Without Further Ado.....A complete Trip Blog

Click here for Pictures from Day 3 to the end of our trip

Day3: Drive to Zion National Park and sightsee/hike.  Night in Springdale, UT.  Miles logged - 120 in car. (including 1.1 miles in a tunnel!) Total = 2436

Our drive to Zion Park was uneventful – yay! We drove through miles and miles of nothing and there was no cell service to be had most of the way. The last leg of the morning drive was beautiful as we approached the boundary of the park. To get into the park from the east (as we did) you have to drive through a 1.1 mile tunnel straight through rock.  The tunnel even has windows for ventilation.  Anna loved the tunnel. She begged for more trips through the tunnel immediately and throughout the rest of the trip.  Actually even today she asks for tunnels. I, on the other hand, didn’t mind the tunnel necessarily but the windy roads before and after did me in and I enjoyed being car sick for most of the day.

Our trip in Zion started with a stop at the visitors center complete with an Anna meltdown.  I got a few ideas for hikes and we went back to the car to eat lunch and plan our afternoon and the next day. There is a section of the park that is only accessible by shuttle bus.  We decided to take the shuttle to the last stop, Temple of Sinawava, and hike the river walk. The shuttle bus is narrated on the way up canyon and quiet on the way down canyon.  We listened to the narration and learned about the history of the park, weather, rock formations, animal life, etc.  It was a nice replacement for the visitor center film we certainly did not see (if there was one.) The hike was nice and along the river.  We had our first wildlife sighting when we spotted a mule deer in the riverbed. The hike ends for us ended at the Virgin River however for the more adventurous the hike continues in the river along The Narrows.  The canyon walls are so close the river is the only thing between them. Anna loved our snack break at the river’s edge.  She enjoyed playing in the water, which was much warmer than I expected.

Once back on the bus we stopped at the Big Bend stop to take in the sites and observe the rock climbers. Teeny tiny specs on the face of the canyon wall.  We were told they were on day two of the climb – they sleep hanging out up there! Our next stop on the bus was at Weeping Rock, a short steep hike that ends under a rock ledge that weeps. It was fun to be under the rock looking out at the canyon floor while the water dripped in front of us.  Or as Anna experienced, on us.  We had no idea she was getting dripped on and she didn’t say a thing until I realized she was soaked.

Dinner was enjoyed on the patio of a local Mexican(ish) restaurant.  I say Mexicanish because there were lots of burgers on the menu too and Anna enjoyed French fries of course while we enjoyed a burrito and a taco salad.

Day4: Zion National Park hikes. Night in Springdale, UT. Miles logged - none Total =2436

Breakfast at our RV park/ hotel was great.  It was just a typical continental hot breakfast but the man working there offered to make milk free eggs for Anna.  For my girl, who loves eggs and only half understands why she can’t eat some eggs and can eat others, this was awesome.  (Thanks to Tripadvisor I knew this was a possibility at this hotel.) Also the bread, cinnamon rolls, and scones were freshly baked on site by the baker.

Our first order of business was a trip through the tunnel to get to the trailhead of Canyon Overlook Trail.  Anna was thrilled and wanted to go right back through instead of hike with us. This was one of the most adventurous hikes we took.  There were steep drop-offs, narrow narrow places in the trail, and a section that reminded me more of rickety scaffolding than a trail. Surprisingly even with my new found fear of heights, I survived. Anna seems to take after Allen and has no fear.  The view from the end of the trail was amazing.  We could even see some of the windows in the tunnel. Anna and I enjoyed a snack while Allen explored.  I’m so thankful I couldn’t see where he was because I might have had a heart attack. I’m glad Anna couldn’t see because she doesn’t need any encouragement.

Everyone was ready for (and in need of) a nap so we went back to the hotel to do just that.  Afterwards, we were ready to conquer the Emerald Pools Trail and continued on to The Grotto.  Nice trail, very empty, especially on the portion that went on to the Grotto. 

It was laundry night so we ordered pizza from a local place and ate in the laundry mat.  Very classy.

Day5: Drive to Bryce Canyon National Park and sightsee. Night in Bryce Canyon City, UT. Miles logged - 87 in car.  Total = 2523

Another day, another tunnel ride.  This drive would be our last through the tunnel, something that Anna didn’t come to grips with for a while.  Bryce and Zion are close but the drive in between is windy, steep, and takes a lot longer than one would think. 

Once in Bryce Caynon National Park, I went into the visitor center alone while Allen made a PB&J sandwich for Anna. We decided that our hike would be the next morning and we took the scenic drive and stopped at numerous overlooks along the way.  Byrce, Rainbow, Natural Bridge, and Inspiration Point.  Many of the points required very little if any walking to see the canyon.  Inspiration Point did include a fairly steep hike but well worth it. 

My initial thought on Bryce Canyon was that it was underwhelming.  It is big and full of detail.  It was hard for me to really experience the beauty. This changed the next day when we ventured into the canyon.

Our afternoon at the hotel was packed.  We went to a local playground – probably the coolest playground we have ever been too. Dinner was next at our hotel, followed by a little grocery shopping (also at our hotel).  I can now say I’ve spent $5+ on a loaf of normal sandwich bread. We then tested out the hotel pool for a little.  I think the advertisement about a heated indoor pool was a little off. Brrr.

