tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69743522024-03-07T15:10:23.430-08:00Smaug's Musings: Shane Roe's WritingsThis is my life. My thoughts, my feelings, and the things I spend my time doing and loving. Take your time, but not too much of it--it's far too valuable. Most of all, enjoy the adventure!Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.comBlogger523125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-50425856624174257992019-08-18T07:20:00.001-07:002019-08-18T07:20:52.086-07:00Hiking: Kessler Peak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQo5sVK6kJjQcRNgY0CKHXT6knwqSF4L75Of-79F5mQusc2wMjnhuCUoTL5UkXWE9e4kflWI86hqMk4l1arFn_p36xIHOMt47g0LKaZWb78c5_ywVa_9yGiBMwFSfzAwUtToS8g/s1600/IMG_8634+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQo5sVK6kJjQcRNgY0CKHXT6knwqSF4L75Of-79F5mQusc2wMjnhuCUoTL5UkXWE9e4kflWI86hqMk4l1arFn_p36xIHOMt47g0LKaZWb78c5_ywVa_9yGiBMwFSfzAwUtToS8g/s320/IMG_8634+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Last Saturday, August 10, a few of us from our <a href="https://www.lifelinecommunity.com/">church</a> hiker's group headed up <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2019/08/mineral-fork-return-to-past.html">Big Cottonwood Canyon</a> in the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/10/hiking-prince-of-wales-mine.html">Wasatch Mountains</a> to try hiking a peak I've never hiked before. Kessler Peak is easily visible to anyone traveling the canyon. Near Donut Falls and just across the ridge from <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2019/08/mineral-fork-return-to-past.html">Mineral Fork</a>, and across two ridges from <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/06/lake-blanche-hike.html">Lake Blanche</a>, it's a prominent point in the Wasatch. Visible also from <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/mt-raymond-hike-fourth-times-charm.html">Mt. Raymond</a> and <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2010/08/two-hikes-this-week-gobblers-knob-and.html">Gobblers Knob</a>, it reaches to 10,403 feet in elevation, which is higher than both Raymond and Gobblers across the way.<br />
The trail begins off of the same trailhead that goes to Donut Falls. It's rated as difficult and main challenge is a 2,874 foot elevation gain in about 2.2 miles. That's according to alltrails.com. We measured the distance at just over 5 miles. It's very steep.<br />
Much of the trail is in the shade, which is a plus considering the extreme exertion you are under when climbing it. Trekking poles are recommended, especially on the way down. Once at the top you will be rewarded with amazing views of <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/05/hiking-broads-fork.html">Broad's Fork</a> Twin Peaks, Dromedary, Mt. Superior, Mt. Raymond, Gobblers Knob, and the backside of <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/mt-olympus-great-september-hike.html">Mt. Olympus</a>. You can even find Sundial Peak if you know where to look.<br />
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<b>Getting there:</b><br />
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From the bottom of Big Cottonwood, drive up about 8.9 miles to where there is a large parking lot along the road on both sides. On the right is the turn off for the Donut Falls trailhead. There is often parking available right at the trailhead, so it's worth taking a look, especially early in the day. The trailhead is about .8 miles on this side road. <u>Girl on a Hike</u> has a good description of how to find the actual trail here: <a href="http://www.girlonahike.com/2016/10/hiking-kessler-peak.html">Clickety-click</a><br />
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<b>Trip Report</b><br />
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Three of us began this hike. Myself, Robert, and Luke. I being the oldest, age 60, began huffing and puffing from the beginning. I had asked some folks previously if this hike was as tough (meaning steep) as the really steep part of the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/09/hike-of-yearlone-peak.html">Jacob's Ladder route to Lone Peak</a>. I was having a hard time making myself understood as to just exactly where I meant. I found this hike to be not quite as steep as that, but steep enough to keep me stopping to catch my breath, especially as we gained elevation.<br />
Part way up we saw an old miner's cabin and just past it, a mine that went back in a ways. I hadn't brought my flashlight or headlamp along and the small cell phone lights were ineffective at showing how far back the mine went in. If I ever do this hike again, I'll bring one. On the way down, we met some guys who were familiar with the area and they told us there was one place where there's a tunnel all the way through the mountain. There may be a cave troll there though, so beware.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What remains of an old cabin near an abandoned mine.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert examines the mine.</td></tr>
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Soon after we passed the cabin and mine, there was a pretty long stretch of extremely steep trail. After that, we were near the top and zig-zagged around rocks picking our way up. No scrambling was involved, but it was terrain that required watching where you put your feet.<br />
Once on top the views were amazing. I sat down and ate a Clif Bar then took a few pics. Soon it was time to go down.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert checking out the views with Dromedary Peak and Broad's Fork Twin Peaks visible.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toward Little Cottonwood and Mt. Superior</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke and Robert checking pics and maps</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The upper Cardiff area above Donut Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Raymond and Gobblers Knob to the north.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The backside of Mt. Olympus and the Salt Lake Valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dromedary and Twins</td></tr>
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The steepness on the way down was tough too. I was glad I had the poles as they saved me from falling on my rear end a time or two.<br />
As we ended, Robert, who at 51 is a very experienced hiker who gets out frequently, commented that even <i>his</i> calves had begun burning. As for me, my calves had given me trouble on the way up, and my quads on the way down. For me, I'd rate the difficulty as pretty extreme. The good news is, stepping up my workouts to prepare for steep hikes kept me from having severe muscle pain a day or two later. Sure, I ached a bit, but not like I normally do. I really do recommend if you can't actually get out and hike a lot, that your <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/06/fitness-goals-what-are-they-and-how-do.html">gym workout</a> include step climbers and treadmills with increasingly steep angles. And some plyometrics are helpful too. Preparing yourself to do hikes like this is part of having a great <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/05/hiking-south-willow-lake.html">adventure</a>.<br />
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Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-50042755817257309162019-08-11T05:00:00.000-07:002019-08-11T05:00:39.276-07:00Mineral Fork: a return to the pastYears ago, there was a place called "Mineral Fork" high in the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/09/hike-of-yearlone-peak.html">Wasatch Mountains</a>, in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Actually it's still there, but years ago, you could drive up in it in four-wheel drive vehicles. It wasn't easy. There were some waterfall crossings that were pretty intense back then. We went up there once in the 1970s in my friend's FJ40 Toyota Landcruiser ( I later owned one, and I have missed having it ever since I got rid of it in the early 80s). All of us were teenagers out for a fun four-wheeling experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend's Landcruiser was a lot like this except baby blue.</td></tr>
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We drove up to a mine that I later found out was called the Wasatch Mine. People had been here before us, long ago, working in the side of the mountain, looking for precious metals. That road may have been started by them--or maybe it existed even further back and was some kind of Native American trail, or even a game trail in places. Now, while it's still open to ATVs and is the only place in Big Cottonwood that allows that, it is a great place to take a hike. No ATVs were up there this day, and if they were, they would've had a challenging time getting past a tree that had fallen across the trail. I have heard that before long ATV access will no longer exist up here.<br />
The reason being is partially because not many people hike here. They find other more popular destinations, like<a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/06/lake-blanche-hike.html"> Lake Blanche</a>, <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2019/06/desolation-lake-in-wasatch.html">Desolation Lake</a>, and nearby peaks, like <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/mt-raymond-hike-fourth-times-charm.html">Mt. Raymond </a>and <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2010/08/two-hikes-this-week-gobblers-knob-and.html">Gobblers Knob</a>.<br />
I knew this. I had been up this trail several times since the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/hiking-and-four-wheeling.html">four-wheeling</a> days in the seventies. The first time was soon after that time. I hiked up in there. I think I was still a teen, but maybe I was 20. Anyway, I was young and dumb and failed to pack water. There is a stream up there that comes right out of the mine, turning the rocks orange. The water is contaminated, but I didn't know that then. I was mad with thirst and bent down to drink out of the stream. I didn't feel all that good afterward, but I didn't die. Although maybe, if I get cancer sometime in my life, it will end up being because I put that contamination in my body way back when. You never know.<br />
This past Wednesday, I had been planning a hike with my son Ben, who was going to take me to breakfast and then hike with me as a birthday present. My birthday had been a few weeks ago, but we had scheduled the hike for my staycation week. The night before, Ben ended up having car problems and had to take his car to the mechanic. He wanted to be available if they called him, so he had to cancel (and hopefully reschedule) the hiking portion. We still went out to breakfast and after that I drove up to the "trailhead". Wanting to still do the original hike with Ben, I had decided to do Mineral Fork instead of our original plan, which was to hike the Alexander Basin trail to Gobblers Knob.<br />
There is no sign at the beginning of the Mineral Fork trail. At least not right at the roadside. All I can say is that it's above the S-curve, but before you get to Mill D, and it's a gate on the right side of the road. Hike back in there, cross the stream, and you'll see a sign there identifying it as Mineral Fork, about fifty yards in.<br />
I began hiking at 9 am. There was only one other vehicle parked near the gate. I had no idea if whoever was in the car had gone up the Mineral Fork trail, or maybe had used it as access to <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/great-hiking-and-fun-fishing-in-uintas.html">fish</a> Big Cottonwood Creek, or something else.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These waterfalls are just above the road</td></tr>
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The trail is fairly steep and switchbacks back and forth across the stream a couple of times before finally making its way back into the canyon. It's mostly through wooded areas, so there's protection from the sun for a large portion of the trail. This particular day, was overcast, so there was more sun protection, and less opportunity to get any great pics. In addition to the steepness, there's a lot of loose rock on the trail. I had a time deadline, so I thought I'd hike up until about 11:00 and then turn around. I knew that I'd be taking a bunch of pics, which would slow me down, so I had no idea if I'd make it to the Wasatch Mine, which was three miles back in. My goal would be to get beyond that and up to the Regulator Johnson Mine, which is another two miles, and then up to the ridge, to look down into Lake Blanche and over to <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/01/thinking-about-mountains.html">Sundial Peak</a>.<br />
I made it to the mine just at 11:00 and took a few pics. The history of mining in these mountains was evident throughout the upper canyon. Definitely interesting for the history buff as well as the hiker.<br />
It had begun sprinkling, so I tucked my camera away in my pack and headed down. I found some wildflowers that I had to try and get some good photos of though, and the camera came back out. The rain still hadn't <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wasatch mine tailings and wildflowers<br /></td></tr>
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intensified, so I left the camera out.<br />
When I was maybe 2 miles back down, a guy came up behind me and passed me. I assumed he was the owner of the other vehicle I had seen down below. That's the only person I saw on the trail.<br />
It's a Beautiful hike with many possible <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/11/gratitude-im-grateful-for-picnics.html">picnic sites</a> and places to rest. If I would've begun earlier, I could've made it to the other mine and possibly the ridge. I will have to keep that in mind for future <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/02/skiing-was-glorious-adventure.html">adventures</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up at the Wasatch Mine and upper Mineral Fork</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wasatch Mine<br /></td></tr>
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Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-35694423763219953862019-07-28T12:11:00.000-07:002019-07-28T12:11:40.097-07:00Stewart Falls with a couple of my buds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18j3XKn2p349VXT6aOJhPTERTKH725FQ3FiVyfNxMcSZc-KveDokZp9cKs8TJcsf3gdHr02kfXiKsnZ5WoY4UnRYAkPP_wlMnrKjDuCRHiDZY15IVM3rWdrJ-KXf9gXw1WPpWhg/s1600/Shane%252C+Taggart%252C+Jack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1008" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18j3XKn2p349VXT6aOJhPTERTKH725FQ3FiVyfNxMcSZc-KveDokZp9cKs8TJcsf3gdHr02kfXiKsnZ5WoY4UnRYAkPP_wlMnrKjDuCRHiDZY15IVM3rWdrJ-KXf9gXw1WPpWhg/s320/Shane%252C+Taggart%252C+Jack.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My grandson, Jack had been itching to go <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/10/hiking-white-pine.html">hiking</a> with me for several weeks. It had been tough scheduling it though, because they were in the process of moving out of our house and into an apartment and just balancing everything was killer.<br />
Finally they moved out and a few weeks later, I was able to schedule a hike. I invited Jack and his older brother Taggart to go with me. Their two sisters had just got back from camp the previous week, and I thought it was about time the boys got a chance to get out in the wilds.<br />
They are not experienced hikers. Their family situation has left them precious little time to experience the outdoors. With that in mind, I wanted to challenge them a bit, but not make it too tough. I decided to take them to <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-sad-lessons-of-life-and-death.html">something cool like a waterfall</a>, and after thinking about it a while, I chose Stewart Falls as our destination. It had been decades since I had gone there myself, and I knew that I would enjoy it just as much as the kids.<br />
Steward Cascades or Falls (as everyone calls them) plummet on the eastern side of<a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/hiking-and-four-wheeling.html"> Mt. Timpanogos</a> high in the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2019/06/desolation-lake-in-wasatch.html">Wasatch Mountains</a>. The Aspen Grove trail to the top of Timp also begins nearby, so make sure you are looking at a sign that says "Stewart Cascades".<br />
Online, I found that it was a 3.4 to 3.6 mile round trip. The sign at the trailhead said it was 2 miles to the falls, so a 4 mile trip. Either way was okay with me, but I knew I may have to urge the boys on with encouragement.<br />
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We started up the trail around 8:30. It was a Beautiful morning--blue skies, a few clouds to break the sun now and then. Taggart and Jack began to talk, pretty much non-stop. They both had to tell me things, often both speaking at the same time. I had to say "one at a time or I can't understand what you're saying".<br />
About halfway in, Taggart said he was having trouble with his feet. He wore some beat up old tennis shoes, and I think that's all he had to wear. I'm going to have to check into that. Anyway, I'm thinking he was feeling a hot spot on the bottom of his foot. I worried that we might need to turn around, but threw that worry off to the side of the trail and encouraged them onward.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not sure why kids have to strike these interesting poses.</td></tr>
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Along the way I showed them evidence of avalanches that had come through, and explained that the white-trunked trees were not birches, but were <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/wasatch-colors-in-full-swing-but-youd_26.html">quakies</a>--and told them the real name of them as well--quaking aspen. I explained a few more things to them as we went.<br />
Finally we were at the falls and they loved the spectacular cascade. We stayed there for maybe 15-20 minutes, then headed back.<br />
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They hiked even faster heading back, and Jack, who a little while after Taggart had complained of his feet complained about his as well, even took off running. Of course later on, after he stopped running he had to tell everyone we passed who were on their way up how tired his feet were.<br />
I told him to hold off on doing that stuff or people were going to begin thinking of him as a whiner.<br />
All in all, it was a great little <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/04/hiking-south-willow-canyon.html">adventure</a>--the kind I need to do much more frequently with my grandkids.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It really must've been tiring. The ride home.</td></tr>
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Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-58656164240095477062019-06-23T14:14:00.002-07:002019-06-23T14:14:57.167-07:00Desolation Lake in the Wasatch<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuA52WJGw2w1oXbGGBVVCO4pgqETVmFIJxNhYQ4czWWbC5qayRttDfklaIWxuUKngjkdUPL3AF_wMoz2OfsihTnSNAo9TTgd41uk6XrIfSvNphzvTWrMA33IuALuG-YSuzybGueQ/s1600/IMG_8169+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuA52WJGw2w1oXbGGBVVCO4pgqETVmFIJxNhYQ4czWWbC5qayRttDfklaIWxuUKngjkdUPL3AF_wMoz2OfsihTnSNAo9TTgd41uk6XrIfSvNphzvTWrMA33IuALuG-YSuzybGueQ/s400/IMG_8169+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenery near the road caught in the early morning sunlight.</td></tr>
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This past Saturday, I had the great opportunity to get out with some of my friends from <a href="https://www.lifelinecommunity.com/">church</a>--Robert and Luke--and hit the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/09/hike-of-yearlone-peak.html">hiking</a> trail. Actually, it was my first time going hiking with these guys and it was fun. They are both part of our church hiking group and Robert is the head of it. I will definitely think of them as friends from now on. I had already been thinking of them as my brothers in Christ.<br />
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Our destination was going to be <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/hiking-desolation-lake.html">Desolation Lake</a> in the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/mt-raymond-hike-fourth-times-charm.html">Wasatch Mountains</a>. It was a trail I had been up a couple of times before, at least to the lake. I had been on the trail several more times, but they were shorter hikes for whatever reason--one being a <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/01/two-great-days-of-winter-sports.html">snowshoeing expedition</a> in which there were time constraints and a point where we just needed to head back down. That however, is a story all its own.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZCtQ1sn_5cXzNc-TXhOi1w-f4EnshzhNJX2RDP46Kn4bKy0HfKNULPYg0ruYLX9dVUl837Cfq0hGmfwKwpmrkQPYSU6xGuBf7NHF17NVGrLB_fTRcPROj4sYegg1QfV_NERP1g/s1600/IMG_8172+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZCtQ1sn_5cXzNc-TXhOi1w-f4EnshzhNJX2RDP46Kn4bKy0HfKNULPYg0ruYLX9dVUl837Cfq0hGmfwKwpmrkQPYSU6xGuBf7NHF17NVGrLB_fTRcPROj4sYegg1QfV_NERP1g/s400/IMG_8172+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up the canyon that is part of the Desolation trail.</td></tr>
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This time our hike began at 8 am. The weather was a bit cooler than normal for the time of year it was, and when we began I was wearing a jacket. I got to lead for a while. I was actually the oldest on this trip, though Robert who I think said he was 51, had only recently donated a kidney (within the past month). Still, I felt a little like I was the most out of shape of the lot. I'm in <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/10/starting-to-get-too-cold-to-be.html">good shape</a> though and I'm going to be 60 in just a couple of weeks, so the way I look at it, it's just great that I'm still out there doing it. Luke, who appeared to be in his thirties was having no trouble.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the south east.</td></tr>
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After a couple of miles, we passed a fork in the trail, the one to the left leading to Dog Lake.<br />
Before long it got to be too hot from the exertion to continue wearing my jacket. I took it off. Somewhere around that point, Robert took the lead and I took the rear. Robert's pace was a little too stiff for me and I fell back a bit, still hiking, but at a pace that I could keep going. Every so often Robert and Luke would stop and let me catch up.<br />
A mile or so later, we got to another detour to Dog Lake and discussed perhaps taking that on the way down.<br />
