A Ridiculous Road Trip Part 5: UT to AZ

Ah Utah. It's good to be here. I love your mountains and the feeling you give me of being home.

This time I came in through nighttime thunderstorms, driving from Rexburg to Logan.

The view from the park down the street from Corinne's new place. 

 The days in Logan meant seeing Corinne's new life in her beautiful home, tucked right into the side of a mountain. There were hugs from people I love, and chances to have yet another adventure with her. I saw my lovely friend Charlotte (why didn't we get a pic??) and caught a before-and-after movie glimpse of Deb and Julia!

I love seeing this guy and his brothers in their new
natural habitat

Our adventure day was spent in at Golden Spike National Historic Site and the Spiral Jetty. We had an absolutely perfect day, so perfect in fact, the skies and landscapes looked surreal. We learned about the transcontinental railroad and about the process of building a railroad across the land. We hiked along the line; going past and through cuts, fills, and other remnants of this historic work. Later we explored a huge public art installation called the Spiral Jetty that juts out from the shore of the Great Salt Lake. It used to appear and disappear based on water levels, but now, as the lake has shrunk, the jetty is visible pretty much all the time. You can even see it in the satellite view on your navigation app.

The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific came together here! Or hereabouts. 

Park Sign Selfie! I love adventures with this one. 

This was such a good visit. I would definitely go back for more hiking under these amazing skies. 

Did you know there's an arch in Northern Utah? I sure didn't. It's called Chinese Arch, and has become a natural monument to the many workers who came from China to work on the railroad. 

Trail Selfie!

After a drive along a 17-mile long gravel road, we made it to the Spiral Jetty. It's huge. There are teeny tiny people standing near the jetty to give some scale. There in the distance, probably a quarter of a mile away, is the lake. 

A Salty Lakeside Selfie!

The light and reflections were so beautiful and surreal. 

We saw white salt, pink salt, brine shrimp, and more. It was an otherworldly place with so much space to walk around and dream. I would go back here in a heartbeat. 

And really, at the end of a day like this, where else could we possibly have dinner but here? 

After dinner, we stopped for ice cream in Brigham City and I got a driveby glimpse of the temple there. I love how it is an homage to older temples, but has a clean, modern look. 

Back in Logan, I got a few drive-by glimpses of the beautiful, old temple there. It's so unique and lovely. 

The weekend happened to be our twice-yearly church conference, which originates in Salt Lake City, but is broadcast all around the world by television and internet. There are five 2-hour sessions throughout the weekend, each with talks and music intended to strengthen faith, instruct the church, announce policies, and feel all the feelings of hearing and seeing leaders we respect and revere.

Saturday evening, Corinne and I made a plan to go to Salt Lake City to try and attend the women's session in person at the Conference Center. I had a ticket, but we were going to try and get Sheely and Corinne in through the standby line. No deal. There were actual thousands of people in the standby line. I gave my ticket away to someone else, we picked up Sheely and had a quiet viewing in a building on campus at the UofU. Afterward we feasted at Red Robin and then headed home. Sunday morning was our traditional Conference Brunch, which had developed into a much-looked-forward-to tradition in Maryland. It was pretty epic.

And this is before the frosting. I do love a good cinnamon roll. I may not be a master baker, but I can come up with a reliable pan of cinnamon rolls. 

That is a happy Brunch Face. 

Part of the magic of this week in Logan was just being part of the usual things. There weren't a ton of super-special moments, but it was special to me to be present for the sacred ordinary times of life. I love that. 

Conference Bingo? Oh yes. 

I kinda hated leaving this crew, but I know that I will be back and that we don't have to live a half mile apart to still be important in each other's lives. 

When I arrived at Jeff's house, there was a big, happy gathering of my kids and Ashlyn's sisters plus friends. I loved seeing everyone together. My favorite memory is of my oldest granddaughter running out the door of her house to greet me as I pulled up to park. That was sweet.

My brief days in Utah County included some painting, some shopping, some good eating, and lots of snuggles and playtime with the grandgirls.

At Sun River Gardens with Ashlyn and the girls. Their decorations were awesome!

I love taking this one to the park. 

My clever boy bagged his first duck. He was excited about it, and I was proud of him. He cooked up the breast and wings and it was delicious. Rich and unique. I liked hearing how he honors the animals he takes with a prayer of gratitude He respects them and does not take them for granted. 

On Thursday, Oct. 11th I packed up the Mini and headed down to another familiar place I love, Arizona. On the way down I drove through pine-filled valleys, rain, snow and desert. These drives just fill my soul. Me, the sky and the road, listening to books or music, or maybe a podcast, and nothing in my way--ahh. Here are some views of the road in Utah as I approach the border.

I stopped at the visitor's center for the Glen Canyon Dam Recreational Area to stamp my NPS Passport, then headed down the road a couple miles to Horseshoe Bend, the iconic 270 degree curve in the Colorado River that is glorious prelude to the Grand Canyon. The red rocks, 1000 foot cliffs and the river reflecting the sky create an image so strikingly beautiful. I always think about what it must have been like for ancient people to come upon such a scene for the first time.

