Wide Open Spaces

Last Sunday, after church, we went up to Hilltop Canyon and had a picnic. The weather had been so nice that we were all really wanting to get out, so we went home and packed a lunch, grabbed a couple of the dogs, extra clothes because you know that someone will end up getting wet and a couple other kids-Killian and Caulin because the more the merrier. It was so nice and relaxing; the kids had a blast and Bryan and I just enjoyed the time spent together watching everyone play in the great outdoors.

Wide open spaces!!!! The view is breath taking-and goes on for a long ways. It was really green too!!!!

These are the Sheep Creek Mtns to the north.

This is past of the Shoshone Mtns where we were at.

The creek was really muddy from all of the run off from the snow storm the week before. It was flowing pretty fast too.

The mouth of the canyon to the right.

Down the valley. Hilltop and Battle Mtn are down there somewhere. Being up here is good and bad for me. Good because its good to get out with the family and the outdoors is the best place to do that; bad because i don't want to leave and i find myself lusting for the property that is for sale not far from here-just down the mtns a couple miles.

Lee had a good time doing what dogs do in the hills-sniff this, sniff that, stop at that bush and that bush etc.......

This was Hanks first time out and he loved it and stuck around like glue. He, like Lee, did a lot of exploring. Everyone, including the dogs slept really good that night.

Jessie and Marisa off on a big adventure.

Sweet Missy!!!

Sweet Jessie!!! The torture of having to stop them to take a picture-what was I thinking.

They found the creek. They were a bit disappointed that it was so muddy and mom said NO to getting in. They settled for throwing rocks in.

There we go!!! Pausing for a picture isn't that bad!

Yes, they were testing the boundaries of what does it mean to be "really in the creek".

I think Jessie needed a hat or something to keep her hair out of her face.

Jessie found this rock and liked it because it was striped like her shirt so yes, we brought it home.

Marisa has a jacket on now because like I said, someone is going to get wet; however, it wasn't because she fell in. Marisa likes to be clean and when she got some mud on her shirt she felt the need to wash it------in the creek. Surprisingly, despite the muddy water-it looked clean but know she was a bit chilled.

Bryan was putting some Pepsi in the snow to get it cold and yes, plotting on how to get some snow down my shirt. It was cold!!!!

Here is Killian making his way up from the creek and Hank chasing his shadow.

Jessie, Caulin and Marisa all making their way back for lunch.

This little patch of snow was fairly slushy and since it was on the slope of this hill it was really slick but Caulin conquered it just fine.

Marisa making her way up.

After lunch, the kids wanted to hike up a mountain. The hill that they picked was....steep-they crawled up it.

But they made it to the top with no problems. The dogs gave up after the first few feet. Bryan and I stayed at the bottom to catch any "roll-aways".

Can you find them all?

On the way down. Killian and Jessie came down on their feet but Marisa and Caulin slid down on their bottoms.

Comin' down one step at a time.

Comin' down one scoot at a time.

The results of scooting.

Missy and Caulin making their way back to the vehicles. Its time to get home and get cleaned up.

I am hoping this week to take a trail ride up her somewhere. I think that I am going to go down a canyon or two to Slavin Canyon. If it happens there will be pics and a post to come.