Spring Break -- The Snow

After our fun in the sun at Sand Hollow State Park, the next part of spring break was to be at Brian Head, where we would hit the slopes and do some spring skiing. That turned out to be a very good choice, as Sand Hollow was filling up fast on Friday, and the primitive camping was getting cramped. The roar of ATVs filled the air non-stop, and the line of trucks to get into the state park stretched nearly a quarter-mile. 

We had a leisurely trip up to Brian Head, stopping so the kids could play at a cool playground in Cedar City, picking up some food, and checking out a ghost town. Then it was time to check into the condo we had rented over AirBnB. That was my first time using that website, so I was curious how it would turn out. Fortunately, it turned out great. (If you'd like a referral, let me know.) The condo was in the Copper Chase complex, and after unpacking, the kids and I went to the pool. The pool was freezing, but the adjacent hot tub was quite nice.

My brother, Ed, arrived soon after, and later that evening my husband. The condo was a studio that slept six. We really liked having a kitchen and prepared our dinners and breakfasts there.

The next morning it was time to hit the slopes! We went to Georg's to get some rentals--they have the best customer service! The kids wanted to ski with us instead of ski school, so we let them.


It was still snowing in the morning and kind of windy, so we got cold fast, but after pulling out balaclavas (which is kind of weird to do in late March when it's 70 degrees below!) and taking some warming breaks, we made it work.

Desert Boy wanted to sign up for the Munchkin Rail Jam, which involved going off this little ski jump and on the rails next to it. He was fearless and did it over and over. I was so impressed.

Desert Girl was delighted to get her face painted.

Then it was time to ski more. I couldn't believe how well the kids did. Desert Boy can go down slopes I can't. I'd like to say his little skis make it easier for him, but I think the reality is that he is just braver than me. And better at falling. He was very comfortable on all the blue slopes (intermediate). Desert Girl also tackled the blue slopes, and when she wasn't comfortable, she just made a lot of noise and that got her down. They also loved the terrain park, where they both did some little jumps. I even did some little jumps. Two inches of air feels like a lot to me! We also spent a lot of time going on little trails through the trees. The powder was perfect for it, and we all got a little extra practice on our balance.


It was great getting to spend time with my brother. He's got a super busy job, so we were glad to have some relaxing time with him.


Turns out a helium balloon tied to your kid's wrist is a great way to keep track of her! We had a great time skiing, and I am looking forward to the next time we can go. Skiing is such a great way to get the family outdoors in the winter.

Spring Break--the Sand

Our school district has super short spring breaks, just two days long plus the weekend and possibly a parent-teacher conference day, so five days in total. That makes it hard to go far. (I wish the break was longer, plane tickets are much cheaper in the spring than in the summer and at Christmas Break!) 

We decided to make the most of it. The kids and I were in the mood for a warm beach, so we headed to Sand Hollow State Park near St. George for the first couple nights. I was slightly sick the first day, so we took it easy with eye and dental appointments (might as well get those out of the way instead of driving an extra 250+ miles roundtrip). Then we went to the cheap movie theater and watched the new Star Wars movie. We're enough behind the times that we were the only ones in the whole movie theater. That was pretty cool. We enjoyed the movie and then headed to the sand. 

All the designated campsites were full, so we went to primitive camping, which is space on the beach with port-a-potties half a mile away. Fortunately we lucked out and got a picnic table. While I rested, the kids started digging in the sand. It was cold enough that they kept all their clothes on, and before long we needed coats. Then it was time to enjoy the kids' favorite camping meal: top ramen. 

After dinner we hiked up on the nearby hill, which was part sand topped with lava. We had a nice view of our end of the reservoir.

I really enjoyed looking at all the flowers.

The next morning started with some bird watching--mergansers, coots, and ducks.

As I wandered around in the morning light, I found this crab spider camoflauged on its flower. I went back several times to check on it, and it was always on the same flower.

We had fun looking at tracks in the sand. These are little insect tracks.

It warmed up a bit, so that meant it was time to play in the water! The water was just 56 degrees F, so a bit chilly for swimming. But we had an inflatable raft. We soon discovered we didn't have any oars. So we made a substitute and I tied a cord to the boat, and the kids took turns going out in the lake.

Eventually they both jumped in and ended up totally soaked. They loved it.