We got to the lake in about two hours and took a selfie. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6FfD3GD1sY55zkBCmZev8gcJrXR8WD1TbY3ewi9q_QY-bc9kbPjKK008NWu2R3E5l_lRV0qUCs79CtmBQGE8jKttz3TneCR3wK_DUucaTgzeMvExNdtVi9ybEMq7sBmX6uu2HQ/s1600/Luke%252C+Robert%252C+and+Shane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6FfD3GD1sY55zkBCmZev8gcJrXR8WD1TbY3ewi9q_QY-bc9kbPjKK008NWu2R3E5l_lRV0qUCs79CtmBQGE8jKttz3TneCR3wK_DUucaTgzeMvExNdtVi9ybEMq7sBmX6uu2HQ/s320/Luke%252C+Robert%252C+and+Shane.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From L to R: Luke, Robert, and Shane</td></tr>
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The lake was <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/06/this-past-friday-i-enjoyed-few-hours.html">Beautiful</a> and we stood and gazed at it and the surrounding terrain for a few moments, Robert describing other trails in the area. Across the lake what looked like some kind of Scout group or something was fishing. When we met up with them later, we didn't have the heart to tell them that there's no fish in that lake. Kind of like the days when I was in Scouts and they took me on a snipe hunt.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXypyxoJB7f7lSxYLU2euVDNf5PitvrBK1AFucbMRePOAOpVz_P17ksMk8_vb-inWE-Zi2AqV714wxgEVSTbOmjU4AZ2Ff5_hK733A8cVM36w-D37DtZ-SAu-RyeDyA9WPWeKjMQ/s1600/IMG_8175+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXypyxoJB7f7lSxYLU2euVDNf5PitvrBK1AFucbMRePOAOpVz_P17ksMk8_vb-inWE-Zi2AqV714wxgEVSTbOmjU4AZ2Ff5_hK733A8cVM36w-D37DtZ-SAu-RyeDyA9WPWeKjMQ/s320/IMG_8175+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desolation Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPLHF1qbGhaxRL2aUrt1CvQsLHanq8TkZKFTSB1Da5LtrC5feGZo8MZ78Oqe4paAnYOQTaRHhdd_r9uarA2oNdRSbOiE60jqAPniqlRL2JsTF9oXsWhxc8WKTBFSA80mQ8geEMQ/s1600/IMG_8177+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPLHF1qbGhaxRL2aUrt1CvQsLHanq8TkZKFTSB1Da5LtrC5feGZo8MZ78Oqe4paAnYOQTaRHhdd_r9uarA2oNdRSbOiE60jqAPniqlRL2JsTF9oXsWhxc8WKTBFSA80mQ8geEMQ/s400/IMG_8177+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guys fishing can be seen to the right on the bare portion of the shoreline.</td></tr>
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The clouds had begun gathering as we had neared the lake and as we stood there, the sky darkened and a cold breeze cut like a knife. We all ended up adding another layer and Robert put on his gloves. We headed back down the trail.<br />
As we headed down, it began snowing. At first, just one or two flakes every five seconds or so, but soon it was coming down pretty good. It lessened up a bit as we descended, and I have no idea if there was any kind of accumulation. From my vantage point, it was a short squall that would end soon. Still it was amazing to see on the second day of summer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow coming down in late June up here is a rarity.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLvilsCttfsAT0dBxK2_wvcbOj_tWk0xyVrPri35gSyp6kuAMqYr-S-TGZcZYM8Hr7Wkdjk0OIAcg4vtMWJ7xl00RLtOAy3Qedi9a9LtD-T2QbFFujZNIRotTb0C8UHz50l-6Hw/s1600/IMG_8189+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLvilsCttfsAT0dBxK2_wvcbOj_tWk0xyVrPri35gSyp6kuAMqYr-S-TGZcZYM8Hr7Wkdjk0OIAcg4vtMWJ7xl00RLtOAy3Qedi9a9LtD-T2QbFFujZNIRotTb0C8UHz50l-6Hw/s320/IMG_8189+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
We passed the detour to Dog Lake and decided with the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/04/warming-up-and-time-for-some-nice.html">weather</a> the way it was, we maybe should just head down.<br />
Talking about other possible <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/06/adventure.html">adventures</a> in the future, including climbing <a href="http://www.girlonahike.com/2016/10/hiking-kessler-peak.html">Kessler Peak</a>, we reached the bottom less than four hours from when our hike began.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOdm2W5itqTg4R6R3y1lf9YVEWmrni7qrKVdgZcZ5GTlIP3s_lFc3wTBrjJtObZK3wZZK4IRblXLw-39AUKikfkKkUv6IrHqYsi2DO-de2r3Ax8r8Ih4fgMGxGpI3cfj-UbITsQ/s1600/IMG_8191+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOdm2W5itqTg4R6R3y1lf9YVEWmrni7qrKVdgZcZ5GTlIP3s_lFc3wTBrjJtObZK3wZZK4IRblXLw-39AUKikfkKkUv6IrHqYsi2DO-de2r3Ax8r8Ih4fgMGxGpI3cfj-UbITsQ/s400/IMG_8191+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kessler Peak</td></tr>
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Good hikes with good people are some of the finest moments in life.Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-7687538086943936612019-06-09T07:19:00.001-07:002019-06-09T07:19:33.422-07:00Grandeur Peak this week: Trip Report<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBrwEMz2DJm82Hp9ybENWms7JlWztwrXlREuuDGPNTjWyjnSjYHM84daVY2bcTxHDArVTkSCNYvj1Svu7mNlmHVf3v1Fcl1Bfaosl1jTHtk-P38r6ENTidC9TgUK3EKNXYZCGnw/s1600/IMG_8098+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBrwEMz2DJm82Hp9ybENWms7JlWztwrXlREuuDGPNTjWyjnSjYHM84daVY2bcTxHDArVTkSCNYvj1Svu7mNlmHVf3v1Fcl1Bfaosl1jTHtk-P38r6ENTidC9TgUK3EKNXYZCGnw/s400/IMG_8098+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The selfie to prove I was there.</td></tr>
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The morning began well. After several weeks of rainy weather, the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/10/hiking-prince-of-wales-mine.html">Wasatch</a> Front was finally calming down. I don't mind rain, but I hadn't wanted to <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/05/hiking-south-willow-lake.html">hike</a> in the mud. I had hiked a couple of times already this spring, just to get out. However, they were short hikes and I was ready to do something a bit more substantial. Since a lot of the high country hikes that I haven't done yet are still covered in snow, I decided that I would do <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/short-hike-grandeur-peak.html">Grandeur Peak</a>--I had been up to the ridge once before, but had to turn around because I had time commitments that day and hadn't made it to the top.<br />
Grandeur Peak, if you live in the Salt Lake Valley, is the peak just to the left of <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/mt-olympus-great-september-hike.html">Mt. Olympus</a> as you face the Wasatch Front. To get to the trailhead, enter <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2010/08/two-hikes-this-week-gobblers-knob-and.html">Millcreek Canyon</a> and go up a few miles, past the Boy Scout owned area on the right, to the picnic area called "Church Fork". If you get there after 8 am, you can drive through the picnic area to the trailhead. I got there early, so I parked on the canyon road and walked up the paved drive to the trailhead, adding maybe another half mile total to the hike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6Ll6q-aGIvaiZk46dYZKK0X8k8C6IJpfhE-jVN0cjpo5owLqxmY6PAmP0cSJGWp_CrpQF3FgREI-v0kaI1eOClqP9HpudaccVnFEbG2B9r96i-feoroI-GSVRTMKwXPCMmDp0g/s1600/IMG_8039+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6Ll6q-aGIvaiZk46dYZKK0X8k8C6IJpfhE-jVN0cjpo5owLqxmY6PAmP0cSJGWp_CrpQF3FgREI-v0kaI1eOClqP9HpudaccVnFEbG2B9r96i-feoroI-GSVRTMKwXPCMmDp0g/s320/IMG_8039+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The morning sky was Beautiful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEoVd_tRvt1wAo3aNJbVRtN0L_gTE4tYKa3laPUVusxpddWt7AdW3zScphjv4F0_6Y3_a8GF1B4Nqjq6rD44GhHnh5vce04Hu7oRkY4T3UkC4Hw8JRX4IGlbMwPuwJmPM9A4U6w/s1600/IMG_8050+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEoVd_tRvt1wAo3aNJbVRtN0L_gTE4tYKa3laPUVusxpddWt7AdW3zScphjv4F0_6Y3_a8GF1B4Nqjq6rD44GhHnh5vce04Hu7oRkY4T3UkC4Hw8JRX4IGlbMwPuwJmPM9A4U6w/s320/IMG_8050+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scenery amazing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWHmlWYo1oivAtEOdfRUR60zZhNLI5aB8UVNFzsHsPkRgZAoPZVw5R_7jSBZV-J0KNRusuxypMaBE68MH9Vgtexj8vFwwbE6w98uZPyImD0M85HE-niVb6o7RFmsLiuWtxcR5qA/s1600/IMG_8052+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWHmlWYo1oivAtEOdfRUR60zZhNLI5aB8UVNFzsHsPkRgZAoPZVw5R_7jSBZV-J0KNRusuxypMaBE68MH9Vgtexj8vFwwbE6w98uZPyImD0M85HE-niVb6o7RFmsLiuWtxcR5qA/s400/IMG_8052+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking toward Mt. Olympus to the south.</td></tr>
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The weather was great, although it was going to get warm. I had to make the choice of wearing a short-sleeve shirt, or a long-sleeve shirt to protect more of my skin from the sun. I chose the long-sleeve--a polo shirt with a little thicker material thinking that it might be a little cooler up there.<br />
A mile or so into the hike, I was wanting the short-sleeve, lighter shirt as after the first part of the hike, which is rather pleasantly shaded and following the stream, it opens up and there is very little shade. I got hot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ISy-F9h-XAOof3pV0hgDRcNwK9QEsxBg63J5xhuOJuQEFwUXVYzlnBwxLJ9BGWw_2DQmTmyJR2r6AH4sFLl2dLdq_5XNiQlo52WR6ptliOCOX9GMMQqXgoCFT80iJEhyphenhyphenPtxjOg/s1600/IMG_8029+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ISy-F9h-XAOof3pV0hgDRcNwK9QEsxBg63J5xhuOJuQEFwUXVYzlnBwxLJ9BGWw_2DQmTmyJR2r6AH4sFLl2dLdq_5XNiQlo52WR6ptliOCOX9GMMQqXgoCFT80iJEhyphenhyphenPtxjOg/s320/IMG_8029+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wildflowers in bloom!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioY2-B7diGu0DD4K-Z-8PE7HDy2WUHYwGoSBYMnyLb71czDY-ts8_xNISoGcpDjzLIqlfY5oEcpxjsbxMwTtlrYH8GJWOX3pBBnSpjW7pJQCThQL9jC99xt2PkKFq2G2MSthHokQ/s1600/IMG_8041+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioY2-B7diGu0DD4K-Z-8PE7HDy2WUHYwGoSBYMnyLb71czDY-ts8_xNISoGcpDjzLIqlfY5oEcpxjsbxMwTtlrYH8GJWOX3pBBnSpjW7pJQCThQL9jC99xt2PkKFq2G2MSthHokQ/s320/IMG_8041+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
But down at the beginning of the trail, it was nice and shady. Much of the lower forest is filled with deciduous trees--Cottonwoods and others of which I am not well-versed in their names. Not a lot of conifers though. Higher up it turns into scrub oak, dogwood, maple, and mountain mahogany. It was in those reaches I began to see little tent caterpillars--in some spots hundreds of them. These voracious insects can do immense damage to trees. I was hoping there weren't too many of them and that the National Forest Service was aware that they were there. I think the USU Extension Service puts out information on them periodically. I took a few close-ups of the<a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/06/lake-blanche-hike.html"> beasts</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEogRXvZZZnaAKduGpRcA2DTuO_jQR3DoT4TIFCzVk3Fqyuti6sFI6rvHhsy0YlvZrbNr5GlA7CVdNiHs_s2dYqLkRYLnX1QYMJGSQZ1pJYn8YAD2HdlOH2zdED4qxxqEYuTg0lA/s1600/IMG_8058+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEogRXvZZZnaAKduGpRcA2DTuO_jQR3DoT4TIFCzVk3Fqyuti6sFI6rvHhsy0YlvZrbNr5GlA7CVdNiHs_s2dYqLkRYLnX1QYMJGSQZ1pJYn8YAD2HdlOH2zdED4qxxqEYuTg0lA/s320/IMG_8058+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
After that segment of the trail, the sun had broken over the nearby peaks and was lighting up the mountains. It was Beautiful!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FjLMhY2mRTPB27kcvJ4kxnkwDoDaVbplV9SjacHdwcwvm6ie9L8SZMy_Btizti90apXg3EMFZiM10juuAddV8Q3uykLXwwEBMqMaBNjGPRZs1eRUKExnBiXprc9P263gKcEN2A/s1600/IMG_8055+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FjLMhY2mRTPB27kcvJ4kxnkwDoDaVbplV9SjacHdwcwvm6ie9L8SZMy_Btizti90apXg3EMFZiM10juuAddV8Q3uykLXwwEBMqMaBNjGPRZs1eRUKExnBiXprc9P263gKcEN2A/s320/IMG_8055+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>
The timber thinned out and scrub oak and lower growing shrubs predominated. Not that the sun was out, it was HOT! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOlVuAkzv4GBH3awiiu_Q3pG6AqNB_yO9qZ4FgpoOWj2Wburr4OwlN9zvTV2l6CaUrzcNMh6b4gJZ5w8D5f_TIVYAoM7dDUf9ipdpWtSUas47sH7pZUd_WG7qJNCH7LOyBtQxww/s1600/IMG_8063+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOlVuAkzv4GBH3awiiu_Q3pG6AqNB_yO9qZ4FgpoOWj2Wburr4OwlN9zvTV2l6CaUrzcNMh6b4gJZ5w8D5f_TIVYAoM7dDUf9ipdpWtSUas47sH7pZUd_WG7qJNCH7LOyBtQxww/s320/IMG_8063+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The openness meant the Sun was beating down!</td></tr>
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Before long I reached the ridge, which was the furthest I had ever gone on that trail. From there it looks like it's just a short distance to the top, but looks are deceiving. it ended up being quite a bit further than I had thought. But right then, I looked down the other side of the ridge into Parley's Canyon. The gravel pit that is at the lower end of Parley's was quite visible from there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rTYbycioR0T0MD0_DVMT6tRlyEaaTBPLmMatcBMudizzKtcgWkTB-jj8zpE-HWfXMs_OrJbuk82fvXU08evBuDH25LFtO1LZYEc8_Q2cVgl_zBNxDPwSpN7LydhVInPJYt-HQg/s1600/IMG_8065+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rTYbycioR0T0MD0_DVMT6tRlyEaaTBPLmMatcBMudizzKtcgWkTB-jj8zpE-HWfXMs_OrJbuk82fvXU08evBuDH25LFtO1LZYEc8_Q2cVgl_zBNxDPwSpN7LydhVInPJYt-HQg/s320/IMG_8065+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gravel pit at the lower end of Parley's Canyon.</td></tr>
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It's probably another half mile or so to the top from there, and some pretty steep stuff with a few very minor scrambles.<br />
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Though Grandeur is a shorter peak in relation to others nearby, like Olympus, Mt. Raymond, etc., there is a nice 360 degree view once on top.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLFZrnrRB_MEyuZ2ZU-eKjK-wu6Fa5iV3ETvC0FV-rCmwhjG17BwoaYDb2xtRIrG50B1cmGMpYsvia3RIXJcv0LSxSr0xrWsR9esaM2AtyjQe6817r73sI3mGiD-Gajl-OKThmQ/s1600/IMG_8070+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLFZrnrRB_MEyuZ2ZU-eKjK-wu6Fa5iV3ETvC0FV-rCmwhjG17BwoaYDb2xtRIrG50B1cmGMpYsvia3RIXJcv0LSxSr0xrWsR9esaM2AtyjQe6817r73sI3mGiD-Gajl-OKThmQ/s320/IMG_8070+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views of the Salt Lake Valley predominated to the west.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo6x98_qaccyeq3XMkYbevIh5zj8MOS9Gu3ZuTZiESfTPQl-3myV36wggu1pNqkzTpvqF1RKa_etadZNRLIHQzVY0akLXKG8pkHqvcCVcSK8-VkGdA7di5sjBqJgldnJYWilR2A/s1600/IMG_8072+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo6x98_qaccyeq3XMkYbevIh5zj8MOS9Gu3ZuTZiESfTPQl-3myV36wggu1pNqkzTpvqF1RKa_etadZNRLIHQzVY0akLXKG8pkHqvcCVcSK8-VkGdA7di5sjBqJgldnJYWilR2A/s320/IMG_8072+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The upper reaches of Parley's and views of Mountain Dell and Little Dell Reservoirs</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpWT3AB_C-6Pv9MrF3NpW6vbrCTYs_P-psqXJaYA34hk4DHVBOahjekxYAu2DxUpMYtQzhuCAgLSgrSCAPzFKRhi1SXfHw6Drks4XOfDEzOn5Jozs5oi4_BTgzVc2JdwpUx0cgw/s1600/IMG_8073+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpWT3AB_C-6Pv9MrF3NpW6vbrCTYs_P-psqXJaYA34hk4DHVBOahjekxYAu2DxUpMYtQzhuCAgLSgrSCAPzFKRhi1SXfHw6Drks4XOfDEzOn5Jozs5oi4_BTgzVc2JdwpUx0cgw/s320/IMG_8073+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A group of hikers had gathered on top and they were discussing the two<a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/southern-utah-hiking-is-great-fun.html"> snakes</a> in the trail below. Evidently the snakes had arrived on the trail after I had passed because I never saw them, however apparently they were caught in the act of making baby snakes. On the way back down I was hoping to see them so I could tell them to "get a room". Each person I passed on the way down mentioned the snake until one didn't. "Did you see any snakes?" I asked. "No," she said, "but a lot of people have mentioned it." Since there were no snakes on the trail from the top to where I was, and since this hiker hadn't seen them either, I figured both of them had finally managed to either leave the trail of they actually found a room. Who knows?<br />
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The rest of the way back down was uneventful. At the bottom, I took a pic of the waterfall that's just above the picnic area.<br />
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Not a bad day at all and a great <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2019/05/short-hike-to-living-room.html">hike</a> for my first lengthy one of the year. Another great <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/08/adventure-one-way-to-measure-life.html">adventure</a>!<br />
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<br />Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-62739159935638749582019-05-19T15:48:00.002-07:002019-05-19T15:48:46.966-07:00Short hike to the Living Room<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBopUodgfX1Hsik8C52_zEeDuE4lIQcsT5-ATwybdRBy2EagAzUrrAw7R91veqgpZk8x-ouIhcULjAlVAwucyNlW4EJ5rEMCjLg0AvGW4ihcnDhoRux3rHrlQQ1sTEeAQN9KG3A/s1600/Ben+and+Shane+darkened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBopUodgfX1Hsik8C52_zEeDuE4lIQcsT5-ATwybdRBy2EagAzUrrAw7R91veqgpZk8x-ouIhcULjAlVAwucyNlW4EJ5rEMCjLg0AvGW4ihcnDhoRux3rHrlQQ1sTEeAQN9KG3A/s400/Ben+and+Shane+darkened.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben and I at the Living Room with the valley behind us.</td></tr>
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If you live and <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/04/warming-up-and-time-for-some-nice.html">hike</a> around the Salt Lake area, one place you've likely heard of, even if you've never done the hike is the Living Room. Situated in the <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/mt-raymond-hike-fourth-times-charm.html">Wasatch Mountains</a> above the University of Utah, the Living Room is a sunset lover's must-do photography spot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GKoNl90VQy0CpTTBS4gnzXARFo_uKv0K8z6yhxmw2SoYihZb1f6vFYFwAQLvrhL4NCM4baGfWJkb_gKvocA_-vwnFo9F_jNYrVAOzftqkOjsZGKe2zBPdbCrDxQBauT46yIE-Q/s1600/IMG_7999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GKoNl90VQy0CpTTBS4gnzXARFo_uKv0K8z6yhxmw2SoYihZb1f6vFYFwAQLvrhL4NCM4baGfWJkb_gKvocA_-vwnFo9F_jNYrVAOzftqkOjsZGKe2zBPdbCrDxQBauT46yIE-Q/s320/IMG_7999.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice views of the Salt Lake Valley on the way up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidp8azK5stqloqbMOWE5PMbKfx-aQO2051CS88eVWlEpUQOpm1iwxKFj6rkwPBleLy9Ib0_zNdEOwZ0y5s5lgxdAg8SVrayEYfV-_zlY8TWNfpTA3cBEGgNmW9uGKZ6vIp0M_rtw/s1600/IMG_8002+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidp8azK5stqloqbMOWE5PMbKfx-aQO2051CS88eVWlEpUQOpm1iwxKFj6rkwPBleLy9Ib0_zNdEOwZ0y5s5lgxdAg8SVrayEYfV-_zlY8TWNfpTA3cBEGgNmW9uGKZ6vIp0M_rtw/s320/IMG_8002+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the Living Room.</td></tr>
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My son Ben and I did the short hike up to the Living Room in the morning though, so taking sunset pics was out of the question. I suppose we could have hung out up there for 14-15 hours, until the sun went down, but since he had to be to work and I had some other things I needed to get done on my day off, we headed back down after taking a few pics, and after taking a side trail up toward Mt. Wire.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When we got back to the parking lot, the sun was just peaking over the top.</td></tr>
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It had been a while since I'd been able to get out hiking and just the anticipation as I drove toward the Museum of Natural History parking lot where we would meet, just that drive from West Valley to there, started my heart to leap with joyousness. I was amazed at how fondly I was looking forward to just getting out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7I6Ip5zF2LZKbWqnCMX57PqFuzfIkxgOgbFUfbPZcjGpMQcB2fWdFBosZ6acAV55aJtsbDQYGOlCcM7WQycvRaFgegINn5gO3WFPFzaL97197pxgcnYOXAML9mr0KxMiLaDDX_Q/s1600/IMG_8013+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7I6Ip5zF2LZKbWqnCMX57PqFuzfIkxgOgbFUfbPZcjGpMQcB2fWdFBosZ6acAV55aJtsbDQYGOlCcM7WQycvRaFgegINn5gO3WFPFzaL97197pxgcnYOXAML9mr0KxMiLaDDX_Q/s320/IMG_8013+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything is nice and green because of all the moisture we've had.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Needed my lens hood here, but didn't bring it.</td></tr>
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I'm looking forward to some longer <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/09/hike-of-yearlone-peak.html">hikes</a> and more<a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/08/adventure-one-way-to-measure-life.html"> adventures</a> in the coming months, but I don't think any will be met with more anticipation than this short hike was on an early week in May.Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-15680094050486630392019-03-24T06:37:00.002-07:002019-03-24T07:04:53.878-07:00Conspiracies--what are the chances of them being true?I am inherently skeptical of conspiracies. Not that I doubt there are people out there trying to manipulate governments, societies, nature, and many other things for personal gain. There undoubtedly are. For the rest of this post I will provide evidence as to why nearly all conspiracy theories are bunk.<br />
In order for a conspiracy to exist, there first of all must be a motive or reason for whatever the alleged conspirators are trying to do. For example, there is a certain group of conspiracy theorists who say that folks way back when wanted it to look like Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of prophecy, so they conspired to make it look like after he died, that he rose again. After all, his body was never found. Those who promote this theory state that either followers of Christ hid the body after he was placed in the cave tomb, or he wasn't really dead when they took him down from the cross, and either went on living somewhere else, or died sometime after he appeared to people. That's the commonly called "Swoon Theory". What would be the motive in such a case? To make it appear that Jesus was resurrected in order to control people?<br />
Later, in this case, Jesus' former disciples died because they promoted the idea that he had risen again. People will die for what they believe is the truth, but not very many people are willing to die for what they know to be a lie. The best possible solution to this dilemma is that those writing about Jesus' death and resurrection, and those who gave their lives for it, actually believed it had happened.<br />
Another thing to consider when examining conspiracy theories is how many people would need to be in on it to pull it off. For example, if there had been a conspiracy within the U.S. government to cause the attacks on 9/11 to happen, there would have needed to be many people involved in pulling it off. Whenever it is necessary to involve large numbers of people in a secret plot, it's wise to consider how many people in the past have kept secrets well. Obviously the larger the number of people involved in such a plot, the more likely it is that at least one will "spill the beans".<br />
