March 17, 2018 Utah

Day 9: Saturday March 17, 2018:

It’s now around midnight in Dallas and what a long day.  I walked this morning, thank goodness, then breakfast then on the road at 7:30am Gallup time.  The drive really wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated.  

We stopped in Tucumcari, NM for lunch at Del’s along Historic Route 66 and driving down that street was like driving back in time 60 years.  Del’s opened in 1956.  It was a neat experience.  We also read up on all the interesting movies, mostly westerns, that were filmed in or where Tucumcari is referenced. 

We got gas outside of Amarillo then drove through a rain storm and enjoyed a beautiful rainbow in Wichita Falls. 

Then a quick stop at a Dairy Queen in Henrietta, TX then to Fort Worth to pick up Hooper.  We stayed and shared some stories of our trip then got back in the car around 10:45 and cruised into the driveway around 11:45.  The beginning odometer read 35,536 and the ending read 38,773, for a total of 3,237 miles. 

This was a trip for the ages and just look at all the swag. 

Swag!

 I can’t wait to go back and I don’t want to go back to work…ever.

Did I mention that Nick and I plan now, to retire in Utah?  Just looking for the least Mormon suburb we can find - nothing against Mormons, it's just that we're Methodist.

March 16, 2018 Utah

Day 8: Friday March 16, 2018:

It was 11 degrees when we woke up this morning but crisp and clear and we likely missed a stunning sunrise.  But we had a great breakfast then got on the road around 8am and the first leg of the trip was back down Route 12, the scenic road that goes by Red Rock Canyon and is known for the red tunnels.  

We drove first to Page (where we spent some time on our Spring Break last year) and checked out the Horseshoe Bend Lookout again.  There was construction so we looked up what they were doing and they’re planning and constructing a path that goes down to the lookout along with an observation deck.   

We grabbed some Taco Bell in Page then drove to Monument Valley, AZ / UT.  It was neat but not as great as I had expected it to be. 

Sign in Monument Valley (it hugs the AZ, UT border) that captured the trip!

From there we drove to Four Corners via Mexican Hat, UT, home of Mexican Hat Rock, and were surprised that we had to pay $5 per person for basically nothing.  It’s probably always been this way but it was very commercialized and taken over by the Navajo Tribe.  It was the cheesiest, campiest thing we’ve done on this trip but the kids needed to mark it off their bucket lists.  And Grant and Nick played catch in two states J

Standing in Four states at once.

Next was Shiprock, NM.  We didn’t stop but we did see it from three sides and it was massive – looked more like a castle than a ship but still interesting.  The rock is a much darker brown; very different from all of the red rock we’ve been seeing for the last week.

Shiprock

And finally, from Shiprock to Gallup, a 90 minute drive where the kids went through every cuss word they could think of in every different language they could remember.  It was toilet humor for most of the drive.  We’re staying at another incredible Best Western.  After we checked in we ate at Jerry’s Café, at the recommendation of the lady at the front desk and the restaurant was tiny but good.  We had the best sopaipilla ever.  But after Grant read over my shoulder what I just typed, he requested that I amend this to say that Grant didn’t think it was the best sopaipilla ever. 

Jerry's Cafe

Now it’s 8:30pm.  Nick’s sending work emails, Grant’s playing NBA2K18 on his Nintendo Switch, Ryan’s watching videos on YouTube and I’m blogging and trying not to think about the 14-15 hour trek home tomorrow.  Since tomorrow’s Saturday, I have to exercise for 45 minutes which means I’ll be in the Fitness Center at 6am.  But we all have costumes we’ll be sporting for St. Patty’s Day so hopefully that will make the drive more fun.  I don’t want this trip to end.   

March 15, 2018 Utah

Day 7: Thursday March 15, 2018:

This morning after our last breakfast in our room, we begrudgingly left our Zion cabin.  

