Last week I spent some time in Utah visiting my family. One of the highlights of the trip was spending time with my niece Megan and my nephew James. Like most kids their age in America, they are very tech-savvy and up on the latest music, video games, and kid movies. My mom thought it would be a great idea to force them to unplug with a trip to Millcreek with my Aunt Janice.
When we first arrived in the parking lot next to the picnic area, Megan said, "This sucks!" Within a few minutes, however, she and James were both excitedly exploring the trails, eagerly gathering firewood, and exclaiming how much they loved it.
Here's Megan holding a bunch of firewood she gathered. There were plenty of sticks and fallen branches in the area to use for our fire.
James wanted to wade across the stream but the water was too cold.
Here's the little bridge over the stream that led to some hiking trails. It was a beautiful area, nestled next to the mountain. A few of the leaves higher up were starting to turn, though you can't see them in this picture.
We went for a little hike before building our fire. Janice gave us a group assignment: We had to find one red leaf, one interesting rock, something man-made, and a wild flower before we could go back to the picnic area.
Along our hike, we stumbled on a little shrine built by previous visitors. We decided to put all the treasures we'd collected into the shrine.
Both kids loved building the fire and watching it grow. James pointed out that it was his first bonfire ever. Ever! He enjoyed some relaxation time staring into the dancing flames. All he needs is a corn pipe between his teeth and a straw hat!
Megan and Grandma
For dinner, we grilled hot dogs and Bratwurst. While we waited for them to cook, we played a cut-throat game of "Mother, May I?" and tried to trick one another in "Simon Says." Along with the meat, we had watermelon, homemade potato salad, and of course Cheetos.
The camp fire apparently brought out James's primal, savage side--check out how he's tearing into that Brat!
Good times and good memories in Millcreek Canyon. And we all came home smelling like camp fire.
When we first arrived in the parking lot next to the picnic area, Megan said, "This sucks!" Within a few minutes, however, she and James were both excitedly exploring the trails, eagerly gathering firewood, and exclaiming how much they loved it.
Here's Megan holding a bunch of firewood she gathered. There were plenty of sticks and fallen branches in the area to use for our fire.
James wanted to wade across the stream but the water was too cold.
Here's the little bridge over the stream that led to some hiking trails. It was a beautiful area, nestled next to the mountain. A few of the leaves higher up were starting to turn, though you can't see them in this picture.
We went for a little hike before building our fire. Janice gave us a group assignment: We had to find one red leaf, one interesting rock, something man-made, and a wild flower before we could go back to the picnic area.
Along our hike, we stumbled on a little shrine built by previous visitors. We decided to put all the treasures we'd collected into the shrine.
Both kids loved building the fire and watching it grow. James pointed out that it was his first bonfire ever. Ever! He enjoyed some relaxation time staring into the dancing flames. All he needs is a corn pipe between his teeth and a straw hat!
Megan and Grandma
For dinner, we grilled hot dogs and Bratwurst. While we waited for them to cook, we played a cut-throat game of "Mother, May I?" and tried to trick one another in "Simon Says." Along with the meat, we had watermelon, homemade potato salad, and of course Cheetos.
The camp fire apparently brought out James's primal, savage side--check out how he's tearing into that Brat!
Good times and good memories in Millcreek Canyon. And we all came home smelling like camp fire.
1 comment:
What a wonderful time! Really missing those mountains and that family.
Glad to see you back on the blog.
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