Sometime this winter/spring there must have been an incredible storm. We saw lots of trees that had broken (if they were alreay dead) or uprooted and were lying on the ground. In the campgrounds and scenic overlook areas, there was a lot of clean-up going on to remove the trees.
Last year, we had a long way to drive, so we didn't stop along the Mirror Lake Byway very often - just took in the view from the car. Today, we stopped as often as we wanted and checked out the sights. Little Blue at the Provo River Scenic Overlook.
This is a 6-mile-long tunnel that the BLM built in the late 1940s to bring water from the Duschene River into the Provo River. 6-miles!
Slate Gorge.
Wild flowers.
Provo Falls - these are great. There are multiple levels of waterfalls and people eating lunch or wading in the water (unless it is deep and fast like today) and it is really a pretty place to stop and stretch the legs.
We also stopped at a pull-out for the Crystal Lake trailhead - there are tons of lakes along this stretch of road and we wanted to go on a quick hike. We decided not to hike up to Crystal Lake, but to wander around the edge of Lake Washington instead. We figured it would take about an hour to walk all the way around.
After about 5 minutes, we were speed walking through the trees and trying not to get eaten alive by the mosquitos. Kind of like a dance: Brush your hand along your left leg. Brush your right arm. Swish around your head. Brush your right leg. Brush your left arm. Swish around your head. Repeat.
After another 10 minutes of dance-hiking along the shoreline we turned around and went back to the car. Neither of us had thought to pack bug-spray for a Saturday drive. We got to hike for a total of 30 minutes and I think I've got a mosquito bite per minute. I didn't stop long enough to take any pictures - there were man-eating mosquitos out there!
In May, the news reported that Utah has new "Welcome to Utah" signs. The state installed 35 new signs, using seven different designs that would basically advertise for nearby attractions.
1. The Wasatch Mountains
2. Golden Spike National Monument
3. A Skier
4. A Dinosaur
5. Delicate Arch
6. Lake Powell
7. Zion National Park
Our drive took us into Wyoming for a very short stretch and we turned around at the border to see which Utah sign it might be. It was the skier!
There was no sign along the dirt road we took to get back into Utah, but it was a fun drive. The dirt stretch was pretty short and we had a nice paved road back home again. We ate lunch before we left and I packed some summer sausage, cheese and apple slices (forgot the crackers) for snacks. We ate those up and by the time we got home we were SO ready for dinner.
Note to self: Always pack hiking shoes, bug spray, sunscreen, camera, extra water and lots of snacks!