I heart Horseshoe Bend

It's very crowded there, nearly Grand Canyon or Yellowstone-level crowded, but there was still plenty of room to get to that crazy edge for the famous photo. I did not much like being at that edge, but hey, a photographer's gotta do what a photographer's gotta do.

For scale, there are humans camping there on the riverbank. One feels the full 1000 foot drop when standing on the edge. 

I made it in good time to our rental house in Mesa, and had a night to myself to get ready for the wedding weekend of my nephew.

And the Mini and I are in Arizona. 

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A Ridiculous Road Trip Part 2: MI and the UP

Middle Michigan: Getting to spend 18 or so hours with my friend Sarah was such a pleasure. We met maybe 10 years ago teaching together several times a year at STITCHES Knitting Expos. Along with a wonderful group of other fiber professionals,  we have built a friendship one 4-day working weekend at a time, with lots of skype calls and emails to strengthen the bond. Sunday's long drive got us to her home around 8pm.

I loved seeing her home for reals after seeing the rectangle of whatever is behind her when she's skyping. It's a warm and welcoming home filled with books, art and yarn. We had a lovely relaxed dinner, then the next day I got to see Woven Art, the classy and well-stocked yarn shop where she works. I may have purchased some souvenirs yarn. We had lunch in the arts district of Lansing, Michigan, did a little shopping, and will forever have the memory of that time when I bought two small items at a tony gift shop and got the full Mr. Bean treatment from "Love, Actually." Sarah needed to get to work, so it really was that awkward moment when I was ready to just stop the shop girl from wrapping my items, placing them in "so much more than a bag," tying on a piece of greenery and spraying the bag with fragrance and just run away. But we stayed and my bag was indeed memorable, so much so that I couldn't bear to just toss it and pack my stuff in the car. I actually moved things around so I could keep it for just a little while longer.

Then it was time for hugs and get on the road. It was an easy goodbye because I know I'll see her soon, but it was truly the perfect beginning for the westward expansion phase of my trip.

We had a pleasant drive up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, hereafter known as the UP. The blustery, rainy weather I had been seeing in the forecasts for the last 10 days was indeed in place, ugh, but oh well. There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing, and I was definitely prepared in that sense.

It was very exciting for both of us to cross the Mackinac Bridge, with Lake Michigan on one side and Lake Huron on the other.  The bridge is really beautiful, and the straits themselves are quite dramatic.

We made it to the UP!

We found Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and drove straight to a beach where we could watch the sunset over Lake Superior and then I could say that I've seen all of the Great Lakes. That makes me happy in a travel-geek sort of way that I can really only explain to other travel-geeks. We took a hit by catching the sunset on the lake because we had to put up our tent in the dark, but we managed. Headlights to the rescue.

Lake Superior!!

Full moon rising behind our tent. 

Tuesday started out so beautifully hopeful, but in the end it rained all day. It was a misty, light rain so we didn't let it stop us from exploring a few trails in the park. We did a nature loop near Little Beaver Lake and a stretch of the North Country Trail (which I'd never heard of till now) to the Au Sable Light Station. We were right along the shore of the lake for that hike, and then through a break in the trees, suddenly the light house became visible. It's a really beautiful structure. It wasn't open the day we were there, but it was enough to walk around, read the park service pamphlet, and imagine the light and its importance to the mariners of Lake Superior. There were many shipwrecks marked along the shore where we walked, and it was sobering to to think about the power of the lake. It really is astonishing to use the word "lake" yet look out across that water to a seemingly endless horizon.

Au Sable Light Station

That afternoon we went on a boat cruise to see the sandstone cliffs that give the park its name. It was so cold and wet, but I still stood out on the rear deck of the boat and took a million photos. The shoreline was absolutely captivating, and the trip itself was very pleasant. The captain did a great job navigating, and the crew and shore staff were super-helpful when we boarded and realized I'd bought tickets for the wrong day. Luckily it wasn't crowded and they were able to instantly swap my tickets.

Grand Island East Channel Light 

After the cruise, we shopped a little in the town of Munising. I found an old wooden bowl, an antique, from the days when Munising had a thriving wood works and produced well-known bowls, plates and other wood goods that are now collectors' items. It's exactly the kind of souvenir I like--something that has a connection to the place.

We had a lovely Pasty (meat pie) at Muldoon's and it was seriously the perfect way to warm up after a long day of windy, rainy, chilly adventuring.

It rained pretty much all night, but our tent did the trick and we were DRY! That is success in camping in my book.

In the morning, we went quickly over to one of the viewpoints along the shore of the park, got our last look at Lake Superior and the cliffs of Pictured Rocks. Then it was back to pack up the campsite and off we headed to Pepin, Wisconsin.

Miner's Rock, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

 We got there in time to go watch the sunset over the Mississippi and begin our Laura Ingalls Wilder adventures.

Sunset over the Mississippi River

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