Our cabin the morning we were leaving. :-(

Since we’d bypassed the main visitor center on our way in, we drove back down that way to get the passbooks stamped with the official Zion stamp.  Then we drove out the Mt. Carmel Hwy route and it was breath taking.  It’s what I vividly remembered as a kid and it was a little unfortunate that we didn’t enter the park in that fashion because that’s where the canyon seems to unfold right before your eyes.  We drove through the mile long tunnel then saw a mountain goat up on the rocks just on the side of the road, right before stopping for pictures in front of the park sign. 

There's no good place to put this - just wanted to remember the shuttle system in case it changes.

Then it was onward and upward to Bryce.   We arrived around noon in a snow storm, which had its plusses and minuses.  We got our picture in front of the sign and this marks NUMBER 30!  We are past the half way point because there’s only 29 more to go!  

At the Visitor Center we picked up a little bit more swag and enjoyed the snow. 

Then we drove to Sunset Point and took a 2.9 mi hike through the amphitheater – the main attraction at Bryce.  Even though it was snowing, we had good visibility.  We hiked counter clockwise starting at the Navajo Trail that merged into the Queen’s Garden trail, about 2.5 miles total.  At the bottom of the canyon we heard woodpeckers around us and stood very quietly and watched a few of them.  The Queen’s Garden trail ended at Sunrise Point so we walked the .5 mi Rim Trail to get back to our car.  

Overlooking the Ampitheater.

Panorama of the Ampitheater!

The snow was picking up and it was now about 26 degrees outside so we continued down the main road of the park to the very end but at this point, there was no view at all.  It was a complete white-out. 

So we had to turn around and head back toward the exit, stopping once at Natural Bridge – very beautiful. 

Natural Bridge from the side of the road.

On our way out we drove through the campground that Nick stayed in about 20 years ago when he went on his trip.

At this point it was around 4pm so we checked into the Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel and it’s super nice, which is good because the kids were going at each other and both broke down into tears once we got to the room.  They are very different and spending so much time together I think is just starting to wear on them.  But besides a few rough mornings and a few squabbles, they’ve been wonderful and so fun to be with.  We settled in for a bit but because of the weather conditions, decided to head to dinner early.  We ate at a great restaurant just a few miles away, Bryce Canyon Pines, but didn’t stay long because Grant got all cramped up again and couldn’t/wouldn’t eat.

Around 7pm we decided to make one more run into the park to try to catch the sunset so we went back out to Sunset Point but it was just us and a dozen or so people from China.  We all got a chuckle out of hearing a dad yell at his kids to “be careful because it’s vewy swippewy out here.”  Translation – very slippery. 

Seeing as how we were standing in a raging snow storm, the sun never revealed itself so we called it quits around 7:20 and hit the Ruby’s Inn gift shop, across the street from where we’re staying.  Ruby’s Inn has been around for over 100 years.  Crazy!! 

"Sunset" at Sunset Point in Bryce

Now we’re back, lounging in the room and planning our day tomorrow.  It’ll be another great one and this has been the greatest family trip we’ve ever been on, although I’ve probably already said that. In one trip, rain, hail, sleet (freezing rain this morning) and snow - in that order!

I really can’t believe that in seven short years, we’ve made it to 30 national parks.  I SO LOVE THIS! 

 Who’d go back to Bryce:

Ryan: YES, YES, YES

Grant: Yes, only because I’m going back to all five in Utah.
Nick: Absolutely
Barb: Yes

March 14, 2018 Utah

Day 6: Wednesday March 14, 2018:

Today was one I'll never forget.  We got to the shuttle around 7:30 am (after a very grumpy Ryan struggled to get out of bed).  But we hit the Angel’s Landing trail head a little before 8:00 am and wow.  

It’s the hardest hike I’ve ever been on.  Since it’s Spring Break, I’d say 85-90% of the people on the trail were in college.  Ryan and Grant were two of probably six kids.  And there weren’t many over 40s either. 

While the first 2 miles of the hike were very steep, they weren’t treacherous.  

Non-treacherous part of Angel's Landing hike.

These are the Walter's Wiggles. - the steepest, non-treacherous part right before the treachery.

The last ½ mile was TREACHEROUS.  