Day6: Sunrise in Bryce. Hike in Bryce. Drive to Arches National Park and sunset in Arches. Night in Moab, UT. Miles logged - 276 in car.  Total = 2799

The day started early – around 5:30. Anna fell asleep before we made it to Bryce Point so Allen enjoyed (& froze) the sunset from outside the car while I hung out in the car with the sleeping girl.  She woke up in time for Allen to be back at the car and ready to go on our hike.  It was the coldest morning on our trip – only 28° out!  On our way to the trail head Anna fell back asleep so we sat in the car eating breakfast and hoping the sun would at least raise the temp a few degrees.

We started our hike around 9 and it was still only 28°. We bundled up – Anna had two pairs of pants on, a sweat shirt, her coat, hat, and mittens.  This hike was amazing.  One of my favorites on the trip.  In Bryce you start at the top of the canyon and hike down (and back up) in Zion you start at the bottom (hike up and back down) so the beginning of our hike was the easy leg.  We started at Sunset Point, walked along the rim to Sunrise Point, and then started down into the canyon.  I had the camera for the first part of this hike and took a picture every five steps.  It was beautiful.  Every step. Every angle.  I was no longer underwhelmed by Bryce but amazed.  We walked through the Queens Garden and by Thors Hammer.  The last bit of this hike was crazy.  At least 10 ( I lost count) switchbacks. 100% worth it but crazy nonetheless.  We took some time to relax and have a second breakfast in the car when we were finished.  The rest of our day was spent driving to Arches National Park in Moab.  We planned on only going into the visitor center to make a plan for the next day but plans changed.  When we got the park brochure there was a section that listed what arches were best to view in the morning light and which were best to view in the afternoon light.  Of course we quickly scanned the afternoon list and got to it.   Dinner ended up being in the back of the car in between two arches.  The park itself was very interesting.  Lots of nothing and then beautiful massive arches out of nowhere. We went to Park Avenue, Balanced Rock, and The Window Arches.  Town was crazy busy because of a car show starting the next day.  All of the sudden the astronomical price we had to pay for our hotel made more sense.


Day7: Hike in Arches National Park. Night in Moab, UT. Miles logged - none Total = 2799

After breakfast in the hotel we got our day started in the park.  There are lots of different arches but no hikes of any length.  In fact, some of the hikes listed are only 0.3 miles.  One of the most amazing things I have ever seen was the Double Arch in this park. Absolutely stunning. Definitely “the” moment of this trip.  We also took in the sights of Delicate Arch from the lower viewpoint.  We opted to not make the hike to the upper viewpoint because of the no shade warning and the description of scrambling over open rock face.  Scrambling for someone caring a toddler in a hiking back pack and a pregnant girl just didn’t seem to sound right.  Our only hike of any significance for the day started at the Devils Garden Trailhead.  A 1.6 mile hike with a few out and backs off the main trail which probably resulted in a 2+ mile hike in all.  Along the way to Landscape Arch, we saw Tunnel Arch and Pinetree Arch.  Pinetree Arch worth the detour, Tunnel Arch not so much.  Landscape Arch is a very thin arch that spans a distance greater than a football field.  The trail ends near the base of the arch and it is difficult to get it all in one shot with our lenses.  However, it is very impressive and totally worth the (at times) grueling hike.  Anna ended up sleeping on this hike.  Perhaps the beating sun and heat wore her out?  

Our next stop was the Sand Dune Arch.  This very short “hike” was through sand which Anna LOVED walking in.  Funny how a pair of sneakers can make all the difference to her when walking in the sand.  Take them away and she won’t move an inch.  With them, she will run all over the place. This arch was tucked away in between some fins.  There were some narrow places and we had to go single file.  Allen even got wedge in one place and had to back out before he could turn around.  In his defense, the camera bag plus water bottle was what got wedged.  He was skinny enough to fit.

Dinner was at a local Mexican place that we could walk to from the hotel.  Remember that car show I mentioned?  Yea, it was in full swing and traffic was nightmarish. Anyway, a little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant was just across the street and got great reviews especially from locals.  We were happy with our dinner and even got to play frogger across 5 lines of traffic!  Here is where I admit to a Mom of the year behavior – Anna had three PB&J sandwhiches this day.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Breakfast was because there wasn’t anything dairy free at the free hotel breakfast.  Lunch because we were in the park and that is what we all had.  Dinner because she did not want any of our dinner and asked for one when we arrived back at the hotel.  It was a great day for her in her mind!

Day8: Drive to Salt Lake City and Hogle Zoo. Night in route to CLT. Miles logged - 250 in car. 1727 in air. Total =  4776 (1133 car)

Our last day was spent traveling to SLC for our red eye flight back to CLT.  Our drive was uneventful aside from our short stop at a rest area that doubled as a tiny train museum.  We decided to check out the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City before dinner and our flight.  Um, so did everyone else in the city.  It was super crowded.  I’m still not sure how we found a spot to park.  Oh, yea – we circled the parking lot forever.  Because of our membership to the NC Zoo, we were able to get in to this zoo half price.  It was a great zoo with lots of construction going on so it is going to get even better.  We really enjoyed the giraffe exhibit and Anna loved being able to go into their barn and see them inside on both the ground and first floors. We closed down the zoo and then found some dinner.   On our way to the airport we stopped to get some gas in our rental car.  At the gas station Anna asked, “Is this where I sleep tonight?”  It was so sweet but also gave us a good idea how her little mind processed the whole trip.  Ha!  Our flight back home was all that you expect a red eye to be with a toddler.  Nah, it wasn’t that bad.  She didn’t sleep too terribly much but she didn’t fuss either.  Thankfully we had all day Sunday to recuperate when we got home.