Fabulous Fall Fling

We had the chance to go down to Blanding last week to some of the most beautiful country at the most perfect time to see it! Fall is underway & the mountains are SO beautiful, but it was still warm enough to do all kinds of fun outdoor activities.

I had a muzzle loader buck hunt with my dad...I always enjoy hunting with my dad--he's always nice enough to get me hunting tags & take me out when my hunt arrives. I've been huting since I was 13 and shooting guns all my life--I love the sport! We always process the meat from hunts & fill our freezers.

Well as a buck hunt would go we saw everything in the woods Except male deer--a zillion does; a huge herd of elk--bugeling like crazy (such a beautiful sound), coyotes, wild turkeys, and a bear! -- We went out almost every morning and evening...the one time I didn't go my dad saw a two point and was able to get it. - I would have liked to get a buck, but I don't mind too much...hiking and driving through the beautiful mountains & seeing all the wildlife is still so neat! ...Plus, I have an elk hunt coming up - & it should be more successfull; I'll get to hunt on private land.

One of my all time favorites--taking a fall drive over the beautiful, colorful mountain!

I like the face Austin's making here :p :)

Tommy & Leka

Sea of Yellows & Greens

The trees are so pretty when the light hits them

Some reds in there, too

We had quite the rain shower when we first started our drive...we had a beautiful rainbow come right in front of us!

Dad had a nice fire going for us when we got back--it was perfect!...We roasted hotdogs & mallows.

The kids had some glow sticks...the night setting on my camera took some funky pics.


Eating his hotdog sideways


Think that dog will get roasted?


Leka loves to take pictures with my camera...I actually thought some of these were kind of cool:

Her doll on a giant frisbee

the front yard

and a palm tree... I mean, house plant

We took our waverunners down--we're storing them at my parents' for the winter (they have a lot more space) ...but we got to take them out one last time at the reservoir there--Lots of fun!

Leka found a little sandy beach

Here she's looking at her Anasazi pottery chards...there are a ton of dwellings down there & some places are littered w/pottery chards! - the Lake has a lot...I found an arrowhead there once.

Here's Austin driving--he got pretty good at it & Loved it. (But then he thought he was the designated driver of all vehicles & got so mad at me when I wouldn't let him drive the Blazer home)

We went to the Dino museum... the kids love this place--I find it pretty fascinating, too--they have a lot of good stuff. That part of Utah has a good amount of fossils--I've hiked to a place that has a big dino bone in a rock & my parents have some stones in the backyard with fossils in them.

All that was recovered of this dinosaur was the arms--and they're Huge...posed like they're going to snatch that t-rex up. -But I wonder...T-Rexes have such tiny arms, if it's of that species -how huge must the rest of that dinosaur be?!

This model was used in the original King Kong

I love how the kid are posing!

This is like a 3 foot long Horny Toad!

...we need to go to the Thanksgiving Point dino museum--it's the world's largest.

Leka had to get all dressed up ...she said she was being a Brat doll (not sure about the doll part, but... j/k)

I wish I took this better--what I thought was cute was how Austin's shirt smock came down to his shoes.

Grandma was canning peaches like crazy, and Austin was Helping!

What a great trip!!