Timpanogos, Owls Game and the Salisbury's (Day3)

Friday I woke up early to get a shower and get ready before the gang all woke up. We had to head out by 9 to get breakfast and make it to Timpanogos in time. The family (minus me) had a quick bite at McDonalds. The kids thought this statue of Ronald was funny. I didn't eat there, but opted for a Clif Bar and OJ from a gas station. That was my favorite morning snack while I was up there. Our cave tour was at 12:30 and they suggested we start our mile and a half hike an hour and 1/2 early. Last time we did this hike, we did it with Joe, Billy, and my Mom 12 years ago. My Mom needed frequent stops, and we barely made it there in time, so with 4 kids I was panicked to get an early start on the hike. We made it up there with plenty of time to spare. Even with the frequent stops we had to make. There was much complaining from Ethan and Aubrie, Boston was a champ and didn't complain at all. We did sound like a broken record up and back as we had to continually remind them to stay a close to the mountain side of the trail. We heard that there was a recent accident there, which probably resulted in me being a little too protective the whole time, which I know annoyed the kids.

The hike was actually quite pleasant, I thought. It was shaded for most of the time, and it was so beautiful. We even saw some forrest critters on the way up!

Seriously, this boy is always thinking of poses for the camera!

I have NO idea what this pose is for, but he insisted I take it! I guess it's his "hiding behind the trash can" pose?

Since we got to the top early, we were able to take and early tour. Our tour guide was really nice. She put up with Ben's jokes, and enjoyed the kids. The kids loved the cave, but Boston was freezing from the 45 degree temperatures inside. He is my string bean with no body fat! I forgot how amazing the cave was. It was so cool to go through it again. The kids liked it, but wished there was an elevator to take them back down the mountain when it was over. Ha, Ha!

The hike down was even cooler. The wind had picked up and there was more cloud cover. It was a pleasant hike!

On the way out of the Canyon we saw this shaved ice shack in town. We stopped for a quick treat. Boston got the award for not complaining and Aubrie got the award for best listener. I told Ethan he wasn't going to be able to have one because he wasn't listening on the trail. He was so sad, but I knew that Boston would feel bad for him and share his, so I got Boston an extra big one. That way they both had enough. Boston got to be the great brother who shared, and Mom still got to follow through! I love when it works out that way, because I hate punishing Ethan. He is so pitiful when he is punished because he has such a sweet nature.

After our pit stop, we headed to the Salisbury's. (Ben's Childhood Best Friend) There we ate BBQ and hung out. They have 4 kids, also, so our kids had fun playing with them. We all got sucked into watching Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief in their theatre room. When we finally pulled ourselves out of there, we headed to the Owls game. Last year we went to the Owls game on the 3rd and they had an amazing firework show afterward.

This year we got regular seats, that were behind the first baseline. It was nice to be in the shade, and have back support. (We had grass seats last time). The kids did great at staying put. I did take them to the play area after the 6th inning, where they had a lot of fun. They were ready to go back to our seats, after the 7th though. I think they were tired from the hike earlier. The firework show was good, but not as great as last year. Budget cuts I guess. It was still pretty good for a small league game, though! After the game, we headed straight for the hotel, skipped the pool and went straight to bed! I think two days of hiking did us in!