Fifteen miles

Yay fall! I have been able to hit the trails most days this week, and the leaves are really improving, but I'm hoping for even more leaf vibrancy in the next few weeks.

On the Wild Rose/Chukar Loop, I saw an actively moving tarantula, which was fun. It wasn't afraid of me and even came toward me. Over the last eight years of trail running, I have seen tarantulas, rattlesnakes, other snakes, deer, coyote, lizards, squirrels, and horny "toads." 

But I didn't run on Friday night, because I was attending a birthday open house for my old boss from when I worked at the Church History Department before. He got back from serving as mission president in July, so it was fun to see him again (I hadn't talked to him in person since before he left). But it was especially fun because my supervisor from BYU Studies, back in 2012 to 2014, also was there, so it was fun to catch up with her. I was able to share some of the things I have learned about Pioneer Day. She had nice things to say about my work. I also talked to a few other people as well, people I knew and people I just met. I'm not good at forming professional relationships, so it was a good opportunity for me.

My highlight was my Saturday run. I had thought of running the thirteen-mile run that I like to do a few times per year, where I run up North Canyon to Rudy's Flat, down to Elephant Rock, then back to Rudy's and down North Canyon. As I got close to Rudy's, I didn't think I felt up to the full thirteen miles. But I remembered there was a new trail lower in North Canyon, so I thought if I had the energy when I got to the new trail, I would check it out.

Well, when I got to the new trail, I did feel up to it. I hadn't been on it before, and I didn't know if it was even completed yet. But somehow, I had the energy to follow it all the way into Mueller Park! This new trail was relatively easy, and my total run was more than fifteen miles! That is the longest run I have ever done! And the best part is that I wasn't even totally exhausted. Yes, I was tired, but I probably could have run even more. I'm very pleased with the shape I'm in. But also, I'm so glad that now there's a loop between the two canyons. Now I won't always have to choose between the two. This might change my running routine and encourage me to go on longer runs on a regular basis.

So my pace isn't the greatest, but I took some snack and bathroom breaks

What a wonderful time of the year!

***

Time for pumpkinundation roundup!

This Cold Stone Creamery Apple of My Pumpkin Pie Creation was my reward for my fifteen-mile run. The ice cream is pumpkin bread batter, and it has apple pie filling, pie crust, and nuts. It was a nice mélange of fall flavors. I thought there were too many mix-ins, but that's probably because of the way I was feeling at the time. 8/10.

I'm not a huge fan of yogurt, so I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this Oui by Yoplait Pumpkin Caramel Whole Milk French Style Yogurt. I tasted the caramel, but it also had nice pumpkin vibes. 8/10.

I didn't notice much of a pumpkin spice flavor while I was eating the Lenny & Larry's Pumpkin Spice Complete Cookie, but after I ate it, I could keep tasting the spices. 7/10.

I like Veggie Straws, but the Sensible Portions Apple Straws are not as good. They taste just like Taco Bell cinnamon twists but with an apple flavor. 6/10.

I was mildly chilled after the outdoor birthday party, so I was in the mood for a Maverik Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa, which was delightful. 8/10.

And I also really enjoyed the Maverik Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie. Most pumpkin cookies are cakey, but this was more like a regular chocolate chip cookie. 8/10.

I was unsure about the Good & Gather Honey Pumpkin Goat Cheese Ravioli, because I'm picky when it comes to cheese. But I liked it! It has pumpkin and spices, and the cheese is not gross. 7/10.

The Cutler's Iced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie is typical. I enjoyed the frosting on this one. 7/10.

The Goldfish Dunkin' Pumpkin Spice Grahams seem like a random combo. They're less sweet than I expected, which is fine, but they don't really taste much like pumpkin or donuts to me, even though pumpkin is in the ingredients list. But "spice" and "graham" are accurate flavor descriptions. 6/10.

Remember the turkey dinner candy corn? This year there's Brach's Tailgate Candy Corn. The flavors are fruit punch, vanilla ice cream, hot dog, hamburger, and popcorn. This mix is better than the turkey dinner mix. The fruit punch (pink and red) has a generically fruity flavor. The vanilla ice cream (off white) is generically sweet. Hot dog (pink and tan) does taste oddly like hot dog. It's weird but not necessarily gross. Hamburger (red and tan) is the grossest, but it's not horrible. And popcorn (tans) has a vaguely butter flavor; I had a hard time figuring out which was vanilla and which was popcorn. This is an experience, but it's not as good as the Taco Truck jelly beans. 5/10.

I got this Good Housekeeping Apple Cinnamon Cider hand sanitizer two years ago (remember when everything was remote?). It doesn't smell like cider at all. 3/10.

Fall-nally

I'm so glad the summer has finally released its fiery grip and it began to feel (and even look) like fall. Now that it's not so hot, I've been able to do more evening trail runs, which I love.

I'm starting the Halloween season, so I had to gather all my Halloween Squishmallows for a family photo:

On Friday night, I went with my parents and aunt to see the Lower Lights at the Sandy Amphitheater. They haven't played a non-Christmas show since 2018 (which I attended) and a Christmas show since 2019 (which I also attended). I was not impressed with the parking lot of the Sandy Amphitheater and the fact that there was not a crosswalk directly outside. But the Lower Lights put on a good show. They have been around since 2009/2010, and there have been some personnel changes, especially since a lot of the band members have moved away. I'm excited to see them again at Christmas.

