St. George and Beyond!

We had a super, super fun trip to St. George and Zions this May. Bruce narrated our vacation. Thanks Bruce!!! The only thing I would add is how much fun it was for me to take my kids to Zions where I have so many childhood memories. It is so great to live the memories again through the next generation.

Saturday
Now that we have three kids, we can’t put the back seat in the van down to carry all our stuff like we used to. We realized that if we were going to take much of anything with us, we had to either put it on top of the van, or pull it behind us. Since we already had the trailer hitch on the van, we started looking for a small enclosed trailer. We were excited to find one for sale on KSL.com. It held all of our clothes and food for the week, fishing equipment and chairs, and we still had room for the canopy and Jonny’s bike!
This was our first time using our Global Travel Network membership. We were very pleased with the clean, spacious and comfortable condominium we had at Sports Village. There were two large bedrooms, two large bathrooms, a decent sized kitchen and dining room, a living room and even a washer and dryer, which we put to good use. The grounds were beautifully maintained, and the palm trees made us feel like we were at some tropical destination.
Not surprisingly, it took us longer than we hoped to get on the road. I think we finally left around 11:30 AM, and I refused to stop for lunch until we were completely out of Utah Valley. We stopped in Nephi for lunch, and then only for bathroom breaks after that.

Sunday
Sunday was nice relaxing day. We went to Church with Richard and Kathryn, and were pleased to learn that Kathryn was singing a solo in Sacrament Meeting. We had planned to stay just for Sacrament Meeting, but Autumn really wanted to go to Nursery. Of course she didn’t know anyone in the nursery, but that didn’t bother her—she just wanted to play! Later that afternoon we went to Richard and Kathryn’s apartment for Sunday dinner. They made a delicious pork roast with all the trimmings and it was really nice to spend the evening relaxing and visiting.

Monday
On Monday we were ready to start the vacationing! We had read about the Dinosaur Museum at the Johnson Farm, and of course Jonny and Autumn were excited about that. This particular museum was the location of the largest track of dinosaur footprints anywhere in the world. Lenny was very kind and bought the kids dinosaur coloring books.

After lunch we set out for Snow Canyon to play in the Sand Dunes. Angie was much more ambitious than I was, and insisted that we hike to the big sand dunes, which of course was probably the best thing to do. Jonny had fun with his monster truck on the steep hills, and we had funning digging and playing in the sand. Of course we brought enough for a small sandbox back to the condo with us!

Tuesday
On Tuesday morning Richard joined us to go fishing. He suggested a little pond near the Entrada development, and it turned out to be a nice place to fish. None of us caught any fish, but Jonny was very excited when he pulled in some long grass with a dragonfly on it. He said, “Dad, this is the first animal I have ever caught!” We all enjoyed relaxing by the water and the beautiful scenery.

By afternoon we were ready to try out the swimming pool. In addition to the regular pool, they had a small kiddy pool (about two feet deep). We had a fun time playing with the blow up toys and splashing around in the water.

Lenny was very kind and took us to the Pizza Factory for dinner, which was very good. Then we drove up to the airport and dropped Lenny off, as he had to return to work. Jonny said, “Lenny, we don’t want you to go!”

Wednesday
We really enjoyed our hike in the Red Cliffs Recreation Area. Richard was very kind to show us this beautiful and amazing place (and to help carry Autumn in the backpack!). We hiked through the spectacular red rock landscape and eventually arrived at a narrow canyon with a stream and several pools of water. In order to continue beyond the biggest pool, you have to hold onto a rope and use some footholds that are carved into the rock. If you slip—you end up in the very cold water. I was quite surprised to hear our normally cautious Jonathan say that he wanted to go across the rock. I was hesitant at first, but he was so insistent that I agreed. Richard went first, Jonathan was next, and I followed closely behind. When we got to the other side, Jonathan said, “I want to do that again!” I told him that he was in luck, because we had to go back the same way we came. He quickly said, “No Dad—I want to go back and then do it again.” And he did. I was very proud of him! After the hike, we also enjoyed a picnic lunch in the trees next to the river.
That afternoon Angie was very tired and just needed to rest. I decided to take Jonny and Autumn to the “miniature golf” area in the basement of the clubhouse. I must admit I as a little disappointed (I guess I was expecting windmills and lighthouses, or something) but the kids were quite entertained. When we got tired of the golf, we went to the playground and had a fun time on the very tall slide and the swings. We had fun, and I’m fairly sure that Angie enjoyed her well-deserved rest!


Thursday
On Thursday Richard and Kathryn joined us early in the morning, and we set out for Zion National Park. Angie and I both have memories of family trips to Zion, and so it was fun to continue this tradition with our family. Jonny and Autumn liked the shuttle buses that take you up Zion canyon—Jonny thought it was especially cool that we got to ride on one with a giant spider picture on the side. Our first stop was Weeping Rock, a nice short hike, although a little bit steep in places. Next, we continued up the canyon to the River Walk, which ends where the Virgin River comes out of the Zion Narrows. The water was quite high, so we were not allowed to wade in the river, but it was a very beautiful hike and we enjoyed talking to Richard and Kathryn, who again were very kind to help with the kids. When we got the end of the hike we sat down and had a snack. Evidently we weren’t the only ones that were hungry. There were some very assertive squirrels that wanted the granola bars we were eating, and they weren’t shy about it. One even climbed in the stroller where Autumn was sleeping! Jonny had a fun time throwing rocks in the river, and finding a few pretty ones, which he gave to his Mom. When we made it back down the canyon to the car, it was way past lunch time. We ate our picnic lunch and decided to drive up the switchbacks and through the tunnels. We drove all the way to the East entrance of the park, and then turned around. On the way home we stopped in Springdale so the kids could use the bathroom and find a toy to take home with them.

Friday
Our trip to Sand Hollow Reservoir was quite an adventure. First we drove around the camping area to check it out for a possible future family camping trip. Eventually we found the beautiful red sand beach. Unfortunately, the parking area wasn’t very close to the beach, and so we had to carry our stuff (canopy, chairs, cooler with lunch, toys, towels, stroller for Brookley, etc.) about a quarter of a mile to reach the water. I made two trips, and it was slow going through the soft sand. Finally we got down to the water’s edge, and we set up our canopy. We had just set up our chairs, smeared sunscreen all over us and pulled the water toys out when the wind started. At first it wasn’t too bad, but soon I had to hold onto the canopy to keep it from blowing away! Then the sand started blowing, and before we knew it, the kids were crying because they had sand in their eyes, and anything that wasn’t held down was blowing across the beach. After a few minutes of this, we realized it wasn’t going to let up. We took the canopy down, loaded up our stuff the best we could, and started back for the car. Of course we couldn’t take everything in one trip, so as soon as Angie and kids were safely back in the van, I set out for one more trek through the sand storm. At that point, I was very glad that we were not camping at Sand Hollow Reservoir! And I was very glad that we had a nice comfortable condo to retreat to.
That afternoon we made one more attempt to enjoy the water—this time at the Sports Village pool. It was a little bit breezy, but we still had a nice time. Richard came over and played in the pool with us. Jonny and Autumn wore their life vests and played on the floating toys. It’s fun to see Jonny and Autumn become more comfortable in the water. Brookley just relaxed in the shade and napped in her stroller.

Saturday
By Saturday I was ready to head for home. I think Angie would have preferred another week, but you have to remember that I’m not used to spending that much time taking care of the kids! We felt very blessed to be able have a week to spend together. And we were very grateful for Lenny, Richard and Kathryn for making our trip that much better and for helping so much with the kids.