Venturing to "Another Earth"

Today I went to the Broadway Center Cinemas for the very first time.  This theater specializes in what I would call independent or art films.  Since this is the only place to see some of these movies (they don't run in the local multiplexes), we ventured to downtown Salt Lake City on a Saturday afternoon.  We were lucky and got a parking space right across the street from the theater (angled parking with a meter).  On weekends, parking is free and there is no time limit, so it was perfect.  There is a public parking lot just east of the movie theater entrance as well.

Poster for "Another Earth"

The Broadway Centre Cinema is now run by the Salt Lake Film Society which offers a wide variety of films.  I actually found several playing there that I would like to see, so I will hopefully be making a return trip very soon.  The day we went was a birthday celebration for the organization, and we even got free cake.  With free parking, free cake, and a movie that didn't leave your ears ringing, it was definitely a pleasant experience.

This theater is old, so the seats are not the huge, padded, rocking ones you may be used to.  Nor is there stadium seating.  Still, if you grew up going to the movies in these old-school theaters, it really isn't a problem.

I didn't try the snack bar (except for the free cake), but there are more varied offerings here than popcorn and soda.

"Another Earth" begins with a tragic accident in which a bright young student accepted into MIT crashes her car into the vehicle of a talented music composer/professor and his family.  The events that follow take place literally under another earth that has appeared in the sky and is several times larger than the moon.  Subtly in the background, scientists try to make contact with "Earth 2" while Rhoda (the student) and John (the professor) try to move on through their lives with little success.  Rhoda applies to win a trip to Earth 2, and in the meantime, her life and John's intersect and connect.  Besides all of the things Rhoda and John are trying to work through, there are interesting ideas here.  If you existed in another parallel universe, or on another earth, do you think your life would be the same?  Would you be a better version of yourself?  The characters in this movie discuss what they would say to themselves if they ran into another version of them.  What would you say to yourself?

It was great to see a movie where you didn't need earplugs or 3-D glasses.  If you want to see quieter films that make you think, this is a great venue.

Dinosaurs Almost Extinct at Hogle Zoo!

Megalosaurus

Zoorassic Park is in its final days.  If you have not yet been to Hogle Zoo to see the animatronic dinosaurs, you are running out of time!  The dinosaurs will be gone after August 31, 2011.  So, just in case you can't make it to the zoo in the next few days, here a few highlights!

Baby Styracosaurus

The baby styracosaurus calls to his nearby mother.

Dilophosaurus

The dilophosaurus sprays water on patrons.  On a hot day like today, the spray was definitely welcome, and people waited in the "spray zone" to cool off.  The baby dilophosaurus sprays too.

Crazed Dilophosaurus waits to spray people.

Kentrosaurus

This kentrosaurus differs from a stegosaurus because of the shoulder spikes.

Parasaurolophus

This parasaurolophus is thought to use it's "horn" shaped head to project noises.

Allosaurus

Did you know allosaurus is Utah's State Dinosaur?  (Did you know Utah had a state dinosaur?--Well, now you do!)

Tyrannosaurus Rex

While many of the dinosaurs in this exhibit are built on a smaller scale, T-rex was made full-size.  Note the large feet to support its bulk.

T-rex - could you outrun him?

Tyrannosaurus Rex

We had to admit when that big head moved and made threatening noises, it was a bit unsettling to think about how it would be to meet a live Tyrannosaurus Rex.  Hogle Zoo has 13 different dinosaurs positioned around the zoo.  Unfortunately, I couldn't photograph them all for you, but hopefully this will give you a taste of "Zoorassic Park."  It was fun to have the dinosaurs for the summer!

The Stagecoach Inn

The Stagecoach Inn in Fairfield, Utah

The Stagecoach Inn is across the street from the commissary museum at Camp Floyd State Park.  This inn was (obviously) a place where stagecoach passengers could stop and stay overnight.  Sometimes Pony Express riders stayed here as well.  The inn was built by John Carson in 1858. He and his wife raised 9 children in the three rooms for the family in the northeast wing of the building.

One of the Carson family rooms at the Stagecoach Inn.

This is a beautifully kept building.  All of the rooms are furnished, and there are interpretive signs on the walls. After leaving the CampFloyd commissary museum, park employees sent us across the street to explore the Stagecoach Inn on our own.  This inn is a real treasure!

Dining room

Guests ate their meals at the inn.  Breakfast cost 25 cents, while lunch and dinner were 35 cents each.  Quite a mix of stage coach passengers, drivers, and Pony Express riders would have eaten in this room.

The reception room.

Arriving guests gathered in the reception room.  Later, when teachers boarded at the inn after the construction of the Fairfield school, this became a study room.  John Carson had rules for those staying at his Inn.  No drinking or gambling were allowed.  (Maybe he thought the saloons in Fairfield provided enough of that). Instead, activities like music, reading, and square dancing were available for guests at the Inn.

Guest room at the Stagecoach Inn

View of another guest room.

Guest rooms had beds, wash basins, and some form of storage cupboards or dressers for clothing.  They actually looked quite comfortable.

Gentlemen's Washroom

The gents got their own washroom at the Inn.  There were no such niceties for the ladies.  Perhaps guests were predominantly male, or perhaps providing facilities for women was not genteel.  It does make one wonder if the women were just expected to stay hot and sweaty, or if the men really needed a bath!

Men's "toilet" from the washroom

Bullet hole in the wall.

One of the guests was cleaning a gun that went off one night at the Inn.  The bullet traveled through the wall of his room, and through a narrow hall into another guest's bedroom.  Fortunately, that guest had just lain down for the night, and was not injured.  The holes remain in the walls.

