Autumn in Utah

I was raised at the foot of a serpentine canyon outside of Provo, Utah. Many of the youth activities I attended for my church were there in that winding passage. I've driven this canyon my whole life. As a passenger and as a pilot in many different vehicles.

I remember when a tram used to take sightseers to the top of Bridal Veil Falls and a small restaurant offered refreshments. A landslide cleared those novelties long ago and I have been witness to two other landslides there since. 

photo credit Katie Jo


The Provo river meanders between the mountains, trickling out from the Deer Creek Reservoir Dam above. As a child in elementary school, we used to practice emergency drills just in case the dam broke. In high school my friends and I would build fires at campsites and talk until sunrise or curfew; whichever came first. 

I find myself in these canyons when my heart needs reprieve. Simply being in the cradle of the mountains and the tilting of the car as I drive through the curving roads is nurturing and comforting to me. 

The canyon is magic during fall time. The lilting sway of the steering wheel as I drive through nature's spectacle of color in autumn. Trees passing by the rolled down window of my car like squares of a patchwork quilt. 

photo credit Katie Jo

This canyon was a lifeline for the indigenous tribes that once populated the area. The infamous Blackhawk wars began here. Soldier Hollow near Heber and Cascade Springs, just outside of Midway and Heber are two places known for their sacred hot springs where the first people would spend winter.

photo credit Katie Jo

Passing by the old "Tate" Barn in Charleston, you can't help but recognize the history of the land and pioneer spirit that exists here. I stroll down memory lane every time I see the landmark having taken so many family portraits there as a freelance photographer when I lived in Heber. It stands as a watch guard, overlooking Deer Creek in the distance. 

photo credit Katie Jo

                             

photo credit Katie Jo

photo credit Katie Jo

The higher you go, the air becomes crisp and fragrant, the cities are far below and the rat race of scurrying people with it. I feel grateful that I live so near the mountains and the inherent sanctuary they are. 

I can't help but have a sense of nostalgia traveling through these canyons and watch the changing seasons. Things are so different and similar as time goes by. So often I seek to travel the world and go to distant lands; and forget that sacred lands are everywhere. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Piper Stone Circle in Ireland

Image
We landed at sunrise in Dublin, just as the skyline was turning pale pink behind the coming and going airplanes. By the time the sun was cresting the distant horizon, we had loaded the mini Cooper rental car and were out of the city. Toll roads, tunnels, and bridges gave way to thick hedges that cloaked either side of narrow roads that were carved through the land before cars existed.  Our intention for the trip was to see as much as we could, visit sacred sites and the oldest pubs and bistros Ireland. Leaving the highway, we found ourselves drenched in green landscapes with stone fences flanking either side of our Cooper as we whizzed by.  We wound up and down mountains, watching as the clouds moved over the foliage the way waves move across a beach. The damp and cloudy day had a way of making all the colors of the plants and stones around us brighter and more vibrant.  Arriving at Piper's Stone Circles, you pass through a hodgepodge entry that adds charm to the experience and wal
Read more

Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah

Image
There are two places in the world most known for salt flats. Bolivia and Utah. These salt crystals are the fractal posterity of ancient oceans. Water soaked soil that bakes in the sun as crystalline gems grow and reflect.  The Salt Flats in Utah are fabled with extra terrestrial folklore- the sound of derby engines roar in the distance- reminding us that world records for land speed have been broken here.  But, for us, we gathered to connect to this sacred place, using breath and guidance. Suzanna Rose, a psychic medium channel who translates from dimensions beyond, known and unknown, was told to gather with a small circle of others. To unite in purpose in clearing out discordant energies from the world.                    photo credit Katie Jo These ancient oceans are still alive and connected to the land and water, the wisdom and consciousness of oneness- as water is one. All waves are really the ocean. All raindrops, all rivers, all misty explosions that billow from waterfalls and c
Read more

The Stone Circle and the Tree

Image
  Circles:   We live in circles. Large and small. Circles of life and circles of learning.  Circles of new beginnings and circles of endings.  Circles of death and circles of rebirth.  In these circles, we have access to the codes for healing ourselves and the world.  Through these circles, we learn to change, to become one with ourselves and one with all.  As one of our circles expands and changes, they all do.  Graphic Design Image by Katie Jo   The plane landed in Dublin, Ireland. My travel companions and I consisted of myself; my stepdaughter Keisha, Suzanna, and her husband Buck, a seasoned Vietnam war veteran. Keisha was our elected driver. We had anticipated that it would be tricky to drive on the other side of the road with a steering wheel on the right-hand side of the car- but we couldn’t have anticipated the extreme challenge of what it would take to navigate through a new city with narrow streets and one-way roads under hazy and debilitating jet lag.   We found our way to t
Read more