A quick run-down of the week thus far:

Sat
KMC. I made some mistakes to learn from, but overall was very happy with my ride, and had a great time with friends new and newer. The post-race BBQ was ideal, and Dave and Brian’s rides give me something to aspire to, next year.

Sun
Hung out with DH and crew, ate several breakfasts before 1000. Drove to Zion, went swimming, got a Demo Pure V for $20 at Zion Cycles to replace the Swift, which just hasn’t worked in the last month. A sad transfer/farewell. Drove to Cedar City, grilled and drank beer with Phillip, old friend from my working in wilderness and living in he Subaru days.

Mon
Phillip is working for the FS for the summer, counting Goshawks and Owl’s. He was off to research camp last night, and his SO Ariel (my friend from college, we set them up) works all day, so M and I had the run of their place and Cedar to recover and be lazy. Read and ate, including a ridiculous tasty meatball sandwich lunch. Hidden in the Chevron in south Cedar: not to be missed!
Saw Knocked Up, which was just interesting enough to not leave at 40 minutes. Evan’s getting a dead skunk in the mail for that one.

Tues
Motivated up to Red Canyon to ride Thunder Mountain. Do it, one of the best trails anywhere. Saddle sore was manageable with the new saddle and massive amounts of lube. On the way back we bummed around Cascade Falls and Navajo Lake. The former is the course of the Virgin River’s North Fork (the Narrows), occurring when the later leaks through sinks in the limestone and pops out of a hole in the cliff on the south side of the mountain. Very cool for an aspiring geology geek.

Wed
Hiked The Narrows, for the first time, in 7:58. M got motivated and inspired us to haul below Orderville to meet the cut. Funny thing: we were only a bit faster than the average pace (on the map) through the road walking, but picked up a ton down the rocks and stream crossings. M’s a tough woman.
It’s gorgeous, and we had ideal conditions. 35 cfs, very clear water, tons of columbine blowing in the hanging gardens. Photos when we get home. I went luxury style and hauled a can of pineapple and a Jalapeno Pringles, which were very welcome.
Classic Pizza-Noodle dinner, drive back, crash.

Thurs
Packing for the drive north, sitting in the coffee shop. Keeping up with the GDR craziness (why is this the year for self-supported racing to get wack?) and everyone’s summer psyche. It’s contagious.
I’m looking forward to the Wahsatch in two days, and Crested Butte next month. There’s also the 12 Hours of One, a SS only race in Flag in August. Not much info around, but I’ll do it for fun and education unless I have a conflict. The rest of this year is all about learning and prep; I want to really use my knowledge next year.