Today is Monday, October 12, 2026, Issue #333
“You are going to meet so many different versions of yourself and each one will be more beautiful than the last.”
– Unknown
Fall Fun at Cross E Ranch
It’s fall, y’all… Who wouldn’t want to visit a family-owned working farm. Cross E Ranch in Salt Lake City, Utah offers nearly 215 acres of fun. Corn mazes, sunflower fields, pumpkin patches, live animals, games, corn pits, great burgers, fresh donuts, caramel apples and much, much more.
Rachel had the opportunity to visit Cross E with friends, Sam, her daughter ‘E’ and Ahna. Also, even though they are not pictured in the attached photos, Ahna’s boys, Trey and Talon also joined. It was a fun outing. Enjoy the photos.
Feline Tomfoolery
By Brady Wilfork Snugglebum & Belichick McDaniels Runtzilla
How Brady plays with the little basket…
How Belichick plays with the little basket…
Mental Health Minute
Brought to you by Instagram account @selfcare4yu.
Moments by Mira
www.everafterphotograpypnw.com
Located in Gig Harbor, Washington, Ever After Photography PNW is owned and operated by Mira Nachtigall, a long-time friend of Rachel.
Let’s hike up, up & up
FALL HIKING AT ITS FINEST
When Rachel selected a fall hike that was rated hard by AllTrails, she figured, eh, hard is subjective. The best part was that she wouldn’t have to do it alone; Alec, Victoria, Ahna and Talon were all game to join. On Sunday, October 4, 2026, they ventured out to climb up, up and up.
They would be hiking Lake Blanche Trail, which is only 12 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah. The trailhead would be at 6,233-feet of elevation and they would reach a maximum of 8,927-feet by the end. To jump forward a bit… Rachel was gasping for air the entire time. She swears she will never acclimate to the elevation.
Lake Blanche Trail is located in Big Cottonwood Canyon, within the Twin Peaks Wilderness of the Uinta–Wasatch–Cache National Forest. There are many hiking trails in Big Cottonwood Canyon and with the beautiful weather that day, it would become very busy. They arrived early enough to beat the crowds and got a decent parking spot along the canyon roadside.
THE VIEWS, OH, THE VIEWS
It didn’t take long before the views were incredible. Rachel opted not to take out her camera during the hike up. She was far too busy trying to breathe and continue upward with the assistance of her trusty hiking poles. She would surely get plenty of photos on the way down.
When they reached the lake, which was quite low compared to previous years (Victoria had hiked this trail before), the view was absolutely stunning.
The hike up took around two and a half hours and felt like forever. After refueling and resting for a bit, it was time for photos. Here is the whole gang below. From left to right we have Ahna, Talon, Rachel, Alec and Victoria.
This next picture might just make this year’s holiday card. Rachel finds it hard to believe her son is a full-grown man of 27-years working on his master’s degree in nuclear engineering. How time flies.
The hike down was even more beautiful than the hike up. Maybe this was because Rachel could actually breathe.
TYPICAL RACHEL ADVENTURE
An adventure with Rachel wouldn’t be a Rachel adventure without something out of the norm happening. They didn’t see any bears, moose, cougars or other wildlife, but there were two falls.
Talon, who has been nursing an ankle injury but still decided he could handle an elevation hike, had a tumble. On the way down, he told his mom, Ahna, that he was going to run down the trail. She warned him against it, but boys will be boys. Talon ran on. When the group came around a corner and found him lying in the middle of the trail, well, the bad idea had proven itself. He was quite scratched up but was okay. Thank goodness.
Then, near the very end of the trail, as Alec, Ahna and Talon were walking ahead, Victoria and Rachel lagged behind chatting away. All of a sudden but in slow motion, Rachel’s right foot slipped on a rock and down she went. Luckily, her backpack kept her from hitting her back or bottom. She felt her left ankle jam into a rock on the way down and all she could think was, “NOOOOOOOOO!”
When she stood up, her ankle was a bit tender but felt fine to walk on and her right lower arm was in a bit of pain. The ankle pain subsided very quickly. She had a bump and bruising on her right forearm; the bump disappeared quickly. The bruising however, well, Rachel loves the bruising. She has always been fascinated by the healing colors. All in all, the fall caused no lasting damage, again, thank goodness. She and Talon got lucky.
According to Rachel’s Garmin watch, the total time of this adventure landed at 4 hours 15 minutes. What a fantastic Sunday. The views, the people, brunch afterwards enjoying each other’s company; it was all wonderful. This hike sure did give Rachel the hiking bug. She is anxious to get in a few more fall hikes before the weather disallows it. Fingers crossed. Until next time, be well.
Feel free to stick around (below) and like, rate, share and comment (direct to Rachel). She is always looking for content ideas and would love input.