Cozy Cabin-ing at Red Canyon

We've made this little trip to Red Canyon in the winter to stay in a cabin and ice skate and play in the snow and enjoy a favorite spot in a different season for three years now, so I guess it's a tradition? I hope it sticks around because it's certainly one of our favorites! We booked a double cabin and invited Gregg's parents along, which was extra fun. We originally planned to spend the end of December there, but the weather for traveling didn't seem the best that week, so we postponed and watched for a good window. Luckily we were all flexible, so on Tuesday the 3rd, things were looking good in the forecast and we booked again for that Thursday through Saturday.

Thursday, 5 January 2023 - We met Paul and Kim at the gas station at the bottom of Trapper's Loop and caravanned to Red Canyon through Evanston. We warned them that the roads would be sketchy through Wyoming, and they certainly were, but we took it slow and all had a good laugh when we reached the Utah border again and saw the clear, dry roads!

That evening we settled in, ate a yummy shrimp fajita dinner, played games and read stories by the roaring wood stove fire.

Friday, 6 January 2023 - Time to play! It was snowing a fluffy, light, steady snow all day long on Friday, but that didn't stop us from getting out to play and explore. We started by shoveling off the snow on the lake for an ice rink. Unfortunately, this year the ice was less than impressive for skating. The lake was frozen, but the snow had insulated it and there must have been some warm storms/rain recently because it was very slushy to walk in. But once we shoveled the few inches that were covering an area that had previously been shoveled off, that exposure to the air allowed it to freeze solid again. It just wasn't very smooth. So Gregg tried spreading shovelfuls of water (that came from holes he punched in the ice on the edges of the rink that then filled with water from  . . . somewhere?) over the ice to fill in the gaps. It helped a bit, but it still needed a good zamboni. All in all, there was a lot of work put into this rink and not much skating because it just wasn't great. Kind of a bummer, but it is what it is.

We also wandered over to the dock, a favorite spot in any season. Gregg challenged Sam to knock him over in the snow, so Sam (and I took up the challenge later) kept trying to catch him off guard. Sam eventually got the best of his dad by tying up his legs. Good strategy, dude!

bonus video!

jumping off the dock

The kids were tired of tromping through the deep snow, so we left them in the cabin with a walkie talkie and drove down to the overlook with Paul and Kim to check out the view. It was lovely, as ever!

I have no idea.

Me attempting a tackle.

Got 'im!

After lunch, while the grandparents napped, we all played around outside in the snow with the saucers in expected (sledding down the snowbanks on the edges of the parking lot made by the plows) and unexpected (tossing them like giant discs for a little round of disc golf) ways. Later, Gregg and I busted out the ol' snowshoes that haven't seen any action for a good number of year and trekked around the lake. It was a marvelous walk and really good workout!  Back at the cabin, we snuggled, read, played games, ate food, and warmed up by the fire. All the good stuff.

Saturday, 7 January 2023 - One more morning left, and what a beautiful bluebird morning it was! We headed back out to the ol' rink and the kids did the most skating of any day yet. They raced each other and the clock, practiced turns and jumps, and cruised around for a good few minutes. Grandpa and Grandma borrowed the snow shoes for a visit to the dock again (no more post holing on the way!). And then we packed up our stuff and made one more stop at the overlook in the sunshine. It never gets old, I tell you what! A highlight (at least educational moment?) of this visit was spotting a hawk on the ground near the outhouse. As we moved closer we saw it drop something and fly up into a nearby tree. That something was a chunk of furry bunny it was snacking on for lunch! We had seen plenty of rabbit tracks all around and, actually, rabbits were the only real wildlife (minus that hawk) that we had even seen the whole time we were there!

We decided to come home through Vernal, given all the snow that had fallen the day before and the track record for roads in Wyoming. And it was a good call. We stopped at the 7-11 Ranch Restaurant for a yummy lunch on the way home. And then we drove and drove and drove. The roads were good and the audiobook (The Long Winter) was engaging and we made it home without incident. Such a fun little getaway. Who wants to join us next year?!