Utah

“What’s on Your Mind?”

mikemjensen lake powell, Road Trip, Utah, Vanity Tags: , , , Leave a comment

OK, this might seem more like a Facebook update than a blog post but here’s the story.

The day started out early, around 4:30. I got up did the morning routine, got me and my bike to the day job, did my full day there, got back home, packed the 4Runner, and got out of Dodge, er, Salt Lake.

Most of my pontificating will be done within the echos and cobwebs of mind as I watch the little dotted lines of the 300 miles of roadway fly past us. I’ll sing a little, cuss at other drivers a little more, and count down the miles as we roll through each town on the way.

In the morning, I’ll wake up floating atop 100′ of liquid happiness, other wise know as Lake Powell.

I love being where I belong.

Post 3-104

Wet and Dry in the West

mikemjensen lake powell, Useless Observations, Utah Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

For as long as recent memory serves, the warning sirens have been sounding. It’s a shortage here, water restrictions there, and “one good year does not a drought end” everywhere.

In the western US, water is always a concern; there’s more of us than there is of it. For most of my life, the threat of sudden death (exaggeration) has always been the water forecast it seems. The number of good years are few and far between and the memories faded by endless reports of dead fish, dry swimming pools, and brown lawns.

powell

Stolen from: Friends of Lake Powell

This year is a good year. The reservoirs are full or filling- big Lake Powell has added four feet already; the rivers are flowing to excess, and the snow is still falling in the mountains- nearly two feet of new snow this weekend alone.

There are no reporters talking about new city restrictions, low snow packs, or crops drying in the sun-dried and cracked fields. In fact it seems this year may be one of those years that not only erases a multiple year drought, but postpones the begining of another for a few seasons. My hope is that everyone remains in conservation mode, that we all learned how valuable water is and not to waste it anymore in a year of plenty than in a year of little.

It’s truly a year to savor, void of the water doom and gloom warnings and alarms.

Flooding excluded.

 

Post 3-099

Perfect-er

mikemjensen lake powell, Road Trip, Utah Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Our last scheduled day at Lake Powell arrived and we spent the day kayaking and biking in this super beautiful day. The sun warmed the blue sky to a perfect temperature and kissed our skin red. If there are limits to the amount of perfect days in one’s life- we just used one.17796511_1412362068824577_7133037606732464184_n

Sitting on the back of the boat, eating sandwiches and enjoying the warmth, dangling out feet in the cool water, and watching the bass swim underneath and the ducks cruise by looking to see if we had any more bread offerings; we both bemoaned how sad it was that we would have to leave today.

And then one said to the other, “what do you have to be back for?”

And the other replied, “nothing specific.”

So the first one gave the look. And the second agreed.

A few phone messages later, both were set for another evening spent on our little floating happiness.

 

Post 3-092

Day Lake-ing

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NOTE- The WiFi wasn’t as good as I thought.

Hey Kids,

Amazingly enough there is Wi-Fi on the docks and here I am!

Rain accompanied us on our trip down to Lake Powell yesterday evening. Between traffic, a few potty breaks, and bad windshield wipers; we didn’t make it to our houseboat until just after midnight. But it was here and waiting for us to come aboard. We dumped all of our stuff inside and went straight to bed.

We slept in and woke to a cold 39° morning, plenty of dark clouds, and a breeze that could make one stay in bed even longer. Instead we explored the marina area and tried to get familiar with the layout of the facilities. Annette is a veteran of this place but I am not. We found all of the gift shops, the café, and the showers. Since the water services are not yet available on the boat, this last find was much celebrated.

We kayaked in the afternoon, once the sun decided to chase off the clouds. The air warmed into the 50’s but the sun had got its groove on and its rays felt hot on the skin when the two met. The new kayak proved to be as fast as I had feared. I lost the Mrs. several times as she sped off while I tended to a fishing line or lure. I’ll never be able to keep up with her now.

A flooded canyon just upstream from Bullfrog provided an incredible tour of narrowing cliff walls. My depth finder marked us at about 40 feet at the mouth. We followed it back until the elevation of the lake met the beginning of the sand. A few fish spotted us but never seemed to see my lure.

We watched the sunset during dinner at the Anasazi Café overlooking Bullfrog Bay. The water and surroundings adorned themselves in all the paints and colors of this desert oasis as we watched the sun melt into the red rock hills on the opposite side.

Back at the boat, I hope to make acquaintance with a number of the striped bass residents tonight. They’re why I came here. They’re why I wanted a houseboat here. Don’t act surprised, I never said that I was complicated.

Hopefully I’ll touch base again tomorrow.

 

Post 3-091

Aaand they’re Gone

mikemjensen Motorcycles, Utah Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

The First day of spring was a few days ago. Monday actually. It was 73°.

We went on to set a new high temperature of 74°on Tuesday.

My fairer weathered brothers and their motorcycles crawled out of their winter hibernations and we enjoyed the new season’s sun and the warmth. I broke out the lighter jacket and relaxed on the turns, knowing that ice had zero chance of waiting for me on the blind curves.

IMG_20170323_111904096

The Scene leaving the office today.

So today, being Thursday, it snowed.

And again I find myself alone on the road, among the fluffy snowflakes and the temperatures falling back down to 34.

 

Post 3-082

Balls, On and Off the Court

mikemjensen Life's Truths, Useless Observations, Utah Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

I apologize ahead of time for this post. It’s just something that’s been bugging me and I have to get it out.

