Weekly Newsletter: July 15th-21st, 2024

This week was all about the outdoors. 🥾🚵 We hiked one of our favorite local trails, Keith practiced his downhill mountain bike skills, and Lindsey continued her hiking training plan.

Check out our new posts and videos 🆕 🎥 📝

Utah Adventures With A Friend: Part 5

Yi visits us in Utah to hike, bike, and adventure. This is part 5 of the multi-part series.

Keith and LindseyLindsey Huster

Hiking Grove Creek 🥾 ⛰️

Keith hasn't hiked much since his knee injury earlier this year. He is feeling much better now so we decided to check out one of our favorite local trails: Grove Creek. We have hiked this trail numerous times but it never fails to impress. This trail has everything from desert landscapes to sheer rock cliffs, waterfalls, etc. You name it, this trail probably has it!

We had a bit of unexpected excitement this time around. We encountered a rather large rattlesnake as we descended back down the trail. Thankfully, the snake wasn't too concerned about us and we could pass by without issue. It did keep an eye on us though as it made its way up the trail.

Overall, Keith's knees held out well on this challenging hike. Keith did not have any pain on the way up the trail. On the way down, Keith felt tightness in his knee but no real pain. A little tightness was expected since the steep descent puts a significant load on your knees. This is a great sign that Keith's knees are continuing to heal! 😅

Lindsey's latest hiking update 🥾 👩

This week, Lindsey put in some serious walking/hiking miles as she continues to train for an upcoming extended hike. As part of her training, she hiked with an 8-lb (3.6-kilogram) backpack along the Provo section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. This one hike covered over 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) with 1,050 feet (320 meters) of elevation gain. In total, Lindsey hiked/walked over 30 miles this week! 🥵

Sundance Mountain Bike Park 🚵 🌧️

Keith had another Summer Half-day Friday this week. He decided to use this extra free time to practice his downhill mountain biking skills at Sundance Mountain Resort. Keith's MTB rides typically consist of a long pedal up the mountain and only a single ride back down. This can make it difficult to practice his descending skills.

Taking advantage of lift-served MTB at Sundance Mountain Resort provided Keith with the opportunity to focus on descending as he rode lap after lap. These skills are invaluable when it comes to riding some of the more technical trails that he rides with his friends. Unfortunately, it's difficult/dangerous to stop mid-trail to take photos so Keith wasn't able to capture too many pics during his descents.

The day was beautiful for most of the afternoon until an unexpected rainstorm rolled in. Keith got soaked on the ride back down the mountain! Thankfully, the storm passed just as quickly as it arrived and Keith was able to continue riding after a short weather-related break.

So, what was Lindsey doing while Keith was out riding? Well, she also took advantage of the day by setting up at a cozy location along the river at the base of the resort. This gave her time to enjoy a nice breakfast and focus on her reading while also taking in some fresh mountain air and beautiful scenery! 😍

Oh yeah, there is some serious construction going on at Sundance right now. They have torn out the old walking paths to make room for a massive hotel!

Dinner at Edna's Market & Grille 🍽️ 😋

For date night this week, we decided to check out Edna's Market & Grille in Lehi, UT. Edna's serves slightly upscale American fare. We have heard great reviews about this restaurant so we were both excited to finally check it out.

Our meals were amazing! We started the meal with a plate of Irish Nachos (loaded, house-made potato chips). For our main meals, Lindsey ordered the Meatloaf and Keith ordered the Pork Chop. Both meals were perfectly prepared and delicious.

Keith's big MTB ride 🚵 🥵

Keith decided to further test out his knees this week by embarking on his longest MTB ride since his knee injury earlier this year. Keith planned out a route that covered over 30 miles (48 kilometers) with nearly 3,900 feet (1,188 meters) of climbing. Of course, Keith being Keith, he also decided to ride this route during the hottest part of the day! 🥵

Keith's route started with a semi-steep climb up the Bonneville Shoreline Trail towards the Maple Hollow South bike park. Keith then continued traversing eastward until finally reaching the Hog Hollow trails. Keith then looped back around, eventually returning to Maple Hollow South. At this point, Keith took a downhill lap on the Vertigo Jump Line trail before eventually making his way back to the start.

Upcoming posts and videos 👷‍ 👷‍♀️️

Lindsey has wrapped up the posts on Yi's visit to Utah. We have several prior trips that we haven't yet shared so be sure to subscribe to our blog if you haven't done so already. We will also put together a full blog post about our trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Lindsey's most recent trip to Redfish Lake in Idaho.

We hope that you are enjoying our newsletters. Do you have any summer vacation plans? How do you like to enjoy the summer? Let us know in the comments section below.👇 💬