That You Were Never The Same?
About Me And This Site
Hello!
So, I'm not a native Utahn. But I'm pretty darn close. A long-time resident. In fact, I've lived here far longer than I care to admit.
I came to Utah from Canada many years ago with no intention of staying past 4 years. On an athletic scholarship for football.
And to study at the University of Utah.
"Studying" in college when I went to school didn't exactly mean what it does now. If you survived that era, I commend you.
I did get a degree in economics. The plan was that it would be a 4-year stay. Maybe 5 at most.
Hell, the way I ... and so many other good men ... were abused mentally and physically by the incompetent so-called "coaches" at the University of Utah during those years, it's a miracle I made it through the first week.
When I was in high school, I read a book called "Meat On The Hoof.' It was about "big-time" college football at the University of Texas. And how the players were literally treated like animals.
Shortly after that, I read an article in Sports Illustrated about the same thing. Except that this was at Florida State.
And ... believe it or not ... after a kick-ass performance at a camp for high school seniors in my home province of Saskatchewan, one of the schools I was contacted by was Florida State.
The article I'd read ... though ... cured me of any desire to go to Florida State. And besides, I was from Canada. I didn't want to sweat 24 hours a day.
Being somebody who doesn't like to be told I can't do something, I rejected the naysayers and came down from Canada to play so-called "big-time" college football in the USA.
To the University of Utah. I hadn't read any books or articles about them.
The first time I got off the plane in Salt Lake City, it was early August. And I wasn't ready for what smacked me in the face.
About 98 degrees of cloudless blue sky. And heat. "It's a dry heat" my butt. It's a hot heat.
I saw the temperature displayed on the old Utah Power and Light Building as we drove into the city on North Temple from the airport.
And I had a hard time breathing. No one had told me about the altitude. Or at least about the difficulty of actually moving around and breathing at the same time.
But I survived. I survived horrible coaching and being treated like a piece of meat. "Meat on the hoof."
I read the book and then lived it. Hard to believe I've been a Utah football "fan"atic and season ticket holder for ... many decades.
The coaching got a lot better as we got a new staff after three pathetic, lesson-filled years. Boy, do I have stories.
But once I saw those mountains on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley, I was hooked. Even now, I live near the base of those mountains ... not even 5 minutes away.
With an up-close view of Mt. Olympus outside my home office window.
Not too long after I got here, I experienced the fabulous Utah autumn weather along with the most vivid array of fall colors I'd ever seen.
A glorious time of year in Utah.vvAnd then ... not long after ... the first snow in November. Thanksgiving Day to be exact.
It was on the University of Utah campus where the awesome Utah powder started falling. It fell. And fell. 10 - 12 inches of it. It looked like goose down.
And the silence. It wasn't cold. Not from my perspective. For most of my college years during winter, I wore nothing thicker than a down vest over a Levi jacket. And I loved it.
For perspective, my memories of the first snow in the fall growing up in western Canada aren't positive ones. The term "wind chill factor" must have been invented in Canada.
How about driving to the next little town to play hockey. Wondering if you were going to make it. And hoping "the coach" driving you ... and 5 other kids ... wasn't an idiot about to get you killed.
As a "freshman" at the U ... and, yes, we called it the "U" even back then ... I remember talking to fellow students and athletes from different places.
Many of the "party-ers" from the U.S. didn’t think it was cool to actually admit how much they liked Utah. Especially the ones from California.
A lot of those "athletes' from California would tell you they couldn't wait to go back. "Tits Cal" they called it.
Those from the rest of the country ... and other countries like me ... had no problem admitting they loved it here.
Funny how many of those people who whined about how "Utah sucks" still live here and wouldn't live anywhere else. And how many of those people from "there" are now moving "here".
So many of us long for the way it used to be. I know I do. With fewer people and fewer visitors. But the secret has been out for a long, long time.
People will continue to come here to visit. And then to live. Why do you think I stayed?
Without people wanting to come here, there wouldn’t be a need for this site. And a lot of the neat things about this place wouldn’t even exist.
As I said on my Home Page, this site or online guide will tell you about the usual tourist attractions in Utah. But it’ll cover much more.
My wife was born and raised here so she brings a different perspective than I do. She just happens to be another reason I stayed here. Actually the main reason.
If you like photos, I hope you’ll like this site. They often tell a story far better than words.
I love to take photographs. I love to look at photos. And there are lots of photos on this site. Some taken by me. Most not. But enjoy them.
I know. There are many other websites about Utah out there. There are numerous books and travel guides available about Utah.
But you’ll find a unique personal perspective here along with just maybe some information you may not find anywhere else.
This site will continue to grow and evolve. So please bookmark it ... save it in your favorites ... and keep checking back to see where we're at.
Also, come back and check out my blog "The Utah Travel Guy" to see my latest pages and posts.
And please sign up for my FREE eBook.
It's more than 100 pages with lots of photos. And is actually very informative. And completely free. It could be sold as a stand-alone ebook as people have told me.
You'll notice we're real people. Not a faceless corporation built only on advertising. And especially not a government tourism site.
Have fun as this site continues to grow. We're planning on learning as much as you do.
This Site
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