Tuesday, 3/24/2009. 3.7 hours, 47 miles. Riders: Ted & Tamara

We spent the morning doing non-moto stuff, then took a nap, then Tamara and I took off for a late afternoon ride. It was perfect, since the weather has been a little cooler in the last couple days, waiting allowed us to ride in the warmest part of the day.

We went out and retraced the route that Dad and I took the previous day: we took the Washington Dam Road down to the 4x4 park, then played around in there for a bit. Tamara got video of me trying to steep hillclimb from the previous day (I didn't make it as far), then we went back into a small wash and I tried climbing an even steeper grade. I almost made it to the top, though the crash was somewhat spectacular- the bike went one way and I went sliding down the hill. The video for those will show up eventually, but it'll probably be at least a week from when this is posted.

(Tamara) I had a really good time this afternoon. I got to practice my standing a lot more today, and am getting much more comfortable with it. My only problem now is that sometimes when I go over a series of bumps/moguls I end up picking up more speed than I want and it starts to feel out of control. For the most part today though, I felt really comfortable and felt like I was using a lot of new skills.

We continued riding through the park, then went out through the south entrance and onto the dirt road. It's just a large wash, but it's obvious that full-size trucks have been down it. We rode that wash out for 4-5 miles until it intersected with the gravel road, then road west towards "Ted's Ranch".

(Tamara) I'm proud of myself because I rode up a (for me) really steep trail that was bare rock. It was more than I would normally do, but I didn't have any problems and I'm glad I pushed that edge. The view was fantastic! I was more scared coming down than I'd been going up - it just feels so much more crazy looking down and it's hard to slow down without skidding or washing out the front end.

I took Tamara near the steep hill with the tilted road surface from yesterday, and she decided she wanted to run up it. She did fantastic! We got to the top, then stopped for some pictures. Tamara had a little difficulty getting back down (she probably spent too long thinking about it), but once she got going she did just fine.

Our next stop was south for the gypsum mine. We needed to ride about 6 miles south- actually, we had to ride out of Utah and into Arizona. We did fine, though I made a wrong turn, so we had to u-turn. Tamara wasn't looking far enough ahead and didn't have her bars turned full lock, so she ran out of road, and fell when she hesitated. It's an easy mistake to make (especially for a rookie!), but once I knew she was okay, I took pictures to document the moment.

Because it was late afternoon, the visible face of the gypsum was in the shade. That meant it wasn't quite as spectacular as when the sun is illuminating it- on the other hand, it was easier to sit and play with the pieces. I took some photos through a fleck of the gypsum to show how clear it is.

(Tamara) We stopped at the gypsum (selenite) mine, which was pretty. I especially liked seeing how the gypsum forms in very distinct layers (it looks laminated) and in a diamond-like shape. I found some cool pictures of a giant mine in Mexico. I love seeing the huge columns!

(Tamara) I had a couple moments where I nearly lost it- I took a corner too hot and twice I pushed out the front end, but was able to save it both times. Ted was behind me, so I'm sure he got a pretty good laugh. The other bad time was a deeply rutted area of the dirt road that just grabbed my tire. So I got some good heart-racing moments, but those always help me to learn where my weaknesses are and how much more capable the bike is than I am! :)

We then turned around and started heading for home. We went past Ted's Ranch and then followed a new fenceline for a mile or two until we reached one of my favorite neighborhoods. It's well outside of the "natural" growth line of the city, as if they expected the city to quickly catch up to the neighborhood. They built out half of the neighborhood in one long strip, and excavated a parallel strip, including paving and putting in the per-lot utilities.

The lots have elevation differences, meaning there's a nice step between each one. I had Tamara use the video camera while I practiced jumping. They aren't large, but I was getting fairly consistent at keeping the bike level and under control. That was really fun.

From there, we cut through some semi-abandoned/partially built subdivisions, using the dirt lots to connect them. It's pretty sad that developers in rural areas love the cul-de-sac. It means that we can connect subdivisions in 50 feet, but the paved route might be a mile around. Still, it usually makes for some entertaining riding, and it's more fun than riding on the pavement.

Once we got back into town, we ducked under the freeway, took the dirt backway towards the house, stopped for gas, and we were done. It was a great afternoon! It was cool to see Tamara loving the dirt as much as she did.