Utah or Bust: Last Days in Logan

Utah Road Trip Diaries: Day 14 and we are officially at the two week mark. The kids were up late last night so we had a low key day around the camper with coffee, school, and swimming. Daniel got off at 4:30, so we picked him up and went biking. This time on the Canyon Trail in Logan. This trail was a hybrid of greenway, dirt single track and gravel. Logan, UT is not flat. We started by the river with plans to go up to the university (UTU) to get ice cream from Aggies (engineered on campus as part of their Ag program). The bike ride included a lot of hills and Daniel telling me at least three times that we only had another mile (most of it uphill). The kids were good sports, even when Jack got a flat and had to finish the ride that way. We celebrated the end of our five mile ride with ice cream. Then Daniel rode quickly back to get the car. We ended up having another late meal and exhausted kids. 

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Utah Road Trip Diaries: Day 15 marked Daniel’s last day of training and our last day in Logan/Hyrum. The kids and I did another day of errands including laundry, groceries and we hit up two playgrounds. Back at the camper we packed up before picking Daniel up. We grabbed CFA on the way out of town. We are headed toward the Grand Tetons but decided to take the scenic route via Logan Canyon up to Bear Lake. It was a gorgeous drive with very rugged scenery that was different from southern Utah. We are camping at the southern tip of Bear Lake tonight. It is cold but pristine and beautiful. The kids (bundled in hats, gloves and puffy vests) and Sophie had a ball running on the beach before bed. We continue to love finding places that are off the beaten path and empty due to the off season.

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Trip Stats 
Camping Locations:

Pickwick Landing State Park in Tenn. 

Gore Landing City Park in Okla.

Wallydocking in Guymon, OK (FREE)

Family Base Camp in Alamosa, Colo. 

Mesa Verde RV Resort in Mancos, Colo.

Sand Flats Recreation Area outside of Moab, Utah

Upper Big Bed Overflow on the Colorado River outside of Moab, Utah (FREE)

Boondocking on BLM land outside of Goblin Valley State Park, Utah (FREE)

Singletree Campground in Dixie National Forest in Utah

Hyrum Lake State Park outside of Logan, Utah

 

States Covered: 
TN > GA > AL > MS > TN > MS > TN > AR > OK > NM > CO > UT

Significant Stops: 

Black Mesa in OK (highest point)

Mesa Verde National Park in CO

Wilson Arch in UT

Sand Flats Recreation Area and the West Rim of the Porcupine Trail in UT

Arches National Park in UT

Goblin Valley State Park in UT

Capitol Reef National Park in UT

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in UT

Bryce Canyon National Park in UT

Hyrum Lake State Park in UT

Ogden Dinosaur Park in UT

Logan Canyon in UT

Canyon Trail in Logan, UT

Daily Miles Traveled: 
227 miles ⎮ 445 miles ⎮ 403 miles ⎮ 325 miles ⎮ 191 miles ⎮ 125 miles ⎮ 14 miles ⎮ 106 miles ⎮ 88 miles ⎮ 101 miles ⎮ 345 miles

TOTAL Miles Traveled: 2,250 miles

Days on the Road: 15

Previous Trip Posts:

Preparing to Head West

Utah or Bust, the First Leg

College Friends and Wallydocking 

Utah or Bust: Black Mesa to the San Luis Valley
Utah or Bust: Wolf Creek Pass 

Utah or Bust: Mesa Verde 
Utah or Bust: Moab Part 1 (Sand Flats Recreation Area and Mountain Biking the West Rim of the Porcupine Trail) 
Utah or Bust: Moab Part 2 (Arches National Park) 
Utah or Bust: Goblin Valley
Utah or Bust: Capitol Reef

Utah or Bust: Grand Staircase and Bryce Canyon 

Utah or Bust: Hyrum Lake near Logan, Utah 

Utah or Bust: Chilling at Hyrum Lake 

Utah or Bust: Ogden Dinosaur Park

 

Utah or Bust: Ogden Dinosaur Park

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Utah Road Trip Diaries: Day 13 started with dropping Daniel at his training and the morning coffee for me while the kids rode bikes in their pjs. We read a few books on dinosaurs before heading to to Dinosaur Park in Ogden. It was a very age appropriate park for my kids but I probably wouldn’t take order kids here (better to go to SLC to the Natural History Museum). We spent most of the afternoon at the park bc the lock on the camper broke and I didn’t know how to get back in. Daniel later reminded me we could have gotten in through the toy hauler door. Instead we had a late lunch at McDs so the kids could play inside until we picked D up at 4:30. We wanted to mountain bike but the camper lock had to be taken apart first. By 6pm we were headed up to Blacksmith Canyon to look for a recommended mountain bike trail. We found a herd of free range cows first. We finally got on our trail but it proved to be too advanced for taking kids. Mostly uphill, rocky, narrow, and loose dusty dirt. We cut the ride short and the boys had fun riding down the gravel road after the cows. The cows turned out to be a highlight! We had a late dinner of grilled burgers at the campsite and the guys tried to light a campfire. The wind was against us though and our super dry wood refused to ignite.

