Each year by the first week of March, my cabin fever is off the charts. The cure, a trip to
St. George, Utah to enjoy some of my favorite outdoor activities in the sun.
This year we chose to road bike and rock climb. We started out on the bikes. It was almost a 30 mile ride from the
Courtyard Marriott where we were staying; out to the
Tuacahn and then up through
Snow Canyon to
Highway 18 and back to our hotel. The flowers are up and the trees are starting to blossom. Spring has arrived in
Utah's Dixie.
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| Trevor |
This loop is now my favorite short ride in
St. George; just enough climbing to get a good workout, with one of the best downhill rewards I have ridden.
We took the bike path that runs along the west side of
Highway 18. It has steeper drops than the road does; seven miles of a rollercoaster-style descent with no cars to dodge and no sharp corners; just tuck and go. This was just what my wife and I needed to help prepare us for the 80 mile
Mesquite Madness bike ride on March 24th.
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| Todd |
This was my first time climbing
up Snow Canyon on my bike. It gave me the opportunity to look around and enjoy its beauty. The red rock and black lava are stunning. This canyon has something for almost anyone who loves the outdoors; sand dunes for the young and the young at heart, a walking/bike path for those looking for a quiet stroll, mountains and slot canyons to conquer for hikers as well as multi-pitch climbs for the ones who like hanging from a rope. I look forward to spending more time in here with my grandkids.
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| Ronelle |
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| Phil |
After our ride we headed to the cliffs on the north side of
St. George above the painted
"DIXIE" to try our hand at rock climbing. My 16-year old son is avid in this sport, and is hoping to get my wife and I to follow. We found about a 35 foot rock wall that didn't look too challenging, so we pulled out the climbing harness and rope. This proved to be not much of a problem for my son, he went right up like he had been doing it his whole life and not just a couple of years. The same cannot be said for Todd (a friend), my wife and I. We all had a hard time making it to the top, and we would not have made it without a little "hang dogging". This is a term I just learned the meaning of. Its when the one on the the bottom of the rope (the belayer) uses all his weight and strength to pull the climber up when they just can't get any higher without help. The 4 of us all had fun laughing and taking pics.
I'm sure we'll find ourselves wearing climbing gear, staring up at many more rock walls as the weather warms up.
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