Trailhound Adventures

New tires

2012-01-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

They're here!!!! New ATV tires from Rocky Mtn ATV arrived yesterday at noon. This week they will be on our quads so we can get out and have some new adventures!

A Few Days in Sierra Vista, part one

2012-01-01T21:58:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of years my husband's office has closed shop between Christmas and New Year's. This year we made the most of it by adding a few extra days to a trip my husband had to make to Sierra Vista, AZ for some work. Cassy and I tagged along and made a vacation out of it. Let me tell you...it's a long drive from Las Vegas, about 9 hours. After what seemed like forever, we finally made it, checked into the hotel, then went out to explore.

We headed for the hills, wandered up a couple of roads and found our way into Coronado National Forest...not what I was expecting so far south. It was a pleasant surprise...until we came across this sign...yep, we are just a few miles from the Mexican border. P.S...we saw the Border Patrol heading in as we were heading out by the way. We did finally make it up to this waterfall...so cool...freezing cold. Some locals said they had never seen it frozen before. Just beautiful!

Our first full day we ventured over to Tombstone..."the town to tough to die". It's really not very big so it was easy to walk all over the place. Timm, Cassy and I wandered all over and enjoyed a relaxing day. We took the trolley car tour, it was helpful in learning much of the history and occurances in the area. We tried to watch the gun show but Cassy didn't like the noise at all.

Timm and Cassy in front of the Courthouse. It was one of the tallest buildings between the east and west coasts at the time.

I loved all the old buildings. It is however, a typical tourist trap with gift and jewelry shops in every building. We still had a good time though. I love old western history. Millions of dollars worth of ore including silver and gold were taken from the mines here. They even mined mangenize which was vital to the US efforts in the World Wars, we were told about 40% was supplied from Tombstone.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone...enjoy your adventures.

Finally....a camping and ATV trip

2011-10-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Gosh, Iv'e been waiting a long time to get out and ride my ATV and enjoy a camping trip with friends. We were planning on Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Utah, but our ATV permits expired, and there has been a ton of rain in the last week and the cold front forcasted snow for that area. We changed our plans and headed to Chief Mtn near Caliente, NV. It was great, a bit on the cool side...but great. We were the only ones at the trailhead campsite. We didn't see but just a handful of people all day. We rode our ATVs over to Delamar ghost town, over Apple White Pass, and more. Cool crisp evenings were enjoyed around the campfire after great potluck dinners. Chris, Timm and I were joined by Alan, Liz, Mark and Jan. Thanks for a great weekend!

Wild at Heart

2011-10-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

In August, Timm went to Cedar Mountain, Utah for the annual Wild at Heart mens' retreat from Canyon Ridge Church. Normally, Timm leads one of the ATV groups for their day of adventure. This year he took the smoker and taught a group of men the in's and out's of smoking. This group also prepared the meals for the rest of the groups. Rave reviews were had by all and it looks like he'll be back at the pit again next year. The best part of it all...bringing men closer to God.

Bearizona

2011-09-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been to Bearizona you should really go. It's awesome! Jump off I-40 at Williams...you know...on the way to the Grand Canyon. On the east end of town is Bearizona. You'll get to drive through the habitats and see donkeys, big horn sheep, buffalo, white buffalo, wolves, and of course BEARS! They also have a walk thru area that has seen much growth in just over a year's time. All the little babies are there....soooo cute! You won't want to miss this...wolf pups, bear cubs, raccoons, bobcats, and more. Oh, there's a petting zoo area as well now. Seriously, if you are traveling accross Northern Arizona on I-40, stop in Williams for a fun Route 66 experience and visit Bearizona.

A BBQ Contest and Vacation

2011-06-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

After the Smoke on the River BBQ contest in Heber we stuck around several extra days to enjoy a short vacation. The area was so green and beautiful. The campground was at the base of Jordanelle Dam at the edge of the Provo River...not a lot of traffic since it was literally at the end of the road. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome, we even enjoyed a campfire and pot luck dinner with them on two nights.

Instead of dragging along the canopy for the BBQ and a tent, we put up solid walls on the canopy and used it for our tent after the contest. Cassy enjoyed the air mattress and being able to slip out under the walls without any of our help. Evenings brought leisurely walks around camp and along the river's edge. As much as Cassy wanted to jump into the river, it was flowing to deep and fast for her to handle. Instead we made sure she was able to swim on several occasions elsewhere, including Deer Valley and Silver Flat's Reservoir.

We drove up the narrow valley past Sundance, the views were spectacular. There is still much snow on the upper mountains. In fact, the road was still impassible to get to Timpanogas Caves from that side of the mountain. Instead, we had to access it from the American Fork Canyon side of the mountain. Since dogs weren't allowed, we didn't go to the cave...not to mention the hike up the mountain. We opted for a side trip up the just opened road to a high mountain reservoir (Silver Flats?). It was a steep climb to a gorgeous valley that bordered the wilderness area. Cassy saw the water and took off. She wandered through the streams that entered the reservoir, played fetch, barked and had a great time...making a great time for us as well. We left on Tuesday, visited a couple of craft stores in Salt Lake City, had lunch at Fuddruckers in Orem (YUM), stopped in Beaver to pick up wood and cheese...and ice cream, and spent the night in Cedar before coming home on Wednesday. It was a great week in cooler, greener, more scenic country.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone a safe Memoral Day weekend.

Give praise, respect, and support to all our military...they lay their lives on the line for us each and every day!

Dining hall making progress

2011-05-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

The dining hall has made great progress in the last month. Timm did all the taping of seams and screws with several coats and sanding. Once that was done, one of Chris' coworkers came over and sprayed the texture. We're glad he did it and it came out looking fabulous. Paint was chosen and Timm was painting the dining hall that day. He did a second coat on Sunday. Once again, we under estimated the amount of paint needed for the project...it took 4 gallons. There is just one little corner Timm left open for the family of birds. They left the nest just a few days later. Now, that part is patched and ready for texture and paint. We've got the boards for trimming out the windows but won't likely get to them in May since it's filled with BBQ events every weekend. By the way, you can check the schedule for all the events over at the Trailhound Smokers BBQ blog...just click on the link in the side bar. The paint color looks great and compliments the siding. It's looking great and we're really pleased with how it looking.

Death Valley...part 2

2011-04-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

Where were we...time has flown quickly. Another stop for a day of adventure was Salt Creek and those expensive pup fish. Believe it or not there is water in Death Valley...and yes, fish. There is a cool, wood boardwalk that hovers over the salt flat and lets water flow underneath it. You can see the pup fish in many places and other wildlife...yup, that's a rattlesnake. He's hanging out at the edge of the boardwalk in the shade.

We stopped at the Harmony Borax Works. It's hard to believe that anyone could work, let alone live out here...such harsh conditions, and hard work for those pioneering folk.

We also stopped at Furnace Creek for a picnic lunch, some ice cream from the General Store, and walked through the outdoor museum. That is one big wheel...Timm is 6'3'' to put in perspective. Do you notice the elevation sign in the background behind the wagon...178 feet below sea level. We also took a drive throught Artist's Palette. Such unusual colors, I see where it got it's name. By that time, I was not hiking down intot he wash and back up the other side to get close...dang knees. Lots of very tight curves in there as well and we followed the wash down the alluvial fan to the valley floor again. Our last stop was at Donte's View, it overlooks Bad Water. It's 282 feet below seal level down there, and over 5000 ft at Donte's View.

