The Living Planet Aquarium, Sandy, Utah

Sharing is caring:

Happy World Oceans Day! 

The official World Oceans Day was Saturday, June 8, 2013, so the tots and I (and their cousin) celebrated with a trip to The Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, Utah.

The Living Planet Aquarium is an awesome excursion for kids. They have lots of great animals including penguins, otters, sharks, sea turtles, sting rays, jelly fish, sea horses, an electric eel, giant octopus and an eight foot long anaconda. One of the prettiest fish we saw was this Lion Fish, fully arrayed with all his feathery fins.

A big attraction at The Living Planet Aquarium is their touch pool.  One of the dreams of my life was fulfilled at the aquarium when I was able to pet a sting ray.  It was sooooo cool.

In addition to petting a sting ray, the tots and I got to touch a star fish, sea urchin and small reef shark, although Big E was reluctant and mostly just watched.

After the touch pool, our favorite exhibit was Animal Superheroes! where each animal got to show off their super powers, comic book style.  We saw transparent fish, glow in the dark scorpions,  a heat sensing snake and cameoflauge flat fish. The information on all the animals was designed with excitement and I was very impressed with the whole display.

Now, if you’re planning a trip to The Living Planet Aquarium, be aware that they are moving this fall to a new location. The current location in Sandy, Utah closes in September 2013 and the new location at 12033 S Lone Peak Parkway in Draper, Utah is set to open in December 2013. 
If you have a chance to get to the aquarium before then I highly suggest it. The tots were thoroughly entertained the entire time and I really enjoyed it as well.  

Happy World Oceans Day!

Sharing is caring:

Today is World Oceans Day, and although I live in a land locked state, I love and appreciate our world ocean. Here’s why:

Continue reading “Happy World Oceans Day!”

Ding and Dang Canyon, San Rafael Swell, Utah

Sharing is caring:

Just an hour past Little Wild Horse Canyon trail head is the trail head to a less popular but very fun hike – Ding and Dang Canyons.  These canyons are similar to Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyons; they have interesting rock formations, close canyon walls and beautiful red and white sandstone. The difference in these is that more technical climbing is required since more obstacles block the canyon floor.

Now, Where Are We?

The tots and I started off with approximately half a mile of walking in a rocky wash. From there we took an offshoot of the trail into what we thought was Ding Canyon.

Now, I won’t say we got lost, because technically we knew where we had come from, but we weren’t exactly sure where we were or where we were going. We just knew the canyon was cool, the weather was fine and the tots were enjoying themselves, so we continued on.

The trail wound through shale like rock walls, every few feet made more exciting by the need to scramble over and around boulders and bushes. Lizards darted around our feet with almost every step and the air was perfect in the shade of the jagged canyon walls.

The Final Climb

The highlight of our hike was the final steep climb to the crest of the canyon. The surface of the rock we hiked was pocked and white, reminding me of a foreign planet. Big E led the way on this section, even when the angle of the path was intense. When we finally reached the summit I was awed by his determination to make it to the top, even though I doubted he could do it. He exceeded my expectations.

From the top we could see the entire valley, rivets of far off canyons denting the landscape. It was a beautiful view, well worth the trip and whether we were officially in Ding Canyon or not it was a great hike.

Trail Info

Rating: 3 stars
Difficulty: Very Difficult, but worth it
Length: 1.5 miles, Loop is approximately 5.5 miles
Tips: Don’t fall. Jagged rocks do not make comfortable landing sites.

Little Wild Horse Canyon, San Rafael Swell, Utah

Sharing is caring:
One of my favorite hikes in Southern Utah is Little Wild Horse Canyon. It’s an eight mile loop when you connect it with Bell Canyon and boasts a slot canyon with honeycomb rock and high, tight walls in some places. I had hiked there before but this time I brought the tots so my expectations were quite different.

Getting There and What to Where

The turnoff to Little Wild Horse Canyon is just two miles outside the entrance to Goblin Valley State Park. Turn right when you see the sign and follow the paved road to the trail head five miles in. The first half mile of the hike is getting to the mouth of the canyon. It’s flat and exposed so bring lots of water. You’ll know when you make it to the canyon itself when you run into this:

There’s not an easy way around this chauk stone and climbing over it would have been impossible without the help of my friend Hannah who went on the trip with me. Since we had the tots and little g in the pack, she scrambled up and then hefted my kids over. 

Rocks, Rocks and More Rocks

Little Wild Horse Canyon offered lots of opportunities for Big E to dig in the sand, throw rocks, and climb the rock walls. Some of the sandstone rocks can even make marks on the red rock walls, however there was a posted sign asking not to do this which we all saw as we walked out of the canyon. 
Little g also enjoyed the rocks, collecting small fistfuls and delivering them to me with a look of pure joy on her face. She did great in the pack, but most enjoyed running around with Big E and Hannah’s son, trying to climb up rocks twice her size.

We followed the trail for about a mile, decent hiking for tots who were already tired from playing with Goblins all morning. We left while it was still fun, to avoid the complaining that accompanies tired, hungry kids. Overall Little Wild Horse Canyon was a fun, flat hike that me and the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

Trail Info

Rating: 3 stars
Difficulty: Moderate, flat for the most part but some scrambling over rocks required
Length: 1 mile, total hike loop is 8 miles
Tips: Drink lots of water and have your tots wear tennis shoes. We often stopped to get pebbles out of sandals.