So I’ve been studying my ever-loving butt off for a pre-course required for an MBA program I start Wednesday. I hate accounting and I knew from the onset that this would be the hardest and most annoying part of my program for me. It was also the first course on my track and because I was accepted later in the application process I had exactly 2 weeks to catch up on undergrad level accounting that I never took in school...because I hate it.
Anyway, I didn’t want to punish my kids for my studying so I sent my wife and kids up to the lake for the day and night so I could sit in my cave and go over variance, make or buy and other equally annoying concepts for the test I had to take AND pass that night so I could register for classes this week. Stressed I have been ALL week, not taking into account the work schedule which included 1 long physically exhausting day chasing down Olympic cyclists to film (damn they are fast) as well as 2 huge and early press events I ran.
Anyway, I took my test and realized it was 6 pm and I had the place to myself and no one to answer to. I decided therefore to disappear into the mountains for some much needed quiet time. The cruiser already had the fridge in it, as well as the box of many uses, so I tossed in some bedding, a few electronicals, tools, and food and took off. I was thinking about the Uintah mountains but they were...um...on fire so then I thought about going to the campsite I went wheeling to recently on a day trip, but the trail for that is kinda meh. Then I remembered a spot I had been to before for day trips and how fun the trail was and it was close. Sold.
This is video I took coming back from camp the next day including an off-shoot that was pretty intense. Steep, loose, rocky. I put on my rear locker going up but was kicking out rocks like crazy to I popped in the front and while still kicking out rocks I was making more consistent progress. This would have an undesirable effect I would find out later.
It had been years since I had done it so I had either forgotten had rough it was or it had gotten worse, but the trails was...for my purposes...just right. Low range, 1st and 2nd gear, steep, rocky, pretty and not so long that you were sick of the trail by the time you got to camp. About 3 miles and about 1000 vertical feet.
Back to Saturday, I got up there just as the sun was setting which was ideal. This is a saddle between several beautiful areas. Midway valley to the right, Jordanelle reservoir to the left, Park city resort directly behind me.
And a nearly full moon rising as the sun was setting. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve set up camp I think. I took my about an hour and a half to get here and I was hungry, so I put a the awning for light (embedded lighting in the awning), set up a windbreak for the stove and made a quick soup to enjoy while listening to exactly nothing happen. I sat out for a while before taking a few shots (including many failed moon shots) before setting up my bed.
Rufant knows how awesome it is to sleep like a poor person in your car. I love sleeping in my car. I love the “little apartment” feel and tonight as I was relaxed propped up watching netflix on my pillow as the wind whipped around the car, I was feeling very contended.
I didn’t sleep great, however, as several times before I went to bed I noticed an increase of smoke haze in the valley below. Fire danger is crazy high right now and being on top of a peak when a fire came through was weighing on my mind. It turned out to be smoke from the Uintahs being blown in and deep down I knew that but my brain loves to play this game “oh hey, instead of sleeping peacefully why I don’t tell you ways this could go badly?”. Sod off brain!
I guess it was for the best that I was sleeping lightly because I was awake for this.
Taken from the rear sliding window from inside the car, while still in bed.
Not. Bad.
After a lazy morning of photo and video editing in bed, I got up and started to clean up and explore around a little. It’s nice having so little to clean up.
I drove up to another summit, the steep hill I mentioned earlier for this epic near 360 degree panorama. What a place!
On the way down I noticed something interesting, in 4wd locked, in tight turns I was hearing a new noise. A clicking. crap. I knew exactly what that was, my Birfield joint is dying. You know what though? it lasted 320,000 miles and thats pretty good. Plus I already need new inner axle seals and new discs on the front anyway so a front axle rebuild was always in my future. Thankfully that task is a lot less daunting now than I used to be and I also have a 3rd car to take the pressure off the job needing to be done in a single night. Lets hope I can actually motivate myself to work on it during this program.
It sure helped though and really reset my brain which I desperately needed.