Bike riding in Garden City

 

The last time we were together in Bear Lake, we remember having fun riding bikes in Garden City.  It was on our list of things we wanted to do again.  It didn't take long for me to remember the 3 "old" ladies (me, Amber, and my mom) in one buggie with Chelsea trying to get us back to base.  Except this time it was Brianna who had to get me back.  Man, I am really out of shape.  Within 5 minutes my legs were burning and I was trying to get Brianna to stop and try fried oreos.  HaHa.  The boys loved it and didn't wait for us. 

 

Because we went slower, we were able to enjoy the scenery. 

 

Before we left the city, we did a little shopping for souvenirs and had to get famous raspberry shakes.  I'm not really a raspberry fan but I had to get one because that's what everyone talks about.  It was hard to pick all those seeds out of my braces though.  Back at the cabin we had a family pool tournament (Mason won) and taught Cord how to play the game of Life.   

North Shore of Bear Lake

 

This was seriously one of the most beautiful places on earth.  It was a beautiful day to be at the lake.  The water was warm and beautiful.  Mason doesn't really like to get wet, but he was great to just hang out with us.  We rented a paddleboard for Brianna and Cord and I hung out in a kayak.  I loved digging in the sand with Cord too.  It was a beautiful day.  After hanging out at lake, we stopped at a local place for lunch.  Brianna says she had the best hamburger of her whole life at the North Beach Burger.  Sometimes for her it's all about the food :)

 

 

Minnetonka Cave and Montpellier Idaho

 

It is a beautiful morning to climb 888 steps into a cave that is 40 degrees all year round.  The last time we hiked this cave, Cord was 2 years old and I carried him the whole time.  I remember my hip was so sore the rest of the trip.  This time, everyone walked on their own.  It was awesome :)

We learned the difference between Stalctites (they have to hang "tight" to the ceiling"), stalagmites (they "might" reach the ceiling), and what cave bacon looked like.

 

In the wedding room right before they kill the lights.  We are reminded that light and dark cannot occupy the same space.  There was absolutely no natural light coming into that area so you can't even see the your hand in front of your face.   

 

Back at the cabin, Cord and I played games.  Playing with these Dominos reminded me of how much my grandma loved playing games with the kids.

 



 

After we hiked in the cave, we went into Montpellier to find lunch and a library.  I needed to do some homework and while I love not having internet at the cabin, I still needed it to get my assignments finished.  Mason found himself involved in a chess game with another kid at the library.  Cord enjoyed watching the Chess game.  Brianna got caught up with her social media. Later that night we went back into town to watch Inside Out at the only theater in the small town. 

 

 

Clark Planetarium to Bear Lake

 

After grabbing some lunch, we stopped at the Gateway to visit the Clark Planetarium.  The kids really enjoyed all the hands on fun.  We saw the movie "Dark Universe" which was a typical planetarium style movie.  We were surrounded by space. 

 

 

I'm so confused, are we on Mars or the Moon?

 

After exploring, we hit the road again.  Our next destination was Bear Lake, but we planned to drive through Logan to stop for some Aggie ice cream.  While driving through Sardine canyon, I was reminded how beautiful that area of Utah is.  I had a lot of fun memories being back on the Utah State campus. Remembering all those fun times makes me more excited for Brianna to get out on her own and make her own memories.

 

We met Maddie Hawkes up at USU.  She has just moved up there to start school.  It was great to spend a few moments visiting her.

 

 

 

After a long fun day, we finally find a bear, a lake, and the cabin.

 

Brianna gave Cord a few pointers in pool.  There's no internet at the cabin so we were forced to actually interact with each other.....What?!?  I loved it. The only thing missing was the Mortenson family.  They had planned to meet us at the cabin but ended up not being able to with Zack coming home and the wedding preparations.  We appreciated them letting us stay there anyway.