Turkey Dinners and Holiday Lights

Happy Thanksgiving, from all of us at utah.com. We hope you have plenty to be thankful for.

The "Lights On" program in downtown Salt Lake City will be held Friday evening, Nov 27. At about 5:25 pm, Christmas lights will go be turned on throughout the downtown area. The accumulative effect is spectacular, as more than a million bulbs come to life to usher in the Christmas season.

An official ceremony will be held at Gallivan Center, 239 S. Main.

The Grand America Hotel, the new 222 Main high-rise tower and other Salt Lake buildings will host activities and lighting displays.

At nearby Temple Square, the Christmas lights will also go on Friday evening at dusk. They provide a very popular display attracting visitors and residents alike.

This Deseret News article provides details about these events.

Real Salt Lake Takes MLS Title

Utah is celebrating today, after the Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer Team won the league championship yesterday in Seattle.

Below are excerpts from this ESPN report on the game.

But it all worked out splendidly for Real Salt Lake, which took down the glamour guys from the Galaxy in the second MLS Cup final decided by penalty kicks.

The overachievers from one of the league's smallest markets overcame ample hardship thanks to superior fitness and, even more, to a goalkeeper who specializes in turning away spot shots. The Utah side also had just enough shooters able to be calm under pressure, as a blue-collar club with no real front-line international stars claimed a 5-4 edge in a tiebreaker that went seven shooters deep.

This Salt Lake Tribune article gives a local angle. Below are excerpts.

When Russell fired home the penalty kick that delivered Real Salt Lake its first Major League Soccer championship on Sunday night, he spun around and saw five years of faith and perseverance charging right at him -- in the form of three dozen joyous coaches and teammates roaring in celebration of a shootout victory over the star-studded Los Angeles Galaxy that a month ago nobody could have seen coming.

"Nothing in the world can describe it," Russell recalled. "There are no words that can describe it. It's just utter elation. Just pure ... you turn around and you see those guys running at you ... there's just no way to describe it."

Snowbird Is Open, Park City and Brian Head Open Tomorrow

Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort opened for skiing and boarding today. Solitude, Brighton and Wolf Creek Utah are already open. Other resorts will open as follows.

Park City Mountain Resort - Nov 21
Brian Head Resort - Nov 21
Snowbasin - Nov 26
The Canyons - Nov 27
Powder Mountain - Nov 29
Deer Valley - Dec 5
Sundance - Dec 11
Alta Ski Area - TBA
Beaver Mountain - TBA

Below are excerpts from a news release provided by Snowbird.

Snowbird will open at 9 a.m. with the Gadzoom chairlift accessing intermediate and advanced terrain and Chickadee accessing beginner slopes; additional terrain will be evaluated as weather conditions permit.

A series of storms are forecasted into next week along with cold temperatures that should accommodate snowmaking. Last year, Snowbird received 621 inches of The Greatest Snow on Earth® and had a 195-day season with skiing and riding from Nov. 7 to May 31, the longest in Utah.

Snowbird is offering an early season ticket price of $52. Early-season lodging and lift packages are currently available starting at $99/person through much of December by calling (800) 232-9542 or visiting www.snowbird.com.

Spectacular Lightshow As Meteor Hits Utah

A large meteor exploded over Utah early Wednesday morning, creating a fireball and light plumes that were seen from many points around the Western US.

After exploding, the fragments produced intense light as they burned while coming through earth's atmosphere. Apparently one or more fragments hit ground in Utah's west desert - probably on military land in Dugway Proving Grounds.

Many news articles have been published about the meteor. KSL has photos and a video, along with text descriptions. Below are excerpts.

At exactly 12:07, people from all over the western United States watched as the bolide meteor crashed into Earth's atmosphere. In some areas, the flash of light was so bright it caused light-sensor street lamps to shut off.

"I'm currently driving, but I just saw a giant blue flash in the sky, and it came down into the city," a caller from Ogden said.

A caller in Bountiful told dispatchers, "It flashed from the west, and it lit up the whole freakin' neighborhood."

Don White was in Wyoming and told KSL Newsradio for a moment he suspected a nuclear strike. "With something that brilliant and that fast, it was like, whoa, did we just get hit or something? It would have been some bigger noise I guess if a nuclear device had gone off," he said.

When a meteor enters the atmosphere, it gives off a lot of heat and light. Folks at the Clark Planetarium say this rock was big--between the size of a microwave and washer-dryer unit.

The Deseret News has this report. Below are excepts.

Patrick Wiggins, NASA Ambassador to Utah, said a seismologist has contacted him and believes the meteor impacted Utah's west desert.

The seismologist said he triangulated the terminal burst location based on seven Utah seismic stations, and his calculations put it in the general vicinity of Granite Peak in Tooele County, about 30 miles southwest of Dugway.

