Summer Part 4

Summer Part 4: The summer is sadly coming to an end so we had to cram some more fun in before school started again.  It was a fun Summer full of fun activities and lots of traveling. With the traveling came cool sight seeing places. 

First, Tony's Grove. We have always wanted to go to Tony's Grove since we have moved to Cache Valley but every year we never get there. Now it was time to go!   We took the Kayaks, food, water, baby carrier, and swimming clothes. The weather was looking bad at first and we thought we had to bag the whole day, but there was a break in the weather and we got to have lunch and go for a hike around the whole lake.

The people we passed were probably thinking we were very strange for hiking in our swimming suits and life jackets.  Like really are we going to drown on a trail?  Our plan though was to hopefully find a spot on the other side of the lake to swim and play in the water.  We wanted to find somewhere that didn't have a ton of people.  Well we hiked clear around the lake and did find a few spots that looked like they would be nice to swim in but they were not very kayak friendly or baby friendly.  There were not many beaches on the other side of the lake just rocky drop offs.  These would have been nice for the big kids but not Charlotte or Brooklyn.  So we kept walking.

The hike was so nice.  There were so many beautiful wildflowers in bloom and the trail was well marked.  The scenery alone made the hike in our life jackets worth it!

The kids had fun with Truly and Truly had the time of her life in the new territory. During the hike we came across a cool cave the kids hiked up to and got to go inside. It wasn't too hot or cold to hike it was just right. 

Once we had hiked all around the lake, we found a cool little area to swim and take the kayaks out on the water.   We should have just turned right on the trail and we would have ran right into the spot at the beginning.  Instead though, we took a left and got to walk around the beautiful lake.  We had snacks and chilled in this spot while the kids swam and kayaked.

While kayaking we rowed over to this giant beaver dam.  It was cool to see.  Colby and I wondered if the beaver was inside and if we would be able to see it if it came out.  Around 4 pm or so the weather came in and it started to thunder and lightning. We all ran under the canopy and waited for it to pass by.  Unfortunately, it continued to rain so we took everything down and headed home. Despite the rain, this trip was a win and we are already planning another one for next Summer. 

A fun new tradition for the men of the house started this year. It started out with wanting to go to the Uintas with Roy this summer, but instead we decided to have a boys only trip with just Russell and the boys.  They took three days and head out in the back country. 

We went up Logan Canyon up the Right Hand Fork Road. There was a nice camp site that we stayed in for the three days. We wanted to go to Tony's Grove but it was all taken. Next year for sure. 

We had a fun three days full of non stop fun. We got there and it was hot, so we got on our swimsuits and jumped into the river. Oh boy it was still cold in the first of part of August. I had a good time watching the two boys at first because I was to chicken too get in. Then they kept splashing me and that was it. I jumped into my swimsuit and it was on.  We jumped around, dunked each other and splashed around. We hiked up the river as far we could go and found some cool spots. I packed really light with food and other stuff and when we got done we wished we would have not forgotten a few things. 

I took the boys up Ricks Springs on the mountain bikes and that was a bad idea. It was too steep for them and Colby was not a fan, let's put in that way. They did have fun going down the hill back to camp. It was fun teaching the boys how to set up camp and make sure everything is done before we go play. Colby has been asking for a long time to go tent camping. 

While we were up there my cousins came up on Thursday and camped next to us with their friends. We got up Thursday and once it quit raining in the morning we went on a all day four wheeler ride. I have always wanted to go to Logan Peak and see the view. We packed lunches, treats and waters for a full day. Colby was way excited to go because I told him I would show him how to drive the four wheeler. It was a great ride up to the top, and it was perfect weather. The rain knocked down all the dust and dirt down. When we got to the top of course we had to take a picture to show we were there. 

Before we left I looked at Rochelle friends razor and the wheel looked weird. I looked at it closer and it was flat. Thank goodness we noticed it before we left. We got it changed out and off we went. The other family and Rochelle went back to camp and we kept on going. I have always wanted to go to Old Ephraim's grave. Old Ephraim was a famous grizzly bear that was know for killing sheep and other livestock on the mountain. He was one of the biggest grizzlies of all time. We head that way and when we got there it was cool to see. They say the grave stone was as tall as the grizzly was. 

By the time we got back we all were tired and hungry. Our butts hurt and also our arms. The boys played in the river to wash off after. We had dinner and chilled inside our tent and played card games the rest of the night. 

Friday we were shown a really cool place called Hobbit Caves. It was a fun place by the river where the boys got to play and get wet. There was a cool water fall with a fun pool area up above it. We played there for a long time. 

Calen came up that night and we had fun talking and eating dinner. Night came and it started to rain so we ran to camp and stayed in the tent until morning. We planned on going to Beaver Mountain Saturday morning but that was a bust because of the rain. We packed up everything wet and went home to a very wet Saturday all over the county. We had fun at Al's looking at bikes and guns. Once we were home, we unloaded everything in the rain. It was a fun three days and it will definitely become a boys yearly tradition. 

