City Creek Canyon

This morning I woke up and decided to go for a bike ride before it go too hot, since supposedly the temperature will be a trillion degrees today. So, around 9:30 I hopped on my bike and since its an odd calendar day, decided to head up City Creek Canyon because bikes are allowed up on those days.

Let me tell you a few things about this bike ride:

1. It was already a trillion degrees outside
2. There were quite a few people taking advantage of the trail, not only cyclists, but runners, walkers and a few very interesting vehicles that I couldn't even begin to describe.
3. Most of the people going up were over 65...I am not kidding.

So, I made my way to top after seriously considering turning around a few times. I had a hard time for a little bit there but I decided to make myself feel better by attributing my lack of energy to having the flu earlier this week, taking the rest of the week easy, staying up past 3 last night and lastly...the trillion degree weather.

Finally, I made it to the top, but not before taking some pictures of a very nice Australian lady who I think probably had taken over a hundred pictures on her way up because she wanted me to get some very serious poses of her on her bike...she was particular about this. I cannot stress how elated I felt at this point, I was an hour into the ride, about 4 gallons of sweat, 1 powerbar and about 50 ounces of water.

The best part about going up, is coming back down. I decided on my way down I wouldn't go too fast, I would enjoy the scenery, take in the beautiful day and just enjoy how nice it is to live so close to nature. Well, as I'm riding down the road which is about 6 or 7 feet across I would say in my expert opinion. I look down just in time to narrowly miss a freaking snake! This was not your little, cuddly baby snake...oh no! This thing was about as thick as my calf, and it was halfway across the road and the whole thing wasn't showing, there was still parts of it in the foliage on the side of the road. Need I mention that it had quite a large head? Yeah. It did. I have no idea if it was a rattlesnake, but my mom and I have decided that it was, we don't think that water snakes get that big. 

I am not ashamed to admit that made a yelping noise and started taking off down the road, I was flying. I passed several people, did I warn them about the monster snake ahead in the road, nope. They could find out for themselves. 

So all in all, this is what I learned today:

• City Creek Canyon is the home to bears according to all of the signs proclaiming bear country, keep your food locked up.
• The snakes there are not afraid to slither across the road to catch some sort of vermin.
• Never, ever, ever will I even think for a second that it is sexy to wear a loose tube top and no bra and run up a mountain.....oh and be over the age of 55......the sight still makes me queasy.
• Somewhere a whole bunch of AARP'ers have found the fountain of youth and are somehow beating 26 year-olds to the top of mountains and doing it with grace and little amounts of sweat! I kid you not, there was lady, had to be at least 60, running! Running! She obviously had to run to the top and she was on her way back down and she was chit chatting and laughing as I was laboring up on my bike...............
• I need to go up there more this summer.