Friday, September 25, 2015

Daughter Being Released – Our Day Escape

Wasatch Front

Stephanie has recovered enough that she is being released Friday afternoon.  Instead of looking at these mountains that hug the hospital to the east…today we drove over them through Big Cottonwood Canyon.  But first…Stephanie.

Stephanie show mom and others what she learned

Tuesday night before her mother fly back to Arkansas the next morning, Stephanie took us down to the training room and showed us how she was able to walk with out holding onto the rails.  By today, she was able to walk around the hospital floor without aid, even jogging just a bit.  Tomorrow she has a full morning of training, and by 3 or 4 she should be checked out.  She will have to take it easy for a number of weeks, and keep her athletic activities down for a few months, and it is very difficult to read and think still…but out patient training will help with all of these areas over the next few weeks.
 
Big Cottonwood Canyon

 We have had an itch to get up into the hills to see the change of the season.  We are not far from Big Cottonwood Canyon, and I knew one could drive through the canyon eastward all the way to either Park City or Midway this time of the year.  During the winter, the snow is so deep to do this.  Most people take I-80 because it will take three times longer going up this canyon and over to the other side. 

Map of our Day Trip

But for Autumn colors, this is a perfect route.  Once on the other side, we headed south to Provo Canyon, then cut over to Sundance and the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway.  All in all, a 100 mile drive which took us around five hours.

Big Cottonwood Canyon - Autumn

It did not take long for the colors to show up right along the road.

Big Cottonwood Canyon - Autumn

And the mountainsides were full of green and yellows and tans with a big blue sky above dotted with puffy clouds.

Big Cottonwood Canyon - Autumn

This is the Solitude Ski Resort area.  Both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons have various ski resorts…and of course, the 2002 Olympics were held in Salt Lake City with events going on in both canyons, and up at Park City.

Big Cottonwood Canyon - Autumn       Big Cottonwood Canyon - Autumn
Big Cottonwood Canyon - Autumn

As we got close to the summit, we stopped for a quick potty break where the views were just gorgeous. 

Big Cottonwood Canyon - Autumn

And the higher we got, the more spectacular the views were.

Big Cottonwood Canyon - Autumn

The road had many many switchbacks…and Marcia did a spectacular job of getting pictures when all I could do is stop or slow down long enough for her to get the shot off.  Once up over Guardsman Pass…the traffic was nearly null.  But the traffic was not that bad at all headed up the canyon overall.

Big Cottonwood Canyon - Autumn

 And the road is wonderful up to the summit…after that, it is still a paved road, but a rough paved road.

Guardsman Pass

We have now reached the summit, and our descent down to MIdway has begun.

Guardsman Pass

If you have never seen the Aspens in Fall up close and personal…this is the type of drive you just have to do.  It won’t last long…a good storm and these trees will be empty.  We ran into a few patches where the trees were empty, but there are plenty of patches with these bright yellow colors clinging to the trees.

Guardsman Pass headed to Midway

As we get closer and closer to Midway, the Aspens disappear, and we start to see reds along the mountain side.

Pine Canyon Drive headed to Midway

Here is shot of the rough road to Midway…with the reds of the Maple Trees.

Pine Canyon Drive headed to Midway

As you get into Midway, the views all around are just wonderful….

Pine Canyon Drive -- Midway

And as you come into town, you get a great reminder that Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  Winking smile 

Pine Canyon Drive -- Midway

It is views like this that make me wish that I had never given up golfing!

State Route 113 -- Deer Creek Reservoir

Here is a view of Deer Creek Reservoir that I had never seen before.

Alpine Loop Scenic Byway

We are soon past Sundance, and driving the Alpine Loop.  Marcia has had scenic overload, and takes a quick ten minute nap.  This route, which I have driven a few times before, is more crowded…and the narrow roads make it hard to get good pictures.

Alpine Loop Scenic Byway

This route has Aspen Trees too.  It also has a parking area for hikers wanting to try to summit Mount Timpanogos, and the Timpanogos Cave National Monument.  The later is easily reached by going up through the American Fork Canyon from I-15 near Thanksgiving Point…where it is only 18 miles from I-15, and the road is very wide and well marked from the Interstate up to the Caves.

Alpine Loop Scenic Byway

Well, that raps up our one and only Day Trip that we snuck in while Stephanie was in the hospital.  Not sure about our plans now….as Scarlett says in Gone with the Wind….”After all... tomorrow is another day.“

10 comments:

  1. I'm so happy to see how well Stephanie has recovered. :-)

    Fall in aspen country is spectacular, almost as pretty as a New England fall!





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    1. We have never seen NE fall...hope to within the next few years.

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    2. So glad to hear Stephanie has recovered so well so quickly. It really is amazing. What a thing to have happen when you are out for your second time. I have always wondered how they keep those boards from hitting other people even with those ankle straps which I have definitely seen come off. So glad to hear she is "even jogging a bit" and will be released. I know you all, including her mom, are so very happy.

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    3. Thank you Sherry...It is amazing that she went from not being able to walk or move her leg upon command to light running within 14 days. They certainly woke up her brain again, and she is well on the road of full recovery.

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  2. Wow! Not just aspen, but maples too. Now you don't have to go east. How wonderful about Stephanie! With her young resilient brain she'll be back to normal in no time. What a relief for you.

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    1. I knew that there are patches of Maple Trees up in the canyons and especially on the Park City / Heber City area of the Wasatch...sure glade we were able to drive right through a large, wonderful patch of it. Thank you too for kind words about Steph.

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  3. Thank You, Lord... for providing healing for Stephanie! Blessings, Lynn

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  4. That's great news about Stephanie:) Thanks for letting us know.

    We just did the drive across Guardsman Pass twice last week! Seeing the mountains with snow was beautiful. The trees are gorgeous:)

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    Replies
    1. Saw you two were in Park City...we almost went there, but decided to head back to California. At our favorite Truckee campground for two nights before we head down into the hot valley again.

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