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Extended to 39.2 miles along the West Davis Pathway this morning. Nasty headwind after we turned around in Layton and headed back to the Subaru, otherwise a gorgeous day here along the Wasatch Front.

On our way to the trailhead
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Starting off on the Legacy
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If you look closely, you can see to Llamas.
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Action shot
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Another tandem dead ahead. We exchanged pleasantries when we passed them.
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Back to the pastorial part of our ride
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That's your cousin Molly McGee again Skipper. Once again I pooched it trying to get a better shot.
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On a main road now and approaching the roundabout where we turned around last weekend. I had some good beta that the
pathway continued beyond the roundabout.
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Part of the pathway is still under construction, so we had to dismount and walk over to the paved portion.
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There were a couple of 20-30 yard sections where we had to ride on dirt and gravel. Hopefully they will pave these sections this spring.
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Grizzly fodder . . . . . . I mean sheep! :D
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Frary Peak to the west across the Great Salt Lake
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Out turn around point
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Another action shot on our way back
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The Scat smile. :scatman:
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39 miles in the books.
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Home sweet home. What does this remind you of @Rockskipper ?
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What does this remind you of @Rockskipper ?

It reminds me of someone gesticulating into the abyss while worried their head is going to fall off. Or maybe you were just pointing toward Fremont Peak? I dunno, but I apologize for Molly being so rude and ignoring you. She was like that as a wee lassie, too. She does like carrots, though.
 
Mrs. TractorDoc had to make some returns to someplace called "the mall" this weekend. I was reluctant to go along until I realized we could pass right by Cuyahoga Valley -- so I negotiated in a morning hike to secure my attendance.

It had rained a lot this week, so I wanted to check out how Spring Creek was flowing. The hike to Blue Hen Falls was routine except for having to climb over several large trees blocking a section of trail. The creek water levels were definitely up -- we had to cross several times to reach Buttermilk Falls.

Unfortunately logs were not available for the other crossings.

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Trout Lilly starting to bloom.

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Creekside view.

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The hillsides above Buttermilk Falls hold large patches of "Drooling Moss." Water was flowing/dripping from it everywhere.

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At the brink of Buttermilk Falls. Water is spreading out over the entire drop today. :thumbsup:

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Obligatory member pic. Objects at the rear are taller than they appear -- the actual drop is around 30 feet.

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Blue Hen Falls on the way out. Water flow was probably double what we typically see. Definitely worth the effort today. . . even if a trip to the big city followed. :)

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What does this remind you of @Rockskipper ?

It reminds me of someone gesticulating into the abyss while worried their head is going to fall off. Or maybe you were just pointing toward Fremont Peak? I dunno, but I apologize for Molly being so rude and ignoring you. She was like that as a wee lassie, too. She does like carrots, though.

Haven't heard the Fremont Peak reference in a while. :) When are we going to climb that peak Skipper? I think folks should use the word gesticulating more. We need to start a list of little used words that should end up in people's trip reports moving forward. Haberdasher comes to mind for me. :D

That pose is the infamous bikini pose I think. Hard for me to remember way back then though, so maybe not.
 
Mrs. TractorDoc had to make some returns to someplace called "the mall" this weekend. I was reluctant to go along until I realized we could pass right by Cuyahoga Valley -- so I negotiated in a morning hike to secure my attendance.

It had rained a lot this week, so I wanted to check out how Spring Creek was flowing. The hike to Blue Hen Falls was routine except for having to climb over several large trees blocking a section of trail. The creek water levels were definitely up -- we had to cross several times to reach Buttermilk Falls.

Unfortunately logs were not available for the other crossings.

View attachment 130392

Trout Lilly starting to bloom.

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Creekside view.

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The hillsides above Buttermilk Falls hold large patches of "Drooling Moss." Water was flowing/dripping from it everywhere.

View attachment 130390

At the brink of Buttermilk Falls. Water is spreading out over the entire drop today. :thumbsup:

View attachment 130391

Obligatory member pic. Objects at the rear are taller than they appear -- the actual drop is around 30 feet.

View attachment 130393

Blue Hen Falls on the way out. Water flow was probably double what we typically see. Definitely worth the effort today. . . even if a trip to the big city followed. :)

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We need to stop this senseless training now. How in the world am I supposed to keep up with you come August? I see Mrs. Tractorcdoc has better balancing skills than the Scatman. Great shots and thanks for sharing.
 
I call it the Rain Bird. It goes something like this - cht, cht, cht, cht, cht, cht . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I go in crircles until I can build up a good sweat.

Have @Rockskipper tell you the bikini story sometime.
That is a good move. I was thinking along the lines of keeping your hips stationary while your upper body incrementally rotates during the cht, cht, cht, cht. . . . . then you swiftly swivel back to your original position during the chtchtchtchtchtcht portion. :)

Have @Rockskipper tell you the bikini story sometime.
Oh, I've seen the picture. It is something one does not forget.

We need to stop this senseless training now. How in the world am I supposed to keep up with you come August?
Three Words: Fear of Heights.

I will be inching along on all fours and crying like a baby while you cruise on by.
 
I just returned from a quick overnighter at Halapē, one of the coolest beach backcountry sites in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
No one else picked up a permit, so I had the entire place to myself.
To get there, I hiked about 10 miles across lava. Usually, this is no big deal, but we had a Kona Low, and it cut off all the trade winds. It was hot, humid, and muggy, but despite these challenges, it was well worth it.
I sweated so much that I lost 3 pounds, which was pretty cool.
And I found a sweet freshwater swim hole in a crack from the massive 1975 earthquake that devastated the area.

