"Worst air in the nation!"
That's what the news has to say about Logan, Utah, the place I call home.
I've been living in Utah for more than 20 years. Although I enjoy skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, and other winter activities that northern Utah has to offer, getting through the cold months has always been hard for me due to the inversions. Inversions occur in mountain valleys, where cold air gets trapped under the lighter, warmer air that blows on by above with the jet stream. As time goes on, small airborne particles and droplets accummulate, and eventually, the entire valley is trapped in a smoggy cloud, too thick for even the sun break through.
Even driving during daytime can be treacherous.
This is what my morning commute looks like:
Gray. Gloomy. Not a ray of sunshine in sight.
Although I have to admit, the inversions can look kind of cool from a bird's eye view. Here is the inversion at Bear Lake from the top of the pass (yes, there are actually people living down in that cloud, along with a huge blue lake that fills the nearly the whole valley -- only you'd never know.)
Thankfully, I have family that visits from time to time. Last week, my entire family visited from NH and we enjoyed as much time as we could doing things out of the valley and out of the inversion, like skiing at the best kept secret on Earth - Beaver Mountain.
This visit was a special treat since I got to ski with my dad for the first time in a long time, and my nieces for the first time ever.
And yes, that is a bright blue-bird sky behind us. That is what I wish for in the valley. Hopefully, we will see that kind of day down here soon!
That's what the news has to say about Logan, Utah, the place I call home.
I've been living in Utah for more than 20 years. Although I enjoy skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, and other winter activities that northern Utah has to offer, getting through the cold months has always been hard for me due to the inversions. Inversions occur in mountain valleys, where cold air gets trapped under the lighter, warmer air that blows on by above with the jet stream. As time goes on, small airborne particles and droplets accummulate, and eventually, the entire valley is trapped in a smoggy cloud, too thick for even the sun break through.
Even driving during daytime can be treacherous.
This is what my morning commute looks like:
Gray. Gloomy. Not a ray of sunshine in sight.
Although I have to admit, the inversions can look kind of cool from a bird's eye view. Here is the inversion at Bear Lake from the top of the pass (yes, there are actually people living down in that cloud, along with a huge blue lake that fills the nearly the whole valley -- only you'd never know.)
Thankfully, I have family that visits from time to time. Last week, my entire family visited from NH and we enjoyed as much time as we could doing things out of the valley and out of the inversion, like skiing at the best kept secret on Earth - Beaver Mountain.
This visit was a special treat since I got to ski with my dad for the first time in a long time, and my nieces for the first time ever.
And yes, that is a bright blue-bird sky behind us. That is what I wish for in the valley. Hopefully, we will see that kind of day down here soon!
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