Hiking Y Mountain

The kids have been begging me to take them up Y mountain. Since today was Wednesday and it is the one day of the week that we don't have to be up at the break of dawn for Swim Team, it seemed like the perfect day for a hike.


Everyone was rearin' to go at the Y gate...




Our youngest packed all the essentials in his back pack: toys, water, and a granola bar.



They took off on a run...




but quickly found a rock to rest on.




And a bench to rest on.




It wasn't long before the sweat was dripping!




We saw 1 deer, 6 squirrels, 1 snake, and 12 lizards. This one was the coolest because he had lost his tail.




The view was awesome!





But it was a very long way up.




We took advantage of every bench we came upon...for a quick rest.



But we finally made it to the Y!




Some wondered Y??




Others knew Y!!




The best part: the ice-cold Gatorade when we reached the bottom!!

After the Matches: Fun in the Pool

Guess where we headed after a hot, dusty day at the range?


The water was cool and felt great!!





We practiced our front flips off the edge,



and jumping to Dad.




We didn't find any lizards in the pool, but she searched the bottom for treasures.




It felt great to cool down.



We had a great family vacation!!! We can't wait for next year!

Summer Games: Day Three

The final day we headed to the high power range...




where we started by setting up the long-range targets.

The high power service rifle match was first. The shooters start with a slow standing target (10 shots in 10 minutes).

Then they shoot a rapid sitting target. (Ten shots in 70 seconds).

Next they shoot a rapid prone target. (10 shots in 70 seconds).

And last, they shoot a slow prone target (20 shots in 20 minutes).

There is a lot of walking back and forth out 200 yards to paste up the targets in between positions.

Our oldest had a lot of fun and shot really well!! He took silver in the overall by ONE point.

Our second oldest also shot very well, taking the silver medal in the sub-junior category, but also beating many of the adults in the overall.

Our youngest had a fun time shooting at paper cups in between matches.

Our daughter went lizard hunting and returned with a big one. Our Star Wars fan was down in St. George that day having fun with his favorite cousin.



The final event of the day was the Sporter High Power match.

Our youngest shot his Dad's .204 and shot very well.

Our oldest shot his Dad's 22-250 and at the end of the regular match was in a tie for the silver medal in the overall.

The tie was settled by a one shot shoot-off. Our oldest won the shoot-off with his best shot off the match.....an x at 200 yards.

Here's a closer look at the shot. Look for it in the bottom of the X.

Our oldest also won the overall Rifleman award (the Adam Warnock award-given in honor of his coach who passed away in April). The scores from all the matches over the three days were added up to come up with the winner. A pretty special honor...and a tasty award.

The gold, silver, and bronze medalists from the Service Rifle competition.

Proud shooters...this is the high power expert who has guided the boys in their high power competitions.

Summer Games: Day Two

On the second day of competition we returned to the outdoor range.

The three-position match was first.

The first position was prone...

then standing...

and kneeling was last.

Our oldest claimed the gold in the overall with the nearest competitor 32 points behind!

Our second oldest took the silver in the sub-junior category.

Meanwhile, the rest of us did some rock hunting,

some jump-roping,

and some lizard catching.


The next competition was the Olympic style shoot-off.

The top five scorers in the overall of the three-position match compete in a 10 shot standing shoot off.

Our oldest felt the pressure of being the top shooter and fell behind early with a couple low shots. But he fought back in the last three shots to claim the bronze. It was a lot of fun, but also a great learning experience for him.

Medals from the first two days.