More central Utah

Because of the cold temperatures and snow north of us, we've been hanging out in the central part of Utah. The daytime temperatures have been in the mid 60's and nighttime in the low 40's. This area is the "get away place" for residents of  Salt Lake City. There are summer cabins/homes all through the valley and into the mountains. ATV / Snowmobile and horseback riding are the primary activities of summer residents while farming and ranching occupy the time of the permanent residents. This area is called the Sanpete Valley and has a history of Mormon pioneer settlers and Indian wars. 
Spring on the range means birth. Every day we drive past pastures full of sheep and everyday there are more new lambs wobbling on their spindly legs. Here is a foul enjoying the sun with mom.

We were able to go on one of the scenic drives through the mountains. We found 5 to 6 feet of snow up on top. Here are some of the views.

We found these guys para-skiing. We watched them for a while as they soared over the snow and sometimes through the air. Keep in mind this is the end of May!!!

Two of the communities in this valley celebrated heritage days while we were here. Ephraim had a Scandinavian Festival. Craft and food vendors along the street but the best part was the storytellers and pioneer encampment. In a large tent, local residents dressed in period costumes and told stories about the settlers and early years of the town. Here is a picture of our favorite storyteller.

The pioneer encampment had many artisans showing the way the pioneers made the implements of their everyday living. Here is a picture of the weaver making a rug.

The town of Spring City has a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The town was founded in the 1800's by Mormon settlers, abandoned during the Indian Wars and resettled again. In the early 1900's it fell into hard times and many of the old pioneer buildings were abandoned. Something that we have observed about this area is the culture of not destroying / throwing anything away. Yards are full of old vehicles and machinery. Residents say it goes back to the settlers making use of everything they can and the mindset of frugality. Anyway.... the old pioneer homes were never torn down and in the 1950's and 60's artisans discovered the beauty of the area and began rehabbing the old stone and log homes instead of building new ones. As part of their heritage days they open up the pioneer private homes and studios that have been rejuvenated  to the public for tours. We spent the whole day touring some of these homes. It was very enjoyable. We saw some modern enhancements as well as some strict adherence to the period in the decor and everything in between. Here are some pictures of the the outside of some of these homes.

Time for a Lukas photo. I received this one this week. He is getting big...

Well, we head northwest to Starvation Reservoir...... near dinosaur country..... on Tuesday. We are ready to move.

Central Utah

We are now in central Utah. We have seen miles of plains surrounded by high mountains. This is farming country.... vast pastures of cattle, sheep, horses and llamas. As a matter of fact, John and I became sheep herders for 30 minutes. We were driving down a back road and came across about a dozen sheep trotting down the middle of it. A lone man was trying to herd them....without much success... back into the pasture from where they had escaped. We stopped and helped him. Herding sheep is not as bad as herding cats .... but close. We should have had Sydney with us but he probably would have said..."You want to run?.... let's go".
Here's a snapshot of the landscape. Log homes are the predominate choice, stone structures run second.

Here is our campsite in Mount Pleasant. Note the snow on the mountain tops.

Here are some of our neighbors at the RV park. They visited twice a day each day we were there.

I posted on Facebook a picture after the snow storm we had one day. That was a surprise to wake up to. I must at this point talk about the "chance of rain percentage" in Utah. In the northeast, if we saw a forecast that said 30% chance of rain, we would assume that we had a 1 in 3 chance of rain that day..... pretty good odds. In Utah, this time of year, a 30% chance of rain means that 30% of each hour (20 minutes of every 60 minutes) it will rain. I guess that's why it is soooo very green and lush. But it sure cuts down on the sight seeing and picture taking opportunities.

We visited a local museum, a dry place, and discovered this guy. A mammoth that was discovered while digging a reservoir.

John enjoyed the museum's collection of old vehicles and machinery. This was one of his favorites.

Another of our outings was to a town called Manti. It is the home of the first temple built by the Mormons. The town is very small and quaint ( old small stone homes). The temple, built on a hill, dominates the landscape.

This is an example of one of the shops in the town of Ephraim. Notice it's called a mercantile and praises the Lord as part of it's structure.

There are many scenic drives around here due to the combination of mountains and valleys. Some of them are still closed due to snow. Since we will be in this area for another week, we are hoping that we have the opportunity to drive them. Most of them are unpaved and not plowed so we have to wait for some snow melt..... or rain melt... to occur.

When we leave here we enter dinosaur country... exciting for me.

Where the deer and antelope play... Bryce Canyon Critters

A bit late, but I wanted to share with you some of the critters we encountered while staying at Bryce Canyon.You know me and critters....I should have been a wildlife ranger or something like that.
First we have the birds... This is a Stellar Jay. Cousin to the eastern Blue Jay but his head is black and his head feathers are more pronounced. They don't stay still very long so this pic is not very good.

Next is a cousin to the Junco. It has slightly different coloring. More of a blue-gray color with bronze on his shoulders.

On the larger side are the antelope. They are very elusive and don't come near people but I was able to get a few glimpses through the trees.

The deer here are "Mule Deer". Their fur is longer and their ears are bigger. Here are two young ones who were standing next to the road with their mother.

And now my favorite...Prairie Dogs. There is a field within the park where their is a colony of Utah Prairie Dogs. Cars park along the sides of the field and watch the antics of these cute fellows. This one came right up to within several feet of our Jeep.

Brrrrrrrr......Bryce Canyon

We are on the move again. This stop... Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. It was opened in 1928 to preserve and protect outstanding scenic and scientific values. It is best known for the beautiful and bizarre rock spires. Elevation ranges from 6,620 feet to 9,115 feet and encompasses 55 square miles. It was named after a couple who lived at the opening of the canyon back in the 1870's. When asked what it was like, Ebenezer Bryce said..."it's a heck of a place to lose a cow". There is no other place in the world that has the same type of rock spires as Bryce Canyon.
First of all, here is our campsite.

The one negative has been the temperature. For the past 3 nights we have had below freezing temps... 14, 17 and 20 degrees. Luckily we brought warm clothes, to keep us warm. Holly says it best....

Here are pics of what we have seen.

These unique rock structures have a specific name. Guess which one of the following names it is.

1. Stellers

   2. Hoodoos

3. Claron

Notice the snow in places. We passed 5 foot high snow banks on the side of the rode on our way to the park.

We caught these 2 guys taking a plunge into the water at the bottom of the falls. Keep in mind this water is snow melt from the mountains.

We have hiked several of the trails. There are many miles of these trails that take you around the rim and up and down into the canyons.

In a few days we travel north and west to the desert side of Utah. We will spend a week. The elevation is closer to 2,000 feet so we'll be warmer.