Mumbai Central...our first India train station experience.

Trying to describe what a train station in India is like is almost impossible. They are hands down one of the most fascinating places on earth. You can stand in one place for 5 minutes and you would see thousands of people coming and going, people going to the bathroom on the tracks, children crawling on the ground begging, people laying around sleeping, etc, etc, etc. Are first experience with an Indian train station was Mumbai Central. We took a wild cab ride (almost hit 4-5 pedestrians) from the Colaba area of Mumbai to the train station. From the outside it does not look that much different then any other train station around the world. This impression was quickly diminished the moment we stepped inside. It felt like 120 degrees, there were people everywhere and the sights and sounds of people coming and going were overwhelming. We ended up just finding a place to sit to try and digest it all. After a few moments we simply fell asleep on our bags from exhaustion. About an hour before the train departed the officials came and posted a list of passengers and assigned berths. This whole process was quite fun as I got to join the mob of locals trying to read the list. It felt pretty funny to be the only westerner among a whole group of Indians pushing my way through to read the postings. We eventually made it on our night train to Delhi and said goodbye to Mumbai. By the end of our time in India train stations were one of our favorite places to hang out but our first experience with Mumbai Central will be one we will never forget.

Silver Glance Lake

Way up high in American Fork canyon is a small mountain lake called "Silver Glance." I had been reading a few blog posts about it and it sounded incredible. One Sunday afternoon Lindsay and I decided to go and find it. We drove up to Tibblefork Reservoir and then continued up the dusty road to Silver Flat Lake. Just after arriving at Silver Flat there is a trail head that leads up to Silver Creek Lake which is a beautiful (and quite big) mountain lake. The hike from Silver Flat to Silver Creek is easy but very beautiful. Once we arrive at the lake we stooped for a packed lunch to gain some energy. Then we started the unknown hike up to Silver Glance. We knew the general direction of the lake but there is no developed trial and you are on your own to find it. We were very lucky and within an hour or so we stumbled upon this small, hidden and beautiful mountain lake. It is surrounded by meadows, trees and waterfalls. To the north is the mountain White Baldy and to the south is an incredible view of Timpanogas Mountain. We chilled out next to the waterfalls for a good hour but decided to keep "trailblazing" all the way up to the saddle of White Baldy. The view from this ridge was absolutely incredible. You could see Red Pine Lake and Little Cottonwood Canyon to the North and almost the entire Lone Peak Wilderness to the West. (we have always wanted to hike in this area but since dogs are not allowed up Little Cottonwood we had to take this back door approach) We sat on this beautiful ridge and just took in the world class scenery. You don't have to go far to experience some of the most beautiful mountains in the world...it is right in Utah's backyard!