Day 1 - Vegas
We started in Las Vegas. 24 hours in the crazy heat and massive crowds was enough. We did have an fantastic dinner at Sensi in the Bellagio - incredible food with impeccable service.
We started in Las Vegas. 24 hours in the crazy heat and massive crowds was enough. We did have an fantastic dinner at Sensi in the Bellagio - incredible food with impeccable service.
We drove to Orderville, Utah and checked into our home for the next week at the XBarH Lodge. Wonderful place to stay! That first evening we just sat for hours looking up at all the stars. The guys experimented with star trail photography. Super cool!
Because it was a Saturday we decided to explore some of the smaller parks and avoid the crowds. We visited Cedar Breaks National Monument and The Red Canyon. It was about 60 degrees when we stopped for lunch. All the wildflowers were in bloom. For dinner we ate at the Buffalo Bistro. It is crazy the food you can find in the middle of nowhere. This little place served up the best wild boar and buffalo ribs with very cold beer.
This place is amazing! Hoodoos are created when soft rock topped by harder rock is eroded. They reminded me of hundreds of toy soldiers. Looking down was awesome, but we hiked down so we could look up. WOW… what a view – on the down side, we had to hike back up! But ,the view was well worth the adventure.
The grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is made of up 1.7 million acres. We drove 40 miles down the Hole in the Rock dirt road and used binoculars to find the arch. Then we hiked 2 miles across the desert, skirting around cactus and brush. We arrived just in time, set up, and ate a light dinner while watching the sunset. Now, the only part of watching something at sunset in the middle of a desert is that is gets dark very quickly. We had to hike back, find the car, 40 miles back to the main road and 2 hours back to the cabin. Needless to say, this was a long day!
While at Cedar Breaks a couple of local cyclists told us about this 3.5 mile slot canyon and narrows. Kanarra Creek is a very photogenic canyon with bright red walls. This was a pretty easy river hike just outside the of the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park.
Day 6 - Rainy Day
It rained and we really enjoyed a recovery day. Drove into the little town of Springdale and enjoyed a good burger for lunch.
Day 7 – Looking up: Zion National Park
This place is massive! We hiked to the Emerald Pools and to Weeping Rock. The bright blue sky against the pink, white and red rock was really beautiful. I think that it is hard to tell how big is place really is through photos.
I joke that having a child was easier than hiking the narrows. But, I am not sure that I am joking. This was a once in a lifetime experience, because I will never do it again. It is extraordinary trek over large river rock and up or through the sometimes neck deep Virgin River. We entered the 60 degree water at 9 am hiked 3 hours up, stopped for lunch (and photo’s along the way) and hiked 2.5 hours back. A glass of wine never tasted so good at the end of the day.
Just down the road from the cabin on the way to the Grand Canyon we saw this very reflective pond next to the road and had to stop for a few photos before heading out again. When we got to the canyon our eyes wanted to look a million different directions all at once. Simply put, this place is dramatic and serene. We drove the entire park rim stopping at all of the overlooks – each place offering something different and gorgeous. On our way back stumbled on the Rocking V Bistro in Kanab. What a great place for dinner. Rarely have I had so much trouble deciding what to order. A yummy way to end an incredible vacation.
This was a check box! We worked this in because we were so close. Glad I went to see it, but boy was it hot and packed with people.
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