Family Camp 2019 - Uinta Flat/Duck Creek area

We are missing Kai in these pictures because he was taking a nap.

We did it again!  Another great Family Camp! It was not without angst.  Lou and Bryan were in charge and the only time we could all come together was over the July 24th holiday...which made it harder to find a camp spot due to all of the other people wanting to be out there camping too.  The very wet/snowy winter/late spring also made it hard to get out and look for a spot until quite late.  Lou found a couple of spots...and then on the day of found an even better one and with Lance's help was able to get the directions out and we all found it.  It was really nice  with plenty of room for all of the trailers/tents/dogs and people.  We had 40 this year and only missed Brynnli (and Braden, her fiance).  Not everyone could be there the whole time. It was in the mostly Ponderosa pines with some aspens too.  We were afraid it might be too hot, but we had showers on the way there and cloud cover and rain a couple of nights that made it just right.  On Friday when we went to Navajo Lake to kayak and canoe we had a quick crazy storm with rain/hail for about 5 minutes and then it left and the sun came out and we had a great time.  The lake fun was a new adventure this year thanks to those who were willing to share their kayaks and canoes.  It was really a fun addition.  Another fun addition was a karaoke machine. We got in a little ukulele time too.  Paul, Lou and I put up a great big tarp when we arrived and it ended up being the perfect size for all of us to eat/cook under with the addition of one awning.  It was very well fastened and held up well.  This year the kids all teamed up with a cousin or a few and they had so much fun building forts.  Brady and Gaige and Koen and Zade even slept out in them...and got a little rain!  Zade and Koen really didn't "sleep" much in theirs.  Brady and Gaige improved theirs after the first rainy night and then did better during the next storm.  Great food was eaten, talents were shared - either prepared or impromptu and a dance party happened.  Games were played. Lance found us a beautiful hike and we dodged mosquitoes while enjoying the amazing scenery.  I managed to slip and fall in the stream.  We forgot jackets and used Ferf's towels and random extra jackets in people's car to remedy that.  Oh, another addition was RC cars.  They were crazy and the dogs loved chasing them.  Is it worth the trouble?  I think yes. My favorite thing was seeing the cousins getting to see each other and mostly getting along really well.  They are growing up and it's nice for them to have this chance to build their relationships.  Another fun thing was the way we celebrated the 24th - Pioneer Day.  We all brought pies and root beer for that night and had a "Pie & Beer" celebration.  At least the pie part might be a tasty tradition to continue!  

 

Ashdown Gorge with Kennis and Tasia

I was a little worried it would be too cold and the water too high.  It was pretty cold starting out and the water was high, but it was still great once we got going!  This is one of our all time favorite hikes and we love to share it with people we love.  This year we took Kennis and Tasia here for their Christmas edventure date.  Kennis felt a little sick right as we began, but with some snacks she pulled right out of it.  We lunched at Flanigan Arch and then moved on to make it to Tom's Head and then on to the waterfalls.  It was a perfect weather day for this hike.  We did some cooling off in a couple of the deeper pools on the way back and it felt really good to be wet when we were back out in the full sun for the end of the hike.  We decided to take Lance's quick but steep accent trail to the top to shorten the walk back.  Surprisingly it wasn't in bad shape after the wet, snowy winter and we were glad we shaved off just that little bit that it saves when you are tired and ready to be done.  Then we broke tradition and treated ourselves to crepes at Park Place instead of cones at Arctic Circle.  They were SO good!  We did have a little trouble on the hike.  Paul decided to take what he thought would be a little short cut around a rock/through some thick/brushy trees on one part of the trail.  It ended up not being what he thought, so he had to backtrack and in the process the trees knocked off his glasses.  He didn't notice it for a few minutes, and then it hit him that things were a little blurry.  We went back and searched and searched...Kennis said our prayer.  And still we could not find them.  So we continued on.  On the way back, I admit I thought it would do no good, but we stopped again at the spot to look...and just as we were about to give up, there they were right where we had walked over them lots of times.  They were a little bent up, but bent back into shape.  One of the nose guards had fallen off, but Paul saw it and Tasia was able to put it back on for him.  So then Tasia said our thank you prayer.  It ended up being a sweet little reminder to pray with faith, do your part, and expect answers.  So glad we could share this beautiful place and day with these girls.  Oh, we didn't turn on the GPS, but the phones and watches seemed to agree on about 9.2 miles.  

Flanigan Arch and Tom's Head in backgrounds.

Ellie #13 - 2019 @ Mammoth Springs

Ellie is now a teenager - and such a nice one she is!  She's really come out of her shell in the last few years and become a beautiful, more confident young lady.  I think for the last several years we have celebrated her birthdays in the mountains at this spot or at Cedar Breaks.  So glad we get to come and be a part of it!  Yummy food and beautiful scenery and special people.  This year she brought along one of her cute friends.  We hated to leave and head back down to the hot night in St. George.  Happy Birthday and happy teenagering Ellie!  

Kai #2 - 2019

I knew I couldn't go wrong if there was a car in the bag somewhere!  This little guy is crazy about cars!  In fact at first he was not interested in opening the present...he was too busy playing with our bucket of cars!  We also gave him a gift subscription to a little kids wildlife magazine.  He's going to need help to like that...someone to make reading it fun!  But until then, the car will suffice.  Kai is one of those cute little kids that is just FULL of funny, cute personality.  We are so glad he's part of the family.  He was a real surprise when we thought Moss and Christie were all done!  So happy they weren't!  

