seven miles

 Oooh it was hot-hot-hot in SLC this weekend.  I had been planning to do a seven mile hike (wanting to get back into longer treks this summer), and thus headed up to Alta a little after 6 a.m. on Sunday, hoping to get ahead of the heat and the crowds.  I managed one out of two: when I rolled in around 6:30, I joined dozens of other vehicles - many of whom were professional photographers and their subjects (so many bridal party shoots ugh), hoping to catch the morning light on the Wasatch's amazing wildflowers.

New shoes from Salt Lake

Running Company

Despite the dearth of snow this last winter, the wildflowers are going off right now, just in time for the two weekends of the Wildflower Festival.  Alta's Albion Meadow is in full bloom right now, with sunflowers and primrose and catmint (or horsemint, I can never tell) and lupine and paintbrush and primrose.  If you do go up, please PLEASE stay on the paths and don't cross the ropes, and PLEASE PLEASE don't pick the flowers.

The meadow

After pausing to watch a cow moose roaming through lower East Greeley, I got up to the Catherine's Pass trailhead.  I only saw one other person on this section of trail, thankfully, but did see a marmot, tons of potgut squirrels and three brave mule deer bucks.  The older one, with an impressive, still-velveted rack of antlers, watched me closely but calmly; the two younger ones didn't seem to pay any attention.  I advised them to be a little more skittish come fall hunting season.

Watchful

There were a handful of other hikers at Catherine's Pass (it took me a bit over an hour to get up there, a little longer than usual due to flower and deer photos), and then I ground it out - gasping at the altitude as it has been eight months (!!) since I've been up there - to where the trail splits for Sunset Peak and Supreme.  I did pass a guy, younger than me, in that section though.

Wall in the Wasatch

From there, it was across the top of Catherine's Area to Supreme, and then down through the campground (full) and the meadows, this time on the Homerun trail.  When I got back to the car, there were thirty cars in line, hoping to get to drive up to the upper parking lots; there was plenty of parking down at the Albion base area, however, so they really should have just gotten out and walked.

Scarlet gilia (not so scarlet)

Hike stats: 7.35 miles, 2:43 hours.  Successfully broke in my brand new shoes too.

Deep rose paintbrush (fave color)

And a quick recap of the rest of the weekend, where the high temperatures reached 104F:  Saturday, A and M did five miles in Dimple Dell, while H ran 5 miles and road biked sixteen; A and H weeded; A made apricot-peach jam; A and H went to a local sports bar to watch the Norway vs England World Cup match.  On Sunday, H did a shorter run and ride, then he and M had a good neighborhood walk (including treeing a squirrel, getting barked at by four small dogs and getting buzzed by a hawk).

7.35 miles later

riding and hiking

 Saturday was the Fourth of July and the massive (lol) Moab Independence Day parade finishes up right in front of our street.  This means that by 9 a.m., you're either stuck in there, wanting to get out, or stuck out there, wanting to get in.  Luckily, the parade only lasts about 15-20 minutes so you're not stuck (either way) all that long.

Here comes the sun

But we got up and got going as a family, arriving at the Amasa Back trailhead not long after 6 a.m.  H and M did a four mile trail run while A did a six mile hike.  It was super pleasant down in the completely dry Kane Creek wash, which was totally shaded at that time of day.  We were the second vehicle in this parking lot, with the other belonging to BASE jumpers who'd gotten an even earlier start than we had.  The runners did an out and back; A also did an out and back, since six miles was the distance goal and I couldn't remember if our regular Hymasa MTB trail/Amasa Back 4x4 trail loop would get me there - I didn't want to have to trudge around the parking lot to hit my distance goal.  Obviously, H and M finished up first, and sat in the shade of the truck, reading and watching the BASE jumpers land successfully.

#antifascist

We got back home just minutes before the police shut down our street for the parade.  We didn't watch it this year - when you've seen it once, you've seen it for all times - but we did walk down to Dave's for coffee, marveling at all the people who did come out to see it.

M and A surprised three baby raccoons

on our walk; the mama just waddled

away into the underbrush, unconcerned

On Sunday, A and M did a three mile town walk and then the two people did a 25 mile (21 for A) road ride.  Same route, same level of traffic, same bugs.  One thing that was different: the Rock Shop owners have rerouted and are improving a spring that crosses their property, such that water is available for passersby.  We chatted with the man who was doing the rock work and he invited us to refill our water bottles, and then come back anytime with jugs.  The springwater wasn't cold but it tasted good.  And we thought it was awfully neighborly for them to make it available to folks.

hiking and riding

After A got back from her back-east/family trip, during which H and Milton got to spend ten days in Moab (not all fun and games: H had to work during the week), we all had four days at home in SLC before heading right back to Moab for the long holiday weekend.  As is evident in this blog, we go to Moab for all the long weekends, if we can, and tend to try to stretch them out by a day or two as well.  This time we went down Thursday afternoon and came back Monday afternoon.

