The Sundance Kids

So I learned a valuable lesson today. Do a little research before you spend 2 hours packing up beach towels and 3 kids and then driving another 2 hours to find a family activity worth writing about. I decided this morning to get everyone out of the house. Mostly because I needed somewhere to be. I get so stir crazy and would rather be moving than left to my thoughts. And I did not want to mow the lawn.
Soooo....
We drove to Deer Creek Reservoir. Hadn't ever been there and thought it would be fun to play on the beach, splash in the water and soak up some sun(sunburns proved this to be another lesson for another blog).
Upon arrival we discovered that this beach was not like the trusty sands of Pineview we all know so well. The lake was well below normal level(thanks Global warming-said Cord under his breath) and in order to reach the water, we had to carry everything about 200 yards over brine flies. Yes, this is Deer Creek and not the Great Salt Lake, though you wouldn't have known it if you were standing there with your eyes closed. The smell alone about knocked me over.
However, I was determined to prove to my kids that the long drive would be well worth it.
We set up shop close enough to the water but far enough away to avoid the slimy mud, on the only bare spot we could find not covered with sharp rocks. Thank goodness for my beach blanket(another great purchase from Target!) We made it about 2 hours before the effort it took to get back and forth had been overdone and before I realized that the half gallon of sunscreen I thought I had put on everyone wore off. (It was discovered much later in the day when the suits came off that some of us would interfer with a game of green light-red light, if you get my drift.)
Off to Sundance we went for a little lunch and a relaxing ride on the chair lift. While riding up the steep inclines of the lift, and to keep myself from getting sick from the heights, we all chatting about where we were going to have our vacation homes. San Diego of course came up first(love that my kids love that place as much as their mother) and second, decided by popular vote, would be Sundance. Once we reached the peak we hopped off the lift and thought that hiking in our flip flops the 3 miles to Stewart Falls would be yet another great way to spend our day. Equipped with no more than my camera, debit card and sunglasses, we set off to find the water that would set us free. Yeah...well the flip flops won and after Chloe grabbed a handful of stinging nettle, we reluctantly turned around. We had been beat. Chalk this up to Mom not being prepared with so much as a water bottle. Oh well, we tried.
So this goes to show that sometimes the best intentions don't always win out. At least we made some great memories and will have something to talk about. Not to mention we now can add one more place(Deer Creek) to our list of places we will not soon likely re-visit. Oh yeah, and I got out of mowing the lawn....