Adventures Part 2: Salt Lake City

I hadn't seen G in almost 2 years (last time was December 2008 when I drove from Keller to SLC; there are some pics from that road trip in the blog). She and I go way back--a shared history of working together and playing flyball and agility. She also took my cat Bix when I left for KSA. He seems to have fit right into her busy household.

G generously spent a day and a half shopping with me--not an activity either of us do often. But I was quite pleased that I was able to cross off quite a few items from my list.

One of my acquisitions was a pair of hiking boots. I have a pair of full leather boots that I brought to KSA with me but after 10 months of walking around in the lunar terrane of the jebels, they are starting to fall apart. I prefer to wear boots instead of trail shoes because there are areas of loose sand and the boots are better at keeping the sand out. Plus I think the boots give me better footing in the areas where there is loose rock. I bought some lighter boots with fancy goretex this and mesh that.

Jebels at NW side of Dhahran camp, KSA

G and I broke in my new boots by taking a lovely hike at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. We started at Silver Lake, looped around to Solitude Lake, then crossed the 9600 foot saddle above Twin Lakes. (I now live at sea level so this was a bit of a workout.) I shipped the boots home with Wasatch Mountain dirt on them. They've been out to the jebels twice since I got home and are now covered with the local salty grit--but it was a symbolic gesture anyway.

I got to attend flyball practice with the Utah Tail Blazers, the club that G and I started back in 2002. She's kept it running all this time! I was surprised how easy it was for me to step back into flyball mode. I helped run some dogs and call passes. It was bittersweet to be sure but I really enjoyed spending time with those folks.

G took me to the local homebrew shop where I stocked up on a lifetime supply of all kinds of beer and wine yeast, tubing, and a couple of cool gadgets that should make decanting and bottling a lot easier.

I picked up some hops (that's the stuff in the silver packages; it is pelletized like rabbit food). I'm still not sure exactly how to incorporate them since we don't brew beer here from raw grain. We start from canned non-alcoholic beer and don't actually boil anything. I'll ask around though. I'm sure there are some smart brewers who can set me on the right path. I plan to begin a batch of red whine tomorrow and give one of the fancy new yeasts a whirl.

It was really great seeing G again. It was also nice to breathe cool, dry mountain air and feast my eyes on mountains and trees. I lived in SLC longer than I lived anywhere else in my life. The shape of everything was familiar and comfortable. Is it home? I don't think so, not any longer, but it was my home at one time and it was wonderful to return for a visit. G, this is a warning--I think my next trip to the US might involve a much longer stay out west!