• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Utah Utah in March 2019, non-ski activities

Gary Stolt

Mr. Style
Team Gathermeister
Joined
Dec 14, 2015
Posts
478
Location
Franklin, KY
Hi Jim and all,
Yes, we do need to ride the GAP again. I was really impressed last year, even though we rode it in the rain. I hope to ride it with Candy when travel restrictions lift and the B&B's open again. Ideally it will be before it gets too hot but maybe not. Our goal is to do about 50 miles in two days.
We have been hiking the state park trails here in KY - exercise is good.
Charlie, how's the knee after surgery?
 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
4/25/20 I took a two hour bike ride today down to the Jordan River Parkway Trail.

This is the mighty Jordan River near Midvale, UT. It starts at Utah Lake near Provo and flows north through the Salt Lake Valley to the Great Salt Lake. Four of Utah's six largest cities border the river: Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan and Sandy. More that a million people live in the Jordan River watershed.
jordan river parkway west jordan.jpg
There is a nice network of paved trails in this area. The Jordan River Parkway is a north-south system of trails that parallel the Jordan River, connecting 45 miles through Salt Lake County. The trail further connects to neighboring counties, allowing for travel to Utah Lake and the Great Salt Lake.
jordan river parkway midvale.jpg
Weather for the next week here in the SLC area will be sunny with highs between 75 and 85 degs F. Hope the heat kills a few virus bugs!?!
jordan river parkway horse.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
So you're a time traveler now, Jim? The 26th is tomorrow.
Correction made. Thanks for keeping me straight. My laptop is still on Eastern time where it's after midnight.:doh:
Hope you and yours are safe and able to get out and enjoy this nice weather too.
 

SpikeDog

You want Big Air, kid?
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
823
Location
Wyoming
Correction made. Thanks for keeping me straight. My laptop is still on Eastern time where it's after midnight.:doh:
Hope you and yours are safe and able to get out and enjoy this nice weather too.
We are keeping busy - getting ready for camping as it looks like the freezing temps have abated. I can unwinterize the RV. I dig the mountain bike pictures, and hope to blaze a few new adventures in the Unitas. Just modified my hardtail with a redshift suspension stem; maybe I can go a bit farther without getting beat up now.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
4/28/20: I went back to the Jordan River Parkway Trail today and took about an 80 minute bike ride exclusively on the trail from West Jordan to Draper, UT and back. The trail has numerous connectors and you can vary the return route so it's not a complete repeat, but somewhat of a loop on either side of the river. The sun was out and the temps were in the upper 60's this morning and not too many people.

I passed by three different golf courses on this ride. This one is River Oaks and was pretty near where I started my ride. There were golfers on each course, but not very many.



JRT flagstick.jpg



This is the Jordan River looking south. It flows from south to north into the Great Salt Lake where there is no outlet.

jtr river.jpg

This is River Bend Golf Course and is where I turned around and headed back north to my starting point. This course had some great views to the east and west. I am a golfer and have not golfed yet in Utah, but besides borrowing my son's bike I might also borrow his clubs soon:)
West view.
jtr south county golf.jpg
East view.
jtr jim.jpg

Not much in the way of fishing in the Jordan River, but good birding.
jtr bird watching.jpg


That's the entrance to Little Cottonwood Canyon as seen from the South Jordan area. No wonder they have to do so much avalanche mitigation to keep the road open in winter - it's a steep walled sucker.

jrt lcc.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
4/29/20: Wow. 85 degs and sunny today. Almost too hot on this hike around Dimple Dell, a Salt Lake County Park near Granite, UT. We're not used to this heat at elevation 5000'. This was probably the hottest day of 2020 in this part of Utah dimple dell jim.jpg dimple dell kathy.jpg dimple dell park.jpg .

Dimple Dell was scenically beautiful and had a trail that was fairly level for easy walking.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
4/30/20 I went back to Dimple Dell Park alone with my son's mtn bike. The mulch covered North Rim Trail (green circle difficulty) is an excellent place for me to practice with the mtn bike and the bike rolls surprisingly well on it, not too mushy.
bike glove.jpg
I don't have some of my normal bike gear so I'm using an old ski helmet. This is a super scenic bike trail in every direction.
dimple bike pug.jpg

Purple mountains majesty!!! Those are blue square mtn bike trails down there, too tough for me at this time. Also, some of the sand surface is like a beach, very difficult pedaling.
dimple bike purple.jpg
 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
3 May 2020: No home improvement work today, all fun.

