Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Staycation

Rather than embarking on a family trip up to Bear Lake this summer, we decided to do something different (and a little less expensive) and opted for a "staycation" instead. Said staycation would include local outings and activities we could do together as a family, and then we could separately return to our homes at night and sleep in our own beds. Not a bad deal, huh?

Well, I was sold on the idea from the start. Our collective staycation began on Thursday, July 16, and this first day consisted of a trip up to the Pineview Reservoir in Ogden for swimming and other aquatic fun. Someone (OK, it was me) had a couple of doctor's appointments at that same time, keeping the Plowbuckles away from this event.

We were, however, there for everything on Day 2. Friday, July 17, found us up at Boondocks in Kaysville, where we first ate lunch together. Our meal consisted of pizza, chicken fingers, and other goodies. Three-year-old Sam kept us all entertained with his impromptu karaoke performance of Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things."


After lunch, we bought our respective four-hour passes and started off with a variety of outdoor activities. JB, my siblings, and a number of the niblings played on the water boats while I watched and statyed relatively dry. Ben broke a bat in the batting cages. There was also a rope course that looked pretty daunting from the ground below.


JB and I completed a course of mini golf, and we also joined Jana 1, Sadie, and Graham for a session on the go karts. In this pic, I'm not looking at JB's phone because I was too busy trying to get untangled from my seatbelt and arm belts and was seeking the aid of the ride operator:


Our afternoon together concluded with a massive game (over 25 people) of Laser Tag, something I hadn't played in years; my tally sheet at the end attested to this. Eighteen-year-old Jackson blew everyone away with his laser-shooting prowess—literally and figuratively, I guess?


In the evening, we congregated at Ben's and Adi's home in Centerville for a barbecue, which included Steve's custom-made fat burgers, fresh watermelon, and other delicious treats. After eating, we set up a screen for an outdoor movie, the family-friendly new release Sheep Detectives.



Day 3 fell on Saturday, July 18, and it brought us up to Syracuse, where we rented out a private swimming pool and pickleball court. Due to my sore right foot (see the boot I'm wearing in the pics below), I didn't get in the water nor did I play any pickleball. But everyone who did had a great time, and I was content to watch on the sidelines and eat lunch (a sandwich and other snacks).



This "pickleswim," as it came to be called, was a great success. (It was JB who discovered this wonderful location and got us interested in going there in the first place.)


Our staycation was capped off later that evening at Steve's and Summer's home in North Salt Lake, featuring food and games. Yours truly was dealing with a migraine and stayed home, but JB went and had a good time with the whole gang.

All told, I'd give the staycation concept 9.5 out of 10 stars. The activities were fun, and the company was even better. Perhaps we will do another one next summer?

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