More Friday Night Carnival Photos

I just went through my photos and found some more goodies from Friday night I couldn't resist sharing.

 Here's more of an overview shot of the turtle ride. Yee haw!

 Desert Girl liked the ladder but kept falling off.

 Just before she falls!

 Desert Boy's expression on the first loop of the roller coaster ride.

 His expression on the second loop.

 My husband going on the roller coaster.

 He's grinning.

 Desert Girl apparently had some other ideas.

 She's back to happy on the turtle ride.

 What the carnival looked like from the corner.

 Desert Girl back on the obstacle course (in another outfit after a blowout).

 Teenagers waiting for the roller coaster.

 'I think this is fun'

 Around again.

 Getting scrambled.

My turn on the coaster. Yep, I was brave enough to ride it. And it was great!

Friday Night Carnival and Ice Cream Tasting

Friday evening we went over to the Community Center for the ice cream social. The ice cream was delicious, and it was fun visiting with folks. I imagine that before TV, Internet, Xbox and all the other newfangled technology, there was a lot more of the getting together and visiting. Although it would have been a little harder to make ice cream back then!


We had four flavors to choose from. Yum!

Then it was back to the Carnival. We had a small carnival come to town for the weekend. It was the first time we've ever had a carnival here, and it sure was memorable! I saw so many smiles. And I don't think the Scrambler scrambled too many people too badly!

Audrey and Victoria

I love Breanna's expression! Behind them was an assortment of little games, giving it more of a carnival feeling.

Here's another view. I think we ended up with a stuffed animal and some little prizes and a toy. Not too much, but enough to have the experience.

Desert Girl loved riding the turtles. It went around and around and around, and she never wanted to get off.

She did get off eventually and tried out the obstacle course.

Then back to the turtles with some neighbors.

More smiles on the Scrambler!

The person on the outside really got squished,and it looks like Breanna is trying to do some extra squishing!

I think they're having a good time!

The carnival also had a roller coaster. Wow! A roller coaster in town!

Desert Boy was scared the first time around, then he started smiling.

It was small, but it was fun!

Desert Boy went on the Scrambler, but I couldn't work up the nerve.

Ava and work colleagues went on the Scrambler, but I still couldn't work up the nerve. I remembered riding the Scrambler at the county fair when I was about ten. I was fine, but my aunt had to find a garbage can right afterwards. I was afraid that I would have a similar outcome.


Nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing all the lights and hearing the happy sounds.

Finally it was time to go home, and Desert Girl was not at all happy.
Fortunately, we would get to go back the next day.

Astronomy Festival

 We joined the gathering at the Transit of Venus party at Great Basin National Park on June 5. Folks were taking a break from the telescopes to let clouds go by.

Once they cleared, we peeked through the telescopes. To me, the Transit of Venus isn't a spectacular sight, just a little dot in front of the sun. What I do really like is watching Venus move and thinking about the history of what it's represented to the astronomy world.

To see that change in movement, we took a break and went into the visitor center to see the exhibits.

 Desert Girl was ready to run! Her babysitter had done her hair in French braids, and it was absolutely adorable.

 Desert Girl liked the border collie resting under the sheep camp.

 She also liked the kangaroo rat.

The spadefoot toads were another attraction. I always get a little uneasy when Desert Girl pets the fake rattlesnake, and try to make sure she knows that she should never do that in the wild.

Then it was time to head back outside. Ranger Steve was really helpful getting the kids positioned looking through the telescope.

 
We're all set to join in the activities for the Astronomy Festival at Great Basin National Park June 14-16. And as a bonus, the Snake Valley Festival will be held June 15-17, so there will be lots of great things to do this weekend!

Bristlecone Hike

 We headed up to the Wheeler Cirque bristlecone grove after our night of camping this weekend. I had forgotten Desert Girl's backpack, so we tried to get her to walk most of it, and she did walk quite a bit, albeit with frequent bribes. Fortunately Desert Boy has gotten to the point where he's a good hiker and he did well, although we had a few "Are we there yet?" questions. I almost never answer those seriously, so he gets frustrated and stops asking them. I'm not sure if that's good parenting or not, but it works.

Finally we were there, amidst the millenia-old trees. These ancient trees are really mind-blowing. How can something be that old and still be alive? What have they witnessed? How much longer will they continue to live?

 While my husband and the kids were taking about the fortieth snack break of the morning, I wandered off to spend some quiet time with the trees. We hadn't exactly gotten an early start so the light wasn't magical, but with the bristlecones, just being there is magical, no matter the time of day.

 When I'm around bristlecones, I always wonder if they're sentient beings. What do they think about all that has happened around them year after year after year?

 As we continued our hike, we stopped at every sign along the short interpretive trail. Both Desert Boy and Desert Girl enjoyed feeling some of the old wood. Desert Boy liked finding different textures on the same tree.

 The snacks were kicking in and they had revived and were full of boisterous energy as they posed by this 3,000+ year old tree.

 I asked my husband to take the camera so I could get on the other side of the lens with my cute kids.

 I think I could easily spend a whole day just roaming the bristlecone grove and admiring all the shapes.

But the others had different ideas. With the infusion of energy, we decided to hike to the glacier sign, another half-mile or so. Desert Boy and my husband went ahead, and I hiked with Desert Girl, letting her go at her own pace. She knows I won't carry her (except for a rare occasion), so she toddles along.

 She was absolutely adorable touching more trees. We never managed to get her hair done after she woke up from camping, so she's wearing the disheveled look well.

 Those dang sunspots appeared in the photo (maybe due to my filter?). Anyway, I couldn't help but snap a bunch of photos of Desert Girl hiking in such gorgeous scenery.

 Does anyone else see her mischievious side?

 Finally we made it to the sign, where Desert Boy and my husband were waiting. It looks like late July with the amount of snow left.

 Some alpine phlox. We didn't see very many flowers on our hike or even around the campground.

On the way back, we found Ranger Corey. Desert Boy always likes to think up a question for a ranger. This time he asked, "How do glaciers form?" It didn't look like he was paying attention to the answer, but when I asked him the question five minutes later, he remembered almost all of the answer. Hurray!

It was beautiful visiting the bristlecones. Desert Girl hiked over half the distance. We'll have to keep doing hikes and build up our endurance for more adventures this summer.