My Monday Memo

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The Power of Walking Away

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” Life itself is a privilege, but to live life to the fullest, well, that is a choice.”

–  Andy Andrews, American author

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Living Life & Feeling FULL

Let’s catch up on last Sunday…

Last week on Sunday, along with friends, Ahna and Sam, Rachel hiked Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City, Utah. A sunrise hike. Rachel has hiked this one before and knew it would be fun for novice hikes. In total, the hike is .9 of a mile, roundtrip. They even had an encounter with a coyote on their way down the trail. After surviving the coyote encounter, the gals headed to Penny Ann’s Cafe for brunch.

_{Pictured above, left to right, Ahna, Sam and Rachel on Ensign Peak at sunrise.}

Of note, this innocent little coyote didn’t cause the trio any problems. He simply observed and retreated into the brush.

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a few fun add-ons

A Jog in Prickwillow, England

Rachel was excited last week when Blake shared pictures from a jog near his home in England. He explained that he was wearing a 40-pound weighted vest and his jog turned into a walk halfway through making it a prime time for photo taking.

Rachel knows firsthand that Prickwillow is a lovely place and Blake has been lucky to experience life in this small, historic village. Be sure your sound is up for the below video; you will hear Blake talking to the cows and trying to get their attention as one would a cat.

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Wild about Wacky Weila

It’s hard to believe that Weila is already 15 months old. She continues to be more and more entertaining.

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Check this out

Sunrise at Strawberry Reservoir

It was Thursday evening when Rachel was enjoying a quick scroll on Instagram and came across a local giving advice on things to do in Utah this week. The one that stuck out to Rachel was the Kokanee Salmon Run.

Photo shared from wildlife.utah.gov.

A few minutes of research led her to Strawberry Reservoir as one of the best spots for viewing. This would be a 72-mile drive southeast from Salt Lake City and a bit of an elevation gain (from 4,396 to 7,656 feet).

Rached decided immediately that this adventure would take place Friday morning and would be a sunrise adventure. You see, to view these salmon, there was an urgency to the timing. Oh, the joys of making her own schedule.

Straight from Utah Wildlife News: “Salt Lake City — Autumn brings a lot of beautiful colors to Utah’s landscape, and driving to see the leaves change color is a popular activity for many locals. However, trees aren’t the only things that turn a brilliant shade of red in the fall in Utah — kokanee salmon do as well.

In September and early October, kokanee salmon — which are a shade of silver most of the year — change to a bright red before they travel up rivers and streams to spawn. Their red color makes the fish easy to spot in the waters where they lay their eggs. The males also acquire humped backs, hooked jaws and elongated teeth during their spawning transformation.”

Click the link below to learn more.

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

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First, let’s enjoy sunrise

When Rachel arrived at Strawberry Reservoir, located in the Uinta National Forest, she parked at Chicken Creek, the most northernly day use area. She was amazed at the size of the reservoir, which is also good for paddle boarding, yay.

This adventure reminded her so much of her adventures on the beaches of Washington. Well, minus the jellyfish, starfish, anemone, etc. She will let the pictures do the talking.

She tried to narrow down the pictures but there were just too many beautiful views to share. Once the sun was up, she continued to wander the banks of the reservoir, missing her friend Mira with whom she has had many an adventure like this and wishing she were there.

She then took a drive over to the marina, which was quite vast. The image below was only one on the docks.

After that, it was time to check out the salmon.

Having lived in Washington for nine years, Rachel cannot believe that she never took the time to see the salmon run there. She was excited for this opportunity, and the experience was well worth the wait.

What a special day. She found herself dumbfounded by these bright red salmon working hard to make their way upstream (the video doesn’t do their brilliant red color justice). After watching for a while, she headed down a boardwalk to the hatchery.

It was at the hatchery that she had the opportunity to speak with the sorter. He would scoop up several salmon in his net, determine female versus male, and place them into the appropriate side of the holding tank. He also kept a count of how many male and female were sorted. He showed Rachel how to tell the difference between the male and female; the most notable was the hump on the back of the male versus no hump on the female.

These photos definitely do their brilliant red color justice.

While at the hatchery, Rachel got to see a bunch of already fertilized eggs. Is anyone else craving a Boba Tea?

This was certainly an adventure for the books and showed her how much beauty Utah can hold with an early morning drive. Until next time, be well.

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