globe mallow

 By Tuesday, the weeding couldn't be put off any longer.  While A toiled away at that (making a good dent in it but with still more to do), H and Milton did a five mile trail run on Pipe Dream.  Whether from the sun or from cumulative fatigue, Milt was definitely dragging by the last half mile or so.

Globe mallow getting started

Mid-morning, while the dog rested up, the two people went out for their twenty-one mile road ride on the bicycle path.  The weather was just about perfect: clear, low 70s, sunny and not much breeze at all, for a change.

Co-op, baby

In the afternoon, A walked down to the Moonflower Community Cooperative (one of only two in Utah, apparently?  Is that true?) and signed up for a lifetime membership - something that had been on the list of things to do for quite some time.  In addition to being a grocery store, they have a bakery and prepared foods section and there were quite a few people sitting out front in the shade, noshing on some good looking eats.

Waiting to make friends

In the early evening, all three of us walked over to the Spitfire Smokehouse for beers on the dog-friendly patio.  H and A found a table right next to the door and Milton positioned himself perfectly to accost every other patron for pets.  Despite the lack of people in the photo above, he made quite a few new friends.  And that evening we all managed to stay awake for the first backyard firepit of the season.

claret cup

 On Monday, all three of us went to Pritchett Canyon for a hike, ostensibly to find a particular petroglyph (we had a trail guide and everything!).  After some discussion, we missed the side canyon and by the time we figured it out, we had gone further than we had intended.  We will go back another day and actually find it.  Maybe.  We hope.

Sandy wash

Grand County, Utah, is really dry right now - drought conditions - so it was pretty sandy, what with all the four-wheelers churning things up.  We didn't see any side-by-sides until we were nearly out, however, so it as still a nice hike.  We also saw one MTBer right around where we turned around; he grinned and said, "You must be the footprints I've been following this whole time."

Claret cup

After post-hike parking lot beers, we went home for lunch.  H did a 21 mile road ride on the bike path and the rest of the day was spent reading, puzzling, hand-washing socks and dinner.  It was a nice evening and we intended to have a fire pit but (full disclosure), H fell asleep.

Stats: H 21.14 ride, 1:31 hours; H, A and M 6.14 mile hike, 2:10 hours.

prince's plume

 For whatever reason, while thinking about our Moab week, I decided to front-load the week with hiking and then focus on road riding later on.  To that end, I decided to do my big hike on Sunday.  I knew Milton would be still be recovering from his Saturday eight-miler, and H wanted to do a road ride on the bike path, so it was a solo hike for A.

Prince's plume

I did the Hidden Valley/Moab Rim "loop," which we've done several times before.  I started from our house and walked to the Jackson Street trailhead for Pipe Dream.  We had left our hiking poles in SLC so I concentrated on keeping my hands up as much as possible to keep my fingers from swelling too much - finally ended up doing the alphabet in ASL throughout the hike.  

Typical desert scene

At the Hidden Valley trailhead, I followed the trail up to and across Hidden Valley (couple of trail runners with dogs there), then dropped over the pass to the Moab Rim trail (several side-by-sides).  After going down Sand Hill (and having to empty my shoes at the bottom) and through the wash, I texted H from the Moab valley overlook.  By the time I got down the Moab Rim trail (about ten jeeps and side-by-sides), H and Milton were there waiting for me with my clean shirt, sandals and, most importantly, snacks and beers.

Eight miles in

We had lunch at home and spent the afternoon reading and doing jigsaw puzzles.  After Woody's for beers at 5, it was dinner at home and a couple of neighborhood walks for Milton, who met his first Great Dane (exciting!).  There were also lots of buzzards in the buzzard tree (also exciting!)

Stats:  H 25 mile road ride, 1:25 hours; A 10.1 mile hike, 3:45 hours.

nothing but flowers

 Once Alta closed, there was nothing left to do but go to Moab for a week.  So we did.  And we completely lucked out on the weather - which was largely gorgeous and very pleasant and the wildflowers were just getting going - because the day after we went back to SLC, it rained in the desert for a couple of days.  

We had an uneventful drive down from SLC on Friday afternoon.  En route, we got a text from Moab friends C and F.  Once we got unloaded and partially unpacked, we walked over to Woody's and met them for a drink on the patio.

