Our Lexington Arch Adventure

 Last weekend the weather was perfect for our first camping trip of the season. After spending a good part of the day with friends, we set up our camp, which coincided nicely with Desert Girl's nap. Once she woke up, I was itching to explore, so the kids, our dog Henry, and I went off to explore an abandoned road.

 It went toward this intriguing looking canyon. Oh, the fantastic limestone to explore! The old road branched, and we went uphill.

The track eventually stopped, right near a pile of snow. I told the kids they shouldn't sit in the snow, but they did anyway. The are still excited by snow! They were even more excited by the candy snack I gave them--a real treat.

 When we got back to camp, it was time to start the much-awaited fire. Here's my one-match fire, nothing artificial added.

 The kids were enthralled. I saw how fast the old sagebrush wood was burning and went to gather more!

I didn't manage to get many photos of the campsite, I was just ready to relax. Sleep was so-so, as it usually is in a tent! Henry started howling in the middle of the night, and we guessed that a mountain lion was close by. Fortunately it wandered off eventually and Henry stopped howling.

 The next morning it was time to go for a hike, and as it had been years since we had gone up to Lexington Arch, that's where we headed (it's actually a bit farther than what the sign says--and 800 foot elevation gain, so it's not a super fast hike).

 I liked this little plant. (Still need to look it up!)

 The views were great, with the layers of mountains stretching out towards the valley.

 Here are my husband and Desert Boy on one of the many switchbacks. I carried Desert Girl most of the way on my back. That was a good workout! Finally we arrived at the scenic overlook.

 The mighty 75-foot tall limestone arch. Someday I want to come photograph it at dusk or dawn, and had even thought about it for this trip, but sleep took priority.

 Desert Boy was happy to get to the overlook, as it was our designated snack stop.

 The clouds were building, but no rain was predicted so we continued up to the arch.

 We found more snow, but it was a warm day (especially for April), so it was welcome.

 We stopped at the bridge to take photos. In big snow years water flows under the bridge, but not this year.

 The last few switchbacks were tough, but we made it!

 It's thought that an ancient cave was at the site, and the arch is all that remains of it. I found what looked like old broken-off cave formations in the rock. It's fun to imagine what the cave would have been like.

 We tried for a family picture with the self-timer.

 I like the spire off to one side of the arch. It gives it some extra character.

 We had the arch all to ourselves. It felt really remote.

Then I had the bright idea that instead of taking the regular trail back, we could take the old trail back. It hasn't been used for about 25 years, but I had found parts of it a few years back. And I had conveniently forgotten how hard it was.

 The first part was really steep, but the views of the arch were great.

 We had some nice hiking through sage and forest alongside the snow-covered ravine. We had to go around big trees and fallen trees that covered the trail.

 But then it got really tough, with thickets of rose and willow that forced us to go up on the hill and do more bushwhacking, which was a real challenge with little kids. Fortunately my husband was able to wrangle them through the worst of it.

We kept hoping we would get to the end, but the canyon kept going and going. We were tired!

Finally we got to an old mine that was near the end (my photos didn't turn out so well).

 Desert Boy managed to catch a lizard, which was a highlight.

 Here, mom, check this out!

We went by this old cabin, which was really cool. It was built lincoln-log style, without nails. That gives you an idea of how old it is! I wonder how long it took the miners to build and how long they stayed in it. We were feeling remote, but they must have really felt like they were out in the boonies.

 Finally we got to the end. We won't be coming down from Lexington Arch that way again!

Seeing the truck gave Desert Boy and my husband a second wind and they rode their bikes back to the campsite, which was another adventure involving crashes. But all ended up well, and all our rose thorn scratches have healed and we can start planning our next camping trip!

Millard County Cosmic Ray Center

I've passed the Lon and Mary Watson Millard County Cosmic Ray Center in Delta, Utah many times, and finally I decided it was time to stop and take a look. It's open Monday through Friday from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. The cosmic ray center has been there since 2006, but the visitor center portion opened in the fall of 2011.

Inside, visitors are greeted to a pleasant space with signs around the walls explaining why the University of Utah and about 30 other universities from China, Russia, Korea, Belgium, and the United States are studying cosmic rays.

I have a more detailed post about what they're studying, some fun photos, and my amazingly wonderful wit here. (Are you still reading this post? Why haven't you clicked on that link yet??)

Okay, to continue...(now that you surely have read my previous post)...


One wall is dedicated to the Topaz Internment Camp, where thousands of Japanese-Americans were locked up during World War II without ever being charged with anything. The camp was just a few miles outside of Delta, and you can learn a lot more about it here.

