Take a Hike

Saturday, July 30, 2011

We wanted to go on a "fun for all ages" hike, so we took Jeff's brother's suggestion and went to Crecret Lake (pronounced secret). Well, the lake couldn't have been too secret because we saw lots of hikers.

On the way to the lake, we crossed a little stream several times, went over some snow, and climbed a big hill.

At the top we had snacks and took pictures, then headed back down to our car. It was a great hike and was just right for the kids and for me.

After lunch, we decided to drive out to the Copper Mine. We stopped at the replica of the house in the movie Up. It cost about $8 to get in to look around, so we just took a picture on the outside.

When we got to the mine, it was closed for blasting. We ended up driving around the valley to see the three temples - Draper, Jordan River, and Mt. Timpanogos. It was a long drive and the kids were being pretty annoying. I was trapped in the back with them while Dave & Jeff got the front.

Don't Feed the Animals

Friday, July 29, 2011

Friday morning we went to Hoggle Zoo. The kids were tired from our day at Lagoon and were less enthusiastic about the zoo than I thought they would be.

They were pretty excited to see the elephants and the giraffes. Those were definitely the kids' favorites.

Seth insisted on going on the train, so the boys went on the ride, while the girl's rested. After the zoo, we went across the street to the This Is The Place Park. We were trying to find out who the men on the monument were. It was pretty hard to find an answer, we asked a lot of people and finally had to read the plaque to figure it out.

We went to Crown Burger for lunch. Jack recommended that we go to Gilgal Gardens to see the art there. It was nothing but weird. There was a lot of strange statues with scriptures etched into them.

That night we left all the kids with Alexis and had a date night with Jeff and Jack. We went to Pat's BBQ. It was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, so Dave wanted to check it out. The brisket was awesome. We ended the night with a trip to IKEA, a first for Dave.

Better than Disneyland?

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Thursday morning we headed off to Lagoon. I had never been there and wasn't sure what to expect. There was a good mix of roller coasters and kiddie rides, so everyone had a good time.

The kids' rides kinda reminded me of carnival rides, but cleaner and without the creepy carnies!

They had lots of smaller rollercoasters, that even the younger kids enjoyed. Early in the day, Camryn decided to go on the biggest coaster - Wicked. It was a little much for her and it was hard to get her to ride any of the other big, but less scary rides.

The kids loved spending time with Anna. They had such a good time with her.

We spent about 2 hours at Lagoon Beach. Dave and I ended up leaving our kids with Jeff and Jack, while Dave and I went on a few rides by ourselves, since I don't swim.

Seth loved the train. It went around a section of the park and by animals like lions.

We went on a Haunted House ride. Seth was pretty scared to go, but we made him anyway. All the people in line looked at us like we were the worst parents for making him. It was really not that scary.

We split up during different times of the day, so that Alexis, Dave, and Jeff could go on the bigger rides.

We made Jack go on the Dinosaur Drop. She does not do any kind of scary ride. I was on the other side of the ride and every time the seats started to drop, I could hear her scream.

Everyone loved the raft ride. We all got soaked!

We watched two shows, with singing and dancing. The afternoon show was pretty tame, and the boy who played Joseph Smith in the church movie was in it. I picture Camryn wanting to be in shows like that during the summer when she is in High School.

We stayed until the park closed. We were so tired and the kids fell asleep on the way back to the Sokol's house.

Petroglyphs

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The next morning we went hiking with Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins at the Fremont Indian State Park. There were petroglyphs everywhere. The ones close to the trail were pretty easy to ID, but we were trying to find some on the sides of mountains from the road, and those I think we just pretended to see.

We also went down into the replica of one the the Indian houses. It smelled a little fishy in there.

After the hike our little family took off, heading to Sandy to visit Aunt Jacquelynn, Uncle Jeff, Cousin Anna, and Baby Juliet. After dinner we all went to play games at the Nickel Cade and to share a giant sundae at Leatherby's.

In this bright future, you can't forget your past. - Bob Marley

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

We got up early on Tuesday morning and heading off on our week-long adventure in Utah. Our first stop was Cove Fort, to visit Grandma & Grandpa. When we got there, we ate our picnic lunch, then Grandma took us to the wood shop to show us where they make the sharing toys (pioneer yoyos). The Brother working there made a little vase for the girls and a whistle for Seth. We started the tour, but they got so busy with other visitors, we were asked to come back later.

We went to the trailer to wait for Grandma & Grandpa to finish their shift, and played games in the lawn between trailers. When they got back we headed back to the fort. It was funny to have my parents do the tour and listen to them slip into their missionary voices.

In the barn there was a salt lick, which of course, Camryn had to try out and Seth had to follow her lead. Gross!

The tour was interesting and the kids were pretty into listening about how life was back in the day.

After the tour and dinner, we went geocashing with Grandpa. Camryn didn't want to go until we told her it was like a treasure hunt. We found three cashes and I think she was a little disappointed that there wasn't any actual treasure. It was still fun though. We headed back to the trailer to visit and have a pretty uncomfortable night's sleep.