Memorial Day Trip

We planned things a little differently this Memorial Day. Rather than visit a passed relative, a few of us decided to get together for a few days. There is a really old courthouse in Junction, Utah, that would hold quite a few people. So Laurie, Amy, and our family, decided to drive down and stay for a few days. 

After church on Sunday, we got the van loaded up. Then we made the two and a half hour drive. When we arrived, we were shocked at the size of the courthouse. It was built in 1903, and it towers over Junction Main Street, with its sharp red bricks and large green lawn. As soon as we drove up, we were excited!

The Courthouse is really beautiful!

First, we explored the house. We found multiple bedrooms with antique furniture, a large kitchen dining area, plus a few special rooms for us. Mom and Amy loved the library, which was two floors full of books with an old ladder to help you access the upper shelves. The kids preferred the game room with foosball, air hockey, and pool. They spent most of their time playing games. We also loved a few old touches like the judges stand, the county jail, and several vaults built right into the walls of the courthouse. The kids even played a very difficult game of hide-and-seek. For dinner, Mom made both chicken and beef tacos. Then we played some games and sat around the fire pit until bedtime.

The kids loved this room!

Dad enjoyed relaxing in the hammock.

We played Bingo outside.

It was fun to spend time with cousins. 

Some of us walked down to the small Junction City Park.

Lots of foosball games happened.

This courthouse was such a cool place to stay!

On Monday, we woke up to pancakes. Then we drove over to Fremont Indian State Park. We made sure to check out the Visitor Center first. They had a few small displays, and we spoiled ourselves with ice cream. The kids had a fun time using an atlatl, and after a little practice, they got pretty good at it. Most of us wanted to do a little hiking as well, and since there are plenty of petroglyphs to see in the area, we did a few short trails. Then we had lunch at a shady little picnic area.

There was a ton of seating in the courthouse.

We liked spending time with our cousins.

Throwing the atlatl was super fun.

Seth hit the hay bale, which was a feat!

There is a pit house to tour.

Meditating at the medicine wheel.

The hiking was fun.

We found some fun petroglyphs, too.

Fremont Indian State Park has a lot of great ancient art.

We hadn't been to this park for quite a while.

Picnic lunch!

We played football in the park.

The 100 hands cave really only has 35 hands.

We had a fun afternoon!

After lunch we decided to head over to Cove Fort. It has been a few years since any of us had visited, and though it was Memorial Day, it wasn't too busy. We watched the short video and then walked through the fort. They had added some displays out back, too, so there was something more to see.

Mom loves pioneer sites.

There isn't a ton of room in the stagecoach.

This barn is huge!

Cove Fort was a lot of fun!

The drive back to Junction was about an hour. When we arrived, Mom made teriyaki chicken and rice. Then we broke into the board games. We played for awhile, and then Dax really wanted to go fishing. So Mark, Dad, and Dax went over to Otter Creek Reservoir and fished, but they mostly got eaten by mosquitos. While they were gone, Laurie and Seth played pool. Then we ended the night with more games until really late, and spoiled the boys bedtime, but no one seemed to mind. We let them sleep in a little Tuesday morning, and we still got home in time for lunch at home.

It was a serious game.

Board games are the best.

Fishing at Otter Creek.

Didn't catch much.

It was a fun weekend.