NASCAR, Bud Light, and Mullets!

Fast cars are American.  Bud Light is the perfect beverage.  Mullets provide the flexibility for business or party.  NASCAR combines all three in a cocktail of American awesomeness.

I recently experienced my first live NASCAR race at Phoenix International Speedway for the 2010 Chase Cup.  This was the 2nd to last race of the year there were three drivers in position to make a run for the Cup including Denny Hamlin in the 11 car, Jimmy Johnson in the 48, and Kevin Harvick in the 27.  Me and the race crew of Reid, Trevor, Dennis, Andy, and Tim entered the race track to a cornucopia of greasy fair food -- everything from Papa Johns pizza to salted pretzels to nachos.  For accompaniments there was $7 sixteen ounce "man cans" of Bud Light or Bud Regular.  We grabbed as many delicious tall cans of alcoholic frivolity as our pockets and hands could muster then headed to our seats.

Part of the pre-race festivities included vintage Chevy Corvettes driving each driver around the track to salute their adoring fans.  Following were were two parachuters piercing the sky with American flags and landing in the middle of the track.  Next was the National Anthem and accompanying Blue Angel fighter jets buzzing the track.  Finally there was the famous command of "Gentlemen, Start your Engines" (no Danica Patrick in this race!) and the track came alive. 

One thing you quickly learn at a NASCAR race is the value of ear plugs.  They are absolutely priceless.  With 43 cars zooming by at unmuffled speeds up to 150 mph as well as crowds up to 100k, the noise is deafening.  Thankfully we came prepared but if not I would have traded my two front teeth for some ear protection.  From our seats 75 yards from the track the noise was so deafening that we couldn't even talk to each other; right up next to the track was like being next to a jet engine.  The vibrations, sound, and speed coming off the track were spectacular; it's something you really need to experience in person to have an appreciation for. 

I wanna go fast!

The cars whipped around the track with Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch taking turns at the front.  Denny led for 190 of the 312 laps; however Denny and teammate Kyle Busch made an ill-fated fuel and tire stop around lap 300 when all the other drivers stayed out on the track.  Denny and Kyle were unable to make their way back to the front as the other cars conserved fuel and tires to the finish line.  It was a risk that didn't pan out; poor job by their race teams.  Jimmy Johnson gained valuable Chase Cup points and would overtake Denny for the Chase Cup at last race of the year the following weekend for his fifth consecutive championship.  Poor Denny!  Lucky Jimmy!

Get me 1 more Bud Light!

We hung around the track bar for hours after the race with hundreds of other race fans.  Country music blazed from the sound system and Bud Light man cans were again the drink of choice.  We met a man who must've been Don Mattingly's twin whose wife loved Reid's Kyle Busch "Pedigree Dog Food" shirt so much that Reid gave it to her right off his back.

Whenever you feel like American is slipping, head to a track and take in some gasoline fumes, burning rubber, and the sound of stock cars.  You will be reassured that the simple, hardworking folks of this nation are still among us, camouflaged in their mesh trucker hats and long mullet locks.

My Pit Crew ... refueling!

Infineon Raceways in 2011!

Adventures in Utah -- Part II -- ZION

Zion blew me away.  If you're anything like me maybe you've never even heard of Zion National Park in southern Utah.  If you haven't, get in a car, take a train, ride your bicycle, do anything to get there!  Zion is the definition of epic; one of the most stunning National Parks I have ever been to.

As you drive towards the National Park, you start to see little teasing glimpses of what Zion is hiding behind it's canyon walls.  Gene and I arrived the evening after our grueling St. George mountain biking adventure.  We refueled with some pizza and frozen yogurt and sought out lodging.  The hotels were expensive and paid camping spots booked.  Luckily there is some Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land a few miles outside of Zion which is undeveloped yet free.  Free is perfect.  We headed there and Mark, "Doc Awesome", met us shortly after dark.  We spent the night under the stars in our sleeping bags; glorious.  We slept with the Milky Way painted across the sky on the doorstep of Zion.

In the morning we rounded up all the necessary gear which included all the traditional rock climbing items (ropes, harnesses, belay devices) as well as wetsuits, hiking shoes, and helmets.  It was a beautiful day at Zion with sun and temperatures expected in the 80's.  We rode the Park bus into the Canyon and started from the Weeping Rock Trailhead towards Echo Canyon.  From the trailhead we blitzed up switchbacks on the East Rim Trail for about 4 miles.


Amigos ready for Canyoneering at the Weeping Rock Trailhead 

  

Views from the East Rim Trail

 We fueled up with a tasty lunch of salami & havarti sandwiches as well as gummy worms at the drop-in point for Echo Canyon while switching from our hiking gear to the canyoneering gear, including the wet suits & harnesses over the wet suits.  Ridiculous but necessary for our upcoming adventure. 

Look at Mark's Smile -- "Canyoneering Rocks!"

