Zion and Vegas

The day started like others, breakfast and a road trip. This time we were packing up to leave. The van was packed and everyone relatively clean.

The trip to Zion was mere minutes. The park was just 1 mile from the ranch. The checkerboard mountians were really neat. It wasn't until the last, long tunnel that we realized we hand't had the camera out the window!

We parked the car at the vistor center and took a park shuttle to the Narrows. The cliffs and shear walls were just incredible. The weather cooperated and our first hike was relatively easy. It was a mere 1/2 mile to the end of the narrows. We could not hike into the river due to the flow rate. We were slightly bummed but not upset about packing wet clothing to come home with. The kids still managed to play in the river and keep mostly dry. It was warm enough that we weren't too concerned about how long it might take to dry off.

The walls were filled with plants and flowers. In fact, we usually picked on the camera holder since they would stop to take a photo of a flower.

We decided to take the shuttle back to the lodge to eat but not before one stop. It was Weeping Wall. Vince took the hike by himself.

After lunch we hit the trail for Emerald Pools. There were 3 trails and everyone could take one or more of them as they all interlocked. The trails lead up to some pools and waterfalls. There was a lot of wildlife in and around the pools. The lower pool was being fed by a waterfall that you could stand under. Vince was the only one who went up the the top pool. He managed to injure his shin right at the pool edge - not on the rocky/sandy hike up or down.

Our last stop was the Human History Museum. Dana, Emma, Kasey, and Theresa went in to watch a short film while Amanda and Vince rested on the benches.

We then left for Vegas. We stayed at the Excalibur Hotel. The major downside of any Vegas vacation is the cigarette smoke. It came down to walking through air conditioning with smoke or heat.

In Vegas, after a quick unpack, we took off to see a few sites. Our goal was the fountians at the Belligio. One our way we say Elvis, Darth Vader, a storm trooper, Avatar characters, and more. The kids were a bit overwhelmed by the lights and sights on Vegas at night. It also didn't help that it was nearly midnight.

On our way back we got involved with a street magician. He was interesting. The kids were ready to head back after Emma and Amanda had thier midnight ice cream. Once we got back we decided to let the kids sleep in.

One more day...