RootsTech 2025 will be live on March 4th through the 6th, 2025 in Salt Lake City. Utah at the Salt Palace. You can register today at RootsTech.org. You can also view all currently posted videos and announcements for free on the RootsTech.org website.
RootsTech 2025 is now open for registration. Take some time to explore the website with thousands of videos. You can attend online for free or come to the live conference on March 6th to 8th, at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.
We had a short trip up the Rock Canyon Campground road (Kyhv Peak Road) to see the beginning of the fall leaves. The road past the pavement is rough and rocky with lots of dust. It is worth the drive. We got our car washed when we got back to the Valley.
The iconic Salt Lake City, Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is still ongoing. Here is an article about the project. "Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square Renovation Updates." The large red, white, and blue lights are large cranes used in the construction.
I am publishing a series of short videos about the upcoming RootsTech 2025 Conference. It isn't too early to start making plans to come to Salt Lake City to the in-person conference. Check the RootsTech website for more information about the conference.
The demolition of the Provo, Utah Temple is almost complete. This video shows a view of the entire temple lot. We do not yet know where the new Provo Rock Canyon Temple will be built. I suppose we will know when they start excavating the basement. It was a lovely day but sad.
https://youtu.be/f9E270KcMmE?si=b_9xd0lRh90EKeZm
The Provo Utah Temple closed on February 24, 2024 for reconstruction and will be renamed the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple. The temple has served BYU students, missionaries, and local Latter-day Saints for more than 50 years. The actual reconstruction began the week of April 14th through the 20th with tree removal and site demolition. The Angel Moroni statue was removed on 18 April 2024. This is a short video showing the removal.
Cylindropuntia fulgida, also referred to as the hanging chain cholla, is a remarkable cactus native to the Sonoran Desert and the Southwestern United States. Its greatest range encompasses nearly all of Sonora, except for the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera on the east, and extends into northern California. In the Southwestern United States, you can find it in the Colorado Desert of California and various locales in Arizona. It even ventures into the Mojave Desert in southern Nevada and Utah, as well as the Great Basin Desert in southern Utah. The jumping cholla thrives in arid environments, where it forms striking forests of interconnected plants spanning vast areas1.
The jumping cholla is an arborescent (tree-like) cactus with a low-branching trunk. Its stems are light green, tuberculate (covered in wart-like projections), and measure 6 to 9 millimeters in length. These stems give rise to drooping branches adorned with silvery-yellow spines, which darken to gray as they age. The spines form a dense layer, obscuring the stems and creating an otherworldly appearance. As the spines fall off from older parts, the bark reveals a rough, scaly texture. The jumping cholla blooms in mid-summer, displaying white and pink flowers streaked with lavender. Interestingly, it opens its flowers precisely at 3:00 p.m. solar time, a quirk noted by naturalists1.
Cylindropuntia fulgida grows at elevations ranging from 300 to 1,000 meters (980 to 3,280 feet). While the name “jumping cholla” specifically applies to this species, it is also used more broadly for all chollas. The plant can reach heights of up to 4 meters (13 feet) and forms dense, sprawling clusters. Its cylindrical trunk holds multiple low, drooping branches, creating a distinctive silhouette. Beware of those spines—they detach easily and seem to “jump” onto unsuspecting passersby. So, if you encounter a jumping cholla, admire its unique beauty from a safe distance.
Abstracted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_fulgida by Microsoft Copilot
