Back Online

Blogging is very difficult to do without an Internet connection! I have a lot of catching up to do...

My stay in Salt Lake City was fabulous. The area in which I stayed, Temple Square, was very safe, clean, and pedestrian-friendly. I spent the day Friday at the Family History Library, which is run by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is the largest library of its kind in the world. The guides and volunteers there were very helpful and my research led me to some new information about my family. There on the shelves, was a book entitled, The Descendants of Abel Huse of Newbury, (of which I am one!) The book was published before my mother was born, so her name is not in it, but my grandmother's name is! Abel Huse came to the Massachusetts colony from England in the early 1600's. I also discovered a little known fact about my father's family...his father, my Grandfather Sobieski, was born in Poland! Everyone assumed he was born in Baltimore, but I found a passenger list that confirms he came to America when he was one year old. There is still much to discover about my ancestors, and I will definitely continue my genealogy studies in the future.

Bill arrived in Salt Lake City mid-afternoon, and from there we headed north to Preston, Idaho to visit a quilt shop (isn't he a good guy?) We found a quiet (and free!) place to camp along the Idaho/Wyoming border.

Our next stop was Grand Teton National Park. What a beautiful area! Bill and I decided to take a hike to Amphitheatre Lake, a hike we took 30 years ago. I have to admit, I had a bit of trepidation as I read the description in the park brochure: “STRENUOUS; 10.1 miles roundtrip; ascent 3150’; bears seen frequently on this trail”. Bill assured me I was fit enough to take this hike, and that we would not see any bears. My legs did fine, but my breathing was labored for much of the walk up to the lake, ( I am blaming it on the altitude; we started at 6548’ and ended at 9698’). Although Bill didn’t need to, we rested often on our way up, and I was really happy to finally see that lake, where we sat and ate our lunch.

 I wasn’t tired yet, so I knew the trip down would be much easier. And easier it was until…

It started to rain about two miles into our descent…and we had forgotten to pack our rain gear. It was a gentle rain, and I didn’t mind being wet. About three miles down, we saw that the hikers in front of us had stopped. Quietly they informed us there was a black bear munching on some berries near the trail. Yep, there it was, the bear Bill told me I wouldn’t see, as big as life!

Eventually, there were about 15 of us hikers gathered as we watched the bear cross the trail and then cross back again, never going very far away. Finally, a gentleman with a can of bear spray calmly walked down the trail, passing by the bear. The bear paid him no mind, so the rest of us traveled as a group and did the same. Well, I looked calm, but I didn’t feel calm as I saw the massive beast in my peripheral vision!

Then, of course, it started to rain harder. By the time we were back to the RV, we were soaked. But we took hot showers right there, put on our dry clothes, and began the cocktail hour!

I’m glad my body that is 30 years older than the first time I hiked that trail, could still get up the mountain, even though it probably took me twice as long. It was certainly a hike to remember!