The Atchison Visitor Center and Rail Museum

In November we visited Atchison.  We stopped by their Historical Society Museum and Rail Museum, located conveniently in town along with their visitor center.  The kids liked the rail museum best.  There were old train engines and cars that had been retired.  We walked along the tracks and looked at each one.  We climbed up on a flat car, looked at the controls of an engine, peeked in the window of a caboose, etc.

We learned about their mini engine and train as well.  They have a mini train engine and track that they run on summer weekends.  The kids would have loved, taking rides on the little train.  I wish we would have known they had it earlier so we could have brought them up for rides!

We also stepped inside the visitor center (the old Santa Fe Railway Station) and went through the Historical Society's museum.  We learned a little about Amelia Earhart, Atchison's most famous past resident, and more about the town and area.  The gun collection they had was pretty neat.  We also learned about a guy who had something wrong with his legs who was responsible for many of the streets in Atchison being bricked.  It's a great little stop.  If you have kids, be sure to visit on a summer weekend so they can ride the train!

Nearest City: Atchison, KS
 Location: 200 10th St, Atchison, KS
Time Needed: 30-90 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Atchison Rail Museum and Atchison Historical Society

The Grinter Sunflower Field

Early September, one of the Northeast Kansas traditions is the Grinter Sunflower Field.  Every year, the Grinters plant a large field of sunflowers just outside of Tonganoxie.  Every year, news outlets let people know when the field is in full bloom.  There have been advertising campaigns for Kansas that have used the field as a backdrop.  It's a big deal.  Well, at least in a Kansas sort of way.

We went out for a visit and an attempt at taking family pictures on the second weekend in September.  A few days before our visit though there was a pretty heavy rainfall, so by the time we made it out, the flowers were past their peak.  It was still worth going to see.  "Worth the price of admission" as my grandpa would say.   Visiting is free, but donations are gratefully accepted- especially if you are a commercial photographer.  Some of our friends had recommended bringing some stools or benches to stand on in order to get a better picture.  We didn't, but could see the value in bringing one.  We still had some good pictures anyway.

As you can see, the field is expansive.  Huge.  Sunflowers beyond sunflowers.  It costs the Grinters roughly $10,000 to plant and maintain it.  The field sure does bring happiness to a lot of people.  Go ahead and plan to visit next year in early September.  Bring a few bucks to donate.

Nearest City: Tonganoxie, KS
Location: Stillwell Road, south of Tonganoxie
Time Needed: 1+ hours
Difficulty:easy
 Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Kris Grinter's Blog

The Leavenworth County Fair

At the end of July we went to the Leavenworth County Fair in Tonganoxie.  The fair is pretty small. It's the smallest county fair we've ever been to.  Just the same it was fun seeing the animals and watching a honey demonstration by the Northeast Kansas Beekeepers Association.  Parking was $5 (or was it $4).  After we went, I mentioned going to several people and they all agreed that it's one of those things you do once.

Nearest City: Tonganoxie, KS
Location: County Fairgrounds, 405 W. 4th St.  Tonganoxie, KS
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:Leavenworth County Fair

Christmas Party at Theatre Lawrence

Every once in a while I have a post that slips through the crack.  My wife was looking over the blog a few days ago and reminded me that I hadn't posted about our date night to Theatre Lawrence. Sure enough, I missed it.  So I'm setting it right by catching up on that post right now!

I had  a work Christmas party at Theatre Lawrence back in December.  We grabbed a bite to eat, then went over to see Mary Poppins at Theatre Lawrence.  It was a fantastic production.  The play loosely followed the movie, with some parts from the book added for good measure, and a few variations added in just specifically for the play. One of the favorites were the references Mr. Banks made to his childhood nanny "Miss Andrews."  We really enjoyed the evening.  If you're thinking about going to a play at Theatre Lawrence, don't hesitate.  Do it.  They do a wonderful job.

Nearest City: Lawrence, KS
Location: 4660 Bauer Farm Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049
Time Needed: 3
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: so-so
Additional Info: Theatre Lawrence

Paris, Idaho 4th of July Parade

We spent the 4th of July at Bear Lake.  Looking at the different options of things to do to celebrate, we decided on the parade in Paris, Idaho.

The parade was a great small town parade.  It is always a great experience to get out and celebrate our countries freedoms with the community.

The kids had fun seeing the floats, horses, flags, police cars, fire trucks, etc.  I can't believe the amount of candy that the kids came home with.  They had a grocery sack filled over half full.

After the parade the city has more celebrations, but we decided to go celebrate by having a relaxing day on the beach, and watching the fireworks in the evening.

If you are ever up in the Bear Lake area over the 4th, the parade is a fun option!

