Food Fun Family

High Ropes Course at the Museum of Natural Curiosity #PSF

Lolli — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 01:25:32 +0000

My kids and I have been to the Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point (Utah) many, many times, thanks to my mom’s Grandparent’s Pass. So my kids had seen the High Ropes course and commented on it dozens of times. At the end of this summer (yes, I’m still making my way through my summer adventures) we decided that we MUST finally go to the museum just to do the ropes course.

CandyMan did the course with the older kids (four of mine and three of my sister’s kids), my mom and sister stayed down and played with the younger kids, and I ran all over the museum trying to catch pictures of them on the course.

It’s hard to tell just how high the course is since I climbed up pretty high to get these pictures, but the course is actually 40+ feet in the air, suspended above the museum. My teenagers were terrified (see them above in my favorite picture from the day) and my husband was exhausted at the end. I think the 8 to 12 year olds were actually best suited for the course. Note: there’s a minimum age of four to do the course.

If the kids want to do it again next time we’re in Utah, I think I might join them.

And now for the pictures…

Admission to the High Ropes Course is $8 with paid Museum of Natural Curiosity Admission, $12 without admission, and $7 for Thanksgiving Point Members. Everyone tired out before their time was up (You get an hour to climb and explore).

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Dinosaur National Monument #PSF

Lolli — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 03:10:38 +0000

It’s time to step back in time…to the age of the dinosaurs.

I’ve been to dinosaur museums before. I’ve stood at the foot of enormous, life-sized dinosaur bones (casts, really). I’ve read dinosaur books to my kids.

But never before had I walked in their footsteps, touched the bones, observed where they walked….and died.

The main attraction at Dinosaur National Monument in Vernal, Utah area is an old river bed where hundreds of dinosaur bones settled. You can get right up to several of the bones and touch them (germaphobes might not like the idea of everyone touching the same things, day after day…).

If you’re wondering, YES, touching real dinosaur bones is just as exciting as it seems, especially for kids!

We only spent a couple of hours at Dinosaur National Monument. That was the perfect amount of time to visit the visitor’s center, watch the film, and ride the free shuttle tram over the the river bed/dino bone viewing building. There’s honestly not that much to do (unless you want to hike and/or camp on site) so a short visit is just perfect.

Note: Dinosaur National Monument was a short drive away from the Petroglyphs that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. There’s so much to do in the Vernal, Utah area that it would take days and days (even weeks) to experience everything the area has to offer.

What have you been up to lately? Feel free to link up your photo/PhotoStory posts below!

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10 Things You Should Know About Visiting the Petroglyphs in Vernal, Utah

Lolli — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 19:00:03 +0000

Planning a family trip? You are going to LOVE the McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs in Vernal, Utah, but there are a few things you should know before you go!

One of my favorite days of my summer road trip was the day that I spent at the McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs in Vernal, Utah (up Dry Fork Canyon). While my husband and oldest son were off hiking the High Uintas and my girls were all visiting my oldest daughter’s college campus, my mom, dad, and youngest son AJ headed to Vernal for some exploring. We had a blast. In fact, my mom and I commented that our 2 days in Vernal felt like a true vacation (sometimes road tripping, as wonderful as it is, is not extremely relaxing. Adventurous and exciting, yes…but not so relaxing.

One of the things that caught my eye when we were planning our trip to Vernal was the chance to see petroglyphs (an image or design cut into a rock surface) and pictographs (paintings on sandstone surfaces). The petroglyphs and pictographs that we saw at the McConkie Ranch, a privately owned property, date from about 100 to 1200 A.D. There is huge variation in the style of the drawings but they are all fascinating. We loved the time that we spent there and felt like true adventurers!

Here are 10 Things You Should Know About The McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs

Note: these tips apply specifically to visiting during the summer months, but you can visit anytime!

Wear jeans and good walking/hiking shoes and a hat. We hiked in the heat of the summer, but those of us that wore jeans were much better off than those that wore shorts or capris. Why? The rocks on the main trail are sharp and there are plenty of opportunities to get hurt or scratched.

Bring lots of water. We had plenty of water in the car, but we were not expecting the hike up to see the petroglyphs to be quite so long. Especially on hot days it’s important to be prepared with plenty to drink.

Grab a walking stick. There’s a can full of walking sticks at the beginning of the main trail, outside the little donations building. Upon seeing the can, I thought, “Oh, what a cute idea!” My 10-year-old grabbed one…and the rest of us were jealous the whole hike!

Admission is a $5 donation. And it’s all on the honor system. There’s a shack at the parking lot where you can leave donations. You can also purchase $1 bottled water from the fridge and leave notes of appreciation or stories on sticky notes (the shack was a fascinating thing to explore by itself!). The owner, who lives on site, leaves her cell phone in case anyone needs to get in touch with her with questions or issues. It’s a very friendly place!