I really need to post a trip report, but for now, just a few impressions.

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near the coastal backcountry area of Apua Point

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lava, lava, lava

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beach campsite, it was only 20 yards to the beach

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freshwater pool, it looks shallow but it was pretty deep and had crawdads in it

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Halapē Beach

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I brought a pool floatie with me for the lagoon

The evening was filled with fun: wine, cheese, crackers, grapes right at the beach

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The great thing about the Coastal backcountry sites in the park is, that they all have self-composting bathrooms with a beach view plus a water catchment tank where you can filter your water. I definitely enjoy all the camping there and permits are normally easy to get via recreation.gov
 
I just returned from a quick overnighter at Halapē, one of the coolest beach backcountry sites in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
No one else picked up a permit, so I had the entire place to myself.
To get there, I hiked about 10 miles across lava.
Great Campsite Yvonne. I'd hike 10 miles over lava to get there too.

Its been some time since I've been to Hawaii, but your pictures bring back great memories for me.

I do not know what areas you are allowed to travel in today vs. almost 20 years ago, but do you ever venture down and hike along the green sand beaches near South Point? I remember driving thru an old wind/turbine farm on South Point Road and parking my rental car in some guy's front yard -- I think I paid him $10 or so to keep anyone from breaking into the car while I was gone. :)

I was fascinated by geology back then and thought all the little olivine crystals weathered out of the lava were amazing.

Keep the cool hikes, pictures, and trip reports coming.
 
Great Campsite Yvonne. I'd hike 10 miles over lava to get there too.

Its been some time since I've been to Hawaii, but your pictures bring back great memories for me.

I do not know what areas you are allowed to travel in today vs. almost 20 years ago, but do you ever venture down and hike along the green sand beaches near South Point? I remember driving thru an old wind/turbine farm on South Point Road and parking my rental car in some guy's front yard -- I think I paid him $10 or so to keep anyone from breaking into the car while I was gone. :)

I was fascinated by geology back then and thought all the little olivine crystals weathered out of the lava were amazing.

Keep the cool hikes, pictures, and trip reports coming.
South Point and Green Sand Brach are great
I used to do cliff jumping at South Point, but now Iʻm getting too old for that, lol. And if you are not careful, you end up in Antarctica.

I wanted to go back and hike to Green Sands Beach, but the weather is awful this wet season with a lot of rain. Walking on that clay would be no fun at all. Fingers crossed, I can get out there in the next few weeks.
Green Sand Beach, with all its Olivine, is just fun, and there is a cinder cone nearby I have not been to yet. So hopefully soon

UNtil then I plan my trips around the few dry pockets each week. So far I always found a hike I could do without rain
 
Supposed to do 45 miles this weekend on the tandem, but we only completed 18. :( The reason you ask? A flat tire! And I'm too embarrassed to tell you all why I couldn't fix the flat. :confused: Maybe if @Rockskipper twists my arm, I'll tell it.

All fired up and ready to go!
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Yet again not a great shot of Molly McGee Skipper. One of these days I'll ge tit right. Maybe. :D Not bad for a no-look shot though.
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Feral cat at just about the point we got our flat tire.
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We had to walk the tandem back to the nearest road crossing.
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No luck of the Irish today.
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Waiting for the cavalry. I had to wait about an hour and a half for the rescue.
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My waiting location
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The cavalry has arrived!
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Maybe next week.
 
Supposed to do 45 miles this weekend on the tandem, but we only completed 18. :( The reason you ask? A flat tire! And I'm too embarrassed to tell you all why I couldn't fix the flat. :confused: Maybe if @Rockskipper twists my arm, I'll tell

Rumor has it that it has something to do with wearing your wife’s bikini and local law-enforcement.
 
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Rumor has it that it has something to do with wearing your wife’s bikini and local law-enforcement.
That scenario is quite possible. . . perhaps even likely, BUT according to Hugh's post he was too embarrassed to tell you why.

If a bikini and law enforcement were involved pictures would have been posted the very minute he returned home. :)
 
Photos can be obtained...(twist twist)

Thwarted at 18 this past weekend Skipper. Might be a rain this coming weekend. I think I am back in the trouble zone for this ride. :thinking:

So as I have mentioned before, I took the tandem down to a local bike shop to have it tuned up back in February as it has just been sitting for the past ten years. I usually keep two brand new tubes in the seat packs that fit under each seat on the tandem, so one tube per seat pack. The tubes that I had in the packs had dry rotted when I took the tandem in for the tune up so when I picked the tandem up after being worked on I asked for two new tubes to replace the old ones. The guy in the bike shop handed me two boxes with tubes and rang me up for the tune up and the tubes. As soon as I got home, I took the tubes out of their boxes and placed one in each seat pack.

So fast forward to last Sunday. After getting the flat, I took the wheel off the bike, removed the tire and took the tube out, I then pulled out one of the new tubes and unfurled it and when I got to the end and the valve stem appeared my heart sank. The guy in the bike shop had sold me two tubes with schrader valves instead of presta valves which the tandem takes. I hadn't taken the time, when I replaced the tubes in the seat packs, to read the box the tube came in to realize that it was the wrong valve. :( The new tubes are folded in such a way that the valve is hidden from you until the tube is completely unfurled, which I didn't do either. Hopefully, I won't be making that mistake again. Once I got home and checked out the flat, it appears the valve stem was the culprit. I exchanged the schrader tubes for presta ones yesterday after work. :thumbsup:
 
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