Bryce is Nice: Part II

^ I present to you a morning progression of light. ^

Sunsets aren't much at Bryce Canyon.
But sunrises, yes, the sunrise is where it is at.
The early-morning sun kisses the hoodoos, waking up the valley with a soft, orange glow.
It gets crowded at Sunrise Point (go figure) well before the sunrise, and I am glad that we stumbled out of our tent to see the whole show.

Also noteworthy, this trip was inaugural trip of OUR tent and sleeping bags.
Considering I used to hate camping, this is a big deal.

You know the age old story seen on countless other blogs:
girl hates camping, girl goes once and discovers it isn't as bad as she thought.
It's all true, and it is getting serious.
Like "just created a camping Pinterest board" kind of serious.

Bryce Canyon National Park is my favorite.
Have you been?


Bryce Canyon at night found here.

Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival

Calling all astronomy nerds: Bryce Canyon is bomb for stargazing.
Far away from city lights, it really sparkles at night.

We took our tent on its inaugural adventure (yes, me, in a tent!), and our trip happily coincided with the Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival.
It was awesome with a side of nerdy.

Pic via NPS.gov

I mean... That pic above is everything. Amiright?!

The whole weekend is full of star-related events, from rocket launches to telescope viewing parties.
The keynote speaker was Alex Cherney, a brilliant star photographer. He gave step-by-step instructions on how to capture stars and the milk way. It was worth his presentation just for the Australian accent, but he did give some sweet advice on how to catch stars on film, so to speak.

Pic via NPS.gov

After 10 p.m. each night, wannabe star gazers are guided down an unlighted pathway (no flashlights allowed so you can adjust your night vision) to a parking lot full of high-powered telescopes. Each telescope is manned by its star-loving owner, anxious to show you what intergalactic object it is focused on . Globular clusters at one, other galaxies at another. Is it cliche to say that Saturn was my favorite? (those rings!) Some telescopes are so huge, you need a step ladder to reach the viewing piece.

Also, it is extremely dark which allows for asking ridiculous questions without fear of being exposed as a space idiot who doesn't know Star Wars from Star Trek.

I used a 30-second exposure to capture this, but the milky way was easy and clear to see with the naked eye. It made me feel very, very, very small.

Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival

If you go:

• Bring a coat- not a jacket. You need a winter coat and gloves. The temps dropped to 40 degrees at night, even in July.
• You can just feel the nerdy-ness. And it was awesome. Even if you aren't into space, ask questions. I learned about things I never knew existed and most telescope owners were thrilled to talk about something they were so passionate in.
• Arrive early if you are camping. First come first serve campsites in the park were full by 1:30 p.m.  
• Bring a flashlight! (Not allowed near telescopes). The astronomy festival is scheduled during the new moon (opposite of the full moon) to make it easier to see the stars. In other words, it is very, very dark. 

For more info, visit http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/astrofest.htm

Have a wonderful long weekend!

We're made it to that tiny little sliver in the graph we call spring.

Spring in Utah is a brief, fleeting time. 

But for a few weeks we have birds chirping, green rolling hills and snow-capped mountains.

It is what songs are made of, you know?

Utah is really beautiful this time of year.

We're exploring one of our national parks this weekend with our new annual pass (so excited!). 

What are you up to for the long weekend? Hope it doesn't involve work. :)

A Utah Autumn

Let it be known that I am just like the rest of the internts.

I love fall.

Pumpkin-flavored things, summer leaves burning into autumnal colors, mustard-colored scarves.

You guys. I have been with you.

I've been a tad M.I.A. as we have been furiously planning our next big adventure. 

But amid that fall has been kind.

We took the popular canyon drive called the Alpine Loop one crisp Sunday morning in October. 

And it made me think of one of my favorite Anne "with an e" Shirley quotes.

"I'm so glad that we live in a world where there are Octobers."  

Me too, Anne. Me too.

No labor Day!

A little trippy hiking to our favorite ski resort to see it without snow.

We took to nature for Labor Day weekend.

The weekend kicked off as we rocked out to the One Republic and Sara Bareilles at an outdoor concert at Deer Valley. The show was awesome. Such showmanship and talent.

On Labor Day we celebrated no work by climbing to 9,750 feet to Cecret Lake at our favorite ski resort. The temps were about 40 degrees cooler than at home and we were practically hiking in the clouds.

We finished up the day by visiting our brand-new niece (born on Labor Day!) and a BBQ with the family followed by a guitar sing-a-long. Things got real when my mom started playing "what do you do with a drunken sailor."

Oh, and fall decided to show up. Right on cue.

Hope your Labor Day was sweet!

On Stilts

In 2010 a beloved local icon was gutted by a devastating fire. The Provo Tabernacle, built in 1898, is going to be rebuilt into a temple.

To maintain the integrity of the original building, the 7-million pound facade was put on stilts while they build beneath it.

You read right. The entire building is on stilts. How cool is that?! While it isn't the official name, it will now and forever been known to me as the Templenacle.


More photos on the construction found here. The incredible top photo by Brian Hansen via Flickr.

Goblin Valley

 Riding a brontosaurus.
The boys escaped from the group and climbed up the cliff. Rascals.

On the way home from Moab we detoured to Mars.
I mean, Goblin Valley, which is the closest to Mars I will ever be.
And it is in the middle of nowhere so it might as well be Mars.

This was my favorite part of the trip.

The park is full of hoodoos which turned this place into a playground.
This place is made for exploring.
No trails, no rules, no crowds.
A place where you can run free. FREEDOM! (too much?)

