Thursday, November 1/2012

Wow, it is already the first of November.  There is no snow here in Nephi, Utah as yet although there seems to be lots of wind and, it has a bit of a bite to it so,  I am sure that snow is on the way.  Hopefully, we will be out of here long before that ever happens.

The start of the Mount Nebo Loop Scenic Bypass

This must have looked incredible when the leaves were in full colour

Oak, maple and fir trees surround the route at the lower elevations

Numerous camping spots along the route

A carpet of leaves - supplied by the oak and maple trees.

Snails - along the edge of Maple Lake

Maple Lake - the trout were jumping

Nice place for a beverage

An awesome little creek follows the roadway

A weeping wall

Aspen trees - in the upper elevations

Past 7000 feet, we got into the snow

Payson Lakes 

A bit of snow here too

LOTS of Aspen trees

incredible views

Mount Nebo - at 11,928 feet, it is the tallest mountain in the
Wasatch Range

Utah Lake

Hell's Kitchen

A twisted old tree trunk

John, on overlook to Mini Bryce

Aspen and evergreens - a stark contrast

Wild turkey - we passed tons of them

Unusual tree formation

Mule Deer - saw several of these once we crested the summit
and got down into the lower  elevations

Old burn - on the trees

Love their big ears!!

Interesting colour

Little white bums!!

more wild turkey

Today we are going to be taking the Mount Nebo Loop Bypass.  This bypass, crosses the Uinta National Forest between the cities of Payson and Nephi.  It climbs to over 9000 feet and provides incredible views of Utah Valley, the Wastach Mountains and the 11,928 foot Mount Nebo, the tallest mountain in the Wasatch Range.
It sounds interesting so should be a good ride.  I must remember the camera!!
We headed down the interstate to the city of Payson where Kay had to stop and exchange the power cord for her phone.  I then saw a Walmart......had to stop as the beer supply was getting low!!
With our shopping behind us, we headed for the start of the loop.  Because we are starting the loop in Payson, we will be ending it just outside of Nephi so that is really handy for us.
The route is paved and took us past an incredible array of views.  We travelled along a path surrounded by the most incredible maple and oak trees which provided us with a thick carpet of fallen leaves.  They crunched under our feet as we hiked along a few of the trails to various sites.  It was awesome.  Once we accessed the upper elevations, the oak and maple gave way to the aspen trees which provided a very stark contrast to the evergreens that seem to grow wherever they choose.  Their white tree trunks reminded me of our poplar trees back home although I think the aspen are whiter.
As we climbed to the upper elevations, the temperature outside dropped and I think the lowest it got to was 47F  We had started at 65F!!
The temperature did climb back up once we got down into the lower elevations and this is where we saw the many mule deer and wild turkeys although, we did see a few mice and squirrels higher up.
The trip ended with us accessing the main highway back into Nephi.  It was an awesome trip and one I am glad we took.
There is such beauty in each and every state that John and I have travelled through that once again I must say how blessed we are to be able to see nature at its finest.