There are people out there with motives, money, and time to plan things. However, the human element of being willing to talk for a price comes into it. I was a first hand witness of this many years ago when my friend's vehicle got broken into and things stolen. Later than night, I just happened to walk into a 7-11 where the clerk in the store was talking to another kid who had just walked in about a vehicle that the other kid had broken into. Loose lips sink ships, as they say and those fervently in favor of doing something about a cause are often anxious to brag about it. Conspiracies, therefore, are often revealed, even in the cases where very few people are required to pull them off.<br />
<br />Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-30996348857215688502019-03-09T16:34:00.001-08:002019-03-24T06:14:44.180-07:00RepresentUs...a ReviewThere's a short video starring Jennifer Lawrence going around that seems to be suggesting a minor revolt in controlling corrupt government. While there's a lot to like about the short advertisement for the movement, excuse me if I'm a bit skeptical of the motives of the people involved. I think a little skepticism is healthy and we should be watchdogs, not only on our government, but on those who claim to be trying to change it. So, I'm taking it with a grain of salt, and in the process of investigating the folks apparently involved.<br />
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I would like to suggest that Ms Lawrence and her co-promoters of<a href="http://represent.us/"> represent.us</a> get a few facts straight in their video. First of all, we have never been a <i>democracy</i>, but instead a <i>democratic republic</i>. There is a vast difference in that the former is ruled by majority, and the latter, by representative government, who have been elected by a majority of votes.<br />
Secondly, as such, laws governing the United States are not subject to a vote of the majority. The Founders designed it as such so that laws would be difficult to be passed. Our system of checks and balances assures that laws cannot be passed as part of a whim or passing emotional rage or euphoria rolling across the country. Frankly, Congress passes far too many laws already.<br />
If laws were decided by the majority of U.S. voters, just like ridding ourselves of the Electoral College, folks on both east and west coasts would have all the say, as that is where the highest populations occur. Most laws should be decided by states anyway, so complaining that the majority of Americans don't get their wishes is essentially moot.<br />
Yes, we should get rid of gerrymandering and how much money potential lawmakers need to earn in order to even run. Term limits should be in place for Congress, just as they are for the Presidency. An entire cornucopia of things can and should change. I'm all about that. But just which laws do Ms Lawrence and the others think should have passed because the "majority" were in favor of them? That's one question I'd like answered before I start slinging my support behind this organization. If the objective is to streamline laws that may or may not be good ones, well, my skepticism remains. I think we could all use a little sit back and analyze time before jumping on this bandwagon, good though some parts of it appear. Here's the link to the video: <a href="https://people.com/movies/jennifer-lawrence-breaks-down-american-corruption/">Press me</a>Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-39422346266845204802019-03-05T16:06:00.001-08:002019-03-05T16:06:29.782-08:00Writing, routines, and solving the problems of lifeWhen I was younger, there were large chunks of time in which I was able (although not always willing) to write. My habits included a warming up time when I just messed around. I usually had to sit at the keyboard or <i>typewriter</i> for a good long time before I would be in the frame of mind to write.<br />
But that worked then. I <i>had</i> those chunks of time. I <i>had</i> the ability to organize my thoughts prior to putting any words down. These days are different. It seems that just as I get ready to write, something comes up. Either I'm needed by my wife who as a disabled person is often bored and lonely, or I just have so much work around the house to keep up with that it seems that I can't sit down for any kind of stretch that will allow me to gather my thoughts in my customary way.<br />
In short, I have become at best, a blurb writer. I found that out all too convincingly when I sat down the other day to write out an article on the cost of religious belief or no religious belief. Just when I had the flow going and had put out a few paragraphs, my mind clearly focused on the topic, I had to quit.<br />
Subsequently, I've had a hard time finding the time to reread what I've written and to add to it.<br />
I'm thinking I need to find a solution to this dilemma, because the personal issues that have caused it don't seem like they will be going away any time soon.<br />
Either that, or I could just bag writing. At least, until I'm much older, retired, and trying to fill my time.<br />
That's not me, however. I'm thinking one way to solve this is to print out what I've written and then read through it, making notes. That may be easier than trying to do the same on a screen. Then I can go back to the screen and do some judicious editing.<br />
I don't have the time to "warm up" any longer, but I can probably find solutions, and if I don't, well, that just means I won't get any writing done, and I can live with that.Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-41992657574063563622018-11-22T05:18:00.001-08:002018-11-22T05:20:57.227-08:00A Thanksgiving StoryLast night, as I exited the restaurant where I had gone to pick up some takeout food for my wife and me, a man walked around my car from the parking lot, his eyes lowered, a grocery bag of clothing in one hand. "I've been homeless for a couple of days," he said. "Could you help me out with a hot meal?"<br />
He looked up briefly as he asked, and there was something in those eyes that spoke of real need. "I sure could," I said. I dug in my wallet, the same wallet that moments before I had rummaged through without a thought to pay for the night's dinner for Ann and me. I handed him two fives. "That ought to do it," I said.<br />
He thanked me quickly and darted off. I watched him, wondering where he was headed. My normal thought process when someone asks for money or stands on the corner with a sign is to not give because I don't want to be feeding a drug habit or helping an alcoholic get more booze. Part of me was worried that I had just done that with this guy.<br />
Instead, I watched as he made is way across six lanes of traffic in a beeline for KFC. I knew then that I had truly helped someone who actually needed it, my hand began to move around my body to pat myself on the back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuCT0ZgGyNbx_LaECMRUT7OSI0EcUCHq7AiXrRixs028w-FZrPLusoZ4A2P7CW4nwnDKH_9Mt0v_bahyM5b3I6TEa9Uo2FeLNSS3m489EW49g8Ja6KwizrdPRRcUXN2R1DLscyQ/s1600/Two+wolves+story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="401" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuCT0ZgGyNbx_LaECMRUT7OSI0EcUCHq7AiXrRixs028w-FZrPLusoZ4A2P7CW4nwnDKH_9Mt0v_bahyM5b3I6TEa9Uo2FeLNSS3m489EW49g8Ja6KwizrdPRRcUXN2R1DLscyQ/s320/Two+wolves+story.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
And then one of the wolves in me began to whimper. This man needed more than food. Where was he going to go? How was he going to stay warm that night when the temperature got down in the 20s? I thought about going over there and giving him my coat, but I didn't do it. I thought about maybe offering him a ride to the homeless shelter, but I didn't do that either. Needing to make it home to relieve my wife who had had a tough day, burning a couple of pies and such, I did nothing else<br />
Later last night, the wolf within began to howl.<br />
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<br />Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-46812790497459206292018-10-30T10:18:00.000-07:002018-10-30T10:31:41.768-07:00Trending healthy<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Finding Time to Work Out</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting out hiking is just one way to improve health and life.</td></tr>
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I consider myself a gym rat. That is, if I had the time and fewer responsibilities, I would be spending maybe a couple of hours a day working out. That would include a good 35-45 minutes of aerobic work and then some strength training exercises. As it is, I manage to get to the gym 3-5 times a week for roughly an hour.<br />
Things get complicated though when work decides to <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-time-dilemma.html">change starting times</a>. Prior to last week, I was working out after work. This was affected by things such as having to work overtime. I could work up to a half hour of overtime and still do much of my workout. However, they changed our work schedule and now I go in an hour later. No working out after work. Now I have to get up at 5:00 and basically head straight to the gym. I'm not used to getting my body awake and moving at that time of day.<br />
Ultimately it's a better fit if I can do it, because it tends to regiment me. They have been talking though about changing time again to coming in a half hour earlier. This would make it tough to get to the gym either before work or after.<br />
The thing is, making time or finding time is the key to any ultimate success, and no matter what happens, I will get to the gym somehow.<br />
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<b>Diet and Longevity</b></div>
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I recently had a conversation with a friend about the relative healthiness of white bread as opposed to whole grain breads. Her thought was that it that there wasn't much difference to the relative nutritional content of both breads. After researching that, I found that most "experts" agree. It appears that with the fortified flours that are used in white bread these days, there isn't much nutritional difference. The main difference appears to be in fiber content, and of course, you can get enough fiber elsewhere, and maybe we shouldn't be eating all that much bread in the first place. But what if we do? What kind of bread is best?</div>
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I like to look at real world examples for my healthy choices and one of the best examples of a healthy lifestyle was <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/living/article/Raising-the-bar-At-88-fitness-guru-Jack-2639258.php">Jack Lalanne</a>. Lalanne was prominent health guru of the 20th century. He is known for his feats of strength and vigor well into his old age. One of his favorite sayings was "if man made it, don't eat it", emphasizing eating food that were as close to nature as you could get them.</div>
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If we apply this to bread, then whole grain breads are healthier, and grains themselves, even better.</div>
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That kind of thing is emphasized over and over again in studies of the longest-lived peoples on earth. Simple foods, no preservatives or additives, lots of veggies and fruits. It's that simple.</div>
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<b>Exercise as a Longevity Factor</b></div>
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Most people are aware that exercise prolongs life, or at least, prolongs how long you will live in <a href="https://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/02/thoughts-on-healthy-lifestyles.html">good health</a>. It doesn't need to be going to the gym. I recently read about a 105 year old man who spent much of his time dancing. Hiking, walking, <a href="https://www.growingbolder.com/stephen-jepson-851373/">jumping around in your yard</a>, chasing your spouse around the room--all of these things add up to a long and healthy life, provided you don't catch some dreadful illness. However, eating right and exercise help even in the case of cancers and some other diseases. They give your body a chance to fight back. We know that not all illnesses can be helped by good nutrition and exercise, but in many cases, they can.</div>
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<b>One Final Thought</b></div>
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Good relationships such as friendships and marriage are also key to longevity. Try to find good associations and get together frequently. Not only will you increase your likelihood of living longer, it will be a blessing in your life.</div>
Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-29560281895656316542018-10-07T11:22:00.001-07:002018-10-08T06:08:29.010-07:00Fall photos in Utah<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TF31lpskhYRJ1Mv12e7MYWviiVa2tm_SUwWw2wMfZLhv2JEz04J-NiyUkAwouBMGunq4f8Rz5_kBN9O3w1UPaLw__mKiiOrVEptY0qWFpstl5YJVx530Vnlr8sPbc1q5QkncWg/s1600/IMG_7577+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TF31lpskhYRJ1Mv12e7MYWviiVa2tm_SUwWw2wMfZLhv2JEz04J-NiyUkAwouBMGunq4f8Rz5_kBN9O3w1UPaLw__mKiiOrVEptY0qWFpstl5YJVx530Vnlr8sPbc1q5QkncWg/s400/IMG_7577+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down at Silver Lake from the trail to Twin Lakes</td></tr>
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For the past several weeks, Ann and I have been making forays into our local mountains to try and see the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/wasatch-colors-in-full-swing-but-youd_26.html">fall colors</a>. It has been dry this year, and there was a marked effect on those trees and shrubs that usually turn red--they were quickly turning brown and dropping their leaves. Still, here and there, were pockets of extreme beauty. The quakies, as usual, were awesome. Thursday (October 4) was likely our last day to get up there before the snow falls and leaves cascade to the ground to make a smell that only wet leaves can make. Branches will then be bare until spring's newness once again refreshes them with spectacular greens. Our first drive was up Provo Canyon, but as early in the season as we went, there was little color to speak of. We didn't even take a picture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0JSZmtueAQ7raeyvvvF_uzzSpK4iGePNkFNURv_R5nWrNgz_nA0z5_HgJh3M-ZmmZK_VOTFJ_LCuAiwEBfG72yyNTMEjMjN2sbHEcJx2Z1nZuBl_ecXg_RKtt0PH7grFh29DqQ/s1600/IMG_7480+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0JSZmtueAQ7raeyvvvF_uzzSpK4iGePNkFNURv_R5nWrNgz_nA0z5_HgJh3M-ZmmZK_VOTFJ_LCuAiwEBfG72yyNTMEjMjN2sbHEcJx2Z1nZuBl_ecXg_RKtt0PH7grFh29DqQ/s400/IMG_7480+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down Big Cottonwood Canyon from the Guardmans Pass Road</td></tr>
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Our next drive took us up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Guardsmans Pass. We followed the spectacular scenery down the other side into Midway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out toward Heber and the smoke that was coming from<br />
several fires, including the one near Spanish Fork Canyon</td></tr>
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Our third trip was up the Alpine Loop Road in American Fork Canyon, where again the quakies were amazing. On this trip we saw a small herd of deer and a flock of turkeys--and again, some incredible scenery.<br />
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The scenic beauty of Utah's peaks changes almost daily. In fact, daily there are more reasons to go up and see the changes, more reasons to have adventures. As we continued driving around, we realized that without all the duties and responsibilities we had in our lives, we would likely stay up there much longer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near the back side of Mt. Timpanogos and looking in the general<br />
direction of Sundance ski resort.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gorgeous landscape looking toward Deer Creek.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We caught these turkeys on the road in front of us. I got out to<br />
take the pic and followed them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFyafzH9XTGMtkOSyDfvkliYHmSMIjbOH7783WaOlOukE6NIZdw9yvZkRy_LOWbjPvi-0ALZgDymQP1UIfvs0r8X9Vz1I1ZGGj-sBL7kUYJiH4PNmfvDshyphenhyphenE0aqgYOJM8IhZhxw/s1600/Wild+Turkeys+beginning+escape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1600" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFyafzH9XTGMtkOSyDfvkliYHmSMIjbOH7783WaOlOukE6NIZdw9yvZkRy_LOWbjPvi-0ALZgDymQP1UIfvs0r8X9Vz1I1ZGGj-sBL7kUYJiH4PNmfvDshyphenhyphenE0aqgYOJM8IhZhxw/s320/Wild+Turkeys+beginning+escape.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a while they got skittish and headed off the road.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31BoF093VgvfWYWSR8Q94_LUs-lCiL0FudLgtHssdxCxpWk17PN1QqdsGI8bR7l2E69WyUvFxh8I7wZaljmKXFKPLLtf05EA3aHIi84Zu-3HFf5zJvJJ7GclMGVf8WJtkj7C3oA/s1600/Wild+Turkeys+climbing+hillside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1487" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31BoF093VgvfWYWSR8Q94_LUs-lCiL0FudLgtHssdxCxpWk17PN1QqdsGI8bR7l2E69WyUvFxh8I7wZaljmKXFKPLLtf05EA3aHIi84Zu-3HFf5zJvJJ7GclMGVf8WJtkj7C3oA/s320/Wild+Turkeys+climbing+hillside.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And headed for the hills.</td></tr>
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I hadn't gotten out for much <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/08/hiking-deseret-peak-challenge-but-well.html">hiking</a> at all this past spring and summer, so on Sunday I got out for a few hours and hiked up to Twin Lakes, up <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/mt-raymond-hike-fourth-times-charm.html">Big Cottonwood Canyon</a> near <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/02/skiing-was-glorious-adventure.html">Brighton</a>. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXbgJYffb2RRxFclxcqpstTQcN-MObuQJrQnMBvaBGvo-VlnkuQxfsmGDNq4oV02P-diA7kqpfVIGjxMztEVkWuG5ZCgvzHI-IVooJvnDmfknzu8SLMC8_ylV0sAy1ULEAACOUA/s1600/IMG_7564+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXbgJYffb2RRxFclxcqpstTQcN-MObuQJrQnMBvaBGvo-VlnkuQxfsmGDNq4oV02P-diA7kqpfVIGjxMztEVkWuG5ZCgvzHI-IVooJvnDmfknzu8SLMC8_ylV0sAy1ULEAACOUA/s320/IMG_7564+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver Lake near Brighton, Utah.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFevKGeuDLZcJ77Il_yhjHdN_q3hVYPSfpoPhX0rNKw6xyyN9E4K43286HPyxwJpUHgtq9DhC3Ux6pxvc8JUTVRKbnmYcPXzuJlhbc6KUgjHNXU_6BRxzw9tGBxXQ57BpC7A00g/s1600/IMG_7568+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFevKGeuDLZcJ77Il_yhjHdN_q3hVYPSfpoPhX0rNKw6xyyN9E4K43286HPyxwJpUHgtq9DhC3Ux6pxvc8JUTVRKbnmYcPXzuJlhbc6KUgjHNXU_6BRxzw9tGBxXQ57BpC7A00g/s320/IMG_7568+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin Lakes area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mDRaUv6-qtQJ7nOhyM3l5440Ao1n2oyDtYpzKCdqP2nvcKnpm6Z7lU6pgG2xPUat6fPvn9X90TK-T862_Y0kE8tUU54ig4PCSaLRtMDxAC40bfqRQIfPo8ss3XLRG3es6dB1bA/s1600/IMG_7577+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mDRaUv6-qtQJ7nOhyM3l5440Ao1n2oyDtYpzKCdqP2nvcKnpm6Z7lU6pgG2xPUat6fPvn9X90TK-T862_Y0kE8tUU54ig4PCSaLRtMDxAC40bfqRQIfPo8ss3XLRG3es6dB1bA/s320/IMG_7577+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down on Silver Lake and Brighton lodges</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWyD37bSSf7K16slpfVZrZjHk5uTQ-KbI_Wi7vDmsOomY4nvYVdb9X6ukk8T689Dg63H_QUAeTyKqfdcmWld4yZv7Gk0ZigR2_7kE45tHvSoLc6p_ZAHZIkylpDh0psiPlP4Lew/s1600/IMG_7579+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWyD37bSSf7K16slpfVZrZjHk5uTQ-KbI_Wi7vDmsOomY4nvYVdb9X6ukk8T689Dg63H_QUAeTyKqfdcmWld4yZv7Gk0ZigR2_7kE45tHvSoLc6p_ZAHZIkylpDh0psiPlP4Lew/s320/IMG_7579+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was a short, but steep hike, and breathtaking in its beauty. I looked around for good spots to <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/11/gratitude-im-grateful-for-picnics.html">picnic</a>, but without company and since there was a lot of people around, I just headed back down the trail after pausing a few moments to take in the scenery.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j7WAWC9-NUqaKFyArwliR336kIezSTLCPSwQrjKN0Wj-odKS5hzNk4eOQW5naPAlFqjKbT19Bu5yLqlc9EJyRqBINZbHCUvvSqes1_-T4c0z0rMQxCmhXuayuVNYlfGhfbTIsA/s1600/Moose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1600" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j7WAWC9-NUqaKFyArwliR336kIezSTLCPSwQrjKN0Wj-odKS5hzNk4eOQW5naPAlFqjKbT19Bu5yLqlc9EJyRqBINZbHCUvvSqes1_-T4c0z0rMQxCmhXuayuVNYlfGhfbTIsA/s400/Moose.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone pointed out this big boy along the trail on the way down.</td></tr>
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Last Thursday, October 4, we made it up <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/08/albion-basin-hike.html">Little Cottonwood</a>, and again, we were amazed by how picturesque it was. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYMIeADp0lUQmsc3yb69HEIctaESneIy_f81iUYDDZm2erSYGKnPrgSAgHZLXpDS-y1IJ8qh33xWjBGqN4GLjCO-dXV6jHjceqWwqSncS7Fa6NQXkcAct7ljp2XOrB521ifWKpw/s1600/IMG_7590+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYMIeADp0lUQmsc3yb69HEIctaESneIy_f81iUYDDZm2erSYGKnPrgSAgHZLXpDS-y1IJ8qh33xWjBGqN4GLjCO-dXV6jHjceqWwqSncS7Fa6NQXkcAct7ljp2XOrB521ifWKpw/s320/IMG_7590+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The following pictures were all taken in Little Cottonwood Canyon.</td></tr>
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Absolutely stunning. Now there is snow up there and the leaves will be dropping off. But it was an <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/04/rarin-to-go.html">adventure</a> while it lasted, and with <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/02/snowshoeing-and-life.html">winter </a>coming, there will be more and different things to see. It's always Beautiful.<br />
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Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-39045576916025943782018-08-26T20:17:00.002-07:002018-08-26T20:19:45.680-07:00Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HHFLcsJsDpw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HHFLcsJsDpw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
I don't know many singers with hair this long. And the song itself is great. Need I say more about the great Crystal Gayle? Enjoy!Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-57003385433682346602018-08-25T12:55:00.001-07:002018-08-25T12:55:40.179-07:00LDS Gospel Topics EssaysI keep hearing that people are having a hard time finding the Gospel Topics Essays area of the website of the <a href="https://www.lds.org/?lang=eng">Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a>. These essays came about because of the large numbers of people who were finding stuff on the internet and beginning to question LDS doctrine. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is LDS or thinking of becoming a member of the LDS church--or really, anyone who's interested in finding out more about LDS beliefs. Anyway, here's the link and once you click it, you will just need to scroll down to your topic of choice.<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/essays?lang=eng">LDS Gospel Topics Essays</a></div>
Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-31625094059133081402018-08-19T17:21:00.002-07:002018-08-19T20:03:56.625-07:00Adventure: one way to measure a lifeNear the beginning of this year, one of my best adventure buddies, <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/01/two-great-days-of-winter-sports.html">Boyd</a>, found out that he had ALS, also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease". I had emailed him to find out if he wanted to go skiing with me and our mutual friend Lynn. When he emailed me back he gave me the sad news. We had spent a lot of time together in the outdoors--skiing, climbing <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/11/today-im-grateful-for-sunrises-and.html">Kings Peak</a> (Utah's highest point), hiking at Boulder Mountain, fishing, and many other great outings.<br />
I wanted to know what I could do to help. I figured that about the only thing would be to maybe take him on some short adventures up into the mountains we both love.<br />
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<b>Trip 1</b></div>
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The first one, in June, ended up being a drive along the Mirror Lake Highway in the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/01/not-to-leave-out-uintah-mountains.html">Uintas</a>. I wanted Boyd to do what he wanted to do, so we got out at the Provo River Falls and wandered down the trail. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boyd's career was as a photographer. He still has the love for a good shot.</td></tr>
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Though his disease is progressing rather rapidly, and his muscles are beginning to weaken to the point that he has a challenging time walking, he still wants to be as fully engaged with life as he can be. He told me that as far as his personal case goes, he'd rather not be like the late Stephen Hawking and be confined to wheelchairs or other means of life support. He told me that when he can no longer do anything he loves to do, he'd just as soon go.<br />
I certainly could relate to that. I have told several people that if I ever get Alzheimers, I'm going to go while I still have my thinking ability, and do the riskiest activities I can think of in the hopes of ending my life by a slip or a fall, instead of making someone have to take care of me. He had also mentioned to me that he regretted the summer of 2017, because he had worked so hard to put in his backyard, and his family members and friends had asked him several times to go camping with them, but he had put it off so he could finish the back yard. He wished he would have known was was going to happen. The thing is, we rarely do.<br />
As we walked down to the falls, the only time he asked for help was going down the stone steps. We hung around the falls, taking a few pics, Boyd talking to one guy who had made it out to the middle of the river and sat on a rock just above the falls. After a while, we headed back to the 4Runner, and continued driving up the highway. Eventually Boyd said, "Let's turn off here and go for a hike."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A short hike into the woods--nothing like it!</td></tr>
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I pulled off and we got out, following some old dirt road back in, until it ended, which wasn't very far, and we continued on through the forest. We spotted a couple of deer, and maybe a beaver ducking beneath the water in a lily-pad covered pond. At one point, Boyd lost his balance and fell. I had wandered away a few feet and came back to help him up. He was okay. "At least I picked a good place to fall--pretty soft here," he said. We probably walked through the woods for about a half mile, then headed back to the vehicle. "Let's see if your trail finding skills are still good," I said. Within moments he had found our way back.<br />
We stopped at Dick's Drive-in in <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/08/hiking-and-fishing-uintas.html">Kamas</a> and got a late lunch, continuing our conversation between bites. "I would really love a cheeseburger," he said, "but I deal better with chicken strips in these hands."<br />
We talked about going out the next time, how we would drive from Mill Hollow over to Currant Creek. "As long as I'm still able to go, let's plan on it," he said.<br />
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<b>Trip 2</b></div>
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We made it out again on July 3rd, and accomplished the goal.<br />
We mostly traveled dirt roads over the top of some spectacular country.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlenr-8GIB3fASlYYf3mnoTMTAPPM9qzlqulvYBtNMBUxSgf_4Jw__d6SNtMY3uZNFjvMeulYzRzfQEIP7BsL6UUCyxPrygYJ5XCw-A9TGZpULO25gls5JZiS3c8SDksNSGyp6Q/s1600/IMG_7113+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlenr-8GIB3fASlYYf3mnoTMTAPPM9qzlqulvYBtNMBUxSgf_4Jw__d6SNtMY3uZNFjvMeulYzRzfQEIP7BsL6UUCyxPrygYJ5XCw-A9TGZpULO25gls5JZiS3c8SDksNSGyp6Q/s320/IMG_7113+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
We talked about places we had been and he told me of places I should go--even showing me his favorite fishing spot at <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/03/hiking-near-heber-utah.html">Currant Creek</a>. I wanted to try it right then, but we hadn't brought any gear. It was time to go home though. Ann wanted to see me for dinner. When we were nearly home, Boyd pointed up at <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/09/hike-of-yearlone-peak.html">Mt. Timpanogos</a> and said, "I have never been up on that 'plateau'. I'd like to go up there."<br />
"I went up there last year," I said, "my first time ever. It's called Sagebrush Flat. It's a pretty cool place." We decided that maybe that would be our next trip.<br />
The conversation, like the first time, had been matter-of-fact about his disease and the ultimate outcome. There was no beating around the bush for either of us. "Some people have a hard time knowing what to say to me now," he'd said on our first drive. I just tried to treat him the same way I always had, like my friend. That's the way I want to be treated if I'm ever in that kind of situation.<br />
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<b>Trip 3</b></div>
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On July 31st, I picked Boyd up and we headed up to <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/hiking-and-four-wheeling.html">Sagebrush Flat</a>. The road is a continuation of the road that leads up to the Timpooneke Trailhead---one of the ways to the top of Mt. Timpanogos. It's a dirt road that leads around to the west side of Timp. It was actually rockier and bumpier than I had remembered it being, and I thought about how Boyd had mentioned on our earlier trip this summer into the Uintas how he didn't want to go on a certain road because of how bumpy it was. I mentioned to Boyd that I hadn't remembered it being so rough and he said, "It's not that bad. You're just worrying about me." And he was right. It likely seemed bumpier to me because I was remembering what he'd said about that other road, and worried that I had taken him on a road that was too bumpy because of that.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie near Sagebrush Flat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had climbed up on the rocks to pick some currants.<br />
Boyd asked me to stay up there and he took this pic.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sagebrush Flat is a Beautiful area with views into both Utah and Salt Lake Counties.</td></tr>
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We made it up to Sagebrush Flat and began exploring a little. We talked about how many hunters might be up in that area during archery season. We saw a large buck and a moose, and took some pics. I had forgotten my DSLR and Boyd was trying to get some good pics with his phone. Getting good pics with my phone is really out of the question.</div>
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The scenery was magnificent. The friendship, even better. We ended up by picking up some food at Costa Vida and taking it back to Boyd's house and eating it there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskoPcy8_6twhigSZK2PXb5V67kUO7n55cfZUeJI0g0aGwI7Rgu2yZt9g8nLn2G8o6R7iyyhax8jpHC4FaxT5si9g76LJbNVmKIktoyYGcSvQt4Gn4SCFZZASpYdgUMZzd5qm9wQ/s1600/boydlythgoe_1___Bl6qguJB_hW___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskoPcy8_6twhigSZK2PXb5V67kUO7n55cfZUeJI0g0aGwI7Rgu2yZt9g8nLn2G8o6R7iyyhax8jpHC4FaxT5si9g76LJbNVmKIktoyYGcSvQt4Gn4SCFZZASpYdgUMZzd5qm9wQ/s320/boydlythgoe_1___Bl6qguJB_hW___.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sagebrush Flat area. Sweet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgReyX4YyQuVhBmklzkabp6X3Xg9cqollhVTPEMnWxTpYHNFjILVLmRe7hPHF3fOSjAvHc43tSQQNCipv4_xtgRs5G6Nef2Zyitz5M0n9FdadpbfqTnxRj9wRB5sqPxixEs6NzwfQ/s1600/boydlythgoe_2___Bl6qguJB_hW___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgReyX4YyQuVhBmklzkabp6X3Xg9cqollhVTPEMnWxTpYHNFjILVLmRe7hPHF3fOSjAvHc43tSQQNCipv4_xtgRs5G6Nef2Zyitz5M0n9FdadpbfqTnxRj9wRB5sqPxixEs6NzwfQ/s320/boydlythgoe_2___Bl6qguJB_hW___.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saw a moose and nice buck up here in Sagebrush Flat. I couldn't<br />
find the pics though.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Trip 4</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
August 15th was our most recent trip. We made it back to Currant Creek. I remembered that earlier in the summer we had passed through the area during the huge fire up near Strawberry Reservoir, the Dollar Ridge fire, and we had seen flames and tons of smoke along with aircraft dropping water and/or fire retardant on it. I couldn't see any smoke now--at least from that fire. The air was a bit smoky from all the fires further west, but not as bad as it has been this summer.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Boyd told me that we wouldn't be able to make it down to his favorite <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/great-hiking-and-fun-fishing-in-uintas.html">fishing</a> spot, because they had tried the week before when he came up with some family members, and he had fallen down pretty good. So we made it to an area that was easier to access and set up our stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAOwSKvQyRbuinxQPMV2XywgFunxkAdljYWbtVhyphenhyphenpoNbcwX5dcv3YDg2JbjdgBAOVb6q04iizHIRiP8VvBqOq2h0mW9-BYC4ulae7dx53yBJwGLsGAbLbcJ3n4CNEdFr8yQdh1A/s1600/IMG_7418+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAOwSKvQyRbuinxQPMV2XywgFunxkAdljYWbtVhyphenhyphenpoNbcwX5dcv3YDg2JbjdgBAOVb6q04iizHIRiP8VvBqOq2h0mW9-BYC4ulae7dx53yBJwGLsGAbLbcJ3n4CNEdFr8yQdh1A/s320/IMG_7418+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
We caught a couple of eating-sized fish. Boyd had told me that he and his wife Robin love to eat fish. That was fine with me. My wife Ann hates even the smell of them cooking.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It was a team effort. I tied on all the hooks and other gear, baited up the hooks, and cast out the line, and then Boyd reeled 'em in. The weather was nice all day, with long periods of cloud cover and some cooling breezes. We could have sat up there all day long and pretty much did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeugrKsk_jGSB4UVDsI7TT5cRKH8qrY1CR0grK3-qaCDpgWHGzLQ_vO0nCF7F-7cKryk2JLBFUYHDja8dy2nHxuXRrvEk3Y_AlS1SgIfOpMKZaeTBUAIcQ75rM5m_eNS-hW0pZfQ/s1600/IMG_7412+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeugrKsk_jGSB4UVDsI7TT5cRKH8qrY1CR0grK3-qaCDpgWHGzLQ_vO0nCF7F-7cKryk2JLBFUYHDja8dy2nHxuXRrvEk3Y_AlS1SgIfOpMKZaeTBUAIcQ75rM5m_eNS-hW0pZfQ/s320/IMG_7412+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnpJv8xYfJ4NbI6LIo0SWwePSuj3FAO7p8zWhcoYc5jITADDb6d5myI77qbRowOZu1SVD4h57l2fL9Bh1sCKxJs_feJO813ag07hwr4GBLEP19jChrGitzCzLRtk4WNi3gxdD7w/s1600/IMG_7416+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnpJv8xYfJ4NbI6LIo0SWwePSuj3FAO7p8zWhcoYc5jITADDb6d5myI77qbRowOZu1SVD4h57l2fL9Bh1sCKxJs_feJO813ag07hwr4GBLEP19jChrGitzCzLRtk4WNi3gxdD7w/s320/IMG_7416+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjN0GGRgXrhcrzoMHyxA85umLuvkQ6m3Pcdf7bZ-plOwe8AmK1Mf7-B_SEnyao7M3zljlNKX7gTXeeWFqbhpvQeHqE6THkowLlvkAClExvLi3N73KX7LyZs6Z9JIoRpm0VfoTbA/s1600/IMG_7417+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjN0GGRgXrhcrzoMHyxA85umLuvkQ6m3Pcdf7bZ-plOwe8AmK1Mf7-B_SEnyao7M3zljlNKX7gTXeeWFqbhpvQeHqE6THkowLlvkAClExvLi3N73KX7LyZs6Z9JIoRpm0VfoTbA/s320/IMG_7417+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNX8NitRk-fUZs9j-7edQf5dTI2PWR95n040qENmcXYXbLfD5wCX3k9WkXApcFcstBh7bJFAL4Zmhps5f4qKQGzjgsNsrNQrnEjeilIZX23RrRyaL1FXTYonT7FUean_P0efRwFA/s1600/IMG_7421+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNX8NitRk-fUZs9j-7edQf5dTI2PWR95n040qENmcXYXbLfD5wCX3k9WkXApcFcstBh7bJFAL4Zmhps5f4qKQGzjgsNsrNQrnEjeilIZX23RrRyaL1FXTYonT7FUean_P0efRwFA/s320/IMG_7421+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boyd got to reel in the bigger ones, although I managed to bring in<br />
the minnow on the left. Ha ha!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFO-IFcwVpMOGZiaVTwkeWGQ_mPG2m3oPwanX0zKfESAYt66H7aP5ZUyxLtvRgi4ifQK2UF1qsY2FdZttaN1mnsmJg6GWOWjB8Qjxq_R_AzDamO9e1huybTnYTRaRusTh1sKS3Q/s1600/boydlythgoe_2___BmjAyRgBSSI___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1080" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFO-IFcwVpMOGZiaVTwkeWGQ_mPG2m3oPwanX0zKfESAYt66H7aP5ZUyxLtvRgi4ifQK2UF1qsY2FdZttaN1mnsmJg6GWOWjB8Qjxq_R_AzDamO9e1huybTnYTRaRusTh1sKS3Q/s320/boydlythgoe_2___BmjAyRgBSSI___.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphkRVIcWst7zP-EfPcC1ivrgmTBMxWikMCdy8RhAGdwzDMlXcuNFtXAvFynoSL9VOSY5mVYp1OBScEmR-4WRh4qIKJAxXhMYvKMBnVFwu-b9Nc5pLBbW3F6OyhsExrZ47mAgg3Q/s1600/boydlythgoe_3___BmjAyRgBSSI___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphkRVIcWst7zP-EfPcC1ivrgmTBMxWikMCdy8RhAGdwzDMlXcuNFtXAvFynoSL9VOSY5mVYp1OBScEmR-4WRh4qIKJAxXhMYvKMBnVFwu-b9Nc5pLBbW3F6OyhsExrZ47mAgg3Q/s320/boydlythgoe_3___BmjAyRgBSSI___.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
During the time there we had some pretty open and frank conversation. Boyd told me that he had stopped using the BiPAP machine that doctors had wanted him to use to help out his breathing at night. "It's just so uncomfortable," he said--or something like that. He's pretty honest about his approach to life, telling me that if he goes, he goes, and he doesn't want to prolong the inevitable. On the way home we stopped to grab some food, and he accidentally dropped his fries on the floor. He picked them up and still ate them. I had shaken off the floor mat before I went and picked him up that day, so there wasn't any loose dirt on it at least. I asked him "did you get any grit?" </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"No," he said.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I told him that I had shaken off the mat.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He said, "Well, it's not like I care about that stuff anyway. I mean I'm not going to be around much longer, so what's a little dirt." He held up his root beer. "And I never used to drink much of this for health reasons, but now, what does it matter? I can do what I want." I had to admit his logic was compelling.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOufSaN6qpyeK9RvxCvzHBPfAnr9RlSf8S0CmKbSUV5kYUDQe2tz_J57Tpn_1xIkCSplAmUZCKXVlIxr71FomcbBYSi1RdZLIRQKfqEQULHh1RX6KEUZtLIq1MacWJpKhyktgzEQ/s1600/boydlythgoe_1___BmjAyRgBSSI___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOufSaN6qpyeK9RvxCvzHBPfAnr9RlSf8S0CmKbSUV5kYUDQe2tz_J57Tpn_1xIkCSplAmUZCKXVlIxr71FomcbBYSi1RdZLIRQKfqEQULHh1RX6KEUZtLIq1MacWJpKhyktgzEQ/s320/boydlythgoe_1___BmjAyRgBSSI___.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The haul! Boyd enjoyed reeling in the larger fish. It weighed somewhere<br />
in the 2-3 pound range.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Next Time</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm not really sure when we'll be able to get out again. Ann, who is disabled, expressed some concerns about how much time I'd been spending away from her, and not just with Boyd. I had gone on a hike with my brother and taken some of my grandkids out exploring all within the last few weeks.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But that being said, I'm hoping that Boyd and I can continue to get out until he can no longer do it. And personally, I'm hoping that I'm being the right kind of friend--one who cares enough to spend time with an old buddy who's ill. I'd like to encourage all my readers to do the same, and if you're friends with Boyd, go and see him or even take him somewhere fun.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Boyd has been able to keep an upbeat attitude during this ordeal, which is exemplary. I think it would be pretty hard to not get down, but he considers himself to be pretty lucky. And me? I'm lucky to have friends like Boyd to <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/06/longing-for-adventure.html">adventure</a> with. It's one way to measure a life.</div>
<br />Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-68628331581297013362018-08-04T20:44:00.002-07:002018-08-04T20:44:34.567-07:00Hiking: Deseret Peak a challenge, but well worth it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvEuGiQ_bkNeItdG_Ug09Hplds_NPYfKEgKaUGzoUssQq6zGRLK7zOFSGJ8AoX6IrcbRtkFUJh68qUEYS7Uq5X8c5NzvFLRyaSOxGhTp1RWVnv5R0a1OvJn7UhW-FyJQdylIhcw/s1600/Shane%252C+Mike%252C+Lawson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="1600" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvEuGiQ_bkNeItdG_Ug09Hplds_NPYfKEgKaUGzoUssQq6zGRLK7zOFSGJ8AoX6IrcbRtkFUJh68qUEYS7Uq5X8c5NzvFLRyaSOxGhTp1RWVnv5R0a1OvJn7UhW-FyJQdylIhcw/s320/Shane%252C+Mike%252C+Lawson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Today I went <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/09/hiking-bald-mountain-and-fehr-lake.html">hiking</a> to the top of Deseret Peak with my brother, Mike Roe, and his son Lawson. It was a great day to keep putting one foot in front of the other until that objective was reached.<br />
We knew starting out that our vistas weren't going to be all that great, due to the vast amount of smoke in the air caused by all the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/08/slow-down-people-breathing.html">wildfires</a> in the west. <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/mt-olympus-great-september-hike.html">Wasatch</a> and <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/08/hiking-and-fishing-uintas.html">Uinta</a> Ranges in the north, and the red rock areas of the south.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wpbs0uyd2SLpjdDuIHRSBuO9aQMYeBzq4O6lm12DnEDc0mMhQjNxX2d0WPJTnxnHAGBeXNo04K_lW3aqHSY5WU8WLiA1BhdOaPolS0a5Tdz1R5r06yeSBuwbQq-vAS4qYJGM2Q/s1600/IMG_7396+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wpbs0uyd2SLpjdDuIHRSBuO9aQMYeBzq4O6lm12DnEDc0mMhQjNxX2d0WPJTnxnHAGBeXNo04K_lW3aqHSY5WU8WLiA1BhdOaPolS0a5Tdz1R5r06yeSBuwbQq-vAS4qYJGM2Q/s320/IMG_7396+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoky views obscured the vistas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtlqK27lthfWBXNwZ_7fnfZCfXbr7MIPA4yiuQ-me6Dj9tVLG1akoaBf9_ZZy20Us6CXVQTSgqGc0Tt_hoRmG5dZNn7d_KYMntV1F_OsiD3tcRLxuthKpTs0tNecowIAPMiYx8g/s1600/IMG_7398+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtlqK27lthfWBXNwZ_7fnfZCfXbr7MIPA4yiuQ-me6Dj9tVLG1akoaBf9_ZZy20Us6CXVQTSgqGc0Tt_hoRmG5dZNn7d_KYMntV1F_OsiD3tcRLxuthKpTs0tNecowIAPMiYx8g/s320/IMG_7398+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still you can tell how Beautiful it is on a clear day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Still, the forest around us is beautiful, really in many ways, an untapped resource for Utahns and others who remain focused mostly on the <br />
Along the way we saw several deer. And there were tons of <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/hiking-desolation-lake.html">butterflies</a> and colorful moths flitting around. That was really the extent of the wildlife. Some flowers remained in bloom though it was obvious that we were past the prime season. Dry, hot summers shorten the season for Beautiful blossoms. Still, the plentiful butterflies found the remaining blooms and though the flowers were fewer, the missing color was made up for by the colorful wings of the insects.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMk9SydstsZhmPC_EjM-_YD8L_7CYrZwBZxXB40mBYer1FEViK6zI186_gO42YF-AuC1EZGLA8_KZ0k3cuJNykHJHBKvoCxf5fNVouphgPphEXQgp2dgcP1Md7USOl62Yy-XOG9A/s1600/IMG_7387+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMk9SydstsZhmPC_EjM-_YD8L_7CYrZwBZxXB40mBYer1FEViK6zI186_gO42YF-AuC1EZGLA8_KZ0k3cuJNykHJHBKvoCxf5fNVouphgPphEXQgp2dgcP1Md7USOl62Yy-XOG9A/s320/IMG_7387+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The butterflies and moths were finding plenty of blossoms.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winding down the season with spectacular shows.</td></tr>
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Due to some health issues we assume were related to altitude, we were fairly slow getting to the top. We made it though, and that's the important thing. We hung around for a while and signed a log book that is tucked inside an ammo can up on top. There were three women who had played leapfrog with us along the way and when I started looking for a good rock to use as a tripod so I could take a picture of the three of us, one of the women was gracious enough to snap the shot. The way she handled the camera, she seemed like a pro. I thought the shots she took were all good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsbQ-RLRfs68fFP3gc_E5GQQiOQOJfSaN4wbAXZqNeApwdoG0AkJseAqifKoPlKmlg5LoWKALiqFnqEx3raWnOXWfkGhTTnHwZuMtU8c66A-1X-eOrfwWpuGXfXChCQ3VZ-bJag/s1600/IMG_7373+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsbQ-RLRfs68fFP3gc_E5GQQiOQOJfSaN4wbAXZqNeApwdoG0AkJseAqifKoPlKmlg5LoWKALiqFnqEx3raWnOXWfkGhTTnHwZuMtU8c66A-1X-eOrfwWpuGXfXChCQ3VZ-bJag/s320/IMG_7373+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stunning flowers still remain, but not for much longer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiQ7c1RTr-vm5rAKQN3rH0j_ILnMMZGfxzbGFmObDISaRTo08cjaQ595Orwvr5rYPnhvORUbMqS-Cbyvbhn6gMxJX6oNXxEv_zttndB1aZH0upqBOt2RPevmHcgM-tCjPDgMl8g/s1600/IMG_7382+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiQ7c1RTr-vm5rAKQN3rH0j_ILnMMZGfxzbGFmObDISaRTo08cjaQ595Orwvr5rYPnhvORUbMqS-Cbyvbhn6gMxJX6oNXxEv_zttndB1aZH0upqBOt2RPevmHcgM-tCjPDgMl8g/s320/IMG_7382+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike (L) and Lawson (R) taking a breather.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBoifXSG1bhKrIseuXAKpjUJwZ8648lDtE2LnVnzFoS45eY2yXqxueqNk-LY7_QWzrPm-_vHE7hDzEU7K0mXeGssgpL1ZdLq3BeHTaqkKxDwpiLF_0D2ITaDII2cmHU7dNwbTFQ/s1600/IMG_7388+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBoifXSG1bhKrIseuXAKpjUJwZ8648lDtE2LnVnzFoS45eY2yXqxueqNk-LY7_QWzrPm-_vHE7hDzEU7K0mXeGssgpL1ZdLq3BeHTaqkKxDwpiLF_0D2ITaDII2cmHU7dNwbTFQ/s320/IMG_7388+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This huge meadow extends along much of the trail.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrobc7VeQravfes2UfqanNTq2HyK6RacxgPUIofVTTnxXdMMuq3g_O78egww86Lt4T2NmRRIcMcZEA1SK4MrX1fzAWIGKoN_fnS4EOI80oD0uAiDsgr7JhEiFUSoEciGdzScFDlw/s1600/IMG_7390+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrobc7VeQravfes2UfqanNTq2HyK6RacxgPUIofVTTnxXdMMuq3g_O78egww86Lt4T2NmRRIcMcZEA1SK4MrX1fzAWIGKoN_fnS4EOI80oD0uAiDsgr7JhEiFUSoEciGdzScFDlw/s320/IMG_7390+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabulous vistas to the north.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBERwIN4OGCrIrcH9I-0Gs9oahK-EpNgH2GCQsdreh8qEtAHbQkGCPiD5_8RjnrUBhWvcAFC4BT4qiS0DUV899_YMM0pD_GWOoBob7cX5cPOtbA7saLMOUv7h8O2vfbEX8JLxNwg/s1600/IMG_7395+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBERwIN4OGCrIrcH9I-0Gs9oahK-EpNgH2GCQsdreh8qEtAHbQkGCPiD5_8RjnrUBhWvcAFC4BT4qiS0DUV899_YMM0pD_GWOoBob7cX5cPOtbA7saLMOUv7h8O2vfbEX8JLxNwg/s320/IMG_7395+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The saddle. From here it's about a mile to the top.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlG2fSrOkxquUbXfKPRu0-6w6aAuvfHm3dOo2LBiO_r7SpCbiEQ_heXhBYNcdvyX1SFuT9mOQeI8xJmlVIMeXgzHgW7psB8LJ6_Unjl_CTMjFnnT7TnDy841yYROdUGlot_IvQg/s1600/IMG_7404+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlG2fSrOkxquUbXfKPRu0-6w6aAuvfHm3dOo2LBiO_r7SpCbiEQ_heXhBYNcdvyX1SFuT9mOQeI8xJmlVIMeXgzHgW7psB8LJ6_Unjl_CTMjFnnT7TnDy841yYROdUGlot_IvQg/s320/IMG_7404+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She did a great job of capturing the shot, don't you think?</td></tr>
