Utah Places: Bingham Canyon Mine

The largest artificial hole in the earth, Bingham Canyon Mine is one of the wonders of the world, and a monument to industry. There are tours conducted on a regular basis. Some of the mining machinery is very impressive, but all is dwarfed in scale by the huge open pit excavation.

Links:
History.
Visitors Center

Utah Places: Butterfield Canyon

Another monument to mans insatiable appetite for metal ore, and an indomitable will to dominate the earth. This view is the Bingham Canyon overlook, reachable by traversing the Butterfield Canyon Road from Herriman up to the saddle, then turning north for a further short distance.

Butterfield Canyon is a lovely glen in the sprawl and squalor of cities that have sprung up across the west of the Salt Lake Valley in the last thirty years. After many years of decrepitude, the canyon was the recipient of extensive reclamation efforts by its principal property owner, the Kennecot Corporation. The area is now a show place and a delight to the eye year-round.

Bikers and peddlers love the harsh grades and switchbacks. It makes a nice picnic drive for a weekend afternoon too.

Links:

Bikers
Bikers
4wd

Utah Places: Fivemile Pass

BLM land is usually marginal as far as aesthetic value, but it is valuable for other intrinsics that are sometimes difficult to weight. The Pass area is one of those, unremarkable to the eye, but rich in history and culture.

Some links:
ATV Trails.
BLM Info- has link to a good map.

The BLM has given Fivemile Pass over to ATV use, and it shows. Prior to the ATV craze, the area was covered with mining claims, and that still is very much in evidence too. Someday, the whole mess will be cleaned up. Right now it looks like a ten thousand acre monument to wanton indulgence.

Trails crisscross the area indiscriminately leading everywhere and nowhere. Some leads can get you into trouble, like the one that looks like a thrilling leap over a deep ravine, but opens into a vertical mine shaft. Long ways down.

The steepest grade I ever drove the 4Runner on is to the north. A long hill that leads up to the ridge overlooking the Mercur Canyon mine and operations center. Climb it if you have the traction. I just made it. No problem for ATVs.

There are some spectacular high vistas, for those willing to climb. Snow lingers late this high -- don´t be surprised to find deeper drifts on the north shadowy spots into July.

Mineral mining was the big attraction in the Oquirrh Mountains to the north. For more than a hundred years copper has been mined and smelted. Plenty of other metals, like gold and silver, are also in rich supply. Try your luck high grading some rocks, you might strike the mother lode!

Rehab progress 33

Routine. That is what the workouts are approaching, much to my relief.

I have not experienced any untoward episodes in weeks. Settling down do a steady pace, I can easily crank out a half mile on the treadmill. I´m going to step things up a bit, increase the tempo and the length of my stride to cover more ground, because I think the treadmill is the best return for time spent.

I´m also covering more ground at home, walking around the yard. On Saturday, we travelled to a prospective contracting job site, South Willow Canyon, in the Stansbury Range. Part of the road was barricaded to vehicle traffic, so I hobbled on up the trail for about a mile or two. When I returned, my dad was just making motions to stir from a long nap and come to search for me. It was a long walk, but I did it - and without falling down. Not bad for a handicapped guy.

April 2009 General Conference: Faith in Adversity

Elder Rafael E.Pino of the Seventy testified of faith in adversity. He shared a number of heartbreaking incidents where faith in the Savior provided strength and comfort.

The Savior said:

"Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock—
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand—
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it" (3 Nephi 14: 24–27).

It is interesting to notice that the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew against both houses! Living the gospel does not mean that we will everlastingly escape adversity. Rather, it means that we will be prepared to face and endure adversity more confidently.

April 2009 General Conference: Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy bore testimony of his faith in Christ. He shared his witness of faith in the Savior that we can place our utmost assurance in, during these most difficult and trying times.

Elder Pearson stressed that we need to teach these principles to our children. True faith compels action and obedience to the Lord´s commandments.

Faith and fear cannot coexist. One gives way to the other. The simple fact is we all need to constantly build faith and overcome sources of destructive disbelief. Consider it this way: our net usable faith is what we have left to exercise after we subtract our sources of doubt and disbelief. You might ask yourself this question: “Is my own net faith positive or negative?” If your faith exceeds your doubt and disbelief, the answer is likely positive. If you allow doubt and disbelief to control you, the answer might be negative.

We do have a choice. We get what we focus on consistently. Because there is an opposition in all things, there are forces that erode our faith. Some are the result of Satan’s direct influence. But for others, we have no one but ourselves to blame. These stem from personal tendencies, attitudes, and habits we can learn to change. I will refer to these influences as the “Six Destructive Ds.” As I do, consider their influence on you or your children.

1. Doubt

• not a principle of the gospel.
• does not come from the Light of Christ
• does not come from the influence of the Holy Ghost.
• negative emotion related to fear.
• comes from a lack of confidence in one’s self or abilities.
• inconsistent with our divine identity as children of God.

