You'll probably cry upon reading this, but over the weekend we took our FIRST and ONLY family vacation of the summer. And school starts in like, a week, so we barely made it!
Friday after I worked, we drove up to Pineview Reservoir for swimming. Years ago when Aspen was a toddler we went to the free beach, and it's come a long way since then. There's now developed parking and a trail leading to the sand. There's a lot of shade, which made it ideal since we arrived in the middle of the afternoon. The beach is wider now, too, giving more space for playing and building sandcastles. Although a lot of people and dogs were there, it didn't feel crowded at all.
I was surprised to see so many people using paddle boards. Apparently they're the new recreational item of the moment. Kev was impressed with them and now I'm afraid I'm going to randomly find some in the garage. They're really versatile, though, and I can see how fun they could be for the whole family. We'd only need two boards for our family since the kids are little enough to share with an adult.
Kevin's family has had property in South Fork Canyon for many years. His family refers to the building there as a "cabin," but I affectionately call it a "shack" because it's one room with no running water. There's electricity, though, and that's really all you need, right?! I know when people say they have a cabin, they use that word loosely. Usually they're really referring to the giant, comfortable second home they own in the mountains. In our case, it's a teeny, cute little place where we can sleep on real beds (kind of!) and listen to the river flowing alongside it. It's a step up from sleeping in a tent, and I love it!
There's a lot of land, which is perfect for the kids to explore. It's the first time all four of us have come up, and I wish we'd planned to stay two nights instead of one. I just didn't know how it'd go with Linc sleeping in a bed for the first time, and missing his naps for two days.
He did so well, though, and we were able to have a wonderful time together. I made s'mores in ice cream cones and they were a huge hit with Lincoln. He loved being able to eat it all by himself.
At the family shack, there's a stream that does provide some non-potable water for washing, but no toilets. Aspen was so nervous about using the outhouse, but she overcame her fear and stopped worrying she'd fall in after a couple of uses. The kids loved throwing things into the water and walking over this bridge a hundred times. There's also a swing set and horseshoes that they loved.
After our time spent swimming at Pineview, we headed to the shack for dinner on the griddle (it was way too late for a fire). The kids loved eating outside, and then making up the bunk beds for sleeping. I was so grateful Linc let me lie down with him for a few minutes before he conked our for the whole night! Because of all the trouble we've had with Linc and his sleeping, this felt like such a victory- we did something "normal" and he slept away from home successfully!
Pictured below is my view on Saturday morning when I fried the bacon. It's so gorgeous! I loved listening to Kev tell the kids about his memories of playing in the same spots. He showed them the trails in the trees, and told them how his parents used to make him wash off in the freezing river.
Following breakfast Saturday, we walked the surrounding properties and took the kids up near the main road to see the horses. Aspen complained almost the whole time because she desperately wanted to go back to the lake to swim.
Linc was really in his element, yelling that he was the leader and going on an adventure. He had so much fun exploring.
We packed up the shack and took a detour to Causey Dam before heading back to Pineview. We told the kids about our time spent canoeing Causey. Hopefully we'll be able to take them up there again for some boating.
The rest of Saturday was spent at the pay beach at Pineview since I knew we'd need bathrooms close by (the longer we planned to be there, the greater the odds!). The beach was much more crowded, but Kev still managed to find a spot for us in the only shade to be seen for miiiiiiiles.
Thanks to swimming lessons this summer, Aspen has overcome her fear of water. She's more confident, and with Kev's help she spent a lot of time on her body board. She was riding the waves with a huge smile on her face. She was so proud to play on her own and not need a parent holding her at all times. I loved seeing her enjoy herself so much.
It was such a great trip, and I regret that we cut it so short! After swimming Saturday, we ate dinner at The Oaks in Ogden Canyon and headed home. I'm glad we had a buffer day between returning from vacation and going back to work on Monday, but next year when we go, we'll plan for at least two nights.
Kev and I also decided that we definitely need to fulfill our dream of having a cabin of our own in Ogden Valley some day. Unfortunately for Kev, I don't want to take the kids out of the Spanish-immersion program Aspen starts this year, so he has to wait at least until Linc follows in Aspen's footsteps and finishes in 6th grade for us to consider moving back to Weber County anytime soon. I know he loves the Ogden Valley so much and misses it. I feel badly we're locked into an opportunity here in Salt Lake, but the kids' education takes priority right now. And we can make use of his family's property until we make our dream a reality.
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Such great crisp beautiful pictures! It sounds like it was such a nice getaway.
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