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We made it down in about half the time it took us to get up. We got a little worn out by the time we were done, but all in all it was an excellent adventure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwGgo969uOtdk338Fo29hGLt5UHpULEntXCJ2JRSZCIlSW7QBry4R5gUs3z2Q-i9xAmmGN4r8_4gGQznly23fAxtWungAxQCB1TwWKP6zp2KZE9xP3O-c9sOzvMF21vw3HGksKw/s1600/IMG_7405+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwGgo969uOtdk338Fo29hGLt5UHpULEntXCJ2JRSZCIlSW7QBry4R5gUs3z2Q-i9xAmmGN4r8_4gGQznly23fAxtWungAxQCB1TwWKP6zp2KZE9xP3O-c9sOzvMF21vw3HGksKw/s400/IMG_7405+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lupines as we neared the top</td></tr>
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For a full report on what the trail is like, visit my earlier post on Deseret Peak here:<a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/hiking-deseret-peak.html"> clickety-click</a>Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-60785598478273682992018-07-29T15:03:00.001-07:002018-07-30T21:18:17.854-07:00Trip Report: Gold Beach, Oregon and trying to help the disabled<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NPCAwnmrxku2xAvdD-ItrhD3srwUTM4R3AcCpIqNnGjjVwczqR_XpJLrqbGiSRZMJDBRp9ZT1TjhgKZX_gjZvaumpHL7akk5gnmEwCE573rHXtC_htQ4nYHM9qHPeRzkSiVv7g/s1600/IMG_7182+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NPCAwnmrxku2xAvdD-ItrhD3srwUTM4R3AcCpIqNnGjjVwczqR_XpJLrqbGiSRZMJDBRp9ZT1TjhgKZX_gjZvaumpHL7akk5gnmEwCE573rHXtC_htQ4nYHM9qHPeRzkSiVv7g/s400/IMG_7182+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset behind the house we stayed in at Gold Beach, Oregon.</td></tr>
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One thing that's going to take me a lot of time to perfect is how to handle someone who is disabled on a long road trip. Ann had been a bit hesitant to take on our planned trip to Gold Beach, Oregon, and not for her own health reasons. Frankly, she believes that she can no longer talk to me because my religious views have changed and hers are so much a part of her life that she cannot hold a conversation without referring to them. The conversation during the travel was what she was most worried about. So much so in fact that she said, "I'm not worried at all about the actual trip and getting around". I took that as a big plus because previously, that issue, her disability, had been high on her list of worries. Because of that statement, I figured she could deal with regular motel accommodations for one night on the way there, and one night on the way back. That and the fact that Lakeview, Oregon is the only town roughly halfway between Salt Lake and Gold Beach, and also that the handicap room was already booked in the one motel that had one (Best Western) led me to scheduling a regular room. I felt like she could deal with it for a night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyPKWbrFUhunEmcGxvtnrb0kbSSUrXK9Ctnc74bZBGW3MefGOyBf9WonQsWAXEXz2orQMj3hiR3JimAFgcbRHcccELxYZ0qLLddGhua8BQKi1Uv1R7RYVLcRiZi3cB2Nsl4YVZA/s1600/IMG_7142+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyPKWbrFUhunEmcGxvtnrb0kbSSUrXK9Ctnc74bZBGW3MefGOyBf9WonQsWAXEXz2orQMj3hiR3JimAFgcbRHcccELxYZ0qLLddGhua8BQKi1Uv1R7RYVLcRiZi3cB2Nsl4YVZA/s400/IMG_7142+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoky and hazy everywhere except the coast. It got worse than this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MMb3DRbP_DY7sza8IzKSBUp5lfXXhcjmUEP8D9OPtHQSZHvo8pQq6MHtcxGujoTlwe6Ri24lS9GAsgpYQCKypQW1svozew0YBFr95TjiUyNJYtrf-JpiGCHE0hUVxt6_jH91LQ/s1600/IMG_7145+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MMb3DRbP_DY7sza8IzKSBUp5lfXXhcjmUEP8D9OPtHQSZHvo8pQq6MHtcxGujoTlwe6Ri24lS9GAsgpYQCKypQW1svozew0YBFr95TjiUyNJYtrf-JpiGCHE0hUVxt6_jH91LQ/s400/IMG_7145+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the high points on the road to Gold Beach. This waterfall alongside the road.</td></tr>
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The problem was, the room was carpeted and her normal mode of movement, scooting around on a desk chair, wasn't going to be a possibility. It's a long story about trying to convince her to walk more and failing in that convincing. The secondary problem that became more acute was that the toilet was really low, making it hard for her to get up after sitting down. Ann needs knee replacement surgery and low seating isn't something she enjoys. I did manage to find a handicap toilet seat apparatus from housekeeping that raised the level up to a comfortable height. But by that point, she was already aggravated and upset. I found out later that she had been struggling with hip and leg pain on the ride there--something she never told me about.<br />
The mattress was memory foam. Some like it, some don't. It was the first time either one of us had ever slept on such a mattress. I found it difficult to move around on, but fairly comfortable sleeping. Ann had a hard time with it, but not unbearable. We both decided that after this testing of the mattress, we knew we would never get a memory foam mattress.<br />
From Salt Lake to Lakeview is about 560 miles. A hard stretch. Our van was much more comfortable riding in than the 4Runner would have been though. It was our first long trip in the Sienna and everything worked well with that. That was as close to half way as we could get with the lodging situation.<br />
The next day I got up early and went for a walk. As I returning, I saw a large buck vanish behind a building across the street. I thought he might come through and out the other side, so I headed that direction and got a few pictures of him.<br />
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Our drive that day was about 330 miles, but over many more winding roads. And much of that part of Oregon has the speed limit at 55--even on the non-winding parts where 65-70 could have been done safely and easily. I drove at about 5-7 miles above the speed limit on all of these roads, except for the I-80 part through Nevada and Utah. In Nevada the speed limit is 75 and I drove 80, and in Utah it's 80 and I was driving 83 for the most part.<br />
As for the remaining 330 miles to the coast, I was looking forward to seeing the greenness of the land and vaunted forests of Oregon. It took a while to get to that part. Much of the eastern part of Oregon looks like much of the western parts of the U.S. like Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho---lots of sagebrush, juniper, and other high desert landscapes. It took a while to get to the forested parts and once we did, we couldn't really appreciate the vistas. Everywhere we looked was smoke. I did appreciate though as we continued on, the immensely tall trees that came right up to the roadside and towered above us. That was unlike anything I had seen in Utah for sure. On the other hand, I love the aspen sprinkled liberally in Utah forests--something I didn't see in Oregon. It was all evergreens.<br />
We got to Gold Beach early in the evening on Tuesday night. Back in Utah, it was Pioneer Day, with all the attendant celebrations, but in Gold Beach, it was just an ordinary day. We found our accommodations rather easily, Ann made it up the one large step and two short ones, I loaded stuff into the house where we'd be staying for three nights, and then we had some dinner. I had packed some leftovers and we heated that up in a saucepan as there was no microwave in the place.<br />
There was no way to roll Ann out to the edge of the cliff to view the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/04/some-photos-from-our-trip-to-ventura.html">ocean</a>, but the ocean was quite visible from the kitchen table in the house. She wasn't going to walk that far, which was about 150 feet, and over some rather uneven ground. Keeping her balance is normally something she has trouble with--especially on uneven surfaces. I went out and took some pics of the house and property, and also of the ocean.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtu0Ug6bGyIvS9oBfMCrV2mt9dvzTnvMxxK-IXd9DOerHodnAXCyB5V9A0YfAdiGth5BwcZRxmJkSci-AncPr-1k5Xo7QlPgWXoP4vLQC8l2eQzMvE0pOcWJf5uNIOuzWY5-2Tg/s1600/IMG_7151+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtu0Ug6bGyIvS9oBfMCrV2mt9dvzTnvMxxK-IXd9DOerHodnAXCyB5V9A0YfAdiGth5BwcZRxmJkSci-AncPr-1k5Xo7QlPgWXoP4vLQC8l2eQzMvE0pOcWJf5uNIOuzWY5-2Tg/s320/IMG_7151+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cypress trees lined the property.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHv6qdfjdc0NsRInLW5Q5GdoXlNwI-pUkFcQcCLYKzs1WCkTm4C9GNl2fQlCCb39a7lYiJK60i3qvWJ1Km1vj9hHEByCTScwc9bsL5CE70V0TCJH3kVtMZ1KwJ4HRLgqyIAKWMw/s1600/IMG_7153+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHv6qdfjdc0NsRInLW5Q5GdoXlNwI-pUkFcQcCLYKzs1WCkTm4C9GNl2fQlCCb39a7lYiJK60i3qvWJ1Km1vj9hHEByCTScwc9bsL5CE70V0TCJH3kVtMZ1KwJ4HRLgqyIAKWMw/s320/IMG_7153+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a bad place to stay.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great viewss</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqYm4F2ifapnGjS8Fr19XrNbUbDecqu9W9JFNfY00npFttold6w0O4AnPSlFDvEpSC-16MKMn4DAcitS69g_d0ozlmzOy7WL46r-m0PUJ5OQbY-QMbJpNVQ204c4r9_tJbxlJMQ/s1600/IMG_7175+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqYm4F2ifapnGjS8Fr19XrNbUbDecqu9W9JFNfY00npFttold6w0O4AnPSlFDvEpSC-16MKMn4DAcitS69g_d0ozlmzOy7WL46r-m0PUJ5OQbY-QMbJpNVQ204c4r9_tJbxlJMQ/s320/IMG_7175+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYufg0JD-gV0B2gr543Sp3-ItL8yaLS7hgi-oAG0RAM84qB0XMsu959LvGHQAxcwcWtxB8fzdBxXV8SuT5uqr7HNecRUZU_JIudG7aGb2ACvrwFesyu7x_GLbzPbnOXfVpyyZWhA/s1600/IMG_7181+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYufg0JD-gV0B2gr543Sp3-ItL8yaLS7hgi-oAG0RAM84qB0XMsu959LvGHQAxcwcWtxB8fzdBxXV8SuT5uqr7HNecRUZU_JIudG7aGb2ACvrwFesyu7x_GLbzPbnOXfVpyyZWhA/s320/IMG_7181+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabulous sunsets</td></tr>
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Ann was frustrated and upset about the steps. I got the brunt of it because I had scheduled this house close to the ocean instead of one that was several miles away from the ocean but had no steps. I had asked her if she was okay with it at the time I scheduled it, and she had said "yes", but when it came right down to it, she blamed me for the "error". Another thing I need to learn about her and her disability is that I should always opt for whatever's going to make things easier for her. My natural inclination is to challenge her so that she'll fight through it and learn better how to cope with difficult situations.<br />
The next day we woke up to fog. There was a lot of fog, especially in the mornings there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyuZsphjYvUgakl8HGO59FS6N5gkqfaFE1EsjUWJEU3ZcFpKc4XdGoc4F7wFfgC6k0h7lpiuXIn70TzLmtL0X86SHKxpdwHQpvTBX0R0NCKV_WMQQqn9dsA71aQDqxXBotAE3KA/s1600/Foggy+town+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1365" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyuZsphjYvUgakl8HGO59FS6N5gkqfaFE1EsjUWJEU3ZcFpKc4XdGoc4F7wFfgC6k0h7lpiuXIn70TzLmtL0X86SHKxpdwHQpvTBX0R0NCKV_WMQQqn9dsA71aQDqxXBotAE3KA/s640/Foggy+town+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It would be our luck that they had more fog than usual while we were there.</td></tr>
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We found out that Ann had forgotten her Lisinopril, which is a blood pressure medication. She can be a panicker about her blood pressure, even though recently it hasn't ever gotten out of the 140s for the upper number and most of the time is in the 100-130 range. I told her that she could live without that drug for three days until we got home, because she had a quick acting drug with her that is used to stop high bp if it stays over 150 for five hours or so, but that kind of logic didn't work. So I went to work contacting local pharmacies and her doctor and arranging to have a small prescription sent.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSqVT_EjgP6FJe5zm7QLNSYDiH8HaRyjt42U1Fa8GHPIAul4Y0dQB3zLlOsUchAI0ry1_fYMHON2g2ajNXZ6EG0Z8d0KUTrsp2eDHBoHRqbAKklDeMvHsQNIkqbVn3BjFR4ckzw/s1600/IMG_7231+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSqVT_EjgP6FJe5zm7QLNSYDiH8HaRyjt42U1Fa8GHPIAul4Y0dQB3zLlOsUchAI0ry1_fYMHON2g2ajNXZ6EG0Z8d0KUTrsp2eDHBoHRqbAKklDeMvHsQNIkqbVn3BjFR4ckzw/s400/IMG_7231+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fog receded a little.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtORt4O05trZw2K88o3r6doBOKILJ1BSoL6wda3zC19eSe6AloBnzhEk07qv-y3HqEDoSl0RsTSGfZ8-ifsrgge-q2mRJq5JZkghZnhzTFBCqzaDB1kk3r4oH0xPQzDKCVaqS1BQ/s1600/IMG_7234+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtORt4O05trZw2K88o3r6doBOKILJ1BSoL6wda3zC19eSe6AloBnzhEk07qv-y3HqEDoSl0RsTSGfZ8-ifsrgge-q2mRJq5JZkghZnhzTFBCqzaDB1kk3r4oH0xPQzDKCVaqS1BQ/s320/IMG_7234+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I enjoyed some "relax" time.</td></tr>
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The problem became that I was not getting a phone signal anywhere outside of the actual towns we passed through and I ended up missing a call back from her doctor. This extended the episode of the missing meds into the second full day of our stay. Before I knew I couldn't get a phone call back from the doctor's office though, I found some time to hike up to the <a href="http://beachlooprealty.com/explore-curry-county-francis-shrader-old-growth-trail/">Frances Shrader Old Growth Trail</a>. Ann was pretty good about letting me get in my activities, but somehow managed to make me feel guilty about them at the same time. It's common for those with disabilities to say things like "It would be nice to be able to do things like that", which is true, but when Ann does it to me, it makes me feel horrible for being a healthy human being and guilty for not just staying home. It's a catch-22 sometimes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZ3dFMCpeHoc4WV6OoJw-dwNv50vhtvOENhS_lsWotk11pbUcyb14YLqBmkkb6k_htt8f_1PHiR4av2rUUsa6BORHkg9TDbkDtMNgHHO9zw0gzwE7wogThl9-a8S_pl5dtwrALg/s1600/IMG_7235+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZ3dFMCpeHoc4WV6OoJw-dwNv50vhtvOENhS_lsWotk11pbUcyb14YLqBmkkb6k_htt8f_1PHiR4av2rUUsa6BORHkg9TDbkDtMNgHHO9zw0gzwE7wogThl9-a8S_pl5dtwrALg/s320/IMG_7235+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Frances Shrader trail was pretty awesome!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These trees are even bigger than they look.</td></tr>
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This trail is a loop with numbered signposts and trail brochures explaining them along the way. I had told Ann that I would be back in time for lunch, and I wasn't sure if she would be thinking Mountain Time, which we are used to, or Pacific Time, which was the time where we were now (she told me later that she hadn't been worried about it at all). I split the difference. Still, that meant I was going to have to be fast on the trail. The trail was interesting and is well worth the time it took. It is a deep, dark forest in parts, kind of Hansel and Gretel-ish. I could have taken a lot longer and just strolled through it, but being aware of my time commitment, I basically rushed through it. I found that <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/06/hiking-uinta-lakes-near-bald-mountain.html">hiking</a> at that low elevation when I was used to the high elevation hiking in Utah was a piece of cake.<br />
I made it back and convinced Ann that we should go out for lunch. I had a hankering for pizza and asked her if that was okay. She said it was and we ended up at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g51887-d2244591-Reviews-Panther_s_Den_Pizza_and_Deli-Gold_Beach_Oregon.html">Panther's Den Pizza</a>. I really liked their pizza and Ann seemed to as well. By the time we were done with that we headed back and I found out that I had missed the doctor's call. I played phone tag with the doctor's office and the pharmacy in the Brookings Fred Meyer (which was about 35 miles from our lodging), and thought we had it squared away. We had more leftovers for dinner, and then left so that I could get Ann some time on the beach or near it at least. I'd read that <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g51780-d2043713-Reviews-Lone_Ranch_Beach-Brookings_Oregon.html">Lone Ranch Beach</a>, which is part of the <a href="https://localadventurer.com/samuel-h-boardman-state-scenic-corridor/">Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor</a> was pretty accessible to folks in wheelchairs. We drove down the corridor and stopped at a lot of viewpoints before we made it down to Lone Ranch, which is pretty much the last one before you reach Brookings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YwfeNobZpDFfBYFI7uGoihIriheXJdR3hejnhodldXKuUgsEm2g42u7zwVdXb-eCUkSLKjgPUn95BiZk_VBcJorS1m1N4A6m6Hv14P-MR3K030U8WCComu8Pyhw1e4q7URyFIw/s1600/IMG_7263+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YwfeNobZpDFfBYFI7uGoihIriheXJdR3hejnhodldXKuUgsEm2g42u7zwVdXb-eCUkSLKjgPUn95BiZk_VBcJorS1m1N4A6m6Hv14P-MR3K030U8WCComu8Pyhw1e4q7URyFIw/s320/IMG_7263+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach near Myers Creek</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Natural Bridge area</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There actually are two "bridges".</td></tr>
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I pushed Ann down in the wheelchair as far as the last picnic table, where she had a nice view of the beach, rocks, and ocean, and I went exploring for a while. I think we were there about 45 minutes or so. I got to discover and adventure, and Ann got to talk to people about their dogs and learn the dog's names.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drift wood and rocks near Lone Ranch Beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIIUEnzMJ4l5fI77BS-99FpFJAizt_59-EXWB-B5liWMostCc7_ks3Bsp6Iv3gOtEUAJvtVczpKSGX2HB94OWDynRpj1V5wapmpA1cUzkjdlEnRylXPj_B4nINT5mzyf3OKCtag/s1600/IMG_7279+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIIUEnzMJ4l5fI77BS-99FpFJAizt_59-EXWB-B5liWMostCc7_ks3Bsp6Iv3gOtEUAJvtVczpKSGX2HB94OWDynRpj1V5wapmpA1cUzkjdlEnRylXPj_B4nINT5mzyf3OKCtag/s320/IMG_7279+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some sea anemones in a tide pool near Lone Ranch Beach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaX9scgO5uTjiJJSEseqrPJlL8x0XgLquwp0db6kOAJ90pOxLeix7l5xZ09vh16Bx239kEE6aqw0TADY_Nm28D6N1kWxMvg5YkW0iWPCBh5qqRWW6kfXJUiFJYnr-Qh4xm0FGpMA/s1600/IMG_7291+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaX9scgO5uTjiJJSEseqrPJlL8x0XgLquwp0db6kOAJ90pOxLeix7l5xZ09vh16Bx239kEE6aqw0TADY_Nm28D6N1kWxMvg5YkW0iWPCBh5qqRWW6kfXJUiFJYnr-Qh4xm0FGpMA/s320/IMG_7291+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stranded crabl</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann and me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann's viewpoint. She turned around so we could see the ocean in the pic.</td></tr>
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The next morning we finally got the med situation squared away. Since I love seafood and Ann hates it, she told me that I could go somewhere for lunch, then pick up her drugs in Brookings and then come back and go hiking to the place I'd really wanted to see--<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28958-d673476-Reviews-Cape_Sebastian_State_Scenic_Corridor-Oregon.html">Cape Sebastian</a>. I hadn't really known of it before, but the hosts of our lodging had posted some papers with some information on them on the fridge and the place they recommended highest was Cape Sebastian. As far as I was concerned, it was a must-do.<br />
I left for lunch and the drugs, deciding I should eat lunch after I got back from Brookings, and then it took so long to get down there and back (like driving from Salt Lake to Provo and back here in Utah), that I didn't stop for lunch. I wanted Ann to get her meds so that she would be relieved. I took them back first and headed out for lunch. I ate lunch at around 2:30 pm at the <a href="http://portholecafe.com/">Port Hole Cafe</a> in Gold Beach. I thought it was great, although I hadn't expected it to be deep fat fried. I sort of wished I had gone with the blackened rockfish after finding out that the sampler I ordered was all deep fried (it hadn't said that on the menu). Nevertheless it was scrumptious.<br />
After lunch I drove a few miles to the Cape Sebastian trailhead. Somewhere along the way I realized that I had left my DSLR back at the lodging and was going to have to try and document the most Beautiful place on my trip with my lousy cell camera. Oh well. That would just give me more time to look at it without worrying about getting good shots. I can get so focused on taking good pics sometimes that I lose the experience of just being there and enjoying it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cape Sebastian was Beautiful!!</td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dytDYqEMNOrqTcnUSfaQQHJ0lKp_9wGI96axb8L_pSvoHKB37Ta_aCn_epJ2lDq0GBlON5oVBKPKkI' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
It was a nice hike! It was mostly downhill of course, because you begin at the road, Highway 101, and end up at the edge of the ocean. I would recommend this hike to anyone visiting this part of Oregon, or even if just passing through, taking an hour and a half or two hours to do this hike. I timed my hike up and it was just about 35 minutes, but that was hiking at a steady, strong pace. I imagine my hike down was somewhat similar in pace. Again, my normal hiking is at high altitude, as well as the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/06/fitness-goals-what-are-they-and-how-do.html">Stairmaster/leg workout</a> I do regularly. So I'm thinking most people should allow for more time going down and back up. Make sure you check out the short video above of the ocean coming into the rocks.<br />
