Sen. Orrin Hatch is taking his congressional break for a sightseeing trip across Utah and snapping pictures and tweeting about his escapades. Today, Hatch was in Hatch – the small town in Garfield County that is not, for the record, named after the 34-year senator.

"Spending a lot of time talking to Utahns across the state," Hatch tweeted during his journey. "Visited 14 counties the last few days with more to come!"

Hatch grabbed shots of him in front of a café in Nephi, the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park and Dead Horse State Park, as well as another café in Loa.

Of course, with Hatch being up for election in 2012 – and possibly facing interparty challenges – he's also stopping by the local newspapers for a chit-chat. In Price, for example, he talked about how vital coal is to our nation's energy policy.

Hatch spokeswoman Heather Barney said the senator traveled to all of the state's 29 counties in four days.

"Not everyone feels comfortable attending a town hall or writing a letter, so he is just catching people in a more comfortable environment – town cafes, and on the streets of their hometowns," Barney said. "He's also stopping by several of Utah's most scenic areas to take in the beautiful scenery of Utah."

And tonight, the senator plans to attend the Utes game to watch them vanquish Pitt. And I'm sure he'll shake a few hands there, too.

— Thomas BurrTwitter.com/thomaswburr