Planning for MLK Day

[Kenny]

Unlike some of you, tomorrow is not a holiday at my office, so if I want to get any riding, it has to be a dawn patrol. I figure some of you may have the day off and also a deep desire to ride.

If you have the time and inclination, pack up your gear and head down to Mojave. Wind should be at least in the mid-teens, but possibly much windier tomorrow at Katherine's Landing. I am not the best at forecasting wind down there, but if I were going I would make sure that I brought a small kite in addition to my regular kites as it was forecast to blow mid-teens today on windfinder and it is blowing in the high 20's.

The morning thermal at Pineview lasted most of the morning today, but was strong early in the day. Should repeat tomorrow and Tuesday mornings.

NE winds are honking on the mountaintops today and should again tomorrow. PM has had good NE wind all day today, it is not the best rideable direction, but hey if you are desperate (like me) you might give it a try. If I had the time tomorrow, I would go to Pineview and then up to PowMow. If the wind wasn't good, I would just ski or board all afternoon under brilliant sunny skies. Another thought is to try Monte, I am not sure if it is high enough to get the NE wind, so if you go please report even if it is a skunk. Any of these options beat sitting in the valley inversion.

Those of you fortunate enough to own a snowmobile: If you can get above 10,000 feet and you can ride on the north or NE side of a peak, you have a good shot at the strong NE winds. Avalanche danger is still moderate, so stay off steep slopes and take appropriate avy gear if you go (Don't go alone). Avalanche danger is still considerable in the Uintas.

I wish the upper level winds would switch back to NW as then we would get an afternoon wind at Strawberry. Skyline doesn't seem to turn on with the NE winds as well.

I will send an update if I see anything change, but it looks like the pattern is pretty stagnant for Tuesday as well. Hope to see some changes start Wednesday.

Want to try something different - tired of Chuck Arama and Olive Garden? If you are an adventurous eater, you need to try Korean food. I didn't like Korean food the first time I tried it. I don't know what it is about it, but now I find myself craving it. Utah only has a handful of Korean restaurants. This one is my favorite. It is called Myung Ga tofu house and bbq. This is a small family run restaurant located in a strip mall in West Valley at 1839 W. 3500 S. If you haven't tried Korean food before, go there for lunch. Lunch specials are $7.99. Dinner is more expensive ($15 - 20), but the portions are big. The menu is difficult to decipher as most of it is in Korean, so I will try to give you an idea of what they serve. Let's start with the tofu, they serve a soup that comes out so hot that it is still boiling, you crack an egg in the soup and stir, the egg cooks immediately. The soups are tasty with pieces of tofu. Korean bbq consists of meat that has been broiled with a sweet/spicy sauce, it is served with a handful of side dishes including kimchi (a spicy, pickled cabbage that Koreans love), spicy cucumbers, wilted soybeans, sweet boiled potatoes, etc. The best part is the rice that is served in a hot stone bowl. You scoop out the rice and the remaining rice is slightly charred on the stone bowl. You eat the meat with rice and the side dishes. The blend of flavors, sweet, sour, spicy, makes it a sensory delight. I wouldn't take a picky eater there, but for those who are looking for something unusual and delicious, this place it a real find. Next time let's talk about Pho (pronounced foo) a Vietnamese soup that is great on a winter day.