What to do....in Bear Lake, ID/UT?

photos by SMW

See that azure water?  It really is that beautiful color at Bear Lake.  It's even bluer on a sunny day.  We happened to there when some storms rolled in over a few days.  We had moments of sunshine on those days, but it was intermittent.  Our last day there we had glorious full sunshine and heat!  Yahoo!

Here are some ideas of what to do when the weather doesn't cooperate with your vacation plans:

1. Make the most of your condo or vacation rental.  We stayed at Worldmark condos.  They usually have a pool, hot tub, and other facilities on site.  Ours had a volleyball court, outdoor/indoor pool and hot tub, tennis courts, and lots of lawn space to play football and frisbee.  When the rained stopped, we ran outside to enjoy all of these activities. Don't try what Gigi is doing here!  

2. Find the best local spots to eat. Bear Lake is known for raspberries.  For a Pacific Northwesterner this is no big deal.  But if you're from the intermountain west, having fresh, farm raspberries is a big deal.  So we enjoyed local raspberry shakes at 2 cute places.  One shake shack has been there for over 40 years and they make their shakes thick and tall with real ice cream.  The other is a super cute hang-out where you can sit in boats while you enjoy your shake.

3. Find an activity you don't mind doing if it does rain.  You can see there are no clouds in the sky.  But the night before it dumped rain and we decided we were going to ride no matter what.  It turned out to be a gorgeous day, but it was horribly muddy.  The horses were knee deep in mud. I wish had 5 hands so I could have taken pictures in the aspen groves we rode through.  It was breath-taking.

4. Find a tour that's inside. Again, it looks like the clouds are moving out, but on the way to this tour, it poured buckets.  Heavier than usual even in Washington.

This little town, Paris, Id, is about 15 minutes north of Bear Lake. The pioneers built this tabernacle in the 1880's.  Surprisingly, I learned that my great great great grandfather was on the committee to build this beautiful structure.  His name was on a plaque on the front of the church.  Cool beans!

Every day they have an organ recital at 11 am.  The tour takes you to all parts of the building and is very interesting.  

We found another 'indoor' tour at Minnetonka Cave which is 15 minutes north of Bear Lake, near St. Charles, Id.  Wow, what a tour!  We were in the enormous cave for over 90 minutes and it was so interesting.  Lots to learn about cave bacon, wedding stalagmites, pack rats, and more!  Hope you can get to this cave to know what I'm talking about.

5. Visit the beach. We did relax at the beach when the rain stopped and on the one day we enjoyed heat/total sun.  Can you see the shells?  We visited a part of the lake that the beach front was littered with shells.  Millions of tiny ones all over you could barely see any sand.  Oh, and that book I'm reading is fabulous.

Bear Lake has an fun little mystery going on...they have their own 'nessie'.  There are plaques or signs all over the lake telling you to call the mayor if you spot their own Bear Lake Monster.

6. Make use of local attractions. We had been cooped up in the condo playing card games- which we love- and everyone needed a break.  We found a local park.  It occupied even our teenagers and adult children for awhile when the clouds parted for 30 minutes that day.

7. Play in the water. That's what most people do when they go to Bear Lake on vacation.  We only had one day to do it.  We opted to use paddleboards than rent a boat.  It turned out to be a great choice for us.  Gigi went well over half way into the middle of the lake.  The water is so clear you can see straight down.  It's gorgeous out there!

8. Rent a Surrey. We needed to expend some steam and get out because it had rained all morning.  Renting a Surrey bike was really fun and cheap.

So there you have 8 things to do in Bear Lake, ID/UT when the weather isn't too hot or stellar.

What to do .....in the Summer? Scrub-a-Mutt

photo by V. Dahlgren

Never mind my get-up, focus on Bono.  He is getting a doggy massage!  Say what?

Yes, Bono was pampered last Saturday at the Strawberry Fields Scrubb-a-Mutt day.  It's kind of like a street fair for dogs. The organization that puts this event on is raising money for dog shelters and the like.  

For a small fee (small, as in $10) Bono got a bath with warm water and his nails clipped, with the flashy bandana to top off his coiffe.

There were booths to buy dog paraphanalia and companies offering free doggie gifts.  Oh, and raffles with really awesome dog goodies going on all the time.

There was so much going on- the gawking at other dogs, pooches getting tangled up in leashes, and not to mention the LARGE breeds.  We saw a St. Barnard so big they had a ramp on the back of their truck so the Big Dog could get himself up to his seat.  That's a big, heavy dog!

So near the end of the summer, if you're a local, look for ads in the paper for the Scrubb-a-Mutt festival.  It's like a little fair day for your dog and you'll have some fun too.

What to do ..... in the Summer? Can Apples or other produce!

photo by SMW

Sometimes there are long days at home during the summer with nothing (for the kids!) to do and the entertainment budget is running low. 

If you have a free source of produce or know a u-pick farm go get some of that fruit!  It's a fun outing.  Then you have a second option for something to keep everyone occupied- canning, freezing, or dehydrating.  Let's get in the kitchen.

