Dec. 8th--Turnaround Sunset Day in Northern Utah

Yes, Dec. 21 might be the shortest day of the year, but it is NOT the day with the earliest sunset in Northern Utah.
Thanks to being so far north, sunset actually now starts to get a little later every day from Dec. 8, until June here.
Sunrise on the other hand will keep getting later and later until about Jan. 8, 2012.
Then, it will turnaround.
But sunrise and sunset don't both automatically turnaround on Dec. 21. They have different rates.

History of Canyon Winds Along The Wasatch Front

By Lynn Arave

These horrendous, hurricane force canyon winds along the Wasatch Front are nothing new.
In fact, from 1959 to 1999, there were 26 such occurrences of damaging east winds.
The previous one was April 23, 1999. So, they averaged about every 18 months for 4 decades and then disappeared for more than 12 1/2 years until Dec. 1, 2011.
So, we were overdue by statistics.
(Technically, they are "downslope winds.")
The Mormon Pioneers first reported them in the fall of 1848. Brigham Young rebuked some canyon winds in Farmington on Nov. 9, 1864.
The year 1988 featured a record three such east wind events. There were also two such hurricane force canyon wind events in 1964, 1973, 1983, 1986 and 1997.
April 2, 1973 featured some of the strongest, sustained canyon winds I can recall. Those winds picked up a pole vaulting "portapit" mat and carried across Weber State University's Wildcat stadium as if it was cardboard.
Also, I decided to time myself in a 100 yard dash during those April 2, 1973 winds and clocked 10.4 seconds easily with a 90 mph wind at my back.
In 2011, this is the first ever canyon wind event to test the icicle style of Christmas decorations, for example.
We forget that these winds are a periodic part of nature along the Wasatch Front.
When I constructed my wooden fence in 1984, I purposely made it strongest on the east facing sides to withstand such winds better.

Fingers of the Kolob : Awesome!

NEW HARMONY, Washington County, Utah — What a huge difference 0.4 of a mile can make.
Many Utahns have probably driven the five-mile Kolob Canyons scenic drive , just east of I-15, in a section of Zion National Park at exit No. 40. That's a signed turnoff and well-publicized.
However, did you know that a less than half-a-mile drive off I-15 west at exit No. 42 yields an incredible, but less often heralded view of "The Five Fingers of the Kolob" —also part of the Kolobs Canyon section of Zion National Park?
In the New Harmony area, west of I-15 are amazing views of the Kolob, not visible from the freeway, since it is too far east.
"One of the main attractions of New Harmony, and something it's famous for, is the Kolob Canyon Scenic Drive," states Juli Danis, a realtor in Southern Utah, on her Web site, www.julidanis.com
"If you drive into the town of New Harmony, and turn around and look towards the mountains on the east, you can see the magnificent view of the Kolob Fingers, truly one of the most magnificent sites you'll ever see. This is a well kept secret, as traveling down the I-15 freeway, they are not visible to the routine traveler," she continued.
There are some power lines that can get in the way of a photograph, but for any traveler headed to St. George, Las Vegas, or California, it is worth it to at least once take 5-10 minutes and exit the freeway west at exit No. 42 to see the Fingers of the Kolob and know what is there above you that you CANNOT see from the freeway.
(The two above photos show the Fingers of the Kolob, from just west of I-15 at Exit No. 42. First photo by Lynn Arave; photo 2 by Elizabeth Arave.)