The entire hike has a 1,500 ft elevation change and man was it scary.  We dropped our poles and packs at the sign that said “The next 0.5 miles are treacherous and people die every year.”  (It didn't literally say that). 

Once we got through the first section of chains, Grant freaked out and I don’t blame him.  He stayed back and Nick stayed with him which was so kind since he’s done this hike back before we got married.  I went the next ½ mile with Ryan and I was terrified the entire time.  Ryan was cool as a cucumber which blew my mind but I was genuinely terrified.  It’s a straight drop on either side of you and I was so scared that I really didn’t enjoy it.  When we got to the top, we took like three pictures, I started to cry (just from fear) and then the wind picked up pretty severely so I told Ryan we had to get back down ASAP. All I could think of was Krakauer's book "Into Thin Air" I gave her a big hug then down we went. 

Us at the top.

Getting down was as hard as getting up and it was mentally more challenging because people were coming up so you had to basically bear hug strangers in order to share the chain.  There was an amazing camaraderie that developed with the people immediately around us but holy crap, it was so flippin’ scary.   

We finally got back to where we left the boys and as soon as we did (within three minutes), it started raining.  As we were descending the Walter's Wiggles it began hailing for like 15 seconds, then it stopped and just kept raining.   Ryan had said before we started the hike that she was hoping she'd have a spiritual experience at the summit - that she wanted to hear Morgan Freeman's voice speak to her (she's decided that God sounds like Morgan Freeman).  At first I felt bad that my fear may have ruined her spiritual experience but then I thought, "Well I had a spiritual experience because I heard Morgan Freeman tell me to get our asses off that summit before the hail started."  :-)

I was SO grateful that it didn’t rain while Ryan and I were at the top. When we finally got the bottom (about 5 miles round trip) we went to the “fast food” restaurant in the lodge and got cheeseburgers and French fries.  Ryan was very Zen about the whole thing and Grant was regretful.  I honestly don’t know if he made the right decision to stop or not but I felt really badly for Nick.  And my gut tells me that Grant made the right decision.  I have NEVER taken a hike that’s anything like Angel’s Landing was.

After lunch we went back to our cabin and changed into dry clothes so that we could go on the Emerald Pools trails.  But as soon as we got on the trail head (which is directly across the street from the lodge) it began raining again so we only made it to the lower pool then turned around and took the shuttle to the main visitor center to look around for a bit.  But man, I almost fainted (WAY dehydrated).  We'd dropped our packs with a half mile to go and so we had no water whatsoever.  So we went back to the room and have been chilling out here ever since. 

Nick and I both took cat naps and Grant played on his Nintendo Switch while Ryan downloaded pictures and videos to her computer.  
Then Grant and I played Skip Bo.  Grant and Nick threw the ball for a while then we went back to the Lodge Gift Shop and got some swag.  We also picked up a few salads and came back to the room and ate some more Jet Boil meals.  Now we’re just hanging out and the kids are playing 1-2 Switch and it’s hilarious.  

While it’s only 8pm, I think I’ll be going to bed soon.  Man I’m tired.  My calves and shins are hurting, my knees are hurting…you name it and it pretty much hurts.

And we all pretty much have gas because the coffee is weak and the fruits and vegetables are few and far between.

Tomorrow we’re going to Bryce and it’s supposed to SNOW!  Could this trip get any more adventurous!!!!

Who’d go back to Zion NP?

Grant: Going back and doing Angel’s Landing in two years…Big yes, huge yes.

Ryan: Yes
Nick: Oh, yes.
Barb: Definitely (Grant’s been calling me Blarb the whole trip so he wanted me to write that in here somewhere.  But Ryan came up with the nickname and has been calling me that for a year or so now.) I want to hike Angel’s Landing again, want to hike to the Upper Emerald Pool and want to spend an entire day hiking The Narrows.

March 13, 2018 Utah

Day 5: Tuesday March 13, 2018:

It got very cold last night so when I woke up to close the windows, the Big Dipper seemed to just be sitting outside my window.  I put my shoes on around 4:30am and walked outside and the stars were everywhere…EVERYWHERE. 

