Just to catch you up on a few of our activities lately…
We attended an organ recital at the Stake Center featuring Linda Margetts, the first female Tabernacle Choir organist and Farmington resident. She played a wonderful variety of musical numbers ranging from Danny Boy and Sousa’s Washington Post March to Handel and Toccata & Fugue in D Minor (think Captain Nemo and Fever Tree). She played for an hour and told many interesting and humorous stories of playing for the choir and as a regular with Music and the Spoken Word. She also told us the history of the organ in the Stake Center and its 1,000 pipes (the Conference Center organ has 11,000!!!) and how money was raised for the upgrade. She is a delightful person, humble and down to earth, and a fabulous musician.
BLUE SKIES!
We’ve been feeling out of the loop with no geocaching since last November and a little stir crazy being holed-up inside through the gray month of January, so we found a Caching Event a few miles up Payson Canyon (about an hour and half drive), got brave and went for it. It turned out to be a pleasant day for a drive and the 3rd Annual Winter in Pine Forest Event:
“Come join us for Cross Country Skiing and Snow Shoeing. Time: 2-5 p.m. Hot Chocolate and Donuts will be provided. This year’s event will be held in the Lodge again. For those who would like to ski or snow shoe, equipment (Skies, Poles, Ski Shoes, Snow shoes) rental is free for all attending this event. Ski shoe sizes are 3-14.”
We planned to try snow shoeing, but there were only skis left when we arrived. Neither one of us have ever been on skis, but a very patient and understanding young woman (the guide) convinced us we could do it. So we adventured off to the Pine Forest…not without several falls on the fanny or slips to a knee for each of us, but it was fun and good exercise. There were about 25 people in attendance and we were awarded a new travel bug coin to launch on its way since we had come the farthest (from Davis County). Here’s our log:
“We had fun...it was worth the drive down from Farmington. Fun to meet some new people and see a few others that we have met before. It was our first time ever on skis! Thanks to Cervine Girl for her help (particularly on the mud slide) and her patience. We were pretty tentative. Thanks also to Truecourse for helping Mrs. Geo Idiot get her feet back under her...twice!! The chocolate and donuts were good...thanks to Momma Owl. We're glad the weather was so pleasant. Let's Keep On Cachin'!! Handed off the Bilby Tower Benchmark Geocoin and we'll be happy to get the BSA 2010 “Get in the Game” Geocoin on its way next week.”
4 miles up Payson Canyon
Entrance to the Boy Scout Camp where the Geocaching Event was held.
Mom tries out cross-country skiing!!!
The Geo Idiots on skis! Look out Olympics, here we come.
Pine Forest
Our guide and helper, Cervine Girl (her real name is Fawn...Cervine means resembling a deer)
Mr. Smooth on skis.
I may be smiling here, but most of the time I was pretty serious about attempting to stay vertical.
Wild turkeys??? We saw these birds around dusk as we drove back to Provo where we enjoyed a Chinese dinner with Airie and Abram (sorry you were busy, Autumn) and a rousing game of Pinochle. The cards went all the girls' way and the boys didn't get to play a hand :(
The last hand, Airie and I were actually trying to out bid each other and it ended up with Mom taking a Shoot the Moon even though Airie had been dealt a family with 2 outside aces!!! Yeah, we were pretty poor winners.
Big Red-Tailed Hawk. We drove out to Farmington Bay on a Sunday afternoon 2 weeks ago to see the Bald Eagles (the gathering will be biggest in a week or two) and also saw some hawks.
Another hawk
3 bald eagles at Farmington Bay Bird Refuge
Back home at the bird feeder... a western scrub jay.
A pair of jays...they come for the peanuts, shelled and unshelled, then take them away and rathole them for later.
Fancy blue scrub jay
Our "friendly" sharp-shinned hawk on the deck.
Snow Canyon...someday we've got to devote a day or more to exploring it.
A sandy wash in Snow Canyon with lava rock on one side and red rock on the other. What a contrast.
Dad and a Big Rock along the wash.
Mom and a Big Rock near a cache called Tuacahn.
We've never been to the outdoor Tuacahn Theater in St. George, but since we were caching in the area, we took a peek. Pretty awesome setting for musicals/plays/concerts.
Just inside the Valley of Fire, we stopped for a picnic lunch and enjoyed feeding some little chipmunks.
They weren't very shy...this guy came up under the picnic table about a foot away from my shoes!
Dad thought this rock looked like a dinosaur. Yeah, it does.
A slab of petroglyphs on Mouse's Tank Trail. There were many cool ones throughout this canyon. (enlarge to see better)
Mom and some petros we named "The Stansbury Barkers."
Erosion makes interesting holes.
Shaved red rock along the trail. Mouse was the nickname of an early pioneer and at the end of this trail was a pool (tank) of rainwater trapped in between the rocks.
This is the Rainbow Vista Trail through Fire Canyon.
The face of this one rock changes color abruptly from red to cream.
Posing in an alcove.
Looking east towards Fire Canyon from The Silica Dome area. This is where Star Trek Nexus was filmed...where Kirk bit the dust.
We found a cache here called "Pretty in Pink." There were beautiful pink stripes and splotches in the rocks.
Dad said these 3-dimensional rocks looked liked turned wood. Cool.
Landscape in the Valley of Fire. Cholla cactus in front, red sand and many layers of rocks in the distance.
Descending to view the White Domes. Near the bottom of this staircase was an area where a famous western called "The Professionals" was filmed in the 1966 (93 on the Tomato Meter.) Part of an old building is still standing.
Fabulous colors...looks like bacon.
Orange and blue. Wow!
Of course we stopped to see the famous Elephant Rock that you kids should remember. The Fam stayed in Mesquite and hiked around this area just after Christmas 2002.
One of the beehives on the western side of the Park.
Back side of a Beehive.
Back in St. George, climbing on the rocks above Skyline Drive.
Dad on the slick rocks with St. George (D for Dixie) in the background.
