I like to plan unusual activities in honor of Jason’s birthday. He’s an amazing guy that deserves all of the creativity I can muster. This year, for my innovative party scheme, I decided to invite a few friends to saddle up with us in the Red Ledges area of Heber Valley at KB Horses. Since Jason is not exactly an equestrian expert, this outing certainly was a celebration surprise for him, hopefully a pleasant one.
The route we rode went over footpaths, dirt roads, rocky hillsides, and pavement.
I arranged for everyone in our party to have an hour-long trail ride at KB with a training session beforehand, which seemed about the right length to get the saddle without the sore. As it turns out, quite a few among us had never ridden a horse before. Since my youth was spent in a rural area, amply supplied with all sorts of mounts, this widespread inexperience flummoxed me but I was pleased that the greenies were finally getting a chance to give it a go.
My horse was named Dee Dee. Out of all the ponies, the wranglers loved her best.
With eleven of us in total, our company of buddies was slightly too large to all ride together. So, instead, we split into two groups with Jason joining both bands. The morning of our adventure, the temperatures were a little on the uncomfortably hot side but everyone seemed cool with that, especially the bunch of us that had shrewdly volunteered to sacrifice sleep and take the earlier of our two riding times, leaving the muggier slot for the sluggish chumps.
Our party had to be split into two riding groups due to our size. This gang was the first bunch of riders.
This descent included enough stones and dips to make it pretty interesting.
In contrast to some of the steeds I’ve straddled on trail rides before, the ponies at this ranch weren’t mechanical mounts. They had unique personalities and a zest for life, sometimes a naughty zest. One of them liked to bite the others and another, Maverick, kicked anything that strayed too close to his rear. A few tried frequently to taste the sweet grasses along the way and Lee’s horse, Howdy, decided to lay down and take a nap while Lee was still on him. Oopsies! Fortunately, Lee was not harmed. Yes, like their riders, these were an amusing bunch of animals.
Jason is definitely no expert when it comes to horses but he managed pretty well on Shiloh.
After our equine adventures, we stopped for lunch at the Spin Café in Heber. Their fries weren’t quite their usual goodness that day for some reason but their gelato did not disappoint.
Our second group consisted of Lee, Aimee, Tom, Jacob, Sara, and the birthday boy.
Life goes by faster than a yeehaw on a yardstick. One day you’re finally big enough for He-Man Underoos and the next you’re onto big-boy diapers. It all passes too quickly not to stop and ride the horses. Happy birthday Jason!
P.S. I would recommend KB Horses. They seem to treat their animals well and their guides do a great job.
Sometimes running is more than just dashing. Sometimes it’s rather brilliant.
Here we’re just starting to get our color on.
This June, Jason and I again participated in Color Me Rad, a 5K run with a high degree of dye potential. Andrew and Simone also joined us for this pigmented romp in downtown Salt Lake City.
These outlandish tints may have been largely due to team mischief.
Even smurfs don’t get much bluer than that.
Calling Color Me Rad a “run” is slightly inaccurate. Jason and I jogged it very leisurely but, from the number of people we passed, you’d think we were Olympic sprinters. Still, our “fast” pace didn’t speed us past the shading stations too quickly; we got barraged with brightness plenty. And any bits of skin that weren’t stained before the finish line our teammates made short work of thereafter.
Jason and I dispersed plenty of dye upon each other.
It was a vivid event. I’m quite glad that we colored each other rad.
Earlier this summer, Jason and I decided on a fine Sunday to go hiking. We did a little research online and uncovered some information about Storm Window Arch in Corner Canyon. The trek to this granite gap was supposed to take 2-3 hours and seemed like it’d be a fun explorative jaunt so we opted to give it a try. The instructions on how to get there appeared relatively simple and yet…
The directions we found online for reaching this arch turned out to not be so great. We made it to the correct parking lot just fine but after we started out on our own feet things got frustrating. The instructions talked about a couple of different trails in the area and it wasn’t obvious, once we were staring them down, which one we were supposed to take. We ended up wandering in all the wrong places for over an hour even though we could see our destination unmoving above us. Blast those pointless circles! It was pretty exasperating and I’m sure there were moments when my hubby wished he had gotten lost by himself instead of with me.
Storm Window Arch is located in a cluster of rocks up on the hillside so it’s easy to keep your destination in sight even if you have no idea how to get to it.
Eventually, we did manage to find a route that took us to the arch. Our final climb, about 750 feet, was on a rather sketchy path that clearly doesn’t get much use. It became little more than a hint as we neared its apex. The growth on either side of this narrow track scratched my legs frequently and I came home looking like I’d buddied up with Edward Scissorhands. Still, that vague trail got us where we wanted to go.
The arch was cool but I thought the view surrounding it was more impressive. At our end point, we were cradled in the grassy crown of two valleys. The gloss of Utah Lake was visible on one side and the dense fuzz of Corner Canyon rolled away from us on the other.
Storm Window Arch kind of just bursts out of nowhere.
It was a pretty pleasant hike, besides that whole getting lost all over the place thing. So I’m going to do my community service for the day and give those interested in going to this arch the best directions I can on how to get there. Hopefully, my instructions won’t merit the torrential downpour of cursing that those we found generated.
How to get to Storm Window Arch: I’m going to skip the directions to Corner Canyon, which is located in Draper, because you can obtain those easily online. The Orson Smith Trailhead is the Corner Canyon access point you want to use. From that parking lot take the dirt road that heads south. Unless it has been raining, most cars should be able to travel this road with slow speeds, despite its lack of asphalt. After you have been on the road for a few minutes, you will cross another road. Don’t let this intersection confuse you; just continue going the direction you have been moving on the upper road. After about a mile, you will reach a parking lot for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Keep driving up the road for roughly another mile past this first parking lot until you hit another parking lot. This is the parking lot for the Jacob’s Ladder Trail and for you. When we came, there was a locked gate blocking the road just past this parking lot but I’m not sure if that gate is always shut.
Finding the right trail from the parking lot is a little tricky. Do NOT take Jacob’s Ladder. Instead, find a little path on the north side of the parking lot that heads up the hill. Apparently, this used to be Movie Road, a thoroughfare created for the filming of Devil’s Brigade back in the ‘60s. It has been allowed to thin and deteriorate into a footpath over the years.
The vista from the arch overlooks two valleys, Utah Lake, green groves, and humanity’s sprawl.
Once on Movie Road, continue following it for a few minutes until another trail crosses your path. Do not take this intersecting trail but, instead, keep moving forward down a small steep gully to a little river. (I’m not entirely sure if this river flows year round.) Cross the river and shortly thereafter, on your left, you will see an obscure track leading up the slope. It’s very indistinct so if you find yourself doubting whether it’s the right path, then you’re probably in the right place. Head on up.
As you persist to climb on this faint course, you may find several route options available. Yes, there seems to be a number of paths created in the area but, not to worry, they all appear to lead to the same place. And, luckily, your destination is obvious so you can’t get too horribly lost. On a side note, since the trails in this stretch are so unused and narrow, you will find bushes, and their coinciding scrapes, hard to avoid. I would recommend wearing pants if you don’t want your legs to look like the web of a very active and scratchy spider when all is said and done.
Once you have reached those stone outcroppings, you will find the arch somewhere in their middle section. It isn’t apparent until you’re right on it but, never fear, you’ll stumble upon it. It’s about twenty-five feet high and four feet wide. The arch is neat but the panorama from it is more spectacular in my opinion. Enjoy!
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