Zion, Horseshoe Bend, and the Grand Canyon

We are now half-way through our vacation. We miss Milo and wish there was a way to let him know we'll be home in 12 days. Thankfully he was much better the past five days than he was the first seven days Yesterday was our last day in Utah. The motel we stayed at after touring Bryce Canyon never offers a free breakfast because they have a café. We listened to part of our church's 9:00 service as we drove to Zion National Park. We didn't hear the entire sermon because there were sections of our drive where we didn't have any cell service. We entered the park via a very, very scenic road that included a 1 mile long tunnel built almost 100 years ago. The parking lot at the Visitor Center was filled so we drove into the town of Springdale as they offer a free shuttle from the town to the Visitor Center. It was even a challenge to find a parking spot somewhere in the town! We took the shuttle to the Visitor Center. I sat on a bench near the shuttle stop as Paul went to get a wheelchair for me and get Junior Ranger booklets for the kids. The Ranger ended up giving him a pass which enabled us to drive on the routes that usually only the shuttle buses can drive. Paul had to take the shuttle back into Springdale and drive the van back into the park to pick

the kids and I up. We drove around the park, and the kids and Paul did one hike (Riverside Walk). At the end of our time there we drove back to the Visitor Center so the kids could hear a Ranger talk, which was one of the requirements for earning a badge. The Visitor Center parking lot was still full. So we dropped the kids off and Paul circled around a bit trying to find a car that was leaving its space. We found one, but he let someone else have it (I wouldn't have been as generous as he was). In the end I ended up driving for the first time in a week as I circled around the lot with my left foot ready to use the brake if necessary. I finally opted to keep the car near where the 15 minute parking spots were, and as soon as one opened up I pulled into the spot and turned off the van. We went over the 15 minute limit just a little bit.

We drove to Kanab, Utah and had an early dinner at Wendy's. Paul and the kids were signed up for a private tour of a slot canyon. I thought they were going to go out there via an ATV, but they actually went out in a pick-up truck. I sat in the van for three hours while they were on this adventure. Touring a slot canyon had been one of the top five things I was looking forward to on the trip. Time will tell if I'm ever near a slot canyon again at

some point in my life. After the tour, Paul drove us to Page, Arizona, which meant we gained another hour because they don't follow DST in Arizona except on the land owned by tribes. We got there early enough that there was plenty of time to go swimming, but the outdoor pool had been closed for the season. The kids haven't been able to swim much on this trip even though almost all of the hotels have had swimming pools. Part of the reason has been because we arrive at the hotel too late, and partly it's been because of my broken ankle. I don't want to walk to the pool, and Paul is sometimes too tired to go swimming. Hopefully they will get to swim at least a few times over the remaining days of our trip. The hotel we stayed at in Page wasn't that nice. We drove a total of 171 miles yesterday and the kids earned one Junior Ranger badge.

This morning we had a grab 'n go breakfast. Although we prefer a continental or hot breakfast, at least this place did include an apple and a yogurt in the bag not just a muffin. Our first stop was Horseshoe Bend, which was only 20 minutes from our hotel, and also

one of the top five things I was really looking forward to on this vacation. I cried a little as we entered the parking lot. It's SO hard to be SO close and yet not able to walk out and see it. Next we drove to the Grand Canyon. We entered the South Rim via the Eastern Entrance. At our first stop, a Ranger again gave us a pass so we could drive where usually only the shuttle buses are allowed to drive. The kids and Paul walked out to the rim at that Desert View Watchtower stop. We got out a few other times along the way, and actually remembered to hand a camera or phone to someone else so we could get a picture of all five of us together, which never happened in all of 2020 and hadn't happened yet in 2021. I don't think we'd had a family photo (even an informal one) since June 2019. The kids and Paul started to do the Bright Angel Trail together. They came back sooner than expected because Paul didn't feel Oliver could do it safely. He hung out in the van with me while Paul took Nadia and Ian back down partially into the Canyon. The plan had been for them to do a 3 mile roundtrip trail, but they ended up only doing 1.5 miles round trip. Then we drove all along Hermit Road and

got out at some of the viewpoints. I had toyed with the idea of seeing the IMAX movie, but we ended up skipping it, which saved us some money as that isn't a cheap thing to do especially considering it only lasts about 30 minutes.

We drove about 90 minutes to Flagstaff where we had dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then checked into our hotel. The indoor pool is open, but the kids won't be able to swim because Paul and the kids are touring Lowell Observatory right now. I opted to sit in the hotel room rather than sit in the van this time. They're on a two hour tour. We drove 245 miles today. Nadia earned 3 Junior Ranger badges as I had printed out the ones for Glen Canyon and Rainbow Bridge. Horseshoe Bend is part of Glen Canyon. I'll have to mail those two in for her as we couldn't turn them in in person due to COVID. The boys each earned one Junior Range badge today. 

I know I sound like a broken record, but I haven't had time to even look at all the pictures that Paul, Nadia, and I took much less sift through them. Eventually I'll have time to do so!