There are apple orchards and animals grazing in the fields--all along the shore of this lake. And even better, there's hardly another soul around, so it feels like we have the world all to ourselves.
I take this drive about once a week. It takes an hour. It feels like something I can do with all three kids. It's hard to go anywhere with the kids and stay sane. An hour drive with us all trapped (I mean, strapped) in the car is very doable.
On one little stretch there is an orchard where sheep, cows, and emus (yes--the large ostrich like bird from down under) eat the grass that grows under the trees. We stopped yesterday to look at the emus and their big eyes. The kids love it. Yesterday the sheep were freshly sheared and looked sort of naked like in Pixar's Boundin'.
(Unfortunately we did not see any jackalopes.)
On another stretch there are cows grazing by the side of the road--no fences needed. It's fun to see the mommy cows with their babies out in the open.
Further on down the road there is an enclosed area where steers are kept. (Note the difference--cows are female, steers are males that have been "clipped" if you know what I mean.) Sometimes there are these lovely birds with yellow feathers on their chests all lined up along the fence. They are gorgeous. I can't find what their name is--I'm still looking.
I told Au Contraire to look up in the sky. A whole flock of birds--maybe a hundred or more--flew up suddenly in front of the car and into the sky. AC said, "Look, Mom! They're having church up in the sky today!"
There is another pasture right down on the lake that looks like it could be right out of the Yorkshire Dales. It's gentle and green and slightly slopes right down to the water's edge. I don't have a picture of it--next time I go, I'm going to stop and take one. It's where I would love to live in a little farm house right on the lake.
The road winds around through the big apple and cherry orchards. I never knew there were so many. They reach as far as your eye can see. We drove by a few days too late and missed the height of the blossoms. (Next year!) There were still enough blossoms left to see just how many trees there really were--miles and miles and miles.
Each orchard has its own hives, too. I loved seeing the bees buzzing around the trees and the wooden boxes. I kept imaging how yummy the fresh honey would taste. I also made up my mind that I do want to live in the county and have some fruit trees and maybe a beehive of my own so I can enjoy fresh apple or cherry blossom honey.
The remainder of the drive takes us through a small town just south of us. It's absolutely darling with little pioneer houses and old buildings. If we end up staying in the same county, I think that's where I want to settle.
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The best part about taking the drive around the lake and through the orchards is that I appreciated, probably for the first time, how lovely the landscape is where I live. I complain a lot about missing NYC and the commotion. But at the end of the day, I love the wide, open spaces and farmland. I love hearing the crickets at night and being able to see the infinite stars.
Utah is a good place. And so is Cowtown.
1 comment:
I MUST take that drive sometime! Great discovery. I loved AC's comment about the birds.
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