Utah

Oh, Utah. Who knew? Maybe you did, but I did not. Prior to entering Utah, I expected a wasteland of desert, salty plains stretching for miles as we traveled over windswept mirages of water. Instead I was greeted by lushness. It was northern Utah, so I cannot speak for the southern part of the state which may very likely be closer to my expectations. Rolling mossy hills reminiscent of our earlier trip through Wyoming brought gladness to our hearts. As we drove closer to a campground we were hoping to stay at that night, we noticed that we were once again in a type of farmland/ranch area. What stood out to us was the cleanliness of the homes and surrounding outbuildings. It was like walking into a home where the kids had picked up their toys before going to bed, as opposed to what my home often looks like with stuff strewn all over the place. The lawns were trim and neat, the buildings well cared for, and there was not one old car sitting on a property….maybe they were just better at hiding the junk in the buildings. We were impressed and it led to an overall enjoyment of the surrounding countryside. The campsite was full and rain clouds were working their way closer, so we settled on a hotel in Park City for the night. Waking up to a wet morning let us know we had made a wise choice. Today we make the final push to Washington. It will be another very long day of driving and we are now confident the kids can handle it. As we wind down the time we have spent away we are beginning the stage of reflecting. What has this time given us, what did we hope for that did not happen, what went well and what could have gone better, and are we really any closer to knowing what is in store for us?

You may be wondering how my plans to eat gluten free for the summer went…I believe I would give myself a very large F if I were to give a grade. In fact, I think I ate more wheat and dairy than I typically do at home. There are numerous reasons and excuses for this, but it all boils down to availability and cost. It is much more cost effective to funnel all the gluten free foods to the one with the actual allergy. We’ll continue to work on that path this summer as we’ll be cooking for ourselves more now. I am certain a cleanse is in the near future, though.