Once Upon the Wasatch

Sue and I are blessed to have four wonderful grandsons, two Sykora boys and two Murphy boys, living in our community. It has been our privilege to be active in their lives since their births. Thus, we are very comfortable with them and they with us. As they reached an appropriate age, we have made a practice of taking these boys on a vacation trip each year. We determined early on that the best pairing for these trips was cousins vs. brothers so one year it was TJ and Ivan and then the next year Emmit and Gus. Covid threw a wrench for a couple of years, but we returned to the rotation this August.

We began planning early in the year so, as it was TJ and Ivan’s year, we asked what they might like to do. Even though they live on the prairies of southern Wisconsin they fancy themselves mountain bikers. They have both built some “trails” on their respective homesteads. So, they wanted to go mountain biking and zeroed-in on southern Utah and Colorado. They had read about Moab and other similar locations so that’s where their heads were.

At this point I should insert that both boys, now nearly 13 and nearly 17, are good competent bikers. They have biked with Sue and I since they were quite young so know how to handle a bike and be comfortable riding. They are both athletes and are very fit. So, what’s the dilemma? Sue and I are road bikers with basically no interest or expertise in mountain biking nor do we have their fitness level (we are a tad older than they). How could we possibly make this work and feel safe for everyone concerned?

I have a youngish nephew in the Salt Lake City area. I knew he is an experienced mountain biker and rides often. I also knew he was familiar with the southern Utah/Colorado area. So, using the resources at my disposal, I reached out to this young man and asked his advice about the Moab area. He replied immediately that it would be beastly hot there in the summer, packed with people, and the trails were likely far more technical than those for which the boys, and certainly us were prepared for or capable of riding. Well, I was glad to know this, but it was a bit of a bummer until I read the next sentence in my nephew’s e-mail.

He strongly suggested that Park City – just 30 minutes from Salt Lake City – had many, many trails with which he was intimately familiar, beautiful mountains and much else to attract vacationers. But that’s just the introduction. He went on to say that if we did travel there, he would guide TJ and Ivan on the trails. And he even had a couple of bikes we might borrow if they sized-up correctly. While I still had some doubts and misgivings, this proposal seemed too good to pass up so set the dates and made the plans.

If you have tried to schedule two young athletes from two different families to leave town during the summer swim, baseball, camping season, you understand that challenge. However, that could be a blog on its own, so I won’t deal with that here. Suffice it to say we were able to squeak out 6 days – two of which would be flying time.

Off we went. I must add that this was the first time flying for TJ and Ivan and basically their first long major trip. It was so much fun watching their excitement and wide eyes at everything new they were experiencing. We had a very long first day of travel and didn’t arrive at Snow Blaze – our Air B & B – in Park City until 10 p.m. The accommodations turned out to be perfect for us and, as we discovered the next day, located most conveniently. We all collapsed in bed.

The following morning – our first day there – everyone was moving slow in the morning. I talked to my nephew on the phone, and we decided to not start the biking thing until the next day to give us time to replenish and acclimate at bit. We could see snow covered mountains from our windows and found it incredibly beautiful and glorious when we headed outside. We did the typical eating and shopping while gasping and exclaiming over the beauty of God’s nature we were experiencing firsthand. Checked out some bike shops and made rental arrangements for the next day.

My nephew drove up with full bike racks the next morning. He and I, with TJ and Ivan set out to try this mountain biking thing in the actual mountains. The grandeur is a challenge to describe – simply incredible. We pedaled gravel roads, dirt roads and then down hill mountain biking trails. The boys were in seventh heaven. I discovered that I enjoyed the gravel and dirt roads but didn’t really care for the downhill actual trail riding. Too many rocks, stumps, branches, berms, and all that mountain biking really is. In addition, the climbing and the altitude was kicking my butt. At one of our stoppings, I suggested to my nephew that, if he could direct me back, I would do that alone and he and the boys could continue riding – they were champing at the bit to get back at it. They went on and I headed back to Park City. I did arrive successfully but was beat – clocking 19 miles in that altitude and challenging climbs on a bike very different from my road buddy, Double Shot. The other three pedaled around quite a bit longer.

As in most experiences, I learned a lot. I discovered what mountain biking really was and why these two boys really liked it. We now had a common language and experience that drew us closer together and, for me, the light went on about this sport and all the things they had been talking about which I hadn’t really understood. This alone would have made the trip worthwhile, but it became so much more.

The boys could not stop talking about the biking they experienced that day. Never in their wildest imaginations could they have conjured the beauty, the trails, everything about being in this beautiful place.

I was concerned because I was sure my nephew had given us all the time he had available – nearly a full day. I knew that I could not duplicate the experience or even come close because I was not familiar with the trails, didn’t have the skill level to bike with boys, and would not have turned them loose by themselves.

And then the unexpected miracle occurred. My nephew gave these boys three more nearly full days (four total). He planned and participated in rides on a variety of trails and skill sets each day. Sue and I would help transport the bikes to the various trial heads and they would take off. Sue and I would then explore on our own by car or foot and plan to rendezvous with them at their ending point three of four hours later. Absolutely incredible.

Let me tell you about this nephew. I have been acquainted with him most of his life, but we never lived near each other, so we didn’t’ really know each other well. Sue and I attended his wedding three years ago in Salt Lake City and are sharing he and Emily’s joy on the arrival of their first child in the next few weeks. We enjoyed a great dinner out with them on this trip.

Those of you who are well acquainted with me realize that, after a forty-year career in corporate human resources, I am a student of human behavior and am always subtly observing it. Let me share my observations of my nephew on this trip.

This amazing young man is an Associate Professor of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah. He is intelligent, vibrant, clearly engaged in his field of study and his students. He has participated in and/or led domestic and world-wide field studies with his students. He is well-read and is an excellent writer. He is anticipating fatherhood with great excitement.

I am so impressed after watching him with TJ and Ivan. On their first ride I could tell he was assessing their skills and abilities to determine where he could take them and how to ensure their safety. He did this unobtrusively. I don’t think they had a clue that this was what he was doing. He jumped in enthusiastically with them – he may well have been having as much or more fun than they were. He took great photos and videos of them. He talked their language and was instructional. I would love to observe this man in his college classroom – his students must be so taken with him. I liken TJ’s and Ivan’s biking experience with him to a semester abroad. They were immersed in mountain biking – an experience they will not soon forget if ever.

As I ponder the lessons of this trip for me, Sue, and the boys, I return again and again to the incredible generosity and love shown to us by this man. I had hoped for a couple of hours. He gave us the best part of four days. In the book, Walden, Henry David Thoreau states, “To affect the quality of the day – that is the highest of arts.” Peter Cruzan Lippert, you so positively affected the quality of our days in Park City. We thank you with our entire being.