Utah

It's been a while since I posted. Life has kept me busy.This morning, errr.. afternoon rather (C'mon, its a Sunday afterall) I woke up thinking about Utah. Whenever I tell people I studied at the Utah State University in a small mid-western town called Logan in a predominantly conservative LDS community, I almost always get a raised eyebrow as a response. It makes me a little defensive of the place I lived for two years of my life and formed important relationships which stayed with me even after I moved back to India.

For one, when people think Utah - they think barren desert ,with miles and miles of flat land of cactus and shrubs with rattlesnakes and an occasional farmhouse breaking the monotony and a lone cowboy on his horse with a tilted mud crusted hat squinting his eyes at you and nodding his 'howdy' (Insert appropriate western cowboy music here).


I tell them- Think rolling hills and mountains, rivers, hidden creeks, open wide spaces , blue skies and white fluffy clouds. Like this.




They tell me Utah is lame because people in Utah don't go to wild parties over the weekend and get drunk and puke on the floor (and on themselves) and pass out - what's the fun without that?

I tell them- True, there are very very few bars where you can go drink yourself silly and puke on the floor (Or yourself ) - most people who like that kind of shit, do it in house parties. I've been to those a few times and I realized I don't enjoy puking. So instead, I would spend weekends like this .

Camping out with friends



Floating on the Tony Grove lake on a sunny Sunday



Camping at Yellowstone National Park, awed by the wonders of nature.




Learning how to appreciate good art with wonderful artists



Learning to play the Djembe by the fire on a clear summer night, having my first s'mores and watching shooting stars in the sky




Hiking up to the North window in Arches National park at night and lying on the rocks until midnight listening to silence and feeling tiny underneath the sky so full of shiny blinking stars.





They tell me , I missed out on the fun - These people from New York, Chicago, LA and California.

I tell them- I don't think so.