Salt Lake City, from Ensign Peak

Utah is an interesting place. It was settled in the 1840's by Mormon refugees. And still today Mormons arrive here from everywhere. They come, some of them without the intention of staying. "It's just so I can go to BYU" they say. Some keep their word, and after school they return to where they came from. But many, many stay.

My parents came from Oregon and Virginia in the mid 1970s. And they have lived in Utah ever since. My wife came from Virginia. I was born here. And I see no reason to leave.

Utah is home to some of the great recreation in the world. And by recreation I of course mean mountain biking. Because let's face it, the other forms of outdoor recreation just don't measure up to mountain biking. Am I right? Of course I am!

What is incredible is that I can leave my house on my bike, and within an hour be in remote forests, where human contact is minimal. I can find the backcountry in my backyard. I can feel isolated while within sight of a valley with a million billion people. But that is not entirely unique. There are lot's of places where solitude is just around the corner. What makes Utah unique is the variety of solitude offered. That is, I am not limited only to the mountains.

I can drive an hour west and be in a vast and sparse desert. I can go south and find sand dunes reminiscent of the Empty Quarter. I can go southwest and find Moab, the great icon of the state. In fact, Moab might represent to the world the very best of what Utah is. It is a microcosm of the state. At least geographically.

Moab is a vast desert, with a massive mountain range rising up from a sea of sand. Or is it the other way around? A massive mountain range melting into a sea of sand? Is there even a difference? The point is that Moab has alpine and desert, sandstone and granite. The state as a whole is the same. We have our sharp mountains, rising from the valley of the Great Basin. We have our deserts, stretching on into the horizons. And it is all within reach.

Utah is not without it's oddities. Cultural that is. We have our green jello and strange affinity for anti-depressants. We have rednecks and snobs and short sighted politicians. We have big cars, big families, a church on every corner and apparently, really awful beer.

But it is home. And it is part of me. And I am part of it. Utah is the ideal home. It offers everything I want from life. I can look to the mountains and feel safe. I can go to the desert and feel small. I can escape, hide...and seek.

Utah means "tops of the mountains" in an old Ute dialect. For now though, I am content being in the mountains, in the canyons, in the rivers and lakes and streams. I am content staring up at the mountains feeling dwarfed and protected. Vulnerable and insignificant.

Come to Utah. Find out what I mean. But be warned. You may never want to leave.

Labels: moab, Utah, Wasatch