Back in the land of grapes.

Somebody braver than I on a downhill trail at Northstar.

Somebody braver than I on a downhill trail at Northstar.

Last weekend I stayed at Northstar Resort in Truckee, CA. I took the dogs for a hike on Saturday, and went biking on Sunday. They were having a race on Sunday, so that was pretty cool to see. I wanted to compare Northstar to the other places I had biked on this trip. Their website said they stopped running the bikes on the chair lift on September 1, so I was pessimistic that it would still be going. It was still going – I was really thrilled to get to enjoy Northstar this summer. I had been up two years ago and the jumps and technical ‘features’ had scared me out of my gourd – I stuck to the fire roads. This year, since Tamarack had shown me the way of the fun, I totally hit every type of trail I could find – Northstar has a plethora of choices. It was really fun, but a bit more rocky than Tamarack. I definitely understand the need for the extra suspension you get from a downhill bike – am I going to buy one? No. But I will rent one this weekend at Tamarack and see what it’s like!
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What Burning Man means to me.

Beat X-ing (the giant cone built on a golf car) and the Beat Police.

Beat X-ing and the Beat Police. The giant orange cone which is built upon a golf cart frame, is an art car that Loopy, Douglass, and I and several other camp mates created for Burning Man 2007.

Since the Man burnt at Burning Man last night, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on it.

I chose not to go to Burning Man this year. I decided to go on this road trip and see some things on my list of things to see and to work on myself and work on some projects that I had wanted to start. For various reasons, it took this road trip to get clarity and motivation and space and time to work on those projects, this blog being one of them. Who knew blogging took so much time?

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Sawtell Peak

Yesterday I climbed Sawtell Peak on my mountain bike, which overlooks Henry’s Lake. I started at an elevation of 6400′ and climbed to the peak which is at 9900′! This 10 mile uphill climb started out peaceful and gradual, but when I got to the last 3 miles, the pitch became unbearably steep! It felt like I was trying to ride up a staircase after someone had punched me in the stomach! If you are up for some punishment I highly recommend this 3500′ climb. Or you can cheat and look at the panorama I took:

Henry’s Lake with Izze in the Foreground
Click on the picture above for a closer look. (and see if you can find what I think is a ready-made golf course)

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Thoughts on Sun Valley

I have to say bravo to the publicity people who have worked for Sun Valley, specifically Steve Hannigan and those who have followed since. Sun Valley is not much more than desert, mountains, condos, ranches, and a river. Now mind you, I enjoyed some parts of the area, but I have a feeling the winter is more of a prized possession to Sun Valley than is the summer.

Wood River Trail Railroad Bridge
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