it's tough being the princess

Poor little Becky has had a challenging time with this move. First, she was worried for an entire month as we packed all our belongings into hundreds of boxes. Then she was really worried when all the boxes and all the furniture disappeared, leaving the Maine house empty and echoing. Once we got into the truck she crashed and was practically unconscious for the whole road trip, which was good because I don't think she slept at all in the motel rooms what with the fretting at the new and different environments.

Then, when we first got to Utah, there was that terrifying thunder-, lightning- and hail storm which scared her so badly that I thought she'd shake out of her skin. Now that we're in the apartment she's settling down a bit, but she doesn't like all the new dog-smells when she's trying to, ahem, squirt, and she gets scolded a lot because she growls or woofs whenever she hears a car door slam or voices outside. Luckily this apartment complex is pretty quiet but still, there are many more noises than she's been used to in her life with us.

This all is why when we went to the self-storage units last time we picked up the over-stuffed armchair. Because despite having her dog bed, her crate, our bed and all of the remarkably cushy carpeted floor to sleep on, B prefers her throne.

how do you say that?

Do you all know how to say these Utah place names like the locals? Give it your best shot phonetically in the comments and I'll post again later with the actual pronunciations.

Hurricane
Duchesne
Monticello
Alta
Panguitch
Salina
Weber
Tooele
Uinta
Oquirrh

our first utah snowstorm

It snowed yesterday! Pretty much on and off all day too, going from white-out conditions to glimpses of blue sky; we couldn't see the Wasatch Mountains behind us and definitely couldn't see west across the valley to the Oquirrh Mountains. Snowfall totals weren't that impressive: in the valley, a couple of inches that didn't stick; up on the benches a couple of inches that did; and around 10" up at Alta. Still, the rooftops are all white and there's more snow in the immediate forecast. Guess winter's coming early this year.

hiking in the mining district

October 25, 2009, Sunday. On Sunday we confirmed that any expedition with Captain Mike requires (a) an initial, dramatic, uphill ascent, (b) sturdy shoes, (c) provisions for a noontime snack, (d) at least four hours and (e) time for a beer afterwards. You know, I can totally live with all of that – although I may grumble a little for part (a).


We had thought to stay close to home on Sunday, maybe do a short hike up one of the Cottonwood Canyons, but when Captain Mike said he’d hoped to take us on a tour of some of the Park City area mines, we were all for it. We picked him up at his house and then drove into Park City proper, up through the Old Town portion (lovely, older, fantastically-painted and $1M price-tagged mining shacks) to the trailhead. We started off going UP immediately, following a recently improved dirt road, then moved off the road onto a heavily overgrown singletrack. Despite the sunshine overhead it was chilly down out of the light in the canyon, with remnants of the previous day’s hail crunching underfoot. As we ascended, we passed small “prospects” – where folks had thought there might be stuff worth mining – and the waste-rock dumps from these digs.

When we emerged from the depths of the canyon, we were at the base of the Silver King Mine, an expansive, complicated operation that had its heyday at the turn of the century. Located under the upper terminus of the Town Lift for the Park City Mountain Resort, the mine ruins consist of a massive mill derelict, the building containing the mine proper, several smaller (and by “smaller” I mean medium-warehouse-sized) buildings, wooden watertowers, tram towers, explosives sheds and the mine dump. Captain Mike had a book* with him with historical pictures of the mine - the complex was massive. It’s still massive – it’s just falling apart now.


Captain Mike took us into the mill building where we entered at the ground floor and went up at least five stories, coming out at on the top floor where the ore carts had rolled in on their rails from the mine. Although the mill building is clearly on its last legs, it was also clearly built to last, with metal stairs between the floors, huge steel beams and concrete floors – all necessary to support the enormous metal machinery and the tons and tons of rock it had to chew up. These impressive industrial ruins were just incredible and H took picture after picture after picture.

Next was the mine building which contains the mine shaft** (descending some 1400+ feet straight down into the earth), the giant steel hoist which held the elevators that went up and down the shaft, bringing men and ore to and from the surface, as well as the electrical switch room, a machine-shop and a smithy. We peeked over the edge of the shaft: it goes a long way down. Captain Mike said he’s dropped little stones down there before and he’s never heard them hit bottom.


After checking out the Silver King mine building, we inspected the other area outbuildings and then continued our hike, back down the other side of the canyon. On the way to the next mine we were duly impressed by some serious hand-made mountain biking elements that some local kids had constructed in the woods. Let me just say right now that I will never, ever, ever ride on bridges like those.


We saw the remains of the Massachusetts mine (just a concrete footer for the hoist, the rock dump and a few abandoned ore samples) on our way down to the Alliance mine. All that is left here is the old mine manager’s office – a wooden building filled with broken core samples – and the power plant. We also saw the terminus of the Judge Mining & Smelting Co.: the building is completely sealed off (and is a Federal Offense to trespass here) because they still use the old tunnel to channel water down to Park City.