By the Youth Garden Project

On Saturday, we all went to Pipe Dream for some trail time.  A did a 7.2 mile hike while H and Milton did an eight mile trail run.  It was in the high 70s and sunny, which turned out to be a little too hot for M; he seems to be affected more by the heat as he gets older.  

Our neighbor's irises

Because M got a little hot, he didn't mind one bit when A and H wandered over to the Moab Car Show (put on by the local Rotary chapter).  We checked out all the vehicles - seemingly more hotrods and fewer Studebakers this year - and also ran into C and F and their young son H, who seemed a little overwhelmed at seeing all these "Hotwheels" cars live and in person.  On the way home, we stopped in at Josie Wyatt's (it is literally right on the way) and got overcharged for our $2 PBRs.

a story of focaccia

 In the last few years, especially since I'm not skiing or not skiing as much, I've really enjoyed doing more cooking and baking.  I'm an okay cook, I think, although I'm definitely only used to cooking for us and if it's ever for more than two people, I get squirrelly.  I really love baking but since that's more difficult than cooking, particularly when you factor in altitude and vegan, I've had mixed success.  I have a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe and my cupcakes, cakes and scones are usually decent.  

I am not good at bread.  I really want to be good at bread.  I finally found a focaccia recipe that Katie Boue shared on her IG.  She lives in SLC as well and said she makes that focaccia a couple times a week.  To me, this means that she's got the altitude factor dialed in.  So I tried it:

Attempt #1 (3/30/25)

It came out surprisingly well!  It actually rose correctly and had a pretty good texture.  The only thing was that her recipe didn't call for any salt in the dough itself, so the bread was bland unless you got a bunch of yummy herbs on the top.  

I searched for other vegan focaccia recipes and found one that was very similar, with the addition of salt.  So I tried it, but made the mistake of following that recipe for proofing times instead of my SLC-based one.  I think I over-proofed it so while it rose nicely before baking, it collapsed in the oven and was dense and crunchy.  That was okay, we just dunked it in soup.

Attempt #2 (4/6/25)

For my third attempt, I went back to my SLC-based recipe and followed it EXACTLY, with the addition of salt to the flour.  I also used the new recipe's recommendations for vegan-buttering the baking dish and how much olive oil to use (focaccia uses a lot of olive oil).

Attempt #3 (4/19/25)

Side view (please ignore 1990s vintage kitchen

cabinet hardware that we haven't replaced)

It worked!  Not only did it work, it was delicious!  The dough rose enough and didn't deflate; the bread had a good texture and had flavor.  H said that it was one of the best things I've baked (low bar, to be honest haha) and then called it "restaurant-quality!"  I don't know about that but I do know that I was very proud of that focaccia.  And then we proceeded to eat the whole darn thing.

alta closing day 2025

 Thus endeth the 2024/2025 ski season at Alta, on April 20th.  H skied 32 days this season, his most in a few years.  While an awful lot of the season was overcast, the sun came out for most of closing weekend.  And with 534 inches on the season, including that last nine days before, the closing conditions were far better than usual for this late in April - still a 125 inch base!

The crowd from above

Closing Day at Alta has always been a big deal: folks partying in the Wildcat parking lot and then a huge group of locals doing their final run, after the last 4:30 chair of the season, down High Rustler.  However, within the last five years, Closing Day has become a scene, wildly crowded and populated with people just there for the party, no doubt due to Instagram/TikTok.  The locals are squeezed out yet again, with parking scarce and crowds galore.

Parking lot scene

H rode the 994 bus up (no longer the multi-run ski bus, just one trip up LCC at 7 a.m. and one down after 5 p.m.), catching it at the Historic Sandy station (first stop) to ensure that he got on.  Traffic was heavy, with people pouring into the Wildcat lot; they were at a standstill while still in the midst of Snowbird entries.  Eventually an Alta marshal drove down and escorted the bus up to Wildcat base, driving on the wrong side of the road.  It was too crowded in the parking lot for the bus to go down and turn around, so the handful of riders, H included, got off at the top of the driveway and just walked down.