That night I made blackberry jam from some fresh blackberries we had taken with us. I had some on a piece of toast to test it out and it was great. Amazingly, there were blackberries growing wild all over the place near Gold Beach. We picked a few right off the thorny vines and ate them.<br />
We started watching <i>Dr. Strange</i> on Netflix. Afterward, I went outside and checked out the sunset one last time before we would leave the following morning.<br />
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The next day was the day we left Gold Beach. I had wanted to hike down to a place called "Natural Bridge" along the Samuel Boardman Corridor, because I had seen it from a viewpoint platform and it was spectacular. The trail had continued past the platform so I wanted to get back there before we left town and go get a closer look of the Natural Bridge.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this trail may have led down originally for a closer look.</td></tr>
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I followed that trail for perhaps ten minutes and it never headed down, although I passed a steep spur going down that had been signposted by Oregon Fish and Game Department "Area beyond this point CLOSED". I don't know if that was safety reasons or harm to wildlife/plant life area, or what. I kept going past that trail hoping for a way down, but never found one and in fact the trail just seemed to be heading parallel to Highway 101. I gave up and returned to the Sienna and we were on our way.<br />
The road back to Lakeview was smoky like before, and even mountainsides that weren't that far away were shrouded in a thick, dirty film caused by burning vegetation. Along the way, on Highway 140, we passed a firetruck that was hosing down something in the trees off to the side. Another truck joined them as we passed and shortly thereafter, several police cars zoomed by toward that area with their lights flashing. I have no idea if the road got closed behind us, but I'm thankful we made it out of the area before it did--if that was the case.<br />
We stayed in the very same room in Lakeview. Ann wanted some leftovers for dinner, and I wanted to try one of the local burger joints. I made sure we had the raised potty chair right off the bat this time, made sure Ann was comfortable, and headed off to the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g51941-d3397797-Reviews-Burger_Queen-Lakeview_Oregon.html">Burger Queen</a>. They made my shake, but forgot my food. I didn't know that though and so I sat down and ate my shake and then waited for my food. Finally the cook came out and said that sometimes the counter people don't pass the food order back after they make the shake, He was really nice and offered me anything I wanted on the menu to make up for it. I didn't want anything else though, so I politely declined. The burger ended up being really good.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saw this herd of small horses on our way home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two were in love, but I interrupted their nuzzling.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a minute, they ignored my intrusion.</td></tr>
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We finished <i>Dr. Strange. </i>Ann didn't really like it. She's not a superhero movie fan. It was the third time I'd seen it though. I reminded her that she had laughed during it, and to not let her face crack. She said she didn't like the computer-generated effects and that the characters weren't developed enough. I told her, well the main character was an egotistical jerk and it showed him growing into someone who cared about other people enough to defend them.<br />
The next morning we ate at the motel breakfast room, or I did. I took Ann's food to her first and then I just went back and ate there. I went back to the room and asked her if she minded me going for a walk, which I did and I went and took a couple of pics of a real-life phone booth (I thought they were extinct)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the few remaining places for Superman to change clothes.</td></tr>
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and then climbed the hillside nearby up to the water tanks where I could get a better view of the layout of the land. I snapped a few pics.<br />
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We drove and drove, I needed to find a restroom before my bladder burst, but there wasn't any rest stops, nor trees to hide behind. Sometimes with a four-door vehicle, you can open both doors on the passenger side and have some kind of screen, but the van only has front doors that open out, and then the sliding doors. What a relief to finally find a rest stop in Nevada!<br />
We ate lunch in Winnemucca at a place called "<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-griddle-winnemucca">The Griddle</a>". It was highly-reviewed on both Yelp and TripAdvisor. The staff was excellent at accommodating her wheelchair, and excellent in other ways as well. I found quite a few things on their menu that sounded good, making it tough to decide. Ann, who was almost as worried about her weight-loss continuing as she was about her blood pressure earlier, couldn't find a thing. She finally settled for a cheeseburger. I ordered the peach crepes. I thought they were delicious. Ann said that the burger wasn't that good and she would have been just as happy with a McDonald's burger and that you couldn't really call the side salad a salad because it only had lettuce, two small tomato wedges, and two cucumber slices--no croutons, cabbage, or carrots. She said that she'd been hoping for some kind of mom and pop drive-in that had tacos. I hadn't seen anything like that in all the restaurant listings--at least in the ones people rated highly and that's all that I had looked at.<br />
I knew at that point that we would have to stop for dinner before we went home. We stopped in Wendover, looked around for some kind of display of a bomber aircraft that Ann had seen on a sign as we exited the freeway, and then when we couldn't find it, began looking for a place to eat. We saw a taco wagon on the east side (the Utah side) of the town and decided to stop there. There was a group of four or so ahead of us that apparently had ordered a lot of food, because I stood there for about twenty minutes waiting for ours. Once we got it, we drove around and parked in some shade near the Quality Inn that the taco truck had also parked near. I believe Ann actually liked the asada tacos she got, because I heard no complaints! I had a pork burrito and it was one of the best I've had.<br />
For much of the ride home we discussed spiritual topics in a calm, mannerly way. It was nice, but every time I had to pee, I got irritable. I told her that it was because of that , and not because of anything she was saying, and it was painfully true! I guess with that in mind, I should be a little more cognizant of what kind of hidden pain others can be in and how irritable that can make them!<br />
We arrived home about 8:10, another<a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-call-of-mountains.html"> adventure</a> under our belt and already beginning to think about the next one.Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-66501307765699227392018-07-16T21:03:00.001-07:002018-07-16T21:03:32.889-07:00James Taylor: You've Got a Friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3WJ1cf3nrLE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3WJ1cf3nrLE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
When James Taylor recorded the song Carole King wrote, <i>You've Got a Friend</i> it became an instant classic of love and friendship. I love the song and although played a lot over the decades since it came out, its sentiments and JT's voice, never grow old. I hope you enjoy it like I do. What a great live performance! This is for you.Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-83862994813788553382018-06-09T11:10:00.002-07:002018-06-12T05:11:18.194-07:00Hiking: Uinta Lakes near Bald Mountain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqbXjjKK6CyOwkACJVbE_MqsC8cfRrMpwSocGgOOPnXE6fn5cNSTGluC3KBUs1sHxLYwKOTT178iteIMUkmUkWgurlapkYzPHFO4-DaY9lK6wgTLYrBZMJ8PRe5tF91eod3eP5w/s1600/IMG_6996+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqbXjjKK6CyOwkACJVbE_MqsC8cfRrMpwSocGgOOPnXE6fn5cNSTGluC3KBUs1sHxLYwKOTT178iteIMUkmUkWgurlapkYzPHFO4-DaY9lK6wgTLYrBZMJ8PRe5tF91eod3eP5w/s400/IMG_6996+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clegg Lake with Reids Peak in the background</td></tr>
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Bald Mountain, more affectionately known as "Baldy" looms at the summit of the Mirror Lake Highway, a huge sentinel among many. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Rd0ii17A5QYCEHymXsco38N03ttMlc5kToyJHJiVc0ecL3ljq51v4wrbg6nw-Pse8bz6dao4zeSMmBvL8DhZzEVLsNxVn-Fb3muvxcikFsvdI9rhFN_MX9Yux876Nub07IE-ZQ/s1600/Wading+bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="673" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Rd0ii17A5QYCEHymXsco38N03ttMlc5kToyJHJiVc0ecL3ljq51v4wrbg6nw-Pse8bz6dao4zeSMmBvL8DhZzEVLsNxVn-Fb3muvxcikFsvdI9rhFN_MX9Yux876Nub07IE-ZQ/s320/Wading+bird.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did my best to get at least some images of these Sandhill Cranes<br />
that I saw along the highway.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MM3azPdT8UkPfQ4CUnhg7Sb11MeLqmt3eullSxqLADmmAabtXB0zutVA4RFcFw79qbpraTYkV4T4MJWWE4amK2N0T9109_IJoR1Ow2XsvjZxJB_4GvfV0bt_aa-5nDYtYltmAA/s1600/wading+birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="1387" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MM3azPdT8UkPfQ4CUnhg7Sb11MeLqmt3eullSxqLADmmAabtXB0zutVA4RFcFw79qbpraTYkV4T4MJWWE4amK2N0T9109_IJoR1Ow2XsvjZxJB_4GvfV0bt_aa-5nDYtYltmAA/s400/wading+birds.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As soon as I stopped my vehicle, the birds decided to walk away. I had no time to grab the longer lens.</td></tr>
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The hike to the top of Baldy is relatively short (2 miles) with spectacular views of the Uintas, and over to the Wasatch. I had done that hike several times in the past. Friday I was up for something I hadn't done. Ever since I had found the trailhead to the top of Baldy though, I had wanted to take the fork in the trail that headed over to some lakes and see what that was like. I was not to be disappointed.<br />
The trail begins as part of the same trail that will take you to the top of the peak, but diverges very quickly and is unmarked. There is a fork about fifty feet after you start up the trail. The left fork heads over toward the picnic tables that are visible. If you want to go to the lakes, instead of the top of Baldy, that's the trail to be on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKnrSquWEL8gKNe0EAZpY79iuOHFnwZxDPUkk7jjuGkVWvdUN7GWVA558gdrlhR5aXjNt6zOXN2MvvQjPN5nMkCZ9mivf-QzXOw7k9aBcy5nHzVKl847tlW1S967KDK5fE8wO8Q/s1600/IMG_7046+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKnrSquWEL8gKNe0EAZpY79iuOHFnwZxDPUkk7jjuGkVWvdUN7GWVA558gdrlhR5aXjNt6zOXN2MvvQjPN5nMkCZ9mivf-QzXOw7k9aBcy5nHzVKl847tlW1S967KDK5fE8wO8Q/s400/IMG_7046+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To get to the lakes, take the trail that heads toward the picnic table (in trees, top left).<br />
To climb Baldy, follow those people in the pic.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQA81-t97lN0QUjhdDufUmxcJ__eSTw4w-fv4iCtCis5hyKOhIjf1wdzeA7HPIU0GQzBsmQR6ygkff6nG34_cE6xu1UZJ-9PVqrMsPQnzeXxi5S07v4l_3sXWEnPvXTS2MpMYWkw/s1600/IMG_7047+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQA81-t97lN0QUjhdDufUmxcJ__eSTw4w-fv4iCtCis5hyKOhIjf1wdzeA7HPIU0GQzBsmQR6ygkff6nG34_cE6xu1UZJ-9PVqrMsPQnzeXxi5S07v4l_3sXWEnPvXTS2MpMYWkw/s400/IMG_7047+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A brown Forest Service sign in this pic (top right) shows the way to the top of Baldy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8VcrvRpTm8B7ua0tIzinf0aEej0jEIkolaLhPuNL_QDLd9GSIqvXHSh-HXkzcDV6lGqzLFaR0dYjbJfaIbDPYsON8rf7UhIG5xHYWp3N7qJizlntebms8ODvuJ9hKB8WE_BDgg/s1600/IMG_6952+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8VcrvRpTm8B7ua0tIzinf0aEej0jEIkolaLhPuNL_QDLd9GSIqvXHSh-HXkzcDV6lGqzLFaR0dYjbJfaIbDPYsON8rf7UhIG5xHYWp3N7qJizlntebms8ODvuJ9hKB8WE_BDgg/s320/IMG_6952+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some shallow cornices still on Baldy's edges.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBncGo_FU5GhY7w8_NYmKWTAiotuZLb_l7Fel0l-a1V3h7zk8fVif1dWD0VHeB0YhcA3ZBwft8KN6RbhOsq0ly37j9NR_NTP4cVsg2IE2ZWhOwrQdh0N5zZ5CWdYmYb8XeLIUMHA/s1600/IMG_6958+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBncGo_FU5GhY7w8_NYmKWTAiotuZLb_l7Fel0l-a1V3h7zk8fVif1dWD0VHeB0YhcA3ZBwft8KN6RbhOsq0ly37j9NR_NTP4cVsg2IE2ZWhOwrQdh0N5zZ5CWdYmYb8XeLIUMHA/s320/IMG_6958+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bald Mountain isn't quite as bald from this angle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMS4adFIPzae2u_u6T_o5iIF6gZC5YlFnmbXrdnW_1wk34nztaVT9i92nfDEADRsyoYEkyHRltJrIX4DsaMwHcLLBK4M2nt3lEjF3ss68NPZGFqKqRNgEVcSrSw9Hv8aYhU13JFQ/s1600/IMG_6974+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMS4adFIPzae2u_u6T_o5iIF6gZC5YlFnmbXrdnW_1wk34nztaVT9i92nfDEADRsyoYEkyHRltJrIX4DsaMwHcLLBK4M2nt3lEjF3ss68NPZGFqKqRNgEVcSrSw9Hv8aYhU13JFQ/s320/IMG_6974+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reids Peak left, and Baldy right.</td></tr>
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For the most part, the only way to go on this trail is down as you are pretty much at the highest point when you begin. Nevertheless, the trail is only steep periodically and had both uphills and downhills, some rocky sections, some not so rocky. This time it had some pockets of snow across it in several places, after all, it's still early June. If we would have had a normal or heavy snowfall winter, there would have been even more snow remaining.<br />
As it was, there was a lot of water both on and off the trail. I expected a lot of mosquitoes because of the amount of water, but I only saw one, and that was when I was getting my pack ready to start down the trail. I killed that one, so if that was the only one, you're good.<br />
I was heading for four lakes or really to see how far I could get in the time I had allotted myself, and depending upon how long I spent fishing or doing non-planned explorations. The four lakes I had in mind were Clegg, Dean, Notch, and Bench.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDP2M8TNEsYqRytUMTnTBzRWapLvZyhei3arsEle5rYGKrK71lZ4ztJ2Am0k5HgBzd_7-MYTdiOZzB9qxAaJ8-H7f8lahdosnxBhbAJ4s93o1utBD6WdAvdJtZBxy9myFG-z-6g/s1600/IMG_6968+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDP2M8TNEsYqRytUMTnTBzRWapLvZyhei3arsEle5rYGKrK71lZ4ztJ2Am0k5HgBzd_7-MYTdiOZzB9qxAaJ8-H7f8lahdosnxBhbAJ4s93o1utBD6WdAvdJtZBxy9myFG-z-6g/s320/IMG_6968+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of water with these white flowers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTDOGwLHRpTy_cWFNlh4q4sqJG9Nf5BJQ-C1B4strb3HC9BtQDCtFt3cawQFqtpDPzKOWZ-VCHCUVyHlA-RXACWrABgkD1FGTXqzqdUVLUmDbqwbucn0P_BX_pnFpcVDhufVh5A/s1600/IMG_6971+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTDOGwLHRpTy_cWFNlh4q4sqJG9Nf5BJQ-C1B4strb3HC9BtQDCtFt3cawQFqtpDPzKOWZ-VCHCUVyHlA-RXACWrABgkD1FGTXqzqdUVLUmDbqwbucn0P_BX_pnFpcVDhufVh5A/s320/IMG_6971+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of one of the daisy-like blooms.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N2bxSM99MgNRLJqWxZ6TpvVRNNM3HdhQvrilMGAKO05-hVlTQtxpEIhKq-DIkuZ_koWC8VaWgoZavYsu56hU0J0d-hQXabIdaT4MKHpZumGT6wNftJaNrdN7kvSloW0yGzFUAg/s1600/IMG_6976+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N2bxSM99MgNRLJqWxZ6TpvVRNNM3HdhQvrilMGAKO05-hVlTQtxpEIhKq-DIkuZ_koWC8VaWgoZavYsu56hU0J0d-hQXabIdaT4MKHpZumGT6wNftJaNrdN7kvSloW0yGzFUAg/s320/IMG_6976+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spectacular meadows. A lot of dead trees--probably from pine beetle.</td></tr>
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Since this is part of the trail that you can begin at Crystal Lake trailhead and hike up to the Bald Mountain trailhead, or visa versa, I could've conceivably gone quite a bit further. There was no way I was going all the way to the Crystal Lake trailhead though as I'd have to walk back, either up the road or back the way I had come on the trail. That would have made for a very long hike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdm3YWlUzhyKqNAODGB0UlcPEEutweIERcj_kLEBmRooupfLwkakBiaN_d6R3ZDx7iYkkaLuR1Dw6TtfcYm2tXlZysCOL54rc8TQ6votYwITL3Jzaj_b7ZSBV4HlRSvLQnw-SQjA/s1600/IMG_6985+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdm3YWlUzhyKqNAODGB0UlcPEEutweIERcj_kLEBmRooupfLwkakBiaN_d6R3ZDx7iYkkaLuR1Dw6TtfcYm2tXlZysCOL54rc8TQ6votYwITL3Jzaj_b7ZSBV4HlRSvLQnw-SQjA/s320/IMG_6985+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patches of snow like this were frequent across the trail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was moving pretty slow for the first hour or so, taking a lot of pictures, and checking things out. I think I was forty-five minutes in before I made it to the first lake, Clegg, just behind a group of three that had passed me shortly before.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkjMmYMAJBdS3Fev16P1QkkXbAXgPOrH7PTzBU-qjTSzkg8qnPivnZayJmnhjwMXg9Te4ED3mETy4LvUIlR3ZC-qxTdPvZ0_3gWu1MQsB9fXxwovWZD2rk-som-J6sdBdXuNL_Q/s1600/IMG_6990+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkjMmYMAJBdS3Fev16P1QkkXbAXgPOrH7PTzBU-qjTSzkg8qnPivnZayJmnhjwMXg9Te4ED3mETy4LvUIlR3ZC-qxTdPvZ0_3gWu1MQsB9fXxwovWZD2rk-som-J6sdBdXuNL_Q/s400/IMG_6990+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clegg Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BbQxOswGlZHb22k9qpBy_hMgCrsT7JMwegj3-Bpr6Z_TOtHbL8s8Icbiw73cz_5-8o5L8n-xZdvJzkrNEQUKjOZBrEOTyxVyxR1aDMcKbPT0_VAgm8-3tWRIkte7RiU0E6aLrQ/s1600/IMG_6993+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BbQxOswGlZHb22k9qpBy_hMgCrsT7JMwegj3-Bpr6Z_TOtHbL8s8Icbiw73cz_5-8o5L8n-xZdvJzkrNEQUKjOZBrEOTyxVyxR1aDMcKbPT0_VAgm8-3tWRIkte7RiU0E6aLrQ/s400/IMG_6993+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clegg Lake II</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I took several pictures and then headed on towards Dean Lake. However, the next lake I actually found was Notch Lake, my planned fishing destination. I had re-passed the three people at Clegg, who had stopped for some snacks and they caught up with me again at Notch as I was heading down to fish. The lake itself was Beautiful. I could have sat there all day and just looked at it, and I probably should have.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxzZLR_SAlEo3dr9hPm9LmWWpz5-QFJXTKFHESzrwJO5fxPF5FRjQYyo31PA4ASR6__4Q86dZw0rNOk6ip3oQTYPDQV4LtSFEZLxA1_PFXv-hU5-8cknnhK-sNliaHGvRBs4Kyg/s1600/IMG_7000+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxzZLR_SAlEo3dr9hPm9LmWWpz5-QFJXTKFHESzrwJO5fxPF5FRjQYyo31PA4ASR6__4Q86dZw0rNOk6ip3oQTYPDQV4LtSFEZLxA1_PFXv-hU5-8cknnhK-sNliaHGvRBs4Kyg/s400/IMG_7000+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notch Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Something about the look of things told me that fishing would be slow. No indication of fish feeding--no circles on top of the water, no jumping fish. I baited my hook and cast it out. A wind had picked up making it difficult to see the bubble. I didn't want to waste a lot of time if the fish weren't biting. That wasn't the main reason I had come anyway, so after about twenty minutes, I decided to pack up and head further down the trail to Bench Lake and see what that looked like.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOQrAKseDm3FkX-1ZBPpQmlcV5ICCk6I1RUUW_EwBBdLeqvl6zzfcG8kYbm24K8l2ybYsKeHU-EqJD_y3RIn37MSYE6UKNDnLJlhCrgPfcMOj4oLRdQrydj10SbpmQ6TctIYE2g/s1600/IMG_7003+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOQrAKseDm3FkX-1ZBPpQmlcV5ICCk6I1RUUW_EwBBdLeqvl6zzfcG8kYbm24K8l2ybYsKeHU-EqJD_y3RIn37MSYE6UKNDnLJlhCrgPfcMOj4oLRdQrydj10SbpmQ6TctIYE2g/s400/IMG_7003+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bench Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It wasn't far--maybe another 5-10 minutes and I was there. It had the same lifeless look as Notch Lake had, so I didn't even bother to get a worm in the water. But the landscape was amazing! I couldn't help getting into my virtual John Denver "Wow!" mode.<br />
I wondered if I could make it down and around the short row of peaks and follow it around to Ibantik Lake, which was the furthest I had been on that trail from the Crystal Lake Trailhead and thus would allow me to say that I had been over the entire trail, but never from trailhead to trailhead. Ibantik though was a lot further than I had planned on traveling and it would have to wait for another day.<br />
I started back toward the trailhead, planning on trying to find the missing Dean Lake along the way. On the map it had appeared to be set off the trail a ways, so I thought maybe I just hadn't looked at the right time through the trees to spot it. I had left my Garmin GPS at home this time and I really could have used it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkq27cHv6PHgf6o-pnt-lOA9muhkjmFmxTPbfjJzuEmO4mYov9oMNsrpZuZkbM930ui1_K35AA0Rs1-3PP9xiOPiPn9cmKnSj1hfsex5eBkvriyQD4OkANHgj04qAYXt3PfvxzQ/s1600/IMG_6979+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkq27cHv6PHgf6o-pnt-lOA9muhkjmFmxTPbfjJzuEmO4mYov9oMNsrpZuZkbM930ui1_K35AA0Rs1-3PP9xiOPiPn9cmKnSj1hfsex5eBkvriyQD4OkANHgj04qAYXt3PfvxzQ/s400/IMG_6979+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