What a full day we had. It was so good to get out and explore. I really enjoyed and I know Timm and Cassy did as well. A great birthday present for everyone to enjoy.

Dining hall improvements

2011-04-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

For Christmas, the boys gave Dad gift cards to work on the dining hall. A couple of weekends ago, Chris and some of his co-workers hung sheetrock inside the hall. It was a nice surprise to come home to after our Death Valley trip. Timm's been taping joints and screws during the week and it sounds like it will be textured and painted next weekend. Anyone wanna come help? We'll feed ya some great BBQ. ;0)

Death Valley...part one

2011-03-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

For Crystal's birthday we did a day trip to Death Valley National Park. Our original plan was to make a run through Titus Canyon (it's a 4 wheel drive route) but the road was closed with the rains and snow last week. So we moved onto plan B and enjoyed the desert with all the other visitors. Our first stop was Stove Pipe Wells, that's where we found out why Titus Canyon was closed.

Not far from there is the Mosaic Canyon hike. It's quite popular apparently. It doesn't look like much at first...but...it's a really neat hike up a narrow section with a congomeration of rocks and stone. I can see how this place got it's name, Mosaic...the layering and mixes of types of rock are just amazing.

The forces of nature have been busy here, there is no doubt. The power of water filled with rocks and debris that rushes through here must be incredible to witness. Having never seen that myself, I am able to see the results of such power. The trail works into a 'narrows' section, the stone has been polished smooth by wind and water.

At one point many years ago, someone put in a "ladder" into the stone. I'm thinking that the opening to the right was not there at the time and a person had to climb up the rock to get further up the canyon.

Cassy, of course, had a great time exploring. She runs ahead, comes back to see where we are, and runs ahead again. She puts on a lot more miles than we do. She is a happy girl when she gets out, for sure.

In part two, we'll continue the adventures on our day trip to Death Valley.

Rock Springs AZ Competition

2011-02-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

Trailhound Smokers decided to compete in the Rock Springs BBQ competition at the last minute...well 4 days. That's last minute for us around here, our events are normally more planned out than that. However, IMBBQA.com offered up half the entry fee to the first team to respond and we took advantage of it.

This time around Cassy, our mascot and my dad came with us. It was really nice to spend some quality time with Dad...and he enjoys BBQ and intrigued by the whole competition thing. After a couple of stops, we were the last team to arrive. We set up next to our friends with R&R BBQ, got meat inspected, hit the cook's meeting, and got our site set up. Timm was itching to get things going.

Plans called for the pits to fire up at 3am with meat going on shortly after for the long cooks of brisket and pork. Although the weather was pleasant, the night was chilly. We can't wait till it warms up a bit more for contests...it will make night shifts and make-shift sleeping much more comfortable. The newly insulated firebox on the pit worked really well as was much more efficient, using less wood than before.

This was the first sanctioned contest for the Barbeque Championship Series, although Mike and his crew are experts at hosting BBQ events. They did a fabulous job...as always. This contest also featured a Tailgate Contest to see who's booth had the best food, theme, and spirit. Congrats to McFrankenboo for winning 1st place in the Tailgate portion of the contest! Erin is a spunky, spirited and enthusiastic person...of course, Shamus helps too.

Our goal was to place mid-pack in the list of 27 teams. We were shocked and astounded when we received 3 calls...4th in chicken, 5th in pork, and 7th in ribs. We were even more excited and shocked when we place 3rd overall! WOW! Who da thunk it?! Holy cow, that's a big trophy. There was even prize money to boot. Big thanks to R&R BBQ for their guidance and friendship. With their help, they really need to take credit for the pork entry.

Thanks goes out to my Dad for selling taster's choice. He really seemed to enjoy chatting with folks and several people came back for 2nd and 3rds. Fortunately, we recovered out meat costs with this which was a goal of ours.

There are folks we'd like to thank and give credit. Mike and the AZBBQ team for another great event. Rock Springs Cafe for hosting the event. Intermountain BBQ Association (IMBBQA) for offering up 50% of entry fees. R&R BBQ (Rod and Roger) for their friendship, mentoring, and guidance. My dad for coming with us, selling taster's choice, and for being an all around great guy. My cousin, Karen and her family in Chino Valley for letting us crash at their place on Saturday night.

Happy Birthday Timm!

2010-12-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

WOW! The big 50! Happy birthday Timm, I hope you enjoy your special day.

This is his birthday/Christmas present...an East Texas Smokers RK250. He is loving the heck out of it. He got it early since there isn't really a way to hide it or the money spent on it. We'll be using it again New Year's weekend in California at a contest.

Today's agenda:

Pancakes for breakfast...yummer.

Got called in for an emergency at work...bummer.

A day trip to Hoover Dam to walk the new bridge and get some really pictures of the dam.

Lunch at Grimaldi's for a free birthday pizza...and be honored with superior service by our sweet daughter-in-law. Always a treat.

Take in a movie...maybe True Grit.

Dinner and some TLC.

Than Annual Christmas Tree Hunt

2010-12-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

Once again, we hit the mountain for the annual hunt for the perfect tree. It was a pretty, sunny day that made it a great day for tree hunting. Lots of snow this year, more than last year even. That being said, it was hard to hike into where the trees were off the road.

I love Timm's hat!

The boys finally took the plunge and headed into snow to cut two trees. The snow was deep. I tried to go in only to get stuck, fall over and had the dangest time getting back up. I was banned from further snow treking.

Christy trekking in after the boys with a hand saw. They got a couple of really nice trees.

This year, Christy's mom was in town for Thanksgiving and she went with us the day after Thanksgiving.

The dogs go with us every year. They love to play in the snow. Cassy and Roxy were pretty tuckered out and had a hard time climbing back up the snow bank, they had a great time though.

Obviously, Zoey and Shelby had a wonderful time in the snow as well.

The Gift of Lights

2010-12-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

We headed out to the Gift of Lights this week. It was moved out the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year from Sunset Park. We've not been out to see it in years but since it's closer to home we thought...what the heck. Troop 50 was still selling hot chocolate, Kenny was there as as Asst. Scoutmaster now. It was nice to see him and catch up on what's going on.

Please excuse the antenna...I didn't even think about it when I was taking photos.

The displays go under the grandstands, wrap around the entire NASCAR race track, up on Guchi row and more. It's amazing!

Here is part of the Christmas train display.

I love this one! It's so pretty.

It was a great event to enjoy. Light displays for everything. Hannauka, Kwanza, Christmas, and more. The display presented by the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay was full of fishes, dolphins, starfish and more. There was an Elvis display...this is Vegas afterall. The fire departments had displays too. Christmas music on a special radio channel for the event and more. It was awesome.

A Quick Trip Over Hoover Dam

2010-11-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

We made a quick trip out to the dam the other day. I still can't get over how low the water level is in Lake Mead. That first island in the photo used to be totally underwater. So sad. Could someone please let some water out of Lake Powell please.

