July 24th is Pioneer Day here in Utah, and it's a State Holiday. It commemorates the day the Mormon Pioneers first arrived in the Salt Lake valley. I always take off work, as I just don't like the idea of having to work when other people I know aren't. And since Pioneer Day fell on a Thursday this year, I thought, I don't really want to go back to work on a Friday, so I made it 4-day weekend instead. It was a fun-filled weekend, with lots of physical activity, and I am pretty whipped.
Thursday
Spent the morning at the Days of '47 with my pal Diana. Seems that over the years we've watched the parade together more often than not. This year, we walked to the parade route, and found a pleasant spot right under a tree, where we set up our chairs, ate our snacks, and enjoyed the parade. LDS President Monson was the Grand Marshall, which was quite a treat to see. And I have my favorite entries that are there every year, like the Liahona Alumni Band, Mama's Faith Temple Gospel Choir, floats for the different universities, and of course the marching bands. Being the marching band geek that I was and still am, it's always a thrill to see a band.
After the parade, I hurried home to meet up with awesome sister-in-law #1 and the kids, so we could go to Red Butte Garden. It was a free day at the garden, and there were a ton of people there. We had fun roaming around. The kids especially loved the Children's Garden. My niece was so excited to see little fairy gardens dedicated to some of her favorite fairy tale princesses. And my nephew loved the fountain he could get soaked in. They also loved the pond with all the goldfish and ducks. I for one had a hard time leaving the edible herb garden. It was a super hot day, so by the time we left we were plenty tired and sweaty. But it was a good time.
Friday
Friday morning I met up with my pals Debbie and Bridget for a hike to one of my favorite spots, Brighton Lakes. I hadn't been there in years. You start from the parking lot at Brighton, and hike up above the resort, where there is a series of 3 lakes, Lake Mary, Lake Martha, and Lake Katherine. It's very scenic, the sky is usually a beautiful blue, there are breathtaking views, and you might see the occasional moose.
It's a 4-mile roundtrip, so it took us a couple of hours to get to our final destination at Lake Katherine. We stopped there for a snack before heading back down. A beautiful day and a fantastic hike.
Later that afternoon, I met up with Inge to take her to see the costume exhibit at the BYU Art Museum. She loved it and it was totally fun to see it all again. And we both got a little verklemfpt looking at the costumes once worn by Julie Christie and Maggie Smith. While we were there, we also walked through another exhibit of quilts from Pakistan and India that were just exquisite.
After leaving the museum, we stopped at the BYU Creamery for a little treat. Being as this is BYU, there were a ton of young clueless parents with a quiver-full of children (they take the command to multiple and replenish the earth very literally there). There was so much noise, and disorganization, the aforementioned all cutting in line, that I confess to a bit of irritation (or as Inge called, "line rage"). Really, I love kids, and I can even be nice on occasion. But apparently you should NOT mess with me when I'm trying to get my ice cream. Thankfully after a double scoop of really raspberry and coconut joy I was in a better temper.
Saturday
Saturday afternoon, the family and I had tickets to tour Timpanogos Cave. I'd been there many years before, and I knew from past experience that it's a tough hike up to get to the cave. But man, I apparently had forgotten just how tough. Our hike began at 3:30 from the Visitor Center. Although paved, it's a very steep trail, and all switchbacks. My brother and nephew did very well, and got up there lickety split. I on the other hand, had a heck of a time. Despite my preparations, the heat and the altitude got to me, and I really struggled. But my sister-in-law and my niece hung back with me and kept me company, and I ended up getting to the top with about 20 minutes to spare. This left me with plenty of time to have a snack of peanut m&m's, and that perked me up pretty good.
At 5:00, our cave tour began. Only 16 people are allowed in the cave at any time, so it was a small group. We were guided by a park ranger, and had a great hour-long trip through the caves. The cave stays at a constant temperature of 45 degrees, so we needed jackets. But it was absolutely beautiful inside, and awe-inspiring. My niece and nephew totally loved it.
After the cave tour, we came back out to the trail and headed back down. Total time on the trail and in the cave was 3 1/2 hours. Once we made it back to the car, we went and had dinner at a fun burger joint called JCW's. All the burgers, fries, and milkshakes we could eat, and a tasty treat after such an exhausting trip.
