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!

Overview

Directions

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!

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)

Pics

Overview

There is tons of great biking in Jackson. Teton Village is just one area. I did some biking here with my brother and we had a blast!. The trails are at the bottom of the mountain and are mainly cross country single track. Some of them are really clean and buffed out; others have technical sections with rocks and tree roots.

You can get a map of the trails from the lodge… it’s almost impossible to get lost. You have the option of biking up or paying $10 and riding the chair lift. The chair lift only gains about 300 feet in elevation, so if you are in decent shape save yourself the 10 buck, because once your are up there… you are up there (because it’s cross country single track).

This is a great area for those who want a fun ride that isn’t really overly intense. It will still work you, but it’s not so advanced that it’s “impossible”. If you have any questions there is staff all around to help.

Make sure you watch my brother wipe out in the video! You can tell he had no clue it was coming! LOL!

- joel

Directions

Traveling Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Distance: 96.5 miles

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Rexburg+Idaho&daddr=6895+N.+Bowman+Rd.+Teton+Village+,+WY+83012&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=43.820657,-110.775146&sspn=0.992808,0.933838&ie=UTF8&z=8

You May Want To Bring…

A group, but it can be fun to hit it hard with one person.

Don’t Forget…

Helmet, sunblock, water, energy food, duct-tape, and camera : )

Further Resources

This is a great book! It explains in detail other great areas to bike in Jackson and is “thee book” on the subject Jackson mt. biking. Check it out…

1. Capture the flag in the sand dunes
2. Cook foil dinners at sand dunes
3. Go to the sand dunes and have a bon fire
4. Go to the sand dunes and have a fire and play games in the sand
5. Jump off the sand dunes
6. Play glow in the dark Frisbee at the sand dunes
7. Play hide and go seek at the sand dunes…in the dark.
8. Play tackle football at the sand dunes
9. Ride four-wheelers at sand dunes
10. Sand boarding at sand dunes
11. Sand Dunes and a cookout
12. Sled down sand dunes
13. Take turns burying each other at the sand dunes, and then enjoy a fire with smores and stargazing
14. Volleyball at the sand dunes