Saturday, I decided to run on the new portion of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail that runs between the Summerwood neighborhood and North Canyon, because it wasn't completed the other times I've been there. It was pretty, but I also found it kind of boring and repetitive. The portion of the trail was eight miles round trip, and I only climbed 787 feet. I climb twice that amount when I go up North Canyon, and that's only seven miles round trip. I think it's better for mountain bikers. The autumn colors have been later this year than usual, and so far they're pretty muted, but we'll see what happens as the season progresses.

Where BST breaks off of North Canyon

Then last night, I picked grapes from our vines for grape juice. That's one of those traditions that marks the beginning of fall, and I love it.

We also had a cantaloupe from our garden. It was a little underripe, but it also had a soft spot and might have spoiled if it stayed on the vine.

We're in my favorite time of year now!

***

Speaking of my favorite time of year, time for the first installment of pumpkinundation roundup for 2022! For any newcomers, every fall I document all the pumpkin, caramel apple, candy corn, and other fall flavors I encounter. It's not a healthy habit, but it is fun!

Not food, but I did buy an academic history book called Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon. It seemed like the kind of book I need to have. But I haven't read it yet, because I've been reading lots of other books lately.

Trader Joe's Apple Cider Donuts have a nice cinnamon coating. I enjoy them, but I've had better. 7/10.

This pumpkin muffin supposedly came from Costco. It's a passable muffin. 7/10.

A lot of apple products have a weird taste and texture from the dried apples, but this Good & Gather Caramel Apple Granola is better than most. It was tasty granola, but I don't know if it was that reminiscent of caramel apples. 7/10.

I don't understand why the Lenny & Larry's Caramel Apple Complete Cookie packaging uses snowflakes and holly on the packaging for a flavor that is clearly for the fall. These cookies are a little weird anyway, but this one used an artificial apple flavor that I expected from candy, like a muted Jolly Rancher. 6/10.

Favorite Day Caramel Apple Bourbon has too many pretzel bits, or at least it did at the top of the bag, and there was a bit of a weird flavor. I guess bourbon is not part of my Mormon palate. 6/10.

Favorite Day Candy Corn Crunch is a more traditional trail mix with candy corn mixed in. Candy corn always works well with peanuts. 7/10.

I love those Tootsie Fruit Chews, so I was happy to see these new Tootsie Roll Harvest Chews. There are four flavors: cinnamon (6/10), caramel apple (6/10), candy corn (7/10), and pumpkin spice (6/10). I didn't like them as much as I expected, but I'm glad they exist.

This Sprouts Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter has been in the fridge since last year. It has a nice flavor, but I don't like the thick texture of almond butter, and this almond butter separates easily. 6/10.

Sweet Chaos Pumpkin Spice Drizzled Popcorn has the delightful spices with a wonderful sweet frosting. I could have eaten this bag in one sitting. 8/10.

I formally reviewed this Brach's Funfetti Candy Corn, which does taste like cake frosting, which isn't that different than regular candy corn. 7/10. 

Last year, I bought this clearance Beloved Apple & Cinnamon Bark Shower & Bath Gel. I used it in the shower, and I know you're all disappointed that I didn't take a picture while I was actually using it. I guess it's more of a girly thing, but it's fun. 7/10.

But the Beloved Pumpkin & Tonka Shower & Bath Gel seemed to have a stronger fragrance. 8/10. 

Pumpkin Spice RxBar is a little weird, but good enough. It has pleasant spices. 7/10. 

I've had Nature's Bakery Pumpkin Spice Fig Bars in my cupboard since last fall. I don't think they're super pumpkiny, but they're fine as fig bars. 7/10.

I didn't have any Pumpkin Spice Cheerios last year (I think because of supply chain issues), so I was happy to get it this year. It has an enjoyable pumpkin and spice flavor. 9/10.

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Candy Corn Apple is just a plain caramel apple with candy corn on it. Thankfully, I can tell it's Brach's candy corn, which is the best brand. As you might expect, it's very sweet and not super exciting, but caramel apples are still good. 7/10.

I didn't like the Kodiak Cakes Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Muffin Power Cup as much this time. Maybe I didn't put in the right amount of milk, or maybe it's because it's expired, but it was OK. 7/10.

Kellogg's Pumpkin Pie Spice Frosted Mini Wheats is Frosted Mini Wheats with spices. It's not pumpkin, just spice. It's nice enough, but not amazing. 6/10.

I really like Special K Pumpkin Spice, which is Special K flakes with clusters coated in pumpkin spice–flavored yogurt. I like it. 8/10.

Kettle Brand Apple Cider Vinegar Potato Chips are more sour than most vinegar chips, and there really isn't any apple flavor. But with all the sugar I eat, sometimes I need something salty. 6/10.

I bought these CVS Health Pumpkin Spice Cough Drops several years ago, but I don't usually need cough drops, so I was able to use some for post-COVID coughs. 7/10.

This Great Value Candy Corn Flavored Syrup is kind of boring, but candy corn doesn't really have much of a flavor. The syrup has glittery stuff in it, but I don't understand the connection with candy corn. 6/10.

I made these Great Value Pumpkin Spice Pancakes last year, but this year I put grated yellow squash in them. That made the batter too watery, so I had to put in some whole-wheat flour. They were fine. 7/10.

I love monthly cookie flavors, so one of them was Twisted Sugar Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie. They all taste the same. 7/10.

Their other monthly flavor is the Twisted Sugar Cornbread Cookie. The frosting has a strong honey flavor, which goes well with cornbread, but the cookie itself doesn't taste much like cornbread. 6/10.

I formally reviewed the Hostess Iced Pumpkin CupCakes three years ago, and I really like them for their pumpkin and cinnamon flavors. 8/10.

A couple of weeks ago I tried the Crumbl Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie, even though it was before the season officially began, since it was only that week. Theirs is pretty typical. 7/10.