Sunday, June 10th rides

[Dr. Liz]

DH and I decided to go on a bit of an adventure today (i.e. riding an area we didn't know very well, and with no real set plan). We drove down to Heber and started from the Wasatch Mountain State Park Golf Course parking lot (our FAVORITE golf course - the lakes course, that is - because it is so easy to walk, there is always wildlife out, and it is a fun course to play - trust me; if you want to play golf in Northern Utah, you can't miss this course), and rode out to Soldier Hollow (home of the cross-country and biathalon venues for the 2002 Olympics), explored some of the paved bike paths on the cross-country course, and then headed south to SR 189 (I think it was 189).

We turned off on the road to Daniel (established in 1898, so the sign told us, when we got there - again, didn't know where we were going, other than in a general sense, and we were rewarded with quiet roads and nice scenery), and kept going until we crossed I-40, and rode on the east side of Heber, until we hit Center Street, and then tried to work our way back to the golf course.

We got a little lost, but with the help of a local, and a general sense of where we wanted to be, we found our way back through Midway (cute town), and back to the golf course. A hair over 30 miles, and while we climbed 1700 feet, it was pretty much all easy riding. We are going to get a map of the area and plot out some other rides, because this was GORGEOUS!

Of course, it didn't hurt that the weather was perfect (in the 60s when we started, and in the 70s when we finished), clear blue skies, and only a little wind. It was one of those "Wow! Utah is SUCH a beautiful state!" rides.

And after the ride, DH played 9 holes of golf while I caddied (the broken arm, while much better, still keeps me from playing golf - next year the plate will be completely fused, and I'll be able to play with my usual wild abandon). While we were out there, the winds really picked up, and we were thrilled to have gotten off the road earlier!

A perfect day, if you ask me.

Tomorrow? We'll see. I'm supposed to learn how to drive a manual transmission. DH was my ski coach long before he was my husband, so him teaching me won't be too much of an issue (rarely is), but I'm not the best driver in the world as it is, so I can't see how complicating me driving is going to be a good thing , but if I am going to Autocross the Mini Cooper (a LONG story), I've got to be able to drive a stick. The real question is whether I want to get in to autocross....