The Topaz Museum was just awarded a large grant to build a new museum, which will help better tell the story of what happened in one of the darker chapters of American history.

 So, if you're in Delta on a weekday in the middle of the day, stop by this small visitor center and learn a little more about the history, the science, and more about the area. You can also get your very own Telescope Array Project t-shirt (only $5 when I stopped in, what a deal!). Check out the Telescope Array's website for more details.

Frisco's Charcoal Ovens

 A few weeks ago we decided to stop at Frisco, a ghost town with a lot of mining history, since the friends we were traveling with had never visited. I wrote about Frisco's history in this post from 2008. (It was good for me to reread, as I had forgotten a lot of it. Which is one of the reasons I started a blog in the first place, so I could help myself remember all these fun little things that I learn!)

 Five charcoal ovens are at the site, and  a couple of them are still in really good condition.

 The kids. I like the sepia--almost makes it look old-fashioned. If you just ignore the fleece, puffy jackets, character t-shirts, velcro shoes, zip off pants, embroidered jeans, etc. These kids are probably a little too clean to be kids living in a mining village.

 The charcoal ovens are a lot of fun to photograph.

 However, the kids didn't want to stay there. They wanted to explore some of the old buildings.

 This roof looks out of place on the ground. What happened to the rest of the building?

 Here's the group peeking in.

 Turns out there's a cellar underneath the roof, with some fun light on the wall from holes in the roof.

Here Evan, Desert Boy, Desert Girl, and Anna check out a foundation, with the ovens in the background. There's so much more to explore in this area! The old railroad bed looks like it could be a fun hike. Every time I visit a ghost town, I try to imagine what life was like. My overwhelming feeling is that it was a lot harder than today.

Trains, Trains, and More Trains

The kids and I headed east for a week to visit family and friends. Desert Boy would have loved to have traveled by train the whole way, but we'll have to wait till he's older for that. Instead, we had a heavy train theme, which started with this freight train we saw on the way to the airport.

 We pulled over to the side of the road to get extra photographs and watch the whole train go by.

Our next train opportunity was when we got to Chicago. We had five hours until our Amtrak train departed, so we checked out the bean in Millennium Park. I think it's pretty cool, but the kids weren't nearly as impressed.

 Desert Boy was quite vocal about being cold, so it was time to hop on another train (if hauling two suitcases, a backpack, a preschooler and a toddler in a stroller up all the stairs to the elevated train ("el") could be called hopping on!).

Then we walked three blocks to Union Station, a place I hadn't visited in years. We had a wonderful surprise waiting for us in the Great Hall:

 Great Grandma! Many thanks to my aunt and uncle who helped get her there. Desert Girl was delighted.

 The kids had a lot of energy, so after some visiting, they were ready to run--or ride!

 The Great Hall had plenty of space to move around.

 The kids liked playing on the Trunki.

 They also liked running and yelling.

 Before long (and before Desert Boy got his clothes off), it was time to head to the trains. But before we could go, there was something that had to be taken care of.

 Uh, oh! The Amtrak police came calling.

 The Sergeant and Desert Boy had a little talk.

 They resolved everything and Desert Boy had a fun experience.

 He was wearing the right shirt that day!

 Then it was time to gather up our piles and piles of bags and head to the train. Fortunately my brother Ed was able to join us and help out.

 It was exciting to see the Amtrak trains.

 We boarded and found our seats. I was delighted that the kids wanted to sit with their uncle.

We had an enjoyable trip, although it was dark out so we couldn't see too much outside.

When we got to the train station, Grandma and Grandpa greeted us.

The next day, Desert Boy couldn't wait to see the HO train that we used to play with as kids. It had sat in a box for so long that it needed some sand paper to remove corrosion and rubbing alcohol to clean it up.

 It worked--just barely.

 The engine that worked the best was an Amtrak one!

We still had more trains in the plans. The next one was at a neat cafe called the Whistle Stop. They have several G-gauge trains running above the tables.

They also have walls covered with railroad memorabilia, a museum, and a bench that Desert Girl and two cousins had fun warming.

 After we ate, it was time to head outside and look at some of the outdoor exhibits.

 The collection is really impressive!

The caboose is open for visiting, which was very exciting for the kids.

We had a few more train adventures during our trip, with the most notable being riding the train in the Denver airport. It goes back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. A few of the passengers got a laugh when they saw how excited the kids were on the train. And that we were riding it for an extended period of time!