Getting Lost on the Mt. Nebo Scenic Loop

 The Mt. Nebo Scenic Loop is a drive that I have been wanting to do for a while now and I finally got the chance to do it. About and hour from Salt Lake, the loop started for me in Payson and ended in Nephi. This is such a beautiful drive giving the American Fork loop a run for its money. There were endless aspens groves and stunning vistas around every corner. I stopped at a small lake along the way to try my luck at fly fishing. Even though I didn't catch anything it was so relaxing to be on a nice quiet lake with plenty of wildlife to keep me entertained. After that it was to my destination of the Devil's Kitchen, which is like a little Bryce Canyon. I even saw these horses along the way.

 

This is me not catching a fish. I'm not sure if you can tell but I have a pocket wizard in my left hand to trigger my camera. I get bored by myself sometimes...

  I saw a bunch of these little frogs along the shore. This one was nice enough to stop for some portraits.

I even saw this fawn drinking with a duck.

My 4x5 setup. This might be the last few times this guys gets used because Fuji has stopped making film.

I soon realized that this was a sunrise spot, but I still shot a couple just for fun. Next time I'll get there in the morning. Regardless,  it was still such a nice day up in some new mountains doing some exploring and getting away from the city.

Jordanelle Triathlon

This past weekend I attended the Jordanelle Triathlon by the town of Francis. My girlfriend and some of her friends entered their first triathlon. I had never been to a triathlon event before so I was excited to see all the competitors. I was pretty impressed to see all the athletes giving it their all for each event. There was so much gear in the transition area it looked like a rich mans garage sale. It looked very confusing as to how to find your stuff but everyone seemed to handle it ok.

Swimming was the first event, which seemed a little rough with everyone starting at the same time. There were several waves of athletes that helped spread out the field and make for a little better of a swim. 

Bradley and Lauren came out of the water looking good as the ran to the transition to start the biking section of the race. It was interesting to see all the different bikes and just imagine how much money these things cost. It seemed worth it to have a nice bike though as I'm sure it made the bike a lot easier.                             The run was the final event and you could see the pain start to set in as these athletes pushed on to finish the race.

A little trail called Crest

 The Crest Trail up in Big Cotttonwood is probably the most well know biking trail in Salt Lake, but for a very good reason. With only a couple hills in the beginning, this ride has miles of really fun, fast downhill riding. Here are a couple shots along the way with Rachael Burkes and Tide. This ride requires a shuttle but is well worth it.

 Even Mandy Mehler made a quick appearance climbing "puke hill" and leaving us in the dust.  

Tide looks on as Mandy continues the ride. 

 Rachael Burkes takes a quick break before descending into the fun of the Crest Trail.

Another epic ride of the crest and its time to pack it up to grab the shuttle car at the top.

Training with Jonathan Cheever

In the off season Olympic hopeful Jonathan Cheever spends a lot of time training and getting ready for the snow to fall. Competing in boardercross and halfpipe competitions, Jonathan is a well rounded athlete who puts in a lot of time on and off the hill. Here is just a glimpse of some of what goes on before the snow even falls. The new USSA facility is absolutely amazing with a full gym, basketball court, blood testing center, foam pit and a bowl to skateboard in.

They even have a start gate setup for the athletes to practice. 

Trail Running

I got the chance to shoot some trail running photos the other night with Juhl Setia high up in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Even though there were swarms of mosquitos, Juhl was a trooper during the whole shoot allowing us to come away with a couple really nice images. The sunset clouds were nice and dark with plenty of depth and contrast. I really like these type of clouds because they just add a really nice feel to the photographs. We worked away for an hour or two and ended up with more mosquito bites than photos, but I'm more than happy to have 5 or so really nice shots.