Along with a national trend, apparently, the University Hospital has been running an advertising campaign leading up to this past week and weekend. “It’s not March Madness; it’s Vas madness!”shamead

This is to encourage all those men who are on the fence about getting a vasectomy to finally do it and it just happens to coincide with the week with the first two rounds of the NCAA college basketball tournament. The encouragement comes in the fact that since you can’t move, walk, or entertain the lady; you might as well sit on the couch and watch basketball. All 48 games in 4 days.

If it so happens that you’re done having kids but haven’t got around to heading the boys off at the pass; it’s the perfect crime but it can only be a one shot deal. I mean if you need personal sterilization to get time off work and a weekend free from yardwork, you will only get away with it once.

Or you can state boldly to both boss and spouse, that you are not going to report to work, cut that lawn, or take out the trash. You stake your claim, express your desires, and hold to your dreams.

But then again if you can’t do that, you might not need the procedure anyway.

 

Post 3-080

Understanding Time

mikemjensen History, Interesting Stuff (to me anyway), Life's Truths, Utah Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

The current fashion trend, as it would seem, is to have ear buds filling your ear holes.

Everyone is not an exaggeration either; it’s everyone. Either for a phone or a music player, the small ear devices are as important to wear when leaving the house as one’s underwear.  I’m not immune either; I plead guilty to the practice, but like most, I can justify my own reasons.

At my desk is where I’m the guiltiest. While staring at an Excel spreadsheet or scanning through my tasks lists, I like to have a little auditory stimulation. My choice, however, is slightly different than most. I listen to documentaries on YouTube.

My interests are all over the place. I like to keep myself educated on new fishing techniques and political news, fake or otherwise. Other popular topics include the latest on climate change, space exploration, or WWII history. I would be dishonest to not admit that a good portion of my time is spent on weird subjects too, such as ghosts, aliens, and Bigfoot.IMG_20150906_125102_968

Recently I’ve delved into a more grounded topic in geology. How was the Grand Canyon formed? How were the Rockies formed? What did the earth used to look like?

Sending time over the past few years, I’ve found myself lost in this subject. To look at the Grand Canyon or Canyonlands National Park, I’ve wondered how they were formed. So I listen and I learn. I learn of Ice ages, inland seas, and tectonic plates. I see the fossils recovered, the rock layers identified, and the erosion process reveled. It all makes good sense except for the time element.

The lengths of time to cause the necessary effects boggles my mind. The millions or billions of years it requires to make significant change seems to be impossible. I mean even just one million years; how long is that really? My head spins and churns trying to imagine it or come up with something with which to give me perspective on how long that could be.

And then I remember the last time I went shopping with my wife, and it all comes into focus.

Post 3-075

Me, me, me.

mikemjensen Utah, Vanity Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

I’m selfish at times. I try not to be but when conditions lend themselves to my favor, I find it hard to wish it otherwise.

Today while the country’s midwest and eastern areas have been experiencing blizzards and deep lake-effect snow, I enjoyed a sunny 72° ride home on the Suzuki.summerinwinter

I did not wish the winter weather upon so many of my fellow countrymen, nor did I do anything to induce or deserved my perfect weather today; yet I absolutely loved it!

And I don’t feel bad either.

 

Post 3-074Me

Weather or Not

mikemjensen Motorcycles, Utah Tags: , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Yesterday was 62 degrees in the early afternoon. There was snow on the ground before we went to bed. Give it two days and we’ll be back up near 60. Thus is springtime in Utah.

As a motorcyclist, this is the time of year I have to watch the weather like it’s interesting. Conditions can change hourly and the conditions during the morning commute are irrelevant in regards to what they might be for the evening commute.

There has been a few times I failed to watch the weather and have been caught in an afternoon snow storm. The windshield on the bike has caked over with snow and my glasses have fogged up so thick I could barely see.Motorcycle-Snow-Sculpture

I’ve learned it’s imperative to keep the tires in the tracks in the snow made by the cars ahead or feel the bike try to slide out from under you. And to ignore the people who honk at you for going so slow around the turns. So far, however, I’ve always made it home.

It’s a challenge, but I’d have it no other way.

 

Post 3-066

Common Interest

mikemjensen Useless Observations, Utah, Vanity Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

I checked snow levels at the local ski resorts today. 140 some-odd inches of snow, roughly 12 feet.

It’s as deep now as it’s been all winter and March is still a snow month, especially for the major resorts whose starting elevation is at least 8-9000’.

Ironically, many of these resorts will start closing this month. Not because of the snow, but because of lack of interest. People have been skiing since Thanksgiving in November and the days down here in the lower elevations are getting longer and warmer. Which brings me to my interest.

I don’t ski. My interest in the snow levels is purely based on the water content, and more importantly in the water content that will flow down and into Lake Powell. The fact that none of the snow at the local results will actually flow into Lake Powell is not lost on me. Our snow, nonetheless, is indicative of the snow in the Rockies that does. The more snow we have, the more snow they have. In general.

You see, I also notice the warmer and longer days. I know that winter still has some blustering to do, but I’m ready to hit the lake and I want it as full as it can be for this season and again for years to come.

lakepowell

My interest in Lake Powell, however, will last longer than 3-4 months.

 

Post 3-061