Top 10 Must Visit Spots...

I love traveling. Or at least I think would love traveling if I ever did actually travel. There are places that I would really like to visit someday. Exotic locales that every world traveler would call a must see! I will go and it will be incredible and some places I will love and want to visit again.

However there are already certain places that I return to again and again. They are my Wailing Wall, my Jerusalem, my Mecca. I go because I feel connected to these places and because they are part of my history. They are reminders of where I come from and where I want to be. I hope all of you have places like this.

I went to one of these places a few weeks ago. I doubt you have ever been there and if you haven't then most likely you never ever will. I don't know the real address but to me it would be addressed as:

My Blue Heaven or Bide a While Haven
Wasatch Resort
The Canyon

While in the canyon I visit a museum that could not be more impressive to me than the Met or the Louvre. Over here are some steps made of massive stones put into place by my great-grandfather. I know because I sat on one of those steps looking at an old picture of him putting it into place while my grandmother told me the story.

The rocks themselves talk of the history of this place. My children can tell you of how the men working at the temple quarry would drill into the rocks and pour in water and the the water would freeze and crack the rocks. The put their fingers into the holes left in some rocks as we take our walks. The massive rocks have thousands of stories to tell. Climbing rocks, naming rocks, discovering rocks, conquering rocks and even losing rocks is all part of the experience. We lost Table Rock in the floods of '83. This massive, flat and beautiful granite rock that sat at the side of the creek where we would all climb up on was the scene of many a lunch.

The ancient trails that are known only by a select few. It is so entertaining to see hikers and bikers travel on their beaten path right past Cool Water where freezing cold water bubbles right out of the earth in a beautiful shaded area. The Water Tower where we used to be amazed as our intrepid Uncle Mitch would climb up and reach way down with his pink and white round cup and get us all a drink.

Up the canyon even the cups have historical significance. There are the baby blue/white, pink/white thick plastic cups that are in Grandmas cabin. But the ultimate drinking experience comes from the dented metal cups in the main cabin. There is a joy that comes from filling up these cups with the glacier-licious water that comes straight from the tap. The cups instantly become the temperature of the water which just heightens the anticipation of that first sip. Mmmm. It is so cold.

The fine amenities of the 5 star resorts are not be found here. Indeed some of the best parts of the canyon are the windows that stick and the floor that slants. There is also an unwritten rule that although there is a TV and DVD player available they are never to be turned on. You have to find your own entertainment. There are lizards to be caught and rocks to be thrown. There is the fort you made last year that you have to find, repair and improve upon. It is here the kids learn to play Monopoly and PIT. At night you play kick the can and it is the best because there are so many places to hide and it is so dark! The creek is a dangerous focal point of our trip. It is gloriously powerful right now so it is a bit of a worry because water+unlimited rocks= boys paradise. I enjoy it more when it slows down to a lazy trickle and the pools fill up and you can jump from rock to rock to rock. Or you can add a bit of an adventure and throw big rocks into the little pools and totally soak your unsuspecting brother who is standing nearby!The best part of the creek is the noise it makes when you are sleeping. There is nothing more relaxing in the world than that sound and combined with the cool summer breeze that blows in the old wood windows is the best medicine for any insomniac!All of these attractions are nothing compared to the connection that I feel with family while I am there. The entire place is a treasure box where I store little snippets of memories of family. Each memory as unique and wonderful as the person who gave it to me. Great-grandma Ashton sitting at her kitchen table tatting, Grandpa Carter repairing something, Grandma taking us to visit her cousins down the road, aunts playing PIT, uncles climbing rocks, cousins playing kick the can, 2nd cousins teaching me Solitaire, great-aunts bringing cherries to munch on, Mom taking us on hikes, brothers having waterfights and sisters swinging on the swing and talking until late into the night and now my kids and their cousins are filling their own memory box. I love hearing them reminisce about their adventures on the ride home. Each of these memories tie me to these marvelous people and I feel stronger when I leave there. What other place in the world can do that for me?