Francophile in the West

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. - John Muir, 1915 John Muir had the right idea; the wilderness is beautiful, inspiring, strengthening, and it should be appreciated and enjoyed as often as possible. As blog followers will have seen this summer, I've been thoroughly enjoying the access to the wilderness that is inherent to this city and this part of the country, for which I'm grateful. The first two weekends of September were a grand continuation of that trend. Volunteering with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) The first weekend of September saw myself, my roommate, and three friends from school off on Friday evening and driving toward the Salida area of West-central Colorado to spend part of the Labor Day weekend volunteering on a trail building project with VOC. It was a rainy, colder, autumnal weekend, and it was glorious. It felt just like home

Summer has taken over completely. The season has swooped me up, carried me through the months, gotten away from me, and is slowly setting me back down into the reality of autumn. I love it all. This summer stands out distinctly among my life's seasons as one of my favorite. Here's what's been happening in the past handful of weeks:  Utah My dad's side of the family had a family reunion in Salt Lake City in early August, and I met my dad there for the weekend. We stayed in Park City and had an excellent time catching up with the extended family, exploring Park City, and spending time together after not having seen each other for several months. My dad is the best day-trip / adventure buddy!  Arriving in SLC at sundown My dad and some of his great sisters. Our view at Grappa, an incredible Italian restaurant in Park City where we enjoyed a very memorable meal. Park City brought me my second Banksy sighting (first was in Lyon, FR  in 2013) Room