Mt. Nebo

Mt. Nebo is the highest mountain on the Wasatch Front.

This view is from near the beginning of the trail. As we pulled around and saw the mountain from this angle, draped in white, we all pretty much realized making the summit would be a long shot.

Lot's of cows up there.... on the way down we ran into some old-school cowboys on horseback driving some in.

I now know that what looks like a dusting on the mountain top from down below can actually be a couple feet of deep, icy blown snow on top. We made it to the first (and lowest) of the mountain's several peaks, and it was quite a trudge to get there. We had plenty of warm gear as far as jackets gloves and hats, but we only had low-cut hiking shoes and no winter alpine gear (crampons, axes etc) and even then it would have been pretty sketchy, so we called it good right there.

Really cool how it was still pretty much summer in the low valley, full-color autumn in the high country, and full-on winter on the mountain-top.

It was arctic-cold and windy up there (I think the lowest temp we saw was 26 degrees F, but we didn't even check at the peak). We found a spot just a few feet below the peak where the rocks blocked the wind and had some self brewed coconut curry hot cocoa-- which turned out pretty good and really hit the spot up there.

I think we made the right choice in not trying for the true summit...

Zion (once again)

Cairns

 

   I'm not sure why I like this picture, but I do. It seems kind of flat and the colors don't stand out and the focus isn't totally sharp. but the boy playing alone in the river and the deer wandering calmly across somehow resonate. kind of reminds me of a simpler more natural time... 

Catherine Pass

Lake Mary was almost totally dry.

It's actually a reservoir and the main source of drinking water for Sandy and several other towns in Salt Lake Valley.... a very surreal reminder of the drought we are in, and a fun place to explore and take pictures.

Interesting evidence of the full cycle of things, this tree must of been pretty big before the river was dammed and the area flooded, it slowly rotted away underwater for probably decades and what is left now finally emerged and is now slowly bleaching in the sun.

And quickly the next generation of plant life takes hold where you wouldn't expect.

My little man is developing quite an eye for interesting photo ops

Lake Martha, however, was nice and full

As was Lake Catherine

And here are a few from the little padawan

We called this section of Lake Catherine a natural art gallery

 because it looked like an impressionist painting

The Beginings of Autumn

 love this lens

 this is a portrait of a rock in the river

And of course some abstracts

 

including a pretty creepy one

Albert at Chalk the Block

Ogden Temple