2. Discouragement

• comes from missed expectations.
• leads to lower expectations.
• decreased effort.
• weakened desire.
• greater difficulty feeling and following the Spirit.

3. Distraction

• lack of focus.
• eliminates the very focus the eye of faith requires.
• Satan’s most effective tools.
• bad habits.

4. Lack of diligence,
reduced commitment to remain true and faithful and to carry on through despite hardship and disappointment. Disappointment is an inevitable part of life, but it need not lead to doubt, discouragement, distraction, or lack of diligence.
If not reversed, this path ultimately leads to

5. Disobedience, which undermines the very basis of faith. So often the result is disbelief, the conscious or unconscious refusal to believe.
The scriptures describe
6. Disbelief as the state of having chosen to harden one’s heart. It is to be past feeling.
These Six Destructive Ds—doubt, discouragement, distraction, lack of diligence, disobedience, and disbelief—all erode and destroy our faith. We can choose to avoid and overcome them.

Utah Places: Squaw Peak to Hobble Creek

The vistas are as picturesque as the names. Squaw Peak trail starts up from Provo Canyon and winds along the mountainside, sometimes with breathtaking views of the valley below. It eventually ends up climbing over the shoulder of Hobble Creek Canyon, descending into the Hobble Creek area through muddy farm roads. Much of the road is suited for 4wd light, but if the weather is bad, there may be deep mud holes that can swallow a station wagon.

Makes for a delightful afternoon drive if the weather is good.

Lots of little informal camping-type spots, as well as some formally maintained campgrounds that never much interested me. There is rock that is good enough to challenge any climber around several of the precipitous canyon walls that slice thier way up from Utah Valley, if you are into that sort of thing. June and July wild flowers in great profusion. Every range of ecosystem from chaparal to alpine, and everything in between. Lots of wide-open meadow lands and green grasses in summer season.

Worth a trip.

Utah Places: Pittsburgh Lake

Why would you want any place else? There is serenity and freedom in this place -- no noisy neighbors to play their rock music too loud. Just fluffy white clouds drifting by, reflected in the untroubled placid waters collected so recently from fresh snowmelt.

Access to Pittsburgh Lake basin by crossing the American Fork above Tibble Fork Reservoir. There is an old mining trail that is fairly decent for 4wd or ATV, but don´t try this without serious consideration about getting back. Take along spares, ćuz you might use them.

The 4-Runner makes it easy, but I´m not sure about Jeep types. Might like lockers -- tends to be slippery muddy in spots. If you´re boots-on-the-ground, thats okay too. It is a nice hike. As you can see from the photo, typical Wasatch unspoiled beauty.

Don´t forget some DEET. Some things come at a price. Lots of mosquitos.

Utah Places: Timpanogos Cave

Timpanogos Cave is one place that everyone should visit, at least once. The hike to get there is a short but strenuous one. Almost anyone that can walk should be able to make the trek. It is worth the exertion.

There are a lot of good links for further info...

National Park Service
Wikipedia

Utah Places: Timpanogos Front End

I´m sure most all resident of Utah have witnessed the awesome transformation. Mount Timpnogos is colored with the fiery blaze of sunset as the orange ball disappears behind the Oquirrh Mountains in the west. The backdrop of dramatic scenery is nearly wasted on hoardes of hurrying Wasatch Front residents, packed onto I-15, jamming up the freeway during rush hour. Instead of enjoying the beauty, too many are cultivating their hypertension and considering another road-rage incident on the public highway.

Up close and personal, the south and west slopes of Timp are not nearly as well developed as the traditional Mutual Dell or Timpanooke or Aspen Grove on the east or north. As it happens, there are roads, but they are not for the timid. Best suited for 4wd or ATV. Many trails lead out from the Pleasant Grove and Orem high bench areas. The lower down regions tend to be clogged with houses, but after you get by them, you´re on your own. If you venture out, you will discover there are many false leads, as well. Lots if rugged individualists have left their mark here. As a result, there are trails through the thick chapparal that lead everywhere and nowhere. Pick your course with some judicious care, and be prepared to backtrack.

Not that the lowland parks are bad. They serve their purpose well, and get lots of use. But to those few to whom the freedom of the hills beckons..

In several canyons on the west face of Timp, I have picked up many fossil specimens. Some of the canyons that run down the west face are apparently eroded through the layers of geological time, exposing the fossilized wonders of the past that were witnessed before the slopes were raised high. I won´t tell exactly where -- that would be giving away too much. But for the ambitious, they can be found, in great variety and profusion.

There is a mountain road that affords access to higher ground, accesible through Timpoonokie Campground. It is a long drive that wind around the shoulder of the mountain, eventually ending up in meadows above Pleasant Grove. A very nice place for a picnic, or just look at the wild flowers and enjoy the view. The view is unparalleled.