Mill Flat - drastic changes via fire and water

Paul and I decided to check out one of our favorite trails of all time - The Mill Flat Trail - up Pine Valley Mountain.  Last year someone started a fire by leaving a campfire that wasn't all of the way out and it turned into a big one that went up and over the mountain and over the Mill Flat way.  We wanted to see what happened up there.  It was only a few years ago that a fire headed over the top from New Harmony and burned up some of the trail up there.  And last winter we had huge amounts of rain and snow.  Between the fires and the snow melt this trail has taken a beating and this year it was a huge beating.  The trail is simply eroded away in many places - totally gone.  There is so much movement of earth and rocks that also makes it so changed as well as huge log jams of downed dead, burned trees.  In some ways it is very sad, but even so, the baby aspens are coming up along with lots of other greenery and flowers.  So, nature moves on and we adjust.  It is a much harder way up the mountain than it used to be due to the missing trail, etc.  We had a great time, but it took us longer than usual.  It was a perfect day to go with lots of cloud cover to keep us cool, even a few sprinkles here and there.  I got so dirty sliding down a hill through dirt and ash besides falling in the stream here and there!  Paul only fell in the stream once.  Glad we got to see this place another time.  Pretty soon we will be too old to do it.

Freaky Grand Edventure - Ellie & Eden

We had a fun date with Ellie and Eden!  We took them to see Freaky Friday the musical at the St. George Musical Theater!  It was such a fun play and very well done!  And it was just the right play for someone their age!  We had brownies there and then stopped in for the traditional Arctic Circle cones on the way back up to Cedar/Enoch to take them home.  Lou and Bryan invited us to stay for dinner which was a fun way to end the evening!  

4th of July fun!

We had a fun 4th of July!  We took Jim, Bean, Tasia and Kaebri up to join the Borrowmans at Baker Lake where they shared their kayaks with us!  I didn't get a lot of pics because I didn't want to take my phone with me on the water.  After that we came to our house for BBQ, fireworks and rootbeer floats.  It was a really fun day and I was excited because it was my first time kayaking and it is something I've been wanting to try!  

Brynnli & Braden - to infinity and beyond!

Wow!  Can't believe that we have a grand child getting married soon (Septbember 28th)!  Brynnli and Braden Figgins got "officially" engaged on June 7th!  They seem so young!!! But they are being pretty smart it seems like and we are happy for them!  It will be hard to have Brynnli leave town, but she had left to go away to school, so we are getting used to that idea.  Braden is an awesome guy and we hear his family is too.  We are happy Brynnli has found a young man who wants to take her to the temple.  Wow, makes me want to cry thinking of all this!  She was just our little Beautiful, Brynnli Bucket Borrowman a little bit ago...and now she's a grown up woman getting ready to start her own family!

As she put it, "Engaged?  It does have a nice ring to it!" 

Announcement picture, I think!  

Tavin - Grand Edventure Date 2019

It was time for another senior dinner date - this time with Tavin.  It is also a Grand Edventure date and a pre-mission date I guess.  It was fun to  spend time with this oldest of the grand sons and hear about him getting ready for his mission.  He will be the first of our grands to head out.  Kind of happy/sad about it.  We will miss him but are so happy he is excited and willing to serve.  Our date was fun!  We started with dinner at the Outback...mmm good!  Then we drove out to see Gunlock overflowing.  Everyone needs to see that phenomenon because it happens so seldom.  We even got a little bit wet and it felt good on a summer evening.  Then we took him to play night/hand golf.  He thought it might be a little weird, but ended up thinking it was pretty fun!  He thought the best shot of all was my throw that ricocheted off a bench and came back at us!  Tavin is a fine young man, and we are proud of him and happy that he is leading the rest of the grand kids with his good example in so many ways.  

Zion - it never disappoints!

We took a little afternoon drive up to Zion.  It was sprinkling just a little and was so beautiful!  Love that we live close to so many awesome natural wonders!  

Zade, Koen, Brenden - Grand Edventure Date

Even though it was cold and windy, these boys enjoyed their date to the Bio-Blast at Cedar Breaks National Monument.  They did several things:  a nature bingo game, animal scat and skull identification, and then a nature hike to the Alpine Pond with biology and marine biology professors (a married couple) and a Ranger leading the way.  It was such a big snow year that the trails were not even open yet up there, so we had to have special permission and a ranger along to make sure everyone/the trail was OK.  The biology professor was a world leech expert and in this pond he had identified a species of leech that was just in this pond and no where else.  He taught about leeches, may flies, dragon and damsel flies, caddis flies, boatman bugs, etc.  These boys had MANY questions and the professor was very encouraging and answered all of their questions.  It seemed a little long to me and Paul, but the boys seemed pretty enthralled with the whole thing.  They had really great questions actually.  After the hike, we drove down to Brian Head hoping it would be less cold and windy to eat our lunches there, but the wind was still with us unfortunately.  We stopped off at Arctic Circle in Cedar for dessert.  It was a fun, educational outing!