Trapped in Mordor

While I have not seen two little people fighting over a gold ring, Ogden Utah has so much smoke the sun looks very wrong, and the temperatures are in triple digits. Much like Mordor, not a place I want to be.

We spent last week at Juniper Campground outside of Park City Utah and it was also hot. We don’t like it hot. Our house is too small to sit inside all day. We were supposed to be headed north and up out of this horrible heat wave, but coming down the mountain we blew a rear tire. Since we have four rear tires that wasn’t a big deal safety wise, but it is a big deal otherwise.

We have set up camp at an RV Park here in Ogden, found a delightful pub for lunch, and Kendra will get us into a Les Schwab this week for all new rubber. We had an appointment already scheduled for new tires this upcoming Friday, just a few hundred miles further than we can limp with a flat.

Juniper Campground

While it was hot it was also pretty. There was a great hiking trail right outside my front door and I took advantage of that three times. Twice I tried to wait until the heat of the day had passed and do an evening walk, as I much prefer my exercise at that time of day. The temperature didn’t get the memo that it was supposed to go down in the evening. From just under a hundred to just over ninety is an improvement, but not what I had hoped. I found myself darting from shade to shade. Well, the pace I used was more aptly described as plodding, but I did target the next shade aggressively.

On my first hike I took photo’s, as is my usual pattern. About a half mile in I see someone put up a lovely sheet metal buffalo statue up in the trees and snagged a photo. A few hundred yards further on I spot an elk in the trees. As I take some pictures I realize he is standing very still, I imagine he thinks I haven’t spotted him. I fire up the video and walk in slowly waiting for him to run away. As I get to within twenty yards I am thinking this guy really needs to downgrade his opinion of his hiding skills. As I get closer yet I finally realize this is just another statue.

Along the way I see many more statues including black bear, cougar, deer, and more elk. Finally I get to a sign that reads 3D Archery Range. Sure enough on the way back I get in even closer and I see the statues are targets. Super cool feature that I saw people enjoying on Saturday morning. I’d have loved such a course when I still shot bow.

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Cali and Shanti conversations #2

Cali: This is bullshit!
Shanti: What do you mean?
Cali: This place is crowded, my leash is six feet long, and it is so hot even I don’t want to go outside! That’s what I mean.
Shanti: It isn’t so bad. There is a lovely dog park with lots of grass to roll in and it was only an hour drive to get here. We didn’t even go airborne this time.
Cali: You were cowering in front of the passenger seat on the way here.
Shanti: I wasn’t cowering, I was choosing a safe location to travel.
Cali: I saw you quivering like a leaf when I woke up and went to pee.
Shanti: *GLARE* This is why nobody likes you.
Cali: I’m going to ask to go out again. Maybe we moved.
Shanti: We haven’t moved.
Cali: “OUT! OUT! OUT! OUT!”
Kendra: *Opens door*
Cali: Shit….still the same location and still fucking hot. Not going out.

May peace find you.