Stephenson Family Ties

The farmers planted alfalfa on the day
after the new moon. The oats and clover
went in. Now in April they'd planted
corn in the field next to Grandmas house.
The sap was rising, and the seasons
turned like a wheel.
from: A Year Down Yonder
by: Richard Peck 2000

June 1st

Thats right....June 1st has already come and gone...

Temperatures reflected the date...and began to rise to the expected summer expectations, so we packed up our guests and headed north to Kolob again...for a hike in higher altitudes.

It was a new hike for me!!!

And I ask you....really....is there a better word than "GLORIOUS"???

Its only spring time in Kolob.

We had butterflies and a dozen varieties of wildflowers.
We had biting flies and dangling tiny green caterpillars hanging from limbs.
I had tons of coral dust between my toes, and....

and


and

wait for it.....


I also had cold and dirty snow between my toes as well.

At one point we stood on top of what felt like a mini glacier- which was 20 feet thick- tucked back in a gorgeous slot canyon, and felt natures swamp cooler in full force!!! (my hoodie went back on.)

We had waterfalls to listen to, along with babbling brooks.
We had the unfamiliar sound of crunching snow, plus the wonder of dozens of bird songs to hear.
We had sections of lush forest (by southern Utah standards) and then sand dunes to climb.
Sage grew along side Ponderosa Pines; dainty forget-me-nots decorated the trail, along with the familiar Beavertail cactus's.
And even though my new camera's a great one...there was no way to capture the look of destruction found in areas of the canyon that could only have been caused by the ominous 'smoke monster' or....by winter avalanches and huge amounts of snow accumulation!! It was an eerie sight to be sure.

All in all it was all a glorious distraction;it was a few hours spent NOT thinking about wedding things.
I am once again grateful, ever so grateful for distraction, diversion and new directions.