Protest on Saturday, party on Sunday

When H went out to get on the Collins lift at 9:15, there was no one in line.  In fact, his first eight chairlift rides he didn't have to share with anyone.  The snow was still really good and, because everyone was at the party, the slopes were largely skier-free.  But then, when the breakfast partying was done, the hordes left the parking lot and converged on the lifts for some runs before the next round of partying.  

Cult phenomenon Out of the Blue

Around 12:30, H decided that he'd had enough standing in line with the revelers and went down to clear his locker out.  He wasn't alone: there were a number of locals whom he knew down there doing the same thing, and every one of them was grumbling about the fact that they couldn't stand all the people just here for the scene.  I mean, I love a good parking lot tailgate as much as anyone (more than most, probably).  But when the party becomes more important than the skiing, the priorities have shifted and the locals, the folks who have been there all year, in all the weather, are not a priority.  It's disappointing but not surprising.

Instead of driving, bicycle to Alta

Grumbling aside, H grabbed a couple of PBRs and cruised the parking lot for a bit, talking to folks, appreciating the variety of grilled foods being made and consumed and checking out the costumes.  There is quite a lot of creativity out there, although it was chilly enough that there weren't as many girls in bikinis as usual. 

Locker cleaned out for another summer

At 1:20, he called to ask for a ride; I got stuck in traffic (more people trying to get to the party) but managed to scoop him up around 2, and we were back home by 2:30.  Not a bad last day, all things considered, even with the crowds.  

closing weekend, penultimate day

Alta's closing weekend was April 19-20, 2025, seemingly a little early this year.  A midweek storm brought over nine inches Thursday.  Usually this time of year the snow is in a freeze/thaw cycle: warming up to slush consistency during the warm, sunny days and then freezing solid overnight.  Because it stayed so cold on Friday, the conditions Saturday were quite good conditions.  Since parking reservations were not required on Saturday, H was able to sleep in a little bit and drove up just a little before 8 a.m., instead of having to get on the 6:30 bus.

Gorgeous day

Although the Wildcat parking lot ended up filling, H didn't think it ever seemed that crowded.  All the lifts were running and everything (except East Castle and Baldy Chutes) was open, which meant skiers could spread out.  Even with the bright sun it never got above 40 F, so the snow stayed really good.  The GMD patio was full when he left, everyone just vibing and enjoying the last lift-served days at Alta.

Meanwhile, A and M were pretty productive, down in the valley.  We did our five mile Dimple Dell walk - where we saw a rabbit, which one of us thought was QUITE exciting - and then M went onto his tie-out in the driveway, soaking up the sun and supervising our neighbors' yardwork.  Indoors, A managed to clear a shower drain without upchucking (adulting!) and then did a lot of cooking: baked curry tofu, InstantPot black beans, chocolate chip cookies, chocoloate pots de creme (with sweet potato!) and a focaccia.  There were a lot of dishes to wash.

Dozing in the afternoon sun

Milton actually ended up having the biggest day of all of us, though.  When H got home, he wanted to do a walk before we did some garage tailgating.  He and the dog went back to Dimple Dell but headed west, under 1300 East.  They ended up at a dog park that we didn't know existed, then at H's work, and then came uphill all the way back for a total of six miles (rather longer than intended).  That put Milt's mileage at eleven on the day, and won him some extra food before bed.

royal

In addition to Real Salt Lake, we also have a women's professional soccer team, the Utah Royals.  Both teams play at the America First field (formerly Rio Tinto Stadium) which is located in Sandy, Utah, not all that far from our house.  It's been quite a while since we've been to see a game there - since the rugby game, I think - so when my work offered up some free tickets to a Friday night Royals game, we were all in.

First half seats on the west side of the stadium

We parked (for free) at the far northwest corner of the expo center's parking lot.  When we got out of the car, we immediately noticed that almost everyone else was carrying blankets of some sort.  That would have been a great idea: it was in the 40s, with a light but cold wind, and even though we were dressed in lots of layers (I managed to fit a pair of thin longjohns under my jeans) and winter parkas, blankets would have been welcome.

Our seats were pretty good and we had a great view of the action as the Royals took the field against the Chicago Stars.  I say "action" but in all honesty, it seemed pretty slow even though the ball was in front of the Chicago net for most of the first half.  Utah had a lot of corner kicks and a couple of shots but nothing that came close.

