My Playground

There are some negatives to living in Salt Lake City. There is an embedded cultural intolerance of those who aren't members of the local religion. It's kind of a perpetual do as we want you to do ... that pervades everything from local and state governments to how schools are run to strict control how a person can buy an alcoholic beverage. People will sometimes joke that when you enter Utah you need to set your watch back 100 years. It's not a joke.

But on the positive side, you won't find a better place to live if you like recreating outdoors. I'm not talking about the outdoor activities that involve 3 cylinder gas engines, a lot of noise and the smell of dust and gas in the air (although there are plenty of things to do around here if that is your idea of fun in the outdoors - it's just not my thing). From the front door of my house I can drive 45 minutes and be at any of about 50 trailheads, 7 world class ski resorts, and dozens of places to cross-country ski, mountain bike, snowshoe, and fish. If you drive more than 45 minutes, the opportunities just increase.



Dominating the skyline to the east of the city is the Wasatch Range which is home to 5 canyons which are home to all the aforementioned activities.

I haven't taken full advantage of all these in my nine years here because of some undiagnosed muscle problems in my back and legs. After finding a specialist who was actually able to fix me, I'm starting to get out more often. And I'm just loving it!

Now that walking downhill doesn't bring significant pain, I'm thinking about dusting off my old film cameras and carrying them into the backcountry again. See if I'm any good as a still photographer.

Winter News

Well it's that time of year again. The temps drop, it snows a little, and the news managers and producers go apeshit. They feel the need to cover every possible angle of the weather. Where it's snowing, why it's snowing, traffic related car accidents, any house fire that makes people stand in the snow, pictures of the snow, interviews with people on what they think about the snow.


Some pictures from an avalanche story last year.

Snow is not an anomaly here. I mean, the license plates here in Utah say "The Greatest Snow on Earth". Maybe this is what TV news has become everywhere and I shouldn't get upset. Do they run out everyday in Phoenix and cover hot weather? Or in Portland do they do live shots every time it rains? Maybe.

Anyway, it's time to batten down the hatches and be ready to spend some time outdoors for work. I've got my bag packed with my boots, long underwear, fleece, gloves and waterproof shells. They've been used a couple of times, too.

The worst is when we have to just stand around and wait for something to happen. Fires and crime scenes where we're standing around and waiting for a PIO to walk over and give us an interview. If I'm actually moving around and and there is stuff to shoot, then it's usually not too bad. The other night I got called out at 3:00 AM for a house fire. The official temperature was 16 degrees but since the firemen had been spraying water into the air - which subsequently misted and froze - I'm guessing it was a bit colder. I think being really, really tired helped numb me from the cold.

And then there is the blowing snow. It continually blows into the lens which requires continual wiping of the lens which sometimes leads to fogging of the lens. But I can't complain too much (although I think I already did). I could live and work in the midwest where it stays below freezing for weeks at a time. Winters in SLC are relatively mild compared to a lot of places.