Board and Card Games. Usually more of a group thing, board and card games are a fabulous way to have fun when the weather isn’t cooperating. If you are willing to spend a little money, start the night by picking and buying a new game from the store.

Bookworm Date. Visiting local book stores can be a perfect way to spend a cold day.  Browsing through different book titles can help you get to know each others interests while also providing amusement and enlightening on different subjects.   Finish the night by stopping at the Cocoa bean on your way home!

Do a Puzzle: Puzzles are a fun, low key and creative way to get to know a person. Be ready with things to talk about, sitting in silence can be rather awkward!

Go bowling. Bowling is a great way to get to know someone in a fun low pressure environment. There is no shame in putting up the bumpers if you are a little rusty!

Home Cooked Goodness!: Impress your date with your awesome cooking skills! Spend the night buying, cooking and eating dinner together at one of your apartments. Get creative with it for example try eating with no utensils, or spaghetti without plates. Post your own successes and ideas in the comment section.  Don’t forget desert!

Have an Indoor Picnic: Lay a blanket in the living room and have a basket full of fun picnic foods. Come up with different ideas on how to make the room appear like summer.

Craft Fair: Doing Crafts are an excellent way to stay entertained when you don’t want to be outside. Bust out the crayons, markers, finger paints, glue and paper and other critical supplies as you create your masterpieces.   As long as everyone involved is having a good time, it really doesn’t matter what you do or make.  A great site for unique craft ideas is Craftster.org. You might try visiting an art gallery to compare.

Visit a Museum or Art Gallery: Looking at art can be a fun yet relaxing date. This can be expecially good if one or both of you knows a little about art and the humanities. Spend the night teaching each other about the different things you see.

Have a Photo Shoot: Put on the most ridiculous clothes you can find, then take time taking pictures of it. This can be especially fun at Desseret Industries or Goodwill. After you take the pictures have fun enhancing them using Photoshop or similar software. Post your pictures on facebook or another blog.

Go to a play or other live performance: Almost everywhere you visit you can find live performing arts. A relaxing way to enjoy yourself as someone else provides the entertainment!

It’s challenging to stay active during Rexburg winters. And none of us like feeling like an idle “tub of lard” so… Here’s a list of climbing gyms! It’s fun, affordable, WARM, active, and social!

If you climb please share your thoughts on each gym in the comments below. Your feedback is valuable.

If you aren’t a climber…. what the heck is wrong with you! You’ll love it! And this winter is the perfect time! Ask anyone that climbs. It’s the perfect addiction : )  It works your body, mind, and builds your confidence.

This makes a great date or family/group activity. Go do it… then come back and share!

Regional Rock Walls

Author’s Review

Regional Rock Walls is the only indoor climbing gym in Rexburg with longer routes. I like this place because there’s a good variety of climbing. You end up paying more for it, but it’s still pretty cheap.

More about Regional Rock Walls – Videos, pictures, directions, pricing and more…

Sticks and Stones

Author’s Review

Sticks and Stones climbing gym is great if you like “bouldering”. Bouldering Definition: Short, hard climbing routes using no rope.

Sticks and Stones offers great traverses, about a 30 foot bouldering roof, and the cheapest Rexburg area prices. You can still rope up, but it’s limited. I have bought a climbing pass here.

More about Sticks and Stones – Videos, pictures, directions, pricing and more…

Stonewalls Rock Gym

Author’s Review

The YMCA owns Stoneswalls Rock Gym. It’s located in Idaho Falls. There are dozens of high climbs to rope up for, plus a great bouldering area. It’s offers the most and naturally is the most expensive. But it’s still pretty cheap… especially if you are a YMCA member.

