opened her arms with sunshine to welcome us. We gathered with others at the side of the road to set up our spotting scope, unsure of what everyone was looking at. First there was one, who then grew to three wolves gorging themselves on last nights kill. While they tore through flesh and blood, we enjoyed a nice bowl of Raisin Bran and Special K.

By the end of the day the magic of Lamar began to fade, as the abundance of animals began to feel more like a game reserve and less like a natural habitat. At dusk, we looked to have dinner with the wolves, but were unable to find them again. We had to be satisfied with memories of them, and the buffalo, antelope, coyote, and grizzly that had allowed us to spend the day with them.

On Sunday we decided to try heading south. We had exhausted our wildlife viewing in Lamar, and didn’t want to head the 30 miles back into the valley to face the prospect of a day without seeing the abundance of wildlife we had seen the day before. Additionally, as a result of the Antelope Fire that was burning near by, we had done most of the hikes that were open to the public in the valley.

We headed south via Tower Roosevelt and Canyon Ridge. Just past Tower Roosevelt we pulled to the gathering area known as the Devil’s Den. A collection of people was gathered at the top of a retaining wall (about 8ft tall), and we approached expecting elk or Bison. Much to our surprise we were watching a large black bear grazing on berries about 15 feet away from us. As he moved around he approached us and came within about 6 feet of us, though there was the retaining wall providing an extra buffer. He passed below us and then climbed the hill beyond the end of the retaining wall. I think his contract with the Ranger Service had expired and he was no longer getting paid for the day, so off to slumber under a tree for the rest of the day.

As we continue south we got great perspective of the Antelope Fire, and hiked Mt. Washburn to the fire lookout. As we readied for the hike and shortly after we summitted we were buzzed by a helicopter at each location. It was a pretty cool experience. The hike, while it was situated on a decommissioned road, was uphill the whole way, felt great as for the first time in days we got to really stretch our legs and get our hearts pumping.

We arrived at or final destination, Madison Campground, in the early afternoon. Feeling dirty and stinky from not bathing for a few days and doing the Mt. Washburn hike, our first point of order was to try and find showers, but none were provided at the campground. We had dipped our feet in a couple of the streams farther north, and knew after 30 seconds in the water it started to burn with cold. Still the stench was too much to allow into the tent, so we decided to grin and bear it and found our selves a little watering hole in the Gibbon River. As we anxiously entered the water, the temperature, much to our elation, was almost warm. I suspect as a result of the geysers that spewed hot water into the river upstream. Our bathing turned into a full on naked wallowing in the river while we sudded up. Stench gone, check, skinny dipping in Yellowstone, check.

We then went to explore this end of the park. Elk were abundant, and the setting sun provided beautiful soft light for photography. We got to see the Elk enjoying the river, and as darkness fell we were gathered watching the bull elk assemble his herd. Some stupid tourists, not us, got caught between the cows and the bull while trying to get the best picture possible. All ended well, though I am sure that those three had wet pants after the cows nudged them out of the way and against some sharp branches on a deadfall tree.

Monday morning started off with a trip to see the fabled Old Faithful geyser. While spectacular, the calm wind left the steam cloud to shroud the water eruption. After watching the show, we decided to mount our bikes to get those muscles activated and see the park a little faster than if we were walking. Unfortunately for us, Yellowstone is not a bike friendly place, and heavily restricts bike movement on the trails. We still managed to see everything, but it was a combined bike/walk to many of the geysers. We found it to be hilarious that the mountain bike trails the rangers explained as “primitive trails” were wide gravel paths with little or no elevation changes. The trails were less technical than those found on the Mission Creek Greenway.

We decided to try an afternoon hike to Fairy Falls, which turned out to be one of the most boring hikes in the history of hiking. A wide gravel decommissioned road, followed by a 2 metre wide gravel pathway through dense forest led to the falls. The falls themselves were nice, but as we looked up to their headwaters we noticed the black, ominous clouds overhead. After a quick viewing we bucked ‘re back towards the parking lot. About a third of the way back the heavens opened to a true down pour. Within seconds we were soaked. We approached the truck, to find the sun come and provide warmth on the last kilometer of our 10 km hike. I have never smelt so bad in my life. Apparently my pants did not like getting wet and then drying. At first I blamed Dee, but when she claimed innocence, I turned to inner reflection, and was horrified to learn that I was the source. As a result of the unpredictable weather we headed straight to the Old Faithful Inn for a proper cleaning. The Inn itself was one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever entered. Built in the winter of 1903, just for the additional challenge, the inside was crafted completely from matching logs. It must have taken weeks to find lumber of that size and of similar shape.

After a wet night and a threatening forecast we decided to head south to the desert. It never rains in the desert right?

Click here to see our photos.

Summerland Sprint Triathalon

In between the Apple Tri and the Summerland Sprint Tri last weekend I did one training run, and three swims, two of which were with Dee as she got used to swimming in open water. Needless to say, I did about as much training for this event as I did the last one. That being said, it was a last minute decision, as Dee really wanted to enter her first Triathlon this year.

We arrived on race day and were entertained for two hours while we watched the Kids of Steel race their hearts out. It was really neat to watch the 6 and 7 year olds compete, and neither Dee or I can wait for Simon to participate in events like that in the future.

My race was great. I started in the second row of swimmers. This was as a result of the number of disk wheels I saw on the bike racks (assumed that there were a lot of very serious racers there), and my previous experience at the Apple Tri. Anyways, I had an exceptional swim and cam out of the water 4^th in my age group, and 14^th overall (men). I had a good transition despite the fact that I went all dizzy as I was taking my wetsuit off. It was very strange, and I just about went down. Thankfully I had set my station up next to the fence and I could grab onto it for support. I was out on the bike in decent time, but it took a couple km to settle into the groove, after which I felt strong. I caught two others, while another guy and I yo-yoed back and forth throughout the race. It was nice to have someone to ride with and push myself against. I came off the bike still in forth in my age group, and 11^th overall (men). Then came the run. I had a solid transition, but suffered some pretty bad calf cramps in the first 2 km. I pushed through, but resolved to the fact that I still suck at running. I was passed time and time again by those behind me, even as I tried to lengthen my stride and push through the stitch I developed in the last kilometre or so. Anyways, I made it to the line and crossed 10^th in my age group and 32 overall. My run time however was despicable, ranking me 16^th in my age group and 75^th overall (men and women). I am very happy with my results during the first two stages of the race, and content with the fact that I struggled through the run. I wonder what would happen if I actually started training and learnt to run…though I guess that will remain a pipe dream…running is for suckers!

Full results can be viewed here, while age group results can be viewed here.

Photos to follow once Mike sends them to us.

Dee will update her race report shortly.