Wilcken Family Reunion

On Wednesday the 3rd, we drove down to southern Utah for a family reunion on my mother's side.  We got to Enoch that afternoon and hung out with my parents and siblings who had come from California at my Uncle Gary's house.  That night we stayed at my cousin Kathy's house.  Since the reunion didn't start until 2:00 on the 4th, we went with Kathy and her family to the Parowan parade.  It was fun for Austin, and some of the floats were pretty creative.  We especially liked the dairy-themed float because they threw string cheese to everyone instead of the typical salt water taffy.

The reunion was at a campground in beaver canyon which is very beautiful.  The first night there we played some field games and when it wasn't raining, and card games in our tent when it was.  We also took the younger children on a short hike along a creek.  Too bad it was getting dark, because the hike was gorgeous and we didn't get many pictures of it.  At one point we saw a porcupine coming out of a beaver dam.  Austin walked some of the way on his own, but we carried him most of the way.

The next morning we went on a longer hike from Puffer Lake to Big Johns Flat by way of the Puffer Lake and Skyline Trails while the grandparents watched the babies and toddlers.  It ended up being quite a bit longer than the forest service had told us, plus the trail was not well marked so we went about a mile and a half out of our way following the wrong trail.  Even so, the hike was beautiful as well and we enjoyed it.

Puffer Lake

Tommy Wilcken, Renee Wilcken, Timothy Scott, and Nathan Scott at a ski lift when we figured out we were going the wrong way.

Renee Wilcken and Timothy Scott at the trail marker/ jig-saw puzzle

Apparently we didn't take pictures of anyone or anything besides the hikes.  We did other things though.  We played with a water balloon launcher, had marshmallow wars, played tons of card games, ate really good food, ran for shelter when the thunder storms started, and just enjoyed hanging out with family that we don't see very often.  It was a nice break from work and everyday stresses.

Canyonlands Trip

We have been gone a lot the past couple weeks on some trips with family. The first of these trips was to Canyonlands National Park two weeks ago. We drove to Moab that Wednesday, checked into our hotel, ate dinner, and went off to hike Corona Arch.

This is Bowtie Arch. It is just before Corona Arch

Corona Arch

This is the same arch that I repelled off of years ago with the Outdoor Adventure Club at BYU. The descent is 140 feet with 120 feet free hanging.

The rock formations to the side of Corona Arch look like a face

Thursday we explored the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands. First we went to Grand View Point Overlook and hiked the short trail there.

Junction Butte

After lunch we headed to Upheaval Dome. At this point, Austin had fallen asleep in the car, so Nate ended up staying with him while I went up the short trail there. Upheaval Dome is a large crater feature in which an opening has been eroded away at one side. No one knows for sure what cause its formation.

Upheaval Dome from the first overlook

Looking into Upheaval Dome from the second overlook

Aunt Rosanne, Aunt Stephanie, & Ben with Upheaval Canyon in the background

Last of all, we stopped by Mesa Arch before heading back to Moab. This picturesque arch was at the edge of a cliff. It was a pretty long but low lying arch. The view looking through the arch was pretty cool with the La Sal Mountains in the background.

Thursday evening we were joined by my brother Allan. Then Friday we left Moab and drove further south to the Needles District of Canyonlands. The first stop we made was at Newspaper Rock, which was densely covered with petroglyphs.

Newspaper Rock

From there we hiked Cave Spring, which took us by an old historic cowboy camp, wound under the cool shade of overhanging rocks, and then went up on top of those same rocks where there were nice views of the surrounding area.

Historic Cowboy Camp

View from the upper slickrock section of the trail

After eating lunch we headed out to Big Spring Canyon Overlook, where we had fun enjoying the view and climbing on the rocks.

Last of all, we drove out to the view point at Elephant Hill.

Panoramic of the view from Elephant Hill

Friday evening we stayed in Monticello and went swimming, which felt really nice. Austin had a blast in the pool.

Saturday we headed home. We had hoped to do another short hike, but because we had some delays waiting in road construction zones, we didn't have time for that. Instead, we did stop by Crystal Geyser briefly and watched it bubble some. My family has stopped at this spot a number of times over the years, but we have never witnessed it erupt. At best, we have just seen it bubble a lot.

I was hoping we would get more hiking in during this trip. However, since a major heat wave was sweeping the western U.S. at the time and temperatures in the area were well over 100, none of us felt like doing very long hikes.