Hike: Art Nord to Maples

Today I went on a hike with the Davis Hiking Group. We hiked Art Nord to Maples, a trail in the Ogden, Snow Basin area.

The trail was packed and narrow with a steady incline.

It was a very enjoyable hike. There were a few clouds in the sky, but sunny for all of the morning.

The trail wound thru trees, that we all agreed would make for a great late spring and summer trail, once they were in foilage.

We imagined how nice this creek bed will be in the Spring. But it sure made for a pretty winter picture.

Near the top we came across a Park Service Yurt. It was warm inside and fairly spacious. It had chairs, a table, a pad for sleeping, a burning fire with plenty of fireword, and a roll of toilet paper (in case you forgot yours.) Anyone is welcome to take shelter inside. We decided it would be fun to plan a hike in the area, bring your sleeping bag and food, and spend the night here.

The clouds began to roll in as we headed back and the wind picked up, a bit.

The layers of clothing came back on as the 2 1/2 hour hike ended. We all felt rejuvenated by our trek in our beautiful Wasatch Mountains!

Bryce's Birthday and other events

Today, February 9, 2010, Bryce turned 32. We celebrated his birthday last evening. It was a major undertaking to get all the candles lit.

Happy Birthday, Bryce!

Last week we visited Bryce in his office to have him do our tax returns.

Bryce has a nice office with big windows that give him a view and sunlight.

Kimball has been learning to communicate by signing. He watches DVD's to learn new words. Here he is making the sign for "book." He knows what he is standing in front of. Smart boy! (and good parents that teach him.)

Kimball's favorite Christmas toy is this airplane that he can ride or push round and round the house. It also has buttons to push that make sounds (Kimball loves buttons) and, it just happens to be the present Grandma and Grandpa gave him :)

At Grandma and Grandpa's house, there is a teepee that can be set up in the basement family room. Kimball likes to go inside with his daddy. This teepee was made when Kimball's daddy was little, so now, Bryce gets to play in it all over again.

Kimball likes to climb in this chair and then turn the light on and off. Before he could walk, Grandma would sit in this rocking chair and feed him. He noticed the lightswitch at that young age and tried to climb over Grandma to get to it.

One last picture of me wearing the beautiful shawl that Amber knit for me a couple of Christmases ago. I enjoy wearing it to Church!

Logan, my old stomping grounds, and Cache Valley

We had an excuse to drive up to Cache Valley and the city of Logan, where I grew up. Elder Higham, a little further to the north in Richmond, was reporting his mission from Brazil. He was a "greenie" in the city where we served. We had him and his companion over every Monday for dinner and we grew fond of one another.

The drive through Sardine Canyon was overcast, but the mountains, draped in snow were beautiful.

Coming out of Sardine Canyon into Cache Valley, the sky was still hazy.

On our way through Logan to Richmond, we passed the old Pioneer Tabernacle on Main Street.

It was great to see Elder Higham again. It was fun to "shoot the breeze" about our Brazillian adventures. We decided we will travel together to Elder and Sister Call's homecoming address when they return from Brazil next month. Elder and Sister Call replaced us as S&I Coordinators in our mission.

While in the area, we drove up to Frankin, Idaho, about ten minutes further north to check on Derek's land.

On the way back to the highway, we passed this store and throught it was hilarious, a reminder of days long past--a good place to buy furnishings for homes, new, existing, and future.

After the meeting and visit with Elder Higham and his family we drove back to Logan for dinner with my sister, Deanna and her husband, Cliff.

The back windows of their home have a beautiful view of Logan City.

The home I grew up in was a block away from the temple.

This is the chapel where I went to church.

We stayed until dusk when the temple lights turned.

Demise of an Icon

Barnes Bank is dying. It has been an Icon in our town since 1891. Up through 2006, it was ranked in the top five in the nation as being the best bank. We have banked there for the past 29 years. Last Thursday we went in and cleaned out our funds. It will close its doors February 12, 2010. Zions National Bank hopes to buy the building. We thought we'd take a couple of pictures for memories sake, while it's still BARNES BANK!

A new addition was built at the back of the bank a few years ago, and nine other branches were built in the state. We are sorry to see it go.

