Utah-Idaho

When I visited Plymouth in June, I felt as though I had entered Thanksgiving Town. But if Plymouth is Thanksgiving Town, then I work in Pioneer Day Town.

And indeed, July 24 was very busy at This Is the Place. I missed the free day back in June, so July 24 was the busiest I have ever seen it as an employee. (I did go there as a guest at Christkindlmarkt. Ooh, boy...)

One thing I was excited for was that we had a mini parade down our "Main Street." The attempt was to make it similar to the first July 24 parade from 1849, so some of us men in the parade wore white crowns and white bandanas. In the original parade, the men carried copies of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. In the print shop, we print copies of the Declaration of Independence, so I brought copies for each of us to carry! That's a historical fact that I doubt they would have done if I hadn't been there. I'm glad I could contribute in a positive way!

We also had Native Americans in the parade. It's a good thing we weren't trying to recreate the 1854 parade, because they would have had to have a sign that said "We shall become a white and delightsome people." (Hey, no holiday has a flawless history.)

My boss held a BBQ for those of us on his team, and after that, I was too exhausted for fireworks. We have another holiday hiatus for a while now.

On Wednesday, I went out on a short trail run in the evening, and I took the headlamp I got for Christmas, which I haven't used until this month. 

As I was coming down in the twilight with my headlamp, I noticed something shiny on the ground. I wondered if it was mica or some other shiny, granitic mineral. But then I saw another shiny spot, so I took a closer look. I wish I had continued to believe it was mica, because that's less freaky than what it really was: spider eyes.

They were all over! And even the tiny spiders had a big shine. The biggest one I saw was like two inches long. 

Don't you love how flashlights make enormous shadows?

I'm not that freaked out by spiders, but it was a little creepy. The feeling of grass rubbing on my skin wasn't as tolerable after that.

After the holiday, the highlight of the week was going up to Idaho. My generous friend Susan invited a group of us to her homestead in Jerome for the weekend, and I just happened to have Saturday off. Everyone else (Susan, Megan, Alexa, Kierstin, Camille, Nate, Shane, Leslie, and Meleea) drove up on Friday morning, so I drove up by myself on Friday night. 

I really do like my car. I like that I can put on cruise control and not have to worry about accelerating or braking. I like that I can take it long distances, unlike "my" last car. 

As I crossed the Idaho border, I thought, "I don't really have a connection to Idaho." Then I remembered: "I lived in Idaho for nine months." Nine years ago. The good ol' 208.

On Saturday, we went to the Perrine Bridge above the Snake River. I remembered visiting the spot on August 30, 2014. 

 We got to see some parachutists jumping off. Good for them. There are plenty of things that I will never do in this life, and I'm OK with it. This is one of them.

Once we were done up there, we headed to lovely Shoshone Falls, the "Niagara Falls of the West." It was beautiful, but there were lots of people, and all you can do is look.

I hope you like basalt, because you can't get away from it in southern Idaho.

 Next we headed to nearby Dierkes Lake, where I didn't take any pictures. I was having too much fun recreating. I swam around in their designated swimming area. The lake was nice and warm, but I found swimming more difficult than in a pool. I also spent some time on a paddleboard--just on my knees, because I'm too scared to stand up.

We admired Susan's family garden, with authentic Idaho potatoes, corn, raspberries, green beens, and onions (which Susan pulled up, thinking they were weeds). (I accidentally spelled it "beens," then changed it to "beans," then changed it back to "beens" because I like it better that way.

Then we headed to a docking port on the Snake River for boating. After some boating excursions, we all got in the water. The river was much colder than the lake, but we were glad we got in.

Then this morning we attended the Jerome 2nd Ward. I was embarrassed by my friends for eating snacks during church. Guys, we are adults! (At least it wasn't sacrament meeting--or fast Sunday!) Then we dined on homegrown produce and drove back to Utah. It was a fun weekend getaway.

Being in a parade, going on a road trip with friends, and paddleboarding were all on my bucket list, so I'm glad I got to check them off this week.

And now that Pioneer Day is over, I have already begun preparing to review a candy corn product. Look for it in the coming week or two.

Pioneer Day

Since this is my blog, I can talk about whatever I want. And today, I'm going to talk about Pioneer Day!

As you might know, Pioneer Day has only been in my holiday canon since 2015, meaning that's when I began considering it a holiday season, with its own decorations, music, food, etc. But I was still aware of it, of course, throughout my life.