Took bike ride in AM around Hidden Valley Park in Sandy City, UT. This was 90 minutes of mixed trails from wide asphalt, to narrow dirt, to everything in between. They relaxed the stay at home order here on May 1 and you can now recreate beyond your own county. In the PM I took a 100 mile scenic car ride with my wife to Provo Canyon.


A lot of plants are blooming. Temps were again above 70 degs today. Hidden Valley Park:


hidden valley park hvp.jpg


Closer to the Hidden Valley watershed.


hvp watershed.jpg


I took a walk over this nearby bridge to take a peek at this segment of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.


hvp little willow creek bride.jpg


Back on the bike near Hidden Valley Park.


hvp pink flowers and bike.jpg


The trail eventually widened and was better suited to my low skill level.


hvp wide trail.jpg


I eventually went into the Sandy City suburbs on my return trip. I had ridden along that contour trail on the lower portion of the mountainside in this photo.


hvp mountainside.jpg





Later today I took a drive to beautiful Provo Canyon and US Route 189.


provo canyon us189.png


I knew that Bridal Veil Falls was along this route, but I hadn't been on this road and didn't know how super close it was to the highway. What a treat! This is the biggest waterfall I've seen in many years.


provo canyon tall bridal veil falls.png

607' tall, double cataract Bridal Veil Falls.
provo canyon bridel veil close up.png


A beautiful section of the Provo River not far from the falls.


provo canyon river.jpg


We made a two mile side-trip to Sundance Ski Area. Very cool, I had never been there before. It's in a narrow canyon off US 189. That's a chairlift to the left in this photo.


sundance ski lift.jpg


A view of Mt. Timpanogos from Sundance Resort.


mt timpanogos at sundance.jpg
 
Last edited:

fatbob

Not responding
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,288
Who knew bits of the SLC hinterland could be so green (having only been through in winter and around Labor Day)? Though I dread to think what those golf courses and parks consume in irrigation. Glad you're getting the most out of lockdown.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
Who knew bits of the SLC hinterland could be so green (having only been through in winter and around Labor Day)? Though I dread to think what those golf courses and parks consume in irrigation. Glad you're getting the most out of lockdown.
I have a feeling that use of water from Utah's Jordan River for golf course irrigation is probably one of the better things that could be done with it. The Jordan River is not very pristine. Half the population of Utah lives within ten miles of it and it's been a repository of human, farm, and mining waste for 100+ years. Also, it dead-ends into the Great Salt Lake. The Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD) has issued a Warning Advisory for the Jordan River and its canals after samples showed levels of anatoxin-a that exceed the recreation health-based threshold. Health officials advise people to stay out of the water and keep dogs from entering or drinking river water. Toxins present at this level have not been shown to present a health threat to people kayaking or boating on the surface of the river, but recreationists are advised to avoid areas of scum.

Despite the above pollution info, the river basin presents a very nice right of way for the Jordan River Trail utilized by bikers, joggers and walkers.


More bike riding photos:

6 May 2020, took another ride on the Jordan River Trail from mile 17 (Draper) south to mile 10 (Bluffdale) and back. This is an area that transitions from suburban to rural during the course of the ride to Bluffdale. Bluffdale is about 25 miles south of downtown Salt Lake City.

This is around mile 16 on the JRT and not far from where I started riding. The view is to the west at the Oquirrh Mountains. Oquirrh is a Shoshone Indian word for “wood sitting”.


JRT bluffdale start.jpg


Nearby farm country. A portion of the old Kennecott Copper Mine can be seen in the background. It’s the largest manmade excavation in the world.


jrt bluffdale farm.jpg


Baby lambs beside the Jordan River Trail.


jrt bluffdale lambs.jpg


I’m not LDS, but I admire some aspects of this religious group. They have an amazing network of churches here in Utah, usually one per mile, no exaggeration. In this photo taken near Bluffdale, UT you can see three LDS church steeples, left, center, and far right.


jrt bluffdale LDS.jpg


UTA light rail extends more than 20 miles south of downtown SLC. The Jordan River basin is a little more significant here than up north.