This is the view was you cross over the new bridge. Not much to see, I know...and we were in the truck. The sidewalls are so tall, guess they need to be that high so people don't stop on the bridge...besides it's 900 feet to the river below.

There are a couple of bridges actually, this is the one on the Arizona side heading back to the main road (US-93).

There is a place for people to get out and walk onto the new bridge. We didn't stop because we has Cassy with us and I doubt they allow dogs on the bridge since they don't allow them on the dam. Anyway, I snagged this photo from our friend Chris' FB page. It's quite a view for sure. Obviously, you can see how high the water level used to be...that's quite a bath tub ring.

Man, we need an outing!

2010-10-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

The weather is getting nice and I'm itching to get out. But alas, it will need to wait a bit. I really want to get out and take a ride on my quad, it's been calling my name for a while now. But the truck is down...the transmission went out. :0( A new one has finally been ordered and next week Scott should be putting it in for us...a benefit of putting your son through mechanics schooling. Maybe after that we can get out and go somewhere. Until then, an outing will have to wait.

Cassy enjoys time with her mom

2010-09-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

Well, she always enjoys time with me. lol Last weekend we went to the Old Capital Arts Festival to sell BBQ and we stayed with Jim and Irene. (you can check the BBQ blog for more on that subject) Lucy is Cassy's momma and it's amazing...they look identical in almost every way.

We took the dogs for a walk before we left on Sunday. They all had a great time and you know how dogs will do...they covered 3-4 times the ground we did. Seriously, you couldn't tell Cassy from Lucy on the walk...the both even have the same wiggle.

Cassy loves to bark at cows, and she got her chance. Apparently, they were interested in what she had to say.

This is Joey, Lucy and Bosco after the walk. It was only 20 minutes but by the look of those tongues you'd think they'd been out for hours. I should've gotten a photo of just Lucy and Cassy but I didn't think of it until afterwards...oh well, next time.

Adventures Around Williams, AZ...Part One

2010-08-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's taken me a while to get these posts up lately...stupid computer. Anyway, it's about time. After our BBQ competition (you can read all about it on the Trailhound Smokers BBQ blog) we stuck around the Williams area for five days and enjoyed an imprompto vacation.

We rode the train in Williams. The Cateract Creek Rambler was running for the holiday weekend. Did you know it runs on recyled vegetable oil? Seriously...I'm all for saving our planet but this is just a little wierd for me. I like the steam engines better. It was Christy's first time to ride a train and she enjoyed it. As for the rest of us Martin's, we all enjoy trains so I'm glad she did too.

After the kids and my parents left the BBQ, we took a day and headed to Sedona and Jerome...after dropping the truck off at the Ford dealer in Flagstaff. We had the transimission serviced since the warning light came on outside of Kingman...at least we didn't buy a new truck on this vacation. lol Yes, we did that one time if you must know, and we didn't regret it either.

We left Flagstaff, which is a beautiful place, and headed to Sedona via Oak Creek Canyon. That is one beautiful drive along the creek, I can only imagine how gourgeous it must be in the fall. Not a lot of places to pull off and enjoy the area though without paying to park. As we got closer to the bottom of the canyon there were more places and they were full of cars and people carrying ice chests, chairs, and stuff as they made their way to the creek. It's quite a popular place. We only drove through Sedona, but it was full of upscale art type shops, tourists running amuck...and Pink Jeep Tours vehicles.

Our real destination was Jerome so that's where we headed. It is really is built on the side of mountain with narrow, winding streets. It reminded me of Virgina City, in fact. I'm glad we had the Trailblazer because parking is at a real premium there. At the end of town, there is an interesting little 'ghost town' full of old buildings and a huge selection of old trucks and cars...over a hundred of them.

Chris and Scott, especially Scott would have been here all day checking each and every one of them out. Man you could take a million pictures there...if only I had me a uber cool digital camera...hint, hint.

Cassy toured the 'town' with us, and even tried to make friends with the goats..well sorta. They didn't like her very much. Had it been a cooler day we would have spent more time there but Cassy was getting pretty warm.

Another day was spent at Grand Canyon. It's been so long since we were there, and it still takes my breath away everytime I see it. We hiked along the rim trail and a little more. Cassy was great at first but as time went by she was on the hunt for shade every chance she got. We hiked about 2 miles that day so I think she did really well. We took the shuttle bus back to the car...she was thankful for the cool air in the bus and her service vest...as were we.

How do you like Timm's shirt? It's just one of many sayings on the shirts you can get from Sin City Smokers. It's BBQ people...what were you thinking?

Since we were all pretty much done walking, we drove out to the east enterance to the Watch Tower. I don't recall ever going out there. It's a long way but the drive is relaxing, full of trees and viewpoints. The road is right at the edge of the canyon at many points. There is reconstructive work being done on the tower so no great photos of it because of the scafolding and a boom lift. The canyon view is amazing though. The river turns at that point and the views in all directions is incredible. The river is visible for a long distance. We even saw 3 cow elk near the campground...and the road. They could care less about people.

Adventures Near Willams...Part Two

2010-08-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

Camping without our quads was kinda unusual for us anymore. In Arizona, you can license your ATV and drive it on the street...they were all over Williams. Since we didn't have ours, we resorted to road trips...which were still enjoyable but a little different for us these days.

Did you know there are 7 lakes within the city limits of Williams? The city limits are extended out for quite a ways. We were on a mission to let Cassy swim in as many as possible. She enjoyed swimming and retrieving in 5 of the 7 lakes.

She swam in Dogtown Lake...what a great name for her first one. They have a nice little campground with a great and informative campground host. We'd like to go back and stay there sometime. Cassy also swam in Kiabab Lake, White Horse, and Buckskinner lakes. She had a great two days for sure. JD Dam was gross with slime and weeds and we couldn't get to Cataract with a long walk so she didn't swim in them.

At Colman Lake, it's really more of a marsh land now. We were out spotting deer one evening and came accross it. There we saw 16 elk, 6 of them were babies. We went back the next night to spot more of them...24 that night with 10 babies. A couple of ladies said they counted +80 elk out there earlier in the week. A small flock of Canadian Geese were also among the wildlife we saw there. Cassy enjoyed herself romping thru the grass and water there. The sunset was beautiful there.

On the advise of the campground host, we drove out to the Sycamore Canyon overlook. It's a pretty place as well. We didn't see anyone on that part of the day. Solitude is a great word for that spot.

We saw lots of these flowering cactus out there. Not sure which kind they are, some kind of yucca I think but the flower stalk is really tall on this one. Timm is 6'3" so you can get idea of how tall it was.

There is a new place open just outside of Williams called, Bearizona. It just opened in May so there is still much work to do but the place is pretty cool. It's a drive through wild animal park.

Burros, buffalo, big horn sheep, dall sheep and more can be viewed from your car.

White buffalo, a sight I've never seen before. How cool is that!

Baby Bears! So cute. There were also baby wolves. There will be many more habitats like these on the walk but only two are open now.

Big Bears! I think there were 7 or 8 of them. Must be mating season because there was bear porn to be seen. These two just wanted breakfast. I highly reccomend Bearizona to anyone who is visiting the Grand Canyon-Williams area. We enjoyed ourselves while in Arizona...our first BBQ competiton, the Grand Canyon, Williams, and the surrounding area. We saw lots of wildlife, Cassy explored and swam. It was a great trip!

