Ecuador!

Okay, so it's been a while since we've posted on this blog. In fact, there have been many adventures but we have just been too busy having fun to tell anyone about it. Many miles have been logged on our bikes and on foot across the great northwest. A month long trip included back country permits for several of the National Parks in the northwest. We spent the night in 4' of snow at Garibaldi Lake in British Columbia.

Anyway, last October we spent two weeks exploring Ecuador. Don't trust Google Maps in South America! Seriously, there were many times we appeared to get lost but by asking a few questions in broken Spanish, we figured it out.

I highly recommend Otavalo and Ibarra up north of Quito. This is a very scenic area, with pleasant temperatures year around and a couple snow capped volcanos set the backdrop. Definitely plan to spend a few nights at Refugio Terra Esperanza. Emerson and his Madre will treat you like family! And feed you well. They are very special people, and their eclectic hostel is one of a kind. It was a little chilly while we were there and they kept a big fire in the fireplace most of the time. We got out and climbed a mountain one day... up to about 12,500'  And I rode Emerson's mountain bike up the cobblestone lane a couple miles.

Banos was another favorite spot, down south of Quito. This was a classic little resort town with many hot springs, thus the name. We took a nice 6 line canopy tour one day with a fresh grilled trout lunch included, all for $20 each! Oh and did I mention, you can get a 3 course lunch with drink, or almuerzo, anywhere in Ecuador for $2.50. The next day after the canopy tour we did a little waterfall repelling. This was great fun... something I've been wanting to do for a while. I'm hooked now and can't wait to do it again! It's right up there with skydiving.

The third area of the country I want to pitch is Manzanita on the coast. This is the coolest beach town! Lot's of great food, music and handicrafts lining the sandy streets and an amazing GIANT fresh fruit cup made right before your eyes for $3.

All in all, Ecuador is a great country. There is much more to see and do there than we had time for in our two short weeks. We will definitely go back, and use public transportation next time. Much easier and probably even cheaper than renting an SUV.

Stanley, Challis, Ketchum...

We survived our 200 mile loop last weekend. We got to Stanley about noon on Thursday, poked around in the sports shop there and then loaded up our bikes with gear. We headed down the road toward Challis about 1pm. We cruised. We put our bikes in the highest gears and only shifted down a few times over the 58 miles. We took our first break at 30 miles. Had a little repast and sat in the shade for about 20 minutes before hitting the road again. We came to the junction of Hwy 93 at about 5pm and I honestly couldn't remember exactly where the RV park was that I had emailed a week prior about a tent site... so we pulled over to see if I had a signal on my phone. Sure enough, so I hit the map and typed in RV park. Challis Hot Springs came up first, so I clicked on it and hit "dial" Within a few seconds I was talking to a gal from there, who said she was pretty full up, but could find us a spot. I said we were on bikes and needed directions and she said, bikes? I said yes, why? She pulled off the road right behind us and offered us a ride! We got there, set up camp, found something to soak in and hit the tub! It was a great way to end 5 hours on a tiny little seat.

Next day we got up early, hit the tub another time before breaking camp, and then began, what I called our day of uncertainty. I knew we had about 40-50 miles to go that day and knew it was pretty desolate. No towns, shade or water along the way. What I didn't know was where we would camp that night. I kinda knew there was a couple campgrounds about 10 miles or so off the highway at Trail Creek Road. But we were pretty nervous about having enough water and stamina to get us there. It was a slow steady uphill climb all day, and it turned out to be 90 degrees! We passed Mt. Borah on our left and started looking for our turn off. Never did see a sign for Trail Creek Road, but turned off on what looked like a dirt road that would get us there. We were out of water, out of energy and on the verge of dehydration. We passed a couple farm houses that looked questionable, but pulled in the driveway of the third one. Turned out to be a great choice! Nice people let us fill up all our water bottles and even offered to give us a ride to the campground, since he was headed that direction anyway to cook for 60 at a guest ranch up the road.

The third day, our goal was to climb Trail Creek Summit and descend into Ketchum. It doesn't sound so bad, but it's mostly dirt road and very rocky and bumpy. The summit actually came sooner than we expected, but on our way down the other side, we were so greatful we had chosen to do this loop clockwise! It was much longer and steeper on the Ketchum side than the way we went. About halfway down the hill it turned to pavement, so we opened it up and sailed on down into town to a much anticipated Mexican lunch! We devoured it, but savored every bite! The salsa was especially tasty! After about an hour break, we got back in our saddles and headed north out of town. We needed to cover a few more miles, knowing that Galena Summit was the next day. So we pedaled on about 13 miles before finding a campsite for the night. As soon as we got our tent up and ready to inhabit, it started to rain. And thunderstorm. And we had no fly for our tent! It rained all night, but we slept right through it.

The fourth and final day, we awoke early. Had our coffee and energy bars and hit the road. Up, up, up. For 16 miles we climbed. About 3-4 miles from the top a guy on a 6 pound "Ferrari" came flying by! We didn't even feel bad about going so slow. We were loaded down with 4 days worth of supplies and all he had was two small water bottles and a banana! He was nice, though. He slowed down, road with us a ways and we talked. He was not only climbing this side, but going down the other side, turning around and going back up and all the way back to Ketchum! Oh to be young again! We finally summited. Took a short break and then coasted down the other side and headed toward Stanley. Once again we were back up in our top gears and cruising. The last 25 miles of the trip were very enjoyable and we had a great backdrop to our left of the Sawtooth Mountains! And we rolled into Stanley just in time for a fantastic breakfast at our favorite diner! I highly recommend the "Migas breakfast!" Our 4 day journey had come to an end. Many great memories and an overall wonderful time spent on the road with my wife!

