Another summer weekend in Utah, another two days of outdoor adventure.
On Saturday AmyZ and I went up to Park City Mountain Resort for a day of lift-served mountain biking. Neither of us have been in the saddle at all yet this year, so lift-served seemed like the only reasonable option (and my body thanks me). I figured that PCMR would be the place to be because a) they've added Crescent Lift to the mix this summer, meaning that the long, slow rides up Payday or Town Lift are a thing of the past; and b) it would be free, because my winter pass includes summer lift service.
Scratch item B. My winter pass was good for summer, until this year. However, the choice between a $24 single-day pass and a $50 summer season pass was a no-brainer. We each forked over $50 for the summer-long privilege.
We had other issues as well. I had eggbeater cleats on my shoes for SPD pedals, while AmyZ brought two left gloves. #-o That necessitated a short side-trip to Cole Sports in town and another unplanned handover of my debit card. So much for a cheap day! ](*,)
Snafus aside, we had a blast. We did two laps: one via Mojave/Short Fuse/Crescent Mine Grade (CMG), and the other Mojave/Mid-Mountain/John's Trail to a late lunch on the patio at High West Distillery, which for me featured a braised short rib and a whiskey smash.
It ensured, however, this Saturday of mountain biking would end up being a pricey one.
Today I went from land to water to join Telejon in kayaking Causey Reservoir. Causey is a long, narrow 142-acre man-made lake that fills four distinct canyons, formed by the installation of an earthen dam in the South Fork of the Ogden River in 1966. It's just beyond the east end of the Ogden Valley, several miles due east of Powder Mountain ski area. It's not culinary watershed, so swimming and dogs are both permitted, but motorized use is restricted to electric trolling motors only. This makes Causey Reservoir a haven for many of the region's canoeists, kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders. Like every reservoir in the Intermountain West the water level is rather low right now, a good 10 feet below the spillway which isn't carrying even a drop of water. The canyon arms are narrow, more akin to paddling a river than a lake.
We covered every inch of the lake, paddling nearly nine miles as a result, and we landed often to explore potential campsites and side streams feeding the lake. Fishermen angled for cutthroat and rainbow trout, and the lake's elusive population of Kokanee salmon. Late in the day, though, Causey Reservoir's western end turned into the Ogden area's miniature Lake Havasu, with party-goers using virtually anything and everything that floats to venture a few hundred yards from the dam to some rocky areas for soaking and cliff-jumping to escape the 100-degree heat in the Salt Lake Valley.
Our GPS track and all geo-tagged photos are online at https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212075877780839390366.0004e21069c0324f3f461&msa=0.
Leaving the dam, facing east
Nearing the eastern end of the reservoir
At the easternmost inlet of the Left Fork of the South Fork of the Ogden River (note the multiple water levels marked by the shoreline)
The Right Fork of the South Fork of the Ogden River enters Causey Reservoir
On deck you'll see one of several toys for Jake I found floating on the water
A "kayak gang" on Causey Reservoir
A happy Golden Retriever (I'm not so sure about the kid)
The Bear Hollow (north) arm of Causey Reservoir (that's Telejon on the left)
Causey Reservoir turns into Little Lake Havasu. Note the swarms of people covering the rocks on the opposite shore, too.
She said that this dog has run Weber River whitewater, too!
Cliff jumping (and dunking a basket at the same time!)
Cliff jumping. Cars are parked on the Causey Reservoir Dam in the background.
Who's driving?
The party
After a hot day of paddling the bar at the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville was a welcome sight.
On Saturday AmyZ and I went up to Park City Mountain Resort for a day of lift-served mountain biking. Neither of us have been in the saddle at all yet this year, so lift-served seemed like the only reasonable option (and my body thanks me). I figured that PCMR would be the place to be because a) they've added Crescent Lift to the mix this summer, meaning that the long, slow rides up Payday or Town Lift are a thing of the past; and b) it would be free, because my winter pass includes summer lift service.
Scratch item B. My winter pass was good for summer, until this year. However, the choice between a $24 single-day pass and a $50 summer season pass was a no-brainer. We each forked over $50 for the summer-long privilege.
We had other issues as well. I had eggbeater cleats on my shoes for SPD pedals, while AmyZ brought two left gloves. #-o That necessitated a short side-trip to Cole Sports in town and another unplanned handover of my debit card. So much for a cheap day! ](*,)
Snafus aside, we had a blast. We did two laps: one via Mojave/Short Fuse/Crescent Mine Grade (CMG), and the other Mojave/Mid-Mountain/John's Trail to a late lunch on the patio at High West Distillery, which for me featured a braised short rib and a whiskey smash.
It ensured, however, this Saturday of mountain biking would end up being a pricey one.Today I went from land to water to join Telejon in kayaking Causey Reservoir. Causey is a long, narrow 142-acre man-made lake that fills four distinct canyons, formed by the installation of an earthen dam in the South Fork of the Ogden River in 1966. It's just beyond the east end of the Ogden Valley, several miles due east of Powder Mountain ski area. It's not culinary watershed, so swimming and dogs are both permitted, but motorized use is restricted to electric trolling motors only. This makes Causey Reservoir a haven for many of the region's canoeists, kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders. Like every reservoir in the Intermountain West the water level is rather low right now, a good 10 feet below the spillway which isn't carrying even a drop of water. The canyon arms are narrow, more akin to paddling a river than a lake.
We covered every inch of the lake, paddling nearly nine miles as a result, and we landed often to explore potential campsites and side streams feeding the lake. Fishermen angled for cutthroat and rainbow trout, and the lake's elusive population of Kokanee salmon. Late in the day, though, Causey Reservoir's western end turned into the Ogden area's miniature Lake Havasu, with party-goers using virtually anything and everything that floats to venture a few hundred yards from the dam to some rocky areas for soaking and cliff-jumping to escape the 100-degree heat in the Salt Lake Valley.
Our GPS track and all geo-tagged photos are online at https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212075877780839390366.0004e21069c0324f3f461&msa=0.
Leaving the dam, facing east
Nearing the eastern end of the reservoir
At the easternmost inlet of the Left Fork of the South Fork of the Ogden River (note the multiple water levels marked by the shoreline)
The Right Fork of the South Fork of the Ogden River enters Causey Reservoir
On deck you'll see one of several toys for Jake I found floating on the water
A "kayak gang" on Causey Reservoir
A happy Golden Retriever (I'm not so sure about the kid)
The Bear Hollow (north) arm of Causey Reservoir (that's Telejon on the left)
Causey Reservoir turns into Little Lake Havasu. Note the swarms of people covering the rocks on the opposite shore, too.
She said that this dog has run Weber River whitewater, too!
Cliff jumping (and dunking a basket at the same time!)
Cliff jumping. Cars are parked on the Causey Reservoir Dam in the background.
Who's driving?
The party
After a hot day of paddling the bar at the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville was a welcome sight.
