The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

Today was pretty much the perfect Sunday. Well, it would have been better if the Bears didn't suck so much. But at least the Cubs won. Anyway... First, I went to church. Then, I watched the Cardinals game. Then, I decided I wanted to go for a drive, so I headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon since I'd never seen it before. It was so beautiful with the leaves changing and some snow on the ground! I had planned on doing a little .75 mile loop around Silver Lake. It was very nice (although a little crowded... this was a popular family hike). But when I saw a sign for Twin Lakes (1 mile, 710 feet), I took off up that trail. My friend Lisa brought me this box of chocolates last week: And I actually thought to myself, "The more elevation I do, the more chocolate I can eat." I'm so glad I did this hike! And not just because of the chocolate. The trail looked like this: And led to this view: And then I got a manicure. And then

A few weeks ago, I set out on my first exploration outside of SLC. I wanted to take a scenic drive to a short, easy hike. So, I took the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway through the Uintas and hiked to Ruth Lake. Ruth Lake was a really easy hike. Like, I was almost embarrassed to be doing it because it was only about 2 miles and mostly flat. But it was definitely scenic! This is a hike I would take my non-hiking friends on. Meadow on the way to Ruth Lake: Ruth Lake: Luckily, I remembered seeing nearby Naomi Lake on a map, just over a nearby ridge. This was exactly what I wanted! It was off-trail, so I had the place to myself. And the area around it was gorgeous, so I just wandered around and explored for a while. Then I sat and read the new Susan Elizabeth Phillips book, and messed around with Snapchat selfies, and even went for a quick dip.  On the way back from Ruth Lake, I stopped by Provo River Falls. I was surprised to see that there were three separate fal

I had a vision for the 4th of July here. I always have a vision for social events. My poor parents do not understand this, but they are good sports. I decorated, made a playlist, and helped plan the menu. The strawberry pretzel pecan "salad" was a hit! I love the Midwest in the summer. It's so pretty and green. Andy HATES it when I take candid pictures. Can you tell? I love Kasia (my brother's girlfriend) so much. She is just so pleasant and agreeable and sweet! It was so nice to spend more time with her and get to know her better this summer. She and Andy are obsessed with New Buffalo Beach in Michigan, so I tagged along on several of their trips.  I brought back some goodies from Kentucky... Quite a bit was consumed on the 4th. When it got dark, we made different kind of s'mores in the fire pit. (Reese's and York Peppermint Patties... So good!!!) I really wanted an artsy picture of my brother and I with sparklers, but it was not

Mom and I headed south on a stamp collecting trip to Kentucky. Our first stop was George Rogers Park National Historic Park in Vincennes, IN, which commemorates a Revolutionary War battle. Not much to see here, just a monument.  We thought Abraham Lincoln's childhood home would be a little more interesting, but it was seriously boring! There was nothing there except a small museum! The Lincoln Museum in Springfield at least had a life-size model of his cabin... This place had nothing!  We stayed in Paducah that night and went to the National Quilt Museum the next morning. Mom was a little disappointed. The quilts were impressive, but I think we just weren't too excited about the exhibits. For example, one of them was about the future of quilting and featured a quilt made of Bud Light cans. But the exhibits are constantly rotating, so maybe it just wasn't the best time to visit. The highlight of Mom's day was a visit to Hancock Fabrics, an enormous fabric sto

It felt so good to be back in the mountains! I didn't realize how much I missed them until I caught my first glimpse of them; then it felt like my heart would burst from happiness. I visited two national parks in Colorado that weren't really that great for hiking, but were absolutely gorgeous. Great Sand Dune National Park has 750 foot sand dunes. They just appear out of nowhere and you're like, "Wait, what?" I enjoyed the scenery but did not feel the need to climb up all that sand. That is the opposite of fun.  (The mountains in the background are responsible for the creation of these dunes.) The other national park I saw was Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Oh my holy! My jaw dropped when I got my first glimpse of it. The pictures just don't do it justice. There wasn't really a good angle to get a picture from; part of it was always in shadows. But this canyon is immense; it took my breath away. I wasn't too far from

Sand Creek Massacre NHS had a weird kind of energy; you could feel that you were on sacred ground. It's an undeveloped spot in the middle of eastern Colorado. A ranger came out to meet me and asked what kind of experience I'd like to have. I chose the 15 minute lecture, so he pulled out a chair for me and stood there and explained what exactly happened in this spot. I know this won't be completely accurate, but here is the story as I remember it. Gold had been discovered in Colorado. A lot of it was in Indian territory, so of course the white guys pushed them out onto a small reservation. The young warriors were pissed and wouldn't go along with it; they were determined to fight. So the reservation was mainly populated with the elderly, women, and children. It was kind of a free for all in terms of governance at this time. Federal troops were off fighting in the Civil War, so the people who were left in charge were locals. Obviously, they had special interests in th

After Nancy left me, I visited Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. It was hot, but I did get in a short hike. (Compass plant and Gayfeather) Then I stopped at Fort Larned, which I honestly don't even remember because all forts are the same and I hate even going to them. Those are the days that I feel like a "stamp whore." I'm only there to collect my stamp and I don't stay long at all.  Nicodemus National Historic Site was really interesting, although there wasn't much to see. In 1877, 300 African Americans left Kentucky to escape the oppression of the South. They established the town of Nicodemus, which was difficult in the beginning but became a success. Only about 30 people live there now, but they were preparing for their annual Emancipation Celebration, when descendants of the original settlers arrive from all over the U.S. to reminisce and celebrate.  I passed through a town with this intriguing sign: But I opted not

I almost don't want to bother blogging because I am so far behind. But I have to document the travels! Leaving the Midwest is always hard, so I was thrilled that Nancy was able to come with me at the last minute. We went tubing on the Jack's Fork River in Missouri! We were both a little nervous and hesitant. We chose a short trip and impulsively brought a few tall boys to bring with. We ended up having a blast and were so sad when it was over! This was the view from our rustic hotel room; we were right on the river. This should have been an idyllic float down a lazy river. However, in a tragic turn of events, I was swept up in the current and got tangled up in a tree, spilling my beer. I got completely flipped over; water up my nose and everything. How does this stuff only happen to me??? As people floated by, they would ask where my beer was and I told them how I lost it. People on that river were just so gosh darn friendly and kept offering me beers, and soon I was s