Kick-off BBQ

2010-05-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Still time to join us on May 23. See the flyer for more informtation.

Spring Camping In The Desert

2010-05-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

It's the end of April and I just have to say how beautiful the desert is this year. We've had record breaking rainfall so far this year and it's paying off in a big way with tons of color and a green desert. It's great to get out and see it.

Timm lead the Dunes and Trails ATV Club weekend ride this month just a short 70 miles from home near Mesquite. We headed out on Thursday...a cold, windy, rainy day...but we knew the weather was getting better each day. No riding on Thursday, just relaxing and catching up with friends. Friday we headed out with Keith in the lead on the way to Virgin River. Upon reaching our location we found out that all the rain that passed thru (and headed north) had covered the sand bar and the river was just moving too swiftly to play with any safety in mind.

On our way back we topped out on the mesa and actually found a place Timm had seen on the internet...Double Negative. It's considered 'earth art' if you can believe that. Here is the link for more info.

We had lots of day trippers show up on Saturday morning and ended up with 18 riders. We headed down the mesa and across the river and up the mountain. Our first stop was at the slot canyon.

Our real treat and adventure for the day was Cabin Creek. We were heading up it. Years ago it was a paved road up the canyon to a mine operation but the road was totally wiped out by the creek and now it is just an awesome trail on an ATV. Keith's Rhino had a few tight squeezes but nothing he couldn't handle, even the sport quad did an fantastic job. We also ventured to the Great Eastern Mine and the Key West Mine, along with an old steam engine remains (why it's there I don't really know).

Oh, Nickel Creek was flowing and had a great waterfall. We all hiked up to it and had our pictures taken there. Here I am (the short one) with my BBF Liz.

Cassy rode 80 miles this weekend (Friday & Sunday). Here she is with her daddy at the stone cabins on Sunday's ride. What an amazing dog she is. It was great to get out for the weekend with friends. We shared great campfires each night and good rides during the day.

It's a Cassy Day

2010-04-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we got up early and headed for Cedar City to have some work done on Timm's quad. Cassy, like us, loves a road trip. What a surprise it was to see snow on the ground in town! They had gotten snow on Thursday...no tracks in most of it. Cassy loves the snow, so while Timm was handling things at All Seasons I took her out back to stretch and potty. It was 'game on' when she saw snow drifts against the buildings. She got all excited, was running around all speedy like and rolling in the snow. I couldn't help but laugh, she was having such a good time. While they worked on the quad, we headed up the mountain for some much needed scenery. The seeps along the road heading up the canyon were still full of icicles, and there was a ton of snow on the ground...way more than when we went to cut Christmas trees. We stopped at Woods Ranch to let Cassy out to play some more.

Fortunately, they must have gotten some nice sun on Friday to put a crust on the snow making it easy for us to get around on top of it. Good thing I didn't wear my Crocs though.

After tromping through, running and playing fetch for a while, we were on our way back up the mountain. We stopped at Midway to watch some snowmobiles...man those things are fast. Had a friendly conversation with some of them who fell in love with Cassy.

Again, play and roll around in the snow...silly girl. It must feel really good.

We made our way to Duck Creek Village, along the way there was so much snow, especially for April. The snowmobilers said Brianhead got 18"...we all know they are happy campers right now. Navajo Lake was covered in ice and snow, couldn't even see it. Where we stopped to cut Christmas trees, there was about 3-4 feet of snow and no place to pull over. We stopped at Loose Wheels to get a drink and snack. Cassy shared a cookie with mom. The Yamaha dealer was having a BBQ, the guys were all bundled up hovering around trying to keep warm.

Cassy guarded the truck and quad while we ate lunch at Timm's favorite little Mexican restaurant in town. She was rewarded with her very own ice cream cone. She had a good day.

Great Day For A Hike

2010-03-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

The weather here has been absolutley gorgeous recently and we've been itching to get out and enjoy it. We decided the girls needed out as well so out to Lake Mead we headed. The Historic Railroad Trail was our destination for the morning hike. It's an easy hike on the old railroad bed that led to Hoover Dam during the building process. Take a look at the view from the trail...amazing. Sailboats were racing that Saturday, pretty blue waters, blue sky, and just a slight breeze. Yes, the water is extremely low...that island barley used to show years ago. So much green on the hillsides!

Cassy and Shelby had a great time, exploring, sniffing, chasing rocks, greeting other dogs on the trail. I swear they went three times as far was we did with all the running back and forth, but hey, they were there for exercise too.

It's been a few years since we were out there, in fact, I think we were there with Boy Scouts last time we were there. Check out the nice benches placed along the trail. Cool views of the lake included with each of them and great places to stop and give the girls some water. By the time we were heading back there were lots of people on the trail hiking, biking , jogging, running, and dog walking including one Cub Scout Den and one Girl Scout Troop. Guess everyone else thought the same thing. I wonder if they stopped at A&W on the way back home as well.

A Logandale Trails Getaway

2010-02-21T17:12:00.000-08:00

All five of my family headed out to Logandale Trails for a day of riding. Scott and Christy spent last weekend there camping for Valentine's Day and met some other people with RZRs. That being said, Scott, Christy, and Chris went on a trail ride with the RZR club while Timm and I...and Cassy...went exploring on our own. It's been a long time since we were out there and with all the recent rain it was great riding with very little dust. There were lots of people camping this weekend, but according to Scott much less than last week. I forgot my camera...again...UGH, but I still had my phone with me so I did capture a few pictures to share.

It started out to be a cloudy day but by 11 or so the some was coming out. Because it was so cloudy I really thought we might see some bighorn sheep but none showed themselves for us. We hiked back into the dam and petroglyphs, as you can see the dam has backed up a really nice bunch of water. Just a couple of years ago we were able to ride all the way in here and to the rocks in the background. There are petroglyphs all over them and unfortunately the abuse and destruction of a few has not closed it off to all so now everyone that wants to see them has to walk in...at least we can still do that.

Cassy immediately made her way into the small lake and we played fetch for quite a while. She didn't have to swim at any point but the water was on her chest in much of the lake. Then of course, she has to roll around in the sand to dry off...what a fashion statement red sand is on a yellow lab. I wish I could hide out with a camera to see all the wildlife that makes it way here for an evening drink of cool water.

I truly enjoyed myself today. It's been a long time since just Timm and I went riding by ourselves. Even though we didn't ride with the kids, we met up with them and finished off our day together. Everyone had a great time riding, exploring, and watching others on the dunes.

A day ride in Nelson

2010-02-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

The girl likes to explore what can I say...and pose apparently. I love this photo of Cassy...so inquisitive. What a bummer, I forgot my camera on this trip but snapped this photo on my phone. It's at Keyhole Canyon and it had rained just a day or two before we went out so there was still water trickling down the falls.

This is a broad view of Keyhole Canyon, a cool place in the middle of the desert. Many people visit this place and Scout troops often camp overnight there.

