Salt Lake City - Temple Square

No visit to Salt lake City would be complete without seeing the Square, especially this year following al the publicity the Mormon faith has received (probably due to the election focus).

I'm not sure exactly what Joseph Smith had in mind for the center of their heaven on earth, but needless to say, the Square is filled with both beauty & awe!

Sam spent the better part of an hour listening to an artist practice for an upcoming concert on this great instrument!

But, he did take some time to enjoy the wonderful fragrance & colors of these beautiful gardens....

Antelope Island

The diversity represented in the 3-plus hour drive from Moab to the Salt Lake City area is beyond description. Needless to say, I felt like we'd traveled to several planets, each distinctly different from the other, with the final resting spot a serene, eerily quiet, glassy lake dotted lake with adventure-filled islands, backdropped by endless snow-capped mountains......an absolutely stunning change from the searing red desert of hours ago!


As we rounded the long final bend on the "bridge road" to Antelope Island State Park, the view back towards Salt Lake City was shocking. With this huge metropolis only a few miles away, Nature's splendorous painting has completely hidden the commercial jungle.
....................Ah, to live in such a place, if only for a few days, will be a joy!


As the sun set on the trailer shortly after pulling into the campground, the area looked rather desolate & unappealing. A view the next morning from atop the hill behind the campground, shows one just how wrong this conclusion was, and how beautiful the Island truly is.


The Island itself is rich in diversity, much of which is represented by the many animals and birds that seek refuge here. The vast herd of buffalo that originally inhabited the Island now number a few hundred, but seem to thrive on the endless grassy hillsides. Pronghorn antelope are seen here & there, their lightning speed and shy nature making them difficult to photograph.

Although we added several "lifers" to our birding list, the star of the show for this trip had to be these peppy little Eared Grebes...


The only significant dwelling on the Island was the mormon-run Fielding Garr Ranch, which is well-preserved today, serving both as an attraction, and a working ranch for the maintenance of the Island. The Ranch is a brider's treasure, hosting many interesting species, including the Lazuli Bunting, Yellow Warbler & Great Horned Owl.

Kim found this early version travel trailer out back, pointing out the wonderful accomodations and functional kitchen....

Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the visit, was just roaming around the Ranch, and enjoying the beautiful sunshine and nice breeze!

Although every sunset was special, that last evening spent watching the big firey ball as it sank across the lake will be long remembered....

Trying to Catch Up!!!!

just a quick update...as you can see from the sheer size of the last few posts, WE LOVED THE entire Colorado Plateau & Four Corners AREA ....especially Utah.... a land of fun toys, and romping play!

we have moved on to stay with friends in Nampa ID for a couple of days, then plan to head to the Komfort factory in Clackamas, OR for final trailer warranty work...then North to Alaska!

we have a rompin' high speed connection here, but are still a few posts behind due to editing of hundreds of photos, then trying to pick those very few that truly give you the feel for the variety & beauty out here....

so, thanks for your patience, hang in there, keep checking the Blog every few days, and by all means, plan a trip for yourself to this area for this Fall or next Spring...you'll love it too!

Moab - Arches National Park

The first thing you notice while driving into Arches is the diversity....hot desert foregrounds, with majestic snow-covered mountain backgrounds, what a beautiful land! The knarled red rock seems to jump out against the whispy white snow...

We arrived in the middle of an overcast afternoon, not exactly the best of conditions for photographing the Park's splendor, but managed to get a few images that will give you a feel for it's majestic character. Balance Rock is a well known feature that one cannot miss along the opening drive into the area.

Landscape Arch is a true example of nature's "work in progress", with chunks falling from it's lower surface almost every year. The extremes of winter combine with water in it's cracks to work at splitting the thinning rock....it's only a matter of time, before the entire structure goes!

My personal favorite was Navajo Arch, a smaller structure, somewhat off the beaten path, but one of the few where you can walk up under it's bridge and get an "up close & personal" experience.... wow! what a chunk of rock!
On our hike to reach Navajo, we discovered several smaller arches, and some very strange & indeed unique "wall art" in the sides of the cliffs nearby.


We ended a beautiful afternoon with this view of Delicate Arch, the Parks most popular, and fond memories of another of this Nation's great treasures!

Moab - Colorado River Rafting!

Having just completed the interesting biography of Buzz Holstrom, "The Doing of the Thing" and well into Powell's own account of running the Grand Canyon, I simply had to get on the River for a little whitewater fun & adventure.

http://www.amazon.com/Doing-Thing-Brilliant-Whitewater-Holstrom/dp/1892327465

http://www.amazon.com/Exploration-Colorado-Canyons-Adventure-Classics/dp/0792266366/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210257460&sr=1-1

Since Kim wanted Tuesday to peruse the quaint shops of downtown Moab, I was left with only one choice for the float, the full day trip from to the ...takeout, a nice scenic trip with mostly class 2 rapids with a couple of 3's for a little extra excitement....with the Colorado at record highs this early in the season, we actually finished well ahead of schedule at each of the day's two stops.

http://www.adrift.net/daily.html

Shortly after starting down the river, our guide, Sean, pointed out this unusual "dog rock", can you recognize who's sitting up there?

In case you haven't figured it out...a hint...think about the Charlie Brown show.

We went through several nice sets of ripples and a few Class 1 & 2's. Aphrehension started building a bit as we approached the first Class 3.....not so much out of any fear of going over, but, since it was a cloudy, windy, cool morning none of us was ready for a icey cold shower!

Although that big wave to the right looked mean, it turned out to be just an easy fun ride, and even though we had to bail a bit, Sean did a great job of keeping the chilling waters off of everything but our feet as you can see in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zEWk7JPNiE

Shortly before lunch, we passed the Red Creek Lodge, where Kim & I had enjoyed the day before on the trail ride. I was surprised at how much more beautiful the place looked from the water. It's a bit pricey, but I don't think you could go wrong staying there....

As we enjoyed our lunch, we noticed that last rapid hadn't been quite as friendly to the now soaked souls were using this (inverted) craft! (don't worry, moments later a group of kids floated by on another obviously overloaded boat, waving, laughing & hollering, after picking up this crew...).

The final Class 3 was a blast, and managed to fulfill Sean's statement earlier that "you may get a little wet on the next one"!

By the time we got into the second section, I was able to get the camera on video mode again.....so take a look at this one! Boy, that water was some COLD!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6iWxcA6IHM

All-in-all a great day on the River! see y'all out there next time.......