Martin's Cove Roadtrip

Grandma and Grandpa Hawkins have been serving all summer at the Martin's Cove visitor center in Wyoming.  We've always wanted to visit, especially since we've never been to that part of the state... and probably might be a LONG time before we go back.  The summer flew by so fast, we knew their time was getting short.  We also wanted to go AFTER all the youth trekers had left and it was a little more laid back.  It turned out to be such a perfect weekend!  We drove out Friday morning and the car ride wasn't as bad as I anticipated.  The lack of scenery put the kids to sleep and the hours flew by driving across those empty, rolling, grassy plains of the Great Divide Plateau.  Who would live out here?!  No wonder the pioneers kept going!

We spent Friday afternoon at the visitor center.  They had big maps and displays, movies, and even a real handcart you could pull around the grounds.  We took a ranger out to the cove itself.  Kinda glad they didn't make me pull a handcart for those 2 miles.  I would've made a wimpy pioneer!  The kids loved the whole experience!  There were also plenty of senior missionaries to entertain Anna and Dallin.  They even invited us to eat dinner with all the missionaries as part of a farewell for some that were leaving.  Endless home-cooked food?! Please!  The closest store is 40 minutes away so everything is baked and prepared by the senior couples themselves!  Afterwards, we wandered the grounds and the kids had a blast chasing the little rabbits that are all over the place!

Saturday was p-day, which consisted of an expedition into Casper for supplies.  Along the way, we visited Devil's Gate, Independence Rock, the gorge at Pathfinder Dam, and Ayres Natural Bridge!  You really have to look hard to find these hidden wonders in such emptiness.

Sunday was church/ farewell meeting with the other missionaries.  Naturally, Dallin wouldn't stay inside, not with rabbits to chase outside.  Will that boy ever learn to hold still?!  We stuck around for a potluck lunch following the meeting.  MORE homemade food?  Yes!  I was sad we had to leave... partly because of the long drive home, and also because of the spirit we felt there.  There was a lot of history at that place and it's hard to imagine what it would've been like to experience back then!  So much suffering, yet so much faith!  Those handcart pioneers were AMAZING!

Swiss Days!

Why can't I take ANY pictures during the 10K race???  Every year, as soon as the crowd disperses and we're finishing cleaning up, I suddenly remember the camera in my pocket.  D'oh!

It seems that the race should've gone smoother this year.  I ordered everything extra early, had plenty of volunteers (kind of) and even got a whole 4 hours of sleep the night before!  If that's the case, why do I feel like I'm running around like a crazy woman the entire time?!  The time FLIES by and suddenly it's all over.  There were only a few major disasters: forgot my computer, forgot bibs at the house, ran out of safety pins, not enough port-a-potties, ran out of shirts AND trophy mugs (barely), finish line got stacked up because volunteers were scarce by this time, our race music wouldn't shuffle, forgot to tell Kristine to pick up the fruit along with the donuts, water and gatorade jugs showed up empty, delivery guys got lost trying to find the water stop, body message tent almost blew away, and... to top it all off... no meal tickets to eat at the chuck wagon breakfast! (not like we had time anyway).  Yes, there will be a few things we will be changing next year as we constantly strive for amateur-race perfection!  Next year may be our LAST, so we'd better make it good.

I really had to step back and look at the good:  we had a record number of registered runners!  We never did run out of donuts and chocolate milk.  The temperature was perfect, although a little windy.  We got everyone in and out and they all seemed pretty happy!  There's no happier group out there than 450 sweaty runners!

After the race, Bevan went straight to the taco booth for his shifts and I took a nap for the first time in months!  Later that evening, we were able to go to the town square and mosey after everything had settled down.  We used the last of his meal tickets to get hot dogs for the kids, a hamburger for Bevan, and a loaf of Swiss bread for me!  Best dinner ever!  Some day I'll be able to actually walk around to the different booths, or sit and listen to the entertainment.  When you live in Midway, Swiss Days is not a vacation, it's work!

Family Night at the Ball Game!

Deer Valley hosts awesome summer activities for their employees.  Last year was the Utah Olympic Park (which ended up getting rained out, but we still ended up going later anyway on a date).  This year was a Salt Lake Bees baseball game.  The gave us food vouchers for dinner (which ended up not going as far as we hoped) and we all feasted on hot dogs, funnel cakes, and one large soda pop.  Dallin lasted longer than I thought... almost 3 whole innings!  He then started "wandering" up and down the rows of DV employees, being as charming as ever! (for being family night, we were the only ones who brought kids, so they got a lot of attention!)  Then he wandered down by the portal, and then just took off all together.   We stuck around 'till the seventh inning, taking turns with Dallin and watching the game.  The Bees were ahead and I think they ended up winning!  It was a fun way to spend an evening!

Cabin Camping

We have NOT been camping enough this summer!  We got new poles for our tent, Dallin doesn't throw dirt on himself or wander into dangerous situations anymore (much), we only still have 2 kids!... how much more motivation to you need to go camping?!  We had a brilliant idea to go to Smith and Morehouse Reservoir with a canoe and spend the night!  They don't allow boat motors on that reservoir so it's perfect for moseying around and enjoying peaceful nature.  I knew it would be crowded, so I sent Bevan and the kids early to snag a spot.  Everything was completely full!  I guess campers were there waiting during check-out to snag those precious spots!  Fail!  After driving around for 2 hours, Bevan was ready to throw in the towel and come home.
"Let's just go camping at the cabin!"
"Sounds great!"
I mean, that's why you have a cabin, right?
We got our friends, Debbie and Christian, to come with us and we had a blast.  Yes, we did end up sleeping inside, on the real beds, but we still felt like we were roughing it!

The next morning, we ate breakfast and took the canoe to Mill Hollow Reservoir, another place that doesn't have any motorized boats.  So peaceful!  We took turns taking the kids out.  Dallin made me nervous and kept leaning over the side to splash the water.  Why couldn't he just sit in the middle and NOT move?!  Story of his life, right?!  We didn't stay too long, we had stuff to get done on a Saturday.  Besides, Dallin was giving me a heart attack... and he was already soaked from wandering around on the shore.  But what a great idea!  Need to capitalize on these long summer days more often!