Utah: Blessings at Willard Bay

The Pacific NW has lots of bays.
Tillamook, Nestucca, Nehalem and so on.
But surprisingly Utah has a bay too...
~
 It was a hot day.

It was a REALLY hot day!

It was a really HOT day which made it a really GREAT day to visit the bay--

Willard Bay, Utah that is:)

 

 

Willard Bay used to be part of the Great Salt Lake...

but it was permanently separated from that lake in the mid 1960s
and is now a freshwater reservoir.

When we got there,

pale skinned, burns in a minute, Celtic Aimee sat under the nice pavilion
and attempted to stay cool.

She entertained herself watching four of her grandkids and
two of her grown up kids
play in the water... 

 

 

She also enjoyed talking with family and extended family
when they weren't playing in the bay--

 

Aimee enjoyed watching the gulls on the beach too.

You didn't know Utah has gulls?
Well, Aimee didn't either till they came to watch one of her grandson's
soccer games a long, long time ago!

Aimee LOVES gulls AND bays wherever she finds them!
(She loves watching her grandkids play soccer too)

 

Aimee mostly enjoyed just looking at all the beautiful scenery...
this is one of the views she particularly liked!
 

I bet another thing you may not know is that there is a wildlife refuge not far from here.
I didn't till I was doing some research.
Aimee really wanted to go there, because --
as you probably already know --
Aimee loves wildlife,
but alas the refuge is filled with blood sucking mosquitoes at this time of the year--
and Aimee is no match for Utah's lovely sun AND blood sucking mosquitoes.
Hopefully next time!
Yep, we have blood sucking mosquitoes at home in the Pacific NW too--
and they all LOVE Aimee ;(

 

 

Another thing Aimee loves?

Catching birds in flight.

Yep, Aimee LOVES that!

 

 

And other things in flight too:)

 

 

Aimee also likes these shoes DD's sister was wearing!

She loves the pretty color

and she LOVES the fact that they remind her of the toe socks

she used to wear when she was younger...

Aimee might be is checking into getting some of these.

 

 

Another thing Aimee loves?

Oh you already know...

 

 

gorgeous mountains, lovely blue skies, a beautiful bay, entertaining birds, awesome shoes
and fabulous family!

Aimee was HOT but happy this day.
Aimee always is when she's with her kids and grandkids:)

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Links:

Willard Bay Info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Bay

http://stateparks.utah.gov/park/willard-bay-state-park

 

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

(maybe next time!)

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/bear_river_migratory_bird_refuge/

 

The California Gull

http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/Search/Display.asp?FlNm=larucali

Note to visitors:
Coming soon (if my Internet cooperates and as daily life allows) --
 I've been nominated followed closely by I can't believe I didn't do this:)
And some more trip photos...

  

Utah: The Amazing Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, Pt II

Ready for more of the  Logan Canyon Scenic Byway?

I know I am...

 

 

As I said, there is a variety of landscapes along this canyon--

all of them beautiful in their own special way.

No wonder it has been designated a scenic byway!

 

The only thing I didn't take photos of were the drop offs.

They aren't so bad from what I have been told, but I am a little sensitive to such things...

fortunately my wonderful son-in-law would call out a warning before any of them

and I would just look the other way. On the byway, both sides were interesting

so I didn't feel I was missing anything.

Most importantly, I would DEFINITELY feel comfortable taking this route again--

and there are some places, such as a certain forest service road in Oregon, that I wouldn't say the same thing about.

 

 

This is a paradise as far as the outdoor enthusiast is concerned.

Hiking, horsebackriding, photography (yea!), fishing (the river is dammed at several locations),

skiing and other winter activities.

And there are even more roads that branch off this main one

and lead you to other places that sound gorgeous too!

 

 

We stopped here for a break--

not too far from the summit and interesting!
This was one of my most favorite areas.

 

 

Beautiful, but tricky if you are here during the wintertime.

 

 

A sort of iffy photo of the river that runs by the roadside.

MUCH prettier in person!

 

 

Another place we stopped, on the way back to Logan and the Cache Valley, was Ricks Spring.

Here my youngest grandson explores it:)

 

 

And above that area is where Small One went into her first cave...

she had the joy of several firsts on this trip:)

 

My first one (or at least the first one I remember) was Skeleton Cave near Bend, Oregon.

Here is a great link to see photos and info on Skeleton Cave

http://oregoncaves4u.com/skeleton%20cave.html

I also saw, but didn't go in, the Arnold Ice Cave

http://oregoncaves4u.com/Arnold%20Ice%20Cave.html

This was all a long time ago but very memorable!

 

Have any of you been in a cave?

 

Next: The Bay By the Lake

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Links:

Photos of one of the caves at Ricks Spring

http://www.wendellnope.com/rickspic.htm

AMAZING!!

 

More Ricks Spring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricks_Spring

 

And for my later delight--310 photos of the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway

(thank you US Government)

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/byways/2001/photos/all