Rowley's Red Barn

One thing about Utah that I have loved (among many things) is the fall. It has been so beautiful and crisp and fall-esque that my little heart just bursts with joy.  California lacks greatly in the celebration of fall, so I was thrilled to join the hoards of families that make their way to the little fall activities around town.  One particular Saturday afternoon, we decided to hit up Hee Haw Farms, a popular pumpkin patch/farm place near my home.  Two key words, Saturday and Popular. Abort Mission.  So we headed south to the Big Red Barn. 

Oh what an absolutely delightful time we had. There were hardly any crowds giving us free reign of the pumpkin patch pickin's, the apple orchard tractor ride, the hay rides around the farm, and the gunny sack slide. 

Cameron was just barely big enough to get that he got to choose a pumpkin to take home, although he didn't seem to get it for more than a moment. Mostly, he just loved running around and patting the pumpkins with his delightful chant "hi pumpkin". 

Afterward, we made our way to the barn to partake of some of their famous home made ice cream. Which was creamy and delightful I must admit. Although I had to share almost my entire scoop with my son, I thought the few tastes I had were amazing. We were tempted to buy some fresh Apple Cider, but did not given the price; so we went home and juiced some of our own apples and called it a day.
I must say, I feel a tradition coming on. The Big Red Barn may have won over Hee Haws for our family. Happy weather!

Yellowstone

I'm finally taking the time to update the blog. I know, it's been pathetically long. But this seems to be the trend for me right now; blog a lot, then none for a phase. I'm taking what I can give right now and loving that my hubby is watching the boy this morning so I can do this.

For our Anniversary trip this year, I planned a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Granted, our anniversary is in April, and we took this trip in October, such is the way our family has run since the day we were married.  We do something small in April, and then a big "anniversary" trip in October. We stayed at the Worldmark resort in West Yellowstone, just a stones throw from the Park entrance. What a wonderfully neat trip this was. Granted, the weather was extremely cold, I loved going back to the park I haven't visited since I was a young girl.

Our first day we decided to take the south loop and see the hot pots.  Loads of wildlife was seen on this first drive in, which was totally worth it.  The Elk Buck was really cool, and right next to our car. We even had a few buffalo roaming on the street. Those animals are so much bigger than pictures ever seem to make them feel. So that was really cool!

The hot pots were everything I remember seeing as a girl. Despite the weather, we trudged across the walkways and watched them bubble and steam. Very cool. Want to know why they look so blue? Because the temperature of the water has reached over 200 degrees F. Yes, that is some hot water!

Cameron seemed to be more aware of the cold weather than the location of our journey, so we cut it slightly short and got back into the car. Our second day we ventured the rest of the southern loop, out to the Old Faithful Geyser. Going in the off season merits you less crowds, which is nice. But it does mean you'll be dancing in the cold trying to keep your limbs warm! Once the geyser set off, I have to admit, I was expecting more. Don't get me wrong, it was cool and all, but I just thought it would be more...impressive I suppose. 

We stopped by a few more hot pots on our drive back before we headed home for some hot chocolate and a movie by the fire! Totally worth it.

That evening, while getting the TV ready for our movie, we were distracted by the commotion the news was making about the possible "government shut down". Sure enough, 2 hours of our evening were gobbled up as we watched the event unfold. The government had shut down, and that meant all the National Parks would be closed. There goes our plans for the Northern loop and the rest of the sites! (of course, the ones I have never seen!) I am sure glad we took the first 2 days to go in and see a few things; I should be grateful for that!

 So, we hit up the Internet for some local things to do and were thrilled for the tips from friends who have lived near or in the area! The candy shop was visited more than enough times, we did a puzzle for a lot of hours, and we drove up to a peak to view the valley below. Very nice.  Luckily, the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, right across the street from our resort, wasn't run by the government and had lots of wildlife that we could see at close range. The bears were probably my favorite, although the eagles were rather majestic.

The most interesting exhibit to watch was the bear opening the failed "bear proof" garbage can. It was crazy awesome to see him work that lid and get it unscrewed to fetch the treats inside. Totally awesome. 

 We also took a venture to the West Yellowstone museum, which was mostly lack luster but I was extremely interested in the small exhibit they had about the old Yellowstone days, back when the train brought in the guests to West Yellowstone, and then wagon tours would take you into the park.  For just 20 bucks you could get a 5 day 6 night stay right in Yellowstone with some makeshift cabin tents for sleeping, and your food included. Those were the days! I loved seeing the pictures and reading the accounts of life back then. Super interesting.

It was a great trip despite the government mishap. We have hopes to go again when both the weather is better and the park is open for the entire duration of our trip. We can only hope.