Road Trip 2914: Day 5

Today, after breakfast we took off for Arches to try to beat the heat. It was already 85 at 9.  We decided to check out Landscape Arch which was a mile trail. The kids weren't thrilled about a regular trail but found some fun things to do along the way.

The trailhead.

Shady sandy incline the kids liked to run down.

The arch. Last piece broke off in1991.

These were fun and scary for the kids to climb on.

Parker and michael went to the top of this big rock. Michael said it was super scary but Parker wanted to do it. If you look very closely, they are on the top of the second rock in the distance.  

By then it was 95 degrees and kids were done so we walked back to car and drove to delicate arch view point.

I picked up lunch at supermarket and we ate by the pool. 

We were the only ones there for about 2 hours. It must have been 100 by then.

Elizabeth relaxing.

We stayed at the pool until 5ish and then hung out in the room until dinner which was at local pizza place.  Then we had ice cream at the Wake and Bake cafe.  Michael and I considered our plan for Monday but when we realized it was five hours until Zion, we figured driving was our plan.

Road Trip 2014: Day 4

We all slept in today. Which was good since we didn't go to sleep until 10 last night. After breakfast and a morning swim, I took the kids to the mall to get shoes while Michael went for a run. (Parker's shoes had holes and Eli's were not sufficient for the rock climbing we would be doing.). They also had to sing in the old train station again.

Then we hit the road for Moab. It was another good drive with lovely views most of the time.

We stopped in a little town called Helper for lunch and it was super quaint. 

We checked into the hotel about 4 and immediately checked out the pool since it was a hot 97 degrees outside.  We got upgraded to family suite at hotel and the room was huge.

Around 5 we left to check out Arches. It was still crazy hot out. It was amazing.  We went to the Double Arch at Windows as it said it was a good place for scampering. It did not disappoint. The kids had a blast while scaring the shit out of Michael. We kept saying it looked like Cars Land at Disneyland but real.

We are going to see more of Arches tomorrow before going to Zion on Monday. We might stop at Canyonlands on our way.

Road Trip 2014: Day 3

Today was a good day. After free hotel breakfast and a dip in the pool, we met Kirsten for a hike to see wild flowers.  I was a little worried the hike would be too tough for the kids but it wasn't and with the exception of some whining from Elizabeth, they did great. Miranda actually did the best, as she tends to do in nature.  Kirsten brought along a 10 year old boy she was watching for the weekend. He and Parker got along great.

Walking to the trailhead.

Practicing her moves.

Elizabeth climbs a rock.

Parker was desperate to swim but the lake was a watershed so it was not allowed.

Kirsten and the boys took the scary way down.

Family shot!

Miranda in the flowers.

The hills are alive!

After I told her hiking wasn't my favorite thing either.

After the hike Michael dropped us at Kirsten's and went back to the hotel for a nap. We had lunch and then went to the local pool. Michael joined us later and then we all went out to sushi. It was de-lish!

Apparently Trey is a very picky water and had doesn't eat much except pasta with butter. But he tried almost everything at dinner and loved the udon.

After dinner, we said our goodbyes to Kirsten and Trey and went in search of dessert at the local mall. 

We were not disappointed.  The mall was made from an old train station and the hall where the bathroom was had great acoustics.

Parker had gelato and the girls got ice cream. I had a Carmel Apple. Michael got some treats for the hotel.

Back at the hotel, one final swim for the day and we were off to bed.  

Tomorrow.... We sleep in, goof off, swim and then drive to Arches. 

Road Trip 2014: Day 2

We woke up the kids at 6am to start our long drive from Reno to Salt Lake City. After a stop at the store for donuts and coffee (and to retrieve a lost credit card that we didn't know was lost), we got going. It was a long drive but we all handled it well. Lots of survivor, pod casts and Michael and I each got a nap. We had lunch at noon at a weird place with bad chili but good burgers near the Utah/Nevada border.

After more driving past massive salt flats and many stops to pee, we arrived at 4. Which was now 5. We checked into hotel for a quick dip in the pool and then went to Kirsten's for a BBQ. 

Parker entertained with card tricks while we made small talk with Kirsten's friends. The kids were tired so we went back to the hotel where Parker and Elizabeth got second wind and went back to the pool while Miranda and I watched the Big Bang.

Road Trip 2014: Day 1

Our road trip started today with an easy drive to Reno where we met up with Grammy, Ginny, Amber (and Indiana) and Monica at their pool.  After a few hours we relocated to David and Betsy's house for Chinese food, s'mores, and sundaes. There we were joined by Jen, Richard, Cora, Courtney, Cory, and Jade. The kids had fun running around, playing with Cora, doing magic tricks, and then taking a dip in the hot tub.  It was a good first day.  Tomorrow is our longest drive... straight through to Salt Lake City.