wrestlemania

 Behold the best sports pictures we've ever gotten from school! These were taken by Jenn Hunter, who also took Max's senior pictures. I heartily approve the decision to use a local photographer instead of a national chain!

bye, zion!

 This morning we checked out of our hotel and drove over to the Kolob Canyons section of the park. We stopped at the visitor center and looked around, but mostly we stuck to the scenic drive for this section. Just like in the rest of the park, the views were incredible. Honestly, I don't know how people who live in this area get anything done. I would just be staring out the window all day long.

We bid farewell to Zion and headed back to Las Vegas for our flight home, but we had one last stop to make: Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. It's kind of hard for me to wrap my head around this amazing landscape being only 30 minutes outside of the artificial glow of Las Vegas. Really, it felt otherworldly. And for the perfect finishing touch to our trip, we got up close and personal (from the confines of our rental car) with an entire herd of bighorn sheep. 

biking zion

 

It's time for a day tailor-made for Holli: bike day!

We rented ebikes and rode all the way up Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to the Temple of Sinawava, stopping wherever we felt like it along the way. Before we left, I warned the boys that they would need gloves, but they insisted they would be fine, so when we set out, Mike and I were the only ones wearing gloves, and I had one extra pair in my bag. Guess how that ended up? (Hint: My fingers were very cold without my cashmere and leather gloves. But Max kept all his fingers and didn't get frostbite.)

This was the first time on an ebike for any of us, and it took a little getting used to, but it was really nice to have the assist, especially on the inclines. There weren't a ton of extra riders because of the cold, which is just the way we like it. We set out early, but even so, by 9 a.m. the park road was closed to cars since all the parking spots were filled.  

I can't say enough how special it is to be in a place like this and feel like you're discovering it along with your favorite people ... and without a huge crowd of other people intent on making the same discovery. And being on a bike is so much better than being in a car. It lets us interact more closely with the scenery around us, and being able to stop in places where cars aren't allowed to stop is a real advantage. Give me this kind of exploration every day of the week and twice on Sundays. 

At the end of the line, Mike and Max went for a hike, while Henry and I relaxed on the banks of the Virgin River. It was sunny and crisp and just the kind of day that makes you so happy to be alive.

We rode back down with a lot fewer stops, and by the time we got back to the visitor center, there were SO MANY people out and about that it was hard to navigate the last stretch without running people over. That was really the only time we felt hemmed in, though, which makes it truly a fantastic day.

bryce canyon national park and beyond

Day 2 of our Utah adventure!

We got up early today and headed to the very snowy Bryce Canyon National Park, where we spent a little time wandering around and looking at hoodoos. Absolutely incredible views, but we weren't really prepared for the amount of snow, so we were a little limited in our explorations. Although Max and Henry did climb up a snowy ridge to get a better view into the canyon, because of course they did. Guess they didn't mind having wet, cold feet for a while.

After lunch we embarked on a whole new adventure: a slot canyon tour! We headed to Orderville, where we had reservations for a UTV ride to explore two slot canyons: Upper Red Cave and Lower Red Cave. Our guide was super knowledgeable, and the ride itself was bumpy and exciting. 

The slot canyons themselves were breathtaking. It's really hard to capture them in photos because they are so tall and narrow, but we did our best and tried some panoramas. We got to explore them to our hearts' content, and we got so lucky in that we were the only ones there, so it felt like we had this extraordinary landscape all to ourselves. I bet these areas are just teeming with people during the summer. It's privately owned land, but the tour company does tons of tours and has a whole fleet of UTVs, so I'm sure it's pretty rare to not have a crowd there during the season. I'm so glad we did this. What an experience!