Thursday
Spent the morning at the Days of '47 with my pal Diana. Seems that over the years we've watched the parade together more often than not. This year, we walked to the parade route, and found a pleasant spot right under a tree, where we set up our chairs, ate our snacks, and enjoyed the parade. LDS President Monson was the Grand Marshall, which was quite a treat to see. And I have my favorite entries that are there every year, like the Liahona Alumni Band, Mama's Faith Temple Gospel Choir, floats for the different universities, and of course the marching bands. Being the marching band geek that I was and still am, it's always a thrill to see a band.
After the parade, I hurried home to meet up with awesome sister-in-law #1 and the kids, so we could go to Red Butte Garden. It was a free day at the garden, and there were a ton of people there. We had fun roaming around. The kids especially loved the Children's Garden. My niece was so excited to see little fairy gardens dedicated to some of her favorite fairy tale princesses. And my nephew loved the fountain he could get soaked in. They also loved the pond with all the goldfish and ducks. I for one had a hard time leaving the edible herb garden. It was a super hot day, so by the time we left we were plenty tired and sweaty. But it was a good time.
Friday
Friday morning I met up with my pals Debbie and Bridget for a hike to one of my favorite spots, Brighton Lakes. I hadn't been there in years. You start from the parking lot at Brighton, and hike up above the resort, where there is a series of 3 lakes, Lake Mary, Lake Martha, and Lake Katherine. It's very scenic, the sky is usually a beautiful blue, there are breathtaking views, and you might see the occasional moose.
(The three of us at Lake Mary)
(Tracie - overlooking Lake Martha)
It's a 4-mile roundtrip, so it took us a couple of hours to get to our final destination at Lake Katherine. We stopped there for a snack before heading back down. A beautiful day and a fantastic hike.
Later that afternoon, I met up with Inge to take her to see the costume exhibit at the BYU Art Museum. She loved it and it was totally fun to see it all again. And we both got a little verklemfpt looking at the costumes once worn by Julie Christie and Maggie Smith. While we were there, we also walked through another exhibit of quilts from Pakistan and India that were just exquisite.
After leaving the museum, we stopped at the BYU Creamery for a little treat. Being as this is BYU, there were a ton of young clueless parents with a quiver-full of children (they take the command to multiple and replenish the earth very literally there). There was so much noise, and disorganization, the aforementioned all cutting in line, that I confess to a bit of irritation (or as Inge called, "line rage"). Really, I love kids, and I can even be nice on occasion. But apparently you should NOT mess with me when I'm trying to get my ice cream. Thankfully after a double scoop of really raspberry and coconut joy I was in a better temper.
Saturday
Saturday afternoon, the family and I had tickets to tour Timpanogos Cave. I'd been there many years before, and I knew from past experience that it's a tough hike up to get to the cave. But man, I apparently had forgotten just how tough. Our hike began at 3:30 from the Visitor Center. Although paved, it's a very steep trail, and all switchbacks. My brother and nephew did very well, and got up there lickety split. I on the other hand, had a heck of a time. Despite my preparations, the heat and the altitude got to me, and I really struggled. But my sister-in-law and my niece hung back with me and kept me company, and I ended up getting to the top with about 20 minutes to spare. This left me with plenty of time to have a snack of peanut m&m's, and that perked me up pretty good.
At 5:00, our cave tour began. Only 16 people are allowed in the cave at any time, so it was a small group. We were guided by a park ranger, and had a great hour-long trip through the caves. The cave stays at a constant temperature of 45 degrees, so we needed jackets. But it was absolutely beautiful inside, and awe-inspiring. My niece and nephew totally loved it.
After the cave tour, we came back out to the trail and headed back down. Total time on the trail and in the cave was 3 1/2 hours. Once we made it back to the car, we went and had dinner at a fun burger joint called JCW's. All the burgers, fries, and milkshakes we could eat, and a tasty treat after such an exhausting trip.
It's now Sunday, and although we LDS believe in keeping the Sabbath Day holy, it's not quite what you'd call a day of rest. I'm thinking I need 2 more days off just to recover from the last few.
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