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Trip Stats 
Camping Locations:

Pickwick Landing State Park in Tenn. 

Gore Landing City Park in Okla.

Wallydocking in Guymon, OK (FREE)

Family Base Camp in Alamosa, Colo. 

Mesa Verde RV Resort in Mancos, Colo.

Sand Flats Recreation Area outside of Moab, Utah

Upper Big Bed Overflow on the Colorado River outside of Moab, Utah (FREE)

Boondocking on BLM land outside of Goblin Valley State Park, Utah (FREE)

Singletree Campground in Dixie National Forest in Utah

Hyrum Lake State Park outside of Logan, Utah

 

States Covered: 
TN > GA > AL > MS > TN > MS > TN > AR > OK > NM > CO > UT

Significant Stops: 

Black Mesa in OK (highest point)

Mesa Verde National Park in CO

Wilson Arch in UT

Sand Flats Recreation Area and the West Rim of the Porcupine Trail in UT

Arches National Park in UT

Goblin Valley State Park in UT

Capitol Reef National Park in UT

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in UT

Bryce Canyon National Park in UT

Hyrum Lake State Park in UT

Ogden Dinosaur Park in UT

Logan Canyon in UT 

Daily Miles Traveled: 
227 miles ⎮ 445 miles ⎮ 403 miles ⎮ 325 miles ⎮ 191 miles ⎮ 125 miles ⎮ 14 miles ⎮ 106 miles ⎮ 88 miles ⎮ 101 miles ⎮ 345 miles

TOTAL Miles Traveled: 2,250 miles

Days on the Road: 13

Previous Trip Posts:

Preparing to Head West

Utah or Bust, the First Leg

College Friends and Wallydocking 

Utah or Bust: Black Mesa to the San Luis Valley
Utah or Bust: Wolf Creek Pass 

Utah or Bust: Mesa Verde 
Utah or Bust: Moab Part 1 (Sand Flats Recreation Area and Mountain Biking the West Rim of the Porcupine Trail) 
Utah or Bust: Moab Part 2 (Arches National Park) 
Utah or Bust: Goblin Valley
Utah or Bust: Capitol Reef

Utah or Bust: Grand Staircase and Bryce Canyon 

Utah or Bust: Hyrum Lake near Logan, Utah 

Utah or Bust: Chilling at Hyrum Lake

 

Utah or Bust: Chilling at Hyrum Lake

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Utah Road Trip Diaries: Day 12 felt more like a day we might have at home. We dropped Daniel off at his training and then did a Starbucks run and the kids had their first laundromat experience. They kept busy watching the machines and playing legos. When our laundry was clean and folded we headed over to Walmart to get groceries. There is something comforting about being in a different city but not feeling disoriented because I at least know the layout of the grocery store. We came back to the campground to put things away, have lunch and do a little bit of schooling at the table. We moved outside to play and met our neighbors for the week. I got some ideas for field trips while we are here. The kids asked to go down to the lake, so we did. The boys made a raft with pieces of driftwood they found along the shore, then we headed back to Logan to check out a local playground called Adventureland before picking Daniel up. We grabbed dinner in town at Cafe Rio then back to our home sweet camper. This was our most normal day to date.  

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Trip Stats 
Camping Locations:

Pickwick Landing State Park in Tenn. 

Gore Landing City Park in Okla.

Wallydocking in Guymon, OK (FREE)

Family Base Camp in Alamosa, Colo. 

Mesa Verde RV Resort in Mancos, Colo.

Sand Flats Recreation Area outside of Moab, Utah

Upper Big Bed Overflow on the Colorado River outside of Moab, Utah (FREE)

Boondocking on BLM land outside of Goblin Valley State Park, Utah (FREE)

Singletree Campground in Dixie National Forest in Utah

Hyrum Lake State Park outside of Logan, Utah

 

States Covered: 
TN > GA > AL > MS > TN > MS > TN > AR > OK > NM > CO > UT

Significant Stops: 

Black Mesa in OK (highest point)

Mesa Verde National Park in CO

Wilson Arch in UT

Sand Flats Recreation Area and the West Rim of the Porcupine Trail in UT

Arches National Park in UT

Goblin Valley State Park in UT

Capitol Reef National Park in UT

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in UT

Bryce Canyon National Park in UT

Hyrum Lake State Park

Daily Miles Traveled: 
227 miles ⎮ 445 miles ⎮ 403 miles ⎮ 325 miles ⎮ 191 miles ⎮ 125 miles ⎮ 14 miles ⎮ 106 miles ⎮ 88 miles ⎮ 101 miles ⎮ 345 miles

TOTAL Miles Traveled: 2,250 miles

Days on the Road: 12

Previous Trip Posts:

Preparing to Head West

Utah or Bust, the First Leg

College Friends and Wallydocking 

Utah or Bust: Black Mesa to the San Luis Valley
Utah or Bust: Wolf Creek Pass 

Utah or Bust: Mesa Verde 
Utah or Bust: Moab Part 1 (Sand Flats Recreation Area and Mountain Biking the West Rim of the Porcupine Trail) 
Utah or Bust: Moab Part 2 (Arches National Park) 
Utah or Bust: Goblin Valley
Utah or Bust: Capitol Reef

Utah or Bust: Grand Staircase and Bryce Canyon 

Utah or Bust: Hyrum Lake near Logan, Utah

Mountain Biking with Kids: Edwards Point

Yesterday Daniel and Jack did a little father-son excursion with another father and son we have become friends with. I am incredibly proud of Jack for tackling his first serious mountain biking ride to Edwards Point. Daniel thinks they covered about 9 miles. Jack said he fell off his bike twice, and he came home pretty muddy. The following comments are Jack's regarding his experience.

