Thursday, June 30, 2016

Ready or not, Summer is here!

The middle of May we picked Van & Rainier cherries, the harvest lasted for a couple of weeks, we shared them with everyone. The garden really took off and we've had to keep an eye on Tahoe; he has a nose for veggies ... no kidding!  We managed to get in one fishing trip; we caught about 20 trout and released all of them ... it was a great day!  We seem to have an ongoing squirrel problem all of a sudden; we don't know where they came from and we're doing our best to catch them. We'll keep you posted on our progress.  


May was Cherry month, we had an excellent crop

We picked so many bowls of Rainier Cherries, we lost count

It's amazing how things can grow in this desert environment ... all you need is water!
 
Tomatoes are finally starting to ripen ... yum!

The raised beds have been a good addition to our garden

We really have to keep an eye on Tahoe, he loves his veggies

Don't ask me ... I have no idea where this came from!

Our second crop of strawberries are starting to ripen

I've been watching this watermelon very carefully ... Tahoe hasn't seen it yet!

We practically had Anderson Meadow Reservoir to ourselves last Saturday 

A perfect June day

The trout are not huge, but they are fun to catch

We enjoy getting up in the cool country on hot summer days

Kent will use any excuse to get his feet wet, like freeing my line that was stuck on a rock 

South Fork of the Beaver River flows out of Anderson Meadow

YES!  It is finally ready!

He may be cute, but he isn't the only one .... 

This is squirrel number 4 

We set them free in a nearby canyon

Our Red Haven Peaches are ripening now and they are really good

I prefer to cook on the grill in the heat of summer, pizza is fast & easy    

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Valentine Peak

We headed for Parowan, Utah Saturday morning; it's about 60 miles north of Hurricane.  We don't normally go where the crowds are, so it may have seemed crazy to go hiking on Memorial Day weekend, but we were pretty sure most people hadn't heard of Valentine Peak; and we were right.  We met 8 hikers and 1 dog on the trail, all agreed it was a hard hike, but totally worth it. The trail is 3.5 miles each way with a 2000 ft. elevation gain and awesome views. 


We drove to Parowan, UT for our hike

To get to the Trailhead you drive through the Parowan City Cemetery

The trail begins here

The hike will climb 2000 ft. in elevation

Great views of Brian Head Peak from the get-go

If you get tired, take a seat and enjoy the view

 Valentine Peak is way up there, we'd better get going!

Wild Phlox were in bloom along the trail


We have hiked one mile ......no need to sit just yet

Much needed motivation!

There were great views almost the entire hike.....even better ones from the top

Colorful cactus and lichen

Volunteers stash water for dogs along the trail

We didn't bring anything to leave or we would have added to this tree

Double motivation to keep us going.....yes, the trail is hard!

We were surprised to find so many places to rest our weary bones ..... it was very tempting

The terrain varied a lot on this hike 

Looking back at the Parowan Valley

There were quite a few flowers in bloom

I call this hikers rock art ..... someone took a long break here and played with the rocks

ahhh .... this means we are at the top ... I think?!

Kent is definitely on top of Valentine Peak!

YES!  We have arrived!!

No Kent, that is for dogs .... we have our own water and snacks!

We signed the log book, will we see your name in there someday?

Now that we're here, we can sit and enjoy the views

There's still snow on Brian Head Peak

We could see a long way in every direction

We headed back down to avoid getting rained on, we can see the storm coming

A little squall off in the distance

More hikers rock art

Still a lot of snow on the Tushar Mountains to the north

Although a very strenuous hike, it's totally worth it!

Smile ..... you're either coming or going!

Indian Paintbrush

Wild flowers add color to every hike

The squalls went all around us and we stayed dry

We found this survey marker along the trail ... 1910 was a long time ago

Another Prickly Pear in bloom

About a mile to go ....  whoohoo!


Aerial View of Valentine Peak Trail

Taco Salad at Brody's in Cedar City ..... my reward for a good hike!  yum!