Ward Campout

Oops! I forgot to blog our ward campout from a couple of weeks ago. We got a group campgound up Provo Canyon at a place called Rock Canyon Campground. It's straight up the mountain from Provo but you have to go through Provo Canyon and it takes a little while to get there but it's worth the drive. Set in a small mountain valley in amongst the pines and scrub oak.

Our Activities Committee chairwoman counted at least 60 people there on Friday night. The most popular thing to do with the teenagers and some of the adults was to play Uno Attack. They played for hours (with a break for dinner.) The rest of the time was spent visiting and swapping stories.

Dinner was bring your own. But dessert was an assortment of cobblers and homemade ice cream that was provided by the ward members. We had every kind of cobbler you can imagine.

We ate until we were ready to burst...and then we ate some more! I think there were at least 10 different kinds of cobblers. We enjoyed each others company and one of our ward members (Bro. Lapioli) brought his guitar and we sang primary songs around the campfire until 10pm.

Sarah learned a new trick. Can you touch your tongue to your nose?

She also made a new friend. This is a Shi Tzu owned by one of our neighbors and camping buddies. He was passed from kid to kid to be cuddled and loved. Sarah wound up being the last kid to hold him and she took advantage of the opportunity.

The next morning we had to get up early to get back to the house to take Tiffany to the airport. Along the way we stopped at a place called Squaw Peak overlook.

Overlooking Provo. Can you see our house out there?

Turn around and there's Mt Timanogos.

We had a great time. The mountain air was nice and cool and the company was even better.

Lagoon

So, last week we decided on the spur of the moment to go to Lagoon Amusement Park. It was instigated by the invitation of our youngest by our next door neighbors. I'd never been, Janet hadn't been for 20 years or more. So off we went last Thursday.

One of the first rides we went on was the newest one, Wicked! It's a roller coaster that starts by shooting you straight up 110 feet, then straight down and into the twists and turns that you're used to. It also has a corkscrew loop about halfway through too. The two following photos are from the amusement parks website.

We don't have any photos of it, but we went on a ride called the Cliffhanger. It takes you over fountains of water while haning you upside down. It gets you all wet but that was okay because it was a hot and sunny day. Which is probably why we liked the ride over the park in the ski lift chairs.

And then there was the Rocket. They have two versions, Re-Entry and Blast Off. The Re-Entry ride takes you up 200 feet and then drops you down almost to the bottom then you bounce your way down on air pressure in the pipes. Sarah was so phyched when we got off the ride that she ran right around and got in line for the Blast Off portion. On Blast Off you are shot the 200 feet up and then bounce back down like the Re-Entry. It was nice and cool in the heat of the afternoon. The second photo is from the amusement park's website. There were some old fashioned rides that you would find at the county fair in your home state. There was the Tilt-A-Whirl that you see us in here...
The Turn of the Century swing ride. It's the usual merry-go-round swing attraction. But it wasn't installed until 1987 for Lagoon's 100th anniversary. It swings you out over a spring fed pond that the park is named for. We had just come from Rattle Snake Rapids when we decided to go on this ride to dry off.
There was the Space Scrambler that is a centrifugal ride that you squish your neighbor. Fun for first dates to see if she can handle close contact with you. You can see Janet was anxious to get out when we finished. She wasn't gonna wait for the attendant to open the door for us.

We found the bumper cars to be a lot of fun...
Sarah never slowed down and was rearing to go for more...
Mandy found a shady spot and took a nap...The highlight of the evening was the Sky Coaster. Notice the brave faces that we're showing. Inside we were nervous and throwing up (NAH!! not really). We were nervous but it was a long wait and hearing the screams of the other riders didn't help our nerves....

Here's how the park describes the ride...

The Sky Coaster is a sport/amusement attraction designed by Sky Fun 1, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado. The attraction offers all the thrills and excitement of skydiving and hang gliding.The attraction operates by putting the participant in a full body harness (usually referred to as a flight suit), that supports the flyer (from one to three at a time), in a prone position. The harness is then connected to the flight support cables.From a static point approximately 6 feet above the ground, the flyers are then pulled aloft by a launch cable to nearly the top of the launch tower. At this point the flyers are approximately 143 feet above the ground with the flight cables taut and the flight is ready to begin. Upon being given the signal, the flyers pull the rip cord, releasing them from the launch cable, and they begin to rapidly swing towards the ground at speeds reaching up to 80 mph. The overall feeling is similar to that of swooping along the ground in a hang glider, or that of skydiving.

Sorry. No Video. You'll just have to use your imagination....or go to You Tube and type in Sky Coaster and watch some videos of other rides to get the feel of what we did.

Before and After

So, a couple of weeks ago Amanda decided to cut her hair off. Well, she asked JulieAnn Libutti to do it. JulieAnn is a gal around the corner. I've been after Amanda to cut her hair for a couple of years now. I think she last had short hair when she was about 12 or 13. She looked so cute. I've been bugging her about it ever since.

So...

BEFORE....

AFTER....

Isn't she cute!?!?!?