aloha every day

aloha every day

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Donut Falls

Admission:
I've never liked donuts.

They gross me out.
fried dough.
nothing good for you about that.

I've always felt that,
if I'm going to eat a sweet treat,
I want it to be:
multi-textured,
multi-flavored,
made with love.

Some people may picture a donut by that description.
I see a cannoli.
Sorry if that's upsetting for you.

On our recent trip to You-tah,
however,
I found a donut I do like!
WHA?

I present to you,
We were here in late Fall,
which is not prime time for this hike.

We parked out on the main road and hiked in.

 On our way, we passed a few people, 
all of which were just as lost as we were.
Honestly,
the signage wasn't great.
I'm sure it's easier to find during peak season
when people are everywhere and
you follow the pack.
 After asking the few people we passed which way to go 
(there are many forks in the road),
and then realizing that none of them had found the falls,
we trusted our
Hawai'ian hiking skills:
To find a waterfall,
follow the water.
bu-duh!


 We found it! 
But you can't see it!
Because our gigantic heads are in the way!
 There she is!

For those hiking in the off-season (like us),
once you've found these rocks (by following the stream),
you're almost there!
Just a tip...


For anyone who has seen the old Babes in Toyland movie,
you'll understand why I love this pic:
The trees are watching!

 Round-trip, this hike took us around 1.5 hours,
and that includes getting "lost" a few times.

And so ended another adventure for us.
Dear You-Tah, 
We'll be back soon!
p.s. The Copper Onion (in Downtown Salt Lake) is not to be missed. 
Neither are their ricotta dumplings...

aloha.

Guardsman Pass

One day in You-Tah,
we set out to get
purposefully lost
(our favorite way to explore new places)

Our journey took us through 
Guardsman Pass.

 I will always love the thrill of discovery through being lost.


There's something unmistakably fulfilling
for the gypsy soul 
about finding your way 
when you don't know where you're going.






 This is one of my favorite pics from the trip.
It looks like fairies live here:

 View from the Guardsman Pass lookout:



 Nature's perfect color gradation


 Can we talk about the Fall colors in the Wasatch National Forest??

aloha.


You-tah

October for teachers is a gauntlet.
The reality of a month with no given break 
(other than the weekends)
is exhausting.
Kids are tired 
(and starting to get sick), and
teachers are feeling the slump of the school year 
(how do we save the world, anyway?)

Knowing this,
hubs and I decided to plan a short weekend getaway.
We joined our Chicago-based family 

for a weekend away in 
YOU-TAH!


This was our first time in the beehive state,
but most certainly not our last.



We simply had no idea of the scope of the natural beauty we'd experience...


 Kids in nature...
the joy, the simplicity.
 “A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full or wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood." - Rachel Carson 

 "Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."- Rachel Carson


Our family at Swaner Nature Preserve





Halloween!













 You-tah,
we will return
(hopefully soon!)

aloha.