TIMPANOGOS STORYTELLING FESTIVAL

 The past ten days have been so incredibly busy that I have had no energy left each day to post to the blog.   Now let me look back over those days.

We arrived from Boise, Idaho, to Lehi, Utah, on Sunday, the day before Labor Day.  We were in Lehi for the exceptional Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. We got there just in time to get organized for the week.

Monday we spent doing accumulated laundry during the daytime and then went to the Labor Day Luau in Ashton Gardens that evening. Ashton Gardens is also the site of the storytelling festival and we wanted to go to the luau partly to see the venue from an observers point of view rather than as a performer.

The luau was quite enjoyable with an island buffet and performers from about a half-dozen South Pacific islands centered around Tahiti.

On Tuesday morning I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist there as a follow up to an issue earlier in this trip.  From the appointment we went to the BYU studios to record for the splendid Apple Seed storytelling podcast. (If you don’t know about this fine program, google Appleseed Podcast…it is a storytelling treasure.). Every year they film several of the tellers who are in town for the Timpanogos Festival…I think I have filmed for the past five years.We are in a studio with a small audience…fun!

Early Wednesday morning we took our car to the nearby Mercedes dealer for its 110,000 mile service…it is now three years old.

By now all the other tellers have arrived and several are now doing their Apple Seed filming. 

In the evening we all gather for dinner with the storytelling board for orientation and to have a tour of the entire festival site in Ashton Gardens.

 Thursday all of the tellers meet for a question and advice time with the National Youth Tellers.  They come from all over the country and on Friday they each tell a story at the beginning of all of our sets. What fun!

Festival begins Thursday afternoon with a reception/dinner for sponsors.  It seems that I am always called in to speak at that event. (Trish and I are also sponsors.)

Afterwards we go to the Waterfall Amphitheatre for the evening performance.  The amphitheater is huge and people who have not bought actual seats go early in the afternoon to stake out their blanket places on the huge hillside. While we are in five different tents during the day, the evening performances all come together in this one space.

There are two large Jumbotron screens on either side of the stage here because the audience area goes far back.  Here I am on Jumbotron!

 Before the Saturday night finale each year, we are led in by the bagpipes.  What a thrilling entrance into this beautiful garden.

On Sunday morning, before departures, all the tellers are special guests at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s weekly broadcast.  What a lovely finish to a great week!

Trish and I, exhausted, drove that afternoon to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, so we could spend the evening soaking in the comforting hot mineral springs.  The following morning, Monday, after we each had slept ten hours, we headed for home.  Today, Friday, we are headed for the ferry and will be home by 4:30, 7,361 miles since we left here.

CRATER LAKE

 Wow!  What an adventure we are having at Crater Lake National Park! 

We had planned hikes ahead of time, then it rained all the way here. Even in the rain, the drive into the Park was beautiful…the trees are astounding! But…it is in the 40s with more cold tomorrow, so, we will only do car hiking!

In the evening we drove up to see the Lake and the Lake was not there!

So, the next morning we started driving around the rim road to see what the day may hold. As we stopped at one overlook, suddenly the clouds began to rise, and, suddenly the Lake appeared!

As we stood in this one spot, the clouds lifted as we watched and we could see the Lake for about four or five minutes.  Then the clouds began to come back down, a bit like a window shade, and the Lake disappeared again.

We settled by the fireplace in the rim hotel and were snug reading for the afternoon.  Suddenly sun began to emerge and so did the Lake! It was uniquely beautiful! (Remember the tree on the left for an upcoming photo comparison.)

We kept watching the weather forecast for the coming day and there were some hints about an early snow.  We woke up this morning to snow falling!  Trish and I got in the car and headed from our cabin up to the rim.  The snow got harder and harder as we got higher.  The trees were already covered and made a fairy land.

By the time we got up to the rim, there were several inches of snow and it is still falling!  We had breakfast here and are now settled where we can read and watch the day.  After all these great surprises, we are wondering what else might bring us delight as the day rolls along? The first photo is our present view of the Lake taken from our porch.

MT. RAINIER NATIONAL PARK

 Though Trish and I have seen Mt. Rainier from a distance many times, we had never visited the National Park itself. The drive was so beautiful even before we got to the Park. The highway was bounded by very tall Douglas Fir trees that made the highway quite dark as they pushed the sky high above us.

When we got to the Park entrance we did not know that the real beauty and charm were just beginning.

We had about seven more miles to go to get to the Park Inn and the drive now was mystical and magic.  It felt like we were truly in another magical world.

The National Park Inn here has only twenty-five guest rooms, only eighteen with private baths.  But, we plan so far ahead of time, we had no problem getting a room with a bath.  The National Park was established in 1889 and was the fifth National Park in the system.  We loved staying right up in the Park itself. Our room is the one on the second floor that has two windows.

