December Lights

 Sorry for the long blogging hiatus, December turned out to be a busier month than expected. I did get outside to walk/run the dog a lot in the morning and evening, and that allowed for some great opportunities to enjoy the colors of December. Even though many of the days are short and grey, the colors at sunrise and sunset can be amazing.

Usually the clouds are what make everything so brilliant, but sometimes it's just that early morning light on snow high up on the mountain.

Timing is crucial, as the clouds don't hold the colors for very long.

On this particular morning, a layer of clouds above the mountains helped reflect some of the light back onto them.

I'm usually not far from home when I get these sunrise/sunset photos. Fortunately there are beautiful mountains in all directions.

One cold evening when I was being a little lazy and driving the van and having the dog run along, I had to stop and get out when I crossed a culvert. The stream had frozen, but there was a little water flowing across the top of the ice. It was enough to reflect the pink clouds. I don't know about you, but my heart always pounds a little harder when I come across some beauty out in nature. It's an added bonus when it's unexpected (but I have a camera with me!).

Last night we were delivering some Christmas treats when I had to stop and go check out a frozen pond. I walked around it a couple times, enjoying the changing colors. The ice caught some of the golden glow.


Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas!

First Snow!

 Last week on the first day of fall, we had a storm, the first storm in a long time (the monsoons kind of skipped us this year). I was doing a kid exchange and was up in Great Basin National Park when we saw a truck stopped at the bottom of the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive with snow on it. I pointed it out to the kids and asked if they wanted to go check out the snow. Desert Boy wasn't too enthusiastic, but Desert Girl thought it was a great idea. So we headed uphill and drove up to about 9,000 feet and started seeing snow on the trees above us. Fortunately not many other people wanted to drive up into the storm, so we could stop frequently and take lots of photos.

The fall colors were glorious, with many hues of yellows and oranges, and reds.

A little past 9,200 feet we reached our first snow. It was obvious that it had come down with some wind. Desert Girl put on a sweatshirt and went out to experience it.

Then she came after me with a snowball!

We kept going up, and the sun peeked out, showing snow-dusted mountains and limber pine silhouettes. I'm sure my pulse rate was up, I was so excited to be there, seeing this gorgeous scenery right in the moment.

I had thought that the wind might have knocked down many of the leaves, but they held on, now coated with a layer of white that made the fall colors even more vibrant.

The road was wet, but not slick. And I kept stopping to take more photos! The one below was one of my favorites.

At one stop, I caught Desert Girl eating some snow.

The snow balanced precariously on the leaves, some of it falling with each wind gust.

The fast moving clouds revealed some blue sky from time to time.

And I couldn't help but try for some artsy photos.

The scene at the Wheeler Peak summit trailhead was dramatic, with the trees drooping from the snow. No one was hiking the trail.

We could barely even see the mountains from there due to the clouds. It probably wouldn't have been that scenic of a hike, as you would be in the clouds most of the time.

We drove on to the Wheeler Peak campground, which was also coated in snow. We drove through to see if there were any campers.

We stopped at a campsite I've been wanting to camp at and found that the wind had knocked off more of the leaves here. As for campers? We didn't see any.

Heading back down, I still wasn't tired of taking photos. The mix of colors was entrancing.

And then we had some frosted vegetation and late afternoon shadows.

The view from Mather Overlook was a bit muted.

That spur-of-the-moment drive has to be one of the most beautiful drives I've ever taken. It was just magical. And the photos will let me remember it even longer. I sure was glad I had my good camera with me!

Hope you've enjoyed this eye candy. There are still lots of great fall colors and photogenic moments out there!

Spring Break -- The Snow

After our fun in the sun at Sand Hollow State Park, the next part of spring break was to be at Brian Head, where we would hit the slopes and do some spring skiing. That turned out to be a very good choice, as Sand Hollow was filling up fast on Friday, and the primitive camping was getting cramped. The roar of ATVs filled the air non-stop, and the line of trucks to get into the state park stretched nearly a quarter-mile. 