Bullet hole in Stagecoach Inn wall.

Make sure you explore all of the guest areas to find these bullet holes in the walls if you go to this wonderful inn.  West of the building is a park area with picnic tables and restrooms.  The Stagecoach Inn is included in your fee for the visit to Camp Floyd State Park.

Visiting Camp Floyd State Park

 Commissary Museum at Camp Floyd State Park

Nothing really remains of the old Camp Floyd.  However, this small state park in Fairfield, Utah, is worth a visit.  Camp Floyd was built about 1858, and was occupied until the soldiers there were recalled to fight in the Civil War in 1861.  President James Buchanan sent over 3000 soldiers to Utah to suppress a rumored rebellion, now referred to as the Utah war.  Camp Floyd was built in the aftermath, partly so the soldiers could keep an eye on the Mormons.  The result was an army encampment that made the population of Fairfield swell (it was temporarily the third largest city in the state).

Area where Camp Floyd once stood --cemetery is south of here.

Today, the only things that remain from the original camp are the Commissary building (now the museum), and the Camp Floyd cemetery.  The cemetery is undergoing a bit of a remodel.  Research indicates there were more headstones than people buried at the cemetery, so a project is underway to remove all old, inaccurate headstones, and place the correct number of  headstones in the cemetery.  Since there are no records indicating who was buried where, the headstones will not have names on them.  A plaque will be installed to list those who are known to be buried there.  (A fire obliterated the original wooden headstones).

Bullets are some of the artifacts on display.

The museum has a lot of information in a small space.  We watched a 10-minute DVD segment about the history of the Utah war and Camp Floyd (including interesting tidbits like the fact that the Mormons burned Ft. Bridger).  Then we wandered through the exhibits.  There are old photos on the display, and informational signs.  Display cases contain artifacts excavated at the site of the old Camp Floyd.  There are bullet casings, a bone toothbrush, dishes, coins, and more.

Opening exhibit at the Camp Floyd museum

Photo at the museum indicated Fairfield had 17 saloons at one time, and was known as Frogtown.

The displays are designed to give you a feel for camp life and they detail activities, living conditions, and more about the lives of the soldiers stationed here.  Some local areas are named after the soldiers who explored in their free time, including Simpson Springs and Soldier Hollow.  There is a model at the museum showing the layout of the original camp.  Several of the soldiers stationed at Camp Floyd went on to become Civil War generals.  One of these includes Albert Sidney Johnston (of "Johnston's Army" fame).

Detail from a display listing Civil War notables who served at Camp Floyd.

Civil War display at Camp Floyd.

Park employees are helpful in answering any questions.  After your visit to the Commissary museum, they will direct you across the street to the Stagecoach Inn (a personal favorite!).  There is a small gift shop at the front of the museum that has Civil war themed items, books, and a few snacks.

Children and teens of Scout age (boys or girls) can earn a patch while they are visiting Camp Floyd by filling out a few pages in a little workbook.  The answers are found in the museum and nearby Stagecoach Inn.  The patches are available at a minimal cost.  There is also a geocache site at Camp Floyd.  A pavilion and park area west of the Stagecoach Inn offers a shady spot for a gathering or picnic lunch.  For details on Camp Floyd State Park, driving directions, and the various activities offered throughout the year, click here.

The Art of Camp Cooking - Dinner

For our camp dinners this summer, we really went with the tried and true.  The first night we roasted hot dogs over the campfire, and then made s'mores.  The second night we made foil dinners and dutch oven dessert.  We seasoned our hamburger and divided it into patties at home.  Then at camp, we only had to slice vegetables and assemble the dinners.  We used potatoes, carrots, green peppers, and onion.  Assemble everything on your sheet of foil, season as desired, and fold the foil into a packet.  We double-wrapped ours.

Putting together a foil dinner

We started a fire to prepare coals before putting the dinners together.  Our fire was very hot, and the coals actually died out rather quickly (apparently the type of wood you use matters), so we ended up using some charcoal we had started for the dutch oven dessert.  Then, of course, we had to start more coals for the dutch oven, but one of the fun things about camping is changing your pace of life and not being on the clock, and just rolling with things as they come up!

Getting coals ready for cooking

Cooking the foil dinners on the coals.

We cooked our foil dinners about 20 minutes per side.  You can hear them steaming and sizzling when they are getting done.  Mine turned out great!  No raw hamburger or crunchy potatoes this time!

One of our campers shows off his foil dinner.

A large salad balanced the meal.

Before eating our foil dinners, we made a simple dutch oven dessert.  This cobbler requires hardly any preparation.  First, we opened 2 cans of pie filling (we chose raspberry).

Starting the dutch oven dessert - pie filling

Adding the cake mix.

We then added a box of white cake mix.  After that, we poured a can of lemon-lime soda (I used Sprite) over the whole thing.  Pour slowly to keep fizz at a minimum.  Then we cooked everything in the dutch oven.  We used about a 3 to 1 ratio of top to bottom coals...7 -8 coals on the bottom, 21 - 24 on the top.  Our dutch oven is a 12 inch "deep" oven, so with a shallower or smaller oven, you could probably use fewer coals.  This dessert took about an hour.  Turn the lid and rotate the oven a couple of times while cooking.

Dutch oven dessert cooking while the foil dinners finish in the firepit.

Raspberry cobbler - dig in!

It was great eating a warm cobbler by the campfire.  We even had whipped cream to top it off.

Note:  heat water and clean your dutch oven after use.  We scrubbed ours out with a bristly brush and hot water, then put it back on the coals until the water evaporated.  Afterwards, coat your oven with a thin layer of cooking oil while still hot.  This keeps it seasoned for the next use. 

Happy camping!