Home on the Range

So you can take the girl out of Utah, but you can't take the Utah out of the girl! That is what they say right? Well this past weekend, I decided I hadn't been on a sufficient number of vacations, so I went to the wilderness for the weekend. My friend Jared was kind enough to invite a few friends up for some quiet time in the hills. It was a little bit of a drive from sunny California but well worth it! Jared, Kate and I drove up and Aaron met us there. We started the weekend off with a little friendly competition on the Wii. When I say we, I really mean Jared and Aaron. They let us play a few games but they are way too entertaining. I am not a super competitive person, but I love watching those who are. Therefore, the night was full of entertainment.
The next morning, we headed out to get in touch with our Utah roots! Yes ladies and gentlemen, these four Utah natives now living in Cali, remember who we are and where we came from! We started with a little target practice. We were pretty handy with the weapons(especially when we had a scope), maybe too handy. Poor little bunny! :(
Next, we packed our lunches and embarked on our 4-wheeling adventure. We spent most of the day, braving the trails of Antimony, Utah. It was absolutely beautiful. It was quite the dusty trail though. Aaron and I were following Jared and Kate the entire time and had the layers of dirt to show for it. No matter what we did, we couldn't get out of the dust. Needless to say, we were looking pretty attractive by the end of the day!
We stopped in this beautiful meadow where we felt completely isolated for a quaint little picnic. Although the hills weren't super green, I had the greatest desire to run through the hills singing, " The hills are alive..." Luckily for everyone around, I refrained myself. We were able to scare a few cows, see a few antelope and climb a few "intermediate" trails! Thanks to Jared for going easy on us lightweights! It was a super fun run! It reminded me that I love Utah. I love the mountains. Now don't get me wrong, I am loving my life in California, but Utah will always have a special place in my heart.
The day did not end there. We stopped by the lake and jumped in fully clothed, hoping to get rid of at least a few layers of dirt and cool off. The water felt good, but the grimy surface kept us from staying long. We returned to the cabin to change and bid farewell to Aaron as he returned to "the grove", and we were back to the lake. Our pro fisherman, Jared, gave Kate and I casting tips! We didn't catch anything but the view was gorgeous. Those moments in nature are some of my favorite moments in life! Unfortunately, the picture in my mind will always be better than the actual pic!

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Sunday, we went to church, visited the wonderful Wilstead family and then stopping by to see my cousins before hitting the road. The trip was going well until an accident caused us to come to a complete stop! That's correct, it took us over two hours to travel 20 miles! It was ridiculous! We got out of the car at one point and were just hanging out!
It was a great weekend back in the great state of Utah! Thanks to Jared and his family for letting us come! Until next time Utah!