UTA light rail near Bluffdale JRT.jpg


As pretty as Utah is, the land has not gone unscarred by development. Gravel pits and past or present mining operations dot the mountainsides every few miles. I suppose these facilities fuel progress and supply many jobs, but they’re not so pretty.


jrt bluffdale gravel pit.jpg


The sign marks the Galena/Soónkahni Preserve, Draper, UT. At 250 acres, it’s the largest Jordan River preserve in Salt Lake County. The site features the Jordan River with meanders, sand bars, and oxbows, riparian and wetland habitat, and drier upland habitat. The property includes an archaeological site with dwellings and artifacts ranking among the oldest known in Utah. Native Americans including the Shoshone frequented this area in the past.


jrt bluffdale preserve.jpg

Read More
 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
5//9/20, I continued my exploration of the Jordan River Trail (JRT) today. I rode 15 miles from mile 11 to about mile 3.5 and back again. This is a very beautiful section of the JRT about 30 miles south of downtown Salt Lake City and about 15 miles north of Provo, UT.
This is an isolated section of the JRT near mile 10.
jrt thgvg pt two bikers.png
First view of Thanksgiving Point Golf Club. The JRT crosses that bridge and goes to the right (south).
jrt thgvg pt golf club.png
The golf course club house is the brown building to the right.
jrt thgvg pt clubhouse.jpg

There is still snow in the mountains to the west of the Jordan River.
jrt thgvg pt west biker.png
Took this photo mid-putt.
jrt thgvg pt putt.jpg
 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
On May 7 Salt Lake County, UT moved to "Moderate Risk" with respect to public health orders. For retired recreationalists like my wife and I that meant we were free to venture farther from home for sightseeing and such, while still practicing the 6' social distancing rule. At the same time many state and national parks in Utah are reopening.


So yesterday, 13 May 2020, we decided to take a very scenic, but long day-trip to Goblin Valley State Park. As the crow flies, it's about 50 miles west of Moab in southeastern Utah. The roundtrip for us was over 400 miles! But it was a low stress and very rural route and the weather was great with a mix of sun and clouds. The highest temps we experienced were in the state park where it was about 80 degrees. Driving over Soldier Summit (elev 7477') it was in the high 50's.





From our location near SLC this trip was a lot of driving, but when we got there I just about lost my mind with photo opportunities. This place was one of the weirder geological oddities I've ever seen with thousands of sandstone goblins or hoodoos ranging from 5' to 500' in height. It felt like you were in the middle of a giant sand castle that was going through a slow motion act of creation and erosion all at once. It seemed so crazy-fragile, like only compacted dust was holding up giant, round sandstone boulders weighing thousands of pounds. I couldn't believe we tourists were allowed to scramble all over every inch of the place. Parts of it would crumble underfoot or turn to dust when you scratched it with your fingernail. This was the place where some boy scouts got into trouble back in 2014 for pushing over one of the formations: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...nocked-over-ancient-rock-get-probation-n56596


I can see that someday they will have to manage visitors and keep folks to a designated path, but for now it's the wild west and you can roam over every nook and cranny.


Sorry for the big photo blast, but I can't help posting a couple dozen pictures. Goblin Valley State Park, UT is really wild!

These photos will expand if you click on them.

Appetizer:


Driving from SLC to Goblin Valley SP includes about a 125 mile stretch of US 6 from Provo to Green River, UT. This is desolate, but wide open country that I find relaxing to drive.


This is a train near Soldier Summit, notice the greenish dirt in the left hillside? Does it have copper in it?


goblin valley train best 13 may.jpg


US 6 cuts through Price Canyon east of Provo.


goblin valley price canyon 13 may.jpg


The big rock in upper center is called Balance Rock. This is on the outskirts of Helper, UT.


goblin valley balance rock helper 13 may.jpg


The main entrée:

Entering Goblin Valley State Park. By this point the weather turned beautiful.


goblin valley state park sign 13 may 2020.jpg


The first mind-blowing sight in the park is The Three Sisters formation. I guess these are about 100' tall.


goblin valley 3 sisters 13 may.jpg


Another angle.


goblin valley 3 sisters 13 may close up.jpg


This is a view of Goblin Valley from the observation point parking lot. There is a couple square mile area to explore here. Many of those "goblins" are the size of a large house.


goblin valley observation point 13 may.jpg


Looking north from the middle of the valley.


goblin valley north view 13 may.jpg


It's a wild place to take a stroll and you probably wouldn't want to be here in the middle of the summer - too hot and dry.


