In the Line of Fire, Part II

It was a sobering reply. I had asked Riley Pilgrim, a captain with the Unified Fire Authority, if he’d send engines to defend our home in the event of an intense, fast-moving wild fire. “Probably not,” he said. And Pilgrim is a nice guy. […]

Finding Fondness for Cheese and Chocolate

I live on the outskirts of Herriman, a fast-growing, baby-filled suburb of 30,000 on the southwestern edge of Salt Lake County. It’s a landscape devoid of independent business. Read of one restaurant that stands out. Finding interesting stuff means leaving town. Yesterday, it was to […]

Finding Fondness for Cheese and Chocolate

Allosaurus Art

A long time ago (about 150 million years), dinosaurs ruled southern Utah. When they died, if the conditions were right, their bones turned to fossils. Most fossils here are from the Morrison Formation, a huge swath of sedimentary rock from the Late Jurassic period, extending […]

In the Line of Fire, Part I

From UtahOutsider’s perspective, it seems folks here take the “Worry Later” approach when it comes to the state’s fast-moving development and population growth. But behind the scenes, especially within certain pockets of government, there is plenty going on. Read one planning official’s comments here. […]

Kissing Farmers Goodbye

Population growth and housing development are strong, brotherly winds that Utah farmers have leaned into for years. They’re as relentless as the passage of time. “You can fight it, but you can only fight it for so long,” said Randall Ercanbrack, a fifth-generation farmer in […]

Kurgo solves Mud Season

Mud, mud, glorious mud Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood So follow me follow, down to the hollow And there let me wallow in glorious mud — Flanders and Swann Mud Season’s around the corner. How will your back seat look? Is it […]

MindShift unpacks your habit

It’s a habit you’ve had since school days: swinging a backpack off your shoulder. Over the years, that weary swing has become embedded in your muscle memory. You’ve graduated to heavier bags and maybe injured your shoulder, yet still you swing the pack by its […]

Babbitt to Outdoor Industry: get your act together now

Utah and Bruce Babbitt have a history. In the 1990s, when he led efforts to designate nearly two million acres of the Grand Staircase Escalante area as a National Monument, folks here hung him in effigy. How foul was the vibe? The ceremony had to […]

All work and no play makes Jake a dull boy

It’s a proverb taken to heart by many in the Beehive State, especially those of us who’ve chosen Utah first for recreation and then later do we figure out ways to stay here and make a living. Skier and mountain biker Will Hamill did just […]