We had a free apple source.  They were on the 'worn' side and needed to be put-up right away.  We made applesauce and dehydrated apples!  Yum!

Pierce loved turning the apple/peeler/corer/slicer.

We used to do this as a family for years and would do about 40-50 quarts of applesauce, pie apples, and dehydrated apples, but now that my kids are older they don't prefer applesauce and the like as much.  So, it's more of a novelty activity for us, and it's still fun.

What to do....In the Summer? Fly In at the Arlington, WA airport

photo by SMW

The Arlington Fly-In is really hopping.  If planes can hop, that is? It's a whole week of planes, planes, and anything that flies.

photo by SMW

These pictures are from the Saturday show towards the end of the week long events.  We live up the hill from this small airport so we can see the loop-de-loops from our deck, but we wanted to be up close for the special air show.

photo by SMW

There were old, new, and fancy planes doing tricks.  There were many professional photographers by us with HUGE lenses getting shots.  What a hard thing to photograph?!

photo by SMW

Lots of oohs and aahs from the huge crowd.  All week traffic near the airport has been at a stand still as cars slow down to watch the acrobats and not get in a wreck.

photo by SMW

There are people from all over the country and Canada that come to this airshow.  For a week before and a week after the airshow we'll be hearing planes coming and going.  It makes our little town feel important.  Just for a week!

photo by SMW

We went back for the night show at 9:30 pm.  This was the piece de resistance- the pyrotechnics show.  Let me tell you it's more than cool!  They light something dangerous on the planes and fly all over the sky and do cool tricks, cooler than the day shows.  The only reason I think the stuff was dangerous on the planes because below on the tarmac they had firetrucks at the ready.  Nothing happened, just lots of cool stuff happening in the sky.  To top the week and evening off, when the planes landed they lit fireworks!

The Arlington Fly In is always the week after July 4th.

What to do....in the Summer?

photo by SMW

Marysville, Wa has a great park called Jennings Park.  Within the huge Park are trails, play sets, ponds, a petting zoo, and a master garden.

photo by SMW

My kids know that if we go to Jennings Park they can bike, skate board, throw a frisbee- but they're on their own, because I'll be in the master garden.

photo by SMW

It doesn't bother me that my own garden will never look like this.  I only have to come visit this one and enjoy it.  I so appreciate the master gardeners who have volunteered their time for this project.  It is breathtaking and peaceful here.

photo by SMW

Hopefully if you are near Jennings Park you'll take some time to enjoy the master gardens.  Go and "sit a spell" because it will do your soul good.  Plus, if you like gardening, you might just get some great ideas!  I know I do.

What to do....in Summer? Hedge Maze

www.berryfarm.com

Hedge Mazes- akin to something out of Harry Potter-

are not unlike corn mazes in amusement.  But the difference is how tall the hedges are.  Over 10 feet tall and you can't see through the rows at all.  It can be a freaky feeling when you get lost and go round and round, which happened to us.  Insert lots of laughter!

photo by SMW

The Hedge Maze near Mount Vernon is awesome. We found that having races through the maze and timing how fast it took to get through it provided endless fun.  The pinnacle of the maze is a tower that over looks the maze and the farm, plus a fun slide to get you back to maze-running.

photo by SMW

If you're headed to Deception Pass, the Hedge Maze is on the way there ~ so two fun outings in one day! Oh, and don't forget to buy a pie on the way out of the farm at the hedge maze.  The bumbleberry is fabulous!

Groupon will get you in for a steal.  Check it out here.

What to do ....in the Summer? Berry picking

photo by SMW

If you live in the PNW, the first thing you do in the morning is check the weather report....because looking out your window doesn't always give a person the whole picture.  The weather can change on a dime, my friends.  Like this whole week, the reports said rain, rain, rain.  And, thank the stars, it's been sunny, sunny, sunny, and even warm!  Yahoo for warmth!

photo by SMW

If you are a sandals and socks person (meaning a true Northwesterner!)  you drop everything when the sun comes out.  We did that today after the fog lifted and headed to Biringer farm which is a few miles away for us. Notice above, we are like moles.  Pierce can hardly open his eyes when the sun is out.

photo by SMW

Can you see the beauty of these strawberries?  Wish you could taste them!  I will entice you a bit.  These berries are at their peak- big, fully mature redness, a tad soft but not hard, sweeter than sugar, and ready for any recipe, or just plain because plain is God's perfectness!

Biringer Farm in Arlington, Wa has berries that won't last much longer.  Maybe a week or so.  But there are tons left.  Come get them soon for a fun outing.  We are happy campers with our berry loot!

What to do? Art Walk in Arlington

photo by SMW

 In a small town like Arlington, there are small, yet joyful things to do.  Our families' latest find is the Art Walk.  The Arlington Arts Council has placed upwards of 17 pieces of art forms- sculptures, paintings on walls, active art such as the Sound Garden, and art designs such as the Labyrinth.  The Walk travels along side the Centennial trail that goes through town and ends across the Stilly River over the bridge.  

We had an enjoyable time as a family seeing all the different pieces that make up history and the culture of Arlington, WA.

photo by SMW