I live in Utah Valley, at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains near the shores of Utah Lake. Our little town is called Orem, after Walter Orem from the early railroad days. There are things I like about our city and aspects that are growing dim in my heart. I don’t like how fast the area is developing and the urban sprawl that has occurred since I moved here in 1976. We bought our home in the late 1980’s. Back then this part of the valley was still somewhat rural with apple and cherry orchards dotting the area. Traffic wasn’t bad in those days and it seemed life moved slower somehow. One of the attractions to my home, that I would dearly miss if I were ever to leave, is the proximity to the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. We live at the very foot of Mt. Timpanogos standing at 11,752 feet in elevation, which I gaze at out my front window every day,. The picture above was taken from the Squaw Peak Overlook not more than a 20-minute drive from my home. When I sense a pretty sunset coming on, like the one above, I usually have time to grab my camera bag, jump in the car, and be at the overlook in time to capture its majesty. The night I captured this image last week, I barely had time to set up my tripod before the sun sank behind the mountains on the opposite side of the valley. In the twinkling lights below in the valley I can see my neighborhood, my kid’s schools, the church we’ve attended for over 30 years, our grocery store, etc. When I’m down in the valley I lose my perspective on the area. Up here I see my life in greater perspective.

We’ve had storms move through the state this last week. It was a hot dry summer, so the moisture was a welcome sight. Stormy skies make for much better photography. Between rain showers I once again drove towards Squaw Peak, but instead of stopping at the overlook, I took a dirt road that winds further up Cascade Mountain. In several of the following images, you can see the tip of my valley on the left side. The bulk of the view is of Mount Timpanogos. This is a lovely meadow in fall when the maple trees turn bright orange and the willows turn golden yellow. Fall is late in coming this year, which I suppose should be expected, given that spring arrived late and thus summer was put off as well.

I look forward to fall and the changing colors almost as much as I look forward to the spring wildflower bloom. Both seasons are magical times of the year for me. I love the warmth of summer, but not as much photographically. And then there is winter. Winter is the hardest season for me. I love the individual storms that blanket the valley and mountains in fluffy dry snow. It’s the long cold days in between that I find difficult. This summer I built a woodshop in my backyard where I plan to pass those cold frosty days warmed by the heat of my woodburning stove I’ll be installing in the coming weeks.

Utah has been a good place to enjoy the natural world around me. It was a good place to raise my family. My children all enjoy the outdoors. They were raised on frequent trips into the mountains and deserts. I’m looking forward to my next adventure, which is outside Utah. We’ll be going to the San Juan Mountains of Colorado in a few weeks to see those great aspen forests during their color change. I hope you all enjoy the next several weeks as autumn sweeps across the country.