Waiting

Well, we're off to NYC and DC in a couple of weeks time and I could not be more excited! Unfortunately, that usually means that we stick close to home and save up our paid time off hours for our trip. Oh, the trials of being an adult! Basically this means that we (okay, maybe just me) sit at home watching Netflix or indulge our dog by going up canyons and dog parks.

Lately, it's been the latter.

The last weekend of June was a friend's birthday, which means an annual camping trip. We hit I-80 west and headed out to the Uintas! It was absolutely gorgeous. There are small, pristine lakes in every nook and cranny created by the mountains. 

This 4th of July weekend we headed up American Fork Canyon to Silver Lake. It was amazing and is so close to home, I really love having all these canyons within 30 minute drive. 

Which brings me to.....America the Beautiful pass! This is the best thing ever to have if you live in Utah and you go out into the wilderness lots. Why? I'm glad you asked!  Because this sweet little pass gets you into Federal Recreation sites including National Parks and National forests. We use ours all the time and we've had one every year for the past 3 years. You also usually get a discount for using camp sites. It's $80 per year, but if you are military (including dependents) or a senior citizen you get a free or discounted pass. We are planning on taking ours to DC (hello White House, hello Washington Monument).  Honestly, if you find yourself going to a lot of federal recreation sites than this pass pretty much pays for itself. Some of these places cost $15-25 to get into people!

Bear Lake

Here in Utah, we are obsessed with bear lake. 

To be honest, I had never been until last year and I've been here for 7 or so years now. I get it though. It is very charming. The water is this crystal clear blue, almost as if you were in the Caribbean, but surrounded by hills and mountains on all sides. 

This time, we mostly went for our dog. He loves to swim and bear lake is close enough to make a quick overnight trip. Plus, bear lake is more dog friendly than other places we were thinking of going. Has anybody taken their dog to strawberry reservoir? How did it go? Anyway... Some beaches don't allow dogs, but if you drive to the east side of the lake, the part that is still Utah, you can easily find a good spot. 

The nice part of going right before summer starts is that we didn't have to make a reservation before we went. The bad part is that the water is freezing! Mike and our dog, Cusco, didn't seem to mind though!

If you are from Utah or Idaho I hope you get to enjoy Bear Lake this year!

Make sure to bring mosquito repellent and eat a raspberry shake!

Safe travels, 

Renee