All these teeny lizard tracks in the sand

It got hot (but not as hot as it's gonna get) down there, with temperatures increasing through the weekend.  So we made sure to get up and get going early, so that Milton could accompany us on all the Milton-accessible activities.  And when it got hot in the afternoons, we left him snoozing in his crate at home while we went to a bar to watch the World Cup group stage games.

Dunno what this one is

On Friday, while H did a two mile trail run, A and M went to Millcreek Canyon.  We got there a little after 6 a.m., just as the sun was coming up, and were the second vehicle in the parking lot.  We did our usual four mile loop - out along the rim trail, then dropping down into the canyon just above the cowboy hot tubs, then walking out along the creek.  The water is low but still flowing.  We didn't see anyone until we got below the creek juncture, and even then it was just a handful of folks.  

This one's a paintbrush

Tourism is down this time of year: people who live in Utah and Colorado know that it's just too hot for activities, so it's mostly Europeans or folks from back east who don't know any better/are locked into summer travel because of schedules.  We have friends in the hospitality industry and I know they worry during the slow season.  But gosh, for those of us who don't like crowded trailheads, this is nice, despite the early morning starts.

This one's a goofball

After the trail time, and before it heated up too much, H and A did a 21 mile road ride, along the river / up past Arches NP, back along the river.  There were very few people on the bike path but there were quite a few noseeums - ick!

csa day: box the first

 We get our summer CSA from Tagge's Famous Fruits & Vegetables.  This year, they - and literally all of the northern Utah fruit farms and orchards - were decimated when we (1) got an unusually warm stretch in March, which convinced all the fruit trees to blossom early, and then (2) got two wicked cold snaps, which killed off all the flowers.  The trees all survived (and may be doing well now that all their energy goes into growing leaves and roots, instead of fruit) but you need flowers to get fruits, so northern Utah is having a "fruit famine."  Like, all the best stuff like peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots and cherries, and later, pears and apples.  The berries apparently survived better, being easier to cover, perhaps.  But it's a sad season for those of us (A) who love stone fruit.  

Tagge's rallied as best they could, making arrangements with growers in more temperate, coastal regions, to bring in what fruits they could.  But I fear it will be a long summer of squash.

Lettuce and carrot tops not pictured

In our first box we got: red leaf lettuce, cherries, apricots, snap peas, cucumbers (2), zucchini (2), summer squash (2), rainbow carrots and radishes.  The lettuce and radishes were salad-bound; I blanched and froze the carrots (for soup) and peas (for eating); made pesto out of the carrot tops; we had more peas, with cucumber and spiralized zucchini in a veggie bowl with brown rice and peanut sauce; we gave away the other cucumber in exchange for neighbor muffins; ate the cherries; froze the apricots for pie filing (not the best for fresh eating but just fine for that).  Oh, and shredded the rest of the squash - even though there's still some in the freezer from last summer.  Oops.

how many placeholders can we post? several, apparently

 This is another not-a-real post, this time without a photo of Milton snoozing.  A was back east for a bit for family stuff, while H and M held down the fort in smoky Moab.  And when we all got back to SLC ... the internet was out.  For days.  So this is a sneakily-posted post from A's work, just to say that this blog has not been abandoned and we'll be back as soon as we're up and running.  Whenever that might be!

snooze

 This isn't a real post.  This is just Milton, reminding you to get enough sleep and stay hydrated.

Supervising the neighborhood is exhausting

Hopefully some real posts coming soon!

pump up the jam

Sunday was perhaps even more soporific than Saturday (are you noting the ironic post titles?).  I really did intend to go up to Alta, to see if any flowers had started and at least get some non-walking-around-the-neighborhood content, but I really, really didn't want to drive.  Gas is so expensive, y'all.  And I drive 30 miles a day during the week for my commute - it's not the longest commute but it's long enough.

Tall grasses

It was less busy on our Dimple Dell walk (church people gotta go to church) but we did meet a couple of nice dogs.  And the bird-watching was good: a couple of western bluebirds, some hummingbirds and that black and white fellow from my last post that I couldn't identify, along with all the usual suspects (jays, doves, California quails, finches, chickadees, etc.).  Milton had an exciting encounter with a dog-savvy cat on the other side of a chainlink fence, plus four squirrels, so I think you can say it was a successful walk all around.

While we were doing that, H was sweeping out the garage (not that it needed it oh my heck), mowing the lawn and doing laundry.  I did some food prep (overnight oats and green smoothies for the next two days; a batch of arugula pesto, because I bought an enormous bag of arugula from Trader Joe's; and tahini sauce to go with falafel (more Trader Joe's ) for dinner.

The sunflowers are coming!

It was beautiful all weekend, a little windy maybe, but sunny and bright and not too hot, not yet.  Sunday evening saw us doing a little more tailgating, just to bug the neighbors.  Gotta keep the standards low around here, don't you know.

rager

 I had big plans going into this latest weekend.  We were staying put in SLC once again, but I was fixing to hit the Capital City Antique Mall on my way home from work on Friday, then swing by the neighborhood* Catholic church's annual indoor garage sale Saturday morning, and even drive up to Alta for a non-Dimple Dell walk, since there's not really any snow lingering up there.  But when I cut out of work a little early Friday, I didn't feel like shopping - so there went the antiques place.  And on Saturday, after Milton's and my walk, I just couldn't face being with people - so there went the church garage sale.  I've got some travel coming up and so I just want to be home now.  