Plan on 2-3 hours of hiking to see all of the petroglyphs. Like I mentioned before, there was a lot more walking than we initially expected. Special note: the petroglyphs that you see at the very beginning are not the most amazing ones, which brings me to my next tip…

When you see the fork in the main trail, keep going!There was a path to head back down to the parking lot, but we decided to follow the sign that said, “more petroglyphs.” Keep following the signs until you get to the nobbly kneed twins. The trail keeps going beyond what you think it will.

Remember that there are 2 totally separate areas.The main trail at the parking lot is longer and harder than the 3 Kings Trail. But I recommend doing both! The 3 Kings (and other petroglyphs) are separated from the main section and you literally have to walk around the neighbor’s property to get to it.

To get to the 3 Kings petroglyph (which has appeared in National Geographic and is the most spectacular of the petroglyphs here) we had to walk through a field of tall grasses and thistles. The field was full (and I mean FULL) of bees and grasshoppers and other winged creatures. Bare legs WILL get scratched, and I don’t recommend this part for people with bad allergies – especially bee allergies. We all pretended that the insects weren’t there. Nobody bothered us at all.

Bring binoculars to see the 3 Kings OR a good zoom lens. It’s WAY up there.

Expect crude trails and loose rock and sand.Remember that this is private property…that someone has opened up their back yard to share the amazing art with anyone who has the desire to see it. It is not “National Park quality.” But then again….you usually can’t get this close to history at a National Park. We loved feeling like explorers. It was like we were discovering something no one else had seen before. We loved it!

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Cousin Time #PSF

Lolli — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 21:30:23 +0000

The kids have been loving the time they’ve had with their cousins this week at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Like last summer, when all 16 of us were living under one roof for the summer, the house is kind of chaotic, but it’s a good chaos.

Between the water park and the hot tub at home, the Museum of Natural Curiosity and hikes….we’ve been having a blast.

It’s cousin time!

What have you been up to? Link up your photo posts from this past week!

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Cousin Power! #PSF Give Me Your Best Shot

Lolli — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 02:25:29 +0000

Cousin Power! While the kids and I were in Utah this summer, we spent a lot of time with cousins. My mom and dad have 14 grandchildren between the ages of 17 (almost 18) and under a year. Sadly, not all of the grandkids were together at the same time (we had one group of 12 together at the beginning of the summer, and then at the end of the summer, we had 13 together!). Here are just a few of our random big-group gatherings.

And if any of you heard me mention the craziness of having 16 people living in the same house, here’s a peek into one of our last meals together (and, yes, there were more than 16 of us there that night!). I made Cafe Rio sweet pork in the crock pot, whipped up some cilantro lime rice in the rice cooker, and chopped up some fresh pico de gallo (which I’ll be sharing the recipe for shortly). It was one of the best dinners of the summer!

Can you tell that these kids are all related?!

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Seven Peaks Water Park Fun #WW

Lolli — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 03:13:46 +0000

One of our favorite spots this summer was the water park a block away from my parent’s house. We had so much fun there! I don’t have many pictures because I didn’t bring my camera along, but I wanted to make sure to “memorialize” our time there anyway. And now I’m missing summer…

Until the next time, Seven Peaks! What wonderful memories you’ve given us!

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Hiking to Silver Lake in the Uinta National Forest #PSF

Lolli — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 04:34:24 +0000

After driving over 3200 miles across the country and taking a day to rest (and to do lots and lots of laundry) we thought it would be fun to take a “quick” 5 mile hike with the cousins.

Let’s just say that 5 miles straight up and down a mountain is very different (and much more strenuous!) from hiking in Maryland.

We came home exhausted, covered in dirt, and thirsty beyond belief (again…we were prepared with enough water for a 2 1/2 mile each way hike at home, not in the dessert mountains). But we had a fantastic time, saw spectacular views, and created memories with cousins that will last a lifetime.

Silver Lake

Silver Lake Reservoir

For those of you considering hiking to Silver Lake in the Uinta National Forest here are a few things you should know:

The 3-mile dirt road drive is not regular car friendly. Drive a truck or SUV. Leave the minivan at home. It’s a rough road full of switch backs and large stones and holes…and our van barely made it. But we did make it.
The 2.2 mile hike that starts at the Silver Lake Reservoir and ends up at Silver Lake is straight up the mountain (or at least it feels like it). It is full of unbelievable views and plenty of shady spots to stop and rest (because you probably will want to stop to rest). It is not a hike for the weak. My tachycardia was going wild the entire hike up to the lake (my heart rate was between 120 and 180 for the whole hike…probably not the smartest choice for me!).
Going down the mountain is much easier and much faster.
We had kids from 2 to 18 in our group, and the two youngest had a hard time with the hike. All of the kids above 8 were just fine with the hike (but they were very tired).
Silver Lake is COLD, even in mid July when the air temperature is in the 90s and 100s. But after hiking in the heat, that cold water felt incredible on our feet. A few people even got in a little deeper…
Pack lots and lots of water.
Plan for a full day outing. The hike up to Silver Lake took us a few hours, where the hike down took an hour to an hour and a half, with a rest stop of about an hour at the lake.