Ancient ones also found this place of great importance to the survival. There are petroglyphs all over the place. I wish I could understand all of it, I can catch some things but most elude me as to the meaning. Scott took these photos, he called it "Indian Graffiti".

Scott, the RC rock crawler he is, had to try to crawl with his RZR at a place we've nicknamed "Bedrock". It makes a great lunch stop.

All my guys made laps on a short loop on Chris' bad ass Outlaw. It is one scary fast machine. He can pop wheelies in 5th gear in the blink of an eye.

Although Christy didn't make it out that Sunday (still suffering from her wisdom teeth extraction), we had a great day riding. The weather was awesome and sunny. It had rained most of the week so there was no dust on the trails making it fabulous for everyone. We covered some new trails that Timm discovered on the DAT club ride the weekend before...some really cool stuff.

1st ATV ride of the year

2010-01-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

It's so exciting...Scott and Christy bought a RZR so now we can all go ATVing! He needs to sell off his Predator now if you know anyone who's interested. We went to the outskirts of Tecopa. CA for a day of riding and exploring. Christy's never done this kind of stuff before and she had a great time. Scott and Chris have never been out there either, so we were excited to take them all somewhere new to ride and explore. There is a whole mining district with a bunch of mines, timbers, tressulls, and more out there. Even a small cemetary if you know where to look.

There is so much for Christy to learn...first of all...bring toilet paper and baby wipes. Both are a girls best friend on the trail. Better shoes is another big one, needs a pair of boots to crawl around and explore. She loved the barrel cactus, wait for it to bloom and she'll be blown away. She's such a good sport...doesn't matter to her if she gets dirty. Can't wait to take her to Utah and ride the trails there. Here she is exploring some of the old mining ruins and what's left of a train trussell. We even went into one of the mines but all we had was one mini-mag flashlight for 4 people so we really didn't get all that far.

Unfortunately, a portion of this trail trussell has come down since we've been there last. I'd like to think it was time and the weather but more than likely people didn't respect it. That section was getting loose last time we were there. Lunch was grilled hotdogs at the trucks, we must have been pretty hungry 'cuz they were almost all gone. Way better than sandwiches. We also went to China Date Ranch for shakes and bread...yummy. It's a great way to end the day.

Another first for Christy...she shot her first firearm...at her camera, no less. She dropped and broke it...bummer. So...target practice! Chris gave her a gun safety and shooting lesson. He's really good at it, very patient.

We all had the best day together out exploring the desert. It's really remarkable how much is out there when you just get out there to see it. Can't wait to go out again...all together!!! It was a blast!

December 31...Oatman AZ

2010-01-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

We started 2009 camping and ATVing...a great way to start the year. Although we're not finishing it that way we did decide to get out and enjoy the last day of one of the most difficult years we've endured. We thought about several different places but highs were pretty chilly so figured we'd end up doing nothing. Waking up, Timm said let's go to Oatman. I'm always up for a road trip so we got ready and off we went...Cassy in tow (which isn't hard to do, she loves adventures).

We made a few stops along the way including McDonalds in Searchlight for a quick breakfast. Normally, it wouldn't really matter but we have a sticker on the back window that reads, "Elect Anyone Butt Harry Ried". For those who don't know, he's from the tiny town of Searchlight. Even though he's been a senator for Nevada forever, and he's the majority whip...he needs to go. He does not have Nevada's best interest in mind anymore in our opinion. Anyway, I'll move on.

We entered Oatman, parked and walked about the various shops, bought carrots for the donkeys, took some photos, hunted for the donkeys, and just all around enjoyed ourselves. It was a beautiful day. We just missed the gun fight but Cassy would have gotten really nervous because of the noise anyway. Along the way Cassy almost went toe-to-toe with a big black cat...everyone's hair was standing up. She was growling and the cat was making some very unpleasant noises, too. Not a pretty sight, but both came away unscathed from the incident.

I was about to give my carrots away thinking we weren't going to see the donkeys, along they came out of the hills...about a dozen of them. Timm stayed back with Cassy (we were told they don't like dogs, they think they're coyotes and try to kill them). Before I knew it I had several donkeys nudging me for carrots.

Oh my gosh, I really am turning into my mother aren't I? I really did enjoy feeding them, infact I went and purchased two more bags of carrots for them. Don't feed the baby ones though, they don't have back teeth and will choke on the carrots. There are notices all over town and they have stickers on their foreheads too.

We exited town to the northeast with Kingman as our next destination. When we were in Oatman several years ago we were told not to take the trailer thru town because the road was not built for large vehicles. We traveled that way this time and for sure it is a narrow road climbing 800 feet with lots of twists and turns in it. But we've taken our trailer on worse. I couldn't get a shot of the really curvy stuff (bummer) but it did keep you on your toes while driving. There are active mines and old mines also along the road. At the top we found a makeshift graveyard...more of a memorial I think. Not like any graveyard I've wandered thru before (and I've been through many). Most of them were from 1998 and more recent. Someone even had a cross with Jimmy Hoffa's name on it.

I really don't think he's buried there either...hahahaha. Maybe it's for people that have lost their lives on that road.

We traveled historic route 66 the rest of the way to I-40, hit Kingman, enjoyed lunch at Golden Corral, and headed home. Seeing that was New Year's Eve, the traffic to get over the dam was backed up for miles....really...miles. It was over an hour at a crawl, a steady stream of brake lights to make it too the dam. The new bridge....amazing! Our last stop was A&W in Boulder for rootbeer freezes and a potty brake before reaching home at 5:30pm. What a wonderful day we spent together, a great way to finish off 2009.

Another Year Older

2009-12-29T09:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-26T17:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-06T00:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-09T13:07:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-26T16:04:00.001-07:00

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.

Dunes and Trails ATV Club wins 1st place!

2009-07-06T09:26:00.001-07:00

That's right, Dunes & Trails ATV Club particitpated in the Boulder City parade again this year. Big thanks to Kevin and Vickie O'Keefe for all their hard work and efforts. I'm pretty sure it was the tank that pushed us into first place. Their son, Shane designed and built a cardboard tank 'costume' for one of their quads. It was awesome! He even used a fire extingusher to blow puffs of smoke out of the turret. Wish we your in the parade again this year but we didn't make it, too much going on around here. Again, thanks to the O'Keefe's for all their hard work on this event. I wish I had a picture of the tank...it was the coolest thing ever...so creative!

Daddy's home

2009-06-29T08:01:00.001-07:00

And he's all mine....Cassy's that is. She stuck to me like glue but now that Daddy is home I am chopped liver. She was so excited to see him (can you tell). When I tried to kiss him on the couch she was right in the middle of it. So I get it, my time will come later. It was just so cute to see how much she missed him. Next time he leaves I think Cassy will make sure she goes with him.

Now, he normally gets a greeting like this everyday but this was certainly over the top...and more. I don't know who enjoyed it more.

Timm gone for 5 days

2009-06-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

Timm left at 4:55am for a men's retreat from church on Cedar Mountain. It's called Wild At Heart. Some 55 God loving men will rejoice in the Lord, be manly men, ride ATVs and some will get baptized in the frigid waters of Meadow Lake. Timm will be leading half of the guys on an ATV ride Saturday thru the beautiful Utah mountains. There are so many guys this year they are splitting the ride and running half of it in reverse. Getting everything ready at the cabin is the chore for today. Tomorrow they will pre-ride, Friday all the guys start coming in. They will have a busy weekend. Enjoy, my love and let the grace of God shine down on you.