View from E&K's season seats

For the second half, we went down to the north end zone and sat with our friends E and K, who have season tickets.  They were smart enough to bring blankets.  And they also shared their beers with us - the pricing for which seemed outrageous ($16!) to us who haven't been to a professional sports game in years.  The second half was a little rougher, with some injury time that resulted in 9+ minutes of stoppage time.  Amazingly, the Royals scored on a penalty kick in the last minute of stoppage time, a much-needed 1-0 win.

We didn't stick around for the post-game drone show and had to put the seat-heaters on for the drive home.

eights

On Saturday, we were all back on the Pipe Dream trail.  We had briefly considered going out to the MOAB Brand trails for our hikes/runs but ultimately decided that we just didn't want to drive anywhere.  The plan was that A and M would start first, heading south on Pipe Dream.  H would follow, running, and scoop up M when he caught us.  H wanted to do eight miles total; A was aiming for around seven, figuring to do the return trip along the Pipeline 4x4 road, which is slightly shorter than sticking with Pipe Dream as it doesn't go in and out of all the drainages.

Grounsel (maybe)

Surprisingly, A and M got to the Hidden Valley trailhead before H caught us, so instead of dropping down to the 4x4 road, we just turned around and went back north on the trail.  H, heading south, caught us just about a quarter mile from our turnaround, and M immediately turned and followed him while A kept going north.  When they passed me again on their way north/home, I handed off M's leash to H.  All told, H ran eight miles (his longest run this year), A hiked eight miles and M probably did more like ten because of the doubling back and also chasing critters.

New shoes day 2

With that distance, H and A opted not to do a road ride, settling in to recover with reading and puzzles.  We did rally in the late afternoon to meet a friend at Woody's.  Gotta stay hydrated.

On Sunday, the three of us did an almost 4.5 mile town walk.  Moab is absolutely into high season now: the jeeps were rolling into town, the newly-revamped food truck park looked great and there were lots of tourists on Main Street.  

more signs of spring

 Another sign of spring is the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab.  We were down there for the opening weekend and, to be honest, it seemed to be starting slowly.  There really didn't seem to be any more jeeps around than on any other given weekend.  They were rolling into town, however, so things were definitely about to ramp up.

Fremont's barberry (maybe)

It's always nice to see the jeepers but that's not what we were there for.  It had been five weeks (!) since A had been down there and we were all ready for some desert time.  Friday we double-sessioned, with A and Milton doing a four mile walk and H doing a four mile run on Pipe Dream.  The wildflowers are just starting to come out although the flowering trees in town are past prime-bloom.  

Mid-morning, A and H got onto their road bikes and did a 16.5 ride on the bike path: from the house to the river, out and back along the river, up to the Arches National Park entrance and then home.  I'm afraid it's going to be a slow start for me on the bike: last winter I rode the stationery bike at the gym which at least got me a little bit in biking shape; this winter, I have been walking 3+ miles with the dog every day after work - good exercise but does nothing for bicycling readiness.  I also didn't plan my nutrition all that well and will have to recalibrate that going forward.

Eaton's penstemon (possibly)

The afternoon was spent weeding and reading - and H has a diabolical new jigsaw puzzle - and then we strolled over to Josie Wyatt's for an evening beer.  It was pretty frickin' pleasant: they had the windows wide open and everyone just seemed happy to be there.  We had a nice conversation with Paul, a local guy we recognized but hadn't talked with before.

After cashing out, we swung by Back of Beyond Books so I could pick up a desert wildflower reference book (even with which I still haven't been able to identify most of the flowers I photographed along Pipe Dream).  And then we popped into Woody's for one drink and a quick hello to our favorite bartenders.

no this time I think it's spring

Spring is probably my least favorite season, harkening back to growing up in Maine where spring really isn't a thing (late winter, more late winter, mud season, blackflies).  Even out here, where it is an actual season, it is so variable and seems to pass so quickly, jumping from 50s to 90 in the span of a week.  This year it is not rushing to get to summer, which is nice, although we did go from mid-70s to snowing (again) within the span of a week.  