The trees here are dominated by gigantic Douglas Firs, many of which are hundreds of years old.  This slice preserved at the museum shows an amazing example.  It was cut outside the Park by one of the nearby lumber companies in the 1960’s and is labeled with historic dates in its lifetime.

The day we arrived the clouds were low and there was no Mt. Rainier in sight!  We wondered whether it was really visible from where we were. The following morning was totally clear and suddenly the mountain was there, right off the front porch of the inn.  

As we watched and the clouds began to move, they began to look like a gigantic cloud-bird hovering above the mountain!  This was overall a very magical visit that we are glad we made together!

STILL IN SEATTLE

 We have several days in Seattle and we are staying just adjacent to the huge Pike Place Market.  It is a wonder to simply wander through the market area looking at things for sale and people watching.

One entire side was mostly dedicated to fresh flowers.  We learned that many of the flower growers were Vietnamese and they all proudly claimed to grow their own flowers.  At this time of year, many of the most outstanding offerings were plentiful varieties of dahlias. 

We bought fruits after being offered samples.  The sweetness of the peaches and pluots were beyond prior experience.  I wanted to be cooking so we could get a few vegetables to go!

And then there was the fish!  Located right on the water the varieties were abundant from halibut to lobsters to Dungeness crabs.

The ugliness winner was a huge monkfish!

Finally we visited the chewing gum alley where people have stuck thousands of chewed globs of gum on the walls.  Fascinating but yucky!

We still have another day to go!

IN SEATTLE

 Trish and I are now in Seattle and having a wonderful time.

Even though Trish lived and worked here about fifty years ago, she had never been to the Space Needle.  Our hotel is near Pike Street Market and so only a bit over a mile from the Needle, so, we walked up there and spent a good bit of the day in the surrounding area.

The views from the top of the Needle itself are incredible.  While we were at the top, a float plans took off below and came right up past where we were watching.  

I had been to the Chihuly Museum and Garden next door about fifteen years ago, but, has it grown and changed!  We could have stayed there the rest of the day.

Even though we have visited Chiluly displays in numerous places, the museum here goes far beyond all our experiences.   These bowls, for example, are a totally different color in the inside from the outside. How do they do that?

There is a whole new room dedicated to work inspired by Southwestern native art and culture.  The colors and shapes almost remind us of Mesa Verde cliff dwellings and their surroundings. Beautiful.

When, many years ago, Dale Chiluly lost an eye and dislocated his shoulder is an automobile accident, he knew that if he continued to work in glass he would need help.  He now has an orchestra of glass workers over whom he is both composer and conductor.  These massive works come out on the other end of his imagination and artistic work.

At the Olympic display in Salt Lake City, we saw the first version of the glass ceiling with blown pieces above.  The sensation is like being under water with myriads of colorful sea creatures swimming above.

Finally we went outside to the garden where flowers, plants, and glass work together to form wonder.  How can someone imagine this?

We ended the day at the Museum of Pop Culture which, while interesting, did not hold us with the charm if the glass work.  

Afterwards we rode the Monorail back to near our hotel where we later met our friend, Laura Simeon, for dinner.  What a marvelous day!

BANFF TO VANCOUVER

 We were happy to get back on the train for our final two-day trip back to Vancouver.

These were two long but very interesting days on the train. As soon as we left Banff we started seeing more wildlife than we had seen the entire trip.  Here is a mother elk swimming the river with her two calves.

As we continued our route we saw many bald eagles, bears, and big horn sheep.  It was virtually impossible to grab photos as the train was moving and our glass dome very reflective. 

Our route was almost always alongside rivers or lakes. This makes sense as the track elevation is very minor and the water level change matches the tracks. It made for beautiful days of scenery, even in the rain.

After spending the night in Kamloops, we made our way on the train to Vancouver. This was a thirteen hour ride as we had delays when the rail traffic became heavier. This train was 22 coaches long and we could often see it ahead as we were the last car.

By the end of the day we were tired, but, we had had a most wonderful trip!

 Now it is on to Seattle.

ON TO BANFF, ALBERTA

 From our stay at Lake Louise, we traveled on to two days in Banff. We backtracked a bit into Yoho National Park for a bit of sightseeing there.  Our first stop was at a natural bridge where the powerful water had eventually made its own way through the rock itself.

We traveled on to an overlook where you could see the famous Swiss-engineered spiral tunnels.  I remember standing in this same spot in August of 1993 and you could see the tracks and follow the train all the way through the tunnels.  Now the trees have grown until there is only a glimpse.  (This made the model very helpful to look at while you heard the train almost under you.)

We made a stop at Emerald Lake and then on to the charming city of Banff.  We had a full extra rest day here, and we needed it.  We mostly walked around town, ate at a wonderful New Orleans restaurant (with a full gluten- free menu) and rested.  

The day ended with a bagpiper playing on the grounds of our Fairmont Springs hotel.  

A needed restful stop.

Tomorrow we are back on the train toward Vancouver.