We went into Hurricane later that day and checked it out. Then we camped one more night before leaving the next morning to our next destination.

To be continued...

A Sunday Hike to Granite

A few Sundays ago we decided to go out for a family hike. Before we got far at all, we saw these amazing clouds and very low rainbow. 

We drove by the town water tank and checked it out. It's the cause of great controversy, as a new tank is needed because it's leaking, but because of recent sage grouse regulations, new development is difficult to not possible. (More on that in a different post.) 

We went up towards Kious Basin, where there are granite outcroppings. We thought it would be fun to scamper around with no real destination.

The wind started blowing and we got pelted with snow as we ascended.

No beautiful rainbows now!

Nevertheless, we persevered. It wasn't that cold, so we explored a little.

And tried to keep our backs turned to the wind.

Desert Boy and I started down a steep way. I got to the point where I wasn't comfortable and turned around, but he kept going.

And going...

And he made it! I was impressed.

Then we found another rock outcropping to explore.

This strange red pool of water was at the top.

The weather cleared up a little.

So we tried to drive further up, but eventually got to too much snow and had to retreat. Nevertheless, it was a good excuse to get outdoors!

Chicks!

 We decided to get chickens again (we had some problems with skunks last year and finally gave our last chicken away). We've been trapping skunks, trying to reduce our predator problem. So I picked up six black americauna chicks (if you're wondering why that breed, it's because it was the last one left in the store!). Our first experience with chicks was that they seemed rather feeble and stupid (not getting away from the heat lamp if too hot, or not going to it if too cold). Fortunately, these chicks seemed to be a little more with it.

The kids were immediately happy and wanted to hold them the next morning.

I thought that was a good idea--if the chicks get used to the kids, then they will be easier to catch when we want to put them in the coop early.

The chicks look quite similar, so only one or two have names.

Within a week they had about doubled in size and were flying up to the edge of the big rubbermaid container we have them in. Sometimes they even end up outside it, which is telling me that they will be moving from the house to the coop sooner than we had planned. I don't like chicken poop on the carpet!

The kids have been having friends come over to show them off. They've done well refreshing their water several times a day and giving them new food, so that's been great. We are looking forward to this chick adventure. And hoping that come about July, we'll be getting some blue eggs from these chickens.

Around the Yard

At the end of January we had a huge storm, which gave us a big dose of winter, with over 15 inches of snow. Gradually it warmed up, and we saw the icicles getting smaller, one drip at a time.

The warm up meant we had lots of mud. One day, on the way to school, we spotted a creature we don't see often.

An earthworm! It was leaving quite a trail on the road.

A car was coming so Desert Girl rescued it.

We still have some great winter light, and one afternoon the kids told me about the Great Horned Owl in our apricot tree. It looked really impressive.

And then while I was watching it, the owl winked at me! I couldn't believe it. In fact, I was so stunned I didn't quite get a photo at the optimal wink moment, but you get the idea.

The owl is used to us being around (it's in the yard every night), so it just ignores us. I marveled at how far she could turn her head.

We've been getting out for more bike rides, and I've come across a great way to get the kids excited about being outside: I tell them they have free time outside. For some reason, that phrase "free time" puts a creative twist on things, and before I know it they're making forts, climbing trees, and swinging from ropes.

We attended the annual Wild Goose Chase in Delta, Utah. This year was probably the nicest weather we've ever had for it. Desert Boy and I did the 5k, and Desert Girl did the Kids' 1/4 mile race.

We all did well (although none of us caught any geese) and were happy to have participated. Afterwards we checked out the 39 booths (that's a lot!) at the Delta Community Center, went to the Topaz Museum and the Great Basin Museum, found some 90% off Valentine's candy and clothes at King's Variety store (there was a good math lesson in there), and then went swimming at the West Millard Aquatic Center, where Desert Boy dared me to go off the high dive. I did it once, but the water slide was more fun. :)

One day, Desert Girl came running to tell me she had found a flower in the yard. I grabbed my camera and we went to take a closer look at it. How beautiful!

It's fun to see a few hints of spring, but I don't want it to come too fast. I enjoy being outside more, but am not ready for the chaos that is our summer. In other words, I guess I'm not totally ready to wake up from winter hibernation.

Hope you're getting a few hints of spring, too!