A Pathway Through The Woods

Summer in the Wasatch Mountains is beautiful. This inviting path through the aspen groves is just one of the thousands of equally inviting paths in this wonderland of high mountain meadows and forest. It was an exceptionally clear day and the lighting was perfect for color and contrast. We will be spending more time in the high mountains due to the need to socially distance and I hope for more photos like this one. 

Provo River Trail at Vivian Park

The Provo River Parkway runs from the shoreline at Utah Lake for 15.2 miles to Vivian Park in the Provo River Canyon east of the city. This photo was taken very near the end of the trail in Vivian Park, a small community of private houses and cabins along South Fork Road. The park is one of four along the Parkway in Provo Canyon. 

Yellow Onions

I am intrigued by the massive amount of food in some of the local stores. These onions were in a shipping container in front of the store. The container was about four feet square and about three feet high. The onions were being sold by the pound. The patterns and colors of these accumulations of a single vegetable are also amazing. These onions look like what you would see coming out of the fields rather than the sanitized and regularized, carefully stacked one in the average supermarket. 

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail looking south

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail extends both north and south of the entrance to Rock Canyon on the hills east of Provo, Utah. The southern extension is just a footpath along the edge of the Wasatch Front. It is popular with mountain bikers and hikers. We live just a block or some from the trail and although we walk north more frequently, we do enjoy the trail to the south. We also like to hike the trail in the early morning before the sun comes up over the mountains. 

Riding on the Provo River Trail

We have been riding our Catrike 700s for more than ten years now. Fortunately, here in Provo, Utah, and the surrounding area, we have many miles of paved and relatively smooth trails to ride. The Provo River Trail has been a favorite of ours for as long as we have lived in Provo. We are right on the river and enjoy the cool shade and beautiful views. 

Drought in Utah

At the time of this post, Utah is currently suffering from drought. This condition has, with a few seasons of exception, has been going off and on for many years. Here is an assessment of the condition from Drought.gov, 

The U.S. Drought Monitor started in 2000. Since 2000, the longest duration of drought (D1-D4) in Utah lasted 288 weeks beginning on April 3, 2001 and ending on October 3, 2006. The most intense period of drought occurred the week of July 23, 2002 where D4 affected 33.44% of Utah land.

Presently, almost the entire state is in some stage of drought. The photo above shows Silver Lake, a small reservoir in the Wasatch Mountains. The brown area surrounding the lake is the part normally covered by water. This reservoir was likely drawn down to supply a larger reservoir lower down the mountain known as Tribble Fork Reservoir which underwent extensive dam reconstruction. But both Silver Lake and Tribble Fork are extremely low and reflect the dry conditions of the state. 

Bloom where you are planted

I have mentioned this in previous posts but it bears repeating: bloom where you are planted. This little sunflower plant would not seem to have any of the advantages of a favorable location but it did manage to bloom exactly where the seed fell and germinated. From the looks of the plant, it may have a second bloom also.