Zions for the 24th of July

We went to Zions with a bunch of friends over the 24th of July.  IT WAS A BLAST!!! I had no idea all the things you could do in Zions.  I thought there was just hiking.  One day we did hike up to Angels Landing with all kids.  They are amazing.  Darren carried Abby the whole way up and back in our Kelty pack.  We tried to go earlier in the morning to get out of the sun but it was still hot.  90 degrees was the high every day that week.  So after we hiked that we went to the Narrows and played in the water.  So nice! Right when you get off the shuttle bus at the Narrows you can play in the water and have some fun little waterfalls to play in.

One day we went on a small hike to the overlook of Zions.  Drive through the tunnel and then park right after the tune.  It was a fantastic hike for kids with some fun features to make them feel big.

We have some great friends who help us get out and explore nature.  Andy Howell was in charge of this "circus" trip.  He lead all the wives/girls on a great canyoneering trip down Pine Creek Canyon.  It was exhilarating.  Wet suits.  Rappelling down slot canyons.  Dropping into water and swimming to the edge of the pot hole.  Jumping off big rocks into nice cold water.  It was amazing.  I love climbing and rappelling and CANYONEERING!

One day we rode our bikes  from the campground to a great swim hole along the river.  It was about a mile into the park from the campground.  To one side of the big orangish bridge was a nice shallow place for abby and little kids to play.  A fun small waterfall up river was perfect for the bigger kids.  On the other side of the bridge was the a run rock to jump off.  We just played and jumped off rocks and enjoyed the cool water while others suffered in the heat.  It was a fantastic vacation.  Probably one of my favorite of the whole year. 

Uintas- Moon Lake

We had a super fun week in July.  We went camping with my good friends the Snowders.  (I like them so much I am still conspiring in how I could get one of my kids married to one of their kids so we an be related forever!!!)  Last year Sarah and I took the kids to St. George for two days so we could watch the Little Mermaid at Tuachan.  That was amazing.  So this year we decided camping.  4 days. 2 of those days on our own with the kids, and then husband came up for a few days.

We had a spot at Moon Lake in the Uintas.  We didn't fish like everyone else did, but we still had fun. We played in the water.  Had good food to eat.  Rode bikes and scooters all over.  Played lots of games.  Went for a hike.  Rented a boat to play around in. Rode horses.  ....If you want a fun trip go with the Snowders!

The Lake Fork Trail- Three miles. Super pretty.  We hiked to the opposite side of the lake of where we were staying.  Abby walked a little of it...

One of my favorite parts of the trip was Abby's friend Kyle.  Kyle is Sarahs second oldest and Abby sure loved him.   One morning Kyle was sleeping in so she had to go wake him up.  He would sit patiently with her while she "fixed" her bike.  They played silly games in the back of the truck.  She still talks about it.

I'm not opposed to showering at all when camping.  But there just weren't any facilities here.  So Sarah and cute teenager Cara washed each others hair and each others feet.  I just kept the greasy hair look and went with it!

The last day we splurged and let the kids go on a horse back ride.  Some didn't care if they went or now, so only some went.  But Ella and Abby loved it.  Abby was so brave.  I was the scared one.  I had to lead the horse around and get him to stop eating and follow the leader and not let Abby fall off!

Darren did head out on a bike ride.  He saw some beautiful scenery up there in the Uintas.