Day 8. The meetup in Zion. After literally running to catch my airplane at JFK I arrived in Salt Lake City just after 10am and embarked on a five hour road trip down to Zion to catch up with the crew. While I was driving, adventures were being had in the city of Virgin and at the lovely RV park right outside of Zion National Park.
I arrived around 4:30pm to find the crew lounging outside of
the RV. I have never been so thrilled to be in 103 degree temperatures in my life. While
the kids ran around playing with a caterpillar, I was able to relax and hear a
bit about the adventures I had missed. D Money and I took a little jaunt down
to the river while Mere cooked up an amazing welcome back dinner of sweet
potato fajitas and roasted corn salsa and I tried to pretend I was not exhausted.
Day 9. Zion. An idealized, harmonious community; utopia.
That was where we headed on Saturday morning. Utilizing both the RV and the
rental car we were able to make it to the park in record time before the record
heat set in. Zion is indeed a gorgeous place. We meandered down a 1.75 shady trail - and I do mean meander because anyone with kids knows that four year olds have two speeds - slow as molasses or sprinting like Us@in Bolt. All three kids were fascinated by, of all things, the squirrels. As well as the water. After emerging from the first hike, we headed to another "easy" hike that we quickly realized would not be easy with the twins in the, by then, scorching heat. So Mere and D Money herded the twins back to a lodge for some ice cream and local brews (for the adults, not the kids) while JM Oakes and I forged ahead with Spencer. If this hike was easy, I would definitely question what is considered hard. (And for the record - any hike that is prefaced with a sign indicating that people fall off this trail and die is not something I want to be taking H and C on any time soon..) We made it to the Emerald Pools and then rejoined the gang at the lodge before heading back down to the waiting RV and SUV. Zion is a place that requires time. And energy. And calm. I am not sure most of us had any of that to give at that moment, but I would enthusiastically return at any time (maybe when it is less than 100 degrees out) to check out more of what the park has to offer.
Then on to Richfield, Utah's best kept secret (or so they told us) - the K@A. It was, um, interesting. But if I can lay my head and let the kids swim in the pool for a bit then I am not complaining. It was kind of amazing how things changed from Saturday night to Sunday with a packed campsite emptying out and there being actual silence for a bit.
Day 10. Bryce Canyon. A supposed 2.5 hour drive in the rental car with seven of us packed in turned into a nearly four hour drive with me at the helm due to motion sickness, strange little towns, and the readaptation back to a regular vehicle after spending over a week in an RV where movement was much less restricted. And then we arrived with overtired kids and a bit of a reluctance to do too much. But then, well, then I walked up to the amphitheater and I can honestly say I was awe struck. There was something so visually stunning about the rock formations that I was literally moved - and not just by the small child repeatedly jerking on my arm asking where the play ground was located. We opted to follow the Navajo Trail. A rather steep decline of switch backs which seemed okay going down, but on the latter part of the loop were rather hellish. It was hot and the going was slow. H and C were troopers and while they were clearly exhausted and on the brink of heat stroke they pushed through (with the help of water and power@ade and promises of fun things in the future). As difficult as it was, I would do it again in a minute. And I am pretty certain the other individuals in the group over the age of 10 would as well... After making it back to the car, we drove to a few of the scenic overlooks. (As much as I love the national parks, it would be way more convenient if all of the cool stuff was closer together...just saying). Once more pictures were taken and incredible views were absorbed, we headed back to our beloved Richfield K@A for a night of playing at the park, eating dinner, and just relaxing. After the long day in Bryce, we ditched the plan to head to Arches (huge disappointment, but most logical given the temperatures and the small travel companions). We threw around some ideas about what to do the following day and decided to sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.
Day 11. Utah to Idaho, no U-da-ho. We woke up to another gorgeous Utah morning and opted to take a down day. Meaning we took the kids swimming, did some laundry, showered, and then started to drive. While the gang drove up to Salt Lake City, I followed behind in the rental car for the nearly three hour drive. We reconvened in a BigK parking lot and decided to head up into Idaho for the evening. Returning the rental car was interesting. After depositing the car seats and other random items into the RV, we drove to a gas station where the RV crew stood in wait since the airport was not accommodating to the height of our house on wheels. I took the 4 minute ride to the airport and deposited the rental that I managed to rack up 1000 miles on in three days and then took a ridiculously priced cab back to the RV where we headed north into potato country. Idaho is absolutely stunning. Not that I expected otherwise - I guess I just never really thought about it. We, as in JM Oakes, drove north for several hours until we reached another beloved W@almart parking lot in Idaho Falls where we spent the night listening to the consistent and ever present train horn in the background under the blue glow of the store sign.
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