We got up around 6:30 or 7 and fixed breakfast in the room since there is NOWHERE to eat around here.  We had cereal, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, sausage and bananas all, basically, while sitting on the floor of our room.  

Breakfast on the floor

Our room (note the "snoring room" through the door)

The boys played catch a little bit more in the “street” (the highway) and then we drove back into Great Basin to the visitor’s center, to return our snow shoes and begin our cave tour.  We went on the 90 minute Grand Palace cave tour and with the exception of an older couple from Wisconsin, we were the only people on the tour with Peggy, a volunteer from New Hampshire.  The tour was fascinating but honestly, about 30 minutes too long.  But it was the only one available at the time we needed it. 

Inside Lehman Cave

The "Shields" in the cave - very rare to other caves.

From there we hit the road for Zion, with a little difficulty in getting any kind of cell service.  Grant cramped up badly (constipated) and was struggling in the car for hours.  We stopped in the town of Milford, UT got gas and ate at a Subway.  But along the way we saw about five hawks and a bald eagle fly up into the air just off the side of the road.  Grant started to feel a little bit better after we got back on the road.   

I think it was around 3pm that we entered the Kolob Visitor Center (it’s in the NW corner of Zion and only offers a five mile road and some hikes.)  We went ahead and got the passbooks stamped and bought hat pins and magnets.  I’d read in my national parks book that the 5 mile drive can cause people to “audibly gasp” when they round the corner and we did.  At the end of the road was a lookout so we got out, took some pictures, then drove back out the entrance and continued south to the main entrance.  

The end of Kolob Canyon Road with two sets of kids.  Gotta love panoramic!

The little town of Virgin was loaded up with road construction so it took us a little while to enter the park but we finally pulled in around 4:20pm.  Because we are staying at the lodge, we got to enter in our vehicle and park.

On the drive in, we learned that it’s going to rain all day tomorrow so we checked in, moved our car to outside our cabin (we're staying in a cabin at the Lodge, not the Lodge itself), and didn’t even go inside.  We changed into our hiking clothes and immediately grabbed the north-bound shuttle to the Hidden Canyon and Weeping Rock trails.  We got on the trailhead at 5pm and took off on a 2.5 mile round trip “Strenuous” trail to Hidden Canyon.  I’d read that it was very challenging, like Angel’s Landing, but that very few people actually do the hike.  It was fun (and hard).  

Part way up the Hidden Canyon trail.

The kids (and I) got to experience hiking with chains and it was a little bit stressful.  But they both felt very accomplished.  And Grant eliminated his cramp by going "#3" in the middle of the canyon while I guarded the path forward and Nick guided the path back.  It was nasty but he’s felt great ever since. Our family motto for the day was, “We came, we saw, we chit”.  The “chit” was from a funny t-shirt we say in Moab that said:

Ho

Lee
Chit

Then we took the short hike to see Weeping Rock – pretty cool.

It was getting late but I wanted to grab a north bound shuttle so that we could see the farthest most northern point of the park today before the rain tomorrow so we grabbed a shuttle around 7pm.  But the voice (there are recorded narrators on the shuttles - just to clarify that it was the voice in my head) on the shuttle who was describing The Narrows, the most beautiful part of the park, caused me to almost not be able to stay on the shuttle.  It was a flat mile back to The Narrows and even though it was starting to get dark, I couldn't resist.  So after a small argument, everyone came along.  It was gorgeous.  We saw some deer along the way since it was that neat time of the evening. 

We got back to the end of the trail and it was beautiful – a river basically going through a very narrow slot canyon that opens up and becomes Zion Canyon. 

The Narrows (definitely want to come back during warmer weather and hike the river)

We had to hurry back to the shuttle so that we didn’t have to walk all the way back to the lodge but we made it in time (around 8pm) and finally checked into our cabin and it’s great. 

Nick got out the Jet Boil stove and we had another dinner in the room – the boys had chicken and rice and Ryan and I had beef stick and cheese – very fancy. 

