Friends, mules, countrymen, lend me your ears.

I have been actively crossing things off of my bucket list. This week it was Spiral Jetty!

Um, I don't really know what to say about it. I had the day off on Thursday, so after my mom and sister got off of work, we picked up my niece and all drove up to Box Elder County to see the spiral. It was fifteen miles past Golden Spike on a gravel road.

It was smaller than I expected, but I was glad, because it meant I could see all of it. I worried it would be much larger and it would be hard to tell what it was.

I ran up a nearby hill for a better view.

 I was glad it was dried out so I could walk on it. I followed it the entire spiral.

An olivine-rich basalt rock!

 Though it was mostly dry, there were a few salty puddles. I ate a piece of the salt. It was salty.

I like the spiral design on the interpretive sign.

I accidentally stepped in a salty puddle. Good thing I retired these running shoes!

Then we ate dinner in Brigham City, because I've never been there, and it would be nice to visit all the county seats.

The rest of the week wasn't super eventful. Except that mulesears are out in full abundance. Last week I said, "Give it a week or two, and this meadow will be jaw-droppingly fabulous." And I was absolutely right.

I think this is Wasatch penstemon.

I couldn't get away from mulesears if I wanted to.

Of course, we can't forget our old friend Sticky Geranium.

Such beauty from arrowleaf balsamroot, common paintbrush, and penstemon. I can't even.

Arrowleaf balsamroot on the left and mulesears on the right. 🎵"But they're cousins, identical cousins all the way! One pair of matching bookends, different as night and day."🎶

Can something this pretty really be a noxious weed?

It sure was nice of all those mules to donate their ears to the foothills.

I don't really get a Memorial Day weekend, since I have to work. It will be the first time I have ever worked on Memorial Day. But it should be a fun day. This is one of my favorite weekends of the year (after Thanksgiving, of course).

Flowers and kittens🌼😻

I had some plans to go see some great new trails and places this week, but various circumstances prevented that from happening.

However, I did go to BYU on Thursday for an interview. It's a little strange to walk on campus and realize that my most recent memory there as a student was more than four years ago, and some memories go back eight years. I would say it was my first time there with a beard, but that's not true: I sported a beard for my two-week field studies class in 2013, and I had one a couple weeks after I graduated (but still lived in Provo). I stopped at the Provo City Center Temple, my first time there (though I did attend a concert in the Provo Tabernacle in 2010).

Provo certainly isn't that exotic, but the beauty of May can make me think, "Am I still in Utah?!" Even if I'm in my regular places.

This is along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in North Salt Lake before the radio towers. There's an entire field of Palmer's penstemon. This flower is stunning not only for the way it covers a meadow, but also for the strong, lovely fragrance wafting in the air.

 It's especially stunning when arrowleaf balsamroot mixes with it.

Purple Palmer's penstemon and yellow yarrowleaf yalsamroot.

 There are frequently people taking engagement or family pictures along the trail, and on this evening I counted at least six groups. It was a lovely evening for it. One of my pet peeves with that is when the photographer is on one side of the trail, and the couple is on the other side. Why don't you both get on the same side, then people won't be cutting through? There was none of that this time, but there was one photog taking pictures of the couple walking along the trail, and she asked me and a hiker to hold on while she took her shots. I'll admit I was annoyed.

Even ugly vacant lots are lovely in May.

At work, I have seen a feral black cat on a few occasions. This week, some other employees told me that the cat had three kittens. You all know how I feel about cats, so I had to take a look. They thought the kittens might be half bobcat, but that seems like a stretch to me. Usually two of the kittens hang out with their mom, while a third hides in the shrubs, but I think it's a different kitten hiding each time I've looked. It was tempting to pick one up, but I didn't want to terrify them; they were already hissing at me. There's something hilariously adorable about a tiny kitten trying to be ferocious.

You can see three sets of eyes in this picture.

One of my favorite trails when I don't have much time is the local Woodbriar Trail, because it's very steep, so it's good exercise in a short amount of time. It's less popular, but it is stunningly beautiful. It has its share of arrowleaf balsamroot now,

 as well as western waterleaf,  tufted evening primrose, and Utah sweetpea.

 Arrowleaf balsamroot's doppelganger, mulesears, are starting to make their appearance. Give it a week or two, and this meadow will be jaw-droppingly fabulous.

On Friday night, I ran up to my old standby of North Canyon. It's been a while since I've done an evening run there, and it was actually the first time I've ever made it all the way to Rudy's Flat in the evening. It had its share of Oregon grape,

 another look-alike to arrowleaf balsamroot that I haven't identified,

 arrowleaf balsamroot itself,

 blossoming trees I haven't identified,

 smallflower woodlandstar,

Sorry for the bluriness.

 caterpillars,

Morning runs are more convenient, but evening runs are more beautiful.

 mountain bluebell,

 and heartleaf arnica.

These are blossoms on an apple tree at the actual trailhead (not the dirt road).

I have less than two weeks left in May, so I hope to enjoy more of it while I have it.

Train and tri

May hasn't been my favorite month, mostly because there aren't any major holidays. But I've increasingly come to realize how amazing it is.

Everything is in bloom. You have longleaf phlox,

 arrowleaf balsamroot,

 tufted evening primrose,

These are some of the most gorgeous wildflowers out there.

and Utah sweetpea.

