The Hills Are Alive!

This fall there were an abundance of days when the hills were alive...and I heard them singing! Looking back through hundreds of pictures of autumn 2016, I still can still smell the dry leaves mixed with the scent of fresh pine and recall the feeling of freedom that comes from breathing clean mountain air.

So grab a mug of warm apple cider, and take a minute to drink in every color of God's water color autumn palette! I hope you can feel the love that I have for the mountains of Utah in autumn.

When I listened to General Conference as a little girl, the speakers would sometimes tell stories about going "up the canyon." I had no clue what they meant. We had no canyons in La Grande. In my mind, if you did anything in a canyon you'd go "down" the canyon.

But no, we go - up the canyon in Utah, and are greeted by God's needlepoint tuffet, stitched with blazing threads of amber and gold.

Vibrant oranges are my favorite - Dennis likes the golds, but they come on a little later.

A beckoning bridge at Cascade Springs, a spot that is pulsing with glory. I couldn't remember what it was called and just shouted out to Dennis in the other room, and he told me "Cascade Springs!" and then added, "If I hadn't been working out regularly, I wouldn't be able to remember that name!" Shout-out to the elipticals at LifeTime Fitness Center!

Isn't this gorgeous" The springs at Cascade Springs burble right up from the ground, and then, well, they cascade!

Sometimes people burble up in front of you too!

This photo is one of my favorites. It looks like the Garden of Eden.

Always, on the way home,  I'm so engulfed in the feeding frenzy of beautiful images that I keep seeing the MOST beautiful glimpses and want to stop again and again to take "one more" picture. Finally I know I've reached my limit of decent requests and so I just snap quick pictures out the window as we barrel down the canyon.

Cascade Springs is reached by taking a side trip when you take the Aspen Loop. The Aspen loop is made of what is supposedly the biggest root ecosystem on the planet. We've been disappointed in the Aspen Loop the last few years. The road is so narrow that it seems to me it's made for one car, and it's soooo winding. It's hard for the driver to enjoy the ride.

Snowbird is on the way down, toward the Provo side and we always stop and get out there. Dennis really wanted to take the tram but I looked at the open cars and knew I would be too scared. Sorry hon!

These next three photos were taken one day when I took off on a solo hike. Hey, I can do that!

I felt mighty insignificant all by myself.

I found out it's not half as fun all by my lonesome. I need somebody with me so I can say, "Hon, look at that! Would you look at that! Look at THAT!' And respond likewise when they say the same to me!

This is another memorable hike Dennis and I made. It's Silver Lake "UP" Big Cottonwood Canyon - (as opposed to "UP" Little Cottonwood Canyon). I finally learned the difference between these two gorgeous canyons - Big is UP 7200 South, Little is UP 90th South. Ba-da-bing.

I mean, come ON! This hike was dripping with musky gorgeousness! I love that Dennis likes to take pictures too, and he's a good photographer, better than me. The fun is in the taking. My phone went dead at the end of this hike and I was so bummed! It's just so fulfilling to take pictures. Kind of like "and the prettiest sight you'll see is the holly that will be on your own front door!" The "prettiest picture that you'll hone is the image that is born on your own iphone!" That doesn't rhyme. Sorry.

I want to paint this.

Ohhhh, ahhhh, it was so special toward the end of our hike because mists of storm clouds came sweeping over the mountains and cast a shroud over everything. It felt so Thanksgivingy!

Moving along through the month of September, I got to hike Millcreek canyon on another day with my friend Debbie who uses a REAL camera and takes gorgeous photos and makes them into books. She once created a book that consisted of photos she'd taken of 26 different tree trunks that are formed naturally into all the letters of the alphabet. 

Millcreek Canyon is on the Northern end of the valley and I haven't been up there as much, and it has a feel all it's own.

Crunchy Persian carpet.

This is pretty spectacular -  when the trees make a tunnel.

Julie came to visit for the week of General Conference and we had a memorable day driving up Little Cottonwood Canyon with my mom and dad. This is our "selfie!"

We went to Silver Lake again. It was raining slightly.

Another reflection shot. Can't pass it up. Lots of photographers with giant lenses were up there every time I went. It's loaded with an embarrassing riches of calendar-worthy scenes.

People are always so nice and offer to take a photo - but then, I guess I'm nice too and always offer, and I really mean it, it makes me so happy to take a photo of the whole group for a stranger.

There's a part of Silver Lake that is completely full of old growth evergreens and smells and feels just like Oregon. I couldn't get any good photos of the trees, but you can feel the coziness from inside looking out.

 Okay, and finally, winding down to the end of my glorious autumn, was my birthday hike, October 6, 2016. There was a light dusting of snow and it was breathtaking.

 It looks cold, but it wasn't - well, it was kinda chilly.

This doesn't do justice to the real deal - (and Debbie took this photo with her real camera and sent it to me) but the snow had melted off and left that little yellow lollipop area catching the blazing sun. It looked alive.

Powdered sugar dusting of snow everywhere! It was like Narnia.

 A few final shots -  they're so awesome I had to include them all.

Okay - photo 31 - done!
Happy Autumn 2016!!
Love,
Mom