We dropped into the narrow canyon, utilizing our climbing gear and splashing through icy cold puddles at the bottom of the canyon. As we proceeded the canyon walls stretched higher and higher above us and at spots the canyon was about 8 ft. wide and over a hundred feet tall. Sunlight never hit the bottom of the dark canyon, keeping the water and air temperature very cold; hence the wet suits. We rappelled down 6-7 drop offs where when there is water flowing in the canyon would have been waterfall to pool drops. In the dry summer conditions these drops were from ledge to icy, murky, pools of water. With the water so murky we couldn't predict the depth of the water so I was often the crash test dummy. We came to this decision as we needed Mark at the top to take care of the climbing ropes and Gene's only swimming stroke is the doggy paddle / sink to the bottom.



Brrrrrrrrrrrr!



Welcome to my office!

The drops ranged from 8 to 25 feet with pools at the bottom ranging from 8 inches to deeper than 6 ft. This was a truly unique adventure, not very strenuous and not super technical but a nice blend of both. At one point in the exploring, Gene found a goat foot, evidence of a flash flood victim. Gene kept the 'lucky' foot and named it Edward. ;)

Eddie

After three hours of canyoneering the canyon walls began to subside and we found ourselves an opportunity to escape back to the East Rim Trail. We swapped gear once again and made our way back down to the road.

Celebrating with a beer and tasty food, Gene and I bid farewell to Mark; he was heading back to Salt Lake City to meet his Dad early the following morning.  Gene and I went back to the friendly confines of the BLM land and spent another night under the stars; we had decided to hike Angel's Landing in the morning.

Angels Landing was breathtaking.  The first 2 miles up were grueling switchbacks; heaps of elevation were put under our boots.  Gene and I reached a ridge which stretched for another 3/4 mile to an outcropping called 'Angels Landing'.  Some rock scrambling ensured with drops of 1000 ft on one side and 1300 ft on the other.  Two weeks after our hike the forest service was closing the upper portion of this hike to make it safer.  I highly recommend this hike, especially for those who are not afraid of heights.  At the end of the hike you make it to a nice place to have a small lunch and get amazing views up and down Zion.  If I were an Angel, this is indeed where I would choose to land in Zion.

An afternoon in the Cesar's Sports Book in Las Vegas split up our drive back home.  Another good adventure in the books.



View from Angels Landing



Wow

 

Ridiculous Views



Adventures in Utah -- Part I -- Mountain Biking

For our Summer 2010 adventure, Gene and I decided to do a road trip to the natural beauties of Southern Utah.  We planned to go mountain biking in the St. George area then rendezvous with a friend of mine, Mark "Doc Awesome", at Zion National Park for a unique and very modern adventure called canyoneering.

The trip began rather uneventful with me flying into Burbank late on a Wednesday evening in early September.  I saw for the first time Gene's recently-acquired condo in Pasadena -- baller!  Although I must say, he has a pink couch (questionable!) and a life-sized poster of "Edward" from Twilight (super-questionable!)!  We got some ZZZ's and woke up early to make our way to St. George, a good 6 hour drive away.

Driving east through Southern California leaves a lot to be desired.  We drove past the non-operational biggest thermometer in the world and stopped at In-N-Out for a bite.  We crossed the Nevada border (ho-hum), drove through Vegas WITHOUT stopping, and pit-stopped in Mesquite, NV to satisfy Gene's gambling urge.  I played for 15 minutes at the craps table and made $22.  Gene lost maybe $20 because he refused to bet on my rolls and I dominated!

We continued to St. George, Utah and rented our full-suspension mountain bikes.  At the bike shop, they meticulously went over every scratch on the bikes as we would be responsible for any damages, which, knowing us, were likely.  Gene really hit it off with the rental guy, which is important for later in the story.  We had dinner, checked into a dingy $40 hotel room, and went to Chili's for a celebratory beverage.   This is was where Gene made his first mistake -- he ordered the uber-salty, dinner-sized queso and chips.  I'd imagine there were 17 zillion milligrams of sodium in that dish and I don't think Gene peed the rest of the trip -- ie. SALTY! 

We were informed that "Happy Hour" does NOT exist in Utah, or at least in St. George.  Some other nuggets of alcohol-related Utah wisdom -- you can't order a shot and a beer at the same time in Utah and any beer from outside Utah (imported) is under 4.0% alcohol content; local beers aren't required to meet this restriction.  Gene amazingly finished his queso and we were off to get some sleep; we had a big day of mountain biking ahead of us in the morning.

In the morning, we woke up and packed up our things, including putting the mountain bikes on Gene's bike rack on the back of his car.  I secured my bike first, then Gene secured his.  The bike rack is one of those which sits on the back of a sedan so the bikes are kind of handing off the trunk area (hint -- important info for later!)  Consulting with the bike shop rental guy on the previous day led us to decide to mountain bike the Gooseberry area, ~1 hour outside of St. George.  We were halfway to Gooseberry when Gene noticed his bike, on the outside rack position, was becoming loose.  He nonchalantly pulled over and tightened the straps.  We should have took this as a bigger sign of danger. 

