Grafton ghost town

We went to the abandoned town of Grafton, Utah and saw what remains.  There is still an old school 
house and a few homes.  This used to be a cotton town, but everyone left when the community couldn't recoup from several floods and droughts.  There was a cemetery with headstones marked "killed by the Indians."  It was very interesting to see how untouched everything was.

Day 6 Continued

A quick visit to the St. George Tabernacle. 

And a view of the original spiral staircase.

Southern Utah Day 6

We saw this in front of the St. George Temple when we went today.  Doug thought it was hilarious for some reason and I humored him for a picture. 

Doug was sealed to his parents today.  It was a wonderful experience for him and everyone there.

Southern Utah Day 5 (Zion's National Park)

This was by far the favorite destination on our trip. There is so much to See at Zion's National Park.  I loved that we could get out and do the things we enjoy and see such a change of scenery from the northwest.  I wish we could have spent another day or two here.

We stopped for lunch before heading into the park for the day.

A family photo on one of the many short hikes to view the spectacular peaks of the park.  Zion's has this awesome bus service in the summer.  They run every few minutes and hit each spot.  Inside the bus, a narrator tells you all about upcoming hikes and viewpoints-how they got their names etc.  You can get off wherever you want to explore then just hop back on the bus when you are done.  This was a fabulous way for the kids to enjoy the park.  No carseats or buckling necessary-needless to say it was awesome!

Up close with the park wildlife.  Supposedly, if you go earlier in the day or at twilight, you can see more than we did.

Posing in front of a "REAL CACTUS!"  My kids had never seen one and were fascinated by them.

We promised that someday we would go through the park on horseback.

The emerald pools waterfall.  More like a faucet trickle, but the kids liked getting a shower to cool them off from the 90 degree weather.

A view up the canyon before we hiked along the river.

Doug and his brother, Brian, in front of Patriarch Peaks. 

Southern Utah Day 4

Sunday we laid low and hung around Grandma's house.  After church, we swam in the pool, tormented the dogs and ate lots and lots of BBQ.

Southern Utah Day 3

Doug's brother took us to see these petroglyphs that were unearthed while developing a St. George neighborhood.  The rock is covered in ancient writings.  The kids loved climbing all over it and wondering what each symbol means.

This was one of Hyrum's favorite places on our trip.

Some of the markings up close. 

Our next stop was Jacob Hamblin's home in Santa Clara. 

A Mormon pioneer who was a great friend to the Indians.

Posing for a pic in front of the wagon and rolling down the hill towards the fruit orchard.

On the porch of Jacob Hamblin's home.

Southern Utah Trip Day 2

We took the kids to the dinosaur park in Ogden before hitting the road again.  It made me want to watch "Jurassic Park" again.  The kids loved seeing all of the bones and especially the mechanical dinosaurs.

Our next stop before reaching our destination was Fort Cove.  It is situated between Filmore (the former capitol of Utah) and St. George.  Erected by Ira Hinckley it served as a stopping point for those traveling between the two cities. 

It was very interesting to show the kids the history of the time period.  All I have to say is-We have it so good.  I thought that I would show the kids how to make butter when we got home.  They had a hard time understanding the concept of a butter churn.  "You just get it from the fridge."

                              

The washroom.  Showed the kids that when they were finished with one outfit, it was made into several others and then eventually into quilts and rugs.

The kitchen. 12 loaves of bread baked daily.  90 minutes later we made it to St. George.

Southern Utah Trip Day 1

We had a memorable trip to St. George this summer! 

The goal for Day 1 was to make it to Ogden, Utah. 

Our travel plans were interrupted while driving on the freeway in Meridian, ID.  We heard a loud *POP* and hissing.  Thinking it was a tire, we pulled over to investigate.  It was not a tire, but our air conditioner that had blown a hose and sprayed fluid everywhere.  Fortunately, we could drive our car to a mechanic and get the problem fixed.  But we desperately needed a/c since temperatures in St. George were over 100 degrees.

We finally found a mechanic to fix it that day. He recommended a great splash park in town to visit and we passed the time here.  The kids didn't even know the difference, they had a blast.  By 8pm we were back on the road.

This park was perfect for the baby and Hyrum-since he wasn't supposed to submerge his finger, but could still get it wet.

The park had giant drums and xylophones for the kids to bang.

The girls enjoying a splash!

More to come...

Gabby is 7!

For Gabby's birthday this year, she had a pajama party.  Guests brought their favorite stuffed animal and we played party games.  She was thrilled with some new books this year and especially loves reading anything about animals.

We celebrated with chocolate/oreo milkshakes! Yummy!  Happy Birthday Gabby!  We love you!