When I was a kid, we would light fireworks, and I don't know which of my fireworks memories are from the Fourth of July or Pioneer Day. In primary, we would sing "Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked," "Little Pioneer Children," etc. I remember one activity where we made lanterns out of tin cans. When I was ten or eleven, we had a primary activity one hot summer morning where we pulled wagons up our steep hill to a trail and open area to eat lunch. That area is now covered with houses.

One year, I remember seeing a car wash marquee in Bountiful that said "Pioneer children sang as they washed and washed and washed."

My niece was born July 22, and I remember watching Pioneer Day fireworks two days later from Primary Children's Hospital when she was in the NICU. We have often had birthday celebrations on or near Pioneer Day ever since.

Dating back to 2003 or 2004, I considered adding Pioneer Day to my official canon. But there just aren't many pioneer/Utah-themed decorations (or other things). I would frequently see Americana symbols and decorations used for Pioneer Day. But I rejected that association, because the pioneers fled the United States for Mexico. And when there aren't many acceptable symbols, it's hard to have a holiday (or at least, that's how I saw it back then).

Then flash-forward to 2012 and 2013, when I had a job at BYU Studies, an academic journal. I began hearing about nineteenth-century celebrations. And with some hints introduced to me, I reasoned, "OK, if I hear that the pioneers themselves used American flags for Pioneer Day, then I will accept them as suitable for July 24."

So, guess what I learned late in 2014?

At the first July 24 celebration in Salt Lake City in 1849, they carried American flags, fired cannons, and read the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It was a veritably patriotic celebration, even though they complained of their treatment by the government.

As for the pioneers going to Mexico--it was technically Mexico when they arrived in 1847. However, it was difficult for the Mexican government to govern and supervise the lands so far north, so it was really more of a no-man's-land. In early 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo passed the lands to the United States, so only those who arrived in 1847 were in Mexico.

Celebrations for the first decade followed essentially the same pattern as the first in 1849, but bigger and more widespread. Missionaries would even celebrate in their international fields of labor. The connection between July 4 and July 24 was not lost on its early celebrants; in 1852, Daniel H. Wells said, “Shall we forget our history? If we do, we shall be unlike our revolutionary fathers, who take great care not only to commemorate theirs, but impress upon their children every notable circumstance pertaining to the birth of Freedom. Shall we be less indifferent in regard to our early history, the more especially when the ground has drunk the blood of our friends and brethren in the boasted land of Freedom’s choice? Let it pass; WE WILL REMEMBER IT, and teach our children also, that they may know upon what sacrifices the foundation of the kingdom of our God was established upon the earth.” 

I haven't done much research yet beyond the 1850s, and I only know what I have personally seen and experienced from the 1990s to today.

Today, I do enjoy having Pioneer Day as part of my canon. I like the extension of the Fourth of July season. I like celebrating the establishment of my own dear mountain home. I am inspired when I think of the pioneers coming to a barren wasteland and making cities and a state out of nothing. It's amazing.

(Also, the next major holiday is not until Halloween, so having another summer holiday keeps my mind off of how sad that is.)

Yet even though Pioneer Day has all the trappings of a typical holiday, and I enjoy it, I still feel like it's only a half holiday.

I think this mainly has to do with the fact that it's a state holiday. You cross the border, and it doesn't mean anything. Especially since Utah doesn't have the influence of other states. 

Then there's the fact that even in Utah, a lot of people don't observe it. You have a lot of transplants from other states, who didn't grow up with it on their radar. 

In many ways, it's a churchy, Mormon holiday. Many of my young memories of the holiday revolve around church. We don't have Pioneer Day observations at school, because it's summer vacation. There are some non-Mormons who celebrate it. I think there's a substantial number of people who are just apathetic about it; they don't care that it's there, and they may or may not participate in community events just because they're a summer festival. And then there are a few of the bigots who don't think it should be a holiday, who want to ignore or rewrite Utah's history just because they dislike the religion of its historical actors. Those people aren't worth our time, and I hope they live sad, lonely lives until they become more tolerant.

Therefore, I appreciate it when celebrations focus on historical facts and events rather than just "the pioneers were Mormons, so here are some Mormon things like Book of Mormon characters and missionaries and temples that have nothing to do with nineteenth-century Utah!" 

In recent years, I've been trying to supplement my holiday celebrations with actual things to do, instead of just superficial decorations, food, and clothing. So this week I tried to do Pioneer Day things.

On Friday morning, my family left to take my nephews back to California. (I will miss them.) It was my day off, so I went off doing pioneery things. I met some old coworkers for lunch at the Lion House; I only go there because of the pioneer environment and for its seasonal desserts at other times of the year. Afterwards, I went to the Beehive House and had its formal tour. I think I was the only Mormon on the tour, and I was a little surprised (yet not really) about how churchy it was. 

