20250901 – And Now It’s Autumn | Tony & Wendy's Travel Blog

For those snowflakes, wokes and libtards who may not be able to cope with some of my Rants etc., then select here:

Show Religious Rants Show Sick Humour Show Rants

What an awesome month, all the Autumn colours.

20250901 – Monday

Well Saturday we had the Swiss Days Parade and today it’s the Miners Day Parade – known as Labour Day in the rest of the Country, but because of it’s mining heritage it Miners Day here. At least they have parades over here, unlike in the UK where they MIGHT OFFEND SOMEONE. Parade was ok; junk food was great, managed to get another of those awesome deep fried Oreos; watched one of the drillers in the drilling competition – Wendy wanted to leave, it’s too hot. Mike stays for dinner.

I love America:

The term “Arla and farting cows” refers to a recent controversy surrounding Arla Foods, a dairy company, and its pilot program to use a feed additive called Bovaer to reduce methane emissions from its dairy cows. While methane emissions are indeed a significant greenhouse gas and cows are a major source of it, the additive is not meant to stop “farting” but to suppress the enzyme in the cow’s digestive system responsible for methane production. Critics of the program have raised concerns about “adulterating” food products, despite the additive being scientifically proven safe and not remaining in milk or meat products. Arla is trialing its Bovaer-fed milk with Tesco, Morrisons, and Aldi, so you may find Arla products containing the additive at these UK supermarkets.

20250905 – Friday

Start the day with a cool ride down to the coffee shop – weather is very Autumnal. Then Wendy, Mike and I set off down to Salt Lake to go to the Greek Festival. Food was pretty good but no entertainment on. Best of all it was free entry for geriatrics. Wow a benefit to being old. Remind me never to have lunch again. It took all my effort to stay awake in the afternoon. Ended up going for a walk with Wendy to try and wake me sen up. A full lunch is just not worth it. We pass on TGIF and just have a quiet night in.

20250906 – Saturday

Start the day with a 4+ mile hike with Mark and Joe. It’s fairly cool and overcast, so great hiking weather. Today it’s Hike For Hunger up at the Olympic park. We have a VIP invite from Jamie, so we abandon our volunteer role and just enjoy the event. Free tee shirts, food and drinks (including alcohol – until the red wine runs out). We pass on most of the free rides and just take a chairlift ride to the top and back. Would have loved to done tubing down the ski jump but it was just too far to walk.

20250907 – Sunday

Played pickle ball in the afternoon. Wow, only 5 of us. In the evening B&M come round for dinner.

20250908 – Monday

Lead an easy hike around one of my favourites – The Road to WOS. In the afternoon Mike and I go for a short bike ride.

20250909 – Tuesday

Mike and I do a bike ride. Then I watch the Apple announcements. Yet again more trivial announcements. Instead of new emojis and liquid glass trivia why don’t they fix the plethora of bugs in their software; develop some common standards rather than huge differences between iphone, ipad and MacBook, sick of the difference; standardize the way cut, copy and paste works along with file save and save as. They’re getting nearly as bad as the Evil Empire (Microsoft). Why is everything to do with software and the web just a crock of shit. Nothing works properly. Interfaces are clueless and a complete lack of common sense. What can you expect from 10 year olds who can’t even tie their own shoe laces. Does nobody bother to test software anymore. It’s time more brown envelopes were handed out to these morons. As the battery in my current 4 year old watch is knackered I order the Apple Watch Ultra 3. Don’t think I’ll bother with the new iPhone. Wendy passes on a new watch.

20250910 – Wednesday

Lead an easy bike ride in the morning. As no one turns up Mike and I make it a ride down to the coffee shop. Temperature great 70’ish and sunny, but the wind back uphill is a killer. Wendy’s volunteering. Then we set off down to the Utah State Fair. Wow, one thing that leaps out at you in Salt Lake is how the body shape changes. Must be nearly 60% grossly obese. Great place to motivate me on my diet with all these blobbies shuffling around and quite a few in wheelchairs. Such a stark contrast to the healthy looking fitness freaks of PC.

Fair was interesting. Mainly junk food stalls. With all those Blobies to remind me I managed to resist, even the deep fried Oreos. A lot of exhibition halls with art and prize winners in.

20250915 Monday

As usual I lead an Easy Hike up Dubois trail. Good turnout of 10 but they’re all women. A noisy hike. Mike and I do a short easy bike ride in the afternoon.

20250919 Friday

Start the day with 2 hours of pickleball at crack of sparrows fart 0830. Then Mike and I go down to Salt lake to pick up my Ultra 3 Apple Watch. Can’t believe the queue to just get in the store and then a queue to actually pick up the watch. If they keep this shoddy customer service up I’ll be going over to the Dark Side with Android. Then after car cleaning, petrol we’re off to play Ten Pin Bowling. It’s a quiet evening in for Wendy and I.

