We were over at my brother Ryan’s house Sunday and I mentioned something about Utah that was nice and he said, “Sure! You’ll say that here, but do you post that kind of stuff on your blog???” It made me realize that most of the posts about Utah are pointing out some weird quirks or things that we aren’t fans of. This really isn’t fair to Utah because it’s actually been very good to us. Therefore, I would like to apologize for presenting a lopsided picture of Utah, and for the next few posts I’m going to try to post of the things that make Utah great. Some of the things are pretty obvious to us, which is probably why I never thought to post on them before. Lest you think that Utah is just a desert with lots of marshmallows, large trucks and people who can’t park, though, here goes with reason number one:

The Mountains

Utah mountains are beautiful, and huge. They provide a beautiful backdrop to nearly everything outdoors, and they provide recreation as well. Skiiers from all over rave about the deep powder that the ski resorts get. Hikers enjoy the many trails, tall peaks and commanding views. There are trails of varying difficulties for just about every type of hiker. The mountains even help with navigation when you are driving – as long as you can remember what direction they are. Throughout the year, the mountain scenery changes, too. In the winter they are covered with snow, and in the fall they are the familiar brown color, but I never knew until we lived here in a spring that they can be very green in the spring rainy season. Spring is also when there are wildflowers in bloom, adding further to the scenery. In all, whether you are a skiier, a hiker, or just want to drive up some moutain roads, the mountains are part of what makes Utah a great place to live.

Last summer we brought you exciting installments of Monster Truck of the Week, but this summer we wanted to do something different. It’s not that there aren’t plenty of monster trucks around, but sometimes the types of people who drive the most awesome monster trucks are also people that you don’t want to tick off by taking a picture of them on the sly. We thought we’d do a safer series this year that we will call, “Utahns Can’t Park.” Ever since we’ve moved here we’ve noticed horrific parking jobs that deserve being shared with others, so we are going to document them and post our favorites. Such this one:

We call it, “The Faceoff”

When the weather warms up in Utah, these little shacks start popping up in empty parking lots all over the place. When Devon and I first noticed them we drove by a few to see what they were, and they all said the sold shaved ice. We couldn’t understand what the heck would warrant so many shaved ice places since we’ve both had sno-cones before and they aren’t that great. Finally at the end of last season we broke down and decided to try one. They’re amazing! It’s not the cone full of ice granules we were expecting at all. It’s this light, fluffy ice almost like snow that melts in your mouth. The stand we went to had cool flavors, like guava and mango. We were so sad it took us so long to try it. They’re back again this year, and we’re not waiting until the end of the summer this time.

Yum

 The Twin Cities area has squirrels everywhere. Everywhere. You can hardly go outside without spotting one somewhere, scuttling along the top of a fence or scrambling up a tree. Utah has their own version of squirrels. They call them deer. They may not be as numerous as the squirrels in Minnesota, but they make up for it by being more annoying. They like to lurk on the side of the road waiting for the point when you say, “Wow, that’s a group of really large dogs.” and they they trot out in front of your car, forcing you to slam on your brakes. They walk tracks all over the lawn in the winter and in the spring they especially like to eat all your favorite perennials. That might be why I’m particularly annoyed at them right now. Actually, that’s EXACTLY the reason why I’m annoyed at them right now. All the pretty little perennials that I planted last year and rejoiced over when I saw them coming up earlier this month were chomped down to stubs by the deer last week. And in case you are thinking, “Why are you so upset? Think of Bambi. They are still beautiful, majestic animals, aren’t they?” I’d have to show you this:

Cute? No. Mangy and creepy looking? Yes. And eerily close to the house in large groups? (This was taken from the kitchen window.) Yes. Not much to really like there.