Then I attended the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, and then I went to Gardner Village, which I had never been to. I was a little surprised at how non-pioneery it was and how it was entirely geared toward women.

Then I went to Bountiful's Handcart Days Parade in the evening, since my sister's house is right along the route. But my family (except my homebody dad) was all out of town, and I couldn't take my best friend, because he would meow the entire time. So I went by myself. I don't even like parades that much. I really was there for the salt water taffy, which I consider a Pioneer Day candy (as long as it's made by one of the Utah-based brands). The parade is mostly local businesses, school groups, and a few stakes. I was surprised and pleased that the stake floats weren't churchy this year, outside of a few generic (and tasteful) references to faith and journals.

Then I headed over to Bountiful City Park to check out their other festivities. I don't know that I would recommend it; it was one of those deals where you have to buy tickets and then pay for everything with tickets, which I think is a little obnoxious, though I understand it would make things faster. They also had a concert by Carmen Rasmussen-Herbert, a local American Idol contestant from 2003. (I would call her a has-been, or a never-been, but that sounds more negative than I intend.)

Today I played "The Wintry Day, Descending to Its Close" for our elders quorum opening hymn. In a few years, I doubt it will be in the hymnal anymore. We sang "Come, Come, Ye Saints" in sacrament meeting, and there were a few passing references to pioneers, but other than that, little was said about it. Is the holiday endangered, even among its primary base?

Dinosaur country

On Tuesday this week, I had an interview in Provo. And since I was already down that far south, I decided to take the opportunity to hit up two more county seats: Price (Carbon County) and Castle Dale (Emery County).

It was fun to see the coal seams in Carbon County, just part of the landscape along the road. (But I still think coal is an absolutely terrible state rock for Utah.) I stopped at Price's prehistoric museum. The last time I went there (2011), I had taken a dinosaurs class, and I was technically a geology minor, but I hadn't taken any other geology classes. I have a lot more geological training now, but it has also been more than four years since I've done anything with it. Sadly, I don't geek out about it as much as I used to. They had various fossils, mostly Cretaceous, which is a bit unusual, because most Utah fossils I've seen have been Jurassic. They had a giant clam fossil,

 some 3D-printed reconstructions,

 and a stegosaurus plate with a bite taken out of it.

 They also had a Native American display, which doesn't interest me as much. Even though I feel guilty that it doesn't interest me as much. But I can only take so many arrowheads and pottery shards, you know? This summer I have really been learning more about Native culture and history. They did have some cool Pleistocene mammal displays, too. I bought some dinosaur socks and headed out to Castle Dale.

Castle Dale has a little museum with some random items in it. It wasn't a great museum, but they also didn't charge admission, except for asking for donations. They had taxidermied native animals,

I didn't know we had ring-tailed cats in Utah!

 a few fossils,

"Trilobites first life on Earth"? Umm, no...

 some more Native American displays, and Pleistocene mammals.

Their pioneer section was under construction.

After lunch, I headed out of Castle Dale. That really is a beautiful part of the state, with all the rock layers and differential erosion. But I guess people who live there would think our part of the state is beautiful. Since I was out that far already, I decided to go to the Cleveland-Lloyd dinosaur quarry, which I had heard about but never visited.

I drove on a remote gravel road to get to the site. It cost five dollars to get in, which I was willing to pay, but I don't know if it would be worth that much for a lot of people. The visitor center didn't even have AC!

Cleveland-Lloyd had the densest collection of dinosaur fossils. But in earlier days of paleontology, they thought the bones were the only useful part. Now we recognize that the rocks and the original deposition are just as vital to understanding the fossil story. Few fossils have remained at the site, and many have been shipped to labs and museums all over the world. 

There were some trails you could wander, but I didn't have good shoes, and it was a hot day, and I still had a long drive home.

 They had a few fossils still in the ground on display, but many were replicas. It wasn't like Dinosaur National Monument in Vernal. But they were part of the Jurassic Morrison Formation, which is the same formation at DNM.

It was a fun diversion for a day off, since it's been a while since I've been absorbed in dinosaurs. Now I still have six counties and eight county seats to get to in the next two and a half months. 

On a geeky, frivolous note, I recently have been enchanted by, of all things, an Arby's commercial. When I first saw their Marketfresh Sandwiches in Summer commercial, I was instantly reminded of the Free Design, the band that sings "Kites Are Fun" (and which I have blogged about here and here).

I thought, "Surely I can't be the only one who thinks this sounds like the Free Design." So I Googled it, and it turns out it's one of their songs, which I didn't know! It's great to see this obscure band getting some attention, even if no one knows the commercial is a parody.