So M and I did our Dimple Dell walk, getting out on Saturday around 6:30 a.m., to take advantage of the cool morning; there were lots of other dog walkers and runners out there too.  Back at home, I washed windows, weeded a little, swept the patio and put out the patio furniture while (a) Milton basked in the sun on the driveway and (b) H worked on some bike repair, after his commuter RadPower bike blew an innertube on his way home Friday.

Bigger than a chickadee, slightly smaller

than a robin, loud three-note (short/short/long)

song.  Name that bird (because I can't)?

After doing all the prep work for dinner (Mediterranean lentil salad, sub sunflower seeds for pistachios), we turned the lawn sprinklers on finally (it's very, very dry, but we are determined to water only enough to keep our one shade tree alive) and tailgated for a little bit, keeping an eye on World Cup scores via the BBC.

* So many churches within walking distance in our neighborhood: three Mormon churches, a Lutheran church and the Catholic church.

more city livin'

 Another SLC weekend that was busy enough that it flew by, but nothing much to share.  It got hot-hot-hot for the end of the week into the weekend, too hot for M to accompany me on any after-work walks  Saturday was rather unpleasant, actually, getting up above 90F by midafternoon, with lots of wind.  Not a fan of hot, gusty wind.  But we all got up early and did our walks/road rides before the heat settled in.  

Smells so good

After that, it was chores, including stripping the leaves from a whole lot of oregano I'd cut from our disaster of a backyard.  Along with the weeds, there are a number of oregano plants that self-seed and spread (and I would be happy if it completely took over), despite the utter neglect we show it.  It's best to harvest oregano before it flowers - otherwise it can be bitter - so I'd done that the weekend before and spread it out to dry for a week.  I had enough to last us the year, plus give away four bottles of it so I felt very homestead-y by the time it was done.  Plus the kitchen smelled great.

At 4 p.m., we gussied ourselves up (Hawaiian shirt for H, Pride penguin shirt for A, and both of us with our FDT bracelets) and went to our friends' 2026 backyard Pride Party.  As always, it is super-fun: E and K run a good party and they have very nice friends.  We stayed for three hours, got to reconnect with some folks we know and talk with some strangers, patted a bunch of dogs, and were home before 8.   Happy Pride, everyone!

city livin'

 I'm afraid that outdoors activity content is a little thin on the ground around here these days.  We've been up in SLC for the last few weeks and while we're making sure to get active outside, it has taken the form of 3-5 mile Dimple Dell walks with Milton for me and trail runs/road rides for H.  Plus lots of weeding, which is technically an outdoor activity and one that leaves my back absolutely wrecked.  With the super-mild winter we had, it never got cold enough to shut the weeds down for the season and they are absolutely rampant; I have managed to get the north side of the house somewhat under control but the backyard?  Yikes.

No truer words

Anyway.  A couple of weekends ago, R, H's friend from high school, and his youngest son, M, were back in Utah for a soccer tournament.  They were playing teams from all over the country at the Regional Athletic Complex near Rose Park, in SLC.  H and I drove up there and watched M's last game of the tournament with R.  They were catching a redeye flight back to North Carolina and had several hours before they had to go back to their rental to pack up, so R suggested we go somewhere M could get some food and we adult types could get a beer.  To be honest, H and I were stymied as to where to suggest - we always go to bars, and M, being fourteen, can't do that - but R said they'd been to a place in SLC called the Woodbine Food Hall and that there was something for everybody.  The two of them didn't mind going back so off we went.

Not the Woodbine Food Hall

The Woodbine Food Hall, located in the Granary district, is in a wonderful, old, restored warehouse and is awesome.  It's got all kinds of vendors (pizza, sandwiches, BBQ, burgers, ramen, sushi/Burmese, Venezuelan street food and more), plus a separate bar (not yet open at the time we were there).  A number of the vendors also sell beer/wine but as they are "restaurants," you have to buy food to get booze.  That was easy: M got a fantastic margherita pizza and the others of us got beers.  It was really fun to sit with them and catch up, plus be surrrounded by a diverse group of people - something we don't really get day-to-day living in the suburbs.  When we left, all sorts of folks dressed in bowties and sequins began arriving at Woodbine on their bicycles: the Bike Prom was just getting underway.

A better look at that bike rack

After seeing R and M off with hugs, H and I thought, well, we've come all the way in town, we might as well try to find the reputed best dive bar in SLC.  We were looking for Willie's Lounge (1716 S.  Main Street) and we found it, and it was a great dive bar with friendly bartenders and a custom bike rack out front.  We also found Manny's (1704 S. Main Street), which is also a great dive bar with friendly bartenders - and it actually felt dive-ier than Willie's, due to the old school decor.   We love us a dive bar and now we know two new (to us) ones, should we ever want to make the trip downtown.

Does that not look like a dive bar?