Autumn at the edge of the desert

The city where we live is the most populated city in the northern part of the state that is situated on the edge of the Great Basin desert. There is one city in the most southern part of the state that is more populated, but it's not actually on the edge of the desert; it's actually in the desert.

So, since we're on the edge, we get an OK amount of water, and we have some decent mountains: The Oquirrh's. They aren't the Wasatch, and they definitely aren't the Uintahs. There is one more range, the Sheep, that buffers us from the desert. Everything after the Sheep range is definitely desert. Our town sits in the valley between the Oquirrhs and the Sheep ranges.

Since we actually have mountains, we do get some color on the scrub oak and the quaking aspens in the fall. Since we are at the edge of a desert in the second driest state in the nation, fall doesn't last long. It seems like it's here for a week at most. It's so fleeting! So, I'm happy that we were able to get some good pictures a few days ago while out "hiking". (Five-year-olds don't "hike" well. At least, ours don't. Of course, to me a hike is 10 miles, and that's a bit unfair to a little person.)

Did you really think that this was going to just be a pretty post? Uh, no. Here are pictures of the boys - of course!

ha-ha-ha! Isn't that a funny picture? Everyone found something interesting - a stick, a rock, a leaf - and they all bent over at the same time... even Nana! I'm sure that she will be happy to see her butt here...

Ok - fine - here are some more pretty pictures sans handsome boys: