Thursday, June 10, 2010
Out of order
Lehman Cave’s (Spring break)
We bought us a Trailer earlier this year I wanted to try it out. So we thought Spring Break would be the best time. We wanted to go to some other places, but they were either to far away or weren’t open for the season, So we settled on Lehman Caves. We also didn’t want to go all lone so we invited some friends The Esplin Family. None of us had never been before so we were excited to see it.
Lehman Cave’s is in the Great Basin National Park, in Nevada just west of Delta, Utah. It took us about 3 1/2 hours to get there. Since we had trailers we didn’t want to pay campground fees, so we stopped and the Visitors Center and unhooked one trailer and the men went out to find a place we could camp. While we waited it was snowing and the wind was blowing so hard. But the came back and the found a perfect spot. So we set up camp. The first night was so cold and the Boys (Clay, Tyler, Brody and Garrett) they wanted to make a fire. We didn’t want them to because it was to cold be outside but they built one any ways, the only thing was because it was blowing so hard the couldn’t get it to start. So the Dad’s had to go out and pour gas on it. It still struggled to start but eventually it did. The first night we each family stayed in our own trailers.
The next morning we got up and went to Lehman Caves. It is so neat!! The cave entrance is right behind the Visitor Center which meet no hiking. I thought it was so much better than Timpangos Cave. They have 2 tours a 60 minute or 90 minutes. We want on the 60 minute because you can go on the 90 minute with children under 5. Bur the Park Ranger asked us if we would like to see the 90 minutes in the 60 minutes of course we did. She showed what the call cave bacon and other really other cool things. The kids and the Adults loved it. After it was over we went back to the Visitor Center and the kids did the Junior Ranger Program.
I had had of an Arch called the Lexington Arch and wanted to check it out. Because it was the first week in April we were worried that there would be snow and the road and we wouldn’t be able to get there. So we asked 3 different Park Rangers and they all said that there wouldn’t be any snow but I would be muddy, but as long as we had 4-wheel drive we could get to it. So we drove to the turn off and stopped and had lunch, then we head up the 3 miles of dirt road. The roads weren’t muddy at all, but 1 mile away we started to run into snow. There ended up being so much snow that our truck got stuck (in the pictures you’ll see how deep it was). We knew if we kept going we wouldn’t get out at all and plus we weren’t prepared to walk in knee high snow. So we turned around and the Esplins got stuck. On our way back down there was this old cabin so we got out and had a look around. Then we headed back to camp. We put movies on for the little kids and the big boys went outside to play so us adults played a game.
The next day we went to Gandy, Utah. We had heard of Crystal Ball Cave and went to check it out. This cave is neat because you feel like you are exploring it for the first time. Randy had remembered that he had be to the guys house that showed us the cave when he was a scout and the there was a spring with a cave there. So we asked him about it and he told us how to get there, so that’s were we had picnic and then let the kids swim. We hadn’t brought swim suites with us, so the swam in there skivvies. Then went back to camp and played more games.
The next day the Esplins had to leave to get back to work, but we had other plans.
We went to U-DIG and dug for trilobites and had so much fun. If you have never done this it is worth it. It’s a little pricey but you get to keep everything you find. And we found so really good ones.
The next day we went to Topaz
Yuba State Park
For Memorial Weekend we invited all of my family and all of Randy’s family to go camping with us. We chose Yuba because it isn’t far and for those who could only come of the day the could.
We went down Thursday so We could pick a good place and we did. My Mom and Dad brought their trailer down that night so they wouldn’t have to fight traffic and because they didn’t want to go back to get it after my Uncle David’s wedding.
When we bought the trailer we told Randy’s mom we would let her stay in the first time she went camping with us. Friday while we were waiting for everyone to get there we went exploring.
Saturday we had made plans to go to Meadow and see the Lava Tubes and got to the Hot Springs. As we were driving to the Lava tubes we came across so White Sand Dunes so we pulled of and made lunch while the kids played in the sand. Then we headed off to the Lava Tubes. The are really neat. But the road to get there was not fun. It was so rock that we ended up leaving the 2 cars behind, which was really good because they would have done so really damage. So everyone pulled into the 2 trucks. I was sitting in between Randy and his Mom and I felt like a ping ball, like in the Ping ball Machines. But we hiked all over and in and out of the Lava Tubes. Then we had just enough time to go to the Hot Springs. They are the neatest thing. The pool as just right and it has ledge you can sit and stand on and the pool is between 15-30 feet deep. We soaked in there for about 1 1/2 hours before we needed to go. On the way back to the cars we found out that Brian and Malinda had a flat tire. It took them 30 minutes to change it because the tire would not come off. We took their Girls back to camp so they wouldn’t have to deal with them. They went to Fillmore to get a new tire. As they pulled up they were just but to close, but the workers there we so nice and stayed open late for them. They didn’t have the size of tire they needed for their car but one of the employees keeps tires at his house and went and found one just a little bit bigger and put it on. Then they wouldn’t let them pay. Malinda kept trying to give them a tip since they didn’t charge them, but they wouldn’t take it, so she threw the money at them and left. It is so nice to know there are people out there who are kind when we are in need.
Sunday was a day of relaxing and fishing. Trae-Trae caught here very first fish. Clay and I also caught one but they were all carp, which I guess isn’t good eating and they don’t want them in the lake, so we threw them away. Who knew that our state has some really cool things to see and do, I can’t wait to explore more of our great state.