Still, the sun is coming out more, neighbors are already watering their lawns (grrrrr...) and the flowering trees are truly in full flower.  Just ask everyone's allergies.  Here's a sampling from the last week throughout our neighborhood. 

two days in a row

 We in northern Utah have seen the sun two days in a row.  It's very exciting and is getting all of our hopes up.  All around our neighborhood, people were in working their yards all weekend (not us), including mowing their lawns (not us), unless they are of the LDS faith, in which case they were inside watching the semi-annual General Conference (not us) (also, look it up if you want to but I'm not linking it here).  The flowering trees are flowering; spring bulbs are in full bloom; and there's lots of birds busy with their bird business all over the place.  It's enough to give one hope that spring might be here.

But in case it's not, I put flannel back on the bed when I changed the sheets.

H had another decent spring skiing day up at Alta.  It was a tiny bit warmer and maybe slightly less crowded, which is always welcome.  He slammed his way through lap after groomer lap, skiing back onto the lift nearly each time. His last lap, before catching the 1:09 p.m. bus, was through the ungroomed Ballroom, however, and he said that he rather regretted that.

Look at that sky!  Look at those skiers trekking

up to the top of Baldy! (H not included, this time)

There weren't as many people out during A and M's 8:00 a.m. five mile walk, but Milton still managed to score treats from two different new friends.  When we got home, we immediately did a Costco run (door to door: one hour, which is pretty good, I guess), and then Milton went out to the driveway on his tie-out.  He was out there from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., when we made him come in to eat something; we then each took him on a neighborhood walk; and then there was 5 o'clock tailgating which meant that the dog managed to spend nearly the whole day outside.

Do these look like poops? Yes.  Are

they actually fairly tasty chocolate cookies

made from black beans? Also yes.

While M was basking in the sun, A did a load of laundry, meal-prepped baked tofu, made surprisingly good dark chocolate black bean (!!) cookies and made another focaccia (it's easy and I think I may be addicted to making it).  Dinner was also easy: InstantPot navy beans with lemon and thyme, plus oven-roasted broccoli and that homemade focaccia.  Pretty nice weekend.

Overproved and deflated in the oven

because I tampered with the recipe

wait, is that ... the sun?

After a week of rain and snow in the valley - and over two feet of snow in the mountains - the sun finally came out for us on Saturday.  This made for a decent late-season ski day for H.  It was a cool start but blue bird skies meant the sun came through nicely as the morning wore on.  Pretty much everything was open and it wasn't that busy, plus the fact that it had been cold and snowy all week meant that the conditions stayed decent - it didn't go into the freeze/thaw cycle that is prevalent in spring.

Ooooo blue!

Milton and A decided to continue to ignore any yardwork (it's still too early for that, I think, seeing how it was only 36F when the sun came up) and did the Dimple Dell loop.  We got to see all our usual early morning dog-walk friends (Betty, Loki, Red and Molly) and Milt cadged dog cookies from three different people.  When we got home, it was still cool but the sun was strong, so Milton was able to take up his neighborhood watch position in the driveway.  Indoors, A made another apricot crumble and some chai spice cupcakes, vacuumed and - perhaps prematurely - started switching the closets over from winter to summer wear.  It really probably is too soon but the SLC forecast is going to be in the 70s in the coming week and it's hard to not get excited about that.

when the sky and the ground are the same color

 Saturday's rain scoured the air so that things were back to "healthy" by Sunday morning.  Milton and A were able to do their whole five mile Dimple Dell loop, which took a while because we had to stop to chat with his old dog buddies (Betty, Loki, Molly and Aya) and a new dog buddy (Red).  The sun kept trying to come out but never really broke through.  Milton insisted on some driveway hang time when we got home but did not ultimately last that long: he prefers those days when he can bake himself in the sunshine.  Back home, things got a little domestic meal-prepping InstantPot black beans, lentil soup and a vegan bolognese, as well as attempting a new focaccia recipe.

There's a "wiggle" in the foreground, believe it or not

Because the sun never really broke through, H had another day at Alta with more of the same, although slightly colder and with slightly less snowfall.  The light was still very flat and the conditions still very mixed.  H reported definite grumbling in the locker room about the difficult visibility.  Out of his 29 ski days so far, he thinks only seven have had blue sky/sunshine.  And this was not one of those.  He called it quits early and took the 12:39 bus down canyon.

