Antelope Island

A Stately Lake

mikemjensen kayaks, Utah Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Never ask a local about the Great Salt Lake, because most have never been there. It’s bigger than the state of Delaware, and yet hidden in plain sight.IMG_1175

Unlike the places described by Yogi Berra as “so crowded, nobody goes there any more”, the huge lake occupying a large part of the northwest corner of the state of Utah is an unpopular and unknown destination among Utahans. Most will tell you that it stinks and that there are too many flies. And if you press for directions anyway, even more will have no idea where to access the lake. Surprising to again even more, the lake hosts two of the top 5 visited state parks; the Marina and Antelope Island- visited, just not by locals. We went to the marina today.

The small marina is home to a small community of sailboats who set out onto this Inland Sea and find open waters and little traffic. The occasional motor boat is alone in its class, and kayakers, like we were today, have the lake’s shores and shallows to ourselves.IMG_1163

The slight breeze seemed to sufficiently fill the sails of the three sailboats we watched disappear into the horizon and yet it gave us little to no resistance in our paddling efforts. We stopped only when we found a sandbar emerged from the waters where we could beach our kayaks and get out to let out toes sink into the cool sand and warm water. It was as if we had found our own tidal atoll in the Florida Keys.

Part of me hopes that people learn of and enjoy this little big lake, in view and within 30 minutes from literally millions of people. The other part loves having this little salt water heaven to myself.

And in the lake’s defense, most can’t point out Delaware on a map either.

 

Post 3-148

Make the Lake Great Again

mikemjensen kayaks, Life's Truths, Utah Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

One of the pictures I currently have as a random cover header photo on this blog is on the Spiral Jetty on the Great Salt Lake. It is a land art project located on the northern shoreline. Refresh the page a few times and it’ll pop up.IMG_20150322_185821_183

Few, in comparison to the population surrounding the lake, have ever seen it. Few still are the number of Utah natives that even venture out to this inland sea.

The Great Salt Lake is salty, with shallow, muddy shorelines. The mud under the wind and sun dried crust is smelly. When the wind blows and stirs the lakes waves, the smell can overtake the entire valley downwind. People call it the lake stench.

The waters hold no fish; brine shrimp are the lake’s only aquatic residents. Flies buzz along the shoreline and larger flies bite people visiting the dry, half-burnt, half-inaccessible Antelope Island. The place and its rumored bug problem are avoided by most.

But the same Island holds one of the pure strains of Bison. Mountain sheep and elk roam the Island’s highlands. Sandy beaches on its west shore allows the few visitors a glimpse of being on an ocean, fully equipped with sun sets to take your breath away.

Deer and Antelope roam free. Watch carefully and you’ll see one of the coyotes too.

The Great Salt Lake marshes and distant islands gives migratory birds refuge and thousands of pelicans a place to nest. Sea gulls freely roam the skies and salty breezes and if one closed their eyes and listened, you could be on almost any pacific beach you could imagine.

Kayaks glide high and smooth on ofttimes glassy waters. Sail boats set out and roam far enough away to disappear into the horizon.

The Great Salt Lake is magical. A world of its own. In the lights of the large metropolis, yet separated enough to be called wilderness. It is the last remains of a once greater lake, Lake Bonneville. A true endangered species.

The lake currently sits at its historical low, surpassing the low level set back in the early sixties. A prolonged drought and continued diverted water have the lake gasping for life. Some fear it might dry up completely and become nothing but a memory and a dust bowl.

I hope we’re smart enough to know we don’t want that. I hope were smart enough to know the lake needs its share of water. I hope we’re smart enough to figure it out before it’s too late.

The loss would be unmeasurable, the health risks would be uncalculatable, and the sin would be unpardonable.

 

Post 3-038

Around an Island in the Dark

mikemjensen Cycling Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey kids,

I’ve spoke before how much I enjoy Antelope Island.

The isolated desert island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake, up to this point, has only been experienced by me in the daylight and  on a motorized vehicle.

Not anymore.13718575_1125848827475904_4128455032069227520_n

Last night we rode the 24 miles in the dark on a pedal bike.

Granted, we rode with hundreds of others, but in the dark.

I’m not an experienced ride, and it has been a few years since I last attempted to ride, but I did it. I made the 24 miles! (Disclaimer:a few steps on some of the late inclines were walked.)

Apparently the others in our group liked it so much, it’s now on our to-do list for next year. My only hope is that I get some training done before then.

 

Post #50-60

Paying It Forward

mikemjensen Life's Truths, Vanity Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Took a trip to Antelope Island, the large island on the Salt Lake City side of the Great Salt Lake. To call it an oasis might be a stretch of the imagination, but it is an island of intrigue. Bison, deer, antelope, coyotes, elk, big horn sheep, all make a good living surrounded by a near dead body of water. And within sight of the reflected city lights from the 2-point something million people just across the short side of the lake.

The island is left undeveloped and undisturbed most of the time. Hardly any of the locals venture out despite the paved causeway. It’s even a State Park. In that way it’s an oasis of discovery, surrounded by a severe lack of interest. Other people’s loss,

I love to visit. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to the ranch. On the eastern side, towards the southern end is the well preserved remains of a working ranch. It operated for 133 years. Now it’s a treasure trove of how past generations lived and worked. Not really a museum but a self-guided walk through time, it makes me wish I could live there and see it in its “glory days”.

But there’s sadness too. In a pasture rusts three vehicles. Two trucks and one tractor. They each have seen better days and now just sit, day after day, season after season. Kids climb in and around them, photos are taken upon them, and very few people see much more than junk.

I love these vehicles and I wish I could take them home. I wish I could make them run again and fire them up. But their day is done. Their engines will no longer turn. They are now tombstones to their own forgotten past. But these guys can live on in the photos they star in and I’ll add to their tribute.

Someone, one day, take a picture of my tombstone and post it in your blog; whether or not you know who I was or what I did. I’d appreciate it. IMG_20130324_135629 (1)IMG_20130324_135743-1IMG_20130324_135652      Day 20