Hey it’s Marly again, our cabin was ready early. So we checked in and Abby went to bed . We went a d had dinner at the deli. I had pizza and Mac and cheese. And we got Abby some saltine crackers for her to eat. We went to watch the sunset on the Grand Canyon. And we had a great night sleep at the cabin. The next morning we got up and drove to Zion National Park. (This is mom/Lucy taking back over because Marly got bored). Ellie and I started listening to Scarecrow by Michael Connelly. It definitely inappropriate for Ellie, but it may be the best book we’ve listened to thus far on this trip! We got into Zion and it was crowded and hot. After waiting in line to get the Junior Ranger books, I forced them on a quick hike. We rode the tram to the Lower Emerald Pools hike. It was shady and to a neat waterfall, the perfect hike! We stopped by the Zion outfitter store to do laundry and take showers (our first experience in paying for showers; I’m grateful to the guy who gave us an extra token doubling our time). We met the Cutlips at Wandercamp. Laurie snagged a site in the park, which was a lifesaver because we were right there and didn’t have to worry about parking for the tram. We walked to the amphitheater in the campsite for a Junior Ranger program. It was a hot night, but fans in faces and ice in my box wine helped us get to sleep. It took us a while to get going but we walked to the tram, waited for an hour- and then waited for another 45min for Laurie to talk to the tram operations manager about not wearing a mask on the tram- then finally made it to the Narrows to hike. The water was so cold and felt awesome. It also felt good to get out of our sneakers and into water shoes. After about 30min, the Cutlips took Voss and Ainsley back to wait in line for the tram again. I kept going with my older 3 and the Cutlip older two. We didn’t make it quite a mile out, but it was a great hike! It took us a while to get back to camp. The Cutlips took my older two and Mason into town to try to repair a spark plug in their van. I sat back at camp with the younger kids, catching up with my sister on the phone and drinking wine. The next morning, Laurie and I got up early and got in line for the tram. Her husband, Chad graciously stayed back with all the kids. We waited in line for TWO hours and chatted with new friends along the way. We almost got bumped again from the tram but I had Laurie wear Voss’ mask, which still happened to be in my Fanny pack, to get on the tram. We hiked up to Angels Landing, which was the big hike at Zion. We got in line for the tram at 5:50am and didn’t get back to the campsite until noon! It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done! It felt euphoric to be way up there! There were chains to help us during the steep parts! We made a friend along the way. We talked supplements and nutrition on our descent. It was an amazing morning! Chad and the kids packed up (we had to check out by 11) and we headed to Bryce National park. We stopped at Wendy’s for lunch- Thank you, Aunt Katie for the gift card! It was perfect timing! We swapped kids around for the caravan. Poor Abigail Cutlip started throwing up on the drive. We swapped back and stopped at Cedar Breaks National Monument to regroup, get a Junior Ranger badge and wake up (I was pretty drowsy after the adrenaline of that hike wore off!) I took
Mason and Ainsley so the Cutlips could care for Abigail. She was not well, I’m pretty sure she caught what Voss and Abby had. We checked into Ruby’s log cabin by Bryce. It was a sweet cabin with a full size bunk bed. I was wiped out but did a quick load of laundry while the kids swam in the pool. We had charcuterie for dinner and I soaked in the hot tub. Laurie came to pick up her other two after checking into a hotel across the street. We slept well in the tiny cabin! The next morning we got up and checked out. I picked up Laurie and her healthy two while Chad stayed back with Abigail. We did the Sunset Point Trail at Bryce. Laurie read online to go the opposite way suggested so that you walk down in the sun and up in the shade. Brilliant! It was fun walking through the hoodoos and windows. Hot and sweaty, we stopped at the Visitors Center to eat lunch, stamp passports and finish Junior Ranger packets. My kids were acting up so we dropped the Cutlips at their hotel for pool time. We went back to Ruby’s and took showers (grateful our code for the bathhouse still worked!) We had a picnic dinner of Ramen, chips & salsa, applesauce, veggies and dip then drove to Capitol Reef. We stopped right outside and car camped in Dixie National Forest. We are getting better at sleeping in the car. It was a good night with that desert chill. Sunday morning we got up and called Phil. I felt like a jerk for taking the kids away from him on Father’s Day. We drove into Capitol Reef and started at the visitors center for stamps and badges. Then we chose the Freemont River trail close to a stream in a shady area. It went through the orchard and then up a canyon with a great view of the Fruita fields. I used ice cream with fresh apple pie (from the orchard) as a hiking incentive with no complaints. It was nice! After, we tried to check in early to the Capitol Reef Resort. Our wagon wasn’t ready but we were able to use the pool and visit the llamas. This place is gorgeous (and uses half of my lodging budget!) We had the rest of our grocery reserves for a picnic lunch by the pool. I enjoyed reading my book while the kids swam in the cold pool and the hot tub. We FaceTimed Phil. I called my dad and in-laws. It was a nice day. We checked into our Contessa wagon, which is every bit as cool as it looks on their website. We even have a key to our own bathroom with a Keurig. We went to the resort restaurant for dinner. It was so nice to eat at an actual restaurant! We all inhaled our dinners! We went back to the pool for night swimming, while I read and drank more box wine. We didn’t quite make it to nighttime. We took showers and headed to bed; the first time we’ve all had our own beds! We’ve been lounging around the resort all day. It’s been so nice to have a down day! I did laundry, went grocery shopping, read and relaxed. We’ve been go, go, go this whole time; this has been the perfect break! We have s’mores to cook over the camp fire for tonight. There are for sure highs and lows on this trip. The kids fight a lot, have bad attitudes, complain and can be super annoying. But I haven’t once doubted that this is exactly what we should be doing this summer. No WiFi, dead phone battery and the middle of nowhere has been so good for all of us. After spending time with my brother, they’ve been asking me stories of my childhood. Lots of fun conversations and time together. Everywhere I turn is somewhere new and different. It would be so amazing to live close to a National Park, where I could explore it bit by bit at my leisure. A glass of wine at sunset would be awesome. For now, I’m settling on this crazy rat race of a summer...it’s pretty awesome, too!
