Uintah National Forest
Every year Utah sells Christmas tree tags to enable residents to cut a tree from the forest.
Each tag costs $10. 2000 tags were up for sale for our area last weekend. Friday morning at 6:30, 1000 tags were sold by 8:30 am. We forgot and slept through. Saturday morning, I was determined to get a tag, so at 7:00 I drove over to Midway in the dark and cold and snow and received a wrist bracelet. This allowed me to return before noon, pay the $10 and receive my permit. Chuck returned with me at 10:00, purchased one for himself and we received tags for two trees. Though it may seem early to cut a tree, if you don't get your tree before Thanksgiving, the snow will be too deep and the roads closed in the higher elevations where the trees grow.
Wednesday was cold, low 30s, but sunny, so we loaded saws, tarps, gloves, coats, scarves, and sunglasses into the truck. We traveled east on the road below our house and climbed into the mountains. Snow covered the road and became deeper as we climbed higher. We did not pass a single car or truck all afternoon and the trees near the road were not to our liking. 10 miles up the road, we turned around and started back, but not before pulling to the side and hiking several hundred yards off the road and into the forest. We eventually found two trees that were acceptable to us, loaded them into the truck and headed home.
Chuck attached the permit to one of the Trees
Two trees loaded into the back of the Truck
Chuck spotted these two moose on the trip back to the House
This moose was somewhat smaller and had thick hair on his Body
Four of about 10 deer crossing a frozen Pond
Sunset as we descended the Mountains
I want to cut down my own tree!! I'm super jealous. As in, really, REALLY jealous.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! This is definitely what memories are made of. I cannot wait for Christmas to come.
ReplyDeleteOne time Christian and I went down to Judy's house when they lived in Schulenburg. Judy is so full of great ideas. She decided we should take the kids fishing and before long we were at their big tank on the old farm where all those wild rose bushes grew. It was hot and dry and stickery and no place to sit and grasshoppers were jumping everywhere. No fish were jumping, or biting. It was starting to feel like an ordeal. Judy said, no worries, we aren't here for fish, we're here for memories. And memories we got.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you made some very cool memories yourself. By the way, you also took some fabulous pictures.