Mike Meister NorCal Trip Part 1

My brother John and I decided to head out California way around the end of April. No rhyme nor reason really, just an excuse to feel the wind in our hair, watch the open road pass before our eyes and to put our feet in the frigid waters of Lake Tahoe during a snow storm.

Mission accomplished. We left Denver on the morning of April 25th early with the goal of getting to Salt Lake City in the Afternoon. We had made an arrangement to meet up with Matt Beringer a few days before, so we had something to look forward to. The drive from Colorado to Utah is always a beautiful one. There are many ways to take; each one more interesting and exciting than the last. Our route this time around was to take I-70 west to Rifle, CO. head north From there to Meeker, CO. and then head west from there to Utah on state highway 40. Western Colorado/Eastern Utah is really a land of juxtapositions. It really must be driven on to fully appreciate the surrounding beauty and grandeur. The stark Desert landscape surrounds you but it offers you vistas of snow capped peaks in the far off distances. It really drives home how important water is for our survival and how the combination of time and water has come to shape that rugged landscape. As you head west you’re greeted by dinosaurs and small towns and eventually you are dropped out onto I-80 and Salt Lake City isn’t too much farther. Upon arriving in SLC we called Matt and were lucky enough to meet up with him and a few other dudes. Tate Roskelley, Shawn “Elf” Walters, and the “Outsider” Cameron Wood along with a few other dudes. A short session ensued and I was greeted by a very bizarre shooting pain in my arm, from the wrist up to the elbow. No swelling, no movement and no idea how it came about. Come to find out later that it may be tendonitis. After the session wrapped up we headed to Matt’s house and he gave us the grand tour of the backyard. Kudos to that dude! I admire his tenacity and drive for keeping up on that place. We hit the sack around midnight so we could wake up and hit the rode for the long haul on I-80 toward Lake Tahoe.

-Mike Meister