Bryce Canyon Hike

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Mossy Cave Trail

Yesterday evening we braved the Mossy Cave trail, just up the street from our campsite. I say ‘braved’ because we almost didn’t go because of the weather. Despite cloudy skies, it was a beautiful, cool evening and we had the trail nearly all to ourselves, which was nice. 

Playing near the falls
Stomping
Falls overlook
Rose was happy to find a tree her size
Playing near the creek.

Bryce Canyon Hike

This morning we hiked the Sunrise/Sunset Loop in Bryce Canyon National Park. It was really cool. 

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End of a long day

Kanab (Zion) -> Tropic (Bryce)

Today we made the short journey from Kanab, UT to Tropic, UT, near Bryce Canyon. It was only a 90 minute drive, which was nice. 

I had an accident during setup and I got slammed in the face by the sway bar handle. It hurt and I was down for a while. 

Once I was feeling better we headed into the park to do some planning. Then we had dinner, and a short swim. It is cooling off nicely, too nicely to swim too long. There is a hot tub here and the kids enjoyed that.

Zion National Park

We had a fun time at Zion National Park. By the end of the day it was much less crowded and we enjoyed some beautiful hikes. Susan makes fun of me for saying this, but it reminds me a lot of Ledges State Park, in Ames. Maybe just on a larger scale. 

Our Italian friend took this picture before we were even ready. I guess it turned out OK. Many of us are looking to the side because there was another car driving past that was trying to get a picture of the sign and we thought it was funny because we are all going to be in their picture.
Dinner spot. The Chinese family in this picture was on a very similar timeline as us and we crossed paths many times throughout out time there.
Playing in the Virgin River, with our Chinese friends.
Headed toward The Narrows. Susan, Rose, Lucia, and I hung back while the older kids explored a little further into the beginnings of the canyon.
Time to head home

Grand Canyon

We had a great few days at the Grand Canyon. We arrived on Sunday, and hit the visitors center and the rim trail. On Monday Susan and the kids explored some more and then in the evening we road the red shuttle out to Hermit’s Rest, and then back to watch the sunset. On Tuesday we hiked down part of the Bright Angel trail. Susan and the kids explored some more on Wednesday before we headed out.

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San Angelo -> Grand Canyon

This weekend we made the drive from San Angelo, TX, to the Grand Canyon. We stopped overnight in Edgewood, NM, just outside of Albuquerque. The stop in Edgewood was nice. We were able to walk to a small playground down the street, watch a lightning storm in the distance, and watch for shooting stars after dark. The kids had the best view of the Milky Way they have ever seen and saw a great shooting star.

Rainbow Falls Hike

Today we did the Rainbow Falls hike. It is 2.7 miles, uphill, to the falls, then you have to come back down. It took us about 6 hours. The kids did great, with the older three leading the way. Lucia hiked probably 90% of it and did great. She was very hungry at lunch time and she took a nap on the drive home. Susan carried Rose in the Boba most of the day. 

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Clingman’s Dome

This evening we visited Clingman’s Dome. It is the highest point in the park and features an observation tower where you can some nice views. It was pretty crowded and the 1/2 mile hike uphill was interesting.

We’ll be back!