Spring Break Camping.

We decided on a whim to go camping on Thursday. There is not a lot of options when you have no reservations when camping in Utah. I have always loved antelope island and so we decided to go there. You can usually get a spot there unless they have some event going that weekend. We just drove up and got a spot that day so it worked out perfectly. The weather wasn't the best. The wind was a little bit chilly and it was in the lower 30's at night but it didn't rain on us and the wind was minimal. The heater kicked on a few times in the night but overall it was a great trip. This was the view from our campsite. You can see for miles on all sides of the island.

 The first day we set up camp and then went to the visitor center on the island. There is a lot to look at in the visitor center and you can learn all about the history of the island, the wildlife and the vegetation that grows there and other interesting facts. Ellie found a statue of a buffalo that was just her size.

 Standing by it wasn't enough for her so she climbed on top of it.

 There are hiking trails all over the island that range from easy to difficult. Here we are checking out some of them trying to decide which ones to take.

We took a hike on the north west side of the island. I couldn't believe how jagged the rocks were on this part of the island. They all had little alcoves in them and it made me wonder what kind of critters sleep in them at night. We hiked up and over the rocks and enjoyed the nice weather.

I was glad that it wasn't too windy. A couple years ago Steven, Isaac and myself camped out on the island and I have never had a night that was as windy as that one. This trip the winds were very light.

 Off in the distance on the left side of the picture is egg island. It is all rocks out there and it is covered with birds. You can see and hear them from where we were. I guess every spring the birds come back and lay their eggs there. It is a good spot because there are no predators that can get to them. Dixie is looking beautiful as ever in this picture.

 Isaac likes to climb around on the rocks. He had to retrieve his water bottle a few times because it kept falling out of his pocket.

We drove over to the other side of the island and decided to take a hike there. Here Isaac is getting ready to go. The weather was looking a little bit iffy when we started this hike.

 Halfway there! Ellie walked the whole way there. She just kept going and going.

 We stopped for a few water breaks along the way. The views were really spectacular.

 I thought we might get caught in this storm that looked like it was coming our way but it turned and went off to the east. We never even felt a rain drop.

Enjoying the end of the road.

 That night we ate dinner, played games and roasted marshmallows. The next morning we went to the Garr ranch on the east side of the island. It was a working ranch up until the 80's. A lot of the buildings are still there and they let you tour them on a self guided tour. We wanted to check out this old Dodge truck but this buffalo wandered into the area so we kept our distance. A guy that works on the ranch said that this buffalo likes to come here and eat the grass.

 The ranch is cool because they let you climb on everything and encourage you to touch everything. Here Steven is on an old Case tractor. It looks like it is still running. I would have loved to take it for a spin around the ranch. Ha Ha.

 Steven, Isaac and Ellie lassoed the horse a few times and then they decided to ride it.

It was a successful 1st camping trip for the year. Hopefully we will get a bunch more in this summer. It was nice to get out and enjoy some time together before school starts up again for the boys.