Memorial Day Weekend 2014

Memorial Day weekend is the official start to summer so, of course, my family went on a camping trip.  This year we took the motor home to the KOA campground in Fillmore and it was absolutely wonderful!  The weather was simply gorgeous (sunny with a little bit of a breeze) and I especially loved the smell of the Russian olive trees (Marilyn, who suffers from allergies, did not) and the sound of birds chirping.  So relaxing!  We spent most of our time sitting in our camp chairs reading and talking in front of the fire.  We spent the rest of our time eating!  We had quite a few dutch oven meals and we also made tin foil dinners.  Everything was delicious.  I always think food tastes so much better outside.  I have really come to enjoy the RV lifestyle because the people that we meet are always so friendly and laid back.  It is always nice to get away from the stress of daily life to relax and appreciate nature.  I am definitely looking forward to more camping trips this summer.  I hope everyone had a enjoyable long weekend with friends and family!

The Great Outdoors

I am so glad that it is spring!  Now that the weather is getting warmer, and the school year is winding down, I can't wait to spend all my time outside.  Here are some of my very favorite places to go camping, hiking, and to have cookouts!

My family loves camping in the motor home at Jordanelle State Park.  It is the perfect place to relax with a good book and listen to the sound of the waves in the reservoir.  We try to go there several times in the summer and fall and my parents have been known to spend weeks at a time there.

One of the very first places we went when my parents got the motor home was to the Willard Bay KOA.  I really like the trees at this KOA and there are lots of wonderful roadside fruit stands in neighboring Brigham City.  We've been here several times.  (I am totally dying over how little Sean and Tashena are in these pictures).

Another really fun place is the Grand Tetons KOA in Wyoming.  We had a great time there in the motor home.

We have only been to Utah Lake once, but it is one of my most favorite camping trips.  The lake is beautiful and the camp sites have a lot of room.  The kids spent lots of time in the water and riding their bikes around the campground.

We love staying in cabins at the Fillmore KOA.  Go here to read about my most recent trip to these cabins.  They are extremely comfortable and all of the facilities are great.  The kids really like all of the great ATV trails.  The people who run this KOA are some of the nicest people and they know us by name!

One of my favorite sites for camping in a tent is the Granite Flats Campground at Tibble Fork Reservoir.  I used to bring my girl scouts here all of the time.  The sites are large enough for several tents and have firepits and picnic tables.  They are secluded so you have privacy and there is easy access to the water.  I have so many fond memories of fun camping trips with my girl scouts!

Two of my favorite hikes are Cascade Springs in American Fork Canyon and Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  Sometimes I just need to be in the mountains and both of these trailheads are about 30 minutes from my house.  They are both relatively easy hikes (when I want to challenge myself I hike Red Pine Lake).

On any random night in the summer, Marilyn and I will head up to Mill Creek Canyon for a cookout.  It is definitely my favorite place to go to get away from the world (I have so many pictures).  Sometimes we make dutch ovens, sometimes we make tin foil dinners, and sometimes we just make s'mores.  I am itching to get up there!

I am so glad that I live in such a beautiful place and that I have all of these wonderful memories of being in the great outdoors with my family!  Tashena recently told me that she loves summer because it brings us all together.  I feel the same way!  We are going on a camping trip next weekend and, even though it is only Tuesday, I am already counting the days!

Weekend Getaway

Last weekend, Marilyn and I spontaneously decided to go camping.  By camping I mean we stayed at a "kabin" at a KOA in Fillmore, about 150 miles south of where we live.  It is close enough to get to easily but far enough to feel like you have gone somewhere.  We have stayed here several times before and we really love it.

These cabins are great!  They have two beds (you bring your own pillow and linens or a sleeping bag), a desk and chair, a nightstand, and a mini refrigerator.  They have electricity and a heating and cooling unit so they are very comfortable.  There is a communal bathroom with showers a short walk away from the cabins so it is very convenient.  I really love the large porch and I have been known to sit there during the afternoon and read.  It rained most of the day when we were there so we stayed inside watching movies (we watched Young Victoria, Austenland, and Romeo and Juliet).  It was actually so much fun!  Then we ventured to the town of Fillmore for dinner and ate at a restaurant called the Garden of Eat'n.  What a hoot!

The rain stopped for a little while after we got back from dinner so we had to have a fire.  I think my favorite part of camping is spending the evening around the campfire.

Of course, no camping trip is complete without making s'mores and, as always, they were delicious!

This trip was so much fun!  It was the perfect little getaway from everyday life and it was so relaxing!  We laughed, almost non-stop, and ate way too many treats!  Even though the weather didn't cooperate, there is nothing better than the smell of a rain shower or the sound of raindrops on your roof as you sleep under a heavy quilt in a cabin!  I am really looking forward to many more camping trips this spring and summer.

Spring Break 2014

This year I had an entire week off from school for spring break!  I decided to take a road trip down to southern Utah and it was a lot of fun.  The weather was absolutely beautiful (while it was rainy and overcast in Salt Lake).  I spent a day visiting Zion National Park.

Zion National Park is one of my very favorite places on earth.  I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around.

On the way home from St. George, I drove along Highway 89 and visited Bryce Canyon.

The formations are always beautiful but I especially loved the contrast between the red rocks and the snow.  However, it was extremely cold.

The week before spring break was very hectic at school since my Student Body Officers were sponsoring Spirit Week and it was the end of the term with a lot of grading to be done.  It was so nice to get away from my daily routine and relax!  It was definitely a much needed break!

Snowshoeing

This winter I decided that I wanted to try snowshoeing!  My family are outdoor enthusiasts so I knew I could find some snowshoes laying about.  Sure enough, my sister Kristine was able to find me a pair.  For my first adventure, I went to Mill Creek Canyon which is one of my favorite places.  It was an absolutely beautiful winter morning and, to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed snowshoeing!  It was so invigorating!

The following week, I drove to Soldier Hollow which was the cross country skiing venue for the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics.  I actually went on the Olympic trail!  It took me over an hour but I still felt like an Olympian, nevertheless!  I also went off the trail for some epic powder and discovered that I preferred the powder to the groomed trails.

Next, I went to Tibble Fork Reservoir which is one of my favorite camping spots in the summer.  It was very interesting to see the reservoir frozen over.  I met some charming people here.  One man came up to me and complimented me on my hat and then I noticed that he was wearing the same hat in black!  Unfortunately, I learned that there had been an avalanche on the trail after I left.

I ventured to Donut Falls next.  It was another beautiful and invigorating winter morning!

Finally, I went to the Nordic Center at the Sundance Resort.  It was snowing and I had quite the adventure getting there.  A group of adorable little ladies were having a cross country skiing lesson while I was there so I was pretty much able to go off on my own through the powder.  It was so peaceful!

I certainly enjoyed all of my adventures snowshoeing this winter!  I am really happy that I decided to try it out and I look forward to many more enjoyable trips.