Kayenta

We were in St George last weekend for what turned out to be the rainiest, muddiest soccer tournament ever. When the weather finally cleared up on Sunday afternoon we drove out to Kayenta, a community just outside of St. George, near Ivins, UT for what turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon.

The Coyote Gulch Art Village lies in the heart of the Kayenta community. It's a enclave of galleries, restaurants, studios and festivals (held on various weekends throughout the year, check their calendar for upcoming events) in a stunning desert setting.

The landscape is magnificent- inspiring to us all to learn a bit more about using native plants and conserving water no matter where and in what climate you live.

Wander the grounds (don't forget your camera) and view the southwest style architecture and sculpture gardens.

Seed pods on a bare tree.

Springtime is an excellent time to visit, the desert is in bloom and the temperatures are pleasant. I would recommend any season but summer for a visit. Summer temperatures are well above 100 degrees fahrenheit... you just might melt wandering around in that heat.

We visited for the Art in Kayenta festival, (President's Day Weekend Feb 19 & 20, 2011). There were about 50 vendors outside, and all galleries were open for browsing a fine selection of Southwestern style art and craft. 

The surrounding landscape was breathtaking, nestled near the red rock cliffs of Snow Canyon, I could not take my eyes off the view, or stop snapping photos. The cold, rainy weekend in St George meant snow at the elevations just a bit higher. Snow blanketing red rocks and spring greenery beginning to show was a breathtaking sight to see.

A friend's sharp eye caught a glimple of these waterfalls on the distant cliffs above Kayenta (see the smaller one to the right?). We drove through up through the development, getting a closer look at the homes- all tactfully and environmentally blending into the landscape- to get a better view. We learned from a local that these waterfalls don't run year round. It was the wet weather and melting snowfall on the cliffs that brought on this amazing view.

Sunset magazine has a great write-up of Kayenta, with all the extras (places to stay and eat, hikes, maps, eco info)- check it out here.

Midway Ice Castles

We finally bundled ourselves up and made our way over to the ice castles last night. Right next to the ice skating rink (unfortunately closed for the season due to broken pipes) in downtown Midway. Pretty darn amazing, and ever evolving.

Made from nothing but frozen water, ice infrastructure too, ice artist Brent Christensen works tirelessly, at all hours of the day, and in all temperatures building these castles. Believe me, I've driven carpool, first thing in the morning, and there he is. Returning home late, late at night... still working. Super tiger, I say, dedicated to his work.

Depending on the air temperatures, the ice castles take on different aspects. Last night the ice was crisp and shiny thanks to the below zero temperatures this past week. Pictures on their blog from previous warmer weeks show drippy smooth surfaces.
I need to go back about dinner time, get a view with blue sky and then a sunset. AND if it ever snows again this winter in Utah... I'd like to be ice castle observing that day too.

If you have visited the ice castles and have some photos to share, join us here: www.flickr.com/groups/midwayicecastles

Soldier Hollow Resort

We had a young competitor in this weekend's Junior Olympic meet at Soldier Hollow in Midway UT.  It was our twelve year old son's first race. After only a few weeks on cross-country skis and practicing with the Devo team, he skied some great races. We are pretty new to this 'official' cross-country skiing business. We've owned classic skis for years- every year we'd go out once or twice a season and putter about in the forest but I never dreamed there was much more to it than that. There is waxing, proper skiing technique and of course some very humbling aerobic exercise. 

I've fallen completely in love with skate skiing- a sport I've always wanted to try but never actually gotten around to trying before this winter. A lesson or two, a little finesse and you've got yourself a superb winter workout.

Soldier Hollow was the sight of the 2002 Winter Olympic Cross Country skiing events.  Leaving us in 2011, with a world class ski area to enjoy. Soldier Hollow also has a Charter School (K-8th grade) on the premises, two of our children attend school here and love it. We love the small class sizes, quality curriculum and that the students get to enjoy skiing with their classmates twice a week in the winter months.

It was a thrill to see kids of all ages and from all over the western United States come to compete in skate and classic events this past weekend. What a enriching family sport that encourages a healthy lifestyle and enjoyment of the great outdoors.