The Conlin Chronicles: Out Ridin'

On July 2nd we took an ATV ride from Hardware Ranch to the trailhead of Monte Cristo. The roundtrip was 63.5 miles long. Everything was green and beautiful. Mother Nature really put on a show! As I was riding along I was composing a poem in my head about what I saw. I never completed my rhyme, so I won't post it here. The temperature was a little cool in places. There were a few snowbanks in the high country. On one ridge we could see over to the turquoise blue waters of Bear Lake. With the 4th of July coming up, people were streaming in to stake out their holiday camping spot to 'get away from it all.' The road wasn't dusty as there had been a thundershower. We had to dodge puddles.

As we were arriving back at Hardware Ranch I saw a sort of a rainbow in the clouds. I am not sure, is this called a sundog?

On the 4th of July we went for a ride in the pickup--up Logan Canyon--turned off on the road to Franklin Basin--past Hull Valley Boy Scout Camp--down Birch Creek--to Mink Creek--into Preston (where we had a taco salad and lime squeeze)--stopped at Richmond Cemetery (to verify that Aunt Fern Plant is 'planted' there)--and back home. Again, everything was gorgeous. There were recreational vehicles everywhere. Mosquitos were out in force. It was cloudy and cool and everything was wet. We had a mishap...a blowout of the front driver's side tire. It wasn't a convenient place to change a tire but it ended up we didn't have to. A group of guys came along on 4-wheelers and volunteered their services. They changed our tire in nothing flat! Thank goodness for good samaritans. They said they had already had an adventure at the German Dugway when one of them hit a rock that flipped the ATV over a steep embankment. They had to use a winch and muscle power to retrieve the machine. The mow strips and parking lots along Logan's Main Street were full of roped off areas, lawn chairs, flatbed trailers and quilts as people have laid claim to a spot along the cruise-in parade route to be held this evening.

Below are some pictures Reed took on our ride today. Most were taken from the same place, just different angles.