Nearest City: Location: N° W° Time Needed: Difficulty: Kid Friendly: Additional Info:

Star Parties at Patterson Observatory

The Huachuca Astronomy Club has star parties regularly at Patterson Observatory on the Cochise College Campus.  We wanted to visit them for a while before we were finally able to make it happen.  The star parties generally start about dusk, depending on the weather.  Several of the ones we wanted to make it out to were cancelled due to overcast skies.  We were able to see the craters on the moon, look through several telescopes, and even look through the large telescope at the observatory.  The telescope is programmed to be aimed by a computer, which makes seeing several of the stars and objects easier to find.  I saw a two colored double star when I peeked through the eyepiece.  If you've got a free evening when they're holding an event, stop by and see what's happening!  Several of the club members have discovered other planets, distant stars, and the like.  You're welcome to come out and join them!

Nearest City: Sierra Vista, AZ
Location: Cochise College Campus, College Drive, Sierra Vista
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info: Huachuca Astronomy Club

The Cochise and Western Model Train Club Open House

A couple times every year the local model railroading club has open houses.   We like to stop by and see what the Cochise and Western Model Railroad Club is doing.  It's always fun to step inside their little clubhouse and observe the changes to the layout they've done since our last visit.  They have a lot of fun doing it! 

They have two main rooms, each with a different scale model railroad.  They have the tracks and trains set up, along with the scenery that the trains pass by on the way through.  Small towns, farms, train trestles, rivers, and many other sites are in place.  The IRS office in one of the towns is burning down.  Rafters are being rescued from a waterfall.  You can look for an amorous couple stepping out from some bushes.  There's lots to see and the humor is found in the details here.

Outside, there is a larger train set that runs around on bigger tracks.  This one seems to be a favorite of the kids.   There are always club members around to answer questions and to help you have a good time.  The kids loved it when one of the club members let them blow the train whistle.

Our favorite scale building outside was "The Poverty Depository for Old Unwanted Parents".  The club meets weekly, and if you're around and see cars outside, they welcome visitors to stop in and take a look around.  You're always welcomed to join the club as well.

Nearest City: Sierra Vista, AZ
Location: 680 Fort Avenue, Sierra Vista, AZ
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Cochise & Western Railroad Club

Spawning Salmon at Causey Reservoir

Our twighlight stop at Porcupine Reservoir over the Labor Day weekend really got me pumped up about looking for salmon, so Friday night we went camping up Monte Cristo, then got up early and drove down to Causey for another dose of cherry kokes. 

We took the Causey Estates road across the dam to the trailhead at Causey's south bay.  We cooked blueberry pancackes for breakfast,  then started hiking the Skull Crack Trail to the inlet for the South Fork of the Ogden River.  The sign at the trailhead said it was 2.3 miles, which my GPS verified as being accurate.  There's a climb at the beginning, and decent at the end, but most of the trail is just the gentle up and down grades of trying to find the best route while staying reasonably at the same elevation. 

We finally reached the steep decent for the last 1/4 mile, and reached the stream.  Nothing.  We didn't see any fish in the clear water.  We walked further upstream and found a pool with several dozen spawning kokanee salmon

This first pool happened also to be the best place to take pictures of them.  The red kokanee salmon stood out in the calm still water, where in the quicker water they looked blurry and distorted.

Some of them were pretty decent sized- about 18-20 inches long is my guess.  It was fantastic just watching them.  The run happens every year during September.  

We walked upstream for a ways and saw more salmon in other places, some of them chasing other salmon off, some of them doing their mating dance, and others just resting before they pushed further upstream.  It's really quite amazing.  I think I could do this every year. 

After a quick picnic lunch, we headed back down the trail toward home and a family cookout.

Nearest City: Huntsville, UT
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: A half-day plus
Difficulty: Moderate
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info:

Porcupine Reservoir Kokanee Salmon Run

Saturday evening we drove up to Bear Lake to enjoy the Labor Day weekend.  On the way we stopped at Porcupine Reservoir to see the kokanee salmon spawning.  As we drove up the canyon, a rainbow played peek-a-boo with us in the rapidly fading light. 

The kokanee salmon make their spawning run every September.  They turn bright red, then head upstream to spawn.  The Utah DWR has implemented restrictions to protect them, closing to fishing the tributaries they spawn in from August 15 to September 30.  

At the top of the reservoir, we ran down the hill to the East Fork of the Little Bear River.  Bingo!  The peak of the spawn is usually mid-September, so we were pretty excited to see the little red salmon already in the creek. 

The light was fading fast, but we got a few mediocre pictures.  Most of the fish were about 12 inches long.   We walked up and down the bank looking for fish until it was too dark to see.  I'm glad we made this stop! 

Nearest City: Avon, UT
Location: N° W°
Time Needed:
Difficulty:
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info: Kokanee Salmon Info

Bountiful Sidewalk Chalk Festival

Friday we went to the Sidewalk Chalk Festival/Competition in Bountiful. 

It had rained earlier in the day and several of the drawings had been ruined or damaged so many of the artists were out redoing or repairing their work. 

We enjoyed wandering around looking at the drawings.  Some were original and beautiful.  The Avengers seemed to be a very popular subject. 

We liked this otter.  It looks sad, knowing that the next rainstorm will wash it completely away.