Memorial Day...part 3

2009-05-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Thank to Alan for sending over some pictures so y'all can see.

Here are some of the burros we saw almost daily. This group actually had 7 in it at the time. Never could get very close to them. They run pretty quick too...not like the lazy ones you see in Red Rock waiting for food by the roadside.

Taking a break on the trail.

No place to turn around up here guys...stay on the lower level.

Another old mine structure...how did they decide where to look for gold anyway. Did they say "This place looks good I guess, let's try here."?

This is the Carrera Marble Quarry. Each tier is about 10-12 feet tall (I know, it looks so tiny in the picture). So gold isn't the only thing they looked for around here. We even found the fountain in the middle of the Carrera town sight. Awesome! They ran wood piping from Rhyolite for the town. You can still see some of the remains from it. Apparently, Carrera was a busy place.

Memorial Day...part 2

2009-05-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's a desert...watch out for snakes! Please don't remind me. Fortunately, I didn't see any. Keith ran over ones rattler on the trail...does that still make him a rattlesnake...hmmmm. Well, he's a sneaky snake now so watch out for him!

This radio tower must be fairly new...there was no conduit running from the tower to the building. The Nevada Test Site isn't too far from Beatty...I wonder what it will be for? Tracking aliens? lol

We had to run through Rhoylite everyday to get to one destination or another via the back roads, can't ride ATV's on designated streets in Beatty...yet. Nevada really needs to look at Utah and how much of a boost to the economy ATVs are to small towns...but I will get off me soap box now. :o)

The Beatty RV Park was the spot to be each evening. Yummy potlucks with way too much food, campfires for everyone to gather around, and lots of fun conversations. It was so nice to come back to the RV's with the air conditioners running to keep them cool, and endless water for showers. That's quite a treat for us dry camping, gravel pit staying ATV group. There was cell phone service and WiFi there too. Some of the girls even drug their laptops out to the campfire to check up on and add friends to their Facebooks. It was nice to have a few more of the comforts of home for a change. We look forward to the upgrades they will be doing to the RV park for the next time we stay there.

Memorial Day Vacation...part 1

2009-05-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

We took a couple of extra days for Memorial Day and headed to Beatty, NV. What is in Beatty you ask? Most of us only stop there for gas and potty break (and some candy from Eddie's World) on trips between Reno and Vegas; but, for those that like to explore and wonder there is lots to see in the desert around Beatty. Well, that's us and a few of our friends (14 joined in for the adventures). Each day we took off from the RV park on our ATV's to explore and find interesting stuff...and we weren't dissapointed.

Rhyolite is a ghost town just a few miles outside of Beatty that was a hopping place in it's hayday. Banks, bars, brothels, hotel, and a school among the bunch of buildings that remain in this once thriving mining town. If I remember correctly, the volunteer at the bottle house (yes, someone used bottles to build his house) said there were 53 bars in town. No wonder that guy had plenty of bottles to build with...a great recycler! That's my hubby, Timm and my BFF, Liz in front of the Mercantile in Rhyolite. I'm in the picture with my hubby that overlooks the town and the valley beyond.

Out in that valley roads wonder off the highway up to the mountains to many mining ruins. This is one of them. It's hard to believe that folks could and would drag such heavy materials up the mountain side to construct these pieces so they could mine for gold and other minerals. We found more than a hand full of these structures. They are kind of a hopper where the ore would be dumped into then it would slide down thru the shoots to fill trucks, ore carts on train tracks, etc so it could be hauled off and be processed. What a hard life that must have been.

Here are some old buildings still remaining from another day's adventures. They are for some sort of storage I think...to small for people. They were next to a larger building that had collapsed. There were several large structures like the one above as well as several others, but seeing how my camera battery died I can't show them to you. I was so bummed. So I'm waiting for photos from friends to show you the rest.

Look for part 2 of this adventure in a few days...when I get more pictures.

Long weekend trip

2009-05-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

We've headed out for the long weekend...a few days early. I'll have pictures to post when we get back. Exploring some ghost towns and mines around the Beatty area.

Enjoy your weekend!

Cleaning up the yard

2009-05-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

I know, it's not very exciting...but we did have some fun pulling the sheds down with the truck. I can't get my video to transfer to my computer but you can see both of them come down on my Facebook page if you'd like to view them. Look for Crystal Martin on Facebook, I've attached a link also.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1321249653&ref=name

Pre-ride...part 2

2009-04-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

Timm, Alan, and Mark headed back up to Utah on Saturday, April 25 to finish the pre-ride for General Steam next month. I'm still not allowed to ride (post surgery) for another month so I missed out. They all loaded their quads on our trailer and enjoyed the travel together. The weather was nice when they unloaded and took off an a new pre-planned route. They got up the trail 8 miles and hit a severe storm with strong winds that about blew them off their 4-wheelers at the saddles. They encountered rain, sleet, hail, and some snow so they turned around instead of heading into the storm further. They made it back to the truck, soaked and cold...and defeated again. I was shocked when they showed up at home at 1:30pm. After moving the muddy, dirty quads to their own trailers, they enjoyed lunch, complained about the weather, laughed it off and relaxed before heading home for the day. Pre-rides are normally so much easier than this one and now it's the principal of the matter...they will make it to their destination on May 16...one way or another.

P.S. Sorry they didn't take any photos this time around.

Tachatticup Mine

2009-03-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

It was a gorgeous day Sunday and I really felt the need to get out of the house. We gathered up the kids and we all headed down to Nelson for a mine tour. We haven't been there in forever so what the heck. Besides, it was good for the whole family to do something together. We picked up some chicken and enjoyed a picnic lunch and headed for Nelson. These guys have done a ton of work down there and have had the mine tour going for a few years now. There is so much stuff to look at and wonder through...it's so interesting.

They take small groups into the mine, you can see levels below and above you. There are about 3 miles of tunnels in that mountain! Cassy even went of the tour...she's such an exploring dog, really she loves to explore.

I took a ton of photos of old stuff....signs, gas pumps, buildings, cars, and more. Timm even posed for this one, wouldn't get into the car though. I would like to go back and explore some more around there. We were told they are used in many photo shoots, videos, and movies. In fact Toby Keith is supposed to be there soon for a vidio shoot...to bad they can't say when. In a short time the cactus will be in bloom and the whole area will be even more spectacular, I think we'll go back again then. If you want to get out of town for a day, this is a great place to explore!

Pre-ride...part 1

2009-03-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday we headed up to Utah with a handful of friends to pre-ride our scheduled ride for May. What a beautiful day it was, the weather couldn't have better. We headed out and within 6 miles, Timm had a flat tire. This is the first time ever for him on the trail. Had to fix it twice but it lasted all day. We ventured and followed the plotted GPS route but lost the trail. On the map it was listed as a 'pack trail', we wanted to see what a pack trail is and now we know. It became an oh so very faint single track as we headed further up the mountain. We finally had to turn around, this was not a direction to take a group. Reviewing the maps, we found anouther route but took up much further west and on a graded road than originally planned.