When I passed Notch Lake on the way back I began looking for Dean Lake. I never saw it and finally found myself at Clegg Lake. <i>That must be Dean</i> I thought. It looked like a straight shot down from there, so I headed down. When I got there, I was not disappointed for taking a little more adventure time to find it. I think it was the prettiest of all the lakes and all of them had been Beautiful.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWhNweQQDEJ_yU1VMs8n6E-mLvvzgxxk6Iimfj4iQefa94mJo-lSye-tXE0QZiQgJ2s3rLMhNxst1EPvG8VD-pVvkZiQx76IHPLiuif2m7IMbmMY12G2q0NJ08V8iIY5lvmcpNw/s1600/IMG_7034+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWhNweQQDEJ_yU1VMs8n6E-mLvvzgxxk6Iimfj4iQefa94mJo-lSye-tXE0QZiQgJ2s3rLMhNxst1EPvG8VD-pVvkZiQx76IHPLiuif2m7IMbmMY12G2q0NJ08V8iIY5lvmcpNw/s400/IMG_7034+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back at Clegg, I decide to go up the high rocks to the right to find Dean.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeyDmxBsiiBgXpeaI0iROqe3S5NMKgIOJbwbJJ7sQPs5wuJcmMCwOZ2C52lAOH0dDobLuPapXQfOmcAbQj6EIISF3ILeXu4RA-CDd4OlodZGoqlJPM1sen0TJdl7nQNQnrKWcAA/s1600/IMG_7035+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeyDmxBsiiBgXpeaI0iROqe3S5NMKgIOJbwbJJ7sQPs5wuJcmMCwOZ2C52lAOH0dDobLuPapXQfOmcAbQj6EIISF3ILeXu4RA-CDd4OlodZGoqlJPM1sen0TJdl7nQNQnrKWcAA/s400/IMG_7035+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I went up to the top of these and looked down, spotting Dean Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Off to the right was a rocky ridge and I climbed that hoping that from there I could maybe spot Dean Lake down below somewhere. It was a good plan and it worked. Far below in the distance, I saw the edge of a body of water. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwr6hkCJdB2P_bF4Ue1cHMftIYDqzEo2Pph3195mrb-16mfT_vc9suNqOU6Zdeag4CMLY1hEr3lErtALW0uLEnRwoefKSyddr4_lXxQYYhGfejx2mST7WBVsh-Eh5qlNax87s6w/s1600/IMG_7013+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwr6hkCJdB2P_bF4Ue1cHMftIYDqzEo2Pph3195mrb-16mfT_vc9suNqOU6Zdeag4CMLY1hEr3lErtALW0uLEnRwoefKSyddr4_lXxQYYhGfejx2mST7WBVsh-Eh5qlNax87s6w/s400/IMG_7013+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I followed some rocks, then this meadow down to Dean Lake, (barely visible top).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There were a couple of fire rings around, so people had hiked in here and camped and since it was harder to find, it was probably a little more solitary than some of the other lakes as far as getting away from crowds. I noted in my mind that I might someday like to come back here and spend the night, or have a picnic or something. I was thinking too, that this whole area would be great for GPS hide and seek or something like that.--you know, someone saying "here are my GPS coordinates--come and find me"--that kind of thing.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD8hYPMoaZG7mTN5RE7WSMXXkV3mFcQURUx0Oj23wvgS-oeamQ-jRwvnwXb_HfOQYtnD-u97hhdeIF2TGSnvF53LyeGGl2IFS8buow_ockwg-BAyzjAJbk8Al0TypxdUP2h81ug/s1600/IMG_7033+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD8hYPMoaZG7mTN5RE7WSMXXkV3mFcQURUx0Oj23wvgS-oeamQ-jRwvnwXb_HfOQYtnD-u97hhdeIF2TGSnvF53LyeGGl2IFS8buow_ockwg-BAyzjAJbk8Al0TypxdUP2h81ug/s400/IMG_7033+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you follow this meadow by this curved bridge down, it will take you to Dean Lake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I looked for any kind of trail leading away from Dean that went back to the main trail, but couldn't find one. I assumed people just walked through one of the many meadows or down the rocks like I had done in order to get there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFOF1DYBqXQXqXCLLF4AavIwwwgdpMSn3SMZbFE0o7raTueEZyHrbj6iZCb4nE0xXxTvmqd5SNU9D7sBtOCrMioBABJQjhG38sVmgXTqUZHdGztK6CvpVvV02PXwght0WvjRqYQ/s1600/IMG_7042+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFOF1DYBqXQXqXCLLF4AavIwwwgdpMSn3SMZbFE0o7raTueEZyHrbj6iZCb4nE0xXxTvmqd5SNU9D7sBtOCrMioBABJQjhG38sVmgXTqUZHdGztK6CvpVvV02PXwght0WvjRqYQ/s400/IMG_7042+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I stopped and took a final picture of Clegg Lake and Reids Peak.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I headed up to the main trail and back to the vehicle. I had begun my hike at 7:45 and was done a little after 1:00. I wished I could have stayed all day--even for several days--but that was something that would have to wait for the future.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjmKWeA43RKNKIKvXIVXzimqGl85vdXN9RBFdh7K3GHm62dJb5Y3SepLGo2XLUy4cncP2ptnesWxmNXqAzxDtRFqpIco4mx79slIuZNFoXRkUCbrylSdm43CW1ZUeDDr3qI_R1w/s1600/IMG_7027+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjmKWeA43RKNKIKvXIVXzimqGl85vdXN9RBFdh7K3GHm62dJb5Y3SepLGo2XLUy4cncP2ptnesWxmNXqAzxDtRFqpIco4mx79slIuZNFoXRkUCbrylSdm43CW1ZUeDDr3qI_R1w/s400/IMG_7027+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resting on a log near Dean Lake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As for now, I was happy to have had a few hours escaping into "God's Country" and a few adventurous moments. The rewards are always worth the effort up there as far as I'm concerned.<br />
<br />Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-13227730038139155542018-06-03T13:56:00.002-07:002018-07-30T21:13:43.489-07:00Fitness goals: What are they and how do I reach them?I used to have a lot of goals regarding <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-ive-lost-7-pounds-since-christmas.html">fitness</a>. Now, my only goal is to keep going. I do have a <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/10/starting-to-get-too-cold-to-be.html">goal</a> of a minimum of three days per week exercising, and a goal to eat nutritiously. All of this in order to maintain my health for as long as possible, or rather to do everything in my power to live a long, healthy life.<br />
Every once in a while, I calculate how all of that is going. I decided to do that for the month of May. Examining my eating habits was rather easy. I asked myself how often I eat healthy versus unhealthy. Most days of may, I had a very nutritious smoothie for breakfast. My smoothie includes the following: plain whole milk yogurt, goat milk, spinach, carrots, blueberries, eggs, banana, turmeric, and now nearly daily--chia seeds. Often I include, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, or some other veggies. That's a very healthy smoothie and I have it for breakfast nearly every day. I would say I skip it once a week and on those days I have something else healthy, like oatmeal with blueberries, yogurt, turmeric, and real maple syrup for sweetening.<br />
I take a few supplements as well, mostly to help with blood pressure control. L-Argenine, CoQ10, some super Resveratrol combination thing, and a multi-vitamin. I drink a cup of green tea at least five days per week.<br />
For in between meals, I have Clif Bars, which are packed with nutrition. Sometimes I break down and get some street tacos or other fun stuff for meals. Sometimes even cheesecake or pie. I don't believe that anyone should forego <i>everything </i>tasty and wonderful.<br />
So I think I'm doing far better than the average person on eating well. I am meeting my goals there.<br />
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As far as exercise goes, I do a variety of things to try and maintain a healthy body weight and good fitness levels. I make it to the gym, usually around four times per week. I take a walk on Sundays. I go hiking when I can.<br />
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My gym routine includes exercises for cardiovascular fitness, that is, aerobic exercise, and also strength training. My main aerobic exercise right now is <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/07/trip-report-gold-beach-oregon-and.html">stair climbing</a>, but sometimes I am too exhausted and finish up with treadmill walking. Every so often, I start on the stair climbing machine and within 1-2 minutes realize that it's just not my day and head over to the treadmill to complete the allotted time. I generally exercise from 30 to 45 minutes on the stairclimber/treadmill, depending on the day. Each piece of equipment has the capability to estimate how many calories are burned depending upon a person's age and body weight.<br />
When I finish the aerobics I will go and do about 15-20 minutes of strength-training on a particular part of the body--chest and shoulders, legs, arms and back, abdominal/core. I rotate through one of these strength areas each time I go to the gym. Except when I don't. Sometimes it's all I can do to get through the aerobic workout. It is exhausting. I find though, that if I go more than a week without tackling a particular body area, the next time I do it, I am hurting much worse the next day. It never used to be like that in my youth. Sometimes I skip the strength-training part because I have worked late and I need to get home, either to make dinner, or to pick it up along the way.<br />
That being said, I manage to kill it at the gym<br />
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Here's what I found out about my exercise results in May.<br />
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On the stair climber when I averaged both the days when I go to the gym and my days off, I do 67 floors per day, or 1139 steps. When I add in the calories spent on the stair climbing, the days of walking both on the treadmill and outside, and hiking (the one 6.8 mile hike I went on in May consumed 2750 calories alone) I burned off 13,722 calories during the month, an average of 443 per day, not counting the calories burned in the strength training.<br />
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I think I'm doing about as well as I can. And if I can do it, you can too. It takes very little time to eat better. You can improve your fitness by walking a little each day, but if you have access to an apparatus, like a stair climber, you can <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/12/staying-fit-when-youre-busy.html">burn more calories in a shorter period of time</a>. You can even do some great workouts in under five minutes with no equipment. Check this out: I've tried it and it's killer!<br />
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So, no excuses! You'll feel better by doing something about your health. Go for it!<br />
<br />Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-506521052323390962018-05-16T19:09:00.000-07:002018-05-17T15:37:06.701-07:00Hiking: South Willow Lake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The day was still young as I drove toward Tooele. A few geese were flying up above Highway 201 by Kennecott, apparently using the road as guide. They were up ahead of me and I wondered how fast they flew. It took me a little while to catch them and I was driving at 65. They must've been flying at at least 50.<br />
Leaving the freeway, I stopped at McDonald's and bought my breakfast, taking advantage of the two for four dollars breakfast sandwich deal they have going on. I was going to need the energy and I would burn off the calories. I figured I could eat both.<br />
I had gotten out the door later than I'd wanted after helping my wife with a few things. That seems to be my modus operandi the past year or so. Ideally, I like to get to a trailhead prior to the sun coming up, just in case there are some fabulous sunrise pics to be had. I could tell though that it was going to be a stellar day.<br />
As I made the turn off toward Grantsville, the early morning sun highlighted the alfalfa fields and fields of other crops, instantly bringing back memories of times when I had walked through such towns, feeling the breeze on my face, smelling the soft odor of greenness. Early mornings in small towns and farm land are like that all over. But I couldn't linger. I was heading for the Stansburys, to satisfy curiosity, to have adventure, to collect memories, and to breathe in what God meant for me to breathe in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYYJWr_8j6l8pZpmPok8I1jtAv5r8zVch8_enRMWa1exPp_DCjFVazQ-RRiVAnr6_juDsY8pf-an45QtqDURpQ8f2Q5pZPLylaYioENOsg0VaTayrO_ywbVoH8zsxCeyAb0llTg/s1600/IMG_6807+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYYJWr_8j6l8pZpmPok8I1jtAv5r8zVch8_enRMWa1exPp_DCjFVazQ-RRiVAnr6_juDsY8pf-an45QtqDURpQ8f2Q5pZPLylaYioENOsg0VaTayrO_ywbVoH8zsxCeyAb0llTg/s320/IMG_6807+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same scene as at the top of my blog. That one with me in it was two years ago to the day.</td></tr>
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One thing I really like about the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/hiking-deseret-peak.html">Stansbury Mountains</a> is that very few people, relatively, have discovered them as a <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2018/04/hiking-south-willow-canyon.html">hiking</a> destination. For a long time they have been a destination for motorcyclists and ATV riders, and long before that they were home to large numbers of hunters. They still are. However, hikers, at least on the week days in May, are few and far between.<br />
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I had decided to do my second hiking goal of the year, which was to hike from the Medina Flat Trailhead in South Willow Canyon, north to Mining Fork Road, and then west on that road/trail to South Willow Lake--a 6.8 mile round trip hike. For a good description of the trail check out this blog: <a href="https://bonnevillemariner.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/jewel-of-the-stansburys-late-summer-hike-to-south-willow-lake-while-grueling-is-worth-the-trek-part-1-of-2/">clickety-click</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These yellow flowers were everywhere. I don't know what they're called.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh_I0bw72x-VKsZlTNJVvkwt4IFl78ykd9T1ieXNvZXOrOGxdtSQkaGHZsYTI9FZkfdj7plZ4EhvYVGSuRg9I5z1tjpeFJipjxQDN9EaKa3hc3zSJ-bzo8Wwrq28aF3h5Q0zdAA/s1600/IMG_6805+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh_I0bw72x-VKsZlTNJVvkwt4IFl78ykd9T1ieXNvZXOrOGxdtSQkaGHZsYTI9FZkfdj7plZ4EhvYVGSuRg9I5z1tjpeFJipjxQDN9EaKa3hc3zSJ-bzo8Wwrq28aF3h5Q0zdAA/s320/IMG_6805+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
The trail, which is part of the <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/stansbury-front-trail-full-trail">Stansbury Front Trail</a>, starts out immediately steep for about fifty yards. It had rained heavily the day before, and I found it even more challenging to hike up the muddy hill than it would normally be. Still, it's only a short, steep slog and after that it levels off a bit, with some gentle uphills and downhills. After ten to fifteen minutes, the trail heads sharply downwards into Mining Fork, then cuts across Mining Fork Road. It was the road I planned on following so I turned off the trail to head west and up. The road itself is little used now. As far as I can tell, it's only used by mountain bikers and motorcyclists, and a few people with ATVs or other 4-wheel drive vehicles who have access to it from their private land. I have tried unsuccessfully to find a way onto the road from below.<br />
I had been on this part of the road two years before and as I checked the date earlier, found out that it was two years to the day. The other time had been on a Sunday. I had memories of that time. Meeting some turkey hunters coming down, eating my lunch up among the cliffs, the preponderance of yellow flowers that were there this time too. Like many trails, this one brought back memories that I will never forget. One just doesn't forget how Beautiful an area can be at certain times of year.<br />
Nevertheless, this was two years later and I saw no one else on the trail. My goal was South Willow Lake which I knew was at the end of the road--or so I had heard. As I continued up through the deeply forested canyon, I passed the cliffs where I had eaten my lunch two years ago and was tempted to climb up there and check it out. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind these trees is the rocky escarpment where I had my picnic in 2016.</td></tr>
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There were a lot of fossils up there and I'm always interested in finding them. However, the still wet foliage discouraged me from taking that route. After all, it's rather unpleasant to hike in wet clothing, and I hadn't brought a change along with me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mining Fork Road goes mostly through a heavily forested area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of new green growth. I liked this so much, it's now my desktop wallpaper.</td></tr>
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Awhile later, there was a fork in the road that went left. I looked down it and it looked like there was a bridge across the stream down there a ways. I wondered if I was taking the wrong path by going right, but I found that if I just kept right at every fork, that got me to the lake. Looking due west at the huge peaks that direction, the lake itself is right at the bottom of those rocks. Don't be fooled by the ridges before that. I was thinking to myself <i>I wonder if the lake is on the other side of that.</i> It never was.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lake is right at the base of the cliffs dead ahead.</td></tr>
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A little bit past the fork, the trail entered the Deseret Peak Wilderness Area and truly became a trail instead of an old road. Above this point, the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/wasatch-colors-in-full-swing-but-youd_26.html">quakies</a> had yet to get their leaves, and there began to be large patches of snow across the trail. The first one I tried to walk through and was sinking in to my knees, using a lot of energy in the process. I exited the snow and walked through the sage brush where there wasn't any snow. Further on, when I cam to a big patch, there were some tracks that had been made with snow shoes and I stepped in the footprints, which kept me from sinking in. The cliffs loomed above and soon I rounded a corner and saw the lake. It was still frozen over and I had to cast aside my plans of diving in. I wasn't going to fish either as this shallow lake freezes all the way to the bottom in the winter and there aren't any fish.<br />
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I stood there looking around for a good place to sit. The only flat rocks were down a steep hill and across a snow field, so I wasn't going to make that trip. I finally decided to sit down on a small flat rock I found, just above ground level. From this vantage point, I could gaze out over Tooele Valley, and turn over my right shoulder to take a look at the lake. I ate a Cliff Bar and an orange and took a few pics (I had missed second breakfast and it was time for elevensies). I began getting a bit nervous as some dark clouds were rolling in and a breeze had picked up, chilling things down quite a bit. Nervous mostly because of the heavy rain storms we'd had the past few days intermittently. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChyphenhyphenSHMgzjaWGxgCTnrUwTHfcgusSN9-xPRRYmGk8g__ydsem4aoF34Eo3ZBa9sM2DblKGB76nRjxoayH-rsSYaiZQ2YifNOxQMjhTVFhiYYAmo58HjEf_mHUbek-wNhl96xNyWQ/s1600/IMG_6894+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChyphenhyphenSHMgzjaWGxgCTnrUwTHfcgusSN9-xPRRYmGk8g__ydsem4aoF34Eo3ZBa9sM2DblKGB76nRjxoayH-rsSYaiZQ2YifNOxQMjhTVFhiYYAmo58HjEf_mHUbek-wNhl96xNyWQ/s400/IMG_6894+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I saw this, I knew skinnydipping was out.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSTz57Q_gL_laTUe5cjWbJ1V_usyJ7pr4O7iV6gX4tnHoE9IqcsKWKlwTj60xzdhRQpH4d8huF2gwLrf0NdcrQ1toV5FfUl8qgg2CiQLQr8-MSEConHIfk4AB78Xm8IzVwWY8Rw/s1600/IMG_6895+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSTz57Q_gL_laTUe5cjWbJ1V_usyJ7pr4O7iV6gX4tnHoE9IqcsKWKlwTj60xzdhRQpH4d8huF2gwLrf0NdcrQ1toV5FfUl8qgg2CiQLQr8-MSEConHIfk4AB78Xm8IzVwWY8Rw/s320/IMG_6895+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlZOHYi01dnvVd-NbOsL0K4-NL6TsfQ-V30ArxaYdhyleQZ8GXiwD0HtKncFRg7ThjwLAG-1rYFON65_dH9qtioqk8KoR_qtYa9umbOrDYxNSqXXxU0VYHFSJoUxgCdO_xVZ8xQ/s1600/IMG_6899+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlZOHYi01dnvVd-NbOsL0K4-NL6TsfQ-V30ArxaYdhyleQZ8GXiwD0HtKncFRg7ThjwLAG-1rYFON65_dH9qtioqk8KoR_qtYa9umbOrDYxNSqXXxU0VYHFSJoUxgCdO_xVZ8xQ/s400/IMG_6899+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail visible crossing the ridge goes into North Willow Canyon.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWBa_N27Ge9GJJp9JNVdpLmS8BIC5eYAQFN86bPf_SJ5wRl_LPdGPCuc85QrxYVTmkdi7MybpmKoXBUwXgeWqdPDBu8ClKrBn-qma8386BBn77xdd-lYx5mEh6GyDOsRLFp9scA/s1600/IMG_6901+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWBa_N27Ge9GJJp9JNVdpLmS8BIC5eYAQFN86bPf_SJ5wRl_LPdGPCuc85QrxYVTmkdi7MybpmKoXBUwXgeWqdPDBu8ClKrBn-qma8386BBn77xdd-lYx5mEh6GyDOsRLFp9scA/s320/IMG_6901+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
I had a rain jacket, but like I said, no one enjoys <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/short-hike-grandeur-peak.html">hiking</a> while soaked, even if they do love a good downpour after a hot July day. Hot July day this wasn't and so even though I'd worked up a sweat on the way up and hadn't been able to jump in the lake, at this point I wanted to stay dry.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH34sLVvDu3sXgWQB6T1_ln1Yid9l7gx4CvQh3NXceDJiHFzDoR4DJYHAq7z0e8DASJgQMzQ3TWw6E79bAO82z8gIcn2YswhkMhDm0EyrU5-ivErhLRZTwvjIrJX5xE8mABIaqew/s1600/IMG_6903+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH34sLVvDu3sXgWQB6T1_ln1Yid9l7gx4CvQh3NXceDJiHFzDoR4DJYHAq7z0e8DASJgQMzQ3TWw6E79bAO82z8gIcn2YswhkMhDm0EyrU5-ivErhLRZTwvjIrJX5xE8mABIaqew/s640/IMG_6903+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down into the Tooele Valley, the Oquirrh Mountains, and behind them, the Wasatch.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxKRxdWkeC2B48yaUKkteEpL9CTivcnDZvEbJZl1ouYjwlwCLtj2YGC7Ps5JYnHnzyRt0dj0xX6Jvt99Y6wXxK-v5pHG3jCpXSMtZk_O1hOILbk1JbfKH47OgloGFJV1j_bx_2g/s1600/Bees+on+flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1410" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxKRxdWkeC2B48yaUKkteEpL9CTivcnDZvEbJZl1ouYjwlwCLtj2YGC7Ps5JYnHnzyRt0dj0xX6Jvt99Y6wXxK-v5pHG3jCpXSMtZk_O1hOILbk1JbfKH47OgloGFJV1j_bx_2g/s320/Bees+on+flower.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49QCVIpEL6VmaxCOrC-OhUkGQOAWK8rg04MrdJpsfojn3BpdGUJdCzy8Klm1RvjO1GinSLTeAcg4edAvvd-NJSY86-GfuvSg01kv4zKIkFCkzRqAEdRWJezsEN0diPTgowqrIeg/s1600/deer+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="1304" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49QCVIpEL6VmaxCOrC-OhUkGQOAWK8rg04MrdJpsfojn3BpdGUJdCzy8Klm1RvjO1GinSLTeAcg4edAvvd-NJSY86-GfuvSg01kv4zKIkFCkzRqAEdRWJezsEN0diPTgowqrIeg/s640/deer+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bookends! I saw these deer on the way up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UYnIlOguAlrlrFGlOZh50W0xiDf7us4P7d3YUA59MeRZT9tpr36dp4CNwsXPS3UfvWfn7DBDIlgRXVPtHtwCb4Lq3p3g-Rm4y9Ei0bh2uZRzPxIyjE0pm_v4zJ9np2eWVAow9Q/s1600/deer+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="427" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UYnIlOguAlrlrFGlOZh50W0xiDf7us4P7d3YUA59MeRZT9tpr36dp4CNwsXPS3UfvWfn7DBDIlgRXVPtHtwCb4Lq3p3g-Rm4y9Ei0bh2uZRzPxIyjE0pm_v4zJ9np2eWVAow9Q/s400/deer+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here they are with the rest, checking back to see how dangerous I was.</td></tr>
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I headed back down, estimating my arrival at the parking lot to be two hours away. The trail had been pretty steep with a lot of loose rocks, and there were those snow patches. I wanted to investigate the structure that had looked like a bridge on the way back too. I would still make much better time going down than coming up. On the way up, I had sauntered the first hour, taking pictures and investigating, and after that I had been forced to saunter because of the steep terrain.<br />
