Just got back from swimming today. Nice workout (for me at least):

• 1 x 100 free
• 1 x 100 breast
• 1 x 50 free
• 1 x 100 kick
• 1 x 200 pull
• 1 x 50 breast
• 1 x 100 free (slow)
• 1 x 100 breast (slow)

Total workout: 800 meters.

Well, I was already sore from lifting on Wednesday. I try to hit the gym at least three times a week during the winter when I’m not riding my bike as much. I did some curls on wednesday and my upper arms really got a workout. They haddn’t fully recovered before the swim today. Ibuprofan is my friend…

I miss being outside and before the Europe trip this year, I was riding about 100 miles a week. Orem and Utah valley is one of the nicest places to ride. I’m only about 5 minutes from the nearest canyon, and there are amazing farm roads that strech for miles that make for great road riding. I found a route that takes me about 35 miles through the west side of Orem and Provo through some farm-roads between some feilds and winds around till I get over my Novell and then South on Kuni Rd. to the old Thunder Mountain Raceway.

Thunder Mountain is shutdown now. I have never seen it working so I imagine it was used in the 50′s 60′s, 70′s and maybe the 80s. It’s overgrown with weeds that come up through the cracks in the pitted raceway pavent but the grandstand and the observation deck are still there. Old tires that were used as protective barriers or otherwise abandoned are easy to see throughout the track area. It’s off limits to visitors but you can get a good look from the road that runs along the north end of the raceway grounds.

I’ve often wondered how popular or crowded the stands were when it was in heavy use. Hardly anyone visits now and motorists busy to get on their way to Springville or to the new Walmart that was recently built only about a mile north, pass by without even noticing what an interesting place it is.

My guess is that, like most other fields and open spaces hear here, it will soon be plowed over, new homes or a shopping center will be in it’s place shortly.