Cedar City Day 3

We all slept in and Mom made waffles for breakfast. We didn't end up leaving the apartment until ten o'clock when we headed for a local park. The boys enjoyed chasing and running with Dad. Mom even timed them as they ran to the top of the triple story playground and slid down the large slide.

The boys loved climbing to the top of this pyramid. 

They also loved this spinning toy!

Next we drove up to Parowan. This small town is all about history and there were several things we wanted to check out. After stopping at the Visitor Center we headed out to the Parowan Gap west of town. It is a pretty amazing cut in the mountain that is just wide enough for the road. Best of all, there are dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs in the area. We counted three dinosaur tracks, but there were hundreds of petroglyphs. As we walked back and forth through the gap we passed etchings of animals, patterns, people, and other stories. Modern Pauites have interpreted the drawings, and the signs around the petroglyphs tell the story. It was really fascinating.

The dinosaur tracks were so cool!

We found a small tunnel to crawl through!

Mark's face is so funny! 

We were amazed at all the petroglyphs. 

We wandered around for quite awhile checking out all the drawings.

We had lunch at a park back in Parowan. Mom made sandwiches while Dad pushed the boys on the ancient swings. We ate in the shadow of the Old Rock Church, which was built by the Pioneers, but now serves as a DUP museum. Inside we enjoyed all the old butter churns, pictures, and tools from over a hundred years ago. The church itself was built in the same style as other tabernacles we've seen, including a balcony with stairs on two sides, but this one was much smaller. The podium stood almost in the middle of the building.

We have gotten really great at picnic lunches. 

Dad had a lot of fun on the swings! 

Dax decided to jump off!

Then Mark did, too!

The Old Rock Church was neat on the outside, and interesting on the inside.

Parowan is supposed to be famous for cinnamon rolls, so we decided to stop and try some. The first place we went was all out, so we tried a second restaurant. This was a mistake, because their cinnamon rolls were utterly flavorless. After a few bites, Mom and Dad abandoned them entirely. It was a major disappointment, so we'll have to try some other restaurant in Parowan.

We didn't love our treats, but we still had fun together. 

There were two other historical stops in Parowan. One was an outdoor museum, and we wandered around among the old tractors. Dad explained which was a harrow, potato harvester, or combine. The other was a tribute to the settlers or this area. It included the flagpole that was placed by Parley P Pratt and claimed that most of southern Utah's towns were settled from Parowan, which was settled very early in 1851 just a few years after the Saints arrived in Utah.

We love learning about the pioneers.  

Dad loves talking about the old farm equipment. 

We got back to Cedar City at about four o'clock and decided it was time to do something the boys wanted to do. "So we're going to the pool?" Dax asked, and he was right. We took the boys to the local aquatic center. Then we played and splashed both indoors and out for nearly two hours.

Dax loved how fast this slide was!

Seth and Dad went around the lazy river A LOT of times! 

Dax is brave and does front flips off the diving board. 

Mark is also brave and jumps off the diving board without the flips.

Seth loved playing basketball with a little help from Dad.

It had been a long day, so after dinner in the apartment, we let the boys watch a movie. Then we went to bed early. We'd about worn ourselves, and Cedar City out!