Long Stay in Utah . . . Part Two

Okay, so we had a super long drive into the Bryce Canyon & Zion National Park Areas.  We got lost a few times.  I know, with the navigational systems these days, that’s embarrassing. 

Admittedly, I was the lead navigator.  

So, we’re lost.  But we’re not just lost, we’re out of water, groceries, toilet paper, we’re tired, hungry, and  . . . don’t even get me started on Billie Jean.  After stopping for dinner and restocking groceries, we decided to finish the drive during the night while the kids were sleeping. 

We’d planned to stay on another ranch for the week, so we were anxious to get there and get settled. 

The ranch was pretty cool.  They even had a small apple orchard and allowed us to pick all the apples we wanted.  The people at the campsite told us about an apple festival to be held that weekend.

We love staying on ranches because the kids can run as far, and be gone as long as they please.  They explored the entire place.  In addition to the apple orchard, this ranch had horses and cattle.  A freezing cold, swift moving creek ran through the back of the ranch property.  The kids found a fallen tree and used it as a bridge to get across the creek.  They told us they'd found "dinosaur bones" and many, many buried cars in the mud.  After a rain shower one day, the kids invited us to explore their treasures around the creek.  The dinosaur bones turned out to be a cow, and the buried cars turned out to be buried cars.  Lots and lots of buried cars.  The log across the icy water was slippery.  In an attempt to cross the makeshift bridge, Mr. Fix-It fell in.  I didn't laugh.  That would be mean.  Instead, I've respectfully chosen to tell about it on my blog.

LAR isn't much of an explorer.  She prefers to stay close to home.  She stayed with me one day while CER and CBR went out on the ranch to play.  For a seven year old, she’s remarkably in tune with the needs of others.  I was working outside on the computer when she asked me if I’d like a snack.  I said yes.  I usually eat carrots with hummus, or an apple for a snack.  I guess she couldn’t decide which one to bring, because she brought me this.

It reminds me of a Big Top Circus.

She also asked me if I wanted her to make a snack for “the kids.”  It was so hard to keep a straight face when she called her siblings "the kids."  She happily prepared a snack for "the kids."  Now, I don’t ask them to dress alike, they just do it.  I also don’t ask them to cuddle up and eat their snack in a blanket together, but I love that they do that too.

When I was young, my sister and I never dressed alike and snuggled up to eat a snack.  Never.  Not even once. 

When the owner of the ranch told us we could pick all the apples we wanted . . . the kids took her at her word.  They should open a tree pruning business.  They brought in bag after bag full of apples.  Realizing there was no way we could eat them all, we decided to bake an apple crisp.  A huge apple crisp.

Washing, chopping, and measuring.

The apple crisp was so yummy.

Afterwards, the whole family dressed up in matching clothes and watched the presidential debate. 

Just joking.  About the matching clothes thing.  We didn't really do that. 

But, we did get to see the debate while the kids watched a movie.






Aside from playing, eating snacks, and picking and baking apples, we also did some school, and explored the surrounding national parks.

My mom bought CER the Mandie series of books for her birthday.  She loves them!  She's frequently found sitting here, reading.

I love this picture.  

Pencil in hand, smile on the face . . . ready for school.

I hope I never forget these moments with them.

Poor CBR -- it's nearly impossible to learn proper letter formation in a moving vehicle.

When we park our house, we try to get in some extra handwriting practice.






There were signs everywhere in this tiny town advertising the apple festival.  We even had people knocking on the door of our RV to make sure we were coming -- leaving us with pamphlets describing the day’s events.  We decided we’d check it out after we spent the day at Bryce Canyon National Park.

Bryce Canyon National Park.

Me and my handsome date.

Believe me when I say this park is one of the most magnificent I’ve seen.  Bryce Canyon is known for the  craziest formations of hoodoos.

We hiked down into these geological wonders.

My eensy weensy family.

Bryce Canyon is a sea of narrow rock mazes.  It’s amazing to explore! 

Does anybody find it super incredible that all this awesomeness is right here in our own country to explore?  I'm in awe over the variety of landscapes right here under our nose!  There is so much to see.

Hiking out of the deep hoodoos . . .

LAR and her hero.

Seriously.  We really were that excited.

Tell me that's not cool.

It took a lot of cheerleading from his sisters to get CBR to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Now, off to the apple festival we’d heard so much about.

I’m not kidding when I tell you that we were the ONLY people there.  I felt so bad for the people who hosted it, and set up all these booths, paintball games, and taste testing areas of various apple treats.  Total. Bust.

We also visited Zion National Park.  After driving through the darkness of a mile long tunnel into Zion, it opens up into this gorgeous gallery of HUGE rock.  Zion would be a great place to come back and visit when the kids are older.  Unfortunately, many of the best areas of the park to explore are not suited for young children.  Between the rock climbing, hiking the ridges along the high altitude peaks, and canyoning deep into narrows of massive mountains, Zion offers enough for several days of advanced outdoor exploring. 

We had our own fun, though.

CBR on his way up.

CBR and LAR on Checkerboard Mesa -- Zion National Park, Utah.

Our country is beautiful.  God Bless the USA.

Mule deer were everywhere.

********************  Health Update:  Billie Jean still has diarrhea.  ***********************

 (Insert a long, deep, annoyed sigh here.)

 Goodbye Utah.  We'll be back . . .