At work (ICYMI: This Is the Place Heritage Park) this week, I had to teach field trip classes in the print shop. It was the first time I had done so. It was OK. I could have done better, but I don't have to be perfect my first time.

On Wednesday, I was stationed in the telegraph office when a guest mentioned he had seen a snake nearby. It's our policy to stay with the snake until someone can come and remove it, but my boss said it wasn't poisonous, so not to worry, because everyone was too busy getting ready for Train Day.

What is Train Day, you ask? It marks the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869. I've thought that there are three possible days that could be Utah's state holiday: Pioneer Day (July 24, though July 22 would also be a perfectly acceptable date, perhaps even better), Train Day, or Statehood Day (January 4). It's hard to think of a worse date for a holiday than January 4, so forget that. May 10 is a wonderful day for a holiday, but it's more of a nationally important holiday, not just Utah, so Pioneer Day really is the best option.

But TITP still held a big event. Admission was discounted, and the park was open until 8 p.m., which meant a long day for me. They had reenactments of the driving of the golden spike, and they shot the cannon (a nineteenth-century means of celebration).

 There were interesting folks there that day. There was one man who wore a hat with dog ears on it, and he was wearing a large dog collar with a chain that went down his shirt. He walked into the bank (where I was working) and said "Salutations!" He was excited about everything, like a dog is.

In the bank, kids bring me the "gold" (pyrite) they pan for, and I measure it with an old-fashioned scale. Then we have a chart that shows what gold was worth in 1868. But I find that if I tell some kid, "This much gold was worth three dollars in the 1860s," it doesn't mean anything to them. It doesn't mean anything to me. So I decided to make a chart showing what gold is worth today; I worked on it while no one was in the bank. My boss seemed impressed and wanted to ask someone else to type it up so it would be easier to read.

On Friday, I observed field trips in the saddle shop, where they talk about leather. My coworker was showing leather from different animals and having the kids (fourth grade, I think) guess what they were. When he showed pig, he said, "Some of you might have had this for breakfast," and one said, "Pancakes!" When he showed the kangaroo, he asked, "What is the land down under?" and a girl said, "Sewage!" But after the field trips, they sent us home early because of the rain.

I didn't work on Saturday because I had a triathlon! Last year, I learned about the South Davis Rec Center's Splash-N-Sprint triathlon, where they do a sprint division and a novice division. I thought, "Wow, I could totally do the novice distance. I might have to do this."

But this year, when I looked at it again, and after I had been doing more recreational biking, I thought, "Wow, I could totally do the sprint distance, as long as I practice swimming." So, while I was unemployed, I got a pool pass and made it to the rec center, especially when the weather was bad.

I did not sleep well Friday night. I never, ever sleep well before a race, and I always have weird dreams about it. This time I dreamed that I had gone to Scotland for the race, and I was staying in a weird resort up a steep hill.

Anyway, after a poor night's sleep, I made it to the rec center and got my packet. My race number was #319, "Ye Elders of Israel."

🎶"Ye elders of Israel, come race now with me..."🎵

The swimming was first, and it was 350 yards, or 14 laps. A friend had told me that the swimming was not fun, because there were tons of people in the pool. But I actually found all the people to make it exhilarating and motivating. My swim time was 10:28, which isn't great. But that includes the time it took to go from the pool to the transition area, and during my practice, I never did that distance in less than 10:30, so I blew my regular speed out of the water. (Get it? Pool? Water?)

Then it was time for the bike, which was 12 miles. It was drizzling when I got out of the pool, but I was already wet and refreshed, so I didn't feel like wearing the jacket I had brought. The bike didn't go so well, since I have a mountain bike and not a road bike--not because I'm a mountain biker, but because I'm a non-biker. (It's a long, boring story why I have a mountain bike.) I got passed left and right. (Well, actually, I only got passed on the left.) It began raining harder during the biking, and my hands got frozen. By the time I started my run, I could barely move them. 

I did wear gloves for the run, which was about three and a quarter miles. That's a short run for me, so no big deal. I passed many people, including those who passed me during the biking. I ran faster than I usually do, mostly because I usually run on hills, and this was flat. It was a little hard for me to see, due to all the rain on my glasses. I almost missed my parents cheering for me near the finish line.

My overall finish was 170/241. I got 16/17 for my age division. Not great, but I mostly attribute it to the mountain bike. (Also, my derailleur doesn't quite work, even though I just got my bike "fixed." I'll have to go back.) I didn't do great on the swimming either, but again, it was way faster than I have ever done. But my run was 55/245, so top quartile. I'm good with that.

Overall, it was a really fun experience. I wondered if it didn't really count as a worthwhile triathlon, but I know that some of the people who did it are serious athletes. If they did it, it can't be that plebeian, right? I haven't yet committed to doing another one--but it's more likely that I will than that I won't.

In March, I was released as executive secretary in my YSA ward, and last month I was called as an elders quorum instructor. I haven't had a teaching calling since nursery in 2007. Today was my first lesson, based on President Nelson's talk "Ministering with the Power and Authority of God." I led discussions about how you serve, not where you serve; priesthood blessings versus prayers; and ministering as a principle instead of as a program. At the end, I did an activity to put the home teaching/ministering shift into a larger context of continuing revelation and asked people to name off examples of discontinued programs and practices in the Church. Our second counselor said, "Boy Scouts"--and then followed it with, "[Discontinuing it was] the best Mother's Day gift ever given." This apostate scout agrees.