ETA: fairly successful focaccia

the vagaries of spring weather

 The light at the end of the ski season tunnel is evident (Alta closing day April 20) but still H persists.  The bus was not crowded on Saturday.  And for good reason: the light was flat and it was snowing a wet, heavy snow all day.  He lasted until the 12:39 p.m. bus - when the snow started edging more towards rain - and then headed home.  With spring season comes the overnight freeze/thaw cycle and the overcast day kept the conditions from fully thawing by the time he left.  And since he hasn't bothered to get his skis sharpened for about four years, that makes for some pulse-pounding moments when you get to a more frozen bit.

Below the Ballroom, looking towards Superior

Down in the valley, Milton and A did their walk, but only did 3.5 miles instead of the usual five since the air quality index in the Salt Lake valley was still "unhealthy" due to all the dust that had been blowing in.  After the walk came laundry, and after the laundry came chocolate chip cookies and an apricot crumble.  Milt wanted to spend time hanging out on his tie-out in the driveway but the clouds kept building and then it started to rain.  At least that cleared out the bad air.

We also got a little social for a change, meeting our friends E and K out for beers/food at Piper Down late afternoon.  Piper Down is an Irish pub on State Street in SLC.  Amazingly, it has a huge plant-based menu and their plant-based "meat" is made by a local company, Vegan Daddy Meats.  H had a vegan reuben and I had the vegan "Galway grilled cheese" with corned beaf, carmelized onions, cheddar and Swiss cheeze and Guinness mustard.  It wasn't at all healthy but it was delicious.  And it was also really, really good to spend time catching up with E and K whom we hadn't seen since Friendsgiving.

springy

This isn't a real post, but I was travelling and am a little light on content at present.  It happens.  I mean, we've been doing this for over fifteen years now.

I guess that March in northern Utah is going out like a lamb.  Earlier this week, it was sunny and nearly 80 F.  Then the winds picked up, blowing in enough dust to make the air unhealthy, and droppnig the temperatures down into the 40s.  But we've gotten a taste of spring and when we walk around the neighborhood, the hopeful little crocuses and grape hyacinth and daffodils and narcissi are making their presence known.  

Forsythia and cloudy skies

remember this day in august

The storm system seemed to be moving out on Sunday, as evidenced by the fact that it was so windy.  A and M did their Dimple Dell loop under overcast skies, mid-high 30s and blustery.  The temperature was decent - not so cold as to get cold, but cool enough not to get hot - but I'm just not a fan of the wind.  We chatted briefly with another dog walker whom we recognize, commiserating about the chill of the wind and she said, "we should remember this day in August," when we're sweltering and begging for a cloud.  Wise words.

There were naps

After our walk, we vacuumed the whole house and cleaned the kitchen, finally remembered to water the plants, caught up with friends via text, did more laundry and made chocolate chip scones.  And finished another library book.  Perhaps not quite as productive as some of our days but hey, we did vacuum.

Backside open for business

Up at Alta, with another six inches bringing the storm total to 42-43", H had another pretty good day.  Not quite as good as Saturday, but still.  It was windy and the light was totally flat but ski patrol got the Backside open.  The snow there was thigh-deep and when he skied it, it puffed up over his head on the turns.  It wasn't blower pow, so it was a bit of a workout, but for those who like to ski it deep, it was skiing deep.

all hail spring storms

 With how the climate/weather has changed, northern Utah hardly gets any early season snow (November) any more.  December's totals have diminished too.  But March and even April?  We seem to be getting more and more spring storms.  Case in point: 37+ inches at Alta from the March 13-15 storm.  445" to date, 149" base.  Great for our water and also great for skiing.  

