Creating Ride-in, Ride-Out Real Estate

My home in Farmington, Utah is pretty close 5-minute drive to the foothill trailheads, but for some reason that I can't explain I am drawn to the ride-in and ride-out real estate possibility. There is a relatively famous trailhead for mountain biking just to the north of my home on 200 North in Kaysville, Utah. I can connect to it via the trailhead at Bair Creek Canyon nearest my home in Fruit Heights, Utah just to it's south. With all these little towns and trail connections it is not always easy to make it all hook up. However, with a little change in perspective to think of my urban neighborhood in the context of mountain biking I put together a route to create my own way of making my home into ride-in, ride-out mountain biking real estate.  

Spring Brings Reflection and Transition

Another wild and crazy winter has come to a close. I am tired. I am weary. I am ready for spring. Somehow I ended up on the road again this winter just as much as ever, if not more. I was trying to spend more time in Utah, but another tough winter in the Wasatch forced me out on move again. Regardless, I am exhausted. My year-round body/mind management puts me into the phase in which I simply take a few months to heal and reflect. That means a lot of casual mountain biking, mellow hiking with my wife and dog, healing, and this spring more then ever includes some real reflecting. I did well to avoid injury this winter, and I have begun to scale back my risky behavior for a variety of reasons. Obviously my risk tolerance will still exceed most folks definition of taking it easy, but for me this spring's reflections are an exercise in will power, discipline, and wisdom. I have a lot of additions coming to my life that I have been getting ready for with careful preparation and transition.  

Towering Expectations

The radar towers that sit atop Francis Peak near my home in Farmington, Utah have haunted me for years. I have eyeballed the chutes for years. I started scouting the terrain in my backyard canyon, Bair Creek Canyon, a few years ago. I had done a lot of homework, but still had unanswered questions. The road up Farmington Canyon had finally opened up to vehicle traffic, and I had done some on-snow scouting a few days prior in a separate zone on the area. The time was ripe, and I was ready...