Antelope Island State Park

Antelope Island is the largest of the islands in the Great Salt Lake and can be easily accessed by driving on a causeway from the town of Syracuse.  It has been on my list of places to visit for awhile and I convinced Sean to come with me yesterday.  He has been there many times and I think he enjoyed showing me around.

There are great views everywhere you look (these are from Buffalo Point) and we went on several scenic drives to various points of interest.

The island is known for a herd of several hundred bison who roam freely.  I was really hoping that we would see one and I was so excited when we happened upon this one!

Then we drove a little further and found a whole herd of them!  I may or may not have squealed out loud!

Fielding Garr established the first permanent residence on the island in 1848 and you can tour the historic ranch.

There is a small museum filled with lots of original artifacts.  Sean took me around and explained everything which was just like having my own private docent.  I loved it!

There are various outbuildings that you can explore.  Sean told me that you can usually go inside but they were closed off yesterday due to Covid-19.  You could still see inside and I found it fascinating.

There is a restaurant on the island called the Buffalo Grill (the dining room was closed because of Covid-19 but you could still order at the take-out window).  We got some lunch and then ate it at one of the many campsites available.  Sean got the buffalo burger and then was really upset when he realized that it was buffalo meat.

There are lots of trails to hike all over the island with various degrees of difficulty.  We did an easy one to Ladyfinger Point.  There are also trails for horseback riding and mountain biking.  There is also access to the beach and the water and a Visitor's Center.

To get to Antelope Island State Park, take exit 332 on I-15 and follow Antelope Drive west to the park entrance (it took about 45 minutes to get there from my house in Bountiful).  You can then drive along the causeway to the island.  There is an entrance fee of $15 per car (up to 8 people) and $3 for motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.  There are separate fees for camping at one of the campsites and reservations are recommended.  The park is open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm and is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We spent most of the day on the island and I really enjoyed it.  I highly recommend a visit because there are so many things to do!  Go here for more information.

Note:  Dogs are welcome if they are on a leash.  We brought my sister's dog Ebony with us and she attracted lots of attention wherever we went because she is so adorable!

Back to the Drive-In

The Redwood Drive-In is open again!  Marilyn and I have been promising to take Sean for weeks and we finally made good on our promise last night.  We picked a good night for it because one of the double features was Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Footloose.  Seeing these movies on the big screen made me feel like I was back in high school again and it was so much fun.  Marilyn and I quoted almost every line from Ferris Bueller's Day Off and I remembered every word of every song from Footloose (my favorite number is "Let's Hear It for the Boy" when Ren teaches Willard how to dance).  I don't know if Sean enjoyed the movies as much as Marilyn and I did but I know he likes going with us because we get him pizza, popcorn, and all the movie candy that he wants plus he gets our undivided attention!  The Redwood has several safety measures in place for Covid-19, including having cars park in every other space, and they have employees in masks walking around to enforce these rules.  It felt really good to do something normal again (we have a tradition of going to the drive-in every summer) and I recommend planning a visit this summer because there are several new releases coming soon.  Go here for more information about movies and showtimes.

Note:  Megaplex Theatres are opening up next week and I am so excited!  I already have a ticket for Singin' in the Rain!

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

Another place that I have wanted to visit is the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge so Sean and I took a little day trip there yesterday.  I'm pretty sure that Sean only agreed to go with me because I offered him lunch but he ended up really enjoying it!  We saw lots of different kinds of birds and it was fascinating even though we couldn't identify very many of them.  I quite enjoyed the pelicans and Sean loved seeing a blue heron.  I found the wetland habitat to be both peaceful and beautiful.

To get to the refuge, take I-15 north to Brigham City (exit 363) and follow the signs for about 1/4 mile.  There is a Visitor's Center and a 1.5 mile walking trail that you can take through the wetland.  We went on the Auto Tour which is 12 miles beyond the Visitor's Center and includes a 12 mile loop through the heart of the refuge.  It is a one-way dirt road (it is very well maintained) that is open from sunrise to sunset.  There are quite a few turn outs so that you can park and get out to observe the birds.  I really enjoyed the whole tour and I recommend it (go here for more information).

Birthday Private Screening

My sister and I have birthdays a week apart and we often celebrate them together.  She has always wanted to have a private screening and I have really missed seeing movies on the big screen so my parents arranged for our immediate family to see a movie at the Megaplex to celebrate last night.  It was probably the best birthday present I have ever received!  It was so much fun!  We were able to pick from hundreds of movies ranging from classics to newer releases and we eventually chose The Goonies because that appealed to everyone.  Incidentally, I read an article about the Megaplex Private Family Movie deal and the most popular movies being picked are Jurassic Park and The Goonies.  We really enjoyed this movie and we said many of the iconic lines ("Hey you guuuuuys!") out loud because we were the only ones there.  We were also able to pick the date and time (they may require as many as seven days notice depending on the movie you select).  The deal included a large popcorn and a large drink for everyone in our group and I have to say that I have really missed movie theater popcorn!  The Megaplex staff had everything ready to go for us in the lobby and then a staff member escorted us to the theater where there was a hand sanitizing station.  We could sit anywhere we wanted and, once we were all settled, they started the movie for us.  After the movie was over we were directed to a specific door to exit.  Everything was handled very smoothly and it was such a great experience!  I loved every minute and I highly recommend booking a private screening for your family (go here for the details).

All Adults Here

This month's Barnes & Noble Book Club selection was All Adults Here by Emma Straub and, while I didn't absolutely love it, I enjoyed it much more than I did Straub's previous novel, The Vacationers. Astrid Strick is a retired widow living in the small town of Clapham with three grown children and three grandchildren. She has been conducting a relationship with her hairdresser Birdie in secret for years. When she witnesses an accident that kills a former friend, she realizes that life is short and that she needs to reveal her secret to her children and make amends for her perceived shortcomings as a mother. All three of her children are also struggling with their own lives. Her oldest son Elliott, who has felt disapproval from her his whole life, struggles to make a name for himself in business and to form a bond with his own twin sons. Her daughter Porter, about to have a child on her own, worries that she will make the same mistakes her mother made. Her youngest son Nicky, a free-spirited former actor, ships his teenage daughter Cecelia off to live with her at the first hint of trouble. Astrid sees Cecelia as a second chance to get motherhood right and it is Cecelia's problems at school that bring the whole family together. There is a lot to unpack in this novel (maybe too much) with themes of motherhood, parental responsibility, sibling relationships, birth order, mortality, drug abuse, infidelity, friendship, bullying, sexuality, gender, and even gentrification which are explored superficially, almost as if Straub was ticking boxes for every social issue without giving any of them much development. However, I really loved the message that parents are just doing the best they can and that children will survive because everyone is ultimately responsible for their own happiness. There are a lot of quirky characters behaving badly, much like in The Vacationers, but I found them to be much more sympathetic and I enjoyed their antics. It is also very interesting the role the small town of Clapham plays in the narrative (Straub mentioned in an interview that her inspiration for Clapham was Stars Hollow) because everyone knows everyone else and people can't really escape their childhoods. It is a light and easy read without consequence that I wouldn't have picked for myself but I found it entertaining.

Note:  Next month's selection is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. There will be a virtual discussion with the author via Facebook on July 7. Go here for more information.