Cascade Springs

Yesterday was a little bit overcast which, in my opinion, is perfect for hiking.  I live in an absolutely beautiful place and can literally get to any number of trailheads in the mountains within 30 minutes.  I decided to go to Cascade Springs and then drive the Alpine Loop from American Fork Canyon to Provo Canyon.  Cascade Springs is made up of a series of cascading waterfalls over travertine terraces.  You can hike the lower loop by the pools or you can hike the middle and upper loops to the source of the springs.  It was especially nice yesterday because it was cool and not very crowded.

After hiking around Cascade Springs, I drove the Alpine Loop.  It was beautiful and relaxing.

I love driving through the mountains (especially with the windows down while listening to Neil Young).  It was a lovely day.

OneRepublic at USANA

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is sit under the stars and watch an outdoor performance.  Saturday night was an absolutely beautiful summer evening and one of my favorite bands came to the Usana Amphitheatre for an incredible concert.  Needless to say, I was pretty happy!  OneRepublic started their set with "Light It Up" behind a giant screen, which whipped the 17,000 screaming fans into a frenzy before it finally dropped.  Whenever I go to a concert, there is always one song that I really want the band to play.  It is usually pretty obscure, so sometimes I'm disappointed.  But it just so happens that my favorite OneRepublic song, "Stop and Stare," is quite popular so they played it relatively early in the evening.  I loved it because it was an incredibly stirring performance with the entire crowd singing along!  I really love Ryan Tedder's voice and, even though it was a large arena with over 17,000 in attendance, he sang with such raw emotion that it felt very intimate.  Many songs began acoustically with one featured instrument and a spotlight (piano for "Apologize," Spanish guitar for "Counting Stars," and cello for "Secrets") and then built to a crescendo with other instruments and the usual light show.  They played a few songs from Native, their latest album, such as their catchy new single "Love Runs Out," "Preacher," and "Something I Need," but they kept the crowd happy with the hits "All the Right Moves" and "Good Life."  When they played "Come Home," they showed images from SLC projected on the screens and that definitely got the crowd cheering.  They ended their set with "I Lived," an incredible song that I want played at my funeral!  Listen to it!  For the encore, there was an amazing rendition of "Wonderful World" (did I mention that I love Ryan Tedder's voice?) and then "If I Lose Myself."  It was a really fun night of great music!

Note:  I also enjoyed the opening bands, even though I wasn't as familiar with them.  The first band was American Authors.  I didn't see their whole set because of an epic parking nightmare (did I mention that there were 17,000 people at this concert?) but I did get to hear their biggest hit, "Best Day of My Life," which was fun.  The Script put on a great show with charismatic front man, Danny O'Donoghue, running through the crowd multiple times.  I really liked their performance of "Breakeven."

Eastern Europe

Maybe it's because I read too many John LeCarre spy novels when I was a teenager, but I have always been fascinated by Eastern Europe.  It always seemed so mysterious to me!  In the summer of 2006 I had the opportunity to visit Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic and it was a very interesting trip.  Here are some highlights.

Parliament Building (modeled on the Houses of Parliament in London), Budapest, Hungary

Heroes Square, Budapest, Hungary

Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, Hungary

Matthias Church, Budapest, Hungary

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Budapest, Hungary

Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary

Schonbrunn Palace (modeled on Versailles in France), Vienna, Austria

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, Austria

The Hofburg, Vienna, Austria

Belvedere Palace, Vienna, Austria

Hundertwasser House, Vienna, Austria

Mozart Memorial, Vienna, Austria

A random concert at City Hall, Vienna, Austria

Bratislava Castle, Bratislava, Slovakia

Old Town, Bratislava, Slovakia

Valtice Castle, Valtice, Czech Republic

Hradcany Castle, Prague, Czech Republic

St. Vitus' Cathedral, Prague, Czech Republic

Astronomical Clock, Prague, Czech Republic

Watching the World Cup in the Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic

Church of St. Nicholas, Prague, Czech Republic

Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic

I absolutely fell in love with the city of Prague!  I could have spent days wandering the Mala Strana (Old Town).  I think this trip actually increased my fascination with Eastern Europe and I would like to visit Poland some day.

African Safari

Canadian Rockies

London

Alpine Europe

Germany

Spain