The Many Adventures of Hiking with Daniel and MaryAnn

One of the things I best love about summer is hiking.  With the mountains practically in our backyard, I don't know why we don't do it more often.

Daniel and I have been hiking twice so far this summer. Our first hiking adventure was in early June. We wanted a short trip as we only had an evening and I had hoped to rediscover a trail I found while trail running a couple of years ago. Luckily we found it! Our trailhead was at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, just east of Little Cottonwood Road and Wasatch Boulevard. I like this trail because it can be done in an evening and the views are breathtaking. We were also able to pick some wildflowers to take home. Here are a just a couple of the breathtaking views we saw:

In July, Daniel and I decided to go on an overnight hiking/camping trip to Malan's Basin, above 29th Street in Ogden. This hike was not for the faint of heart. It was steep and took a little less than three hours to hike in, but it was well worth the sacrifice.

From 1894 - 1906, the Malan family operated a seasonal hotel in Malan's Basin, accessible via a wagon road. Today there are no roads leading to the basin and the wagon road has become the narrow hiking trail leading into the basin. I was fascinated by the history of the place. The only signs of former habitation included an old steam boiler and some clearings and a plaque where the hotel stood.  Other than those things, it was completely deserted and free from civilization. We only saw one other family as we hiked in, but once we set up camp we were completely alone and did not see or hear another soul.

Once we pitched our tent, we had a dinner of fire roasted vegetables, grapes, and Hebrew Nationals. We experienced only one small disaster as our tent collapsed in the middle of a rainstorm around midnight.  The next morning we hiked out, grateful to have had the experience.

Mountain Biking Take 1 and Take 2

Daniel is a very talented mountain biker. He has been mountain biking since he was 14-years-old and as a teenager he won several races. Now, he just bikes for fun and is introducing me to all the fun mountain biking has to offer.

Our first attempt was on Antelope Island sometime in early June.  The bad news is that we made it less than a mile before my bike got a flat tire and to our horror we realized that we didn't have the patch kit with us. The good news is that we did get this pretty awesome picture:

If you look closely, you'll see that Daniel is holding the bike with the flattened tire.

Despite being attacked by bugs, riding in the blazing heat, and getting a flat tire, I would not be discouraged. Attempt number two took place at the Pipeline Trail in Millcreek Canyon. This time we met our match. The weather was perfect, there were not nearly as many bugs, and I had a better bike. I found mountain biking to be exhilarating and a little pee-my-pants scary. There were parts where we rode only a foot or two from a small cliff.  The downhills were scary, yet exciting, and I ended up walking the turns on the switch backs after nearly tipping over. I can now see why people like this sport and I want to keep going and keep getting better.

Taking a break on the Pipeline Trail.

If you are interested in taking up mountain biking, I would recommend the Pipeline Trial (oops Freudian slip). The uphills are not too steep and neither are the downhills. It was very manageable, yet still challenging. I'm excited to try this trail again.

Logan Retreat

Shortly after Daniel finished his last final last May (yes, I'm a little behind in blogging), we decided to escape to the quaint town of Logan, Utah. Although Logan may not seem like the most exciting town in the world, it was a wonderful trip! Over sixty-seven years ago, my Grandma and Grandpa Bennett were married in this town and it was fun to retrace some of their footsteps.

We visited the Logan Temple, the actual place where my grandparents were married, and did an endowment session while we were there.

After the temple, we had dinner at The Bluebird Restaurant, where my grandparents had dinner after their wedding. Grandma told me that this place was the fanciest place in town when they were married. It has changed slightly. Daniel ordered fish and chips and I got a burger. We also picked up a Bluebird chocolate to take home to Grandma.

We stayed at the Anniversary Inn and we loved our romantic room. The Anniversary Inn is a themed bed and breakfast. We stayed in a room called Arabian Nights and loved sleeping on the comfortable king sized bed, soaking in the hot tub for two, and eating delicious ham and cheese croissants for breakfast.

 My favorite part of the trip was getting to hang out all day and night with this guy. 

We also went on a beautiful 12-mile run down historic main street, through some farm-y roads, and around Utah State University's campus.  Towards the end of this long run, I looked up and said "Holy Batman..." Daniel said "Whaaaaat?" He looked up and also saw Batman on the street corner, who was yelling across the street at Spiderman, who was being chased by a Storm Trooper. Yes, this is a true story. You never know what you'll find in Logan! We think a costume shop or a theatre must have been involved.