Every other year the Stone Family (Immediately family only) gets together for a family reunion, usually at a campground, lodge, or cabin. This year we ended up at the Echo Lake House in Coalville, UT, a city with a wopping population of just over 1,400 people. To give you an idea of how big the town really is, we were told if we went to their BBQ cookout event scheduled for the weekend we were in town we would have doubled the attendance.
The lake house itself was better than any of us had anticipated. Located on the edge of Echo Lake, it was furnished with gaming tables, a gym/theater room, basketball and volleyball courts, a jacuzzi tub...the works. We were all pleasantly surprised and feeling a little spoiled by how nice it was. There was a little stress as we drew names for who would be in which room (cross your fingers for the jetted tub—1st world problems at their best) but otherwise it was a very relaxing trip and so nice to be back out West and with family. The picture below doesn't really do it justice but this is the main room of the lodge with expansive windows overlooking the lake and local mountain range.
We all took advantage of the dart board, air hockey table, card table, and especially the pool table which doubled as a ping pong table.
Andrew and Chelsea also brought along a new game that was classic for Utah and perfect for our family. John, Trevor, Riley and I were outside playing it constantly. The game, Spike Ball, is essentially a shrunken down version of volley ball played on what responds like a miniature trampoline rather than over a net. Essentially you and your teammate have three hits to carry the ball towards and bounce it once off of the trampoline and then the other team has a chance to return it. It was fast paced and so fun.
While Michelle and I lingered around the lodge and enjoyed some of its amenities (e.g. massage chair) or just chatting with family and playing games, we did get out and join everyone for a hike at the Upper Provo River Falls, which were beautiful and which I had not heard of in my seven years of hiking, guiding, and living in the state of Utah.
After the hike, we all stopped at an old diner that looked like a classy and tasty place to grab a meal. It was built to look like an old train car and it was in fact a relic of its time and a longstanding site in the area, however, the food was mediocre and Michelle and I were glad we had split our chicken salad sandwich instead of both getting our own meals. No one in our party was particularly excited about their meal but it was nice to be together.
Me with one of my older sisters, Jen. We really enjoyed chatting with her and all our siblings for that matter. It was nice to be reconnected, especially to the non-Utah residents who we see/saw less often.
Lots of monopoly deal and skipbo were played around this table. We became a little obsessed and purchased a set of monopoly deal soon after returning home, which we now play constantly. Not sure why I sat so awkwardly...I look more like a growth out of Michelle's back in this picture than my own entity.
At one point we went for a quick jaunt on my parents bikes since their was a paved trail that ran along the lake's edge. The trip was short lived since the trail itself was short and the rain started to fall but I always enjoy getting out with my smart, beautiful, capable wife and exploring on foot or bike or whatever.
Sadly, all things must come to an end. We took a red-eye flight home with Michelle sleeping on the floor of the Phoenix airport. It was quite miserable but we had a nice sleepy Sunday when we arrived home.
No comments:
Post a Comment