After we finished the day’s hike – a four-hour loop, of course – we took a quick tour of the Deer Valley ski resort (which is Captain Mike’s ski area of preference, based out of the Silver Lakes Lodge), and then took him home. He’s determined to take us up his favorite Wasatch trail near the Brighton ski resort before the snow gets too deep, however, so we may have more hiking to report on for next weekend!

* Treasure Mountain Home: Park City Revisited, by George A. Thompson and Fraser Buck (1981).

** We learned this terminology: the shaft is the vertical hole that runs from the surface to however far down the mine goes; any level horizontal hole into the earth is called an “adit;” an adit that angles down is a “decline;” an adit that angels upwards is an “incline;” and an adit that goes all the way through to come out the other side is a “tunnel.”

back to work

Retro-post from October 13, 2009, Tuesday: Poor H went back to work today. Becky and I sat around and WAITED for Comcast to finally come and hook us up to cable and thus reinsert us into the wired and televised world. I sent some résumés out for some administrative positions up at the U, went to the bank, the post office (thanks for all the cards, H’s family!) and grocery store, and generally puttered around.

For the record, although the Porcupine has Cheap Beer Night on Tuesdays … we did not go [- that Tuesday, anyway.]

utah 23, air force 16

October 24, 2009, Saturday. Because we are determined to throw ourselves wholeheartedly into being Utahans, we went to the U's homecoming football game against Air Force. I had swung by the Rice-Eccles Stadium on Tuesday to get tickets ($28 per) - so exciting, my first big college football game!

We'd heard on the radio that the UTA (Utah Transit Authority) was going to be running extra trains from our neck of the woods up to the stadium, so we thought we'd try that instead of fighting traffic and searching/paying for parking. Tickets were $4/per person round trip and the train dropped us off right at the stadium.



Although most of the crowd - about 45,000 in attendance - was awash in a sea of red, our seats were right by a bunch of Air Force cadets who'd road-tripped in from Colorado Springs. This kept things entertaining: whenever they got excited about something down on the field, they'd fling wrapped slices of processed cheese into the air like frisbees. The nearby Ute fans didn't care much for being smacked in the noggin with cheese, so a couple cadets were escorted from the stands for a while. (Security let them come back for the last quarter and the OT - I guess because Utahans are just nice.)


Even though our seats were in a corner and way up high, we had a great view of both the game (despite it not being that exciting until the Utes scored during overtime) and the storms which struck the nearby mountains with lightning before briefly drenching us in the first quarter. Neither team had much of a passing game, but here are the highlights: Air Force made a lot of first downs but couldn't seem to score; Utah had difficulty making their first downs but managed to score enough to win (eventually, 16-16 into overtime); and we did see the second longest pass reception for a touchdown in Utah's history - very exciting.


Afterwards the crowd was polite and orderly (as there's no beer allowed in Rice-Eccles, except for the cans of PBR the Air Force cadets snuck in) as we filed out of the stadium and onto our waiting trains ... until we picked up a bunch of soccer hooligans* on their way to Real Salt Lake's last regular season game. It took us about an hour to get back to our car at the light rail station's parking lot, plus drive-time home, although I suspect the commuting time during the week is much shorter.

Despite the less than dry weather, the less than thrilling play, the no beer at college venues and the longer than we expected travel times, we had a great time. And H is a little itchy to see better college ball, so I'm off to the ticket office tomorrow to try get seats for next Saturday's game against Wyoming. Go Utes!!!!
PS - BYU got totally blown out in their game this weekend against TCU, so our random decision to become Utes fans rather than Cougars fans is paying off. Note to selves: must buy more red outerwear!

* Loud and raucous (a la "the game hasn't started but I'm already drunk"), singing songs from their printed playlists (these are very well-organized soccer fans) and hooting into their kazoos, they kept us entertained for several stops before disembarking for the Rio Tinto Stadium. Not very hooligan-y in actual fact, just noisy and boisterous. BTW, final score: Real Salt Lake 3, Colorado 0 ... RSL earned the last MLS playoff spot - home game TBD!

"shoes and chaos"

That was a fellow bargain-hunter's reply when asked what was in the storeroom at REI's members-only garage sale this morning. Held several (?) times a year, REI allows co-op members (those of us who've signed up for their rewards program) to purchase used/returned goods at drastically reduced prices. Roof racks, sleeping bags and tents, skis, ski and snowboard boots, bicycles, clothing ... you name it, people were climbing over each other for it. REI employees handed out playing cards and then let folks inside by randomly calling out the cards - judicious, but still a mob scene. H and I skirted the periphery but when we attempted the "shoes and chaos" room, the crowd was just too much. Next time we'll prepare a go-to list - today was just too nuts for casual browsing.

books, BLM, boxes and beer

October 12, 2009, Monday. On H’s last day of vacation, by the time we’d each gotten through our torturous runs/rides, we decided that it was too late to seek out another beginner level hike, especially since we’d already been to the nearest canyons (Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, Millcreek and City Creek). Instead we went city-exploring to locate some places of interest. Of interest to us, at least.

