On Friday, August 16th, after work (I went into the office then came home), we left to go camping. We randomly decided to go camping over the last weekend before school started and just looked up places to go. My coworker had gone to Huntington Beach State Park earlier this summer and enjoyed it, so we looked it up, and ironically there was one opening, right next to the water! We decided to try it!
We stopped on our way through Spanish Fork and picked up Cafe Rio for dinner. We also stopped in Price for gas and a few groceries, then headed down to Huntington.
Driving down through Spanish Fork Canyon; cool rocks. We made it! Beautiful view!
Our campsite was right next to the lake and had a really pretty sunset.
Our cute little camper. Getting ready to level and unhook.
So pretty!
I brought some sand toys. Hudson wanted to dig as soon as we got there. Then we made a fire.
More digging, sunset and fire.
Then of course the kids wanted to make s'mores!
The next morning we contemplated what to do. We were originally just going to hang out at the lake the whole day, swimming/kayaking/playing in the sand, but when we arrived they told us that the lake had tested positive for E Coli (yuck!). Also the weather had changed and it looked like it was going to rain most of the afternoon. We didn't want to chance getting sick, especially since school was about to start and we were leaving to Hawaii in 1 week. So, we decided to explore other things.
Steve talked to one of his old mission buddies whose wife is from Huntington, and they told us about a Dinosaur Museum that wasn't too far, so we decided to do that first. The Museum was about 30 minutes from our campsite, and the last stretch was on a dirt road. We packed up our lunch stuff and swimming stuff, in hopes the rain wouldn't be "all" day and we could go swimming in Price at a pool.
Steve at our campsite. Nyles and Hudson by a dinosaur leg bone.
The entrance to the museum (Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry).
Cool exhibits inside.
Cute Hudson outside. Cool rock and dinosaur statue.
Inside a building with bones that they are currently excavating. It was really cool!
From their website: The site is one of the world`s most impressive collections of dinosaur bones and fossils from the Jurassic Morrison Formation. Over 12,000 bones from at least 70 different prehistoric critters have been excavated here. These bones have been reassembled and displayed in museums throughout the world. More to the point is the fact that the deposit is the densest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur bones ever found.
There were some cool trails you could take to further see bones. Clouds started to come in quick though, so we went back to the visitors center. The employee inside told us that we didn't want to get stuck out there if it rains, especially w/ the dirt road.
Cool trails. Steve giving Hudson a ride. Another dinosaur statue.
The bones were a dark brownish-black, so they stand out pretty easily.
The rain clouds coming in. We left right after. It started raining HARD!
The roads got really muddy, but thankfully we made it out :)
We then drove over to Price. The rain was just letting up, so we found a park to eat lunch. It was a "Pioneer Park." After lunch we went and read the signs in the park. There was a memorial about the pioneer women by DUP (Daughter's of Utah Pioneers) and an old log cabin. It was neat to see and learn about!
Cool log cabin. The pavilion we ate lunch under. Mega Stuff Oreos for dessert.
Thankfully the rained let up after lunch, so we went across the street to the swimming pool. It was a Wave Pool, but the wave wasn't working. They had closed the pool earlier due to rain/lightening, so there wasn't many people, which was nice. Later the rain/lightening came back, so we went to the inside pool. Eventually they shut both the inside and outside pools down, but thankfully we got in a couple hours!
The boys watching a show while dinner was cooking. Steve husking the corn. Piper getting her dinner. She still had her foot wrapped, so we had to put on the little bag around her foot every time she went outside. She stayed in her kennel in the car during the day, which she enjoys as she feels safe.
After dinner Steve went to rest his stomach after eating, and ended up falling asleep. Piper went to check on him, and ended up snuggling up w/ him. Steve didn't even notice she was there. I guess he was tired :)
Carter and I played several games, including Sleeping Queens, while Steve slept and Hudson and Nyles watched a show. Finally the rain let up. The fog was cool around the mountains.
I wanted to get out of the camper for a little while, so we went a couple miles into Huntington and found a Dollar Store and looked around. Nyles and Hudson making faces. We each got a snack.
We then went back to the campsite, and of course the boys wanted to make a fire to have s'mores.
The next morning, we packed up to go home. Carter and Hudson helping to drill in the legs on the trailer. We then stopped in the town of Helper to look at the railroad museum. It was closed since it was Sunday, but they had a few things outside, which we looked at.
Cool rocks and mountains on the way home. Huge windmills at the mouth of the canyon.
Back at home: Hudson playing w/ my Cabbage Patch Doll and his Bluey medical kit, and Nyles and Carter being silly w/ Steve's phone.
We were so thankful to have gone on a little camping trip before school starts. The weather didn't cooperate nor were we able to do the activities we had planned, but we adapted and had a great time. It was really fun to explore an area we'd never been before and try new things. I'm thankful for the beautiful country we live in and the amazing places we can visit. I'm also thankful for our little family and the time we have to spend together.
Great quotes:
.jpg)
