As Matt walked out to go fishing Friday night, he left saying two things: "thanks" and "Saturday is anything you want. Anything you want." So, once the kids were in bed, I started searching the Internet for possibilities. Kids would be with us. No fancy date. The kids were all pretty sunburned. No waterparks or extended hike. Perhaps a temple visit? I checked the areas we hadn't been. Ogden. That's be a close turn-around. Now, to double it up. What else is in the Ogden area? Google..."The Ogden Nature Center...a 152-acre nature preserve and education center open to the public year-round. Visitors enjoy 1.5 miles of walking trails, picnic area, tree houses, bird blinds and an exhibit of live birds of prey." Birds. Bird house contest on exhibit. Easy, marked trails. And FREE on Saturday's ALL SUMMER! Yep. Free being key, that would work!
We headed up in the afternoon. Easily exited I-15 and found it. The displayed birdhouses were a bit different than I'd expected. Less formal, I guess. Less state-fairish. They were simply hung along the pathway from the parking lot to the visitor's center. Some are permanent pieces, others were just entered as part of this year's contest. Seems pretty open-ended to do. Maybe we'll participate some time. We would have walked slower and taken in more details, had the mosquitoes not been out in mass.
The Best of Show: "A Bird's House is His Castle."
Another of the kids' favorites.
Then, of course, Tyler got up close and personal with the statue's frog.
He wished he could have gotten that close to one of the two wandering turkeys. For him, this trip solidified that a turkey says "gobble-gobble." Hearing it feet away, he stood on the path and mimicked back the feathered friend's noise.
After a quick walk-through of the gift shop, we headed out to see the birds of prey. This part of the place had very much of a Wheeler Farm/Aviary feel to it. Three buildings of birds that the kids could watch up close. Most of the birds brought in were injured, like the bald eagle that's wing had been shot in the wild. But, they still were pretty magnificent.
Then, we headed off on the trails. First highlight, the "Bear's Den." The kids (and Dad for moral support) were able to climb down in. Kind-of a shadowy picture, but for a short moment all four of them were in.
Next key stop, a lookout at a pond. Fun to climb! Low and high peeking holes! But, really nothing more to see than nasty, dirty water. That was a disappointment that required a fruit snack pitstop before continuing on.
And on we went. With paper map in hand and marked signs at crossing paths, one would think that it would be an easy trail to follow. Surprisingly it wasn't. As un-natural as it may be, a weed whacker/mower needs to go through and more clearly cut down the paths. That might cut down on the times we got off course and had to high-tail it across high-grassed fields to what looked like the right spot. Add to that the facts that Paige and I were in un-sporty flip-flops unsuited for poky weeds, this year's extra wet season creating muddy areas to cross, and Matt's allergy to grass kicking in full gear. Um. Not especially happy campers at that point of the hike, but to complete the full-circle, we continued on.
Thankfully, it wasn't that long. No more than a mile loop, really. Once back in the car, we b-lined it straight to a gas station for drinks, eye drops for Matt, and a sink to wash off in (a ghetto gas station that made us feel dirtier than before). I felt a bit bad for Matt. Quite bad. But in the back of my mind I also thought, "well, you told me we could do anything/I hope your time fishing on the lake was worth it/it really was a pretty area if it was less buggy and overgrown..."
I'd mark it as a place to visit. An easy hike walk with the kids and a secluded area with beautiful mountains as a backdrop. I'd just be sure to wear good shoes, take bug spray, and Benedryll if someone will react to grass allergens.
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