First we found H’s new office, a mere six miles down the street our apartment is on – what a cake commute! Next was the Central Book Exchange (2017 South 110 East, Sugarhouse), reportedly the best used bookstore in all of SLC. “Used” and “second-hand” are our new watchwords, btw. Central Book Exchange is pretty small but chockablock full of all kinds of books – meaning that it’s that much harder to find what you’re looking for because there’s not that much organization. Still, the variety is terrific and excellent condition paperbacks seem to go for $3-4. There’s tons of fiction in all sorts of genres, so that’s great for me.

Unless I’ve just been to the main branch of the City Library in SLC (210 East 400 South). Holy frickin’ moly – this is the coolest library I’ve ever seen. Please click through to see the photographs. H and I walked up the exterior stair wall to the roof garden where there’s a 360° view of the city. Inside the towering glass atrium are a café, art museum and multiple shops (including a branch of what will become my new comic book store, Night Flight Comics). I didn’t get a library card when we stopped in but I will soon. What an awesome place.

Our next stop was the State of Utah Department of Natural Resources Map & Bookstore (1594 W. North Temple) because H had read somewhere that this was the best place to go for maps. Indeed, they’ve got every kind of map – from the streets of SLC to hiking the Wasatch range to technical BLM charts – for all of the state. Here H selected a trail map to supplement the books on area hiking we’d just picked up at the CBE.

As you might imagine, all of this was thirsty work, so we swung by Squatter’s before hitting the self storage place and then heading home.

birthday (belated)

October 11, 2009, Sunday. For his birthday breakfast, H made us “huevos H‑os”: corn tortillas, scrambled eggs, refried beans, onion, salsa verde and cheese – no mean feat given the limited amount of kitchen equipment we have with us currently. Muy delicioso!

After breakfast I went for a run and H rode his bike, each of us going in opposite directions from the day before. Still hilly. Long, steep hills. Seriously, these are ass-kicking hills out here – no matter which way you go, it’s going to be hilly. I’m not a good runner at all and my route today started with twenty minutes of steady up. I managed to run for 17 of those minutes, and walked for the final three, before turning around and heading – downhill (yay) – for home. I’m not sure I could even name a 17-minute hill in the greater Portland area. I just keep telling myself, as I’m gasping and grunting and wheezing and grateful that no one within 1,000 miles of here knows me, that it’s all training for ski season.

To treat ourselves for refusing to acknowledge that the hills conquered us conquering the hills, we went for a hike. Because that’s what you do here in Utah: you go outside every single day you possibly can. It wasn’t even a particularly nice day today but still, once up in the canyons, the outdoorsy types were out in droves. We explored Millcreek Canyon today (the site of the other Turkey Trot H is guilting me into), which is located at 3800 South, off Wasatch Boulevard, in Holladay. We drove as far as we could up the canyon until the road got too narrow and too snow covered for us, so we still don’t know what’s at the top. (It all goes up though, in case you were wondering, for at least seven miles.)


We turned around and then pulled in at the Rattlesnake Gulch trailhead, intending to take the Pipeline Trail, which follows an old flume up the canyon. We must have missed that trail, however, because we found ourselves going up and up and up, until we were skirting a ridge that took us to a fantastic lookout over the Salt Lake Valley. It took us under an hour to go up, and about half an hour to descend, even accounting for having to stand aside in the brush as all the mountain bikers and their well-behaved dogs blew by us. This was a nice little hike, close to town, immediate view rewards and impressive elevation gain for very little effort.


The best part of the hike, of course, was that the road leading to our apartment back from Millcreek Canyon goes right by the Porcupine. We had to stop in and split a pitcher of Full Suspension pale ale (from Squatter’s Brewery) – it would have been wrong not to stop.

wherever you go, it’s up

October 10, 2009, Saturday. So, because I’ve been forced into it, I went for a run (a thirty-minute slow jog, to be honest) and H went for a bike ride (from our apartment to partway up Little Cottonwood Canyon). We both returned, reporting Very Hilly Terrain. And miles to go before either of us have any real aptitude for the altitude. Afterwards we swung by our P.O. box (thanks, SB!) and then headed to the Capitol area of SLC. This is where you find City Creek Canyon (375 No. Canyon Rd.).

City Creek Canyon is a six-mile, paved path that follows the creek up a narrow, heavily vegetated canyon. We parked to the south of the canyon by a pretty, well-kept park called Memory Grove. There’s an off-leash dog park on one side of the creek in Memory Grove but we kept to the other side and B was so busy sniffing and marking her new territory (she’s such a lady) that she didn’t mind the other dogs frolicking nearby.

CCC itself has lots of picnic areas and clean outhouses all along the way. And it climbs steadily the whole way up. We saw several cyclists, a good number of pedestrians and just a couple of joggers … which was not a good sign as CCC is the site of one of the Turkey Trots H is telling everyone I’ll be doing. We didn’t end up walking the whole thing (six miles one way, remember?) – just perambulating for 1.75 hours , but this place is such a great oasis in the city that we’ll be back for sure.

After our walk (B = tired!), we swung by the self-storage place for our television (no cable (or internet) ‘til 10/13 but it’s best to be prepared) and a few other random pieces of furniture, and then headed home for a quiet evening in.