COVID Geocaching

So, I was the first one with this:

Then Shelley and Hannah had it too.

We had pretty mild symptoms and not really bad enough to make us feel sick enough to stay home, although Shelley had the worst days with bad headaches.

So we couldn't really go anywhere, so we did some geocaching.  Don't worry - we didn't touch them.....we had someone else COVID-free touch them.



One that I've been wanting to do for sometime, was hidden up in the foothills of Eagle Mountain. We tried in our "normal" car some time ago, but weren't able to make it.  Caleb volunteered to take me there in his Jeep.

The story of this geocache is that this guy was working on the movie Armageddon and he and his team were tasked with making mockups of Space Shuttles that might be used in the movie. They were asked to make them as cheaply as possible.  Well, he made one out of an old water heater, and they made two of them.

The movie's producer didn't like the look of them and said they couldn't be used in the movie....so the guy who made them, somehow ended up in Utah and he brought one of the prototypes with him and placed it here as a geocache!

It was big and didn't disappoint!

With the Jeep, we were able to drive within a few feet of the geocache

Here it is!  Tucked away under and behind a large juniper bush

It was VERY full of swag!

View of the valley heading back home

Another night, we headed along the Jordon River Parkway and grabbed a few geocaches there too. So close to home yet we have not been here 

We passed two bat houses.....with so many mosquitoes and bugs near the river, I'm sure the bats were loving life here!

We drive by this sign daily.......who knew there was a geocache here!! 

Do you see the round hook thingy in the upper right-next to the stones?  That was it.....they drilled a hole into the sign with threads, and screwed this eyelet hook, which had a log inside.  Very clever!

All told, we found more than 10 geocaches during our 10+ days of quarantining........

Gloria Falls

July 4 Weekend - For sure every hike in the state will be crowded.  We wanted to see some water, some vegetation, some mountains and relax.  

With the snow runoff being at it's peak right now, we though we'd return to Gloria Falls. We first visited the falls almost  a year ago.  

Instead of going in the morning though, with 1000's of other people, (reports from others later in the day report that parking lot was full + 1/2 mile of road parking full at 7:00 AM on July 3 and July 4!), we decided to try a late afternoon hike.  

We hoped the crowds would be down, that the heat would be down, but that the experience would be up.  We were not wrong.  We actually liked the afternoon hike - the light was different with the sun going down and it gave a different experience on the hike.

We got to the trailhead around 7 pm.  We actually found a place in the parking lot, although it was still full - we got the one remaining space. But road parking had plenty of spots.

Gloria Falls isn't on any trail maps, but there are two other popular hikes that leave from the same location.

The falls are only 1 mile into the hike, but that mile is a steady incline, with no letting up.  The view is breathtaking and does not disappoint. 

4 miles White Pine Lake, and 3 miles to Red Pine Lake.  We weren't going to either, but many do.

We take the trail to Red Pine, for 1 mile

Hannah wanted to be like Jacob and walk on the railing.  Mom walked ahead and didn't look

The steady incline begins

With mountain and meadow views all along the trail. Still some small bits of snow in some of the areas where the sun doesn't hit

Just in case you didn't know where to go

These still are not the falls we were headed to......although these are nice ones too

The very bottom of the falls.....but we were headed up still...

Just after the first bridge, turn hard left....into the bushes

Then you just make your own trail or use one of the several around, and head up some more...about 1/10 of a mile or so

You can see the falls still go up more....but this is about as far as you can go without bushwhacking and going up some steep terrain

Matt and Marissa were able to come with us this time!

The setting sun made the light completely different than in the morning or even during the day

We loved it!  We got back to the car about 8:15 just as the sun was going behind the mountain.

We liked the late afternoon hike and might try more this way!  Much less crowded!  Maybe next time you can come with us!