Snowshoeing at Doughnut Falls

Doughnut Falls is a nice quick hike during the summer months that leads to a hole with water gushing through that resembles a doughnut, hence the name. However, in the winter covered in snow the hike will take a bit longer, but because of the way the stream freezes over you are able to crawl down into a little cave and see the doughnut hole from the inside. 

We used snowshoes, the trail was packed down enough from other hikers that we probably would have been fine without them. But if you head up after a large snow storm you'll definitely want them to make the hike a little easier. 

The trailhead sits about 9 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon and is pretty easy to spot. In the winter you can't park as close to the trailhead as the main road is gated. So be prepared for a little extra walking. Summer or winter it's a nice little hike. Directions can be found here.

First time snowshoeing? Check out the First-Timer's Guide to Snowshoeing for a few tips and tricks and then give it a try. Great workout and depending on your location beautiful scenery. 

What Happens to Your Body After a Can of Coke

I've gone through cycles over the years of not drinking soda and drinking soda. At the moment I have a love/hate relationship going with Diet Dr. Pepper and Mt. Dew. I love the taste but because I don't drink them often they keep me awake at night.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/12/what-happens-to-your-body-within-an-hour-of-drinking-a-coke.aspx

http://www.trueactivist.com/what-happens-to-our-body-after-drinking-coca-cola/

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Visit-Green and Gorgeous

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

The Main Entrance

James Deering a well to do man in the early 1900's longed for a unique winter home built in Miami Florida. Rather than hire a well known architect he instead hired three young men and relatively inexperienced men to create his estate. The planning and construction by the 3 men lasted from 1910 to 1922 and the end result was quite unique indeed. Modeled after an old Italian county villa Deering made many large scale purchases of European antiques and then designed the home and grounds to house them. Vizcaya has been described as "the finest private house ever built in America." 

If you are in the area it is definitely worth the trip. The landscaped gardens are beautiful and the home is so unique it is hard to believe that people lived there at one time. If visiting in the summer months I would recommend going early in the morning to try and beat the heat and humidity a little bit. For some reason when we visited it was very quite and serene. I believe we only found ourselves running into another small group or two. It made it nice to see everything and be able to take our time as we walked around. I noticed that the website for Vizcaya says no photos are allowed indoors. When I visited that was not the case so you will see some indoor pictures here. 

As we were walking the grounds I couldn't help but feel a bit of deja vu as if I had seen this place before even though this was my first visit to Miami. Toward the end of the morning I figured it out. Jim Carrey filmed part of Ace Ventura at this home. Which made me love the place all the more. Enjoy the photos. For more information on Vizcaya visit their site here.

One of the many intricate doorways.

Stained Glass Windows…. and me. :)

Entrance to the large court yard in the middle of the home.

Decorative Ceiling

Ceiling and doorway

Another indoor room. I love the ship on the ceiling.

Staircase from the top.

Front of the waterside property.

Little lizard friend. This was as close as I dared get to him. I was sure he would attack.

Another water view.

Entrance to the Gardens.

Color Entrance to the Gardens.

Those are my favorites from the trip. LOVED LOVED LOVED these pools at the end of the gardens. Maybe it was because I was hot and thirsty. They looked so refreshing. I almost wanted to dive in for a swim. More like a wade I guess. They don't look very deep.

Crystal Geyser near Green River Utah-A Unique Trip Worth Taking

Ever been to the middle of nowhere? Want to? Green River Utah can feel like the middle of nowhere with it's desert landscape. Upon giving it a chance you'll find some unique places that you may be glad you took the time to find.

First stop. Crystal Geyser. Just off Interstate 70 you'll find the cold water geyser waiting to erupt. There is no set schedule other than "sporadically every 12-16 hours". So if you are lucky enough to see it consider yourself well, lucky. 

Getting it's power from carbon dioxide the geyser is a rare cold water geyser. Said to shoot up to 60 feet high but most often around 30 feet. 

The geyser sits at the top of the oddest orange and white rocks that are deposits left over from the geyser I am assuming. The geyser itself sits amid a pool of water that it always letting of a little bit of water. Kids love playing in it. So if you have kids be prepared for that. I couldn't get a clear shot of the pipe hole because there were always kids around it. There were adults there as well having fun walking around in the water.

Worth a day trip if you are in the area or plan to be in the area. Enjoy!

Items I would suggest bringing:

Water

Sunscreen
Sunglasses-It's bright!

Food if you'll be staying long

Towels

Water shoes if you have them-I was in tennis shoes and was fine but there were some parts I could not get to without getting wet. You can walk around barefoot as well.

Shorts and or swimsuits for little ones if weather permits.

Layers in case it is a warm

*Directions to get to the geyser from Green River follow the pictures.

Some children wading in the geyser pool.

Geyser water run off into the Green River.

Green River.

The Ground all around the Geyser. You can walk on it barefoot. It is quite smooth.

*To get to the Crystal Geyser, begin at the intersection of Main Street and Hastings Road driving east. Cross over Interstate 70 (do not get on the interstate) and turn left onto the frontage road. At mile 3.7, turn right onto the graded dirt road. Over the next several miles, you will pass through varied landscapes. Pass under the power lines and veer right at mile 7.2 to head west towards the Green River. After another half a mile, you’ve arrived at the Crystal Geyser. The mineralized water will not hurt you, but it is not potable. Even if you miss an eruption, the amazing mineral-formed travertine terraces are incredible to explore and view along the riverbank. Visiting this odd landscape, where the surface is wrinkled and pools of water linger, is reward enough for the short trip to the Crystal Geyser. Once you’re done exploring, return to Green River the way you came.

Click here for More Information on the Crystal Geyser

Some of the bluffs just outside of Green River.