Utah Windriders Association

What the heck is going on? Where is the wind?

My calluses flaked off this week. Where is the fall wind?

hopefully saturaday this predicted front will do something.

maybe our kite bishop can lead us in group fasting and prayer for the winds return.

Amen!

Just waiting for the segulls to fly in and eat all these wind draught crickets and save the sailing season!

My family is getting a lot of hikes in that we've wanted to do.

We did Mt. Olympus up the face and down the back. Saw some fresh mountain lion tracks, and a bunch of mt. goats. Really cool hike. Involved some ropes.

Doing Lone Peak this weekend. The forecast keeps getting better and better. (worse and worse)

By the looks of it, we might even get the "trifecta" this fall and do Timp from Timpanoke trailhead in a couple weeks.

The problem with praying for wind is that there are more people out there praying for no wind. Have you ever noticed how just about everybody hates the wind? Windlovers are a small minority.

I haven't been getting much riding in either, last Saturday was crazy, marginal kiting at DC for me. Imagine launching a 19M foil off the grass at Sailboat Beach and then gingerly making your way to the water down a steep rock-studded slope to ride on a huge board for 90 minutes of intermittent planing, hoping all the time that the wind stays up enough to get back to the east side and not have to float the entire length of the lake. That is what I call desperation kiting.

Seems to me that enjoying the mountains in other ways is a good idea. I have been thinking about climbing Lone Peak on Saturday as well, but there are still thunderstorms in the forecast, so I am not sure. Last night I rode the Wasatch Crest Trail at night (rode down Mill D North Fork and shuttled between Donut Falls and the Trailhead). I thought it would take forever to do the downhill, but with the great headlamps now available we made excellent time.

I am just glad that I live in Utah. Just imagine if you lived in Iowa when the wind shutdown ? At least we have mountain biking, cycling, climbing, fishing, hiking, etc, etc.

Kite Bishop

The Kite Bishop is right. Having spent my entire recreational life (until last year when I got into kiting) racing bicycles I hated the wind! I am no Lance Armstrong heading out into the head winds of Texas to make me "stronger" in whatever way a headwind does that, it always made me depressed, guess that's why he's won 7 tours and me none. And if the wind was blowing with any noticeable strength I would plan my rides to have the tail wind on the way home, the do your work before play theory.

Now I spend my "breaks" at work checking the wind meters wishing those windmills would produce wind instead of just wait for it. I thought I was addicted to cycling but that was nothing to the addiction I have for this. It's probably because I can get on my bike and ride anytime, but I cherish the precious time when the wind blows...maybe I can convince my wife to move to Aruba, oh and the kids too. Or I will just enjoy the best of both of my little worlds now, kiting when there's wind, riding when there's not.

This September slow down, and October lull that we get most years,
is precisly why I plan a South Padre Island trip the end of October each year.

just to have a light at the end of the tunnel.

Course there is always....

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SNOWKITING UTAH, THE BEST SNOWKITING ON EARTH.........


-Marty