We now have to get to bed because we’re trying to tackle Angel’s Landing tomorrow before the rain comes and it’s coming pretty early.  We’re trying to get on the shuttle by 7:15pm.  It’s beautiful here and so quiet.

March 12, 2018 Utah

Day 4: Monday March 12, 2018:

Wow, what a day today was.  We got up this morning, had a nice breakfast and got on the road a little before 8am.  Our first stop of the day was Capitol Reef National Park.  

We called an audible last night and decided to take the Hickman Bridge Trail (1 hour out and 1 hour back).  

It was REMARKABLE – one of my favorites ever.  It’s an out-and-back but a tiny loop at the end that the sign recommended we tackle counter clockwise.  We accidentally went clockwise and it was better because we snuck up on the backside of a massive arch and could barely see it until we were underneath it.  And it just kept revealing itself and revealing itself.  It was massive!

We then drove to the Visitor Center and did our business and against the scenic 16 mi round trip drive.  We drove ¾ of a mile down the scenic drive road and had a picnic of PB&H sandwiches then got back on the road to Great Basin NP.

It was a long and desolate but beautiful drive to Great Basin.  At one point we saw a road sign that read "No services for the next 113 miles".  I don't think I've ever seen a sign like that before.  When we were about 100 miles outside of the park, we saw this beautiful big white dog on the side of the road and realized that he was a sheep herding dog, herding hundreds and hundreds of sheep that were wandering into the highway.  

We had to stop for them!  It was amazing.  Nick looked up the dog and it appears to have been a Great Pyrenees.  He was all by himself so I don’t know how he got dropped off and picked up but wow.  We pulled into Baker around 4:30 but it was actually 3:30 because we just crossed into the Pacific Time Zone.  Rather than check into the motel, which I’d been warning the kids for weeks, was going to be one of the worst places we’d ever stay, we drove into the park and were overwhelmed with how beautiful it was.  

At the Visitors Center, we “rented" snow shoes ($10 donation) and then drove up the scenic road to the north and parked at the Upper Lehman Creek Campground (because all the roads beyond that point were closed off due to snow).  Then we put on our snow shoes and trekked through the camp grounds at a 7,700 foot elevation.  It was certainly a first for all of us.  It was so very much fun. 

Afterwards it was time to check into the “crap hole” motel and low and behold, this place is spectacular.  It’s owned by a young couple from NYC and during the busy season they run a restaurant called Kerouac’s.  It’s an old road side motel with a courtyard in the middle.  There’s no places to eat at all and the town of Baker has 68 people.  But Nick brought a camp stove and after he and Grant threw the baseball in the middle of street while Ryan and I had “happy hour” with cheese and crackers and listened to the cows moo, he cooked up some chili mac and beef stroganoff, which the kids have been calling “Stangeoff”. 

Courtyard on the Stargazer Inn. Four rooms total, we were in the back left

We all decided that today was our favorite day of all and I was definitely anticipating this being the worst day of all.  What an amazing trip this has been.  Truly amazing.  Oh and we’ve found all but 12 license plates. 

The only bummer of the day is that it’s a little cloudy outside and considering this place is called the “Stargazer’s Inn”, I was hoping to see some of the greatest stars ever. 

Right now, it’s only 7:30 here but I’m admittedly exhausted. The kids have been stupendous and so much fun. Grant was really not looking forward to Great Basin and really didn’t want to go on “one more hike” but he loved snow shoeing. 

So who’d go back to:

Capitol Reef:
Nick: Probably not:
Grant: Maybe
Ryan: Yes
Barb: Probably not

Great Basin:

Nick: Yes, if we could camp (the campsites are gorgeous)
Grant: Easy yes
Ryan: Definitely yes
Barb: Definitely yes, in the summer when the trails are opened.  I wouldn’t do the cave tour again.  

March 11, 2018 Utah

Day 3: Sunday March 11, 2018:

We were up and eating breakfast around 7:30 (we survived Daylight Savings Time).  We got on the road around 8:15am after a good night’s sleep in what’s definitely an awesome motel!! 