Prayer Flag from Nepal

Today I hung the prayer flag that Eddie brought to me from Nepal. It reminded me of the many prayers flags we saw when we visited Tibet, and the humble, sweet people that live there. I hung the prayer flag between the two Washington Hawthorne trees that are situated in the perfect spot in the back yard to shield our privacy in the warmer months from the neighbors behind.

As I hung it, I offered a prayer of healing for Ed, our dear friend Teresa in Texas who is awaiting breast cancer surgery, and for our children, relatives, friends, and neighbors who are in need of the gift of healing or have other concerns and need help of any kind. I prayed that my prayer and those on this prayer flag, now set free in the outside air and thus being released, would fly in the wind everywhere, to all those in need, and that God would answer these prayers.

As I said my prayer, a special, tangible feeling came over me. This prayer flag represents the faith and prayers of all people, of all nationalities, of all denominations. God hears every prayer offered by a sincere believer. Because of faith and prayer, God blesses his children.

As I took photos following my little ceremony, I thought that I had chosen a fitting place to hang my Prayer Flag from Nepal. These trees represent Mother Earth who gives life to all who inhabit her. Not only that, they are scarred having undergone trauma following heavy snowstorms that weighed down their branches, split open their trunks, and posed possible death. Never-the-less, they survived and the hundreds of birds that stay out the winter, find nourishment from the berries on their branches during these same cold winters that threaten and sometimes inflict harm to the trees.

Hence, my prayer flag hangs, to be tattered by winds and storms in order that these prayers may be carried to other places.

Ending the week well

I went hiking up the Bair Creek trail this afternoon. It's the first time I've been on this trail, which winds deep up into the canyon, in the winter. Winter hiking is so wonderful. I'm so glad I discovered it--thanks to Ed's gift of micro-spikes.

I didn't think to take me camera, but the creek looked very beautiful with shards of ice hovering over the outer edges of the banks. The day was overcast, but not too cold.

I met two other women hiking, and went with them for the last part of the hike to the second crossing. This hike lasted 2 hours.

In the evening, we drove to Bryce and Kate's for a bowl of chilli and to see Chad, who is visiting from Portland. He came to snowboard and see family and friends. It was a really nice evening. Ed came over for the dinner part and then drove himself back home.

Another great hike.

January 7, 2010

Today the weather gave Northern Utah a break from the gray sky, smog, and bad air. I took advantage and drove to Antelope Island to hike the Lakeside Trail, a hike I missed with my hiking group last Saturday.

When I left Kaysville, the temperature was in the 30's. As I was driving over the causeway, it dipped to 14 degrees. When I reached the Bridgerbay campground at the start of the trail it had risen to 15 degrees. I knew was I trouble because I hadn't thought I'd need my face mask. My body stayed warm during the hike with my layering but my face got chilled from the slight wind that was blowing. I had brought a woolen scarf, but it wasn't as effective in keeping out the cold as the mask would have been.

It was a beautiful hike. It began along the eastern part of the lake and looked out onto one of the other islands.

The path was barely covered with snow--hardly enough to justify the use of my micro-spikes.

The island terrain reminded me of a moonscape with grasses sticking up here and there amid the rocks.

I saw bison tracks and pies on the trail and wondered if I would come upon one during my walk around the lake.

On the west side, the path had only an occasional patch of snow. The sun came out and the water shimmered. About halfway or so along the trail, I did spy Bison--a group of them. A herd of about ten were grazing up ahead on either side of the trail. The biggest one became alert and stood there watching me. Knowing that Bison can pivot 180 degrees in a second and be into a 30 mile per hour run, or so, in 2-3 seconds made me decide to turn around and go back the way I had come. Walking along a trail, alone, with Bison a few feet away on either side of the trail did not seem like a good idea to me. After I made this decision, and began walking away from them, the one that was watching me went back to his grazing.

I also saw two different flocks of small black birds, and two jack rabbits. One startled me while I was in a thoughtful reverie, scurrying off to the right. I guess, I startled it, so it startled me. Then, as I was almost back to the car, I saw a man on horseback and another very large jack rabbit bounded up the hill. I thought it was the man's dog at first, but it's stride was smooth and long. It was very fun to watch.

The batteries quit on my camera, and I did not have any spares, so I was not able to take more pictures. My hike lasted about 1 1/2 hours, not what I had hoped for with my $9 entrance fee, but at least I can say I've been there and enjoyed our nice little island in the winter.