Fall Break 2018

We were able to have a fun family day during Fall Break.  In the morning we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon toward Snowbird Ski Resort and explored the Temple Quarry.  This is the area where the granite was quarried for the Salt Lake Temple and the Utah State Capitol.  It was a beautiful area and we had lovely weather.  There was plenty of granite around and we could even see where workers had drilled holes to break rocks apart (visible in some of the pictures below).  At one time there was so much work going on at this quarry that there was a small village on the site.  It was also cool to see the old dam that had been used on Little Cottonwood Creek.

Next we ate at a fun little lunch place in Salt Lake before going up to Red Butte Gardens.  We had passes and wanted to check it out before the weather got too cold.  It was great to walk around the different gardens and learn a few things along the way.  The rose garden was one of my favorites and the kids really enjoyed the children's garden.  Since we were there shortly before Halloween, final arrangements were being made for the big Halloween event, a Harry Potter-type activity where children use wands at interactive stations to perform spells and rid the world of the evil witch Myrtle Spurge (which is actually a noxious weed in the western US).  We found mythical creatures all over the property, too.  The kids ate it up, even without being able to actually do anything and begged us to come back for the activity.  Maybe next year.

  

Unfortunately, it took us much longer to get home than we planned for and Ben and the kids were late to see "Smallfoot" and I just had a few minutes before turning around and going back to Salt Lake for Choir.  It was a fun day though and I'm glad we could get out and have some outdoor adventures as a family.