First time riding Antelope. Smooth trails with a few rocky sections to keep it interesting. The Elephant Head spur was gold, but crashed once on a steep, rocky climb when I had zero momentum to carry it through, but too proud to unclip. Hitting the ground forced the unclip. I was told we lucked out, mosquito netting not required today. The drive through Layton and Syracuse is a total shit-show. Crazy traffic, sprawl and strip malls getting closer and closer to the GSL. It use to be quiet farm-land back during my LOTOJA training days. . . . With Brett Fuller, my hero, one week away from retirement.
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| Map showing all the bike trails on Antelope Island. Hiking trails are not shown. |
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Strava footprint showing we rode the White Rock Loop and Elephant Head Spur. We hoped to also ride Split Rock Loop, but one of us forgot their through axle on the tool bench at home, combined with the Syracuse traffic, delayed our start by about two hours. All I’m going say, in 30 years of climbing, skiing, and general adult-male-screwing-off, it’s the first time the fuck-up wasn’t mine;). But I’m not judging . . .
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| View NW from Beacon Knob. |
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| Coyotes stop and stare like I’m a lunatic when I mimic their howl. It’s a terrible impersonation but I’m not totally nuts. When I was a kid, about 10, on a back-door Reeder hike, my brother shot and killed a mother, so of course my Dad brought one of pups home to raise. Coyotes are wild, even when raising one from a few weeks old we couldn’t nature our the nature. A year into the experiment, Yipper (my Dad picked the name) would always reveal his ‘inner-wild.- He constantly bit us, ever so lightly, never breaking too much skin, but I could tell he wanted blood. I was always wary, never trusted that thing, and a big reason I’ve never liked canines for pets. To be honest, I’m scared of growling/barking/aggressive dogs, and I don’t have the patience to love the wild out of anything, except my Grandkids. But back on point, all those years ago with Yipper, my brothers and I could get Yipper howling by mimicking his howls, a nightly occasion to the chagrin of the neighbors. That was the only singing the Reeder Boys ever did. Now, out of old-habit, whenever I see a coyote I go all Yipper and HOWL. |
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| South-East view toward Bountiful from Beacon Knob. The Great Salt Lake is toast, mud-flats and no lake east of Antelope Island. |
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| North. |
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| American Bison. I got to close, shortly after taking this shot his tail was erect, a sign of aggression. |
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| View NW from Elephant Head |
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| View SW from Elephant Head, toward Stansbury Island (middle) and the Stansbury Mountains with some snow beyond (left). |
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| View south over Split Rock Bay. |
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| Two old men , trying to “not go gentle into that good night.” (Dylan Thomas) |
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| Old bike still brings joy. No plans to replace it for at least 30-years. |
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“Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright,
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. . . .
Do not go gentle into that good night.”
- Dylan Thomas |
I really enjoy Antelope Island, but am weary of the Bison. They scare me. I've heard a lot of stories of people getting attacked.
ReplyDeleteI recall reading on a plaque that horses once lived on the island and loved the planes so much that when they were taken off the island, some would escape and run back to it.
Frary peak is a fun hike. Supposedly there is a feature near the south end of the island called "Molly's Nipple." Did I really have to mention that?
It's crazy how much they're developing out there in Syracuse. They're building a new freeway too. Our population is going to explode in Utah. We'll need a new ski resort. People are migrating away from the cities that are becoming less safe, and bringing their politics with them.