That looks soft

The storm had eased up enough that they didn't have to close the canyon road on Saturday morning.  H's bus was SRO but not packed like sardines; the lodge was definitely full of skiers and it took a while to get out of Wildcat base on the first chair of the day.  But after that, H was pleasantly surprised that the lift lines were not that bad: he figured that the deep snow was slowing down and tiring out the more inexperienced skiers.  And it was definitely deep.  Nothing had been groomed which meant that the runs got bumped up quickly; the continuing snow and flat light meant you couldn't really see the bumps until you hit them.  It was another day that A wouldn't have enjoyed skiing but H had a great time.  He skied all across the mountain - Main Street, the Ballroom, Devil's Castle and the Backside were closed for avalanche work - enjoying Fred's Trees, Chartreuse Nose, the steeps and trees around Supreme Bowl, the Supreme gullies, No. Nine Express, the 3 Bears Trees ... it was a good day.

Mustache compliment of the day: A local guy with his own, much narrower handlebar mustache, told H that he'd be a shoe-in to win the Alta Snowflake Festival's annual mustache contest.

Meanwhile, A and M were fairly productive.  We did our 4.9 mile Dimple Dell loop, plus another mile or so later that afternoon just because; did laundry and changed the sheets (still flannel); made chocolate chip cookies and an apricot crumble; ground chia seeds for overnight oats and made vegan "parmesan;" finished one library book and started another one.  It was a pretty good day in the valley too.

side canyon exploration

On Saturday - slightly sunnier, slightly warmer but also breezier - H did a 6+ mile trail run on Pipe Dream.  But Milton and I had other plans, namely to check out a side canyon off the Moab Rim jeep trail that we hadn't yet explored.  I didn't figure it would go too far but I wanted to see where it did go at least.  We drove over to the Moab Rim trailhead mid-morning and there were at least seven cars already there.  We usually prefer early starts but I wanted the sun to be as high as possible, knowing how chilly it would be in the shade.

Entrance to side canyon

And the pedestrian Stair Climber trail, between the Moab Rim trail and the cliffs, is totally in the shade in the mornings.  This is fantastic for summertime but in early March, it's cold, even with how steep it is and especially with the biting wind.  We met one group of four hikers and one dog as they were descending; we passed a solo hiker and his dog just before the top of the climb; and as we went left into the wash (doing the jeep road's loop clockwise), we saw two backpackers and their dog bundled up and heading out after a night in the back country.  (I'm not sure you're supposed to be camping back in there but maybe they went way out to some BLM land.)

Pour-over

Milton and I veered left into our side canyon just before the Sand Hill portion of the jeep trail.  It starts wide open but quickly narrows.  There were a few older footprints in the sand at the bottom of the wash so we obviously weren't the only curious ones.  It didn't go in very far but we did have to scramble over a couple of twisted junipers.  The little canyon ends in a bowl with a small spring seepage, enough to feed a few trees, and a pour-over from the higher level.  I didn't see any non-technical way to get up there so Milton and I spent a few appreciative moments in the quiet and then retraced our steps back to the car - and noted another wash for future exploration (5.4 miles roundtrip).

Hiking buddy

That evening we went to Dewey's for beers with our friends C and F, who had managed to score a last minute babysitter.  And that was about it - a quick trip.  Sunday morning was gorgeous: the sunniest, warmest and least windy day of the weekend. We three did a 4.5 town walk, said goodbye to our neighbor A and her dog, and headed back north.  Where winter was definitely still hanging around.

edging closer

 It may technically be spring - the days are getting longer (yay!) - but winter hasn't quite let go of northern Utah yet.  The biggest storms seem to always roll in on Thursdays, which is less than ideal when we head down to Moab.  We lucked out for our early March trip down, however, as the snow stayed pretty high and our drive down was uneventful and of the usual duration: 3.5 hours as opposed to that epic 6.5 hour one.

It's definitely edging towards spring in southern Utah, even in Moab which has nearly the same elevation as Salt Lake City.  There is still snow in the La Sals and it is still chilly at night and in the shade and when the breeze picks up.  But the flowering trees have started to flower and if there's no wind and the sun is out, well, that's just pleasant.

Going to have to start remembering sunscreen

Friday morning, A and Milton headed out onto Pipe Dream/Pipeline for that 7.2 mile lollipop route.  We encountered just a few people on Pipe Dream - a MTBer with a dog, a hiker with two sweet labs and a solo trail runner - and one on the Pipeline - a hiker with a dog - but there were lots of cars at the Hidden Valley trail head, more than we've seen in a while.  Although it hasn't been a particularly hard winter, people are antsy for nice weather.

