Walking on the Utah Lake Shoreline Trail

The mile-long Utah Lake Shoreline Trail is a peaceful and relatively short walk with views of Utah Lake. The old-growth trees on both sides of the trail give ample opportunity for bird-watching. Presently, the Provo River Delta along the eastside of the trail is being developed and eventually, this part of the trail will disappear and become part of the Delta and possibly the lake itself. We enjoy watching the development of the Delta but are sad to lose this lovely short walk. 

Along the shore

 

As I walk along the shore of Utah Lake, I see the world in patterns and color. The lake level varies with the seasons and the amount of snow and rain filtered through fast-growing urban areas. The demand for water in Utah far outreaches the supply. We are presently struggling with the balance between a sustainable environment and unrestricted growth. Just a short distance from the location of this photo, there is a major construction project making a new road across the Provo River Delta. This photo's location is also relatively near a major urban airport and a scattering of industrial developments. The future of this view will certainly be interesting. 

Late Fall at Cascade Springs, Utah

 October is a really good month for visiting different locations around the country. We were greeted by an exceptionally beautiful day at Cascade Springs in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The Spring was covered by a huge algae bloom. The white on the pond is not ice or snow, it is part of the algae bloom above the surface of the water. The colors of the plants and the blue sky were lovely additions. 

Algae on Cascade Springs, Utah

 My best guess is that this is some kind of algae. The white portion of the plant is sticking out of the water. This photo was taken in late October at Cascade Springs, Utah when there had been several days of severe frost. If you look closely you can see that the algae in the water turns white when above the surface. 

Late Fall Leaves in the Wasatch Mountains

 Most of the leaves are gone in the high country of the Wasatch Mountains but this hillside had a particularly spectacular second bloom of color. We love to get high up in the mountains You would never know that on the other side of these mountains is the largest concentration of population in Utah. 

Bending in the Winter's Snows

 

Here at about 8000 feet above sea level, the winter snow is deep enough to bend the trees as they grow. You can see that all the trees are bent towards the downhill slope. The amount of bend depends on the slope because they all get the same amount of snowfall. This image was taken on the Alpine Loop in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah but you can see the same bent tree effect all over the world in the high mountains. 

Waiting for the snow

 

This grove of aspen trees has lost its leaves and all the flowers and bushes on the ground have turned brown from the cold but there is still no snow. It is impressive to see these white trees against the dark blue sky. It is a beautiful day here at about 8000 feet up in the Wasatch Mountains along the Alpine Loop from Provo Canyon to American Fork Canyon.