Camping with Cattle

Thomas and I celebrated Pioneer Day with a nice little weekend camping trip in the woods of the Uinta National Forest just off the Nebo Loop. It was our first time camping together, and our first time visiting this area. We weren't really sure what to expect after doing some research online and deciding to go, but we were pleasantly surprised to actually end up in a forest after a relatively short drive.

We set out on Thursday after work. 

Thomas was only confused with Lawrence of Arabia once on our trip...  Really that thing did a great job keeping the sun off his neck!

A special thank you to Daniel & Sterling for loaning us their backpacks! We couldn't have had this much fun otherwise!

We hiked for a time, and not finding any suitable spots, decided to return to a meadowy-area close to the river, approximately half a mile from where we began. Unfortunately, at the beginning of our hike, we lost our trail a time or two and had to search out better-trod pathways. This meant that we were unable to find the original spot in the twilight. 

Fortunately, we decided that since we'd seen several cyclists along the way, the trail we were on must lead to the road at some point. We followed it until we reached the river again (at a different spot), and decided that because it was dusk and we didn't want to set up in the dark, the little area just off the trail with a semblance of a fire ring would do.

Although the ground wasn't as even as we had at first hoped, we ended up staying at this campsite for the rest of our trip.

Thomas is a lucky man: we thought we'd lost his sunglasses (the 4th? pair he's owned in about a year) but I found them in the grass!

We did find our original trail the next day, thanks to a random bone near a spring that we'd noticed the first time through. There were cattle grazing in the forest, and it seemed the bone could've been a bovine vertebra.

Bones were not the only things the cows left behind....

We spent our days improving our campsite, filtering water with our new Sawyer filtration system, reading James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small series, and exploring the various trails nearby. We packed easily prepared food, which you can see at our Bradshaw Bistro blog. 

This turned out to be our favorite reading spot.

We dressed this thing up quite a bit - even adding 2 fairly flat and level rocks to aid in campfire cooking!

View from our tent!

Proof that a watched pot DOES boil...

We saw some very beautiful sites this trip. We were very grateful to have a few days to relax and enjoy the beauty of this world together.

We saw quite a few cattle... 

...a couple deer, a beautiful red and yellow bird (maybe a Western Tanager?), a hummingbird that mistook my brightly-colored tie-dye a-la-Morgan for some flowers, a German Shepherd (the pet of one of several horse-back groups), and exactly two of these:

On our way home, we decided to drive the rest of the loop and see the sights. 

Looking out at Mt. Nebo

We stopped at Devils Kitchen to see the red-rock formations... 

The other side of Devils Kitchen

...and after completing the scenic loop, hopped onto the Interstate and headed back to our place.

One lonely cloud on the way back to Provo

It was surreal to be back in the neighborhood but we were glad to shower.

oxox