We arrived at Canyonlands around 9am after seeing a wolf run across the road and after slowing down and taking pictures of cows who were moseying down the road.  

We took pictures in front of the sign (National Park #25) and then skipped the visitor’s center to go to Mesa Arch which was a 0.5mi loop hike.  I didn’t expect much at all but it was stunning, breathtaking, amazing.  I can’t say enough – it blew me away.  

Afterwards we drove over to Green River Overlook then onward to Grand View Overlook.  Both were great but nothing compared to Mesa Arch.  We stopped at the Visitor’s Center on the way out and bought our hat pins and magnet, then it was on to Arches.

 When we first pulled in around 11:30am, we waited in a VERY long line just to enter so I got a little panicked that we wouldn't get to everything we wanted to see but it worked out ok.  

The very long line

We started out at the Visitor’s Center with magnets/hat pins then dove all the way to the back of the park and parked by picnic tables and had a lunch of beef stick, cheese, apples, etc.  It was a little chilly (weather in the 50’s but really nice). 

Then we walked to the Devil’s Garden trail head and started our first hike.  The destination was Landscape Arch but we took a slight detour to see both Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch then on to Landscape Arch.  It was beautiful and we learned that in 1991 a large chunk of it fell off.  It made me wonder if it’ll still be there for my grandkids to see.  Grant was in a bad mood because it was a relatively easy, flat trail (aka boring).

Afterwards we went ahead and braved the Delicate Arch parking lot.  After a reasonably short wait, we got a spot and began the trek.  It’s a 3 mi round trip hike with about 400 feet of elevation change.  

It was a little tough and a little crowded but not terrible at all.  

And when we rounded the corner and saw the arch for the first time, I literally got tears in my eyes because I hadn’t seen it since I was 15.  The kids were both amazed and amazing.  We got close and took a picture of the kids standing underneath it.  Then we ate a snack and Grant threw a piece of his granola bar to a chipmunk.  There were a bunch of Millennials running around and not following the rules – they were climbing up on rocks they shouldn’t and the kids were not impressed.  We mocked Millennials all the way back to the car J

That is Ryan and Grant standing under the arch!

At this point it was around 4pm.  We took one last hike back to Double Arch, driving past The Windows, and it was cool.  There was a camper parked next to us with a little Jack Russell-like dog in the front seat and Grant went up and said, in a sweet voice, “Hey little puppy.” And the dog flipped his lid and growled at Grant like a rabid maniac – hilarious!  Then, a short 0.25 mi hike to Double Arch.

Double Arch

The line was so big when we arrived that we didn't get pictures in front of the sign so we did that on our way out. 

On the way back to town, Grant said to Ryan, “Look at those old gondolias.”  An exasperated Ryan replied, “They’re called GONDOLAS, not gondolias.”  It made us all laugh.

The kids decided that they wanted to eat noodles in a cup and mac ‘n cheese in our room so we didn’t go out to dinner but Nick picked up salads for each of us and I walked through the definition of several cuss words with the kids – awkward.  The salads were good.  Grant and I played a game of Skip Bo then Ryan, Grant and I headed down to the pool and hot tub.  The hot tub was huge and awesome and the pool was heated.  We’ve all really loved this motel and if we were to come back to Moab for a week or so, which I totally want to do, I’d stay here again. 

As of tonight, we’re starting a new addition to our blog.  We will each rate the park on whether or not it’s a park that we’d want to go back to at some point.

Mesa Verde:  Nick: No; Grant: Yes; Ryan: Yes, because I'm going back to all of them; Barb: No

Canyonlands: Nick: Yes, Grant: Yes; Ryan: Yes; Barb: Maybe
Arches: Nick: No; Grant: Heck yeah; Ryan: Yep, yep, yep, Barb: Yes

Today was very special and we had a lot of fun.  I’m mad that I forgot to go buy a Moab t-shirt because we’re on the road at 7:30 tomorrow morning to hit parks #27 and #28!!

Good night until tomorrow.