You know you're in Utah...

...when, in the first week back after a vacation, you overhear things like the following:

1. [In a getting-to-know-you conversation] "So, where did you do your mission?"

2. "I met her at a baptism, and the rest is history."

3. "Did you figure out your spiritual sentence?"

4. "I got married recently, and the USU system still hasn't changed my name yet." [a freshman]

5. "I know I was registered originally, but I decided to do an LDS mission, so I won't be there this semester."

6. "I usually take the half-hour-before bus." [to arrive 15 minutes early for class at 8:30 AM, from a weaker student]

7. "Will graduate with a degree... maybe a wife." [From the USU alumni magazine, a profile of a current student]

Back in Logan

More to come soon. But here's the weather we arrived back in Logan for:

Simply stupendous views and air. But now the temperature inversion and its trapped pollution arebuilding up again, and pretty soon it'll look like it did before we left:

Blech...

Season changes in Logan

Miriam at the park 

Fall leaves!

First snows on the distant Wellsvilles

Our first experimental homemade tofu 

The view Monday from the Fine Arts Center towards the closer Wasatch mountains

Impromptu trip to Capitol Reef

We had a 3-day weekend, so we took a quick jaunt to our third-closest national park, Capitol Reef.  It was amazing, but somehow it escaped my attention that this three-day weekend was virtually statewide... meaning that we were there on one of the peak weekends of the year!  According to our guidebook, Capitol Reef is one of the less-popular national parks in Utah, but still approaches 700,000 visitors per year... which means that the average attendance per day is around 1,900.  Incredible... and yet, even so, you can easily find solitude by going on even relatively short hikes.  It was also cold, getting down to the mid-30s each night.

Our first hike, after claiming the second-to-last spot in the campground at 1:30 PM:

The next day, we saw millennium-old petroglyphs and a lot of awesome rocks:

Before going on our longest and most picturesque hike, which wasn't very long but which was virtually deserted:

On the way home, we had to take the 6-mile side-trip to Pando and get this wonderful Pandorama (you'll have to zoom in to see the trees, since they've all lost their leaves):

Fall color and the Jardine Juniper

This hike was just too beautiful. I apologize, there are just a ton of pictures.

Heading off!

Note the tree, bending in the incredible wind

A brief flashback to the East Coast

The oldest known Rocky Mountain juniper, 1500+ years old

Enjoying a brief rest

On the way back, we got some mist and sprinkles

Lots of weather changes

First we got a lot of rain, which is very unusual for our area.

The rain stuck around, and we started to get beautiful fall colors, especially up in the canyon.

Then the sun came out again. We've had a few really warm days.

But then, just today, we had the rain again... and our first dusting of snow up high in the mountains!

Looking towards the Fine Arts Center, snow on the distant peaks

Beautiful Wellsvilles

From our porch, one mountain thinks it's fall, the other thinks it's winter

 Winter is making its proximity known!

Naomi Peak

Our biggest hike with Mom and Dad was up Naomi Peak, at 10,000 feet the highest point in the Bear River Range.  It was exhilarating!

Dad at the top of the world

Some views from the top.  You're supposed to be able to see the Grand Tetons on a clear day, which this was, and we thought maybe we could, but we weren't sure, and you definitely can't tell in these photos.

The happy group

A cool rock formation on the way down