THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

I guess there is no one to blame

We're leaving ground

Will things ever be the same again?

It's the final countdown.--Europe

Less than three days until the path of totality of Eclipse America passes over our town. I still can’t help wonder if it isn’t over-hyped fake news.

But there are big preparations for an invasion of apocalyptic magnitude here anyway. Reports from Yellowstone Park and Jackson Hole, Wyoming are that hoards are arriving and backing up traffic for miles.

Here, not yet. 

No one has to stand in line for early morning donuts, made fresh daily.

Local businesses are extending hours and some which are usually closed on Sunday will open their doors to provide for the anticipated crowds of shoppers.

This probably has nothing to do with a solar eclipse but there are appearances of painted rocks in random places around town. Just a fun way to occupy those who have extra time on their hands in the summer.

The city decided months ago on an upgrade to Center Street and Main. They’ve replaced water lines, widened sidewalks and plan to put in new trees. "We are hoping the revitalization will attract more foot traffic and businesses," the mayor said. I think the plan was to have the construction crews out and the street paved by Eclipse Day.

They’re going to have to put in some overtime to make that deadline.

However, other construction and paving projects are finished and look great. Our own destroyed street is not included in that group.

The flowers which are placed on Main Street every year are at their peak.

This photo is added because I just liked the shadows cast by early morning sun.

Another non-eclipse photo. This one is of the big antique steam tractor in one of our parks. It’s a monument to the pioneer farmers who broke up the fertile ground covered with sagebrush, planted wheat and potatoes, and make this valley prosper.

These signs are everywhere.  All first responders are on high alert.

In our newest park the Vendor Village is gearing up for a weekend of business. Visitors and locals will have plenty of opportunity to shop in the perfect summer weather. Partly cloudy is the forecast for Eclipse Day. Hoping the only shadows from the sky cast on that morning will be from the moon.

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE--Day Twenty-One

A photo a day for thirty days

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the lawnmower is heard in our land. 

Song of Solomon 2:12--edited  ;-)

It was also a great day for a bicycle ride.  

View of our valley from the overpass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bicycle races are coming your way

So forget all your duties oh yeah!

Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today

So look out for those beauties oh yeah!

Queen

SEVENTY POINT THREE MILES THE HARD WAY

Every now and then some of our children and one of their spouses get together with a bunch of like-minded weirdos to swim, bike and run in circles for hours.  I know!  I promise I didn’t drop them on their heads, and we tried to teach them a little common sense, but there you go.

This time Bobert challenged his wife, Greasy Lightning and his brother, Beavis to compete in a half ironman event in Utah.  This means swimming for 1.2 miles, biking for 56 and then, and THEN, running for 13.1 miles.

 They’ve been training since January and August 22 was the big day.

DH and I went along to act as cheering section and photographers.   To make our job extra difficult, they all dressed in black with red caps.

Not just our kids, NO---EVERYBODY in the swimming part of race dressed in black with red caps.  This makes Find Waldo seem like a piece of cake.  By the way, all three of them are in this photo.  I found them.  Trust me.

 Here’s a hint.  The one in the water with his hands raised is Beavis.

 They took off swimming by age group and gender, stirring the swampy water of Utah Lake into a froth.

 At the middle of the swim the water became a bog and then a shallow quagmire.  A lot of the racers gave up swimming and waded.  Everyone agreed this was the most gross triathlon swim in their experience.

 The racing committee should have read the sign.

Still our champions completed the ordeal…

 …and hurried off to their bikes.

With a goofy face for the camera pause.

 Smile, Beavis.

  

Can you say, “Eeew. That water was revolting,” with a grin?

 In a matter of a few seconds they transitioned to bike gear.

And were ready to ride.  Bobert was long gone before either DH or I could make it to the bicycle area.

 Beavis left right behind him, but was the first one to come back from the 56 mile ride

.

 Then Greasy Lightning shot by to change into her running shoes.

 When Beavis ran by I yelled, “Where’s Bobert?”  The answer.  “He had three flat tires.”

 Greasy Lightning hurried by, but still no Bobert on a bike.

 Finally he rode by on his way to the transition area.

 In spite of the misfortunes with his bike, he still ran by with thumbs up.  “I’m just gonna finish.”

 The run was two six and a half mile laps in what was becoming a very hot afternoon.  Even with two thirds of the grueling race under his belt, Bobert pushed through to make up lost time.

But he couldn’t catch up with Beavis who did the whole 70.3 mile distance in just a little over five hours.

 Bobert came in not long after.

 Greasy Lightning was slowed down by an injury to her right shoulder she got in a bike wreck earlier in the month.

 Still, she finished in just over six hours.  Bobert was waiting for her at the finish line with open arms.

 We’re SO proud of their accomplishments.  But we still think they’re weird.

HAMISH AND WILD FLOWERS 2

The hillsides were deep in yellow flowers the morning I took a bike ride up the road past camp.

 I dropped my bicycle by the road and prepared to capture the glory in the early sunlight.

 As I was clicking away I suddenly saw my friend, Hamish, watching me from his perch on a hollow log.

 He had one of his favorite flowers, a woodland star, to offer.  I felt especially privileged to see him since gnomes don’t like sunlight and don’t often show themselves to people.

 Hamish belongs to a group called Forest Gnomes.  They stand about six inches high plus another three inches of hat.

I asked him if he would be willing to pose with a few flowers to establish a reference point.  He was kind enough to agree and, since gnomes are taught from an early age about mushrooms and herbs; and how to distinguish between edible and poisonous plants, he was also willing to share a bit of information about the subjects of my photography.

 These relatives of the sunflower are called arrowleaf balsamroot.  Their long deep roots help them survive during dry weather.  The leaves are edible and the seeds can be ground into flour.  Mashed root can be used as a dressing for sores or insect bites.

My next subjects were the small broadleaf lupines growing nearby.  They are very lovely but are full of alkaloids thus making them poisonous for most grazing animals.

This long legged plant is probably northern bluebell.  There are many varieties of bluebell.  Dried leaves of the northern bluebell can be used as a herbal tea but the leaves are a bit too hairy for salads.

 Hamish is posing here with sticky geraniums.  They belong to the same family as the domestic geranium.  I have a variety like this growing in my garden but the flowers are blue.

 Sticky geranium is a major food for elk and deer and is also eaten by bears and moose.

 Hamish wouldn’t go near this one.  These showy red flowers belong to the scarlet gilia plant which is also called, “polecat plant.”  The leaves smell like skunk.  The nasty smell and the flavor of the plant protect them from being eaten by most grazers.

This is a photo I took several weeks ago.  This plant is called mule-ears.  Except for the white flower they look very much like arrowleaf balsam root.

 In fact some arrowleaf balsam root plants have white flowers.

 Here is Hamish with three different shades of yellow balsam root.  I learned that the easy way to tell the difference between the two plants is to remember their names.  Arrowleaf balsamroot has arrowhead-shaped leaves.

 But mule-ear leaves are long and wide like, well, like mule ears.  Their roots are also considered edible.  The roots were also used by Native Americans to make a poultice for relief of pains and bruises.

My book, “Wild Wildflowers of the West”by Kunucan and Brons agrees with most information I gained from my gnome friend.