On June 24, we went on our first family trip this summer to Pocatello. We stayed for one night at a nice hotel that I got a great deal online for. We had outlined several outdoor activities, so I was so happy when the weather was beautiful for our stay. It wasn't until the next week that wildfires broke out in the Pocatello area, and I was glad that we went before that happened.
Stroking Fur:
I took the 3 younger boys that afternoon to the Ross Park complex. First we went to the zoo--it was the first time we'd ever been there. It was such a hot day, so the bigger animals were all sleeping or hiding. Ross Park Zoo only has animals that are native to the Rocky Mountain region, so we've seen most of the animals before. Unfortunately, since the petting zoo was closed at that time, we were only able to pet the little goats through the fence, and not go inside it to pet the other petting zoo animals. Our favorite animal was probably the baby and mama elk. We also liked watching the buffalo, coyotes, ducks, bighorn sheep, and peacock.
Swimming Strokes:
After we were done walking around the zoo, we walked across the street to the Aquatic Center. Swimming there was one of my favorite activities this summer. There's different outdoor pools with different activities for different age levels. There were lots of lifeguards on duty, and we had such an awesome time there! Kanyon loved the kiddy pool; he truly had a blast. He played in there almost the entire time (until some kid pooped in there and they had to clear out the last half hour we were there). At first I just sat and watched him, but then I realized that there were 3 vigilant lifeguards for that area, and I could see the kiddy section from the other areas of the complex, so I went swimming/playing with the twins and watched him from afar.
Jonah and Micah liked the lazy river, complete with a current and lots of tubes. They rode around and around on it. I joined up with them and had a great time floating! They also liked climbing across the lily pad/rope course in the pool adjacent to the lazy river. I had to swim alongside them when they did that because it was too deep for them if they fell off, and the lifeguard wouldn't let them go across unless I was there because they were too short. After Kanyon's kiddy pool closed, then we all went swimming in the regular pool for a while. I just loved all the different areas! We never got bored!
When we were done swimming, Josh picked us up from the pool, and took us back to the hotel. Then the 4 boys decided to go swimming some more in the hotel's pool, and Josh and I hung around the hot tub.
Strokes in Golf:
While me and the younger boys had been at the Zoo and Aquatic Center, Josh had taken Ammon golfing in American Falls. This is the 3rd summer that Ammon has been competing in golf tournaments in Eastern Idaho. He was scheduled for a golf tournament the next morning, and had never played there before, so Josh took him for a practice round that evening. They had a good time playing, and were surprised at the terrain of the golf course. It is very hilly, and is in the middle of town, so two streets cut through the course, so it was tricky to play. We took Ammon back out there the next morning, and watched him tee off two holes, and then we parked on one of the through-streets and watched him play the second hole from the comfort of our air-conditioned car seats!
Heat Stroke:
The American Falls Golf Course did not allow spectators during the jr. golf tournament, so we took the rest of the family and our friend Kimi (who is currently living in Pocatello to attend ISU) to the nearby Massacre Rocks State Park. We'd never been there before, and we thought it would be fun to explore. When we woke up that morning, Jonah had bad diarrhea. When we left the hotel, he threw up. When we arrived at the park, he threw up again. We didn't know if it was because of something he ate, or if he had the flu. Nobody else ever got sick, so I still don't know. But he was a real trooper, and didn't let it hold him back from the day's activities. It was a really hot day, the hottest day of summer yet. We went to the visitor's center and got a map of the park, and decided to go for a hike on a nearby trail. There was a lot of sagebrush on the hike, but hardly any trees to provide shade. We were all overheated, burnt out, and physically exhausted by the time we'd completed that trail!
With the Stroke of a Pen:
Before heading back to pick up Ammon, drop off Kimi, and drive back to Salmon, we made a stop at Register Rock which is only a few miles from Massacre Rocks. Register Rock was a site on the Oregon Trail where travelers would frequently stop to eat and let the animals rest. There are some large boulders there that the emigrants carved their names and dates in. The main one was fenced all around it so you couldn't touch it, but it was interesting to see dates carved into stone from over 150 years ago. There were other large rocks with carvings in them in the park that the boys climbed all over, too. And this park had lots of trees, so it was nice to be in the shade!
Can you see the priest & indian carvings in this rock done by a 7-year-old on the Oregon Trail?
By the Stroke of Midnight...
...we were home again! (just kidding...it was actually by the stroke of 5:00, but I just wanted to include that famous phrase). It was a short vacation, only about 24 hours long, but we squeezed a lot into that time! We had a {mostly} enjoyable time together! (other than the puking & the extreme heat, of course)
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