In Summer Part 1 I told you about working at the American West Heritage Center over the summer.  This has been a really educational and enjoyable experience for me.  I have learned a lot about the pioneer heritage and the founders of Cache Valley and I have also learned a lot about outdoor cooking.  On my last shift of the summer, I had the whole family come out and volunteer with me.  We all dressed up in the traditional garb and pretended to be pioneers for the day.

Isn't she the cutest pioneer baby ever?  Emily has been coming with me a few times throughout the summer so she knows quite a bit about the pioneer site.  She especially loves teaching other kids about the pioneer games.  Colby and Logan loved playing the pioneer games with her while they were there too.  They played Graces, the ring and stick game we call Dill Pickle, and even Tug-o-War.  In the meantime, Russell and I started cooking lunch for the staff.  We decided to make Beans and Wieners as well as cornbread, watermelon, and salad.  We had to chase Brooklyn all over the place to make sure she stayed out of the fire.  Charlotte liked ringing the dinner bell when lunch was ready.  Colby and Logan were good helpers by getting firewood and water to heat.  I think they all had a good time playing and pretending to be pioneers.

At the beginning of the summer I was really worried that our garden would not produce very well because we planted late.  By the time summer got into full swing though, the garden got into full swing too and started producing a lot.  

This year we grew a ton of green beans and carrots so I tried my hand at canning them.  I canned Dilly Beans, regular green beans, carrots, pickled carrots, and beans and carrots together.  These things were probably the easiest things I have canned because there is hardly any prep.  I had Logan and Charlotte snap all of the beans, I washed them and then just put them in the jars.  The carrots were the same, I just peeled and sliced them and put them in the jars.  These things also need to be pressure cooked but that's easy too. 

Also for the first time ever in our gardening experience, we grew pumpkins!!!  Logan planed this pumpkin seed at school and then we transplanted it to our garden.  I did not have much hope for this pumpkin plant because: number one, it was transplanted and, number two, we have never been able to grow pumpkins because of the cursed squash bugs.  So we planted it, gave it some water and wished it the best.  To our surprise, this little guy flourished and we were able to get three good sized pumpkins out of it before the squash bugs took over.  I will call that a success!  

We also grew strawberries, corn, peas, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, potatoes (purple and red ones), and lettuce.  All of these things did really well except the peas and lettuce.  We got some of each but not nearly as much as other years.  The watermelon plant we grew this year tried really hard to produce something but sadly did not have enough time to fully produce.  There are three little watermelons growing but I don't think there is enough time to get them big enough to pick.  

Needless to say I have been canning like crazy and it is so much work but the pantry downstairs is finally full again so that is a good thing!

The weekend before school started we took one more trip up Logan Canyon.  The first mountain bike race of the season is coming up so we wanted to let Emily get some more practice in before the race.  We drove up to Beaver Mountain where the race will take place and let Emily ride the course.  Colby, Logan, and Russell also rode it with her for fun.  Then I got a turn on the mountain bike and rode half of the trail.  Let me tell you, this was intense.  Mountain biking is totally different than riding a road bike.  On a road bike you just ride and don't really have to think about anything but on a mountain bike trail, you are constantly looking ahead, thinking about your next move and anticipating rocks or bumps or turns.  It is fun but wow.  Emily was able to ride the trail a few times and got pretty familiar with the turns and things before we headed back home.

On the way home, Russell and the boys wanted to show us where they camped over their boys weekend.  We stopped at the Hobbit Caves and explored for a while.

These little caves were kind of fun to explore and climb around in.  They were just the right size for Brooklyn so she didn't even have to duck down like the rest of us did.

Right next to the Caves is this cool waterfall.  The kids had a blast wading in the cold water and climbing to the top of the waterfall.

We also hiked around a little bit to do some more exploring.  Brooklyn did not want to be held, she wanted to walk.  She is sure getting a spunky personality.  She definitely knows what she wants and gets it.

During August the travelling tabernacle came to Logan.  This was a cool thing to take the kids to and see. 

The travelling tabernacle was put together by some people in the Church to show what the tabernacle in the Old Testament looked like.  It is a life sized replica of the Old Testament tabernacle.  As part of the tour through the tabernacle we started in the church and watched a short video about the symbolism of the items used in the tabernacle.  Then we went outside to walk through the tabernacle.   We started outside the tabernacle which was the Camp of Israel.  Outside we saw the alter where animals were sacrificed.  Then we walked into the tabernacle and it was divided into three sections.  Each section progressed in sacredness until we were in the third section the Holy of Holies.  This section was only used by the prophet at the time.  There was another alter for sacred ordinances and other sacred things in this section.  Each section had their own symbolism and items used for each stage of the tabernacle progression.  It was pretty cool to walk through each section and hear the stories and uses of each item and to learn about the sacredness of this tabernacle.  After touring the tabernacle, we went back inside the church to the visitor center.  In the visitor center we learned more about the symbolism, including the special clothing worn at the time and what they meant.  We also compared the tabernacle to the temple in our day and learned more about the temple.  This was a good learning experience for all of us.

This summer has been really busy but really fun too.  Now its time for school to start again.