Bursting Fourth

Although everyone has a favorite holiday, I think every holiday is the best at something. (Except for Valentine's Day. It doesn't win at anything.)

One of my favorite things about the Fourth of July is flag-print everything. I think it's great that something as abstract as stars and stripes has such meaning--not just patriotism and America, but summer celebrations. I was delighted to wear all my flag-print stuff this week. I have flag-print baseball cap, stocking cap, shirt, ties, hoodie, shorts, suit, swimsuit, socks, shoes, and mittens. (The stocking cap and mittens don't get much use around the Fourth of July.)

This is the most outlandish thing I've ever worn to church (flag not included). And the compliments just kept coming.

Eating in my swimsuit. I'm delighted that Dairy Queen has two patriotic Blizzards this month, when they usually don't even have one. The taste of this Star-Spangled Blizzard wasn't great, but it's so over the top (literally) to put a popsicle in a Blizzard that I love it.

Zoom in on my face to see some creepy eyes. Gah!

Last Sunday, my nephews came into town. I haven't seen them since I visited in January. They have been here for Independence Day every year since 2014. I like that tradition. We always take them up to see North Salt Lake's fireworks display, and I took them up early to get shaved ice.

On the Fourth itself, I had to work. I was disappointed at first, because I haven't worked on Independence Day since I worked the swing shift in the Walmart deli back in 2007. That was the worst Fourth of July of my life.

But I was working in the print shop at This Is the Place, where we've been printing the Declaration of Independence, the exact reason we celebrate July 4. As I looked over my handiwork, while the costumed Sons of the American Revolution played "Yankee Doodle" on fife and drum outside, I realized that was the most appropriate thing I could possibly be doing on Independence Day in the state of Utah. I was literally making the Fourth of July.

See? "July 4, 1776."

My family came to visit me at the park. We expected it to be very busy that day, but it wasn't busy at all; it was just like an ordinary day.

I don't have my own posterity, so these guys are what I have instead. I want them to grow up to be like me.

 I came home and made cherry chocolate tarts. They're not much to look at, but they taste amazing.

Even our matching cars got in the patriotic spirit.

Then I took my nephews to get fireworks and light them at my sister's house, and we lit them again on the fifth. I'm not sure how I feel about fireworks. I loved them as a kid, but I don't get the same kind of excitement out of them as I once did. I mostly like them because they're what you do for the Fourth of July (and Pioneer Day and New Year's Eve). For one thing, I worry about the fire hazard. I can't believe that Utah legalized aerial fireworks in 2011, and that they still are legal, even as they've reduced the discharge days. (If you break firework laws, you are an entitled jerk, and I hope you get a hefty fine, so that you go broke and it ruins your Christmas. If you think that's harsh, would you rather have me wish their house burns down?) My second concern of fireworks is the environmental one. All that litter falls from the sky (and sits in the street), and smoke fills the air. I'm a semi-tree hugger, so I worry about that kind of stuff. Oh well.

Overall, it was a pleasant day. It wasn't a perfect holiday, but I've definitely had worse.

Fortunately, flag prints and red, white, and blue aren't over yet, now that I formally celebrate Pioneer Day. 

People often ask, "Why do we have American flags for Pioneer Day? It was Mexico when they got here." Well, it technically was Mexican territory when the first pioneers arrived in 1847, but in early 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo gave the land to the U.S. The first July 24 celebration in 1849 (and thereafter) was basically Independence Day, with American flags and readings of the Declaration of Independence. If the pioneers themselves used American flags for Pioneer Day, we should too. Also, there are American flags on our Utah state flag.

There have been times where I started thinking about Halloween on July 5. But thanks to Pioneer Day, not anymore!

Those other interests

In last week's travelogue, I talked about, or at least mentioned or alluded to, many of my great interests: Thanksgiving and other holidays, holiday foods, nineteenth-century history, horrible 1960s sitcoms, rocks, prehistoric creatures, walruses, French, Lady Gaga.

So this week should cover pretty much all my other interests: summer fruit, unusual recipes, cats, goathead eradication, county seats, trail running, wildflowers.

When we left on vacation, I was worried that we would miss the window for fresh cherries from my sister's tree. But we got home in time to catch the tail end! I was delighted to go pick some. I just love fruit season: the cherries of June, the apricots of July, the plums of August, the grapes of September, and the apples of October. Our crops are looking good for all those fruits.

