Inversion

My son Mark suggested that we hike Saddleback Mountain one morning to get some pictures from above the inversion.  If you don't know what an inversion is, the cold air is heavy and sinks below the warm air and, in the mountain valleys, becomes trapped in the mountain bowl.  In the above picture the large cluster of lights is USU.  The white light above and to the left is the temple.

This is Mark, close to the top of the mountain.  We left at 5:30 am and got to the top before sunrise.

 

I've heard it said that you can look down on the inversion and imagine what the ancient Lake Bonneville would have looked like, although it would have been blue and not white, of course.  Here we are on top of the mountain.

If Mark had taken a few steps backward he would have had a very long fall.

As we went down the inversion moved away from the edge of the mountain exposing some of the homes below.  We were eventually able to see my house.

While the inversion air is very unhealthy, it sometimes causes the trees and plants to be covered with a light frost.  It's beautiful!

The inversion lasted a long time this year.  A storm came through this week and blew it all away.  I'm glad it's gone and hope it won't come back but if it does one can climb a mountain or go up the canyon for a breath of fresh air and a view of our beautiful world.

Who'd a thunk?

I've always felt different.  Most women my age like to shop, wear cute clothes and spend a lot of time and effort decorating their houses.  I'm weird.  I hate shopping.  My clothes are, well, average.  I need help in the interior design department.  But, I love the outdoors.  I love to hike,  snow ski, water ski, cross country ski, and more.  I wish I had more time to be out side.  I've felt I've been cut out of a different mold than other women my age.  Well, I was wrong! 

Today it was -12, yes, -12 in Logan but 11 women  met me at the church parking lot and we headed up Logan canyon for a snow shoeing adventure.  They WANTED to go.  We drove to the Limber Pine trail near the summit of Logan Canyon, put on our coats, hats, gloves, boots and snow shoes and had the BEST time!  We laughed, sang, crunched, climbed, enjoyed nature and each other.

I've come to the realization that a lot of women like the out doors, or at least would like to like the out doors, but they don't know what to do or where to go.  All they need is a friend to go with and they are there.  My heart was warmed today as 11 women braved the cold for a snow shoe adventure.  I guess I'm not as weird as I thought I was.  ( I still hate to shop and need a lot of help  with my house but that's another blog post)

By the way, it was much warmer up Logan Canyon-close to 20 degrees when we started.  The temperature inversion in Cache Valley doesn't reach the summit in the Canyon.  We removed a lot layers along the way as we hiked.

I love January

January is one of my favorite months because:

• It seems so quiet after the busy Christmas season
• It's a perfect time to wrap up in a warm blanket and read a good book
• A new year, clean slate, lots of goals, start over, start fresh
• Soup month-yum yum- Minestrone, cabbage, taco, split pea, chicken noodle to name a few
• 2 birthdays-Jim and Tom
• Winter sports-down hill skiing, cross country skiing, and, this year, snow shoeing
• The days are getting longer
• The world looks beautiful with a fresh blanket of snow

Yes, I love January