Nearest City: Bountiful, UT
Location: Downtown Bountiful
Time Needed: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info:

UMFA and Church History Museum Joint Exhibit: LeConte Stewart

Ever since moving to Kaysville, we have heard numerous times about LeConte Stewart.  I didn't know anything about him, but it just happens that he is Utah's most well known landscape painter.  We've seen a few of his paintings and sketches here and there as we have visited with neighbors and friends.  There's also a small museum in the Kaysville City Library with several of his paintings. 

Recently, we heard about a joint exhibit in Salt Lake City put on by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and the (LDS) Church History Museum, so we decided to go and look at some of LeConte Stewart's artwork.  We have collected artwork from each city we've lived in, and this provided a good opportunity to try to find a print or something we liked. 

Here are a few of our favorite pictures.  The UMFA didn't have any prints for sale, and the Church History Museum only had a few, so we'll keep looking for a print for our wall.  It's a great exhibit and well-worth the visit. 

Nearest City: Salt Lake City, UT
 Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 90 minutes at each museum
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Somewhat
Additional Info:  The website about the exhibit.  UMFA costs $7/adult to get in, but has 2 free days/month.  The Church History Museum is free.  The exhibit runs through January 15, 2012.

The Sheepdog Trials

On Labor Day we went to the Sheepdog Trials at Soldier Hollow, near Midway.  My father-in-law had scored some free tickets and invited us to attend.  It was pretty cool to see the sheepherders and the dogs work together to move sheep around and make them do certain things, but I kept asking myself "They make an event out of this!!?" 

We watched a few dogs do their sheepherding thing.  Each one ran about 20 minutes to get the 2 groups of sheep together, then divided up.  It really was neat watching the dogs.  There also was a little festival sort of thing with booths and exhibits set up.   We stayed for a few hours, but the kids could only take so much of it since the sheep and dogs are so far away. 

Nearest City: Midway, UT
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: Varies
Difficulty:
Kid Friendly: Probably not due to their limited focus
Additional Info: Check out the Sheepdog Competition website.  They sure gouge you on the costs!  Tickets $12.50- $16.00 (we picked ours up for free), parking $5, event schedule book $5 (we passed).  This is one event that I was surprised that they didn't charge to use the restroom!  If you don't get there early, seats can be hard to come by too.

Richard G. Scott Art Exhibit

We took a quick trip to Salt Lake City yesterday to do some returns on Christmas presents. While we were out and about, we stopped downtown at Deseret Book to look at a Richard G. Scott art exhibit. There were about 2 dozen paintings scattered throughout the store. I asked a salesman and was given permission to take pictures. Here's a few of the ones we liked.

Nearest City: Sallt Lake City, UT

GPS Coordinates: N° W °

Time Needed: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Kid Friendly:

Additional Info:

The Kaysville Light Parade

Monday night was the Kaysville City Annual Light Parade and tree lighting ceremony. We didn't make it to the ceremony, but made it out in time for some free hot chocolate and to hear the band playing.

Lots of people were out for the event.

After a while the parade finally started. It wasn't as overblown as say an Independence Day parade, but was quite fun.

I assume it's an annual event, held the first Monday after Thanksgiving. The parade starts at 6 or so, and goes along Main Street from Davis High School to 100 North.

Nearest City:Kaysville, UT

GPS Coordinates:

Time Needed:

Difficulty:

Kid Friendly:

Additional Info: www.kaysvillecity.com/displayarticle193.html

The Green Show at the Shakespearean Festival

The Green Show at the Utah Shakespeare Festival is a fun stop in Cedar City. The Green Show is a free performance of singing, dancing, and skits that come before each full length play. It is right outside the replica of William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on the Southern Utah University Campus. It started at 7 when we visited, and ran for about half an hour.

Nearest City: Cedar City, UT
GPS Coordinates: N 37° 40.564 W 113° 04.060
Time Needed: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info: Parking is available on the nearby streets, or in the parking lot at the Northwest corner of Center Street and 3rd West. www.bard.org

Craig, Colorado

Driving home to Colorado the other week, we came across on Highway 40, just to see what was there. We stopped in Craig, CO to stretch our legs and to wander around the visitor center. We were a little early, so got to see some of the town. Across the street from the visitor center is "Marcia" the train car. Marcia isn't just any old train car, she was David Moffat's personal car. David Moffat was Mr. Railroad back in the day. He helped develop a lot of railways throughout the west, and is perhaps best known as financing the Moffat Tunnel- a 6 mile long railroad tunnel that goes under the continental divide.

Further north from Marcia is a city park that is full of wood carvings. Big logs have been carved into many fantastic characters. Every year Craig has the "Whittle the Wood" Competition. The competitors do a chainsaw wood carving competition that is open for the public to watch. Cool stuff! Craig is definitely a spot I'd like to spend more time in.

The Whittle the Wood Chainsaw Carving Contest is held in the Craig City Park for 3-4 days each year over the Fathers Day weekend. In addition to the chainsaw carving contest, they have a car show, bands, etc.

Nearest City: Craig, CO
GPS Coordinates:
Time Needed: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info: http://www.craig-chamber.com/WhittletheWood.html