4MM - Yesterday was hike day (2.4)

 

OK, hike day wasn't yesterday, but it was last Saturday.  We've just been too busy to post any pictures until now.

 

Our intention was to hike the Pfiefferhorn, but due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances, we had to call an audible.  And that led us to discover a great little family-friendly gem at the bottom of Little Cottonwood Canyon -- the Temple Quarry Trail.

As the name implies, this trail (paved, wheelchair accessible) is a short loop that circles the site of the old quarry from where the granite (actually quartz monzonite, as we learned) for the Salt Lake LDS Temple was quarried.  It's a really pretty area, but the highlight is finding the large stones that bear the chisel marks from so long ago.  And we even found  one piece of an old chisel that apparently broke off and remains enshrined in a huge boulder.

Oh, and this is where we realized that autumn is coming.  Hurray!

The kids loved climbing around on the odd-shaped stones that were left behind by the quarry workers.

And Tennyson is definitely entering that "tough-guy" stage, which, we're informed, lasts for the next 40ish years.

We had a lot of fun playing in the dry riverbed, throwing and stacking rocks, and just relaxing in the shade.  Great little hike.

 

And the 4MM Club is hoping to fit one more hike into this season, hopefully timed to take in the autumn colors in all their glory.  So let us know if you're interested in joining!



Camp Loll 2013

 

We recently returned from our second annual pilgrimage to Camp Loll, our new favorite Labor Day tradition. In the words of aunt Tammie: "How often do you get a gorgeous mountain lake to yourself?" It really was amazing, and here are some of the highlights:

 

Roasting everything but our flesh on the campfire.

 

This year we made it a family affair -- about 25 members of Ye Extended Stewart Clan, meaning even more fun and even more exagerated stories around the campfire.

 

This stump has become our family's measuring stick.  See previous pictures here.

We can't believe how fast they grow.

Tait didn't want to participate in the family pictures, but at least he went on the hike to Terraced Falls in Yellowstone.

OK, so he didn't do much hiking.  But thank you grandpa for being his Tenzing Norgay.

 

Terraced Falls

 

Snacking on top of the cliffs.

Cooling off in the swimming hole on the return hike.

This was Julie's first hike in Yellowstone.  She rocked it.  (As did her momma.)

Daddy took the boys fishing early in the mornings and in the evenings as the sun was setting.

We didn't catch a single thing.  We didn't even get a bite.  But it sure was fun.

Julie bonded with Tammie...a natural fit, though the cookies probably helped speed up the process.

We sure do love Camp Loll.  We're already missing the peace, the forest sounds, the exploring and the starry, starry nights.  And we're already looking forward to Labor Day 2014.



Free Legal Advice - Utah Code § 63G-1-601(6)

 

 

"Utah's state cooking pot is the dutch oven."

 

No, really.  That's the law.  Word for word.  And I really hope I get to litigate that section of the Utah Code some day.  And, when I do, I hope I represent the crock pot.