We woke up a bit later this am since we didn't have to be ready for our shuttle till 10:30am. The kids had a HUGE breakfast since this was the first morning they didn't have to cook or make anything.

10:30am the shuttle arrived and took us to the Adventure Center. We checked in, got our life vests and loaded the bus. It was about 30 minutes away we put into the river.

Our guide was Sam. He was great. He knew a lot about the river. The first part of the trip was a little slow but it gave us a slight taste. We stopped for lunch and a short break.

The second part of the float trip was a lot more exciting. Sam gave the all clear for anyone brave enough to dive in if they wanted too. Emma was overboard in a blink of an eye! The water was cold! Soon after that dive we had a few splash fights with other boats. Everyone was getting drenched. We also went through a few other rapids and the folks in the front (ie ME) got more wet than others. Eventually we got to a calm anough area that anyone who wanted to go overboard could. This time all 4 girls went in. Theresa and I kept our wits about us and stayed mostly dry.

We hit shore and dried off before boarding the bus back to the hotel. Everyone was in good spirits. When we got back to the hotel the kids went into the pool while Theresa and I relaxed. I managed to get the laundry done so we didn't have to have a room with wet clothing in it.

After dinner we headed out to view some Indian Pictographs. There were two locations nearby so we figured we could do both and still get some touristy stuff in. Besides all the cool wall art we saw a set for 'John Carter of Mars'. A movie that was being filmed out here.

We finished the evening by walking main street of Moab and buying a few trinkets. We tanked up, ate some ice cream, headed back to the hotel, and packed for tomorrow. Not too many folks looking forward to a 4 hour drive but these places aren't that close.

What a great day. The kids got up, showered , ate breakfast, and helped load the van. We had to pack everything since we will be changing hotels tonight. So about 9am we headed into Canyonlands National Park.

We stopped at the visitor center to talk to a ranger and pick up a few post cards. The ranger gave us some ideas for hikes before and after lunch. Only later would we realize her insight and experience as we took her advice.


Our first stop was Mesa Arch. The hike was pretty uneventful but it turned out to be the only arch we could actually walk out on. From there we went to Whale Rock. This is like Elephant Rock but MUCH larger. We hiked all over the whale and an adjacent fin. The views from the back of the whale were spectacular.



From there we went to Upheavel Dome. We decided to stop for a lunch of cheese, crackers, sausage, apples, and more water. Can't drink enough water out here. After we headed out to the Dome. The hike, again, was great - not too strenuous but far from boring. The view of the Dome was great. We hiked from one vantage point to another. Our photos won't do justice to the trail or the view.


The last stop was Aztec Butte Trail. It was a hike up a tall 1400' butte. The indians used to store corn up around the rim. We headed up to check it out.

From there we headed back to Moab to our hotel. Right now everyone is heading to the pool to give their feet and legs a rest. Tacos tonight.

A side note: we have better Internet access at this hotel so I will try to load up
a lions share of photos to flickr.

The El Grande Cabin

For this leg of the trip we got the biggest cabin. It has two beds and mom and dad have to sleep on the floor because the pull out couch is really bad. Emma and Amanda are hogging the good bed. We also don't have a pantry and the smoke alarm went off every 10 seconds while making spagehtti. Other than that it's pretty nice. Dana and I wrote eight postcards yesterday and plan to write more today.

-Kasey

First full day full of hikes

After a good night sleep, Theresa and I woke the kids up so they could shower while we went into Moab to shop. We had boxed cereal and waffles to start the day. We also made sure ALL the water bottles were filled. Then off to Arches for the last day of hiking there. We stopped at the visitor center to check in for our afternoon hike. We then took off for hikes in the area called Devils garden.

The hike started with the wind at our backs on a very sandy trail. The scenery, again, was gorgeous. Once we cleared the sandy area we went up and up to a few more arches. Emma found a snake basking in the sun. It was not the least bit interested in any of us so we did manage to get some shots. There was a lot of opportunity for climbing and photography on all the fins and rocks. The wind heading out was extreme. After a two hour warm up hike, and eating a lot of dust and sand, we headed back to one of only two watering points in the park. We stopped to refill water and have lunch.

We then headed to the Fiery Furnance. We met the ranger, Carrie St Claire, who happened to be the same ranger on the video we saw before the trip! We made sure we had our water and snacks and off we went. We climbed up and down and sideways. The trail was interesting as were the talks Clair gave at the breaks. Again, we took a ton of photos.

Dinner was spagetti and garlic bread. Theresa cooked while I did the laundry. It was a good dinner. It was also a good night to relax. The day is ending now with the kids doing dishes and me writing this.

A few quick hikes

We managed to get out of the hotel at an OK time to do a smallish hike in Kabob Canyon, the northwest corner of Zion. Beautiful views. Cameras will not do justice.

We then hit the road to Moab. When we stopped for gas we almost lost the door to the van. The winds were strong. After fueling the van and us we hit the road again. 70 is a long stretch but again some beautiful scenery. Hopefully some of the road photos will come out. We stopped at an overlook but it was too windy to stay too long.

We got to our cabin north of Moab early enough to check in and head into Arches. We stopped at the visitor center to check in for tomorrows hike (Fiery Furnace). We drove into the park and did a few more short hikes and climb to a variety of arches. Again, the views were breathtaking. There were many places to climb and get good shots. All the kids loved climbing. Kasey, Dana, and I took a lot of photos.

It is now 9:30PM and we are just settling down for dinner of Mac N Cheese. Our biggest concern for tomorrow besides the 90+F temp is having enough water.

Oh, and the cable didn't get packed to download the photos from the camera. I will get one when we go into Moab in a few days. Sorry.

-vince

update: after cleaning up for dinner I noticed Emmas MP3 player used the same cables. We will have photos soon!

Flights and waiting

Everything went smooth from the house. We even managed to leave a bit early and get to the airport a bit early. Got checked in and ready to go. The kids played a bit of cards and listend to iStuff while waiting for our flight. The fight was full so we could only sit in pairs.

We are now killing time in Omaha, NB. Our flight has been delayed for an hour. The kids are starting to show a few signs of stress as we have been very restricted in what we can do so far. I need to call the hotel in Utah and now confirm for a later arrival. Kasey and Dana have gone for a walk to stay away from everyone. Amanda and Emma are waiting for a DS to charge.

Oh, and this flight is sold out and we are a bit concerned about even being able to sit in pairs.

-vince

T minus 1 day and counting

Theresa is 99% packed and I am nearly there. Theresa will be getting the girls stuff together today as they finish up school. Amanda has a trumpet lesson tonight but should still be able to get all packed. We plan on being as close to ready to go before we head off to bed tonight as to not panic tommorrow. Will Dana and Emma be ready?

I also set this blog up so we can post photos and stories as we go. I'll also try to get the kids to add their names to the postings. Nothing fancy. Text and a few photos. Maybe I'll let them color code things. Who knows.
-vince