Driving on American Fork Canyon Trailhead - General/Family/Recommend

If you're in the Utah area, specifically the Salt Lake City area, then you need to travel south into the American Fork Mountains for some beginner trailheads along with some of the most peaceful and mind blowing views. If you're wanting some peace and quiet with a few dead zones but where you don't even realize you've spent almost four hours in the mountain this is the place for you.

Granted I'm not an experienced trailhead traveler by any means but this one will definitely teach you on whether or not you can trust yourself and if you trust your vehicle. You'll go up the mountain feeling confidant but let me tell you, you'll end up coming down the mountain humbled by its vast display of ginormous magnitude and in the fact that you weren't as experienced a driver as you thought! Where the adult/s may learn if you have children its a peaceful and truly fun experience-well depending how you make of it anyway.

I'm already in a sense incorporating homeschooling into my kids daily experiences and my mom is assisting or primarily enforcing them at this point because of my work. My youngest in 2020 is closing in on turning three when I decide to take this adventure. So I purposely ask for the day off and plan the adventure for my mom and two kiddos. We pack up snacks and lunches because along the route of this trailhead there's a beautiful riverbed/creek bed area; so my plan was for us to enjoy the trailhead in the vehicle and then on the turn back we have our picnic lunch by the river for the children to experience the quiet serene that is nature. I load up the vehicle with the necessities for emergencies: my kids extra pair of clothes (as my oldest is already potty trained and my youngest is almost perfect now at potty training), extra shoes to clean off dirt/dust, alcohol wipes, baby wipes, emergency water, water filled canteens, weatherproof warm jackets (because no joke the moment you enter the mouth of the mountains the temperatures drops from where you started), Clorox wipes, picnic cushion blanket, and my traveling toddler potty. My mom and kiddos are loaded up and we are rocking and rolling!

You'll drive towards the Lehi city and exit going towards W Timpanogos Hwy (92) where you'll enter into the Timpanogos Cave National Park and Mountain Ridges. Going through Lehi is beautiful and you won't forget it!

You'll go onto W Alpine Loop Rd to a trailhead entrance thats a dirt road and the journey begins into the American Fork Mountains. You'll be then officially taking the American Fork Canyon Rd and the entrance to the trailhead is after you pass a very cool mountain top lake (since the road takes you up in elevation before entering into the trailhead). 

My family and I had already taken the main road through these mountains but definitely not into this hidden gem. My mom was thinking it was going to be smooth sailing and no risk or concern...I pointed out the riverbed we would be stopping at on the way back when we starting our incline up the mountain on some of the narrow and rock edge areas of the trail. Lots of rock, bumpy ride, and the children excited at the views and at the drop off we are driving alongside! 

My mom being in the passenger seat is a little more on hedge but continually admits there is something so spell binding when you're up in the mountains (whether Utah, Colorado, New Mexico-just this specific experience is Utah). I think so many people focus on the red rock or red rock mountain areas of the state that they don't expand upon the other beautiful areas and mountain national parks, not just the ski cities like that of Park City. Don't get me wrong! We love the Park City area and the drive but that's not all that Utah has to offer...

Unfortunately we didn't get to go all the way to the end and then turn back, nope! The plan turned challenging and fun and courageous when we had to stop for a potty break. 

There was an easy turnaround at the end of the trailhead (which was only a 4.73 something mile long trailhead) but we had to make the turnaround at the halfway point! We had already finished the dangerous part of the incline and it wouldn't been some smooth sailing but my mother mentioned to us that as a way to get back and then enjoy the riverbed. So there I go driving into a turn around to go back down the mountain. Yes, you guessed it I didn't have some souped up SUV but I definitely tested the limits and constraints of a trust worthy manufacturer and their 4x4 all wheel drive. It didn't disappoint, oh and for the records the vehicles in the mountain states ARE different then the typical baseline vehicles I the southern states....

We made our way back down the mountain to the river bed. Now that for me I felt was the more treacherous part because of the breaking and ABS breaks kicking in but damn if I didn't trust my vehicle and my ability in this moment more than ever! My mom wasn't having mini heart attacks anymore being on thee drop off so she enjoyed the view more. Then we had the most fun when we had vehicles on our side, not once on the drive up but again on the drive back down. We parked at the little spot where the riverbed and check points was on the trailhead; I could almost feel my mom sigh in relief and I'm pretty sure she was tempted to kiss the ground at that point! 

