Parowan and Parks

Bob's sister, Connie, and her husband own a vacation home in Parowan, which provides great access to many of the beautiful parks in southern Utah. Bob and I arranged to stay there July 19-22, and Bobby's family joined us.  We took Elly with us, because the rest of the family had activities they didn't want to miss on the 19th - they would join us the next day.  We stopped at Ft. Cove, a way station for early Mormon settlers in Utah, which was established in 1867.  The fort was constructed of volcanic rock and limestone quarried from the nearby mountains. It was a fun stop not far from our destination.

Cedar Breaks National Monument is a gorgeous 3-mile wide natural amphitheater about 2000 feet deep.  With Bobby's family, who had joined us in Parowan, we hiked around the monument on the 21st.  The canyon was amazing and the wildflowers were beautiful.  And the red rock was really aflame by the end of our excursion.  It was a perfect day - porcupine and all!

Because we couldn't get enough of the beauty of southern Utah, the following day was spent hiking through nearby Bryce Canyon National Park.  Bryce is not actually a canyon formed by a river, but is a series of amphitheaters dotted with delicate hoodoos as high as 200 feet.  Unfortunately, dogs were not allowed on the trails here, so Jill had to stay behind with Messi, while the rest of us hiked the beautiful "canyon".  After reveling in the magnificence of nature, we stopped at a cute little tourist trap and spent some time at the rock shop before heading back to Parowan.

Parowan is a fun little place in Utah. I remember spending time with my friend, Becky Duke, at her grandmother's home here, when we were young girls.  The homemade root beer was always my favorite treat!  I think Elly enjoyed riding around town on the electric bikes most of all.  On our last day in Parowan, we drove out to see the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs.  Not a lot is certain about the origins of these unique designs (including the "zipper"), but they were fascinating to observe.

Leaving southern Utah, we stopped in Cedar City to catch a glimpse of the Shakespearean Festival there and snap a photo of the stately temple.

What an exciting summer of 2021 with the Goodman's!  Will the fun stop here? . . .

July's Summer Activities

With three of our four kids and their families in Texas, the summer months provide lots of opportunities for small family gatherings.  In July of 2021, we enjoyed several spontaneous small gatherings.  For starters, we went bowling with the Johnsons.

 Later in the month, while Chelsea and kids were visiting, we took Holly and Knox to Tanner's family birthday celebration at Benihana's.  The kids were all fascinated with the cook's acrobatic cooking style. After lunch, we took a ride around The Woodlands on the trolley.

A few days later, I tagged along with the Johnsons to the Children's Museum in Houston, where we met up with Michael's family.  Everyone, including adults, had a blast.

In between all this fun, Bob and I flew to Utah for a week to spend some time with family there. When we arrived the evening of July 16, 2021, we drove straight to the Oquirrh LDS Temple, where some of the Hill Family had gathered with my nephew, Tyler, in preparation for his mission service. The sunset behind the temple was gorgeous.  Naturally, frozen custard was a fitting end to the evening.

  In Murray, we played games with Elly, and Max at the Nickelmania. We enjoyed Bobby's grilling - yum . . . chicken, peaches and asparagus!

We always enjoy visiting my Aunt Linda and Uncle Dell, who stay forever young!  And it was fun to catch up with our "Woodlands" friend, Jane and see her beautiful new home.

On our final day in Utah, Bob and I took the grandkids to the "This is the Place" Heritage Park in Salt Lake City.  The location of the park is where, on July 24, 1847, Brigham Young first saw the Salt Lake Valley and declared it to be the place he had been shown in a vision that the Saints should settle, and eventually establish the headquarters of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There were all kinds of festivities going on to commemorate the July 24th Pioneer Day celebration. Panning for minerals and gemstones in the creek was our favorite activity. We had a great time with Linley, Max, and Elly!

With gratitude for all the sacrifices made by our pioneer ancestors, we give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy.  Our generations of family (that includes friends) in Utah, and the diverse beauty of this state are among some of our most cherished gifts!

Keep reading to see our big July adventure in southern Utah for a few days.  The fun will be memorialized in the next post.