August 3rd: Vizmeg's Cabin

When we arrived at the cabin there was already some decorations up, but a couple of us were quickly roped into putting up more. 

Sassu is one of the courageous decorators.

I discovered a hornet's nest while decorating, and it was summarily removed with us at a safe distance. 

It was windy and the ribbons would go AWOL unless held tightly. Since we only had two hands each the solution was to wind them around our necks, sometimes with amusing results. 

Or not so amused. 

We made it! If you think the arch is a bit bare on the highest point it is simply because we couldn't reach that far, and I was the tallest person around the cabin at the time. 

There was an indoor climbing wall to amuse us in the evening. The narrow side is the easier...

..and the front harder. One has to straddle the deer to get up. 

As the sun started to set a few of us went out on ATVs. I initially rode with Rob who was Cam's best man, and the person with whom we were hiding the first night when almost nobody knew that the four of us were in SLC already. (Sassu, Tiina, Kate and I). Then we switched places, which he somehow dared to do even though I warned him it could be more interesting than he would prefer it to be. 

August 3rd; The Road Trip Part

The wedding itself was actually to be held up in the Uinta mountains, so friday morning all the people gathered in one place and spread out among available cars. North-east out of SLC to Evanston (which is in Wyoming) and then south and back into Utah to the cabin where it all was to happen.

I took some photos while we were driving, as usual. 

I am very fascinated by the desert colours. Tans and ochres and suddenly red. 

The black dots are cattle. Wyoming...

I like this photo, with the truck and the green fields and the farms and then the mountains in the distance. 

This looks very much like home to me...

Sheep in the road. Kate said "What the f*k!?" to my great amusement. 

Back in Utah the desert colours again become prevalent, but at an altitude high enough to make the vegetation look more like what it does where mother lives. 

The road up to the cabin. 

August 2nd: Bachelor/ette Party

My trip was timed around my friend Jonna's wedding on aug. 4th. For some months we had however planned a surprise appearance a few days earlier, kidnapping her for a traditional Scandinavian bachelorette party. At some point I started poking around and the kidnapping of the groom was synchronized too. In the afternoon the groups merged and partied together.

This meant Kate and I had a deadline to get from NYC to SLC, and even if it started to look as if the car situation would solve, we just had to go, so we splurged on last-minute plane tickets and flew west wednesday night.

Bachelorette Partiers

This isn't actually a bad picture (if not for the reflection in her glasses), but truth is she was about to kill me.

Ongoing torture. 

Bride & Groom - after the parties joined forces. 

"Should I use the child as a torch?" (cheering) "Man, you really don't like him, huh?"

Colour!