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Mountainous hiking trails are remarkably close to Salt Lake City. One example is Neff’s Canyon trail; its trailhead is shown on the map below, right at the east edge of the Salt Lake City suburbs. The trail is steep, ascending 3562 feet over its 3.5-mile length. For my first visit, on January 9, I only ventured a mile up the trail, and climbed 700 feet according to my Garmin. This first mile seemed steep to me, but the further 2.5 miles are even steeper. The trailhead of Neff’s Canyon Trail Near the trailhead the dominant trees are Scrub Oak, only a mile up the trail White Firs have taken ov ..read more

Geese heading south Reflections Foggy morning on the lake In the woods ..read more

Because of a surveying error in 1882, 144 acres of forest in North-Central Minnesota were never leased to a timber company and therefore were spared from logging. Today the area is designated as the Lost 40 SNA (Scientific and Natural Area) and features a hiking trail of about one mile winding through huge red and white pines. The red marker indicates the location of The Lost 40 in North-Central Minnesota The map above shows detail around the Lost 40 SNA, including the ~1 mile hiking trail. The highlights of a visit to the Lost 40 SNA are the towering red and white pine trees that are up to 24 ..read more

A benefit to life in Salt Lake City, Utah is the proximity of the city to the Wasatch Mountains. Recently for a hike in the mountains we drove up Mill Creek Canyon to the Upper Big Water Trailhead, just 9 miles east of the 215 Beltway in the city. Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa) Trees in Mill Creek Canyon include Subalpine Fir, Engelmann Spruce, and Quaking Aspen. Many wildflowers were blooming on this day in early August. Bigleaf Lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) Dwarf Fireweed (Epilobrium latifolium) Cow Parsnip (Heracleum sphondylium) Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata) Richardson ..read more

In late June, around the time of the summer solstice, nearly all the wildflowers in our area of North Central Minnesota are white. This seems unusual because other times of the year I see colorful wildflowers. May and early June have yellow and pink wildflowers, while in July through October you see magenta, yellow, and purple. The very first wildflowers of the spring are on blooming shrubs, and they are also predominantly white. From quick online research I learned that bright white flowers are more visible to a wider range of pollinators. In particular, white attracts flies better than other ..read more

Within the last month I’ve kayaked in Utah and in Minnesota — there was quite a contrast. The pictures below illustrate how different the two places are. Deer Creek State Park, Utah On Memorial Day we brought two kayaks up from Salt Lake City to Deer Creek State Park, near Heber, Utah (appreciating a YouTube video that reminds how to use our J-bar kayak carrier). The water was choppy and chilly, but the views of the still-snowy mountains were awesome. Big Bass Lake, Minnesota After relocating for the summer to our Minnesota cabin, on June 13 we brought kayaks to Big Bass Lake, in the Chippew ..read more

When we moved to Salt Lake City the yard of our new house had two mature Norwegian Maple trees. Norwegian Maples (Acer platanoides) are popular shade trees in the intermountain west because they grow quickly and tolerate alkaline soil and an arid climate. Norwegian Maple in mid-April in Salt Lake City backyard. Norwegian Maples are native to Central Europe, and were introduced to the United States in the mid-1700’s. They are commonly used in this country as shade trees, particularly as replacements for American Elms that were lost to Dutch elm disease in the 1960’s. There are significant drawb ..read more

2023 has been an exceptionally snowy winter in Salt Lake City. Nearby Alta ski resort reports 616″ of snowfall as of March 4, the snowiest in their 43 recorded seasons. This post shares photos of this winter in SLC from January through March. Morning after March 5 snowfall. February 22 snow Snowy Red Butte Gardens, on the east side of SLC, February 4. Looking down on the city to the west the common winter haze is very evident. The haze is particularly bad during temperature inversions, when temperature at the surface of the SLC valley is colder than temperatures aloft ..read more

This week our beloved greyhound Blue had to be put to sleep after reaching nearly 14 years. This was a very sad occasion, but we were lucky to have lived with Blue for more than 9 years after adopting him from a greyhound rescue organization. Greyhounds are calm, loving and loyal companions as well as being amazing athletes. Saying that we “rescued” Blue seems inaccurate to me. He was a valued member of our family who will be missed greatly. On a chilly day with his buddy RoxieHis last photo Blue was bred as a racing greyhound; he raced 20 times under the name Deep Dark Blue. Basic ..read more