Informative and Fun!

A couple of weeks ago we went on another weekend adventure.

It was very cool, and not expensive. Two requirements for entertaining a family on a budget!

The next Vanna White

Looking across the mine.

The kids were fascinated by the giant trucks and machinery.

These dump trucks are as big, if not bigger, than our house!

For perspective, see that little dot between the dump trucks? That's a pick up truck, and not a small one either...

These are the tires for the dump trucks!

Can you find Jake?

There he is.

We went into the visitor's center and spent a long time looking at all the displays and watching different videos about how they mine the copper and other minerals, and how we use copper.

Vanna White again.

This was really neat. On the black turntable is all the different minerals they mine here, and you can look through the microscopes to see them. This was a favorite for all of us. 

The kids were thrilled when they found this compass. Lila was convinced that they had found a treasure map.

The girls thought that this was a witch's cauldron.

It's actually a bucket that the early miners used to carry ore to the surface. They would even ride up and down in them.

We also spent quite a long time browsing in the gift shop, mostly because it takes all of my family forever to make a decision! The girls finally ended up picking out copper earrings, Jake got a polished stone arrowhead necklace and a copper pencil sharpener in the shape of an airplane, and Brian found a steel ring which he was happy about because his wedding ring hasn't fit for awhile and he had been looking for a temporary one until we can afford to get it sized up. When we got back to the car he asked what I had picked out for a souvenir, and when I said I didn't get anything he kept asking if I wanted to go back and pick something out. (He does that male thing where he feels bad if he gets something and I don't.) I kept saying I was fine, and he kept urging me to go back in. Finally I told him that I didn't want to get anything here, but if we ever find a gift shop that sells yarn all bets are off! He laughed and agreed and we started for home.

But then he realized we were right by a mountain loop road that ends up in Tooele, that he's "always wanted to drive" and since a big part of these weekend adventures is to satisfy his love of taking long drives I agreed. We had taken my Highlander because after driving his van on washboard, dirt roads when we went to the Golden Spike National Monument and rattling something loose in the back (fortunately it just turned out to be the spare tire which he tightened back down.) we've decided not to take chances with the outrageously expensive vehicle anymore. And it was a good thing too, the loop ended up being a one car width, unimproved, dirt road at the top.

A pretty view looking out over the mountains, once I stopped hyperventilating long enough to look. (I really don't enjoy off-roading of any type...)

Lila slept through the whole drive. I wish I could have too!

Once we got back on paved streets I was able to relax and agree that it had been a good day.