"This is where I got stuck in the mud." – Jack, age 5.5

This is when I fell in the mud... I just collapsed into the water mud.

Mr. Tarbell helped me pull it [my bike] out. 

This ride was better than the Pump Track because we went a lot faster.

 The only time I got off my bike [on the way to the Point] was for some water breaks.

I didn't walk my bike down the steep hills, but I did walk it up.

 We walked to the Point after we parked our bikes. 

We went to all three Points. 

We were throwing stuff off the ledge: rocks, a pine cone, and sticks.

This is one of the cliffs. 

They were not scary but Daddy thought I was going to jump off, I think. 

It would be scary to jump off!

We were hopping over a log to go back.

Where we parked our bikes – on the kid tree.

Riding back to the car.

It was tiring walking up the hills with my bike.

Some of the time I rode on the side of the [banked] path. 

Do you know why? 

Because there were mud puddles [we had to go around].

We saw a teenager and he wasn't behaving very well.

He was riding a dirt bike and he almost hit daddy. 

And then they had an issue. 😆

I only got hurt one time.

That is the end.

Mother's Day Mountain Biking Excursion

Mother's Day means that I get to pick what we do and where we eat. So even though Jack was voting for Wendy's for lunch, I opted to try The Daily Ration. The promise of pancakes was a good persuader and Jack was on board with forgoing Wendy's.

We were pleasantly surprised to get right in at the restaurant, and even though it took a little while to get our food, it was worth the wait. Though a photo at the restaurant with my boys was not going to happen (someone was hungry and needed a nap!).

After our fill of delicious food, we headed home to grab our bikes and hit the trails for a little family adventure. On the drive home, Isaac had a little cat nap and Daniel had time to take Jack to get me flowers and make me a sweet gift.

Once our bikes were loaded on the car, we made our way to Stringer's Ridge for some mountain bike action. We have been wanting to take Jack to try out the Pump Track there and if we felt like he was able, we thought we would try one of the shorter trails at this park.

I can't tell you how excited I am that Jack is ready to start getting on easier trails with us. Daniel introduced me to mountain biking about 10 years ago when we lived in Charlotte and I love it. It gets me out in nature, and there is a thrill element to flying through the woods while navigating sometimes difficult terrain. It is a ton of fun.

Being able to take our kids out with us is fantastic, and it was a great way to spend Mother's Day.

When we arrived at the Pump Track, Jack hopped on his bike and went straight to the biggest mound to ride over. He didn't make it up and ended up in the tall grass. Initially I thought he was going to be over the experience, but he got back on his bike and worked on the smaller mounds.

Before I knew it, he attacked the big mound again (following Daniel this time), and he made it! And then he rode down it like it was nothing! Proud mama moment for sure.

After we all did several laps, we made our way to the second track and tried it as well. The first track we did was kind of a figure eight, the second track was 3 loops (kind of like a snowman?). You can do variations of the loops and work on your banking skills, as well as riding over small repeating bumps and hills. It is really good skill development for being on an actual trail.

Unfortunately Isaac was not enjoying the Pump Track. We noticed that his head was bouncing around more than we prefer and we were in the sun, so it was hot. We told Jack to take a few more laps and then we loaded the bikes and drove around to the other parking area and trail access at Stringers. The trail access to Stringers from the Pump Track area is really steep and not great for little kids.

So we loaded up and made our way up the main trail to the Choo Choo trail. The Choo Choo trail is a short dirt path that loops Old Baldy. It was PERFECT for Jack. He had some small climbs, but it was manageable even though Jack's bike doesn't have gears.

As soon as we were on the trail, Jack shouted something like, "This is AWESOME! It is just like the pump track!" It was better for Isaac too because we could ride quickly and it was in the woods so it wasn't as hot.

We did four loops on the Choo Choo trail before we had to leave.

Jack had a lovely meltdown because he wanted to go back to the pump track and we were out of time. Other than the meltdown, it was a fun day with our family.

After our ride, Daniel dropped me off at Warehouse Row where I met a couple of girlfriends for dinner. We ended up eating at Tupelo Honey (after I got changed and cleaned up a bit). Three hours spent with other moms, visiting with no distractions, responsibilities, or bedtime duties, was a perfect way to end a lovely Mother's Day.

I am looking forward to more adventures with my little family. It feels so good to know that the kids are getting bigger, and more skilled and that bigger adventures are just around the corner for us!

Previous Mother's Days:
Paddling Lookout Creek (2016)
Biking South Chick Greenway (2015)
Time Spent with Family (2014)
First Mother's Day – we were supposed to hike, but got rained out (2012)