A Trippy Trip

"'Cause baby, there ain't no mountain high enough. Ain't no valley low enough. Ain't no river..."

"Uh oh. It looks like there might be an accident up ahead. Do you see the police lights? I bet someone hit a deer. Wait a minute, is that policeman signaling for me to pull over? I wonder what's wrong?"

So ended our crooning with the Temptations and began our trip to scenic southcentral Utah.

As it turns out, the police officer (who was very, very nice by the way) said I had not dimmed my high beams early enough and that he would let me go with a warning this time, but in the future I should be careful about my using my bright lights because "there are many old people that drive these roads and the bright lights bother them." I was relieved, to say the least, and very cautious (a.k.a. "paranoid") about my headlight usage from that point on.

Sadly, that was not my only brush with the long arm of the Utah law on this trip. On Sunday, as TC and I were traveling along lovely Highway 12 engrossed in a deep conversation about freedom and living outside of "the matrix" (oh, I was on a roll, indeed!), I failed to notice the speed limit change (a.k.a "tourist speed trap") through the "town" of Escalante. (Actually, we both failed to notice the entire "town"). It wasn't long before I saw the all-too-familiar police lights in my rearview mirror. $107 later, we were again on our way to the wilds of Bryce Canyon as I unsuccessfully tried to exorcise the voice within me that said "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"Ironic, isn't it?" TC posed. "There we were talking about how free it must have felt to have lived in a time when only nature (rather than human-imposed codes, laws, and schedules) dictated most of your life and "the man" stops us and tickets us for speeding."

Yep, it was ironic. It was also stupid, stupid, stupid!

Bryce Canyon was kind of a last minute decision and a change in plans. My original plans had us visiting Capital Reef NP instead. Several recent recommendations as well as time, convenience and a desire to go horseback riding caused us to alter my plans and go to Bryce instead. We still visited Calf Creek Falls (which was gorgeous, by the way - I highly recommend it!), camped at the campgrounds there (in overflow camping because it was so crowded) and saw spectacular views from Boulder Mountain and Hogsback Ridge, but we decided against the 3-4 hour (possibly??) drive along Burr Trail and Notom-Bullfrog Road.

Having grown up with horses, it's always been a bit difficult for me to justify paying money (and lots of it) to go on a slow, often boring, hour-long horse ride. However, I've been itching to go riding the whole time I've been here and riding horses into the canyon seemed like a good way to see the park and something that could be fun, too. So we did it. We rented horses for a two-hour ride into (and back out of) the canyon. Our guide, a very chatty cowboy from Texas, was quite the character and I, being right behind him in line, got entertained the whole way. He was on a mule that spent most of her life pulling a cart. I think he said the mule had only had someone on her back about 14 times before our ride. He also mentioned to me that she was a little skittish, so until they broke her of that, they didn't want to let anyone but the guide ride her. On the way out of the canyon, we got a good taste of just how skittish she could be.

Always on the lookout for wildlife (I had already racked up one snake, a raven, a hawk - being chased by another raven - a chipmunk, a butterfly, several jackrabbits, and a small flock of wild turkey to TC's one bee and one fish - not that it was a competition or anything), I noticed a small herd of mule deer off to the right of the (narrow, winding) path up ahead of us. I told the guide about them (thinking that he might want to stop so people could look and/or take pictures). He did stop and we all lined up and watched the deer, oohing and ahhing appropriately as we did. It wasn't long before the deer saw us too. As soon as they started to run away, ol' Peaches (the guide's mule) finally noticed them and freaked out. One second I was casually aiming my camera at the deer closest to us and the next second I was being crushed (ok, not really crushed, but close) by a 1300 pound mule. Having been on and/or near Angel (the devil horse we had on our farm) many times when she spooked at something, Peaches' behavior did not immediately panic me. My only thought was that I better get my camera back in its case before I dropped it. However, as Peaches pushed by me, flailing and kicking, I became aware enough to start worrying about everyone else down the line (as I mentioned earlier, we were on a narrow, winding path). "Hold on!" I yelled to TC (as if he wouldn't think to do that on his own) and tried to get my own horse out of the way and under control. Peaches finally calmed down. We all took a little breather (including the guide who was visibly shaken) and then attempted to go forward again. The deer were gone, but just like Angel used to do, Peaches refused to go past the spot where they had been. Again, she flailed backwards at us. Again, we tried desperately to move out of her way. Finally, our guide got off of her and walked her past the spot where the deer had been while we waited a good distance behind. When it appeared that Peaches was over her little anxiety attack, I led the rest of the line up the hill. We met our guide (who apologized profusely and kept asking me how my leg was - I guess it must have gotten smashed between the two horses, but I didn't remember that) and continued on our way. I have to say, that made the trip for me! It was a beautiful ride and I would have enjoyed it anyway, but that bit of excitement made it all the more enjoyable and worth the money.