We got out our stuff to set up, relax to the soothing sounds of nature and the peacefully eerie silence in the mountain...you don't get moments like that unless you're in the moment believe me...not even in some retreat is it the same. God truly made magnificence in areas such as these.

So if you live in Utah and you haven't ventured here, commit and take the drive! If you are looking for a unique experience and somewhere new this is a spot for you. Don't take my word for it though! Try it and let me know how your experience was!

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman 

Andalous Mediterranean Grill - Recommend/General/Family

If you're in the north DFW area in Texas and you're wanting quality, healthy, delicious, and a solid buffet price! This is the place for you-whether it's on a date night or with your friends and family!

Their selections are fewer than that of Dimassi's Mediterranean Buffet off of 121 in Plano (on the south side) but as for quality, yeah, this one beats it by far! Their labels at Andalous are more accurate and as a fellow Celiac Disease individual they have my stamp of approval! Just like that of other locations drinks are included, although I'll admit that personally the delicious coffee blend is my highlight - whether I'm drinking it with my meal or as a dessert after the meal drink. Their selections of warm items are as I mentioned earlier, less but better quality. Fewer fish selections and a better variety of the chicken and meat protein selections. Their salads are cleaner and fresher, both in crunch and cleanliness of the vegetation. As for their dessert selection, Andalous hands down beats the other Mediterranean Buffet locations in the metroplex.

They are family friendly, and though my kiddos enjoy their fruit and dessert station my children truly enjoy the food there. Their location allows for ample space and a clear view for customers moving around your kids - which when mothers are just trying to enjoy their meal, this goes a long way! They have a large dining hall as well off the side of the main dining room which allows for the bigger and more noisy patrons as well. Overall, it's a must location and a return spot for delicious food!

I would say that Andalous gives Ali Baba's a run for their money and location, however where Ali Baba is more known and has some special items for their buffet, Andalous beats even them (in my opinion) because of the continued freshness and shoot even the space (especially when Ali Baba has customers that never fail all the time, to have annoying kids running around and screaming and hitting your chairs)! 

Don't take my word for it and try it yourself! Venture out and reward your palettes! 

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman

At Home Coke Icee! - General/Family

So I saw this video at a Thai restaurant and in that video there's a side cart on the street in their native land with glass bottles of Coke and Dr. Pepper and even Root Bear, where they turn them into an instant icee to go in a cup! It's chemistry at work for sure while also being a cool trick to do at home. 

Without knowing for sure what they did or didn't do and after looking at some Thailand YouTube clips of the same side cart stand I did (2) different trials and only (1) of the (2) was successful. So I tried recreating the shaking/stirring machines with a large pot and filled it with ice all around the glass bottles. 

That was a cool chemical reaction to witness and feel as I was "stirring" up the coke bottles inside. Where the pot easily had a few from my spinning and turning once the cold started to seep into the enclosed space than the pot became even harder to spin back and forth in either direction. The top of the pot also seemed to create this sealed like reaction with minimal condensation and a lot of COLD to the touch. 

Well sadly I didn't have the additional assistance to keeping piling in ice and putting in some salt like I was supposed to- so all in all maybe this would be a success if you're willing to be there a while! While also having a second pair of hands to keeping piling in crushed ice to create the colder temperatures and also pour over some salt. Although with the frosted glass and pouring in what I did frost, some of the coke turned into nice cold icicles once poured into the frosted glass.

The second trial and error turned out to be a success even though I didn't have their freezing stirring/shaking tool. I ended up cheating and placed the glass bottles in the freezer. Removing them about 3.5 or 4 hours later. Now that was truly delicious! Once removing the glass bottles you lightly tap the edges of the glass bottle, then uncap the bottle cap slightly to allow air flow in and you'll instantly see a chemical reaction where the coke inside the bottle gets nicely frosted! 

Be careful of a little leaking or overflow but easily wipe it away and stick in your straw to enjoy! Try it for yourself, believe me as a kid it's a fun science experiment and as an adult! It's just freaking delicious!

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman