This past weekend, (perhaps in commemoration of April Fool's Day) I joined Karren and her husband Jim, on a trip to Utah to visit Daddy. Rock formations like the one pictured here grace much of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, and comprise much of the scenery. From the photo the size is not at first apparent, until one notes the telephone pole in the foreground. Having never studied geology, I know nothing about formations like these, except that they are ubiquitous and I find them aesthetically pleasing.
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The route of our journey took us through the Eastern part of Arizona. We crossed the Colorado River at Moab, then angled northwest passing through Price/Helper (that is an interesting pair of geographical location names [I'll help for a price...?]).
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Carbon County is positioned in this area, so named for the abundant coal deposits found here. A steep canyon in this county is the home of a fairly large, coal fired, electric power generating station, whose cooling towers produce copious quantities of water vapor that condense into clouds upon contacting the surrounding cold air. The visual effects are spectacular, but somewhat difficult to capture on film (or the digital equivalent thereof) from a speeding vehicle guided by a driven driver who stops only when the need for fuel obviates other alternative. Given that this installation is not near a population center, it is not intuitively obvious what need it serves (then again, the distance between Helper and Salt Lake City is less than that between Glen Canyon Dam and Phoenix).
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Daddy and Lois own a house in a new (still unfinished) subdivision. The area continues to grow, with the Provo paper carrying an article one of the days I was there showing a map and describing two new subdivisions within a mile of their home, one of which will contain 450 homes, and the other 1400.
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Their house sits on the western edge of the subdivision, nestled against the railroad tracks. This precludes someone putting up a house that blocks their view of the mountains. Trains passing don't seem to shake the structure, and when Daddy and Lois remove their hearing aids, they are completely oblivious to rail traffic only feet from their back fence.
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As those of you who recall my previous letters already know, I don't care for the climate of Provo, but even I have to admit that the view from their all glass sliding door of the mountains that comprise the Wasatch Front is truly spectacular. Living as I do in a place that lacks all four seasons, I was taken by the fact that winter still has a mighty grip on the mountains...
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... while spring has come to the valley below.
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The purpose of our trip was to deliver a lift chair to Daddy. He has trouble achieving a standing position, and the hope is that this will alleviate some of his difficulties. He and Lois watch TV a fair amount, but enjoy a friendly card game when the opportunity presents itself.
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Karren kept score, and through some strange coincident, managed to win both games with some degree of facility. Maybe she had a sharp pencil...Lois has a daughter by the name of Helena who has been living with them and looking after their needs. Helena recently remarried (over the strenuous objections of her children and siblings) her previous husband (after being divorced for 11 years). My understanding was that she was going to continue providing care for Daddy and Lois, but the functional details of this arrangement were unclear. At that point fate stepped in and things became really murky. While we were there, Helena (who had gone to St. George to help her husband move) suffered a heart attack, then underwent triple bypass surgery. I suspect it will be quite sometime before she returns from St. George, and even then may not process the physical stamina necessary to resume the care she was previously providing. I have doubts about how things will work out, and if someone could supply me with a distance-warping device, would be willing to spend more time helping them... |
I also spent some time with David Elliott, a friend from my days at BYU. We did a short hike up Rock Canyon. Spectacular is an overused word, but it definitely fits this location. Most of what I saw on this outing was about as I remember it, except that the paved trail has become markedly steeper.
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There is a location not far from the canyon mouth where I trained during my short affiliation with the Alpine Rescue Squad. According to Dave, who still frequents this area, it is now unusual to pass this spot without encountering neophytes honing their climbing skills. As I recall, climbing this pitch looks a lot easier than it actually is.
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About the time I left the Provo area, the Church built a temple not far from the mouth of Rock Canyon. Since it was erected after I left, I think of it as being recent construction, but the arithmetic suggests that it has been in service for about 35 years. I guess "recent" means different things to different people...
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While in Provo, I learned of the birth of another granddaughter. Our daughter Ameilia, and her newborn (Kylie Diane), was scheduled to leave the hospital in Show Low at 3:00 PM on the day we were driving home. We passed through that municipality on our way north, and had planned to return via another route, but at Karren's insistence (leveraged by the fact that she controlled the car keys) we made a valiant attempt to see the new addition before she was discharged. Given Karren's habitual punctuality and the vagaries surrounding hospital egress, my assessment was that we would not arrive in time and, unfortunately, my fears were well grounded. On the freeway just outside of Chambers, we received a phone call (cell phones are a technology that has passed me by, but Karren has subscribed) informing us that the discharge was complete and they awaited our arrival at the Dairy Queen, an event some ninety minutes in the future. Having them wait that long was a really bad idea, so we bid them Godspeed on their journey to Eagar and decided instead to visit Aunt Nella at her home in Holbrook.
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Aunt Nella was not at home, but had left this fierce guardian to protect the approaches to her dwelling. Karren needed an excuse to be outside her vehicle for an extended period, so we visited Aunt Joan at her home in Woodruff, where we were joined a short time later by Aunt Nella. There, I learned that our family is indeed, in charge of the Allen Family Reunion this year... So much to do... So little time... |