We came to another 'trail' that mirrored the road and it was great for about 5 miles, then the valley narrowed and we were traversing the stream. We came to a washed out section, Timm ventured up a little further but came back to get another quad with a winch. He was dropping back into the wash and about rolled his quad. After the rescue, we turned around and went back out.

Further up the trails we encountered snow still on the north side of the mountain. We bogged down and backed up a few times. Mark with his aggressive tread on his newer tires was able to blaze the trail. Around the curve, another snowbound section...aaahh...it was frustrating.

We made it back to the trucks about 5:30pm, we hadn't even made it to our original destination, we were all tired, Timm was disappointed...he had never not made it to a planned destination before. Don't get me wrong...it was a still a great day. Any day spent on a quad is better than a day at work. Look at it this way, now we need to go back and find another route...another day spend on a quad.

A pre pre-ride

2009-03-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

When someone is going to lead a ride in our ATV club it's recommended that they pre-ride to make sure the route is okay to travel...you know, things like wash outs, closures, knowing the trail, etc. Timm is leading a ride in May in southern Utah, we have a pre-ride date selected but he wanted to make sure there was a place to park 10-12 vehicles with trailers and to just get out of town. We found the parking area he was looking for from a view years back, plenty of room for a group of riders to park. So we headed on to the location since part of it is a dirt road. We stopped about 5 miles up the road since the snow was getting deeper, thermometer in the car said it was 31 degrees and we only had sweatshirts, no travel partners for safety, etc. We simply weren't prepared to go explore. Not our norm by the way.

We let Cassy roll and play in the snow for a while, she just loves it...she goes nuts. We ate lunch at the park, let her play in water, roll and play on the grass and we all enjoyed the sunny day in St. George. It was a great day for all of us. To top it off we enjoyed dinner with friends at Lucilles.

We will be layered and bundled up to pre ride next weekend, that's for sure.

Nascar in Vegas

2009-03-05T10:28:00.001-08:00

Last weekend was Nascar weekend in Las Vegas. It's a pretty big deal around here. This year I worked the races with my friend, Liz. She works for Sierra Ice and they had the contract for the speedway. Liz and I got the infield section and sold ice to the campers inside the track. I've seen it all now. Campers, toy haulers, trailers, 5th wheels, motorhomes, coaches, tents and even an old houseboat. These folks came to party. Guys came out of the RV's in the morning with beer and OJ & Vodka in the hands, along with coffee. It litterally is a city within itself.

Here a pic of us unloading the trailer Sunday morning. Alan and Keith, Liz and myself. We're all Dunes and Trails members. We helped moves 8 tons of ice that morning, all before 7am.

Here's one of Dale Jr.'s merchandise trailers.

It was a sea of flags with everyone showing their Nascar spirit and Amercian pride.

We spent 4 long days selling ice at the track, most were 11-12 hour days. What a great crowd though. Everyone was happy to be there, smiling and having a great time. I had a good time as well.

Oh yeah, one of our home town boys, Kyle Busch won Sunday's race.

A day at Gunsight

2009-02-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we headed out to California for the day to explore around Gunsight Mine with some friends from work. The weather couldn't have been any better...no wind, about 65 degrees and sunny...just awesome!

Dave and Sue were supposed to go on the ATV club's outing in this area but Dave ended up having to work, so they asked if we would go out wth them for the day. It was really nice to be out with a tiny group instead of 12 or more. Got to do a lot more exploring instead of just riding. Found some interesting old remains from the mining era. Having read some on the area just made what we found more interesting. Explored the Noon Day and War Eagle while we were out there also. Ended our day at the China Ranch Date Farm for root beer floats. Yummy!

On another note...noticed a wobble on the front so I took the truck to the tire shop. Two of the tires were starting to seperate wouldn't you know. Well, now we have new tires!

Cutting Trees

2009-01-14T14:37:00.001-08:00

Not the type of adventure we'd like to be on but none the less...still and adventure. We had 15 fruitless mulberry trees in out front yard. There used to be a gorgeous lush lawn under them but over the years the grass has died out and the trees were a beautiful canapy of shade. These are messy trees, need to clean up after them twice a year, besides Timm is allegic to them. Now that the place is ours they have come out. Lots of work to do it. We kept 4 in front of the house.

A bunch of friends came over on 2 Saturdays and helped us cut them down. We saved the bug stuff for firewood and left the rest in the front yard. Now that is a huge pile of tree parts!

We even had the pine tree trimmed and thinned. It looks so much better.

Here is the cleaned up front yard with all the limbs gone. It's so naked!
No we can start the landscaping plan. I can see a dry river bed, some desert type trees, a hill or two, and more. Got any ideas?

New Years at Rasor Road

2009-01-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

We spent our New Year's weekend with friends at Raor Road, outside Baker CA. Timm and I didn't get out until Jan 1 along with a few other couples. The rest arrived the last day of 2008. Our youngest son, Chris tagged along this time. It was nice to have him there with us for a change. His dog, Shelby came along and it was her first camping trip. Cassy showed her the ropes and she did well.

Our fist day took us to Afton Canyon. Along the way we stopped to play in the dunes, ran amunck along the valley floor (it's practically all river bed and washes), and splashed our way through the water in the canyon. I think the most fun was the river crossing near the Afton Canyon Campground. It was quite a bit deeper than las time we were there and Chris had never been there. Here is Liz trying not to get wet, and Chris...well...he's all wet!

On the way back out, there were a few stops we'd like to have made but there were all ready several groups at each location so we continued on. We did stop at the mine though. Some folks drug their trailers all the way back there and had set up camp. That's a rough road in many spots. Again, we all ran amuck and we lost Chris for a bit. I can see how people get lost in the desert. Here are Chris and I in one of two cabins that we found. We've been to this one before but found a second with all kinds and of fun and wired stuff in it.

It was a little chillier than expected with the wind that blew through at night but campfires kept us all warm. Keith is our designated 'fire dude', he can build quite a campfire and we all stayed warm.

If you don't know, sunrise is awesome in the desert. This was Saturday morning.

Saturday's ride took us south through the desert and the sand past the railroad tracks to the Desert Megaphone. I've got several books on the area, and no one can figure out why it's there. Just beyond it is the Bacon Strip Ranch. Yup, I know it's wierd but someone actually has an air strip on the dry lake bed, has built a couple of buildings and a shade structure and call it a ranch. Believe it or not, a person can actually rent the cabins out there. He will supply water, firewood, and a cabin. That's an entreprenuial spirit for ya!P.S. We're really not that chubby, just have 4 layers on (including some rain gear). On the way back we hit a really awesome dune area with tall hills. All the guys had a great time racing around on the sand. Chris was in his glory.

It was a great weekend capped off with delicious food, good friends, and fun for all. Can't wait for the next one.

A day ride in the Virgin Mtns.

2008-12-26T15:19:00.001-08:00

Our last ATV club ride of the year took us outside of Mesquite into the Virgin Mtn Range. It's a nice place to ride with a lot more to see than you'd think when viewing it from a distance. Ten of were friding that day, I was the only girl on the trip. This dog was wondering the area when we got there. Friendly guy, he didn't hesitate to jump up on the trailer, welcome us and invite himself into the back of the truck. I wondered if he had been dumped because he didn't wonder far from there area. We noticed him at a farm accross the river on the way back to the trucks so I guess he was just out exploring.