About 5 miles further down the highway, going 60 miles per hour, we suddenly felt the car suspension shift and heard a faint crash of rubber and metal on the roadway below.  Looking back behind us, I saw Gene's rented bike turning handlebars over seat, crashing on the road below and skidding horribly on the asphalt.  Gene pulled over immediately and began chasing after his bike to get to it before any vehicles ran it over.  There was light traffic on the road and as Gene approached the bike; it was sitting in the lane of traffic we were travelling in with a Semi truck approaching.  In the oncoming lane of traffic was a RV; the RV and semi at present speeds were destined to meet at Gene's partially mangled bike.  The semi truck would have nowhere to go but over the bike, crushing it.  Luckily, the truck driver spotted Gene's bike and/or Gene running towards it and slowed down in time to let the RV pass then went into the other lane of traffic to bypass the $1500 Specialized bicycle.  Quickly, Gene retrieved the bike from the road and lugged it to the shoulder; the wheels no longer rolled and obviously unridable.  The damage included a front wheel which twisted like an elliptical pretzel, asphalt-shaved shifters, ripped back seat, and various other scratches and bruises.  Our only option was to put the bike back on the rack and drive back to the bike shop which was just opening for the morning.

Notice that there is no shifter in the pictures below and the wheel is all whacked out.

Bicycle Damage #1

Bicycle Damage #2

Gene was on the hook for some pricey damages.  Luckily, the bike shop rental guy Gene hit it off with was working again; he was surprised to see us.  Gene showed him the badly damaged bike; bike guy took down the damage and went inside to get an estimate from the boss. They determined that frame, suspension, crank, pedals, forks, back tire, and seat were OK it was just the front wheel and shifters which needed replacing.  They cut Gene a super deal (who knows why) and only charged him $160 or so for the damages and gave us another bike to destroy; this time Gene got a woman's bike as they were out of the men's -- fair punishment in my opinion!

We weren't going to let a little roadway accident deter us.  With a few hours wasted and time at a premium we changed our plan and decided to mountain bike in the Green Valley / Stucki Springs area just a few miles from St. George. 

Finally, we were in the saddles of our bikes and climbing rather large and rocky hills.  The terrain was very Southern Utah (high desert) with few trees and great vistas.  We did a awesome up and down this towering ridge where Gene popped his back tire pretty badly, through the sidewall.  We repaired it with our only extra tube, however the tube when fully inflated was bulging out of dime-sized hole in the tire sidewall.  We then repaired this with my energy-gel wrapper (no other tools available) by placing it between the tube and inside sidewall of the tire.  Surprisingly, this actually worked rather well and allowed Gene to fully inflate the tube.  One more popped tire and we were headed back; it was still before noon!

  

Gene fixing his flat

We hit some high-speed downhill going off the trail and over big boulders; quite a rush.  Gene is a pretty accomplished mountain biker and he showed me some techniques to go up and down large gaps and boulders.  We made it back to the car in time to grab a bite to eat and refill our water.  It was very hot in the desert and we were going through water fast.  We saw some great landscapes on this ride and had a really good time navigating the trails, hills, and rocks. 



Green Valley Area

For the afternoon we decided to head out to the Stucki Springs area (without much of a detailed plan or map).  We hit the "Three Fingers of Death" and "Acid Drops" in the map above and then started out on a large loop called the Bearclaw Poppy Trail.  It was a long trail and took us very far away from the car.  I was getting tired and starting to run low on water and was out of food.  Not to mention that my butt was hurting from the 4 hours of the seat jabbing into it.  Gene was also nearly out of water and it was maybe 3 PM; we needed to return the bikes by 6 PM so we started to make our way back, continuing on the loop.  Unluckily the trail ceased being easy to follow and the way back to the car was blocked by numerous ridges.  Trails criss-crossed all over the place and we were very weary from already 25 miles or riding or so.  We tried one route which dead-ended in a narrowing river canyon with impassable boulders.  We tried another similar looking escape and yet again were turned back.  I was starting to worry.  I had my phone but no cell phone service and no warm clothes or gear for a night on the desert floor.  I was out of water and there was no water in sight.  We tried another trail which went nearly vertical up the side of a ridge, pushing the bikes up ahead of us.  If this didn't provide a way out then I'd have to cuddle with Gene for warmth that night.  To our relief, we made it to the top and saw a path back to the car.  I was exhausted but still had a ways to go.  We made out way downhill the rest of the way to the vehicle and returned the bikes.

Celebratory with burgers from "Five Guys Burgers" (not as good as I-N-O) were obtained then Gene and I headed towards Part II of our Utah Adventure -- we were pointed towards Zion to meet Doc Awesome and recover in time for the next adventure ...

More pictures on my Picasa as well.