Above Rock Canyon, between Cascade Mountain (10,908′) and Provo Peak (11,068′) sits Lightning Pass. A year and a half ago, after riding motorcycles for 8 hours behind Timpanogos and then up Provo Canyon’s Left Fork and Big Springs, Darin Vandecar and I attempted to ride over the top of the mountain, but didn’t make it. We got stuck behind two other bikes spinning their wheels up a few hundred feet of steep, loose switchbacks. By the time they reached the top, my time was up (had to go float the Provo with a bunch of friends) and we had to turn back.

I’ve craved another shot at the pass ever since. This time I planned to try from the front (west) side. Whenever I mentioned it, I heard stories of a steep, difficult, and possibly impassible scree field near the top and few of my riding buddies seemed very enthused about it. Continue Reading »

I promised to take the neighborhood kids I teach in Sunday school sailing and I realized that one benefit of making commitments and scheduling things is that it pulls me away from working too long.

The boys had homework deadlines and other activities and couldn’t make it, so the girls rounded up their friends in the neighborhood and six of us pulled the boat down to the Marina around 4:30 this afternoon.

There wasn’t any wind, but we enjoyed the warm weather and spent a while diving off the boat and swimming. The water was comfortable with alternating warm and cool pockets. It felt great to be in the water, and enough time had passed that I forgot to miss Bear Lake’s clear, pristine waters. Continue Reading »

I can only work so many 12-14 hour days in a row without a significant drop in productivity, so when my motorcycle riding brothers planned a trip up Hobble Creek canyon yesterday afternoon, I thought I’d best join them. We ended up riding 72 miles round trip and I’m so glad I made the right choice.

After all, autumn is here and it won’t last forever. The best seasons – spring and fall – are far too short in Utah, and with autumn just begun, time is already running out to enjoy it, to get outside and find that perfect spot among the blaze-red and yellow leaves. That perfect view edged by magnificent mountains or a peacefully-still private meadow. The place where a crystal creek spills endlessly over rocks and roots and makes you forget to be in such a rush all the time. Where you remember to stop living in the future or past and land smack-dab in the ongoing present moment, at least until you climb back in your car and drive home again. Continue Reading »

Here are a pair of videos shot by a Channel 2 cameraman following a “rescue” of a weather balloon that “crashed” on Baldy, not far from my home on August 14.

Someone saw the long silver thing and mistook it for a crashed glider. We opted to bring the thing down anyway to avoid more 911 phone calls reporting it.

I was just happy to have a chance to ride the excellent trails that are usually closed to motor vehicles. I enjoy them on my mountain bike, but the motorcycle is even more fun.

First, here’s a photo of of the blimp following me through the trees where CJ met up with me on his bike:
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I was just looking through some photos of last year’s great sailing adventure and was taken by how beautiful and wonderful life can be.

This first shot is day two or three, Mike Bergin and I on deck, sailing with four sails up 600 nautical miles full of nothing but dolphins and horizons from Aruba to Panama.

We often dragged a fishing line in the water behind us, pulling tuna and mahi mahi from the ocean and tossing it straight onto the BBQ. Continue Reading »

Here are all the photos that may appear in the top left corner of this page along with information about where they were taken.

Shaun wakes up on a port-a-ledge hundreds of feet above the canyon floor in Zion National Park.

The route is C2 Prodigal Son which climbs the side of Angel’s Landing.

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