Bluehouse Skis

Two Laps with Saeed at Losail, Doha, Qatar

My Fastest Lap at the Losail track - Doha, Qatar

Souq Waqif

These two guys were amazing. In the office or out, Ibrahim and Medhat were a pleasure to be around. Many thanks!




Here are three pictures from inside a "sweets and snacks" shop. Ibrahim bought nuts for his family, I purchased candy and figs for mine.








With Ibrahim acting as negotiater, I paid 200 QR for seven bracelets from this vendor, 120 QR less than his asking price of 320 QR.




Check out the shesha pipes these people are smoking. They were everywhere in the souk, as well as the Egpytian restaurant where we had dinner earlier this week.

Pictures of Doha

I can't post pictures of Doha without including a few skyscrapers!







Toyotas are by far the most popular car in Qatar. This color is a favorite:





A little different than the bike shops back home:





I didn't realize Toys R Us was a global brand:





Turkey Central Restaurant served one of the best lunches of my life today:





Hidden under this bread is some of the tastiest chicken I've had the pleasure to eat:





Mixed grill of beef and chicken meat and kafta:





Assorted salads. The Hummus was amazing:





This bread was made to be dipped in hummus:





Looks a little different but tastes the same:





Avocado "juice" for dessert:

Qatar

The view from my hotel room looking to the right:




The view from my hotel room looking to the left:




The restaurant where we picked up lunch:




Burger King sign:




Doha is full of crazy skyscrapers:




Looking at my hotel across a sand parking lot with the building where I'm working reflected in the glass:




Two Mustangs parked in front of my office building:




Check out the license plate:




The appetizers at dinner tonight:

Upper Millcreek Canyon

It's going to be a while before the upper Millcreek Canyon trails are ready to ride. However, there is a very short south-facing section of the Little Water trail that is dry. Five minutes of riding probably doesn't justify the effort to get there, but if you're desperate here are some pictures.

Looking at the Little Water trail from the upper parking lot:




Looking down the new Little Water Bypass trail at the point we turned around:




Kris hiked a bit farther after it got too wet to ride responsibly:




The north facing slopes still have a lot of snow:




The meadow at the top:

The 2010 Clark's TT is open for business!

The 2010 Clark's Time Trial is now open for business. Be aware that the top of the Clark's trail has been rerouted by Draper City. While I don't have GPS data at this time, after riding it last night I can say it feels slightly longer. I wouldn't expect the 2010 times to differ significantly from previous years, but keep the reroute in mind when comparing results.

Another slight change is the finish line. Now that there is a new fence at the top it makes sense to use that as the line. The start line is unchanged. To summarize:

1. Start the clock when you leave the bridge at the bottom of Clark's.

2. Stop the clock when you reach the sign that says End Clarks TT just before the wooden fence at the top.



Will anybody challenge Bart Gillespie, who for the past two years has posted the fastest time? I can think of a few potential candidates to assume the top position in 2010, but the only way to find out is to get out and ride. Good luck and have fun!

SLC Restaurant Recommendations?

What are your favorite SLC restaurants?  I've been to a lot, but can always use a good recommendation.  In the last week I've eaten at Tsunami, Wild Grape, Frida's Bistro, Sage's Cafe, Tin Angel Cafe and Vinto.  

I like Trio, Em's, Metropolitan, Market Street Broiler & Grill, Takashi, Mazza, Cucina Toscana, Bambara, Faustina, Acme Burger, Bombay House, Tandoor, Red Rock, Settebello and Squatters.  

What hidden gems am I missing?

Back in the Saddle

Dang, it's been a while! Close to 5 months, in fact, since I last rode a bike. My full suspension BMC is still at the shop, getting some much needed TLC (can you believe in 4+ years I've never had the cables replaced?), so the choice I had to make was whether to ride my road bike, or single speed mountain bike today. And the bike I chose was ....... the single speed mountain bike. Honestly, it wasn't much of a choice. With temperatures in the mid-60's and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail a 20 minute ride from my office, it would have been wrong to not ride dirt for lunch today.

Climbing E Street made me second guess my choice because it hurt. A lot. But I made it up to 11th Avenue, where I turned east. 11th was fine, until I crossed Virginia, passed Popperton Park, and started to climb through the neighborhood below the U. That hurt. Thankfully it didn't last long and I found myself on dirt as I dropped down to Dry Creek. Lower Dry Creek was fine, except for the technical rocky section which forced me to put a foot down. From the switchback at the top on up to the overlook, however, was quite painful. I made it up though, and didn't even stop at the top to take in the view. Until I hit the rocky section a bit higher up, at which point I again put a foot down. Dang rocks! My tech skills are minimal on the BMC, and close to non-existant on the rigid single, so a little dab here and there doesn't make me feel too bad.

I was feeling good as I approached the Wall, so hit the bottom of the climb with a bit of speed. It didn't last long, but I was able to make it up ok, though I'm sure my heart rate was at the highest level it's been in a long time as I went over the top! I kept going, albeit at a drastically reduced pace, as I recovered from the effort. From that point on I felt great, as the trail was mostly downhill as I descended into City Creek. I felt a bit squirrely on the loose descent, but am blaming that on the rigid bike and not any real or perceived lack of dh skills.

All-in-all I'd say it was a good first ride, and I'm looking forward to a repeat tomorrow. My legs felt good, with most of the pain related to the high intensity cardio efforts, so I'm hopefull it won't take too long for my bike fitness to return.