On the road again...

After a couple loops around the lake and a short weekend trip out to Givens Hot Springs on the hottest weekend of the year, we're ready for our 200 mile loop this week. We'll start in Stanley and head northeast to Challis. From there we'll go south down past Mt. Borah and then right through some high desert and up and over a small pass into Sun Valley. Then we'll head back north, up and over Galena Summit (8,772') and coast down into the Stanley basin. If we still have any energy, we'll take a short detour over to my favorite of all lakes, Redfish! That would be a great place for a burger to wrap up a very scenic ride. This loop looks a bit intimidating on mapmyride.com but compared to the McCall loop last Fall, it is less technical, so I'm sure we'll be fine! My only worry is, upon our return, we'll have withdrawals. Last Fall we just wanted to keep on riding at the end of the trip. So, maybe we will... just keep on riding right on through Stanley and down to Lowman, maybe even Banks! We'd have to go back to Stanley for our vehicle though. Hmmm... it's probably worth it.

Time flies when you're having fun!

So, much has happened since I last added to this elderly form of communication. (only because facebook and twitter has taken over for short, sudden thought capturing, but not for longer essay-type musings) So, as I think about all that has gone on in my life over the last year, I smile. Many good things... the biggest being my wedding to my beautiful bride! The two of us have so much in common. We enjoy many adventures together! Since our Zion trip last spring, we've done other hiking, mountain climbing and cycling. The most memorable was our 300 mile loop ride to McCall and back. We took a leisurely 5 days and had a blast! For a full week upon our return we were having withdrawals. We desperately wanted to be back on our bikes. In February we spent a week in Mazatlan, doing all the things we thoroughly enjoy doing. Lot's of trekking, both in town and along the beach, a little climbing, and some ziplining.

Our wedding day was Memorial Day, 2011. We got married in a phenomenal setting in the Owyhee Mountains! Up on a big rock jetting out over the valley and Reynolds Creek, 1,000' below. Just our family was there, who had to arrive on the scene either in a 4x4 or in the case of my parents, on quads! It was very memorable. Susan and I left the next day for Cabo, and had a great week there, ziplining, repelling, dune buggy racing, sailing and bungee jumping!

Plans for the next few weeks include more cycling, hiking, back packing and possibly another attempt at Borah. Stay tuned! I will try to post more regularly.

Going South...

I've been thinking a lot about going south... driving to Costa Rica. It's about 4,000 miles and would take about 10 days or so. 2 days to get to the Mexico border, 2 days to get through the rough, desolate part of Mexico, then about 2-3 days, minimum, along the Pacific coast... through Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Zhihuatinejo, and Acapulco. I wouldn't want to rush through these places! Might even want to spend a day or two in each until I get to the Guatemala border. I'd hit the border crossing first thing in the morning, then for the next 3 days, hit a different countries border crosssing first thing in the morning... El Salvador, Nicaragua, then Costa Rica. They say it can take a while to get across each border. I understand there's even a couple water parks along the way, in a couple of these countries! Once in CR, I could relax... take my time arriving in San Jose. But anxious to see a couple friends. There is a great need for volunteer mission work there. MAF, the Naz Seminary and then the SNU Research facility a little south and up in a cloud forest. Wonder if I could get 4-6 weeks off work? This has been on my mind a long time. I thought it might go away in time, but it hasn't. In fact, it's getting stronger in my mind.

There are many of my favorite things to do, in Costa Rica. Hiking, mountain climbing, biking, kayaking, white water rafting, etc. In fact I've heard the largest bike park in the world is near the NE top of the Nicoya Peninsula. And the kayaking is good on the rivers as well as the ocean. I might just stay there!

Help me think realistically. Logically. Sensibly!

Zion National Park

It was a very successful trip to Zion. 38 miles in 3 days. Lots of switchbacks and slot canyons. One day we crossed the same creek 22 times, each way. Angel's Landing was my favorite hike. So much diversity and incredible sites. Observation Point was long and steep, but about half way was the most amazing place. Surreal. It was just this opening in the slot canyon with a creek running through it. A great place to stop off and cool the feet down and have a snack. Day three was all down hill the first half, and then a climb back out to the trailhead. Not my favorite way to hike, but the Kolob Arch was amazing and well worth it all. It's said to be the third largest natural arch "bridge" in the world at 287'. More pics can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=184907&id=1126171114&l=4464cc463b

Overall, this was a great trip. Very calming and relaxing, though strenuous. You know how good it feels to just totally run yourself down?

On another note... many other fun times coming up during the summer. As I ponder Zion and the other places I'm looking forward to being this summer, I'm reminded of Psalm 24...

¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

² for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

And... Genesis 1, the Creation story. What is your interpretation of the Creation timeline? What does it mean to you... "there was evening, and there was morning the first day...."

Change is in the air...

It seems to be finally warming up some. There is new grass germinating and starting to sprout in my forever dirt "lawn." Even though it has been snowing recently in the mountains, I'm ready for summer. Looking forward to spending a lot of time on the boat, but also doing some new exploring in places I haven't been. But also revisiting places that I have great memories of. Like the Sawtooths, Hells Canyon, McCall and of course Mt. Borah again this summer. But, next week a small group of us are going down to Zion in Southern Utah. Some friends of mine just returned from there and their pictures have snow in them, but I'm guessing by this weekend, it will be mostly gone. It will be fun to explore the Narrows, the Subway, the rim and anything else we have time for. As summer approaches, many new things will make themselves known. Change just seems to be in the air. So, I'll just stay the course and welcome anything that gets in my path!