It was already almost 5:00pm when we left Bryce, but we were tired, a bit sore, and just wanted to cap off our adventures with a bit of relaxation, so we stopped at Mystic Hot Springs on the way home. Mystic Hot Springs is a commercial, hippie-run hot springs spa in the little town of Monroe, Utah. It was a blast! We soaked in a communal pool with another family for awhile then moved to individual tubs up on the hill. From there, we watched the sun set, the steam rise, and the clouds of oncoming rain move in. It was great. When we finished soaking, we listened to a small band from San Francisco warming up inside while we drank a smoothie, then headed on down the road to home.

What a trip! A trippy trip! But I've come to expect nothing less from our little excursions together.

Daydreamin'

I thought Spring had finally sprung for good. The world seemed to erupt into color overnight - the mountains transformed from bleak gray to emerald; fruit trees, daffodils, tulips, and forsythia exploded with dazzling yellows, whites, pinks, reds and purples. Signs of new life were everywhere - foals nuzzling their moms in dewy pastures, mule deer replacing thick winter coats with sleek, fine fur, birds constructing nests from the remnants of winter. And I even shaved! Then winter came back with a vengeance. Temperatures dropped and snow dumped. I can't say that anyone I know here is happy about this. Enough already! I was starting to like it here again.

Yesterday's weather was so bad, no one was really able to do much work here. Poor visibility from the periodic heavy, driving snow made it impossible for L and I to survey, so in addition to doing work in the office and deconning sampling equipment, I daydreamed and planned my next getaway (sshh, don't tell my boss!).

My plans, in case you're interested, are to go to south-central Utah and explore the area around scenic Highway 12. Highlights of the trip will be doing some hiking in Capital Reef National Park and Calf Creek Recreation Area (to Calf Creek Falls) as well as doing some driving along what is purported to be some of the most scenic roads in the entire country - Notom-Bullfrog Road, Burr Trail, and Hogsback Ridge among others. Here are a couple of links to some websites that tell all about them: http://www.so-utah.com/hwy12/homepage.html and
http://www.scenicbyway12.com/.

My friend, a.k.a TC (traveling companion) or Mr. T (Testosterone Man), will likely go with me. I'm wondering what travails await us. Call me a cynic or a pessimist, but I don't think we've had an excursion yet that has not involved at least some drama. I am planning to rent a car, since my plans involve quite a bit of driving and much of it on backcountry roads. Hopefully, having a dependable car will bring us good luck and we'll have nothing but fun on the trip. I'm sure it will be eventful in any case.

Normal is no fun

What do dirty towels, algae, recumbent bikes, bison, a pony, Smith's Grocery store, Paris, and a trolley all have in common? My family's recent visit, of course!

A small portion of the ol' clan descended on my tiny apartment in the peaceful village of Springville on Friday, March 31st. My apartment, my neighbor, and my neighborhood will never be the same again.

I wasn't quite sure how we'd all do crowded in my humble digs, but I was eager for the company and craziness that would result. As with previous visitors (Amy and Lisa & children), I was very excited about their coming to see me in Utah. I really do love it out here and want to share what I'm seeing with everyone back home. I also knew that the visit would go too quickly and that I'd feel lonely all over again when they left. Still, I was eager for their arrival.

I met them at the baggage claim of the airport. Having received a call from my niece as they disembarked from the plane, I was all ready to snap a picture of them as they got within view. However, that never happened since I was in the wrong terminal (oops!). A phone call from my mom and a short trek to the terminal next door united us in no time and set the proverbial ball rolling. After picking up a rental car (van), we caravanned (no pun intended)the hour or so distance from the SLC airport to Springville, stopping along the way at Cafe Rio (voted by City Weekly as having the Best Burrito in Utah) for some food. The evening was spent getting settled in.