My mom and I spent about three hours pitting more than fifty cups of cherries. I got a new cherry pitter that is fast, but unfortunately it leaves some pits in. I worry we will choke or break our teeth on a pit. But it's better than pitting by hand! I used the cherries to make salsa and crisp. Cherry salsa is one of my favorite things to make. I shared some, and one person told me he liked it better than regular salsa, and he doesn't even like fruit salsa.

Next stop: Apricots!

I've seen a few thistle plants growing. I find them interesting, so I must be Scottish.

Tuesday was my day off. Before we left on vacation, I noticed that Jimmy the cat was missing another tooth. When we adopted him in October, he was already missing one of his lower canines. Now he's missing the upper canine on the same side.

I pulled out a kennel we inherited from my dog-loving sister, and I shined a laser into it. Jimmy chased it into the cage, and I closed the door behind him. He did not like that, and he made the saddest meows all the way to the vet. The vet looked at him and said we shouldn't worry about him too much; his quality of life will not go down with missing teeth. They gave us antibiotics for the hole in his mouth, but I don't see how we can possibly give it to him.

He didn't like going to the vet, but he's quick to forgive and is back to his affectionate, though sometimes bipolar, self.

I found him "mentioned" in a book this week. "Certain diminutives."

The vet time took less time than expected, so I used the opportunity to visit some more county seats.

I planned to go to Randolph, but then I realized that it wouldn't add that much more time to hit Logan as well. And then I realized Ogden was on the way too.

First I stopped at the Ogden Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum. Their museum was an old Relief Society hall that was physically relocated in 2013. I had fun looking at the old artifacts, including a silk dress made during the sericulture industry of the 1870s.

 After I had been looking for a bit, the DUP members noticed me, and then they wouldn't let me look at the museum on my own. Is that some policy or something? I was a little annoyed; I wanted to go at my own pace, and one of them was reading the interpretive signs to me. Um, I can read. But they were very nice. And they were selling a hardbound book, Beneath Ben Lomond's Peak, for only $2.50! So I bought a copy.

This was an original handcart found in an antique shop in Iowa. It's believed to have been returned to Iowa on one of the missionary journeys.

Then I drove up to Logan and visited their DUP museum, which wasn't as impressive.

These sleigh bells belonged to Joseph Smith. Or so the sign says. I'm a bit skeptical of relics.

I also stopped at the Logan Tabernacle, which was open to tours.

All decked out for the Fourth of July!

Once I was done in Logan, I drove up to Randolph. I drove past Bear Lake, but I didn't stop at all, because I had no need to. It is a lovely lake. It took a while to get to Randolph, due to slow semis and construction.

I drove through Randolph last summer on my way to Wyoming for the eclipse, and I saw a sign advertising the "smallest store in Utah." So I wanted to go shopping there! But it was closed, with no signs of it being open at all recently.

I stopped by the Randolph Ward's beautiful building.

Then I stopped at Wilford Woodruff's cabin, which doubles as a site for visitor info.

They had a platen press out in the middle of the park, susceptible to birds and weather.

Then I headed home through Evanston. I didn't expect to go to another state again so soon after New England.

On Wednesday we found a dead deer in our yard. And DWR still hasn't picked it up. 

This week, I was annoyed with tourists playing with things in the print shop at work, so I created a makeshift sign. It's not great, but I made it from scratch.

On Friday, I took advantage of the cooler temps to run up North Canyon, which is becoming almost too easy for me, but it's convenient. It was the first time I had been there on a June evening (as opposed to a June morning), and it's been about a month since I was there. I was surprised how different it looked with all the tall, green plants. And I was shocked to see a pool of water in the road, which was not there at all last time! I heard about a rough hailstorm while we were on vacation, so maybe that did it? Or maybe it's for erosion control, since that part of the road is in horrible shape?

I haven't been able to identify this orange flower, though I'm thinking it's a species of paintbrush.

 When I got to Rudy's Flat, I was happy to see an American flag. (I'm really only patriotic because of the Fourth of July. Sorry.) I liked to think it was for the Fourth of July, but I guessed it was for one of the scout groups camping up there. I headed down, and I passed a guy with a tiny American flag in his pocket. I said, "I like your flag," and he said, "Which one?" He was the one who erected the flag. I asked him if it was for the Fourth, and he said, "Just for July." So it is for Independence Day and Pioneer Day! I just love it when my extreme love of holidays collides with my (smaller) love of trail running.

June is my official month for trying to eradicate goatheads, the evil plant I love to hate. I found a huge patch in someone's yard, but I feel weird hanging out in a stranger's yard. So I found some more at a gas station. Eradication season has officially ended (the plants get too dangerous later in the summer), but I still might try to pull some.

This post has been a little scattered. But you get what you pay for! ;)