Love all Moab's murals - this one's by Dewey's

While A and M were doing their hike, H did a short trail run.  He doesn't have a plan for any races yet but he's keeping his running fitness up.  That afternoon we swung by Josie Wyatt's and, as we walked through town, it is obvious that the off season is over in Moab.  Almost all the shops and restaurants are open now and there is more traffic, both vehicular and foot.

in which it is still spring, but perhaps not for much longer

 My dough for the olive bread failed - or rather, I failed it, not putting nearly enough flour in to match the wet ingredients, despite the notations I had left for myself to that effect from the last time I (successfully) made the bread.  So I made wholemeal muffins instead to tuck into the freezer for future snacks.   I also made several quarts of veggie broth for the freezer and a veganized Moroccan "chicken" curry with couscous soup (from The Daily Soup Cookbook).

Milton and I also did our five-ish mile loop under even warmer sunshine than Saturday; we said hi to six dogs (down from the eleven the day before) and M got gratuitious trail snacks from a nice woman who thought he was handsome.  Back home, while I was puttering around in the kitchen, he got some more good driveway time, soaking in the sun and keeping an eye on the neighbors.

Blue and white

Meanwhile, it was gorgeous up at Alta.  The snow had that spring feel to it, though: super firm and crusty in the morning, as it had set up hard after the Saturday afternoon thaw.  H thought he still heard a generator churning away up there but the lifts seemed to be running better.  His mustache compliment came this time from a girl liftie (woman liftie? chick liftie?) so that counts as extra.

The bus driver on the 1:39 down canyon bus was flying - so much so that on one corner, a girl actually slid out of her seat from the centrifugal forces - but even with the quick descent, it was already clouding up by the time H got home.  No more driveway time and no tailgating, alas.  And as the evening wore on, the winds picked up.  Perhaps one should not put the snow shovels away quite yet.

conflicted

 Here's the thing: the mountains of northern Utah need snow (so do the southern mountains, for that matter).  But when it is bluebird skies and almost 60F in the valley - and over 40F up at Alta, which doesn't help the snowpack any - in the beginning of March, it is really hard to complain.  It's just so nice out!  Cool, sure, in the shade or if the breeze picks up.  But in the full sun it is just delightful.  So you can see how we're conflicted: snow means water but sunshine means awesome.  We even managed to get in the first home tailgate of the year (although we were all pretty chilled by the end of it).

I was definitely overdressed for Milton's and my morning five mile walk.  There were lots of other people out too, mostly runners and dog walkers; the cyclists seemed to wait for the afternoon when it was at its warmest.  We got to meet eleven dogs, some new ones/some we've met before.  When we got home, Milton did not need to be asked twice if he wanted to hang out on his driveway tie-out to soak in the sunshine.  While he did that, I dealt with laundry, baked a vegan bara brith (Welsh fruit cake) and got the dough started for a no-knead olive bread.

Tele-fest

Up at Alta, it was gorgeous as well - the perfect day for a telemark ski festival - although the snow stayed pretty firm and H didn't venture off-piste.  Also, for some reason Alta has been on generator-power only, meaning the lifts are running very slowly and stop a lot.  Despite the beautiful day, he got on the 1:39 bus down-canyon, having had enough of the long lift lines.  There was one big bonus, however: a 20-something kid in the lift line took one look at H and exclaimed, "Utah's best mustache!"

sundry

 By Sunday, however, it was back to a ski day that A wouldn't have liked, per H.  It wasn't too cold (in the 30s) and was less crowded at Alta than Saturday, but the light was very flat all day and it was just kind of grey.  Although the YTD snowfall seems a little low, coverage is decent, and H did get into the Devil's Castle and Catherine's Area to check things out.

Devil's Castle scene

And it was business as usual for those of us who stayed in the valley.  Milton and I did our almost five mile loop and then I logged some decent kitchen time, making a white bean and pasta soup for the coming week, a peach crumble using last summer's CSA peaches and a Korean "beef" bulgogi for dinner.   

Catherine's Area situation

Wow, these posts are just not that compelling.  But sometimes life is just getting outside when you able and making your way as best you can.