goblin valley south view 13 may.jpg


Three baby sisters?


goblin valley baby sisters 13 may.jpg


Precariously perched rock. This place seemed so fragile, like you could topple that rock with a couple karate chops to the belt.


goblin valley precarious rock 13 may.jpg


This looked like some sort of time portal...


goblin valley time portico 13 may.jpg


and reminded me of an old Star Trek episode.


city on the edge of forever.jpg


This girl was super excited. It was like the world's largest playground/sandbox.


goblin valley girl on rocks 13 may.jpg


This cave piqued my curiosity.


goblin valley cave 13 may.jpg


View from the inside.


goblin valley cave interior 13 may.jpg


My wife was also captivated by Goblin Valley State Park.


goblin valley kathy red 13 may.jpg


Obligatory shameless tourist photo.


goblin valley jim rock 13 may.jpg


There were about 40 other people exploring the valley with us. Social distancing was easy. We brought our own food and only stopped once for gas on the trip.


goblin valley jim and kathy 13 may.jpg


goblin valley kathy hill 13 may.jpg


The land of giant mushrooms.


goblin valley mushrooms 13 may.jpg


This is in another part of the park near a campground. I called this no-see-ums hill because some kind of insect bit me three times here. It felt like a mild bee sting, but I couldn't see what did it.


goblin valley noseeums hill 13 may.jpg


These yurts are normally rentable for overnight stays, but they were not available due to covid.


goblin valley yurt 13 may.jpg


This is a panorama shot of part of Goblin Valley. Very cool place.


goblin valley pano 13 may.jpg

Not sure if this video will work: https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMJt9EH3Kwk6qT2k3sQBm5Uq5HZ_0VPGYZe4VkB
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
17 May 2020, Had an unusual double activity today, first time to do biking and snowshoeing on the same day.


Went bike riding on the Jordan River Trail in the AM from about mile 25 to 30 and back. This was mostly through the town of Murray, UT. Lots of tight turns in the trail with many Sunday strollers and a suburban/urban feel. Not so great for riding, but still interesting. I took it slow on the mountain bike.


Scenic pond beside the trail in Murray. It's so weird to still see plenty of snow in the Wasatch, while it's been over 70 degrees in the valley almost every day for the last month or more.


17 may jrt pond.jpg


Amphitheatre waiting for a nature talk - could be a while still for those.


17 may amphitheatre.jpg


Family of geese, there were three chicks hiding in the grass.


17 may geese.jpg


Believe this is a cormorant bird, stays under the water for 10-20 secs at a time looking for food. It's a medium large black bird.


17 may comorant.jpg


It's been very warm and dry for over a month here. This was a fresh, but small brush fire beside the trail.


17 may fire.jpg





Then around 4PM my wife and I went snowshoeing up at Guardsman Pass near Brighton ski area in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Temps went from 82 in the valley to 64 degs up on the pass and then 82 again when we came back down. The road over Guardsman Pass to Park City was still closed and when we came to the closure gate at about 9000' there was a good 2-3' of snow on the road. It was a good place to snowshoe...in shorts. :wave:


17 may selfie.jpg


17 may kathy.jpg

Obnoxiously representing Washington DC sports teams. Usually I get to wear some of this stuff on the slopes during spring ski time, but missed out on that this season.


17 may shorts.jpg


This is a panoramic photo of the upper part of BCC. Brighton ski area is to the left, Solitude is to the right. Lots of snow cover still. Photo taken from Guardsman Pass Road.


17 may bcc pano.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
I finally set aside some time to play golf yesterday (5/27/20) for the first time ever in Utah and thought I'd share a little about the experience. Naturally I borrowed my son's clubs. I've already helped myself to his house, AT skis, hot tub, and bike for the last four months :)

I played a very nice nearby public course called Old Mill in Cottonwood Heights, UT: https://slco.org/golf/old-mill/
This course is about 15 miles south of Salt Lake City and is set at about 5000' above sea level. I was curious if that would give me any extra distance, which I could desperately use? Because of social distancing rules no warm-ups on the putting green or driving range were allowed so I teed off cold turkey and wasn't striking the ball super well. But there were a few times when I over-clubbed. In particular, I hit a 5 iron once about 190 yards. That's about 25 yards farther than normal for me. So there might be something to the "ball flies farther at altitude" thing. I didn't score real well, but had fun and hit enough decent individual shots to make me want to get out there again :)

I played with three other golfers that I had never met before the round. They all drove individual carts. I walked. I played only nine holes, but I had a good time and it was a pretty day, about 80 degs. The course is hilly and I would not attempt to walk 18 holes. Playing time for nine holes took two hours flat. The course was active, but not crowded. The parking lot was about 40% full. It cost $15 for seniors for nine holes without a cart, paid online in advance. I've driven by this beautiful course numerous times and now that I finally checked it out I might drag my son there to play with me next week?

