Thursday, Sept. 19th
Salt Lake City is just an hour and half flight from Eugene, so this was an easy travel day. We packed a lunch at home and ate it in the airport while waiting to board. Towards the end of the flight we again got a wonderful view of the Wasatch Mountains as the plane made its descent into Salt Lake. Once we landed, however, E received a text with terrible news concerning her favorite canine friend and walking partner. Asher had been found to have an inoperable tumor on his heart and had just been put down. Asher was one of the finest gentlemen we have known–of any species. He will be missed.
Somewhat somberly, we found our rental car and made our way 35 miles north toward Ogden. Our motel was located just at the mouth of Weber Canyon, a spot that M well remembered as being one of the windiest places in the area. A lot has changed since M left Utah. All the roads are different and much of the landscape has been transformed. But the wind hasn’t changed. When we got out of the car, it almost knocked us over.
Friday, Sept. 20th
We met up with L today, who graciously came down from Heber and met us at Taggart, just half an hour away from our hotel. We had a walk along the river followed by lunch at the town’s eponymous restaurant.
In the evening we went to a small gathering of some of M’s middle school and high school friends. It was a lovely evening at B’s wonderful house on the hill. M had a chance to share memories and catch up on a little of what had happened in Ogden for the many years that he was away from it, either in Oregon or overseas. And of course there were remembrances of friends who are no longer with us. The menu consisted of salad, pizza and ice cream, which we found quite suitable to the occasion. Here’s a photo.
Saturday, Sept. 21st
We hit the road again this morning, starting the 300-mile trip up to Grand Teton National Park. We took the western route, north on I-15 into Idaho, then jogging west into Wyoming, north to Jackson Hole and into the Park at Moran. As we neared Moran, we got our first sight of the mountains. They are awesome. We didn’t stop to admire them, though. Instead we headed straight for our cabin at Colter Bay. We were tired.
Sunday, Sept. 22nd
One of the neat things about the Tetons is that a largish river–the Snake–flows past them. But we hadn’t seen it yesterday. After breakfast, we drove south to a place called Schwabacher Landing.
In the afternoon we took a boat tour of Jackson Lake. Conveniently, the boats depart from our temporary home location at Colter Bay. Also convenient, you could say, was that today happened to be the final day of cruises for the 2024 season.
Monday, Sept. 23rd
Today we drove down to Jenny Lake and took a shuttle boat over to the Cascade Canyon trailhead. Jenny Lake is the single most popular destination in the park, so we were definitely not alone. But the trail was still very nice.
After passing the falls the trail climbs steeply up the north flank of the canyon, gaining more than a thousand feet of elevation in just three quarters of a mile. Much of this part of the trail features wide stone steps that were set in place by CCC workers in the 1930’s. Near the top, though, there are a few more rugged spots. The immediate reward is an overlook called Inspiration Point, which provides a dramatic view of the lake and the sage lands beyond. For some of the crowd, this was enough. But the overlook is not actually the best of what this trail offers. For that you must continue, strolling along a very lovely and gently climbing trail that takes you up Cascade Canyon and in among the peaks. The trail goes on for many miles, leading up to a high pass and then down the other side. Needless to say, we didn’t go that far. But we did continue for another mile or so beyond the lookout, enough to get a taste.
We finally stopped for lunch–none too soon–at the spot shown in the video above. After lunch we turned around, leaving the higher reaches of the route to younger and faster hikers. The way down was only a couple of miles, which was good since we were feeling weary and getting a little tired of trying to breathe properly at 7,200 feet.
Back at the dock we queued up for the shuttle boat, which took us back to the east side of the lake. Then came another hike back to where we’d parked the car. Once back in our cabin, we rested and cleaned up a bit before finishing the day’s events with a fancy meal. For that we went to the Mural Room of the Grand Teton Lodge. M’s Angus steak was good; E’s Idaho trout was superb. Uncharacteristically, E found that the view out the window actually rivaled the delicious meal.
Tuesday, Sept. 24th
Time to start our long journey home. We left the park around ten and headed south, taking a somewhat different route than on the way up. We stopped in Afton, Idaho and got a take-out lunch from Taco Time, then drove for another 45 minutes before stopping to eat it at a public park in Montpelier, Idaho. After lunch we went into Utah, passing around the west side of Bear Lake, then jogged east back into Wyoming and finally south down to I-80. This was handy because I-80–dontcha know–runs down to Evanston (where Utahns go to buy fireworks that are illegal in Utah), then to Park City, and then to Salt Lake City, where it passes right by the Salt Lake Airport on its way to Reno.
As we were having dinner in the SLC airport, we got a text from A with a photo of her and the other A having dinner in the Portland airport. After comparing notes, we found that she was headed to a conference in San Diego and would be changing planes in SLC. Her flight was also on Delta, landing 5 gates away from ours, so we hustled over there to greet her. We had a lovely little visit for 15 minutes, after which we each boarded our respective 10:55 p.m. departures. Synchronicity!
After gaining an hour due to the time change we arrived in Eugene around midnight.
Wednesday, Sept. 25th
Arrived home at around 1:15 a.m. We checked to see if the puzzle fairies had finished our jigsaw for us while we were gone. They hadn’t.
Thursday, Sept. 26th
E was busy again: taking her car to the shop, going to exercise class in the park, and then doing Laughter Yoga via Zoom in the afternoon. M went to Shonnard’s, where they had just gotten in a shipment of native shrubs.
Friday, Sept. 27th
E had an eye appointment and then went to lunch at Gathering Together with her THEPAJ group.
Saturday, Sept. 28th
We had M and L (Asher’s housemates) over for a late breakfast: home-cooked blueberry muffins and espresso. We shared some favorite memories of Asher and enjoyed a tour of the back yard on this sunny morning.
It’s Fall Festival time in Corvallis. M went down early to get some native bulbs from the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District Fall Plant Sale. E went down later to see her friend L playing in a Marimba band.
The puzzle’s not done yet, but it’s getting there.
Wow. You know how to live!