Mountain Mom and Tots

Motherhood Moments: Happy Belated Halloween!

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I know Halloween was last week, but our family had so much fun I just wanted to share a few photos. I hope your holiday was filled with spooky treats and laughs too!

Big E was Jengo Fett from Star Wars. Here he is at a Trunk – or – Treat at his preschool. Although fun, I’m not sure I enjoyed how easy it was to get a pumpkin full of candy. If I have to pay for his cavities for the next fourteen years, I want them to be well earned.

Mountain Dad and I at a Halloween party. I think someone was trying to steal his cookie. Bad idea, he was packing heat.

We’re big Lego and Angry Bird Star Wars fans at our house. On occasion Big E will ask for “a Star Wars story from your mind”. It’s a good thing Mountain Dad and I have seen all six episodes.

I hope you enjoyed your Halloween holiday. This last photo was my favorite because of the beautiful light on the mountains in the background. It’s hard to believe how awesome the mountains can be. Thank you sunset!

Great Horned Owl Release, Great Basin Wildlife Rescue

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The tots and I are lucky enough to live in Great Horned Owl country. I know that, not because I’ve seen the animals flying overhead, but because we were able to attend a Great Horned Owl Release just down the road from our home.

The group behind this event was the Great Basin Wildlife Rescue, a non profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation and release of birds of prey and black bear cubs. Thanks to them, we were able to meet some spectacular birds before wishing the Great Horned Owls well.

Volunteers from the Great Basin Wildlife Rescue introduced us to a barn owl, screech owl, golden eagle and Peregrine Falcon, all of which were beautiful to behold. Patti, the Rescue center’s director, was on hand to explain the habitat of each animal and how the Great Basin Wildlife Rescue works to return them to their natural home.

After playing in this private park, exploring the tee pee, waterfalls, and giant swing, it was time to see the main event – two Great Horned Owls ready to be released back into their natural habitat!

The owls were held talons out and thrown into the air by some eager volunteers. They soared briefly before perching on a nearby pine tree to try and figure out where they were. Patti explained that this was their first free flight, so they were probably confused about what was happening. When they finally got their bearings they flew off again in search of food and shelter.

I’m excited to have these new neighbors in my area and wish all the volunteers at Great Basin Wildlife Rescue luck in their future rescues. This experience was awesome!

Creepy Crawlies

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I’m sure you all have bugs of your own. Those you see and love, and those you smash and kill. For me, it’s been interesting to find some of the creepiest, crawliest bugs I’ve ever seen right in my back yard. With Halloween this week, I figured now was a good time to really find out what those bugs are.

Box Elder Bug – These things swarm in the fall and I often find them on my windowsill, wall, even my bathtub. My kids can easily pick them up (they’re not the quickest). They don’t seem to hurt people but I’m not sure they do much for Box Elder trees.

Fuzzy Orange and Black Caterpillar – I like to call these Halloween Caterpillars because of their coloring, but apparently their real name is Pyrrharctia Isabella. This video is a throw back to when Big E was barely more than a baby, but the caterpillar is still cool. Last year we brought one in the house to see what it would turn into, but somehow it disappeared from the box and is now probably hiding under my bed.

Zebra Thing – I think this is a beetle of some sort but, c’mon it looks crazy right? It’s actually a Banded Alder Borer which lives in dead hardwood trees like Maple and Alder. This photo is from the website www.whatsthatbug.com, which was very useful in identifying these critters.

Enjoy some of the creepy crawlies from our neighborhood! Happy Halloween!

Stewart Falls, Sundance, Utah

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Well Blog Readers, we finally did it. Many of you may remember that on my 30th birthday back in January I made a list of 30 adventures I wanted to have this year. One of the toughest on that list was to hike three miles to Stewart Falls with Big E on his feet the whole time.

Well it’s finally happened. Accompanied by his trusty Jengo Fett blasters (can you guess what Big E wants to be for Halloween?), Big E, little g and I made it all the way to Stewart Falls with Big E walking the whole way! Along the trail we saw beautiful golden aspens and dark green pines, and loved the autumn sunshine.

Hooray! Hooray! Happy Day!

Little g was in the hiking pack and I was grateful for that. She ended up asleep by the time we reached the falls, and would’ve stayed that way on the way back if Big E hadn’t enthusiastically yelled at her to see the cool rock he found.

The whole hike took two and a half hours there and back. It would’ve been shorter if I had not missed the shortcut turnoff back to the trailhead. That unfortunate lapse of attention added thirty minutes onto an already tiring trip.

Trail Info:
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 2.5 hours
Tips: Don’t miss the shortcut turnoff!

Sundance on Dwellable

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