We're Back and Traveling Once Again

Sorry, folks. It's been a little while since I've been able to post anything. That pesky day job seemed to get in the way all too often over the last little while.

Having gotten the "day job" out of the way, I've spent a few days rambling around the state with the kids looking into some new places and checking up on some old favorites. I've got a lot of new information and some great places for you to visit. So over the next little while, I'll be posting about all of them.

In the last three days, we have been to:

The Hutchings Museum- Lehi
Timpanogos Cave- American Fork
Cabela's- Lehi
Golden Spike National Historic Site- Promontory
ATK Thiokol Rocket Garden- near Promontory
Marble Park- Bothwell
Bear River Wildlife Refuge- near Willard
BYU Earth Sciences Museum- Provo
BYU Museum of People and Cultures- Provo
Springville Art Museum- Springville
Krishna Temple- Spanish Fork
Bean Life Science Museum- Provo

Besides the gas for all this traveling (1 tank for $73.00), the total cost of entrance to all of this locations- $30.00 for myself and two of my children. The only place we visited that would have raised the cost if we'd had all the kids with us was Timpanogos Cave. Everything else was either free or a set entrance fee per car.

The locations above that have links are places that I've reviewed before and the ones without links are places that I will be reviewing shortly. All my travels around the state of Utah just continue to prove one thing- We have a lot of amazing places, within a short drive, that are either free or inexpensive, and are lots of fun for kids and adults alike.

Minnetonka Cave- See Miss Piggy's Tail

Sometimes, just sometimes, fun things to do in Utah aren't in Utah at all, but just beyond the borders of the state. No, we're not talking about Disneyland or Las Vegas. For this excursion, we have to set our sights on Paris. Well, not all the way to Paris, but close- to St. Charles, Idaho, just south of Paris, Idaho.

Minnetonka Cave is located to the west of Bear Lake in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. It is a beautiful drive up St. Charles Canyon to the cave. There is a paved road right up to the parking lot. Here at the parking lot you purchase your tickets, then you walk a couple dozen yards to the entrance of the cave. That right. Unlike Timpanogos Cave, where you must hike 1.5 miles to the entrance, Minnetonka Cave is easily accessible by car.

But be prepared. Minnetonka Cave is a little cooler than Timpanogos, at about 40 degrees, so bring a sweater or jacket, even in the summer. Also, Minnetonka Cave has a lot more up and down climbs inside- more than 400 steps. So bring some shoes with good treads to help prevent slipping.

Minnetonka Cave is every bit as fascinating as Timpanogos. The tour through the cave is about 90 minutes long and covers nearly a half-mile through 9 different chambers. The Ballroom is the largest of the chambers at about 300 feet across and 90 feet high it is truly impressive. The Treasure Room chamber, where "gold coins" are spread across the floor is also amazing. My children's favorite chamber was the Wedding Room, especially when they found out that people had actually been married here. You can also descend 71 of the steps on the "Stairway to Heaven" to enter the "Devil's Kingdom."

Of all the formations in the cave, one of the most interesting is known as "Miss Piggy's Tail." This is a soda straw formation that instead of hanging straight down like most soda straws do, this one curls around and around, looking much like a pig's tail.

The drive just over the border into Idaho is well worth the look at this fascinating cave, not to mention the scenic drive by Bear Lake, and for most of us, through Logan Canyon. Although this is a little longer drive that might have the kids asking, "Are we there yet?," after they have seen the cave they will be asking, "When can we go back?"

Place: Minnetonka Cave
Location: Follow Highway 89 north by Bear Lake past St. Charles, Idaho. Just past St. Charles is a turn-off for the Minnetonka Cave Road. Follow the signs.
Phone: 435.245.4422
Hours: Memorial Day to Labor Day, 7 days a week, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Cost: $5.00 for adults (16 and older), $4.00 for children (6 to 15 year old) 5 and under is FREE. If tickets for your family will cost more than $20, get the Family Pass for $20.


