A Visit From Rosey's Mom

This is neglected blog post #1 (and it is really delinquent) :)


The second weekend in December Rosey's Mom came to visit us for a long weekend. I had met her briefly in Alabama in June but we didn't really have a whole lot of time to get to know each other before we packed up all of Rosey's stuff and drove across the country to Utah. I imagine that it must have been awkward for a mother to let her daughter move across the country with an almost complete stranger.

We actually spent an enjoyable and eventful weekend together. We kicked things off on Friday night with a trip to Capitol theatre to see the Ballet West production of "The Nutcracker". The ballet has been on my list of things that I wanted to try for a long time. The nutcracker seemed like a good show to cut my teeth on and was, of course, appropriate to the season :)

I had mixed feelings about this production of the Nutcracker. I enjoyed the dancing when there was dancing but much of the first 45 minutes of the show was just a bunch of kids running around on stage. That just wasn't really all that amusing to me. I think that I would like to try out another ballet before passing judgment on the entire activity.

On Saturday morning, we decided to pack up the car and head to Zion for the weekend. This was a particular treat for Rosey's Mom who hadn't been to scenic Southern Utah since she moved away 27 years earlier. And of course, Rosey and I are always up for a trip down into the red rock.

In Zion, I decided that all three of us would hike to observation point. It's an 8 mile hike that ascends up to the Mesa overlooking the canyon. The view from the top is spectacular and the scenery along the way through the red rock canyons is like nowhere else on earth.


Now that I've been in Utah for several years, I tend to forget what it's like to live at a lower elevation. Especially now that I'm in good shape I forget what it's like to gasp for breath when the air is so much thinner than you are used to. Rosey's Mom is actually in pretty good shape but her Alabama lungs were just no match for the climb to Observation point. Even without making it to the top, it's still a gorgeous hike.


Rosey's Mom decided to slowly meander back down the trail while Rosey and I hightailed it to the top and then back down again. Running up a trail like that is unbelievably good exercise. If you could do that every morning, you would never need to worry about your fitness again. Kinda makes me wish I was a park ranger in Zion. Hmm, maybe when I retire :)

We decided to stay in Zion Saturday night rather than drive all the way back to Spanish Fork tired from the day's activities. We found a pleasant motel just outside the park and then went to Oscars' cafe for dinner. Even though it was probably 40 degrees out, we decided to dine out on the patio beneath several gas heaters. The heat felt wonderful and, well, you know me, I'm all about the open flame :)

Sitting on the patio we were lucky enough to be serenaded by some Christmas carolers that happened by. Sure the people inside could have seen the carolers and might even have been able to hear them a little, but they didn't get to experience them like we did outside. It really is a neat experience to be in Zion at Christmas time.

On Sunday, on our way out of the park, we got another rare and perilous treat: we got to see Zion in the snow. As we ascended up to the Zion - Mt. Carmel tunnel the snow began to fall and steadily progressed as we trekked through the park to the east entrance. If you've never been to Zion before, driving through the east side of the park, is like being on another planet. The red rock is swirled and twisted gnarled in ways that you wouldn't think possible. The light blanket of snow just made it that much more incredible.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long before the light blanket of snow became a heavy blanket of snow. The thing that concerned me most was that we were on a route that was going to take us back to Spanish Fork via back roads. The interstates in Utah are usually kept pretty clear even in heavy snow, but you are really taking your chance driving on the old state highway (hwy 89). It's not traveled nearly as frequently anymore and there's no telling how long it would take before a snow plow would come through.


The drive between Zion and Bryce was formidable. I got behind a semi and just kept a slow even pace. The snow was coming down so hard that you could hardly see 20 feet in front of you. Most of the time I couldn't even see the actual semi in front of me. All I could see was the faint red glow of it's tail lights through the falling snow. Fortunately that was enough to keep me on the road.

When we got to Bryce we had a decision to make: Do we stop in the park for a minute like we originally planned or do we just keep pressing forward? On the one hand, stopping for a minute could give the plows a chance to come through and clean up the roads. On the other hand, stopping for a minute could just give things a chance to get really bad. In the end we decided to stop. If nothing else, I could use the break from the tension of driving in those conditions.


Ironically, there wasn't much to see in Bryce. We drove out to Sunset point and did the short hike up to one of the overlooks. The snow was coming down so hard and the wind was blowing so strong that it was difficult to see anything even when you could manage to hold your gaze long enough to take something in. Nonetheless, it was a fun little detour and I think that the roads did improve slightly on the way home.


Before leaving, Rosey's Mom gave us a really nice Christmas gift. She printed off several black and white photos that Rosey and I had taken over the summer (and some one's that I had taken over the years), and framed them for us. It took several weeks after she left for us to actually get them up on the wall, but they are up now and look wonderful.

The rest of our pictures are here.