Sunday driver

There are basically only two times of the year when Cache Valley is truly beautiful. Fortunately, they both come exactly when they are needed the most. The very best time of the year in Logan is after a l-o-o-o-o-o-ng, dreary, frozen, hazy, winter when even the die-hards are about fed up with the snow and ice and the smog that gets trapped under the clouds. The clouds, in turn are trapped here by the mountains surrounding us on all sides, like a layer of dirty gray whipped cream on top of a bowl of jello.

Then, a crocus will pop up almost unnoticed. Then another and another. The tulips and daffodils and other flowers mark the beginning of Spring. At the same time,the tree buds begin to swell and the slightest tinge of green begins to show on the outermost edges of the tree canopies. Finally, the snow begins to retreat and the mountain benches green up. It is that time of year when the earth is fresh, renewed and full of life again.


Sadly this #1 beautiful time of the year seems to get cut short by the onset of the typical Utah summer. The jade green mountainsides turn brown as the grasses dry up in the heat. Bare rock is left exposed as the scorching sun blasts away the snow from the tops of even the highest peaks. In their own way, 'the purple mountains majesty' is beautiful, but still no comparison to the preceding season in my opinion.


This brings us to the second-most beautiful time of year for our big jello bowl. Finally the record-setting temps begin to drop and you have to start wearing a jacket to go out in the evenings. Ever so gradually you notice a hint of pale, yellowish-green in the trees on the mountains. Little patches of stronger yellows and oranges fade in and the reds show up. A close up view reveals light pinks to the darkest purples and every possible shade in between.We're now officially into Fall here in Logan and we're ready for it! I took a drive up in Logan canyon today after church to witness this spectacular transformation. The pictures I got don't even do any justice to the views I saw tonight, but here are a couple anyway. I think a certain 19 month old got her grubby fingerprints on my camera lens somehow, so the clarity just isn't there on these. Oh well.














We also know that this means that ugly gray blanket of clouds will soon be hanging over us before we know it; Blah! Oh well, we might as well enjoy these nice moments while we have them, right?!