We took an outing to Antelope Island one day. I remember driving around the island very vaguely from when I was a kid. Dylan has wanted to see buffalo since we went to Philmont a few years ago, and we completely missed seeing them then. We did see some buffalo, but not nearly as many as we hoped - I think we topped out at around two dozen, but that was combined from 3 different places we spotted them. We did also see a few antelope. Still, it was a lot of fun.
First we stopped at the Visitor's Center and looked around. That's where we found this buffalo statue. We were also had fun looking at all the different license plates that we saw. We started a list and got through probably half the states.
Jayden brought along his camera to take some pictures.
They have an old ranch that the pioneers started. The kids had so much fun looking around it. They roped these "cattle" for quite a while.
And as usual, if we are standing around in dirt, Lauren had fun poking around in it.
The ranch had this pretty wooded area that we had fun exploring. Antelope Island has a bunch of fresh water springs all over it, and this ranch is centered around one of them. This wooded area is right where one comes up.
As I was researching what to do on Antelope Island, I kept reading about how Antelope Island has great sandy beaches. So I planned for us to spend some fun time on the beach - I love the beach. As we drove into the park, I asked the ranger what we should be sure to do while on the island, and she also said the beach was great and described where to find the best beach. So, at the end of the day, we stopped at the beach. Now let me tell you... it was a long walk from the parking lot to the beach! Not to mention that it was pregnant me with five kids. Also, the first time we made it to that green part, someone decided they needed to go potty. So, back up we went. Then back down and out across the expanse.
I stood with the shoes and found that as long as I didn't move, the flies just rested on the ground (and the kids shoes, and honestly probably all over me - yuck). I didn't dare be too far from Austin and Lauren as they played in the water. Otherwise, I think I would have followed Ethan. Dylan found the brine shrimp and had fun filling a water bottle up with some. Looking at the water in Dylan's bottle really grossed me out. Especially since Lauren fell twice and got a gross look on her face each time as she tasted the water. Yuck!!
I let them play as long as I could stand it. Finally we made the trek back across. I bribed the kids to hurry by saying we could grab snow cones at the little diner we parked next to. They were super expensive, so everyone shared, but it was totally worth the help it gave everyone to walk a little faster, when they were so tired of walking through the sand.
Moral of the story: Antelope Island is a lot of fun. There is quite a bit to see, and much more to do than we did, especially if you're up for a few short hikes (I decided that wasn't for us). Personally I would skip the beach, but it still made for some great memories.
