In the 1830s, Joseph Smith taught that the Biblical patriarch Adam gathered all of his posterity together, just before he died, to give them a final blessing. In 1838, he identified the place of that gathering as being in present-day Missouri--a grassy valley near the Grand River that they named Adam-ondi-Ahman. Saints began moving to... Continue Reading →
I arrived in Glasgow this morning and my first stop was to pick up a scarf in the colors of a deep ancestral line - the Armstrong Clan. My paternal grandmother was an Armstrong, and her ancestors trace back through southern England and the Isle of Man (1700s) to the Castleton area north of Edinburgh... Continue Reading →
July 24 is a holiday in the state of Utah, so I logged a 69-mile ride around the Salt Lake valley to take in the festivities and remember some special pioneers. I followed the parade route -- South Temple, 200 East, 800 South -- then up to the Salt Lake Cemetery and This is the... Continue Reading →
I left the Erie Canal pathway for a spin around the Latter-day Saint historic sites near Palmyra. Joseph Smith's family lived in Palmyra from 1816 to 1831. The Sacred Grove The Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York, is the site where Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, visited young Joseph Smith Jr. in 1820.... Continue Reading →
A delicious stew of black beans and savory pork. Mine was served with white rice, toasted farofa (cassava flour), a fried banana, couve (stir fried and chopped collard greens), and orange slices. And the beloved soft drink guaraná. Stews of meat and vegetables trace to ancient Roman cuisine and spawned variations in France, Milan, Romania,... Continue Reading →
Thanks to a work trip to the Midwest in autumn, I took a quick spin today around Historic Nauvoo, and then went up through Nauvoo State Park to an old pioneer cemetery. The Nauvoo Temple. It was drizzling a little when I began, then it started to rain quite hard, and then it stopped--leaving me... Continue Reading →
One of my simple pleasures is sitting on my deck after a ride, looking out across the Great Salt Lake to Antelope Island. Tonight the sunset was more beautiful than photos can do justice, but I tried.
One week after my Juneteenth ride, a beautiful new mural was unveiled in Richmond Park. Today I took the chance to learn about the mural as part of a walking tour held in connection with the Sema Hadithi Foundation's annual conference. The mural showcases four Black women from Utah history--Jane Manning James, Lizzie Taylor, Elnora... Continue Reading →
Today my brother wanted help training for a triathlon so we rode the causeway out-and-back, with a loop around Ladyfinger, Bridger Bay, and the visitor center. So exciting to see the herd! Looking east toward the Wasatch Mountains. We saw this unafraid coyote twice. On the second occasion he came right up close. The arrow... Continue Reading →
Riding--with its combination of exercise, meditation, and immersion in nature--always leaves me feeling a "natural high." Today the "high" was also literal with this stunning view from a tiny access road on the back side of Francis Peak, looking east into Morgan County.
the Bikeswain 