Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The ROCK!!!!

There is a HUGE rock on the the hill and I have ALWAYS wanted to go see it. However I used to be to heavy to hike it and then when I lost weight never took the time to see it! Well tonight that changed......
I loaded up the mountain bike and took off for The ROCK!!!
SUCH a beautiful ride! This is a popular trail for hikers and bikers. I did a 7 mile out and back. As I was climbing the hill I was breathing so hard! It freaked me out actually a little bit, this was harder then my road bike!!!! I thought I was going to be able to own this ride and climb it like a champ!!! 
I did own it but I climbed it like a struggling champ :)
Totally clipped myself with the pedal!!! 
Maybe one day I'll dare clip in on a Mountain bike, for now that scares me WAY to much!
I was SO proud that I MADE it!!!! It was something I have ALWAYS wanted to do. The rock is special to me too because my husband proposed to me at the trail head in the winter :)
Off the bikes to enjoy the......
AMAZING!!!!
However the sun setting at the top of the hill is also a BAD sign when your still on top of the mountain!!!! That meant we would be riding DOWN the trail without much daylight left.
So I rode white knuckled the WHOLE way down!!! I really had a hard time seeing! I kept thinking this is crazy, who rides in the dark???? Oh ya me duh!!!! I was the one who started out late.... It wasn't going to stop me from enjoying the down hill! I took it sloooooow #1 because I was scared and #2 because I honestly could not see.
Just to give you an idea of how dark it was....... I am looking forward to doing this ride again, I will start earlier and I think doing things the second time is always easier because you know what to expect!

I get to do 3, 3 mile training runs tonight for my Red Rock Relay! I will be sure to take lots of pictures of  12 crazy ladies running around town in the dark!!!! I hope my body can handle it after The ROCK!!!

34 comments:

Alan said...

What an inspirational sight that sunset is! Thanks for risking life and limb to bring it to us. :-)

Clive Chapman said...

Brilliant! MTBing is harder, if I have a week on my MTB I'm always more knackered at the end of the week than if I spend a week on my road bike.

Harder = doing you more good!

Plus MTBing is more fun...

Cheers

Clive

Dan O said...

Nice job on the climb and dark descent (!!).

Running clipless pedals on the mountain bike is not a big deal. If you're running clipless on the road, an easy transition. Set the tension really low and you'll click right out.

Having said that, no real need to go clipless. Lots of dirt riders run platform pedals as well. Whatever works for you.

Kimberly said...

That looks absolutely gorgeous! And congrats :)

Becca said...

You are a crazy determined bike rider! Be careful for goodness sake! Another injury..

On another note, yay for making it to The Rock!

RunningFromCancer said...

WOW that is beautiful - way to go. Bet your quad's will feel that - in a good way.

Rae said...

Way to go! The view was beautiful!

Ginny M said...

You owned the Rock and have the pictures to prove it... congrats!

kimert said...

Congrats! The sunset is beautiful!!

Unknown said...

I agree with Dan O. - switching to clipless on the MTB won't be that hard for you since you're used to it on the road bike. And I personally think it will be SO much better. My MTB skills really improved once I went clipless. Good luck!

Toomey Family said...

WOW!! Utah really is so pretty! You are doing so many amazing things!

Big Clyde said...

This is awesome. What an achievement. I like that you are aggressively challenging yourself, yet still having fun.

Kathleen Ichord said...

You have such great country to ride in. jealous!!

Betsy said...

Ok....congrats on checking off something you've always wanted to do. But I have to admit when I saw the rock I was kinda like that's it? That's the rock? ha!

Downhill, dark MTB? You are waaaaay braver than I am!

Tri-James said...

Night riding on a mountain bike - sounds wonderfully scary!

funderson said...

once again...you are a bad ash!

Average Woman Runner said...

Nice job!

The Green Girl said...

Wow, you are not only brave but you rocks! I love that it was more than just a ride for you - that it was significant.

RunToTheFinish said...

oh my there is nothing so wonderful as conquering something you have long wanted to!!

Kristina said...

Awesome!!! You did such a great job! And what a beautiful view.

I have an award for you over at my blog:

http://hgr8scot.blogspot.com/

when you come down from that high, head on over and pick it up! lol

Keri said...

Beautiful!! Congrats for finally seeing the rock!

Raegun said...

Awesome! I'm sure you feel so good for finally making it to the rock. Now, be brave and clip into those mountain bike pedals. It will make your ride much easier. ;)
Rae
xo

Julie said...

Good for you!!

What a great view!!

:Deliciously Healthy said...

Great job!!

Glad you made it home okay ;)

M said...

Wow! That is dark. Glad you got down safely.

Lindsay @ http://pancakesnpajamas.blogspot.com/ said...

Check out that view! Breathtaking to say the least.

Lindsay said...

What a view!! I know trail-running is hard, and I just imagine mountain biking is even harder. Not to mention riding back down as it gets dark?!? Oh Lord I'd be so scared :)

Unknown said...

YOU are a rock too..for so many people..now quit hurting yourself would ya?? :)

AM! said...

nice work on the mountain bike ride!

and the view along the way and top seems worth the ride! including the death grip down

mCat said...

It looks beautiful, I would love to run that trail!

And I'm doing red rock relay too! You'll have to let me know what team you're on and what leg you have.

Anonymous said...

Yay!! Congrats!!!!

OrangeBlossom said...

Great job on tackling the rock!

You have such beautiful blog posts!

Skye-Lynn said...

You are one brave girl! lol Love the pics! ( :

MB said...

The view was worth it, right? Congrats on getting to THE ROCK. I'd get a headlamp to keep in your bike bag for emergencies. We were stuck climbing down Tuckerman's Ravine without light and it was SCARY. Of course, you have to remember to bring fresh batteries too ;)