Utah day 1

Drove to the Big Mountain Pass aid station and did some hiking to see how I felt with the elevation. Probably got to about 8500 feet and felt ok. Maybe a little out of breath but nothing I would even worry about. I failed to plan big time and only took one water bottle, and no food. I was out for 3 hours and had a headache by the time I got back to the car, but I attribute that to not eating rather than the altitude. It is interesting, the sun is very strong but there is a constant breeze (depending on which side of the mountain I was on) and although I'm sure I was sweating, it evaporated immediately. I also got pretty sunburned since again, I failed to plan ahead and did not bring a hat.

It is so quiet on the top of the mountain (again, when there's no wind). You can't even hear any cars. It reminded me of an interview I read once with Jimi Hendrix where he talked about when he used to jump out of airplanes in the Army: "...once you get out there everything is so quiet, all you hear is the breezes-s-s-s..." very true.

Also had my first experience with the Whole Foods franchise today, with mixed feelings.

The good:

1. Pretty much had the kind of food I like to consume: mostly, lots of grains pre-cooked that I can keep in my refrigerator here in the hotel. I will probably be spending my food money from here on out at Whole Foods

....and, the bad:

1. Everyone who shops at the Salt Lake City Whole Foods knows one another. I don't know any of these people.
2. There are a lot of young people nowadays who boast prominently displayed tattoos. That's going to look cool when you're 80 and can't cover it up, especially you ladies!
3. The people there generally have that sort of "Coexist" vibe. I have more of a Slayer's "God Hates Us All" vibe.
4. Saw one dude pull up on one of those little scooters and for a split second I must admit I briefly entertained the idea of kicking it over.

To each his own, I suppose. Above are some pictures I took today with my new throwaway digital camera that evidently leaves a little something to be desired in the fidelity department. I also managed to scam a free night here in the hotel, since the ceiling in my bathroom is wet and crumbling due to a leaky pipe in the bathroom above me. I complained about it and they agreed to not charge me for last night. Boo yeah.

Tomorrow I will drive out to Brighton and hike up to Catherine's Pass and hopefully get some more good pictures.

Finally, I miss my wife and my dog.