Tania suggested we made a Harlem Shake video here and I'm kind of regretting it a bit...

The Killers thought it was so cool that they filmed their "Human" music video here.

P. P. S. Galaxy Quest scenes were filmed here too.

Moab

Have you been to Arches National Park in Moab, Utah? Even though I am a Utah girl, I somehow have never been to Moab. The Delicate Arch (the beautiful rock formation above) is like a state symbol, adorning our license plates and yet I have never made it down there.

I learned as a kid that Utah's national parks are an international destination. Coincidentally, this is the same time I saw a European man wearing a speedo at a swimming hole in said national park. I have a feeling those two are related.

But I digress....

We traveled with our wonderful friends Rex and Tania and Jenn and Rhett. Rex secured us his parent's minivan (holla!) so we could all ride down together. Let me tell you, we made it one bumpin' minivan.

Above: Double Arch where we met darling German girls and some hilarious and strange Frenchmen.

There we are, dwarfed by the 65-foot-tall natural standing arch.

Getting this photo was no small task. What you can't see is the 100+ spectators directly across from us perched on a ledge to get the perfect shot.
If you stand too long or get in the way, the crowd will begin to boo.
This happened to a street youth (any "New Girl" fans out there?) and he thanked the crowd by mooning us.

Sunset is moody and breathtaking, but the mass exodus just after the sunset adds a little excitement to the arch. The minute twilight is over, everyone scrambles to make it down the trail before it gets too dark.

For our one day adventure, we saw:

• Window Arch- mellow stroll
• Double Arch- just across from Window Arch, also very easy to get to.
• Landscape Arch- easy walk on mostly sand
• Delicate Arch- moderately strenuous. We hoofed it in less than 40 minutes each way. Definitely could take longer.
• Next time around, we will hike Fiery Furnace. It is recommended to do with a guide (unmarked, GPS doesn't usually work there, all out danger expected, etc) and it was sold out.

Outside of Arches National Park is nature's playground for mountain bikers, jeeping and rock climbing. Moab has soooo much going on. You can even go sky diving. Many people don't even visit Arches when they go down to Moab. I can't wait to unravel the adventures in Moab.

Misc.

• Take plenty of water. There are places to fill up at the trail head of different hikes, but not at all of them. Utah weather can be so dry, so take more water than you think and drink often.
• Get gelato at Moab Brewery. You won't be sorry.

P.S. Have you seen the World's Largest Rope Swing? It is jaw dropping, even though it is super dangerous.

P.P.S. Look at the word 'Moab' over and over again. Looks weird, right?



Next up: Goblin Valley.

Winter 2.0

It snowed again in our parts, just one week after we were picnicking for our lunch break.
Try as we might, spring just can't quite hold onto April.
As we speak, Jacob is playing softball in 36 degree weather as I remember our favorite winter events this year.

My parents and their crew (all grandkids in tow) went to Soldier Hollow Tubing Hill. Decent hills, rope tow and squealing nieces and nephews: really fun evening.

Every other week skiing trips have defined our winter season.
I'm pretty sure my dad will ski with us until he is 100. And even then we won't be able to keep up.

Winter, you have killed it this season. But now it's time to take a break for 9 months.
Peace out.

The face of spring

Only in Utah can you do both of these in the same week.

Hello, Spring. It is always confusing to see you.

Sundance Film Festival

After living in Utah my entire life, I finally attended the Sundance Film Festival, a ten-day independent film festival held an hour away from my home. 
It has everything I could want: snow, celebrities, good movies, free food. 
Done, done, done AND done.

Our viewing selections were kept light. Sundance films are known for pushing the envelope and without any ratings, you an unknowingly walk into a porno.

We waitlisted* and got into "Austenland," film of the charming book by Shannon Hale of the same name.
It is hysterical, silly and just fun. Jennifer Coolidge stole every scene. And, it is coming to a theater near you this year!

If you are lucky, the film's director and stars will come out after the movie and answer audience questions. 
The director Jerusha Hess (write of "Napolean Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre") answered questions after our showing. It was really neat. (Bottom left photo)

We also saw "In A World," a hilarious film about a voice over family.


*If you don't have tickets, you can waitlist. You show up 2 hours before a showing and get a number. Then you come back 30 minutes before the show and cross your fingers that the house isn't full and that you can get in. It was a tense 30 minutes hoping that skipping work was worth it. And it was. We got in! We also met some friends who called us "the kids." She maybe was old enough to be my mother so Jacob and I thought it was pretty funny.

When not watching movies you can stroll the streets, window shop and hop into the pop-up lounges. We scored free hot chocolate, free hamburgers and this awesome photo booth snapshot.

We (Jacob) saw one celebrity: the mustached guy from "Parks and Rec." Our one celebrity stalking mistake was going toward the end of the festival when all of the celebs had gone home. We did, however, get killer parking and minimal crowds.

Ah, Sundance.

There is something about being in a room full of people who are really excited to be there. 
The jokes are funnier, the excitement is thicker and everyone applauds.

This will definitely go on our yearly activity list.


Have you been?

Chalk the Block

Last weekend Riverwoods hosted "Chalk the Block," a two-day street art festival.
I expected sidewalk chalk stick figures, but instead it was a showcase of impressive artwork.
I mean, really. It was incredible.

Provo is really stepping it up.

Fall

Fall is here.
We have celebrated with Bridal Veil bike rides, dinner up the canyon, s'mores and a hike up to the hot springs for Young Women. (In case you were wondering, we didn't see any nudists.)

Everything is just magical.