Family Fun: Antelope Island

 We soon learned that all of us in one hotel room ends up as "staying" the night rather than "sleeping."  We were all super sleepy after the second night together, especially since Titus wasn't feeling well.

 Our second day of family fun took us to the Great Salt Lake.  All of us have lived in Utah for our entire lives, but none of us had ever been to the Great Salt Lake before.  As we paid the entry fee at the ranger station we took note of the warning posted on the window: "Biting gnats have hatched on Antelope Island.  No refunds issued for bugs."  We giggled, but knew that if they had to make the statement, they must have had requests for refunds.  The first thing we noticed as we approached the island was the smell.

 There are buffalo on Antelope Island.  If I remember right, I think it is the largest herd of free-range buffalo in the United States.  They were very close to the road, so we got a really good view.

 These cute kids got really good at spying all sorts of wildlife on the island in addition to the buffalo.
 We saw this coyote....

 ...and this very large snake (do you see it???) and of course antelope.

 Our favorite thing on the island was the Fielding Garr Ranch.  Named for the man who homesteaded there only a few days after the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, this ranch is like a window into history.  There were lots of cool things to see there.  People lived on the island until 1981 when the State purchased it.

 I told the kids I wanted to install one of these bells on our place so when they are out playing or working with the animals and I need them I can just ring the bell.  They, of course, had to give it a try.

 There were some cool birds on the island in addition to the seagulls.  Because of the salt water, there are a lot of species that aren't found other places in the state.

 After leaving the ranch we discovered for ourselves that indeed the biting gnats had hatched on the island.  We stopped to eat and instead got eaten.  They were indescribable violent swarms that would attack, imbed themselves in your hair so you couldn't get rid of them, and then feast.  Jeff was literally yelling at people at the restaurant when they would open the door.  If you ever want to enjoy a buffalo burger on Antelope Island, we recommend you go BEFORE the biting gnats hatch.

We stopped at the visitors center where the kids purchased arrowheads and salt from the Great Salt Lake.  The walk from the parking lot into the visitors center felt like a minefield in a war zone because of the flesh-eating gnats, so when we finished there we were ready to say goodbye to Antelope Island....or so we thought.  The kids just couldn't bear the thought of leaving the Great Salt Lake without actually setting foot in it.  So we drove down to the marina and let them walk down to the water's edge.

 This completely satisfied them.

 And with that, our Family Fun Graduation Celebration came to a close.  We spent the drive home talking about all the fun things we did and all the great places we had seen.  It was hard for us to pick our favorite.  My favorite?  Being with my family, of course.  Having all of us together was exactly what I wanted to celebrate this milestone in our lives.  I'm not sure where our journey will lead us from here, but I know we will travel the path together, and that we will love and learn along the way.