Click here to see our awesome photos of the week- https://photos.app.goo.gl/qxedGQu6Pn5QTrhC6
Mason and Ainsley so the Cutlips could care for Abigail. She was not well, I’m pretty sure she caught what Voss and Abby had. We checked into Ruby’s log cabin by Bryce. It was a sweet cabin with a full size bunk bed. I was wiped out but did a quick load of laundry while the kids swam in the pool. We had charcuterie for dinner and I soaked in the hot tub. Laurie came to pick up her other two after checking into a hotel across the street. We slept well in the tiny cabin! The next morning we got up and checked out. I picked up Laurie and her healthy two while Chad stayed back with Abigail. We did the Sunset Point Trail at Bryce. Laurie read online to go the opposite way suggested so that you walk down in the sun and up in the shade. Brilliant! It was fun walking through the hoodoos and windows. Hot and sweaty, we stopped at the Visitors Center to eat lunch, stamp passports and finish Junior Ranger packets. My kids were acting up so we dropped the Cutlips at their hotel for pool time. We went back to Ruby’s and took showers (grateful our code for the bathhouse still worked!) We had a picnic dinner of Ramen, chips & salsa, applesauce, veggies and dip then drove to Capitol Reef. We stopped right outside and car camped in Dixie National Forest. We are getting better at sleeping in the car. It was a good night with that desert chill. Sunday morning we got up and called Phil. I felt like a jerk for taking the kids away from him on Father’s Day. We drove into Capitol Reef and started at the visitors center for stamps and badges. Then we chose the Freemont River trail close to a stream in a shady area. It went through the orchard and then up a canyon with a great view of the Fruita fields. I used ice cream with fresh apple pie (from the orchard) as a hiking incentive with no complaints. It was nice! After, we tried to check in early to the Capitol Reef Resort. Our wagon wasn’t ready but we were able to use the pool and visit the llamas. This place is gorgeous (and uses half of my lodging budget!) We had the rest of our grocery reserves for a picnic lunch by the pool. I enjoyed reading my book while the kids swam in the cold pool and the hot tub. We FaceTimed Phil. I called my dad and in-laws. It was a nice day. We checked into our Contessa wagon, which is every bit as cool as it looks on their website. We even have a key to our own bathroom with a Keurig. We went to the resort restaurant for dinner. It was so nice to eat at an actual restaurant! We all inhaled our dinners! We went back to the pool for night swimming, while I read and drank more box wine. We didn’t quite make it to nighttime. We took showers and headed to bed; the first time we’ve all had our own beds! We’ve been lounging around the resort all day. It’s been so nice to have a down day! I did laundry, went grocery shopping, read and relaxed. We’ve been go, go, go this whole time; this has been the perfect break! We have s’mores to cook over the camp fire for tonight. There are for sure highs and lows on this trip. The kids fight a lot, have bad attitudes, complain and can be super annoying. But I haven’t once doubted that this is exactly what we should be doing this summer. No WiFi, dead phone battery and the middle of nowhere has been so good for all of us. After spending time with my brother, they’ve been asking me stories of my childhood. Lots of fun conversations and time together. Everywhere I turn is somewhere new and different. It would be so amazing to live close to a National Park, where I could explore it bit by bit at my leisure. A glass of wine at sunset would be awesome. For now, I’m settling on this crazy rat race of a summer...it’s pretty awesome, too!
Click here to see our awesome photos of the week- https://photos.app.goo.gl/qxedGQu6Pn5QTrhC6