More about Stonewalls Rock Gym – Videos, pictures, directions, pricing and more…

1. Picnic in the park.
2. Free concerts.
3. Make paper airplanes (good ones) and fly them off a bridge or tall building.  (Pick up your trash when you’re done mister!)
4. Homemade ice cream…..Bucket, large empty can, ice, rock salt, spoon…..Shallow layer of ice and salt in bucket.  Place the can in the bucket and surround with ice and salt.  Cream in the can (no lid necessary) and use the spoon to stir…..Stir and scrape the sides as the cream freezes. (~ 20 minutes.)
5. Google for recipes
6. Roller blade and park talk!
7. Hiking (with picnic)
8. Make kites
9. Glow-in-the-dark croquet….Put glow-in-the-dark tape on each ball, stick, and bridge. Play after dark…..Or play using flashlights.
10. Rock climbing
11. Sledding and hot chocolate
12. Snowman and hot chocolate
13. Backpacker’s dinner
14. Murder mystery dinner (Borrow a game and make dinner.  Requires 4 couples. )
15. Star gazing and star talk!
16. Bon fire, s’mores, hot dogs, and fire talk!
17. Dollar movie and ice cream
18. Scenic drive and car talk!
19. Lectures (not classroom lectures, but interesting and special campus or community lectures)
20. Fireside with private refreshments and mingle (but not that private.)
21. Homemade dinner and table talk! (Make it all together or wow the lucky lady with your culinary skills.)
22. Go for a wall … to an ice cream store… while your dinner is in the oven… to the park… around
23. the neighborhood
24. Running
25. Biking
26. Canoeing
27. Game night with other couples.
28. Rent a movie (Shouldn’t happen more than once a month and never on one of the first three dates.)
29. “Chutes and Ladders” bowling. # of pins you knock down = # of spaces moved along the board.
30. Make cookies and deliver anonymously to perfect strangers, ward members needing a boost, or your neighbors and hers.
31. Chinese checkers or chess in the park.
32. Service date at welfare square (Bishop Warehouse or cannery)
33. Games with elderly at a rest home.
34. National Enquirer read-a-thon.
35. Buy 2 pints of ice cream (one for each of you) and 2 National Enquirers.
36. Go to a park.
37. Look for crazy stories to read to each other.
38. Visit a ghost town.
39. Visit a farm.
40. Homespun movie
41. Write a 5-10 minute movie script…..Film it…..Watch it with popcorn.
42. Farm and fruit pie
43. Visit a local farm (or a neighbor’s tree) where you can pick the fruit yourself. (Farm’s usually charge per bushel or ½ bushel)….Pick the fruit…..Make a fruit pie or smoothie.
44. Bigger and Better…Each couple gets $5 to shop at a garage sale or dollar store….Go to the houses of complete strangers and try to trade your treasure for something bigger and better.
45. Dancing
46. Pay for it and go early for the free lessons.
47. Free swing lessons every Thursday evening in the Union Ballroom at the U of U.
48. Homemade pizza
49. Gingerbread houses (during Christmas, of course.)
50. Tour an art museum.
51. Scavenger / treasure hunt.
52. Picture scavenger hunt with digital cameras.
53. Road Rally (clues at each location that lead you to a token item and a new location)
54. Frisbee golf
55. Make your own course if there isn’t one.
56. Build a golf course.
57. Make your own golf course…..Play golf on your course!
58. Claymation Movie
59. Make play-dough….Make a 30 second film out of your play-dough creations.
60. Swimming.
61. Night swimming at a lake.
62. Marshmallow assassination in the park.
63. Backwards date night…..Kiss at the door when you pick her up…..Do your activity….Eat dessert….Eat dinner.
64. Walk in the rain, then puddle jump.
65. Indoor campfire
66. Set out camp chairs, turn out the lights and gather around a lamp with the shade removed.
67. Roast hot dogs and s’mores on the kitchen stove.
68. Play the guitar and sing.
69. Candlelight dinner at the park.
70. Cow tipping.
71. Finger painting with pudding.
72. Theme night (everything has to do with a single idea)….”J” everything you eat or do has to start with the letter J…..”Red” everything you eat has to be red, everything you use in your activities has to be red…..“Gym” night, do everything at a local sports complex
73. Gardening for an elderly neighbor.
74. Build or fix something for a needy neighbor.
75. Trick or Can and deliver the goods to a local food bank.
76. Serve food at a soup kitchen.
77. Random acts of kindness…Rake someone’s yard….Wash windows at someone’s house…Shovel the snow on their drive way…Clean off the snow from their cars….
78. Walk down a busy road with M&M’s and wave at the cars of the same color as the M&M you just ate.
79. Go to a thrift shop and purchase an outfit.  Go somewhere in your new threads.
80. Check out your favorite childhood books from the library and read them to each other. (Or read them to the children at the homeless day care center.)
81. Eat a picnic lunch and read one of Shakespeare’s plays (Have several couples and assign parts.)
82. Make spaghetti.  Tie everyone’s right hand to the left hand of the person at his or her right.  Give ‘em forks and go for it!
83. Deserted Island: eat dinner on the island in the middle of a road.
84. Make dinner for the missionaries.
85. Go to the family history library (or stake office) and do extractions or family history research.
86. Make visits to those who don’t get out very often.
87. Early morning breakfast and watch the sun rise!
88. Go caroling… even if it isn’t around Christmas.
89. Go to a baseball game late (then you’ll get in free).
90. Nintendo play-offs.  Find an old style Nintendo and all the games you used to play.
91. Dress up for Halloween and go Trick or Treating.  (Only to your friends, of course.)
92. Cowboy poetry.  Write the piece and the music together on a guitar.  (Even if neither of you play.)
93. Pumpkin Carving
94. Kindergarten themed night:   finger painting, play with blocks, nap time, coloring, story time…
95. Tin foil dinners
96. 5 $ dinner cooking for other couples
97. 5 $ dinner for each other

Overview

R Mountain is a popular hike located about 20 minutes from Downtown Rexburg. Its actual name is The Menan Buttes, but because of the obvious giant “R” painted on its side it is popularly known as “R Mountain”.

