Another Year Older

Timm had his birthday yesterday.  I don't know why but this one is really bugging him...the big one is next year sweetie.  He had a good day that started off at the dog park.  It's up on the mountain and there is nothing to stop the wind, it was colder than a son of a _____.  We enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the Country Cafe...always yummy.  Our intentions were to go out to the dam and see the progress on the bridge but the bed called his name and gave him and Cassy a 2+ hour nap.  It was one of the naps that you have a hard time waking up from.  We went to Sheplers and he picked out a new wallet, then you enjoyed appetizers at TGIFridays.  We enjoyed dinner with our family at BJ's restuarant and brewhouse in Henderson.  Thay have delicious food by the way, I reccomend it.  We hung out until the game was over...sorry the Vikings didn't win Christy. By the way, he loves his Snuggi.  Happy Birthday Timm, we all love you!

Scott and Christy Got a New Toy

Scott and Christy got a heck of a deal on a new toy for Christmas...and Valentines...and Easter...and birthdays...lol...no really, they did get a great deal though.  Scott, Chris and friends made a run to Cedar to pick up Scott and Christy's new RZR.  I am so excited...now they can go out ATVing with us...all 5 of us...it will be awesome!

Scott will be selling his Predator so if you know of anyone that is looking for a good deal on one of them be sure to let us know.

We all got to drive it around the yard before he took it home.  Timm and Cassy seem to like it really well.  Okay, anytime Cassy can ride she really likes it.  I like it when she smiles.

Can't wait till we all go out next Sunday!

Crystal leads her first ride

As Trailmaster for Dunes and Trails ATV Club for 2009, Crystal lead the last official ride of the year.  We rode a new area close to home for us called Cottonwood Valley.  We enjoyed wonderful weather on the day we rode.  I actually post-poned the ride a week.  The original date was cold, rainy, snowy and down right miserable.  Thanks to all who showed up to support me...22 riders in all!

We rode from the parking area, south to Good Springs.  Along the way we made several stops including this fabulous view of the Las Vegas Valley.  We enjoyed ice cream and a mini tour of the historic Pioneer Saloon in Good Springs.  On our way back we stopped at a couple of mines, let the riders explore them for a while.  We also stopped at an old house just past one of the mines.  It's an old A-frame cabin tucked up one of the canyons.  Still standing but in much dis-repair.  It's so cool to find stuff like this out there.  We also found some indian petroglyphs near our lunch stop.  No wild burros this trip although we did see a pair of them on our pre-ride.  I got stuck in a snow drift...dang bald tires...most embarrasing for being the leader.  No one made fun of me but I was embarrassed.  Timm came to my rescue and winched me out...my hero.  He was also my backup, giving me support all day.  Thanks goes out to Alan for being my tail gunner, what a great guy.  Timm has lead many rides for the club and I am glad I pay attention to what he does, it really came to good use on this ride.

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas everyone!  Cassy sends you her best this holiday season.  She even dressed up for you.

We went on our annual tree hunt to Utah for the perfect Christmas tree.  There was lots of snow on the mountain this year.  Cassy and her cousins all enjoyed running around in it, chasing sticks (logs), each other and just have fun in the snow.  Cassy loves to plow her way through it. 

We all searched for the trees that we wanted, cut them down, drug them back to the trucks, tied them down, and warmed up on the way down the mountain.  We enjoyed lunch at Lupita's (one of Timm's favorite places to eat in Utah) before heading home.  Merry Christmas everyone! 

Outdoor kitchen and dining area...part 4

This space is looking awesome if I say so myself.  They guys have been working hard and it shows.  Timm and Chris got the header installed and the last of the siding put on. Thanks to Timm's co-worker, Arnie for coming over to help with the roof.  It's really coming together!

Chris and Timm put felt on the roof over the last week after work.  Chris worked on part of it during the day also.   They've also been working on the actual kitchen area.  They used the siding (upside down) for the counter base.  Still not sure if the coutners will be concrete or tile yet.  We're kinda at a standstill right now, funds are running low.  Will need to recoupe before more progress happens.

Outdoor kitchen and dining area...part 3

Wow, things have come a long way.  The siding is going up and it's really starting to look like something.  It's a concrete based product that comes in panels and looks like a stacked stone.  It's a pretty easy system to put up but cutting it is another matter...because it's a concrete product.  Lots of dust involved in cutting...and blades.

Timm and Chris have been kicking butt and getting quite a bit done on the weekends.  I am so proud of them.

Look, this wall is almost done.

Stay tuned for more updates soon. 

A new outdoor kitchen and dining area...part 2

The kitchen area will be great when it's done.  The cooking area is up against the building.  We put a pass thru there to make food transfer easy.  It will hold a grill, camp stove and smoker.

Under the grill there is room to hold charcoal bins...looks like room for three of them.  That way wood chips can be stored for the smoker as well.

The prep/sink counter is 15 feet long.  I just think you can't have too much room to work on, besides there really isn't lots of counter space on the cooking counter to work on anyway.

Lots of cutting and measuring in this area so it took a lot longer to complete than I expected.  Still not sure what the counters will be...we keep talking about concrete counters or tile...not sure yet. 

Thanks to all the guys that have helped work on this porject so far.  It would be difficult to get it this far without the extra help. 

Stay tuned.

A new outdoor kitchen and dining area...part 1

What was once (many years ago) supposed to be a workshop is now becoming a dining area and an expansion to include an outdoor kitchen.  We poured some new concrete, track was laid to start some walls.

Metal studs have gone up to form walls and it really started to look like something.  We got all the studs up in one weekend. 

Watch to see what happens next.

Cassy has a great time on the mountain

We took my ATV up to Cedar City for some service.  Now I know we could have it done here in Vegas but it seems I can't even get parts here without it being a hassle, besides the folks at All Seasons treat us like family.  Any excuse to get up there is a treat for me, I just love it up there.  We headed up the mountain to hopefully see the changing colors.  We missed the spectaular event by about 2 weeks.  They've had lots of wind so most of the aspen trees were bare. The bottom half of the canyon had some awesome color, the yellows were really intense, along with rusts, reds, and deep maroons against the green pine and juniper was a sight to see. 

We ventured over through Cedar Breaks which is always an awesome sight, but it's elevation is just too high for lots of color this time of year.  Did still get some amazing views of valley though.  We made our way back over and headed to Duck Creek for lunch.  Cassy found a new friend, Jordan, an english lab about a year old outside our lunch stop.  It's amazing how many traits are the same in labs. 

After lunch we stopped at Aspen Mirror Lake so Cassy could play.  Getting out to explore is her thing for sure.  As if she wasnt excited enough, once she saw water it was game on.  She loves to swim and retrieve.  Oh, and roll around like a lunatic afterwards.  She had an awesome day.

DAT Anniversary

Last Saturday we headed out to the outskirts of Tecopa for the club's anniversary party.  We didn't take the ATV's, mine has a torn boot but we did bring out the BBQ, barrels, and a canopy for shade.  The weather couldn't have been any better...unlike last year when Timm was in charge of the event (40+ mile an hour winds at the dunes...horrible).  The morning offered a poker run for those on ATVs, the rest of us played some games in camp.  Timm and I won the egg toss.  Cassy did a great job cleaning up after those who lost.  Timm and Alan cooked lunch while I assisted, Keith relieved them so they could eat.  They were some yummy hamburgers and hot dogs...everything tasted better cooked outside, why is that.  The ATV rodeo was a real hoot!  More people participated than signed up when they saw how fun it was.  I think the sled pull was the best.  Bob and Dave won that in something like 27 seconds...maniacs those two are.  You know how Cassy loves to ride the ATV.  Even though we didn't have ours she still got to go for a ride.  Thanks Keith for the use of your Rhino, Cassy enjoyed it. 

She loves her Daddy.

Okay, it's not really an adventure, but these two really love each other.  Cassy was laying on her back on Dad's pillow but I missed that shot...dang the delay in my camera.

She did have a busy weekend with Dad though.  Cassy went to park, found a new dog to play with (a poodle with a blue mohawk), shopped at Lowes, attended the Dunes and Trails booth at the Trails Day event in Henderson, had her picture taken on the ATV, and more. What a busy Saturday that was.

Riding the Ghost Train

Over the Labor Day weekend we rode the Ghost Train on Ely, NV. We both love trains, they take you back to a simpler time and a much slower pace. I love the sound of the train on the tracks. We took the steam engine to the west, out towards Ruth and the copper mine. It is a 45 minute trip one way so it's a good deal for the price. All our years here in Nevada and this was my first time to ride this train...Timm rode it just a week or so before me on the Martin Man Reunion. (I know what you're asking...where's the post for that adventure? Haven't seen any pictures from that trip yet, when I do there will be a post.)

This route passes thru two tunnels. "Look down and away from the engine." the guide says. The steam and soot have to go somewhere you know.

ATV Club Rides Ely, NV

Holiday weekends always bring extra members out to ride and Labor Day 2009 was no exception. We based ourselves in the Ely KOA. They were very accomodating and friendly, the spaces are wide so you don't feel like you're on top of your neighbor, large trees shade every site, and you can ride your ATV in and out of the park. They even offered up a BBQ dinner and breakfast Saturday and Sunday for a small fee. We had dinner Saturday night and Timm enjoyed breakfast both days. Eldora is a mighty fine cook and the proceeds go to the children's cancer fund.

Here we are Saturday morning...28 riders strong ready to head out for a day of adventure. Timm was the ride leader so he gave his required speech...ride with your lights on, wait at turns for the rider behind you, and so on.









One of our prettiest places to ride was Sawmill Canyon. What a gorgeous place this is. We pre-rode this area on Friday and tried to connect over to the next canyon but it just got too rough. I hate to say it but I pulled out the 'girl card' and said someone else was taking my quad over that section. (I know, I know...I've never said that before...I was having a really weak moment apparently) It definitely wasn't a trail to try and pursue with so many riders so like much of the area around Ely, we had to backtrack our way out of the canyon.

Eventually, we made our way to Ward Cemetary and Historic Mining District. Unfortunately, the mining district was not accessible. There were large burms with deep trenches behind them where all the roads used to be. GRRRRR! The cemetary was neat though. Our plan was to go see the Ward Charcoal Ovens from there and to head over the mountain at that point. Another big GRRRRR! You can't get close to them without paying $4/person and the trail that connected up over the mountain is now closed! Two years ago, it was a fairly new ATV trail constructed by the Forest Service with wooden bridges to cross the creek and other neat stuff. Now, it's closed to ATV use and a housing development is built on part of what used to be trail access. It is so frustrating!!!!


Anyway, on a happier note, we also rode on the east side of Ely on Saturday's ride. Saw some gorgeous territory, found an old mine site, many took a steep trail to the top of one of the mountains for an amazing view of Ely, the Steptoe Valley, and more. You could see forever and a day.

We enjoyed lunch in a lush meadow that had a spring and some water troughs. I'd like to hide myself there to see what kind of wildlife comes out towards evening.

Our last stop on Saturday's ride where the train stops to turn around. We barely made it in time. It was neat to see them disconnect and re-connect the train. There was a boy losing his mind when he saw all of us along the tracks and the stopping point. Funny stuff.

All in all, it was a good trip, with lots of wonderful people. There were a few issues that will soon be resolved, and a few closed trails that made it really frustrating for Timm. Alan's quad broke down before the weekend even started. Some major repairs need to be done because the service technician didn't complete his job. I don't think those that follow know how the weight of responsibilites feels for the ride leader. Hopefully, someday they will step up and lead a ride.

Cassy and Shelby camp and swim

On our Red Desert Road trip last weekend Cassy and Shelby came along for the adventure. They got the chance to play in the creek, camp and swim in Meadow Lake. Cassy also got to ride the ATV's...she loves that.

They both had a great time at the lake. Shelby forgot how to swim for a minute...there was more splashing than swimming...it was hysterical. I put the video on Facebook if you want to see it. (Crystal Martin, Las Vegas...Cassy is the the photo with us)

They even shared the stick...although not by choice I think. It was cute though.

A great time on Cedar Mountain

We spent last weekend with friends from the ATV club on Cedar Mountain in southern Utah. It was wonderful to get away from the heat and the rat race to enjoy ourselves in the cool mountain air

Our Saturday adventure to us to an awesome overlook, took a group shot there. Nineteen riders went on an 80 mile loop that day that took us to Yankee Reservoir, Panguitch Lake, Hatch, near Duck Creek, Dead Lake, and back to camp on Red Desert Road. Timm was our ride leader and he did another awesome job. For most of the riders this weekend, this was a new place to ride and explore.

This section was much steeper and rougher than it looks here...honest. Most put it in low hear to crawl up over the rocks. A couple of people even used the 'girl' card and had others take their machine over this section.

Mark and Chris at Yankee Reservoir. Lots of people camping there this time. It's a great place to fish.

Keith was there this weekend so you know we had to have a big fire...this time....a really big fire. There was a fire pit that had to be 6 foot across and it was his mission to fill it. The wood was stacked up about 5 foot tall in the pit. Believe me...we had a fire like this both nights. He was on a mission to burn all the wood...and he did.

Get away for a day

It's been hot...ok, really hot around here lately...and humid (for us). Storms have been brewin' but we don't seem to get any of it on our side of the valley. We decided to escape the heat for a day and headed off to Mt. Charleston.

We started our day adventure on a gravel road that I had recently spoken with a BLM ranger about our ATV to work on. We made it half way down the raod before it turned left and started getting too rough for my little trailblazer. Figured it would be safer to do that than get stuck, besides no one knew where we were at the time. Next time, we'll take the ATV's to get the rest of the way through. You know, now that I think about it, the ranger said he had not been all the way through it either...hmmm.

Well, we headed up the Lee Canyon road watching the clouds get darker, lightening hitting the ground on the mountain, and rain making it's way down to us. It cooled off and it felt so good. We explored a group primitive campsite that looks like a great place to get out of the heat for a weekend. There are many people tucked up in the trees...avoiding the rain...as we were walking around in it. (Note the lovely hair style I'm wearing.) Further up the mountain we stopped at the picnic area and munched on a couple of chicken wings in the Trailblazer since it was still raining.

We ventured as far as we could go, that's the ski resort by the way. We got out at the meadow and wandered around for a while. With all the rain, there was actually water in wash...lots of it. By the time we stopped to get out it had subsided quite a bit. Cassy sure loves to explore, really she does. She ran around the meadow sniffing, running through the water and more. What a great time she had. It's fun to watch her knowing she is really enjoying herself.

We took the cut across over to Kyle Canyon, stopping at the over look. You could see storms on the Sheep Mountain Range across the valley. We met a nice couple from Sweden that took our picture together for us.

We finished up our day in Kyle Canyon, doing a little bit of hiking, but mostly just enjoyng the cool weather.

And to top it off, stopped and got dinner at Cafe Rio....YUMMY! I wish we would get one on our side of town. What a great get away it was...pretty scenery, time spent together, rain, cool weather, exploring...just about perfect.