250920 – Saturday

Start the day with a hike up to Blood Lake. The Autumn colors are awesome, so much so I’m changing my Monday Easy Hike to the Bonanza Loop Trail to take advantage of those magnificent colours. Lazy afternoon and then in the evening we go with B&M for dinner at the Blue Boar Inn, has to be my favourite place.

200923 Tuesday

After experiencing the awesome autumnal colours around Blood lake I lead a club hike around the Bonanza Loop trail, it’s even more awesome. 13 of us, but what a hike it was. First as always some women turns up late; then she doesn’t know her car registration number; she disappears and brings her registration document, no use; then she searches her mobile for a picture; finally gets it. What a pity we hadn’t already set off. You always get one and I try my best for an on time departure, especially when the parking meter clock is running. If your late, tough shit, why should everyone who has taken the trouble to be on time be held up. We’re a mile into the hike and we encounter 3 Moose chomping away on the trail and they’ve no intention of giving up the breakfast. So we backtrack and go round anti-clockwise. Then one of the women falls and hits her head on a rock, fortunately no blood just a bump. I’m always bemoaning the fact that if you entertain Americans then be sure to have plenty of ice and Tomato ketchup. Well for the first time ever on one of my hikes I hear a request for ice! But it was an awesome hike spoilt only by having a raving democrat and libtard on the hike who last year expressed his total hatred for a human being who happened to be a Republican. He also had a hissy fit because the Republican was wearing a MAGA hat. How can anyone hate for such a trivial reason. Such an awful human being if he turns up again I’ll be donning Mikes MAGA hat to piss him off and be asking him not to come on any of my future events. Sadly the picture do not do it justice. In the afternoon Wendy and I go over to Mikes to do the hike behind his house. Last year the colours were awesome, sadly not so this year. Never mind we have a drink with Mike. In the evening BM come round for dinner. Of course there’s wine along with plenty of ice and tomato ketchup.

200925 Thursday

Wow, what an awesome sunny day. Starts with 2 hours Pickleball; 2 hour hike with Wendy up on the Bonanza Loop Trail, the colours are stupendous, words and photos just cannot describe the trees; picnic just absorbing the splendour of the trees; to top the day off we go to TGIF, on a Thursday, good company, great food and of course there’s wine. How lucky can we be, sure shitin in the tall cotton. Paradise.

Bonanza Flats is home to the Flammulated Owl.

The flammulated owl (Psiloscops flammeolus) is a small migratory North American owl in the family Strigidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Psiloscops. Description The flammulated owl is a small, nocturnal owl approximately 15 cm (6 in) long with a 36 cm (14 in) wingspan. With such large wings for a small body, they can fly rapidly from tree to tree. Males and females can be distinguished by their weight. Females are larger, ranging from 62–65 g (2.2–2.3 oz) and males are smaller ranging from 50–52 g (1.8–1.8 oz). The owl gets the name flammulated from the flame-like markings on its face.[9] The flammulated owl is similar in appearance to the western screech owl, but is only about one-quarter the mass, lacks large ear tufts (but has small ear tufts that are barely visible), and has dark eyes and a different voice. The elf owl is smaller and the mountain pygmy owl is about the same size. The call is a series of relatively deep, single or double hoots.

200926 Friday

Ordered the new iPad Air because my keyboard is playing up and my iPad Pro is nearly 4 years old. Fully depreciated. The new Air is reckoned to be plenty powerful enough for my usage and the iPad Pro would have been an expensive overkill, it’s only plus point being facial recognition as opposed to fingerprint. As we couldn’t guarantee delivery window we drove down to SLC to pick it up. Of course there was a queue. Had a stroll around Fashion Place Mall – god only knows why. Then it’s a trip to Smiths for the weekly shop, all this excitement in one day. Keep calm.

20250927 Saturday

Another awesome hike with Wendy and the Autumn colours. We do the bottom half of Snowtop, out and back, just 2 miles. The colours tad muted as we were not in the mountains, but still worth it. In the afternoon Mark and I go to visit Joe. I get a training session on the finer points of American Football. It’s not quite as haphazard and simple as it looks. Another quiet evening in with a beer and finish off my first bottle of Prisoners Share. Finally come to the conclusion it better with ice. Fear not there’s another full bottle awaiting – probably take it home – and I’ve a nearly full bottle of Cask Strength on the go.

200928 Sundaay

A cool cloudy day. Lazy morning in, it’s so relaxing not having to get up at the crack of Sparrows Fart. In the afternoon it’s Pickleball, but after an hour rain stops play.

Monday, 29th September 2025 Supposedly I was leading an hike around Bonanza Loop Trail, same as last week, just too good to miss. No one turned up, so obviously no one agreed with my views on the awesome colours. Went up later in the day but the BLT car park was full so went to explore my new hike around Wasatch State Park. Yet another awesome Autumnal colour day. A tad cloudy and cooler but worth it to enjoy all hose Orange colours now bursting out. I just love those awesomely simple fences.