Red Rocks and Lot's of Sand

Well greetings! Sorry it has taken me longer than I anticipated getting the rest of the trip on the blog site. Now where did we leave off? On to Monday etc. We woke up groggy after getting to bed late Sunday! We did get the laundry done though. I whisked the curtains open and beheld a world of red rock.

Moab is in a valley with the Colorado River running at its entrance. It was warm but windyeeeee. We packed up and got out of the room just before check out at 11:00 AM and headed for Denny’s for some brunch. There sure are a lot of them around. I hadn’t noticed it before but I am seeing them everywhere we go. The food was stick to your ribs and the kids were ready to go.

We headed out of town all of three miles to Arches National Park. I yet again stopped at the visitor’s center to get Tristan & Trevor their workbooks for a patch. They have earned two so far. We drove up the side of the plateau and it opened up into these massive rock formations. They are beautiful and something you don’t see in the Northwest. The colors are amazing and the shapes are marvelous.


We drove instead of hiking to each site otherwise it would have taken days. We saw the Three Gossips, Balanced Rock, Double Arch, Delicate Arch and many more. Plenty of photo ops and there was more to see but it would have taken more time than we had. No critter sightings but we all got bit by the prickly sagebrush and cactus plants along the trails. The wind was blowing so hard you actually had your own personal sand exfoliation. After about 3 hours we headed out.




We stopped at the visitor’s center and received the kid’s patches and posed for pictures. On the way out of Moab we stopped at a rock shop and the kid’s picked out fossils and rocks to have as mementos from the trip. Although Trevor had a moment in the rock shop where he refused to come to me, instead making the bad decision to run and hide by some rare fossils and rocks, a few defiant NO’s and running from mom landed him in paddle city and time out with Dad in the car. He fell asleep in mere minutes. Can we say Tired?

The rest on the day was on the road getting to the Grand Canyon. The road was long. We did see Monument Valley and rocks and sand and more red rocks and oh a house and rocks and sage brush and red rocks and sand and ….get the picture. It is 9:00 PM and we made it to the South Rim Grand Canyon Village. More on that next.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

As promised here I am again. It is Sunday evening and we are settling into bed in Moab. We made it here in good time and I actually took the kids to the outdoor pool for a swim. Ryan got to do laundry.




We got up late, sleeping in after getting in so late. The Easter Bunny put in an appearance very early this morning and the kids had a wonderful time trying to find the eggs. We had breakfast then hit the dinosaur museum and the quarry. The boys did both Jr. Ranger programs and earned their badges. They saw and learned a lot about dinosaurs and had a lot of fun. We took a hike in the quarry. The trail we took goes up a wash and there are numerous rock formations. The colors and shapes were a sight to behold. The boys saw eight lizards and collected a large quantity of small rocks that were VERY important. I had fun taking pictures of sights and textures.







We then headed down to Moab, UT via Colorado through the scenic route. The sights were unique and awesome! We all had fun trying to spot any and all types of animals. We saw 3 dead rabbits, a herd of antelope, numerous mule deer, three crows, a blue bird, numerous cows, a possible black bear sighting and a large amount of elk. Ryan was beside himself with excitement. There were well over 150 amongst all the herds we saw. It was beautiful. At the top of the pass we stopped. The wind was between 40-60 mph and COLD, but the sight was awesome. From there we put the pedal to the metal and hit the road hard.





It was dark before we reached Moab and we have no idea what the terrain is like other than the pictures we see. But we made it in time to eat, play in the pool, do laundry and relax. Well it’s another day and tomorrow it is Arches National Park then off to the Grand Canyon. We hope to get an earlier start tomorrow. Goodnight for now and God Bless. Ilena

VACATION

It has been one day over a month since I last wrote. A lot has taken place since then and all though I do have a little remorse for not being so consistent with my writing. I do know that with practice, a little patience and a some more persistence that I will become a dependable wealth of information and nonsense.

It is 1:47 A.M. Easter Sunday and my family and myself have finally arrived at our current destination, Vernal Utah. We started our holiday Friday and drove from our home to my sister's home in Nampa, Idaho. We had a late start so we didn't arrive until late. Saturday we awoke with the intention of getting an early start but the day had other ideas. But hey we are on vacation so let's go with the flow...


We woke late, fixed breakfast for everyone and during our meal our parents happened by. It was quite jovial. Thanks to Dan (my B-in-L)and his trip to the coffeshop we were awake enough to enjoy the day. Mari surprised us all by earlier having hidden eggs for an Easter Egg hunt. Needless to say the kid's were thrilled. Note the Picture with trophies in hand.

After having packed the car, cleaning up breakfast and settling down from the excitement of candy and the thrill of the hunt we were ALL off on the start of the days trip. I had planned to head straight to Salt Lake City then to the cabals store, eat a late lunch then onto Vernal. We made other plans deciding to go see Shoshone Falls since they are spectacular this year with the over flow of water.


The men took one vehicle and Mari, myself and the three munch-kins the other. Dan and Ryan (my husband) took an alternate route and we headed out to meet them further on. Needless to say us girls got talking and we totally missed the exit to Twin Falls. You can chalk it up to being oblivious thinking a nice bright green sign would let us know when and where to turn. Didn't happen. We made it to Burley and wondered where Twin Falls went. We fessed up to the guys and they got a good chuckle over it. We made it to the gorge (see pic below) BUT the Falls area was loaded. It would have taken an hour a least just to park, walk the mile, gawk, walk back and head out. It is a shame I was looking forward to viewing it.

We split up and Ryan, me and the boys headed out. It was a long trip with a few potty stops and a lot of "Are we there yet?" and "How much longer?" The scenery was awesome having never been in Utah other than an airport. It is very different from Idaho. Salt Lake City is HUGE! It just rolls down the valley spreading wider and wider. Ryan and I felt very closed in. The freeway was endless and the crazy drivers...don't get me started. We made it into Cabela's at 7:42 P.M. Roughly and hour to negate the gigantic camp store on steroids. The boys loved it. The fish, the stuffed animals and all the boy toys. Ryan was in seventh heaven. Needless to say we spent the time wisely. We got out without parting from too much dough.





A quick gas and food stop and off we were to Vernal. We got misdirected twice. Once by the directions themselves, the area having changed from the info off the internet and once by a gas station attendant. Yes me not Ryan asked twice!! BUT we did not lose it. There was no yelling. Just a little stress. It was a long haul. Saw lots of road kill, one coyote, and lots of missed scenery. I need to find out what we almost hit. It was black, furry, quick and the size of a beaver. I ask someone tomorrow. Well time for bed. Happy Easter God Bless and until tomorrow! Ilena