After a cozy night of semi-sleep (3 loud snorers in the bunch), we embarked on a trek northward to Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake. A threatening storm resulted in gusty winds and very dark skies, but didn't dissuade us stalwart adventures from exploring the island (Aye, matey!) from (for the most post) the safe and warm confines of the van. We learned all about the island at the visitor center (or from asking questions of those of us who bothered to read the displays!), then drove around the island to look for roaming bison (which we saw in great number) and to enjoy the scenery. It really is a beautiful island. I had no idea (although plenty of people had suggested I go there) it was such a little treasure. I plan to go back to camp and hike when the weather warms up a tad. One of the highlights of the island is the Fielding-Garr Ranch. We could only imagine what kind of mettle a person must have had to have lived in such a remote setting on such a harsh land.

Our day continued with a visit to Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The annual LDS conference was in full swing while we were there, so in addition to learning a bit about Utah and LDS history, we got a good education about modern Utah/LDS culture as well. The trip home included a stop at the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point and Cabela's which was, conveniently, located right across the highway.

Sunday saw us driving again - this time south to Moab. The scenery on the way down is so pretty and so different from anything out east that we were pretty entertained by it. However, music is a must on most roadtrips I take and so it wasn't long before the entire van was rocking with us bellowing "When I grow up, I want a pony" with Kasey Chambers. I'm not sure my mom knew the words, but I think I heard her even join in on the yodeling part. Woohoo!

Moab was warm, sunny and inviting. After lunch at the Moab brewery (thanks to a gift card from work), we spent the day driving and hiking around Arches National Park. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather nor more perfect photo ops. Unfortunately, this seemed to be the time when all of our cameras went haywire. As a result, we didn't get as many pictures as we would have liked, but we sure saw some pretty great scenery. I've been there three times now, but I'm still impressed by the beauty.

We stayed at the Cali Cochitta Bed and Breakfast (again, thanks to a gift card from work), but were too tired from our day's adventures to take advantage of any of the amenities (e.g. the hot tub!) there. We shared breakfast (a grapefruit and some sort of crepe-like thing topped with berries and cream) the next morning with a couple from Philadelphia (who were very familiar with the place I worked last summer - Riverbend Environmental Education Center) and a couple from Minnesota (I think) who were feeling the pain of having biked through Arches the day before. They ride recumbent bikes at home and filled us all in on the virtues of recumbent bikes, eagerly answering our curious questions. It was obvious that they missed their bikes - especially the seats!

The day (another beautiful sunny southern Utah one) was spent exploring areas near Moab, including Dead Horse Point State Park (pictured above) and a very small portion of Canyonlands National Park. Whew! What amazing views! Kind of scary - especially if you happen to be the mother of a very adventuresome 10 year old - but breathtaking.

We had lunch along the Green River in...well...Green River, Utah, then spent the night at a Best Western in Price. It had an indoor pool, hot tub AND we each got our own bed!! Paradise. My niece and I walked to the local Smith's Grocery Store for goodies while my sister ordered pizza. It was fun to get a chance to walk and talk with my niece and hear about all of the things going on in her life. I feel like I really got to know her better - which is cool because she's a pretty cool 10 year old. A good old fashioned pajama/pizza party - complete with really good bad-for-you snacks and pop - ensued upon our return to the hotel. We watched Animal Planet and some show about little people and hit the sack.

Tuesday, their last full day in Utah, was spent pretty leisurely. Our return drive (accompanied by Beatles music from the I Am Sam soundtrack) was fairly uneventful. We stopped in Spanish Fork for lunch, then took a brief tour of Springville. Naps, "personal space time," listening to my neighbor sing (and trying to decide if she was playing her own accompaniment or if she had "one of those background tapes"), a trip to the very dirty, very slimy, very algae-filled hot springs in Saratoga Springs, and my sister's trip to the local Laundromat to wash (among other things) the pile of dirty towels that had quickly accumulated took up most of the afternoon. At 7:00, we gathered to watch American Idol (my sister and I have both become strangely addicted to the show) and to cheer on little Paris, my niece's favorite. Afterwards, we met my friend at a very fun little local restaurant (The Art City Trolley) which is housed (at least part of it is) in an old train trolley from Pennsylvania (of all places!).

They left the next day in one of the worst wind storms I've experienced since being here (wind gusts reached up to 70mph). I went to work. In essence, "things" got back to "normal". Sadly, sometimes "normal" is no fun.