"Unfortunately, that puts it on Dugway Proving Grounds, so I doubt anyone will be doing a search there anytime soon, though one person said he's going to see if permission for an expedition could be arranged."

Biggest Loser Returns to Utah Ranch

The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge is getting lots of press lately, as the associated popular TV show heads toward its season finale. The resort is located near St George, in southern Utah.

LaLate.com reports:

"Biggest Loser returns to its Utah Ranch tonight again, the Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge. The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge is a stunning Utah Ranch that joined the TV series in 2009."

"[T]he company received international recognition naming "Fitness Ridge Resort & Spa" as one of the top 10 spas in the world. It wasn’t long before the producers of NBC’s hit television show, “TheBiggest Loser ” took notice, too. After offering several contestant prize giveaways on the show, Fitness Ridge entered a marketing and license agreement with NBC."

Thaindian News reports:

"This resort is aimed for providing show competitors and other clients with some of the best weight losing facilities to be known. They also want to ensure that the competitors of the ‘Biggest Loser’ show and the clients who come to the resort receive equal treatment. People who want to lose weight by following the crash diets adopted by the show yet do not want to get captured on the camera, can come to this resort. It is certainly a great news and people are searching the internet wildly to check the photographs of the resort and know more about it."

Explore the Moon House Ruin

Hiking conditions are great right now in the low-elevation deserts of southern Utah. Mountain areas throughout Utah picked up snow last week, and will pick up more this weekend as another storm approaches, but deserts around Zion Park, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase and Moab are dry and pleasant.

I hiked in the Monument Valley area last weekend and enjoyed a great trip. We pushed into a remote area on the edge of Cedar Mesa, to an interesting Anasazi (Ancient Puebloan) ruin complex. As you can see from my photos, the ruins are spectacular. Many of the structures are well-preserved and show how these ancient Native Americans used local stone, motor and timber to create large buildings housing several families.

The Anasazi people thrived for hundreds of years in the rugged canyons of the Four Corners area. The canyons here are so remote and rugged, modern man finds the area inhospitable. Today people like to explore the canyons using 4X4 vehicles, technical climbing gear and the latest backpacking equipment. We play here but we don't live here. Hundreds of thousands of acres of remote canyon country in SE Utah is totally uninhabited by modern man.

I am fascinated by the ancient ruins, the rock art, and by the people who created it. Why did they choose to live in this harsh environment? How did they raise families on the edge of sheer cliffs? Why did they migrate away from this area, simply walking away from their homes and belongings?

There are hundreds of fascinating ruins and rock art sites in this area. As a hobby, I seek them out and photograph them. I'm getting quite a collection.

People occasionally ask me to publish exact directions so they can find these sites. Some request GPS coordinates. I'm not going to post specific directions on this website but I'm happy to share information with people who convince me they will be responsible when they visit these areas.

Many of these ruins have stood for over 1,000 years. Sadly, many are now being destroyed by enthusiasts who "love them to death." It is important for people to learn about the rules and regulations governing these priceless relics. Visitors are not allowed to climb into the structures or to touch rock art. Some enthusiasts have damaged ancient rock art as they try to make rubbings, to duplicate the image on paper they can take home. The rule is look, take photos but don't touch.

A group of individuals were recently arrested and charged with plundering artifacts from this area. Their cases are now progressing through the court system. Removing artifacts, even simply taking pottery shards, is a serious crime.

These ruins represent a significant part of America's heritage and culture. Many are located in remote backcountry spots where there are no rangers on patrol. It is up to us to protect them. The best way to do that is by educating people who want to explore here. See these pages for more information.

Ruins and Rock Art in the Monument Valley/SE Utah Area
Searching For The Wolf Man (Rock Art)
Cedar Mesa Backcountry Permit Information

Utah Leads US In Happiness Study

People in Utah are the happiest in the US, according to a new study. USA Today has this article about the study. Below are excerpts.

Looking for happiness -- it's family-friendly communities for some, tropical paradise or the rugged West for others. A survey of Americans' well-being, conducted by Gallup in partnership with Healthways and America's Health Insurance Plans, gives high marks to Utah, which boasts lots of outdoor recreation for its youthful population.

Speaking of outdoor recreation, the islands of Hawaii took second place and Wyoming was third in the poll that rated such variables as mental, physical and economic health.

"It's not just about physical health," said Eric Nielsen, a spokesman for Gallup. "It's about their ability to contribute at work and be more productive, and it's about feeling engaged in a community and wanting to improve that community."

The massive survey involved more than 350,000 interviews. Examples of the questions include: Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your job or the work you do? Did you eat healthy all day yesterday? Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?

In general, highest well-being scores came from states in the West while the lowest were concentrated in the South. The happiest congressional districts were some of the wealthiest, while the lowest scores came in some of the poorest.

But Harter said that he believed geographic divides could be overstated and even the states with the highest scores had significant work to do to improve certain aspects of their residents' health and happiness.