In Memory of Grandma Wilcken

Two weeks ago I got news that my Grandma was in the hospital. On Tuesday they told us her liver was going out and would only have a few days left. I was at work at the time but left and drove down to Cedar City to see her. My mom and sister were also there as well as some cousins and an uncle. My grandma was very uncomfortable and really wanted to just get out of the hospital. We were able to talk to her for a while and basically say good-bye. Before I left, I leaned down to give her a hug and tell her how good of an example she was. Even though she was suffering so much and probably didn't even know who I was (because of her dementia), she pulled me even closer and kissed my cheek and I felt her love for me. That was my last experience with her.

She finally passed away last Sunday and there was a family viewing on Thursday evening and the funeral on Friday morning. My employer allows us four days off for bereavement so we were able to go down on Tuesday and be with the family for the whole week. I don't see that side of the family very often so it was good to spend so much time with them as well as my immediate family who were all there except Michael (who is on his mission) and Aaron (who is in Indiana).

We also did some fun things while we were in Southern Utah. We took my Mom to see The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Rebecca also talked me into doing a "good hike" (defined in paragraph 2 of this post) with her to the Kolob Arch.

The viewing and funeral were both very nice. Grandma looked very peaceful and beautiful. The speakers all emphasized my Grandma's testimony and anonymous service. The family sang a beautiful song that my uncle had written for my Grandma from her favorite scripture - Luke 6:38: "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." The family was emotional, but there was always a spirit of gratitude for her example and a gladness that her suffering was over.

Grandpa Wilcken and I

Melissa, Mom, Me, and Jonathan

Melissa and some flowers

Uncle Scott, Uncle Jay, Mom, Uncle Gary, Grandpa Wilcken

Kolob Canyon

While we were down for Grandma Wilcken's funeral, we were able to spend some time in Kolob Canyon. We ended up hiking to Kolob Arch on Wednesday. I have wanted to hike this for awhile, so I was ecstatic to get the opportunity. It was a great time of year to do this hike since temperatures were pleasant and we found beautiful fall colors in abundance in the canyon and along the trail. Unfortunately, the sunshine hid shyly behind clouds for a good part of the hike, which made it difficult to get some of the pictures I wanted. But on the other hand, the clouds added a lot to some of my pictures when the sun started to show itself more frequently during the second part of our hike.


The hike was somewhere between 14 and 15 miles long round trip. I don't know exactly though because every source I have seen on it gives me a different length for the trail. The trail we took starts at the Lee Pass Trailhead and follows the La Verkin Creek Trail. It starts out dropping and continues to drop gradually about 1100 feet before it rises about 400 feet to the arch. Much of the trail is pretty flat, and there aren't any really steep parts. However, there are also some sections of the trail that go through deep soft sand, which can also become tiring. The first part of the trail follows Timber Creek, which was completely dry at this time of year.

The pictures above show the area we stopped to eat our late lunch. This is the point where the trail first meets La Verkin Creek. It was a beautiful area, and we ended up spending awhile here relaxing and taking pictures.

Along with there being lots of fall colors along the creek, there were also quite a few flowers and some bumble bees to go with them. This combination seemed a bit odd to us. The abundant flowers and the bees reminded us of spring while the yellow and red leaves told us it was most definitely fall.


From there, the trail continued to follow La Verkin Creek, and it was along this section of the trail that we encountered the most sand. After awhile, a trail breaks off from the La Verkin Creek and turns up another smaller canyon. This short trail is rougher, but the little canyon is beautiful with a little stream of water trickling through it. The arch at the trail's end is high above hikers on the canyon wall. If you don't know where to look, it is understandable how you could miss it. I guess that is why someone scratched in some instructions on this sign for spotting the arch. As large and impressive as the arch is, you can't get a full feel for it since it is so far away. It is a bit anti-climatic.


However, the amazing scenery surrounding the trail is so beautiful that it makes the hike well worth it, particularly at this time of year with the fall colors. It would be fun to go back sometime and continue up the La Verkin Creek trail past the arch the rest of the way up the canyon.


















As we hiked back up to the trail head, the sun was setting, and the soft light really lit up the rocks and the sky beautifully.


After the funeral on Friday, we had time to take a couple of Nate's brothers back up the Canyon to the viewpoint at the end of the road. We hiked along the short trail at the top, and were able to watch the sunset again. It is hard to get enough of something as beautiful as that...

Fall Colors

We have been really enjoying the fall colors lately. A couple weeks ago we went on a ward campout held at a stake campsite in the Ogden Valley. After leaving that Saturday morning, we drove around the valley and the reservoir to enjoy the beautiful scenery and take pictures.




Then this last Friday evening, we spent our date night driving to Antelope Island, following a short trail, and watching the sunset while sitting on the rocks near the beach.


Saturday we headed to American Fork Canyon and drove along the Alpine Loop while listening to General Conference on the radio.

I even did a little plein aire painting along our way.

We ended up driving out to Cascade Springs too. The hills along the way were so bright, they reminded Nate of Fruit Loops.