Looking northwest, downtown SLC is far right background.
old mill golf course clubs (1).jpg

There's a really nice view to the west off the 1st tee, but the several hundred vertical feet you drop during the early holes must be made up to get back to the 9th hole and clubhouse area.
old mill golf 1st hole.jpg

View to the southeast, the entrance to BCC is first ridge to left, entrance to LCC is second ridge in background. Note cement cart paths, this place was quite nice for a public course!

old mill mtn view.jpg

Next day, 5/28/20 was about 90 degrees in SLC area. After working on a new retaining wall in the front yard for a few hours, I drove my wife up to higher elevations looking to cool off.
20200528_155713.jpg

Eventually we ended up taking a walk around Spruces Campground about halfway up Big Cottonwood Canyon. There was a nicely built log picnic/dining cabin there.
20200528_163324.jpg
It's amazing the other world you can get to just 8 miles or so up the canyon.
20200528_170402.jpg

This is looking down BCC at the spot were it narrows close to the mouth. Sometimes when I'm in a hurry to get up there during ski season I don't even notice how spectacular this area is.
20200528_171524.jpg
 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
On 5/30/20 I did something that was memorably touristy. I went swimming in the Great Salt Lake. This is not something local Utahns normally do. The Great Salt Lake is a weird place. As you know it's a terminal lake, approximately 75 miles long and 25 miles wide. Streams and rivers flow into it, but nothing leaves except through evaporation and that makes it five times saltier than the ocean. It's a good habitat for birds, bugs, brine shrimp, and sail-boaters, but not much else. Parts of the lake smell like a salt marsh on a bad day:) In short, the Great Salt Lake looks pretty, but might best be enjoyed from a distance. Nonetheless, it was 92 degrees out and I was looking for a new way to get cool.


I accessed the lake from a location off I80 about 15 miles west of SLC. This is the site of a semi-abandoned concert hall called The Great Saltair and there was plenty of free parking nearby.


great saltair 30 may .jpg





I had to walk about 1/2 mile across the beach to get to the lake shore, where this photo was taken looking back at Saltair.


30 may close to GSL.jpg





Just as I approached the water a wind/rain storm blew over. It was pretty ferocious and scared all the other crazy tourists off the beach. I had to hunker down and lay on the ground during the worst 10 minutes to evade stinging sand and very low visibility. It was mostly a wind event, but the brief period of moderate rain felt good after many dry and warm weeks here in the Salt Lake Valley.


30 may storm gsl.jpg





The sun came back out and I set up my camp chair in 6" of water. I did enter the water and went swimming two times. At the end of the day my hat, shirt and swim suit felt like tin foil they were so crunchy with dried salt.


30 may gsl jim.jpg





This fellow was determined to try to get a good photograph of that sailboat. He's standing in about 2' of water even though he's 300 yards offshore! I think the deepest the lake ever gets is about 15'.


30 may gsl photog best.jpg





This is looking towards the west. The water felt like about 80 degs very close to shore. A couple hundred yards out it got colder, maybe 72 degs. Also, it got clearer and rather nice for wading the further out you went.


30 may gsl family.jpg





Off topic, this is a sunset photo of the Salt Lake Valley from a couple nights ago.


slc sunset may.jpg


A little later on the same evening, the Great Salt Lake can be seen along the horizon.


1005352864_sunsetandlake.jpg.fb4f950cfef39e1f15cc1890adffaf42.jpg





29 May 2020, this is my wife's idea of a good place to get cooled off. That's Big Cottonwood Canyon Creek.


big cottonwood creek.jpg
 

jmills115

Making fresh tracks
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Posts
1,158
Location
Salt Lake City, Utah
I accessed the lake from a location off I80 about 15 miles west of SLC. This is the site of a semi-abandoned concert hall called The Great Saltair and there was plenty of free parking nearby.
Semi-abandoned is accurate :).
It was a dive 25 years ago at the concert referenced below.
I had a great time and must have enjoyed it more than the reviewer did.

 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Posts
3,587
Location
VA
Here are about 20 photos from the first half of June 2020. These illustrate some of the great diversity of terrain and activities available in early summer in Utah. I'll identify some of these photos as panoramic shots. If you click on them they will enlarge.


Two shots from a favorite nearby county park called Dimple Dell. I like to bike and hike here and it's usually very lightly trafficked. It's a couple miles west of the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon.


dimple dell wasatch view.jpg


dimple dell creek ford.jpg


This is supposed to be a non-skiing thread, but can't help mentioning that on June 9th I did probably my last skiing of the season. There had been about a foot of new snow in the previous couple of days in the high Wasatch (rain down around SLC) and I went skinning at Alta. I climbed to the top of the Wildcat chair (~1200' vertical) and took a nice run from there. More photos and comments on this outing HERE. This is a pano shot.


9 june wildcat pano.jpg


This is Bear Paw trail under the Wildcat chair. That is the Alta base area and Goldminers Daughter Lodge below.


9 june bear paw.jpg


Selfie on Bear Paw. First time skiing in the month of June!


9 june bear paw selfie.jpg


On June 10th my wife and I made a looong day trip from SLC to Bryce Canyon National Park. It was about 550 miles roundtrip. Totally worth it. More photos and comments on this outing HERE. This is a pano shot of The Natural Bridge.


10 june natural bridge.png


Another pano shot, this is Rainbow Point, elev 9115'.


10 june rainbow pt pano.jpg


And another pano. THE Bryce Canyon is in the center, upper Inspiration Point is to the right.


10 june THE bryce canyon pano.jpg


This is a pano from Upper Inspiration Point. Had to climb about 250' vertical to get up here. Good thing I trained the day before at Alta:)


10 june upper inspiration point.jpg


On the return drive we stopped briefly at Butch Cassidy's boyhood home. Snuck a selfie into this photo.


10 june waving selfie at butch's.jpg


It's not all fun out here. I spent quite a few days building retaining walls, walkways, and widening the driveway at my son's house in SLC. This included digging up and relocating part of his in-ground sprinkler system. Oops, if I was more clever I should have done a doorway reflection on this photo too??


12 june vince's driveway.jpg


On June 15th I took an 80 minute bike ride out by the Great Salt Lake. It's nice and flat there, but I choose a cool morning because it can also be very hot and dry.


15 june great salt lake.jpg


I'm not positive, but this buckle in the roadway might have happened back on March 18 when there was a 5.7 mag earthquake in Utah? The epicenter was about two miles from this spot. We felt a darn good shake and rattle for about 15 seconds at my son's house 30 miles to the east that morning.


15 june earthquake crack.jpg


On June 16th I went on a really fine hike near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, up a trail called Bells Canyon. It's super popular and always crowded. This weekday was cool and a little overcast and I started about 9:20 AM and it wasn't too busy. I may have passed about 75 people in 2.5 hours. This trail has it all with mtn views, valley views, waterfalls and includes passing by a nice reservoir about 20 minutes into the hike.


16 june bells canyon res.jpg


I was told there was a beautiful waterfall a couple miles further up the trail and so I went for it.


16 june bells canyon hike.jpg


This was close to a five mile roundtrip hike with about 1500' vertical climb. It was steep near the waterfall, but it's an impressive falls with a lot of volume. The main falls might have been 100' tall. There was a 100 yard cascade below this main drop. There was also a smaller drop above the big one. Next three photos are panos.


16 june bells canyon waterfall pano close.jpg





16 june bells canyon med view pano.jpg


Lengthy cascade below big falls.


1082433776_16junebellscanyoncascade.thumb.jpg.c7850841d8ab08fbfa24a2292549d590.jpg


This is a view looking back up Bells Canyon on my return. This spot was open,, but tere was more shade on this trail than most I have hiked in Utah.


16 june bells canyon flower.jpg


As I was finishing up the last half mile, enjoying the views of the valley and thinking I'd done alright for a fairly strenuous hike - this troop of ten kindergarteners went by. It reminded me of times out here when I've been skiing a hard run only to have some young kids blow by me like it's a green circle trail.:P


16 june bells canyon kids.jpg
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top