{"id":2855,"date":"2016-10-29T00:02:57","date_gmt":"2016-10-29T07:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/?p=2855"},"modified":"2016-10-28T21:04:59","modified_gmt":"2016-10-29T04:04:59","slug":"halloween-adventures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/featured\/halloween-adventures\/","title":{"rendered":"Halloween Adventures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week I offered some interesting places to explore as Halloween approaches. \u00a0This week, just before Halloween, I’d like to offer more.<\/p>\n

Goblins<\/h1>\n

Goblins are small, grotesque and evil creatures from European folklore. \u00a0They really didn’t\u00a0have much to do with Halloween until author Jack Prelutsky included a poem\u00a0titled “The Goblin” in his 1977 children’s book It’s Halloween<\/em><\/a>. There, \u00a0the goblin was a green lumpy character with glasses that patiently waited in a tree and wanted to play while the child said “Go away!” \u00a0Well, believe it or not, there is a state park dedicated to goblins.<\/p>\n

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Goblin Valley State Park<\/h3>\n
\"goblin<\/a>

Goblin Valley<\/p><\/div>\n

You can see lots of goblins at Goblin Valley State Park in Utah, not the living ones from folklore, but goblins made of rock. \u00a0Otherwise known as hoodoos, the rock formations were\u00a0created\u00a0when a hard layer of rock, usually of volcanic origin, came to rest over a softer layer of rock, typically sandstone. \u00a0Over the eons erosion separated the hard rock into segments\u00a0and washed some away, along with the sandstone that was no longer protected by the hard rock. \u00a0The result are\u00a0mushroom-shaped formations that reminded early visitors of goblins. \u00a0If you’ve seen the 1999 movie Galaxy Quest<\/em><\/a>, and remember the giant rock monster chasing the hero, \u00a0you’ve seen some of the goblins in this park.<\/p>\n

To explore the goblins, you’ll need to visit the park. \u00a0It gets way too hot in the summer there, \u00a0so plan your visit for the spring or fall – around Halloween would be about right! \u00a0There is a campground and Valley of the Goblins (38\u02da33.826’N \u00a0110\u02da 42.125′ W) offers a great place to hike, especially if you like to get off the trails. \u00a0Green River, Utah, is the closet town and it’s a long way out there, so plan your trip accordingly.<\/p>\n

Pumpkins<\/h1>\n

Pumpkins are synonymous with Halloween in the United States, but the tradition only began in\u00a0the 1900’s . \u00a0All kinds of creepy and scary faces are carved into pumpkins creating an array of whimsical jack-o’-lanterns. \u00a0The general idea is that these\u00a0jack-o’-lanterns will scare away demons and can come in handy on Halloween.<\/p>\n

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Pumpkin Park<\/h3>\n

Many farms across the U.S. offer opportunities to explore pumpkin patches and many families make great adventures at these places. \u00a0There is also a Pumpkin Park, in Houston, Texas (29\u02da 44.525’N 95\u02da 26.014’W), that you can explore. \u00a0It’s also known as River Oaks Park, but the pumpkin carriage makes it pumpkin park to the locals. \u00a0It’s an urban park that offers a community center, a trail, basket ball, volley ball and and a great playground. \u00a0Here’s \u00a0a short video that will tell you all about it:<\/p>\n