And now, I need to sleep…That hike wore me out!

What have you been up to this week? Surviving the heat and the craziness of summer?

Be sure to link up your posts below!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

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Cradling the Moon #WW

Lolli — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 20:41:50 +0000

During my recent trip to Utah, I caught a late morning moon “cradled” in a nook of the mountains above me. I’ve always loved the moon – and snapping pictures of it – and I enjoyed this unique (for me) framing of the moon. At home in Maryland, I don’t get many clear shots of the moon because of all of the trees!

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Surviving Zion National Park with Kids

Lolli — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 21:30:49 +0000

It took me almost 40 years to make my first trip to Zion National Park, and when I finally made it there, I only brought one teenage daughter and my mom. But…we met my old neighbor and friend with 4 of her kids and set out for a day of hiking with our group of eight – 3 adults, 2 teens and 3 kids.

While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend visiting Zion during the hottest days of August, we were able to see a ton of the park and survive to the end of the day with smiles still on our faces.

Six tips to enjoy Zion National Park with kids

Tip #1: Plan to arrive at the park early, especially during peek vacationing times. The parking lot fills quickly.

Tip #2: Pack plenty of water for each person in your group. Zion has cool Spring Water taps at the shuttle stops, so it’s easy to refill and stay hydrated – just remember to drink regularly! The temperatures during our hike were over 100 degrees, so water was crucial!

Tip #3: Plan to ride the Zion Canyon Shuttle (it’s free and shuttles circle the park constantly) for the entire loop. Even if you have members of your group that aren’t up to hiking, you can see a ton of the park from the comfort of the shuttle windows (plus, you get some great park information while you ride).

Tip #4: Always check trail information before setting out on a hike. You don’t want to get stuck on a trail that is too long or too difficult for your kids. There are plenty of people (and brochures and videos) at the Visitor Center at the opening of the park.

Tip #5: Bring your camera – but if you plan on doing a lot of hiking, pack a compact camera. My big dSLR weighed me down quite a bit!

Tip #6: Dress appropriately and wear GOOD shoes. I would recommend a hat! A walking stick is very helpful, too.

Hiking with kids at Zion National Park

We chose two easy hikes for our group: the Weeping Rock Trail and the Riverside Walk, the first mile or so of the Narrows trail.

Weeping Rock was both impressive and refreshing. Unlike most of the desert land around Zion, the area around the weeping rock is lush and green, thanks to water seeping through the rocks there. The water drips constantly from the rock – not like a water fall, but more like a leaky faucet. Kids and adults will be in awe that the water dripping on their head and shoulders has taken about 1200 years to travel through the rock!

My mom and friend had both hiked the Narrows and recommended that I do that trail someday…but not on a 104 degree day with kids. Luckily, the beginning part of the trail was easy enough that we saw several families pushing strollers up and down the Riverside Walk. We went as far as a little shaded “beach” where the kids stopped to play in the freezing river water (it’s hard to believe that the shallow water stays so cold despite the outside temps!).

The adults took a seat on the sand, broke open a few snacks, and watched the kids have fun cooling off. While we enjoyed the water, we did see several kids slip and fall in because of the unexpected deeper spots. They were fine – they just stood back up and kept on going – but it’s definitely important to guide little ones in the water and keep a close eye on kids of any age.

Have you ever visited Zion National Park? What are your favorite trails?

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Riding a Rhino Through the Dessert {PSF – Give Me Your Best Shot}

Lolli — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 21:03:21 +0000

When Necco, my mom and I were in Southern Utah last week, we were able to stay an extra day with my aunt and uncle in St. George. Now a little background – this is the aunt and uncle that used to take me out on their boat during the summers in Lake Tahoe. My uncle would try his hardest to give me the wildest ride on the tube (or whatever contraption was following the boat) and hopefully throw me off into the clear, deep waters of Tahoe.

So it didn’t surprise me when my aunt offered to take us on a ride on their Rhino through the dessert mountains behind their home in St. George.

We went out on the Rhino right before sunset, so the colors were amazing, but it was particularly difficult to catch many decent shots of the scenery when we were being bounced and bumped in the back seat.

Just seconds after my aunt offered to let me have a turn driving the Rhino (I declined. It had taken me too long to get into the tight back seat and securely harnessed in), my mom, in the front seat, squealed. We all turned to see a rattle snake that we had come close to running over coiled and ready to strike. The rattling noise was more than unnerving, but we were all grateful that we were safely in the Rhino and not out on the road.

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