When I stopped to check out the bridge, it ended up being a culvert. The stream was diverted underground at this point. I had wondered why I was following a dry stream bed up most of the way. I still don't know why the powers that be thought it was a good idea to hide the stream. It kinds of takes a way a bit of the ambiance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLj2OHHqPgmMv2nlD7fXGeHZQ9xLxz9UpGMbgsvFiDdEZMtov3aijjqi5XztgJdw3QUkxlbxupKTGjixEj_36-f80KS0WLbM8utjUfTk7K7K_0vcnGe3W_k4RyECZANHtucxRbA/s1600/IMG_6913+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLj2OHHqPgmMv2nlD7fXGeHZQ9xLxz9UpGMbgsvFiDdEZMtov3aijjqi5XztgJdw3QUkxlbxupKTGjixEj_36-f80KS0WLbM8utjUfTk7K7K_0vcnGe3W_k4RyECZANHtucxRbA/s320/IMG_6913+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clouds were rolling in. It was time to go down.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZb2LUzZPu1rT-kqpzq4YKYqFMVhESLGLYXMahnId7RN8F7tciOIFrAByOHbgYt6evl8uXBinBteAM7WAXC12_OM6zC73w_4Zz3U3mZsHoHfmzcQrr-ugByM-yDxfzlWb8lt7sg/s1600/IMG_6915+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZb2LUzZPu1rT-kqpzq4YKYqFMVhESLGLYXMahnId7RN8F7tciOIFrAByOHbgYt6evl8uXBinBteAM7WAXC12_OM6zC73w_4Zz3U3mZsHoHfmzcQrr-ugByM-yDxfzlWb8lt7sg/s320/IMG_6915+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The culvert.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWOA_CSzejVuNI1hjR4ObbnF2sOft9SmdbsQcBZxH0RmcaKNArmHQ1mwZk15Z9Eatiyy6S9WGVcz3OeMZETPDv54SZc2kJJponmUZMRwM_TnfvCECyD8EzrBDwVVl-yFkZWgjCQ/s1600/IMG_6920+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWOA_CSzejVuNI1hjR4ObbnF2sOft9SmdbsQcBZxH0RmcaKNArmHQ1mwZk15Z9Eatiyy6S9WGVcz3OeMZETPDv54SZc2kJJponmUZMRwM_TnfvCECyD8EzrBDwVVl-yFkZWgjCQ/s320/IMG_6920+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stream above the culvert. It would be nice to have it all along the way.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEIL8jEna7C-fWEGFM1NprFgM_tW8Ss0GTZOQgny2F98Bc-4VmmIQpVf0_H4H574F-LC6tkMuFUN9uAT34JaEbIzAKT8boF6dzrdPtZI6iTX9GwphuQovTZWhusV52sNzt87geg/s1600/IMG_6924+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEIL8jEna7C-fWEGFM1NprFgM_tW8Ss0GTZOQgny2F98Bc-4VmmIQpVf0_H4H574F-LC6tkMuFUN9uAT34JaEbIzAKT8boF6dzrdPtZI6iTX9GwphuQovTZWhusV52sNzt87geg/s320/IMG_6924+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the impressive fork that goes down to what I thought was a bridge.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYFvPuCmzjwwuGo8Fah0HgvBcvUhOyOWmkL1hJgzY_oAdfSY92v1k-2huHEerIwBw-waZgIctSi6UkBBmHUQiPq1RXmrkR7xKNu1bsbVLJ89Ykb7uzYofDsCN1Voobj_rZrkw9g/s1600/IMG_6930+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYFvPuCmzjwwuGo8Fah0HgvBcvUhOyOWmkL1hJgzY_oAdfSY92v1k-2huHEerIwBw-waZgIctSi6UkBBmHUQiPq1RXmrkR7xKNu1bsbVLJ89Ykb7uzYofDsCN1Voobj_rZrkw9g/s320/IMG_6930+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new cone forming on this tree.</td></tr>
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As I got back to where the Stansbury Front Trail crossed Mining Fork Road and I turned off the road and onto the trail I remembered that someone had asked me about Box Elder Canyon, which is just south of South Willow Canyon, and that I had told him there was a trail going up from the campground called "Boy Scout Campground". That's part of the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/06/this-past-friday-i-enjoyed-few-hours.html">Stansbury Front Trail</a> too and heads down to Hickman Canyon. The trailhead sign said it was 4.5 miles away or somethig like that. Anyway, I spotted the trail across the canyon from where I was and snapped a shot of it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIVgMQKyQ9RfBqQ3odD3GmVr_be6VLo-v-Fp-pU4xVQFIpDb00VFZMMAJzvF66yW0Co36cW3JPM6knNd_SFbC2Y9G4QlEMmW9JqfD0rDXKK-ylH1RadpsqVmHWcwZbLbzUfSBxw/s1600/IMG_6936+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIVgMQKyQ9RfBqQ3odD3GmVr_be6VLo-v-Fp-pU4xVQFIpDb00VFZMMAJzvF66yW0Co36cW3JPM6knNd_SFbC2Y9G4QlEMmW9JqfD0rDXKK-ylH1RadpsqVmHWcwZbLbzUfSBxw/s320/IMG_6936+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the trail going up the ridge line.</td></tr>
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I got back to the 4runner just under two hours from when I'd left the lake. I had begun hiking at about 7:45 and had reached the lake in three hours, eaten lunch (really elevensies), wished I had some hummus and something to dip in it--carrots, cucumbers--you name it, and made it back down by 1:00. Not bad for a nearly 59 year old. I'm pretty sure I won't be coming back on this trail anytime before I'm eighty, and even then, I might just stop for a <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/05/hiking-taking-joy-in-journey.html">picnic</a> and never make it to the lake, but I will be back in this mountain range again someday.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WjSPf_ZXdLFVi1HXvpD1ZmVSNgxNFn6D2LWce8jmuMBZzIZPvj9Q4IxmSjavzWVc7lHfGU_rVGKQXV19RzrE2c5gWZ1Y0pWYtvrDesrz_u9L8VQYwFuSR__dk1EMTizOnnXIgQ/s1600/IMG_6908+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WjSPf_ZXdLFVi1HXvpD1ZmVSNgxNFn6D2LWce8jmuMBZzIZPvj9Q4IxmSjavzWVc7lHfGU_rVGKQXV19RzrE2c5gWZ1Y0pWYtvrDesrz_u9L8VQYwFuSR__dk1EMTizOnnXIgQ/s320/IMG_6908+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta prove I was there, don't I?</td></tr>
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<br />Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-54624361430734984032018-05-06T07:16:00.001-07:002018-05-06T10:22:43.784-07:00Help Pastor Ghouri!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkEm4hPju3CXJz3kKTKNwD7bVgWGhYP936SPxK0EN-FgvcQ1ftIA1WM516FOsGgWCX0zW1baO2Yazz0xjEdZrfzV5I-LSaVZK7ILc8aGlBc99igD8FHOREaEfAdmcruFkV9dBcg/s1600/Eric+Ghouri+and+children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="960" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkEm4hPju3CXJz3kKTKNwD7bVgWGhYP936SPxK0EN-FgvcQ1ftIA1WM516FOsGgWCX0zW1baO2Yazz0xjEdZrfzV5I-LSaVZK7ILc8aGlBc99igD8FHOREaEfAdmcruFkV9dBcg/s320/Eric+Ghouri+and+children.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Ghouri with some of the beautiful children he's helping. Praise God!</td></tr>
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My friend and brother in Christ, Eric Ghouri, is a Christian pastor in Lahore, Pakistan, a place not known for its friendliness to Christians. You can visit his Facebook page here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.ghouri.5">Eric Ghouri</a><br />
He is doing a great work among the impoverished, including widows and orphans. In addition to his pastoral work, he works in a factory for little pay, of which he donates most to help the extremely poor kids and widows whom he serves. He really could use your help with these good people and spreading the word of God. He is trying to find sponsorship for helping these people. Your prayers would also help a lot. It may even be a great cause for a church to be involved in. You can contact him via his WhatsApp number 0923046687720 or through his email address: ghourieric@yahoo.com.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KPVNj1HDlcyh-VGdwBG7XpHxwoK5Wkh_j5cbbzQycsgIFgf2kRIBwqLlj0-yv9ueKZAMyAejadQfZBKqfjN6wyVh9SxNZMkdm6uroCFGA8T5FTIR62OrEN4NWW2EjIlzib_cvQ/s1600/Eric+Ghouri+and+woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KPVNj1HDlcyh-VGdwBG7XpHxwoK5Wkh_j5cbbzQycsgIFgf2kRIBwqLlj0-yv9ueKZAMyAejadQfZBKqfjN6wyVh9SxNZMkdm6uroCFGA8T5FTIR62OrEN4NWW2EjIlzib_cvQ/s320/Eric+Ghouri+and+woman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-291261548329117072018-04-25T17:23:00.004-07:002018-04-25T17:23:27.203-07:00Sometimes death just plain sucksA great human being died this past Monday. My friend, <a href="http://www.memorialutah.com/obituary/mountain-view/mark-hintze/">Mark</a>, who had been battling leukemia for several years finally lost the fight. He was a strong and mighty man, full of vigor, and the disease had to do its best to claim him. He fought on when most would've thrown in the towel. He was a man with a heart of gold and who spread kindness wherever he went. He had a twinkle in his eye whenever I saw him.<br />
I got to know Mark years ago through church service. There I found out that Mark wasn't just a good man, but a great one. I loved him like a brother. The world will miss this guy, and so will I.<br />
<br />Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-62178364678859737062018-04-19T20:05:00.002-07:002018-04-19T20:05:09.816-07:00Hiking: South Willow CanyonOne of my goals this year in <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/07/sunset-hike-to-salt-lake-overlook.html">hiking</a> was to explore the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/06/this-past-friday-i-enjoyed-few-hours.html">Stansbury Mountain Range</a> a bit more. In particular, there is a road called "Mining Fork Road" that I have been wanting to find out about. In 2016 I had been on the road twice, but never to either end of it. Thus, I had no idea if I could drive it, and I only found out recently where I would end up if I did. In my travels around the area, I had yet to find the beginning of the road, so I thought the best way to do that, would be to get on it on foot and follow it.<br />
To do that, I had to head up to Medina Flat Trailhead in South Willow Canyon. The Medina Flat Trailhead is part of the Stansbury Front Trail system.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwZvFj9zmpg-ZMMjeCdVw9PvAonCSu3JFty139UNP3zXvxlCW715xydGQZKBUVgvA9shueip4M-VUlggsxU3gITg83R3r253pj2ddUe8GdYvcBuu3u3EsgTDQWcmuJBEyHNZrDg/s1600/IMG_6732+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwZvFj9zmpg-ZMMjeCdVw9PvAonCSu3JFty139UNP3zXvxlCW715xydGQZKBUVgvA9shueip4M-VUlggsxU3gITg83R3r253pj2ddUe8GdYvcBuu3u3EsgTDQWcmuJBEyHNZrDg/s320/IMG_6732+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice views of the Oquirrh Range to the east</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcsttJCuEr9KTkltz3DqX__E6Btt3nlmQ1mRcMrib6taCOsRymL3VD01_5CiJX9Mk2_FNQ7jz43mZTTtQ9nXiOv071ucUld3K-GVaDU8IKzJ9zNrJcul5AHTqHbfBUIRF3471-Q/s1600/IMG_6738+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcsttJCuEr9KTkltz3DqX__E6Btt3nlmQ1mRcMrib6taCOsRymL3VD01_5CiJX9Mk2_FNQ7jz43mZTTtQ9nXiOv071ucUld3K-GVaDU8IKzJ9zNrJcul5AHTqHbfBUIRF3471-Q/s320/IMG_6738+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The surrounding peaks with their snow cover were Beautiful</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBm8z8HKwirEuj_37Z2iapbYJ5X9qkHKOs7-7iM3U6aHcgqu3rJgPEmMlS70qNA9DObytgQgZyxnBQaHFzbieg8C8qZ4hunrxQ9YD1GXG_LcfTY_avl48x2K9_xTdPVZb7SyJD7g/s1600/IMG_6746+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBm8z8HKwirEuj_37Z2iapbYJ5X9qkHKOs7-7iM3U6aHcgqu3rJgPEmMlS70qNA9DObytgQgZyxnBQaHFzbieg8C8qZ4hunrxQ9YD1GXG_LcfTY_avl48x2K9_xTdPVZb7SyJD7g/s320/IMG_6746+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Another couple of miles up the road from the turnoff to Medina Flat is the Loop Campground and that's where the trailhead to <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/hiking-deseret-peak.html">Deseret Peak</a> is located. Another one I'd like to do again and soon.<br />
I arrived about 8:30 and began my hike. The weather was cloudy, and the trail was muddy from the recent snowstorm we had. Most of the snow was melted off the trail leaving a gooey mess in places that clung to the soles of my hiking shoes and added at least a pound to each shoe. As soon as I got to a less muddy spot, I scraped off my shoes. It reminded me of the days of my youth when I had gone on a summer camp as a Boy Scout, which included hiking in for about 27 miles. Luckily we had pack animals. However, on the day we hiked out, we had to deal with mud left over from a torrential downpour the day before, and the huge slaps that accumulated on the soles of our boots. I don't think I have ever been so tired at the end of a hike!<br />
Today's hike wasn't like that and served only as a reminder of things of the past. There were also more pleasant memories of this trail that I decided to spend time thinking about. Like the time the wildflowers were in full bloom which is depicted in the main picture with me in it at the top of my blog.<br />
Probably about 1/2 mile along this trail, it goes down into a canyon and crosses Mining Fork Road. I had already decided that this month I would follow it to the east to try and discover where the road began and to determine if I could get on it somewhere in my vehicle. There were tire tracks on it, so I was hopeful. I was planning on coming back again later on in the year when the snow has melted to find the end of the road. I have already found out that it ends at <a href="https://bonnevillemariner.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/jewel-of-the-stansburys-late-summer-hike-to-south-willow-lake-while-grueling-is-worth-the-trek-part-1-of-2/">South Willow Lake</a>, but have yet to visit that lake.<br />
I headed east on the road and it went out to a point which was the furthest I had been on it in the past. There is a fabulous view from this point. The overcast sky made the view not quite as spectacular as it could have been, but it was still Beautiful. Great views of the Great Salt Lake, Stansbury Island, and <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/10/hiking-antelope-island-frary-peak.html">Antelope Island</a> were to be had from this and many other vantage points along the route.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKu8lRw4wfHeZi-dtfsbSl8zIGvFl663QMfGkOiCd1oPpkP73vDcNze3J3Py-Y-0vGtIqxj-EBPJquO6qHXnfJhs6crOJ2TrrHvyNMoB0KCO2TRq5u_Ia0P2E7kP3cioZkh7aEVw/s1600/IMG_6736+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKu8lRw4wfHeZi-dtfsbSl8zIGvFl663QMfGkOiCd1oPpkP73vDcNze3J3Py-Y-0vGtIqxj-EBPJquO6qHXnfJhs6crOJ2TrrHvyNMoB0KCO2TRq5u_Ia0P2E7kP3cioZkh7aEVw/s400/IMG_6736+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The northern edge of the Oquirrhs and the Great Salt Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFBs7ByOiDSu9V3ynImYwcRKoyjWXLohbXV36INfvQIjs43QDR0TWc8I2qw_BZCUD6WkcY6xXvAjw8iRbVlzCTl9APfSc9TEX4KW8_Dfsy_8YS5aXknRxqXPI7MhaVs1HlUTDOg/s1600/IMG_6751+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFBs7ByOiDSu9V3ynImYwcRKoyjWXLohbXV36INfvQIjs43QDR0TWc8I2qw_BZCUD6WkcY6xXvAjw8iRbVlzCTl9APfSc9TEX4KW8_Dfsy_8YS5aXknRxqXPI7MhaVs1HlUTDOg/s640/IMG_6751+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visible in the haze, the Great Salt Lake, Stansbury Island, and Antelope Island</td></tr>
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At that point the road switchbacks to the west and heads down. I followed it for maybe a mile and another switchback or two before it settled in on top of the ridge between South Willow Canyon and North Willow Canyon. At this point the sun began peeking out a bit now and then, but it still remained largely overcast.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6cJP-n_zXICfFiaouKT9TROot8BEcFz06FkGzkQT-OmL_NP0i_mx2oFYAEW5OSCquJvOJGmnLT0Kbjn5iJpB46Aj7Kpg7a-9F4VPEYRcTwpzENPxwNZ1ZRaMuKUqj_541scvvA/s1600/IMG_6742+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6cJP-n_zXICfFiaouKT9TROot8BEcFz06FkGzkQT-OmL_NP0i_mx2oFYAEW5OSCquJvOJGmnLT0Kbjn5iJpB46Aj7Kpg7a-9F4VPEYRcTwpzENPxwNZ1ZRaMuKUqj_541scvvA/s320/IMG_6742+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are a lot of interesting geological formations and rock specimens in the area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hu0_P6NjPmDU0-9PMlHnATV16fDqO7HaRnbxVPd_7jBvuh1pXBIM4Ho7VxWwlnOjvxp1-4GIQekq5hupur4PmxUPtRMihiiOcWX4LaU6-vXyK8887R9Nmpbg9xWiAHnKrjk_uw/s1600/IMG_6753+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hu0_P6NjPmDU0-9PMlHnATV16fDqO7HaRnbxVPd_7jBvuh1pXBIM4Ho7VxWwlnOjvxp1-4GIQekq5hupur4PmxUPtRMihiiOcWX4LaU6-vXyK8887R9Nmpbg9xWiAHnKrjk_uw/s400/IMG_6753+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picturesque peaks of the Stansbury Range</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikM5Wz1S-pHtI98WryLr6830_2uD8FvT58q8Iu2kNt1Wy7KUosMS5ymeeb4s-jfY8u69Vv2GG0RrpBfH9GAa7yLII9RkaVC3P29CUzbF2LO9RRUB3m_KHtD6smTDI8S5e1oYV9gQ/s1600/IMG_6754+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikM5Wz1S-pHtI98WryLr6830_2uD8FvT58q8Iu2kNt1Wy7KUosMS5ymeeb4s-jfY8u69Vv2GG0RrpBfH9GAa7yLII9RkaVC3P29CUzbF2LO9RRUB3m_KHtD6smTDI8S5e1oYV9gQ/s320/IMG_6754+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't figure out what this was. Mining stuff maybe?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59gvnmJhzWNjtbFzJBwFwfiwPyAFp9O0cBaZUK5xff4OOZOXaDfYKPr_aTg2U-bXY4ilf3b_Ndltfw65FExHn2FH-k_QbNUmQ6ow9hFYAousuCLYSzbA1IrgLjCT-Wb_W4rhfHw/s1600/IMG_6755+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59gvnmJhzWNjtbFzJBwFwfiwPyAFp9O0cBaZUK5xff4OOZOXaDfYKPr_aTg2U-bXY4ilf3b_Ndltfw65FExHn2FH-k_QbNUmQ6ow9hFYAousuCLYSzbA1IrgLjCT-Wb_W4rhfHw/s320/IMG_6755+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
I followed it for another mile down the ridge before running into a "No Trespassing" sign. At this point I could see the main road going up South Willow Canyon down below and since I didn't want to trespass, I headed down the mountainside, through the junipers and sliding scree. About fifty feet above the main road, I found a nice rock to take home to Ann and I took it with me the rest of the way. I got down to the road, put the rock down where I could find it, as it was too big to carry back to the trailhead, and began the two mile walk back up the road to where the <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/hiking-and-four-wheeling.html">4Runner</a> was parked at Medina Flat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxn1qavR3pkzGuiuXl98CojiQO4dDCa1AK3xV7qqtqduDI8MRG4s1MLfPfeCLGSL2UgCE9WaFoEdeBEH0THMkA6ig8g_Yj4ulCnEhnBN5TfOvxNG9Qyf0_ac9IQGvmcLWvLIVmRg/s1600/IMG_6756+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxn1qavR3pkzGuiuXl98CojiQO4dDCa1AK3xV7qqtqduDI8MRG4s1MLfPfeCLGSL2UgCE9WaFoEdeBEH0THMkA6ig8g_Yj4ulCnEhnBN5TfOvxNG9Qyf0_ac9IQGvmcLWvLIVmRg/s400/IMG_6756+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photogenic truck was parked at one of the cabins.</td></tr>
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I had come down near the cabin area and a guy was outside working at one of the cabins and came over and talked to me a bit. I told him about where I had been and the "No Trespassing" sign and how I had decided to come down the mountain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5U3dOP8qr42vazFRl4D2WDOz9hVTt5EsyFH-HJ6k6E_vbd12vIQdL_wqnESPbIJ6K7jUPk8ptCgOpQhyphenhyphen84B-bm39F0rzPRZ88Y0FEw9GP8vnPMcMxcKyquYWJw2eFd1h9Q1YLYw/s1600/IMG_6758+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5U3dOP8qr42vazFRl4D2WDOz9hVTt5EsyFH-HJ6k6E_vbd12vIQdL_wqnESPbIJ6K7jUPk8ptCgOpQhyphenhyphen84B-bm39F0rzPRZ88Y0FEw9GP8vnPMcMxcKyquYWJw2eFd1h9Q1YLYw/s320/IMG_6758+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj2QctcKF7XqIv0y3Csj_0eue38ULe6AFGP0CxOL3K5tF99Ty-KEmPifeqGxePjVSv5uckHBfm3wMc2Mbxzdlvb6-yJOzkbGCX-Ggg4RYz37EP3nkkiuI6SM4uSAH6RXvDnAuqQ/s1600/IMG_6760+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj2QctcKF7XqIv0y3Csj_0eue38ULe6AFGP0CxOL3K5tF99Ty-KEmPifeqGxePjVSv5uckHBfm3wMc2Mbxzdlvb6-yJOzkbGCX-Ggg4RYz37EP3nkkiuI6SM4uSAH6RXvDnAuqQ/s320/IMG_6760+%2528Medium%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSesyXfaGjqKfoGUSlf7gdFPNND2zPnhzJFifC4S7wV6O3tbTiY1qsQuYOR0J3AdEKWhMZdVetF7BadFF6pXK4J9EutaR4FPwBRvLWCxDQaJ_cpsDO5ylP78aXSMnB-85Qr2-KQ/s1600/IMG_6766+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSesyXfaGjqKfoGUSlf7gdFPNND2zPnhzJFifC4S7wV6O3tbTiY1qsQuYOR0J3AdEKWhMZdVetF7BadFF6pXK4J9EutaR4FPwBRvLWCxDQaJ_cpsDO5ylP78aXSMnB-85Qr2-KQ/s320/IMG_6766+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3cfmsXsRf-fgQoKTOyrkJWa_9Ona43p4kPZwl81oaq-ZNrG-CBXuOKM59CQHQbxRW8BqRIAjKhND9DtwrOU89SDxip5QkWRUXyjY-b-GS3k0LvnPKRJ-AV-ewEMYTNLJN1wBaQ/s1600/IMG_6769+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3cfmsXsRf-fgQoKTOyrkJWa_9Ona43p4kPZwl81oaq-ZNrG-CBXuOKM59CQHQbxRW8BqRIAjKhND9DtwrOU89SDxip5QkWRUXyjY-b-GS3k0LvnPKRJ-AV-ewEMYTNLJN1wBaQ/s320/IMG_6769+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Later on, when I was just about back to the vehicle, an older guy in a Jeep pulled over and talked to me, asking me where I'd been. I told him the same thing I'd told the other guy and he said "that's my niece's property". I said, "Oh, okay." We then spent a few minutes talking about whether or not I'd seen any deer or turkeys up there. I hadn't, but I'd seen tracks of both, and I mentioned that I had seen a couple of turkey hunters on Mining Fork Road a couple of years ago. He said that both the turkeys and deer had been a bit scarce up there the last year or so. We said our good-byes and I took a couple of pics then got into my vehicle and drove home. Disappointed that I hadn't accomplished my goal of finding the eastern end of the road, and still not sure if there was a way to get on it without crossing private land, but thrilled that I had had another great <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-call-of-mountains.html">adventure</a>. We always discover something even though it's not always what we had planned on discovering. Today was one of those days, but I would be back for more adventure and more <a href="http://smaugsmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/hiking-and-four-wheeling.html">discovery</a> in the weeks and months to come.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOFNnjJXkeqO0fJmNUN6LZJPHh8HlwNknZ_mxb9plrhKDkDiXmSPioe-EE59giqfhZqAboM0A58r-75ZJFAeaMiNOtRx6txqcR2cAx3ye71cCrR9gUWW6M6iaUb3MjCDzM-QOIw/s1600/IMG_6775+%2528Medium%2529+enhanced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOFNnjJXkeqO0fJmNUN6LZJPHh8HlwNknZ_mxb9plrhKDkDiXmSPioe-EE59giqfhZqAboM0A58r-75ZJFAeaMiNOtRx6txqcR2cAx3ye71cCrR9gUWW6M6iaUb3MjCDzM-QOIw/s320/IMG_6775+%2528Medium%2529+enhanced.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's always more adventure to come.</td></tr>
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Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6974352.post-43329514543992990592018-04-15T11:19:00.001-07:002018-04-15T11:19:23.128-07:00Ringo Starr's Photograph<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Lv7x59Ymwnw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lv7x59Ymwnw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
Ringo Starr is commonly thought of as the least talented Beatle, the dumbest Beatle, or the goofiest Beatle. Frankly though, my thoughts on Ringo is that he ended up being the most contented Beatle. In my mind, that makes him the smartest. Much of his music is very playful and often humorous, from "The No No Song" to "Octopus's Garden". But he could also write a good sad song. The song "Photograph" (which he co-wrote with George Harrison, who also got out of the way of the often feuding Lennon and McCartney) captures the heart of someone pining for a lost love, someone who only has a "photograph" to remind himself of the love that once was. When you think about the words, it's heartrending: <i>I want you here to have and hold, as the years go by, and we grow old and gray...I thought I'd make it, the day you went away, but I can't make it 'til you come home again to stay.</i> Keep staring at the photo you have as you listen to this song. Unless you want to read the lyrics. But look at the photo anyway--and I'm not talking about the pics in the video, unless of course, one of them your lost love. <i>Photograph</i>--it's an oldie, but a goodie.Shane Roehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893054148721957963noreply@blogger.com0