Zion etc.

November 28
Temperature stayed in the 30s overnight, so not so cold this morning, though we still spent our time getting going before heading to trails near Kingman, AZ. I rode the relatively easy Monolith Gardens, along with a few other technical trails, all pretty interesting, mostly easy going, and only had to negotiate a few cattle!

Sadly the signs were not helpful

Pretty cool area though!

Rudy's back was threatening to act up, so he opted to take it easy a few days, before our Duluth friend Justin joins us for some biking fun. He got in a little hike and watched Captain America. Eventually we continued west, stopping by Lake Mead National Recreation Area, not many people out on the super windy day.

A brisk afternoon at Lake Mead

We crossed into Pacific Time Zone, so a little sad at the earlier sunset at 4:30. We ended up parking south of Boulder City in a big open area adjacent to a solar farm.

The shininess is solar panels

Dinner was shells and cheese, followed by a game of Trivial Pursuit - Rudy win, then finished Thor - The Dark World.

November 29
Sunny but windy once again. Activity for the day was had at Bootleg Canyon near Las Vegas. I ran and once again was glad I didn't bike - the 'intermediate' trails could've killed me. A short ride for Rudy, then we spent some time at the Library in Boulder City for some internet tasks before heading back to the spot by the solar farm. Hung out a bit before sauteeing some onion, mushroom, and sweet potato to go with leftovers. Another game of Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win, then Captain America - The Winter Soldier.

November 30
Sunny, but still really cold, I took a brisk stroll, but not enough to get warmed up. We thought to check out Zion later in the morning - probably could have planned better and gotten more time there instead of dawdling, but oh well. We had just enough time to take in some of the shorter, easier hikes along the short scenic drive (Weeping Rock, Riverside Walk, Emerald Pools) - the trip was still worthwhile, especially since we crossed back into Mountain Time for a longer afternoon!

End of the Riverside Walk

I can't imagine this place during tourist season!

Weeping Rock was a little hazardous with icicles falling!

Lower Emerald Pool

Middle Emerald Pool

We stopped at Bumbleberry Inn and picked up a bumbleberry bar and bumbleberry turnover - they were OK, but probably won't be going back for seconds. We found a spot to camp just outside Virgin, UT near the 'Jem' biking trails. Dinner was grilled cheese, fun was Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win, and later in the evening Justin arrived for a couple hours of chatting before sleep.

December 1
Brrrrrr...again. At least we're getting some sun! We headed to Gooseberry Mesa for biking, by way of the worst road called "Main Street" I've ever seen!

The mud hole is 'Main Street'

Despite the rugged drive, we all enjoyed the fun trails and spectacular views.

View from Gooseberry Mesa

Once again some cattle that made me nervous, but not an issue - and I spotted a roadrunner! For the evening we parked near the Jem trails again with plans to ride them in the morning. I got in a short stroll along the Hurricane Rim trail, which was nice. The wind started to pick up though, and was forecast to be problematic for a day or two. We made tortellini and alfredo for dinner, then watched Black Swan - I didn't fully get it.

December 2
Very windy in the morning and we opted not to bike on the open trails, deciding to spend a little time in Zion instead since Justin hadn't been there. Again, late planning, and not a lot of time there...oddly it was not so windy within the park, which was great since we took the Angels Landing hike. Very exposed, and very awesome - much less wind and ice than I feared!

Find the trail on the right

Rudy always finds napping spots

Can't imagine how much work went into paving the first 2 miles

Incredible views

Mid-afternoon we started the long drive toward Sedona, making a stop at a "Dairy Store" - I think run and used predominantly by Mormons. There was a lot of good stuff at reasonable prices in the surprisingly small store, so some unexpected (but needed) shopping happened. We ended up just south of Flagstaff fairly late on a snowy road and just took in some random snacks, then bed.