Goblins, Snow, Mountains and Fun

With the little time off that I had between jobs it was a necessity to get out of the house and into some adventure! This post is mostly gonna be pictures so enjoy!

Adventure partner.

I found an old engine!

Been there for a while.

#swag

Goblin Valley is crazy.

Almost like Mars.... probably.

A goblin!

Climbing for a view.

Artistic?

Crazy crazy.

It's like a cathedral.

Neat.

Waking up after a dusting.

Just outside Capitol Reef.

A cold sunrise.

Adventure Dog!

Little snow blanket.

Walking the ridge.

A dog in the wind...

The icy shores of Fish Lake.

Blue skies!

Off-roading anyone?

The path less traveled.

Winter Wonderland.

Dashing through the snow.

Almost got stuck a few times.

Made it to the top!

Vroom!

Let's Call It

Another summer has come to a close. For me, it was a rough summer. Almost no traveling, early mornings, hot days with lots of work but little to do. I spent hours upon hours in the cab of my mixer this summer. More than I spent at home to be honest. But I got through it and came out the other side with the usual sense of accomplishment. To get an idea of what my summer was like, I spent most of it driving around in good ole truck 44. We got to know each other pretty intimately, what after pulling a handful of all nighters together, more than a dozen 12 hour work days and even one 18 hour work day. Here are a few pics so we can all get the idea.

She's a dirty old gal.

That's how I make the concrete go!

The view from my office.

This is what my day looks like much of the time. 

Washing it out at the end of every work day.

I hate sidewalks. So hard not to hit people.

But somedays, it's all worth it for one beautiful moment.

Prince Caspian

So what can we say about this book? They made it into a movie and it was awful. This book is all about faith, faith in things that haven't been seen, faith in things that have been forgotten, and faith in yourself. By now Narnia has fallen into the hands of the Telmarines, a group of humans that hate all things magical and done everything they can to wipe out the talking animals, dwarves and other magical folk. Our young Prince Caspian is the only one who really believes in magic and quite frankly he's the only one who wants to get all the talking beasts back. This book is the one that is most riddled with allegory, so I will make it brief. Faith, believing in things you can't see. Aslan comes to save the day again along with the help of the other children. Honestly, the only reason I ever read this one is because it sets up the next book. My favorite book. So look for that post to be out soon!

Just Because!

We went to the lake again!

It's a big world.

So much to consider.

Cliffside at the Great Salt Lake.

Smile for the camera!

This is my new friend!

Billy the Buoy.

A tire!

Oooh

Ahhh

Billy followed me home!

The Horse and His Boy

What is there to say about this book? It takes place during the reign of King Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy, a time of relative peace for Narnia. You know what, I was just going to write a synopsis of this book while pointing out some themes and junk, but now I'm not going to do that. I'm just gonna let it gush. This book is great. It is purely a cinderella story, kid has a terrible step father, runs away with a talking horse, makes a new friend out of a runaway princess (riding another talking horse) and makes his way towards Narnia. But what makes this such a great book is the storytelling. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on storytelling. So from here I'm going off on a tangent.
Storytelling.
It's becoming a lost art. Or maybe it's just becoming less important, or less apparent in today's world. Especially in the spoken form, a well spoken story can send shivers up your spine and put goosebumps on your arms. Yet a poorly done story, even if it is something amazing, will leave you with nothing. In my own personal view, the only thing I can remember about poorly worded stories are how often the person said, "um" or "like" or any number of filler words that drive me insane! A story is like a river, it has flow, it has a current, it is supposed to take you away. Maybe that's why I love these books so much, because it's good storytelling. Plain and simple. I already know what is going to happen, but I enjoy reading them because even though these are children's book and I've read them a dozen times. I still get lost in the flow. EVERY. DAMN. TIME. It's magical. It's simple. It's beautiful. It's just good storytelling.

I Was Inside A Mountain!

The day was much like any other, except I had been giving the day off. A rarity for me, I decided to make the most of it. So I saddled up my trusty motor steed and set off into the mountains. Up and up I went, winding my way towards the Guardsman Pass. As I made the ascent I was comforted by my constant companions, the road, fresh mountain air, and my faithful steed. We had no purpose being there other than our being and that was more than enough to compel us onward. Upon reaching the summit I gazed into the distance, dark clouds loomed to the north, an ill omen for such a journey as this. For this reason, when I happened upon a fork in the road upon my descent, I chose the southern route. This path took me down from the mountain pass into the town of Midway where I had the good fortune of running into the mother of a good friend of mine. We conversed for a short while and she sent me on my way with the knowledge of more adventure! There was a cave, the Timpanogos Cave, a short way off. A wonder to behold, I knew that is where I would venture to on this most adventurous day. In a short time I found myself at the foot of the mountain, up an over again I had to make my way to the cave on the far side. Seventeen miles of pure motorcycling bliss. Linking one turn into the next and shaded by aspen groves I scaled the great peak. (In all seriousness, it was amazing. I was literally giggling for 17 miles.) The cave was close at hand by then, unfortunately the last mile and a half had to be climbed by foot. So I set about at my task and arrived at the cave huffing and puffing, but I had made it. To my great fortune I (and because I somewhat planned it) I serendipitously ran into Ms. Jones. The knowledgeable and gracious host of the Timpanogos Cave. Upon entering the cave I was introduced to a subterranean spectacle of colors, sounds, smells and stories. It was really quite a marvelous time and anyone who has the time should make the journey to see it for themselves as I'm certain my account can not do it proper justice. Alas, after exiting the cave my endeavors were at an end. A quick walk down the hill and a uneventful ride home gave me time to reflect upon and appreciate the good memories I had made.

Life finds a way...

Across the valley

The climb

Gasp! It's a sign!

Thank you Ms. Jones!