Our first stop of the day was an old coral, they still gather cattle there.

Our second stop was an steam engine (at least part of one). We've been trying to find it for several trips. How did they get it up here I wonder? There are no track up here. We could see Mesquite from this location.

I just thought this would make a cool Christmas wreath, but I didn't take it home with me. Some cowboy will need it sooner or later.

On our adventures we passed through beer can fence. I don't who actually puts them all up there but it's kinda quirky.

Our main destination for the day was run up Cabin Creek. It used to have a road but was completely washed out several years ago. Now it's a fun and challenging route only ATV's traverse. Normally, we run down it but this time we decided to go up instead.
Notice the tow rope in this photo. Yup, old BM brought his 'craptor' and lost the clutch just into the Cabin Creek run. That's the second clutch he's lost. What an idiot! Why he insists on bringing that thing is beyond me. We had to tow him the rest of the way up and out of Cabin Creek and back to the trucks. Almost 28 miles! Many took turns hauling his ass up and down the trail.

It was still a good day's ride. We didn't make it to the mica mine since we were towing the 'craptor' and a few other stops but we did make it back to the trucks before the wind was really bad and made it home before the storm it.

The Annual Christmas Tree Hunt

2008-12-08T13:24:00.001-08:00

Christmas Tree hunting has been a tradition in my family since I was about 10 years old. Normally, we would make a whole weekend out of it, take the trailers, my parents and siblings would all head north to central Nevada near Caliente, Pioche and such to search out the perfect tree. And 'YES', it really is a hunt to find just the right tree.

As all of our families have grown, lives have become busier, making it more difficult to get all of us together for the hunt. This year, my family went to Utah to get our trees. Our daughter in law works on Saturdays so we left bright and early Sunday morning to make our run to Cedar mountain. Now it would be easy if it were just the 5 of us. But we can't leave out the dogs. They love to go and explore the great outdoors! So the shell went back of the truck Saturday morning, on Sunday 3 kennels went into the back of the truck with 3 excited dogs. We tucked them all under a blanket to keep them warm. Scott & Christy's newest puppy rode in the back seat with kids. (She gets car sick by the way.) That is normally Cassy's domain, alas she was in the back with Roxy and Shelby.

The boys were hoping for snow and they got it. Timm, I think, would have preferred no snow. He was concerned about getting the truck stuck (that happened a few years ago) and with no one else with us he was much more cautious than normal. We tried a few dirt roads but quickly decided to just pull of the side of the road and walk back into the woods. The dogs were excited to be out of the kennels and play in the snow. Cassy just loves it. She runs around, drops onto her shoulder and plows her face into the snow, she makes 'snow angels', and more. You can see the smile on her face.

Shelby still looks for sticks to play fetch. She found one and when it came out of the snow it was about 12 feet long. It was quite a sight watching her fetch after it and carry it around. It's only about 4 feet long in this photo. Whe brought it home as a souvenier. We took photos for Christmas cards with all the dogs. Not an wasy feat by any means. Someone is never paying attention. The ones of all of us are on Scott's camera so they will have to be shown later.

On the way home, we stopped by our favorite Mexican restaurant in Cedar for lunch. Yummy! You'd think we hadn't eaten in 3 days...tree hunting is hard work don't you know. Now I know we could spend a lot less money on a tree by getting one here in town...but what fun would that be. Tree hunting is part of our Christmas tradition around here that really brings us all together and what great memories they are. I can't wait to get in the house and decorated.

Exploring Tecopa Mining District

2008-12-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

We finally took the RV and the ATV's out over Thanksgiving weekend. They haven't left the yard since the end of June. We've been slightly busy with purchasing a house, remodeling, moving, etc.

We met up with friends on Friday morning to spend a weekend exploring the Tecopa Mining District. We tend to camp in the middle of nowhere so we can be closer to the things we are trying to find. We camped here in February but that weekend was cut short due to rain. This weekend however was a glorious weekend...the weather couldn't have been better. We actually had rain (I know, we live in the desert and so seldomget rain) so the trails had very little dust...even better.

At the China Ranch Date Farm, we purchased a book on the history of the area. That wasn't our purpose but it was a great purchase. We actually ventured down there for milk shakes, then they lured us in for some fresh baked bread...YUMMY! With a little reading we were ready to hit the trails to find a few places, it's very helpful and more satisfying. It makes it much more interesting when you know what the names are, what was being mined, etc.

The guys went out in the afternoon for a fun ride in the wash near the Sperry Trail. They found an overlook for Dumont Dunes. Holy Cow...what would make 20,000 people gather to form a small city. It was huge! We aren't into dunes so I guess we just don't get it. We did go back out for a night ride to the smae spot to see it in the dark. It was lit up just like Vegas!

We much prefer the peace and quiet around a campfire with friends, listening to the coyotes call to each other. The stars were just amazing! The Milky Way was bright, and you could see Venus and Jupiter hanging out with the cresent moon in the western sky.

Cassy was so happy to get on daddy's quad. She is a quad riding dog! She went on almost all the rides, only stayed in camp with mom one afternoon. She covered about 80 miles with us over the weekend. Not bad for a lab.

Dunes and Trails Anniversary Party

2008-10-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the anniversary party for Dunes and Trails ATV Club. Since Timm is the VP, he is in charge of the party. This year, the trailmaster and his committee chose the location...Nellis Dunes. Most members wanted something closer to home they could attend for the day, this is the closest to Vegas to ride.

Good location....bad weather. A cold front came through that weekend so it was cold, windy and dusty. It is the dunes afterall, not much to break the wind out there. There was still a good turn out of members though. Open riding filled member's morning and early afternoon. Games were on the schedule but the wind made it difficult and we chose to opt out of the games.

Famous Daves BBQ catered the late lunch. Thanks to the Kutlesa's for the use of the trailer to serve up the food and keep the sand out of it. Unfortunatly, the wind kept folks from gathering for the meal, instead many headed for their RV's to dine. Gotta admit, you can't go wrong with BBQ! Delicious!

Raffle prizes galore this year. The club voted to spend $1000 on prizes, had almost $400 in donated prizes too. Lots of good stuff...Dutch ovens, camping gear, GPS units, binoculars, and more. Sold lots of tickets, almost covered expenses on the raffles which I thought was fantastic. Better weather and we would have. Still good to gather with friends, have fun, food, prizes and more.

Oh, Sunday...the weather was beautiful.

Water, Water Everywhere!

2008-09-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

No wonder the Yukon and Alaska is so green...water is everywhere! Waterfalls are everywhere, of course...there are mountains everywhere. Some of the lakes in the Yukon we went by are over 500 feet deep up to 1500 deep (I know, hard to imagine) and some are right at 50 miles long. They have filled valleys carved by glaciers, are filled with glacial rivers and of course...rainfall. We were very fortunate in the fact that we encountered no rain. All the guides said we had the best weather all summer. Didn't get a chance to really use our new rain gear but it went with us everywhere.