Formed by lava, this dormant volcano makes for a great morning, afternoon or even night time hike. Climbing to the crater takes about.5-1.5 hrs depending on your speed and the trail you take. The view from the top is amazing! You can see the Snake River, the City of Rexburg, the Sand Dunes and the Tetons all at the same time.

The best and easiest trail is the front side. (The side without the “R”) To get to it you turn right at the four way stop right before the mountain. (You’ll see a sign advising you to turn left to get the “Mountain Butte”) Continue down that path until you get to the Entrance. (You can’t miss it)

Directions

You will need…

• Good shoes – The trail is rocky with lots of weeds and bushes
• Camera – The View is something you’ll want to remember and show others
• Flashlight / Head Lamp – If your going at night (or late evening)
• Snack – The hike can make you hungry
• Bug Repellent – There are mosquitoes
• Be aware of snakes - There are rattlers out during certain times of the year. But they’ll warn ya!

Overview

A hidden forest beauty, Mesa Falls is only an hour away from Rexburg. Located just outside of Ashton, these thundering beauties are a must see for anyone interested in the outdoors.

The Upper and Lower Falls have trails that take you to within 50 ft of the falling water. The Upper Falls are over 110 ft tall where as the Lower Falls cascades at about 85 feet. The easiest way to get there is to take the Main road all the way through Ashton and continue on it for 15 to 20 minutes until you see the signs for Mesa Falls.

(Trail Head Info?)

Directions

Don’t Forget…

• Bug repellent as there are tons of mosquitoes

• Good shoes (if you plan on hiking into see the falls close up)… we recommend it!

• Binoculars to get a better view from the road

• Camera and extra batteries

Further Resources

byways.org

visitidaho.org

]]> http://www.spiffylist.com/rexburg-mesa-falls/feed/ 0 http://www.spiffylist.com/badger-creek-bouldering/ http://www.spiffylist.com/badger-creek-bouldering/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:31:03 +0000 Joel http://spiffylist.bryankwilliams.com/?p=19 Overview

The Badger Creek Boulders are a close option all skill levels of bouldering. I hadn’t heard of the area, but was pleasantly surprised with the amount of bouldering routes there. The texture of the rock is phenomenal and there is a good variety of types of bouldering problems including:

• Slab
• Overhanging
• Vertical, and
• Crack

In case you don’t know…

Bouldering is rock climbing on short routes (5-15 feet high) where no ropes are used. It’s great because you’re free! No ropes. No gear.

Just you, your shoes, some chalk and the rock…

And (if you’re smart) a spotter!

These videos will just might get you hooked…

Directions

Distance: (from Rexburg, Idaho)  48 miles
Travel Time: (from Rexburg, Idaho)  About 30-40 minutes

1. Go East on HWY 33 (towards Driggs) Pass Green Canyon (link)
2. Before you enter Tetonia you’ll see a gravel road on the left. It’ cuts back… (before the road you’ll see a sign on the right that says something like “BYU-I Badger Creek”
3. Get on this gravel road and don’t turn stay straight It will stay straight for a 2 or 3 miles
4. Finally, you’ll come to some trees, the actually Badger Creek Bridge (very small) and a “T” in the road. Go Right at the “T”.
5. Go down a mile or two and look up to at the hill to your left. You’ll see the boulders. If you haven’t keep driving and keep your eyes on the hill on the left side as you drive. You’ll see them.
6. Park off the road so there is no accidents
7. The trail head can be found at the far end of the boulders (where another dirt road is on the left)

Costs:

Money:

• FREE (unless you rent chalk and shoes for around $10)
• Gas – it’s about 40 miles

Time:

• 40 minutes out, 40 minutes back
• 1hr 30 min climbing
• TOTAL = 3 hrs.

You Will Need…

• Climbing shoes (if you have them great… if not you can still have fun
• Chalk Bag (helps you grip the rock)
• Friends to enjoy and for spotting

You May Want…

• A bouldering pad (or “crash pad”) I’ve never brought one, but I’ve also never pushed myself as hard as I’d like to.
• Shoe Mat (for wiping your shoes before getting on a problem or route)
• Camera

Further Resources

Community members and BYU-I Students can rent (or buy) the needed gear (shoes and chalk bag) at the BYU-I Outdoor Recreation Cener (ORC)

ORC Information:

• Hours: Mon-Fri 9 am – 6 pm, Sat 8 am – 5pm
• Location: Under BYU-I Statium
• Phone: (208) 496 – 2100  (phone reservations from 1-3 pm daily)