We had a leisurely trip up to Brian Head, stopping so the kids could play at a cool playground in Cedar City, picking up some food, and checking out a ghost town. Then it was time to check into the condo we had rented over AirBnB. That was my first time using that website, so I was curious how it would turn out. Fortunately, it turned out great. (If you'd like a referral, let me know.) The condo was in the Copper Chase complex, and after unpacking, the kids and I went to the pool. The pool was freezing, but the adjacent hot tub was quite nice.

My brother, Ed, arrived soon after, and later that evening my husband. The condo was a studio that slept six. We really liked having a kitchen and prepared our dinners and breakfasts there.

The next morning it was time to hit the slopes! We went to Georg's to get some rentals--they have the best customer service! The kids wanted to ski with us instead of ski school, so we let them.


It was still snowing in the morning and kind of windy, so we got cold fast, but after pulling out balaclavas (which is kind of weird to do in late March when it's 70 degrees below!) and taking some warming breaks, we made it work.

Desert Boy wanted to sign up for the Munchkin Rail Jam, which involved going off this little ski jump and on the rails next to it. He was fearless and did it over and over. I was so impressed.

Desert Girl was delighted to get her face painted.

Then it was time to ski more. I couldn't believe how well the kids did. Desert Boy can go down slopes I can't. I'd like to say his little skis make it easier for him, but I think the reality is that he is just braver than me. And better at falling. He was very comfortable on all the blue slopes (intermediate). Desert Girl also tackled the blue slopes, and when she wasn't comfortable, she just made a lot of noise and that got her down. They also loved the terrain park, where they both did some little jumps. I even did some little jumps. Two inches of air feels like a lot to me! We also spent a lot of time going on little trails through the trees. The powder was perfect for it, and we all got a little extra practice on our balance.


It was great getting to spend time with my brother. He's got a super busy job, so we were glad to have some relaxing time with him.


Turns out a helium balloon tied to your kid's wrist is a great way to keep track of her! We had a great time skiing, and I am looking forward to the next time we can go. Skiing is such a great way to get the family outdoors in the winter.

Spring Snow

 We had a winter storm warning at the beginning of the week, something we don't often have. Desert Girl was so excited to see the snow. She got all dressed up to welcome the storm.

The next morning we found that it had snowed even more, covering the apricot blossoms. Looks like another year with no apricots.

The snowman from the previous night was looking a little whiter.

It was beautiful, but I was a bit bummed about the apricot tree.

School had been cancelled in the rest of the county, but not by us. The roads were a little icy but didn't have much accumulation on them.

I wandered around taking a few photos before work. I love thinking about how the pioneers would have dealt with the snow.

Lots of sheepherders are out on the range in small wagons. They are tough!

I checked our chicks, which we've moved out to the chicken coop because they were getting too messy. They are growing so fast and can already fly a little.

After school we had some kid friends come over. I challenged them to a snow-person-building contest. Here's a Snow Family.

It's always fun when you can decorate Baby Snowperson with a Dandelion for hair.

They were creative with the accoutrements!

The other competitors were also big into accessories. It was a fun contest and made the snow last a little longer.

Now it's virtually all melted, at least in the valley. There are still several feet of snow up in the mountains. 

A Sunday Hike to Granite

A few Sundays ago we decided to go out for a family hike. Before we got far at all, we saw these amazing clouds and very low rainbow. 

We drove by the town water tank and checked it out. It's the cause of great controversy, as a new tank is needed because it's leaking, but because of recent sage grouse regulations, new development is difficult to not possible. (More on that in a different post.) 

We went up towards Kious Basin, where there are granite outcroppings. We thought it would be fun to scamper around with no real destination.

The wind started blowing and we got pelted with snow as we ascended.

No beautiful rainbows now!

Nevertheless, we persevered. It wasn't that cold, so we explored a little.

And tried to keep our backs turned to the wind.

Desert Boy and I started down a steep way. I got to the point where I wasn't comfortable and turned around, but he kept going.

And going...

And he made it! I was impressed.

Then we found another rock outcropping to explore.

This strange red pool of water was at the top.

The weather cleared up a little.

So we tried to drive further up, but eventually got to too much snow and had to retreat. Nevertheless, it was a good excuse to get outdoors!