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 143 miles
Ogden: 108.7 miles
Provo: 185 miles
Logan: 61 miles

Reminder- Happening Saturday, May 10, 2008

Just a reminder so you don't miss out on some great activities:

Saturday, May 10, 2008 is the opening of Timpanogos Cave National Monument. All 1.5 miles of the paved trail to the cave have been cleared of snow (yeah, that's right, they had to shovel the snow from the trail) and is ready for visitors.

Also on Saturday, the Golden Spike National Historical Site in Promontory, UT is offering free admission to the park. This is the anniversary of the driving of the final spike that finished the transcontinental railroad and there are all sorts of activities going on, including a reenactment of the Golden Spike Ceremony.

Take the opportunity to get to some of these great places in Utah this weekend.

Have a great Saturday!

Timpanogos Cave - Don't Eat the Ants

The very first time I hiked to Timpanogos Cave, I was 8 years old and went with my Cub Scout Troop. If I recall correctly, I had never climbed a hill quite that steep and I was afraid of heights. It seemed as if the trail would never end and that the mile and a half climb must have taken hours to get to the cave entrance. It probably took less than an hour, and my scoutmaster kept me going and occupied by pointing out plants and animals along the way.

The scoutmaster was, I definitely recall, slightly odd, and had a fascination with everything along the trail. Showing us how to make the snapdragon flowers open and close their mouths was neat. Having us pick up and eat the large black ants wasn't (they did NOT taste like grapes like he claimed). But, it did make the hike interesting.

The hike up the trail is actually quite stunning, through the brush and trees on the lower part of the trail, then you come to the portion of the trail that lets you get a panoramic view of American Fork Canyon. Along the way you'll see all kinds of plants and small animals. Take a pair of binoculars to get really good views of the other side of the canyon and down into Utah Valley. You may even get a glimpse of a Mountain Goat or Bighorn Sheep.

The hike is moderate to difficult, but the trail is fairly wide and is paved all the way up to the cave.

At the top of the trail is what you really hiked all this way to see- Timpanogos Cave. The 45-60 minute cave tour is led by a ranger who will tell you the history of the cave and point out all of the different features of the cave.

Timpanogos cave is actually three different caves; Hansen Cave, Middle Cave and Timpanogos cave. The three caves are connected by man made tunnels. Hansen Cave was discovered first and many of the formations were damaged or destroyed before the caves became national monuments. Fortunately, Middle Cave and Timpanogos Cave were found later on and were protected from the damaged experienced in Hansen Cave.

Inside the cave, which maintains a temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit, you will see helictites (hollow straws of rock), cave bacon, cave columns, cave popcorn and many stalactites (they hang from the ceiling) and stalagmites (grow upwards from the floor). The largest, most impressive stalactite in the cave is known as the Great Heart of Timpanogos.

My favorite portion of the tour is when the tour enters a chamber where the ranger turns out the lights. Absolutely no light enters this part of the cave and it is so dark nothing can be seen, not even your hand right in front of your face.

At the base of the trail is the visitor's center where you can watch a film about the cave and see exhibits about caves. This is great place to either start or end your hike to the cave. There is also a snack bar and gift shop located at the visitor's center.

Timpanogos Cave will open for visitors this weekend, Saturday, May 10, 2008. This is a great activity for couples or families. Bring some water, but just remember- don't eat the ants!

Place: Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Location: State Highway 92, American Fork Canyon, UT (follow the signs)
Phone: 801.756.5238
Hours: May through Labor Day 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (first and last hike times are 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.)
Cost: American Fork Canyon Entrance Fee: $3.00/car
Timpanogos Cave Entrance Fee: $7.00 for adults (16 or older), Children (6-15) $5.00, Children (3-5) $3.00, Infants (0-2) FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 34.9 miles
Ogden: 70.3 miles
Provo: 18.7 miles
Logan: 115 miles