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300 Miles of Stark Desolation: A Guest Blog by Chad Harris
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300 Miles of Stark Desolation: A Guest Blog by Chad Harris<div class="post-avatar" style="float: right;" ><img src='/nicole.jpg' class='post_avatar no-rate avatar-64 avatar-default' height='64' width='64' style='width: 64px; height: 64px;' alt='avatar' /></div>

- Lake Level: 4197.5′ -

As someone who formerly loved to ride I have a lot of respect for our new friend, Chad. He seems to have found that mountain biking isn’t just a good form of exercise but that it also is a mode of transportation that can take you places you may have never dreamed of going. Chad Harris holds a professional mountain bike racing license and lives, trains and works in Salt Lake City. When the racing season ends the native Utahn enjoys exploring the shores of Great Salt Lake on his bicycle and in his canoe. Chad blogs about racing and thought provoking ideas, you can follow his musings at www.hooptedoodle.typepad.com. – Nicole

Let me make one thing clear from the beginning: The cycling opportunities around Great Salt Lake are terrible. There I said it, but it’s a lie. Great Salt Lake is the last destination in Utah I would recommend for a cycling adventure. For that Utah has Moab, St. George, Vernal and Park City. Those places have buff single track, paved rural roads, ideal weather and communities that cater to cyclists’ needs. Great Salt Lake has none of that. Read the rest of this entry →

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Watersheds: A Guest Blog by Bruce Thompson
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Watersheds: A Guest Blog by Bruce Thompson<div class="post-avatar" style="float: right;" ><img src='/heidi.jpg' class='post_avatar no-rate avatar-64 avatar-default' height='64' width='64' style='width: 64px; height: 64px;' alt='avatar' /></div>

- Lake Level: 4197.5′ -

In my time working in the non-profit world and in environmental education, no single person has impacted me more than Bruce Thompson.  Aside from his incredible and detailed work developing education programs and materials that introduce kids and adults to our natural world, Bruce’s passion for and knowledge of everything from birds to bugs to scat is not only intimidating – it’s inspiring.  Read on to see why I have become, unabashedly, a member of the Bruce Thompson fan club!  – Heidi

Something that most rabid fans of Great Salt Lake have in common seems to be some epiphanic “born again” moment, during which out of the ashes of ignorance this “big, salty, buggy and stinky” entity rises in our minds like an aquatic phoenix to become some epic paragon of unrequited beauty.  It happened to me in 1996. Read the rest of this entry →

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A Trip to Promontory: A Guest Blog by Cindy Lund, In Memory of Tim Costello
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A Trip to Promontory: A Guest Blog by Cindy Lund, In Memory of Tim Costello<div class="post-avatar" style="float: right;" ><img src='/nicole.jpg' class='post_avatar no-rate avatar-64 avatar-default' height='64' width='64' style='width: 64px; height: 64px;' alt='avatar' /></div>

- Lake Level: 4198.4′-
- 220 Miles Round-Trip -

Note from Nicole: Cindy Lund is a dear friend to both Heidi and me. She has come along with us on our journey this summer to help drive when she is able, keep track of our finances, and help us not lose our sanity in the midst of it all. Unfortunately last September she received the call that no daughter wants to get. Her father had become ill and rushed to the hospital. He passed away a few days after she reached his side to say farewell. As I have scheduled events for our blog I asked Cindy if there was one place she could go this summer where would it be? This is a story from her heart about revisiting that one special place that she knew she could find her Dad’s heart and soul once again riding on the rails of a train.

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Alluring Antelope Island: A Guest Blog by Crystal Carpenter
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Alluring Antelope Island: A Guest Blog by Crystal Carpenter<div class="post-avatar" style="float: right;" ><img src='/heidi.jpg' class='post_avatar no-rate avatar-64 avatar-default' height='64' width='64' style='width: 64px; height: 64px;' alt='avatar' /></div>

Note from Heidi:  I have long been inspired by the dedication and passion of so many people who have, at one time or another, been called by the Lake.  At the top of that list is my dear friend, Crystal Carpenter, who spent much of her career at Antelope Island State Park, and knows the Lake and her whims and fluctuations better than I ever will.  As such, it seems only fitting that Crystal tell you about Antelope Island – and the allure it still holds for so many.  Read on for her story.

The first time I set foot on Antelope Island, I stood on the rocky shoreline of Lady Finger Point as a young woman in my early twenties, still innocent of Great Salt Lake’s ways.  My friends  brought me out for a canoe trip to the island’s south shore.  After a lunch of vintage cheddar, rye crackers, fruit and tea we each took a section of canoe, raised it above our heads and carried it to the water.  The winds were blowing around 15 mph when we began our journey.  We had no idea of the ride Great Salt Lake had planned for the three adventurers from Logan.  Read the rest of this entry →

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