Round ‘em Up!

I am a huge fan of rodeos.  I love the crowds, the noise, the hats, the belt buckles, the dirt, all of it.  My rodeo of preference is the Strawberry Days Rodeo in Pleasant Grove, but the Lehi Rodeo comes a close second.  Strawberry days I love for the cups of strawberries and cream they sell at the snack bar.  Yum.

This year we went to the Lehi Roundup Rodeo with J, Joanna, Haley and Trace.  We sat right down front and got right in all the action.  Aliyah even got to meet one of the Royalty and get some autographs.
 
This was the first year the kids were old enough to have more fun than they were afraid of the animals running past.  Gavin was especially thrilled with the motorcycle stunt show.  We all had a blast, and I hope it will continue to be a tradition for years to come!

Bliss

A couple of years ago we were horrified to discover that our favorite camping spot had been made the poster-child for Utah Valley outdoor recreation.  The switchback dirt road that lead to it was now backed up for miles with bumper-to-bumper traffic, and the lake was teeming with people.  Fastforward two years to our Memorial Weekend camping trip.  We had made the mistake of not reserving a campsite in advance and the weather was dishing up it's fair share of incompatability.  We needed something A) Not to high in elevation  B) Not too packed with people, and  C) Free.  Admittedly, our chances were not good, but against the odds, we pulled it off!  We found a spot settled in a little valley where the sun hits most of the day, with relatively few neighbors, by a stream and among trees, and without paying a single fee.  Needless to say, it was bliss. 

Nights and mornings were a bit frigid, but besides that and a few mice who decided to play bumper cars under our tents in the middle of the night, it was the best camping trip we've had.  We are so glad that the Michalek's decided to brave the elements and be adventurous with us!