Week 3 was definitely a treat as we made our way south from Idaho into Utah. It was a bit of a haul going from Clayton, Idaho to Salt Lake City Utah – but along the way we had some fun surprises that made it a bit more bearable!
Memory #1 – Izabella’s Birthday
epoch48 Bella’s Birthday at Brio
Our baby girl became a teenager in Utah. Try as we may to convince her that staying our little girl was the right choice, she would have nothing to do with it… Knowing we would be away from her friends for this important day, we had a small birthday party for her before we left Colorado – but we knew that wouldn’t suffice. So we surprised her in Salt Lake City with a dinner at her favorite place, Brio, and then a trip to the movie theater to see The Incredibles 2.
The funny thing is that I had bought the tickets online while we were at Brio, and not knowing where we were in Utah I assumed that the website picked the location closest to us. Well… I was wrong. We strolled into the theater at 10:30 p.m. and promptly got bombarded with movie previews that were NOT kid friendly. So we got up and asked the folks up front what was going on and they told us we bought tickets for the theater in Provo! We were in Salt Lake City! Oops! Fortunately, they comped us tickets and we didn’t miss a second of the movie. All was well in the world!
Memory #2 – Bryce Canyon
epoch48 Bryce Canyon
From the perspective of experiencing nature and God’s creation, Bryce Canyon has got to be the front runner of our trip so far! This was a last minute add to our trip as we decided to ditch the original plan of staying the week in Lake Powell and instead ditch Powell all together in favor of seeing Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon. Nothing against Powell, but we think we made the right choice. Bryce is probably the most uniquely beautiful place I have ever been – I am so glad we made the change to the schedule.
We hiked the Navajo and Peekaboo Loops in a figure eight. It was about 6 miles all together and took us about 3 and a half hours. It was a bit harder than we expected, but the views were worth it. If you have never been, you need to figure out how to get there. Amazing!
Memory #3 – Zion Canyon
Since we decided to ditch Lake Powell from our schedule, a majority of our week ended up being in Hurricane, Utah. Again, a late addition without much thought. First, we had a snafu with the drive from Bryce to Zion. We took the back way to avoid the 80 mph nonsense of I-15. So Google led us to the park entrance on the east side. As we were driving in, we noticed a sign saying that rigs our size weren’t allowed through. Being the dumb male that I am, I decided to give it a shot. We were already half way to the gate, maybe they would see my hot wife and darling kiddos and let us through. WRONG!
I held out our park pass to the lady Ranger and she didn’t even reach out her had to take it. Not even as a courtesy. She politely told us that there is no way we were getting to Hurricane via Highway 9 and Zion Canyon. She proceded to give us a map that led us through ARIZONA! What the heck?!? Where were we anyway?
I purposely moved Arizona to the end of our trip to avoid the hell like temperatures we would have there in July. And somehow, through a change in plans, we were driving in 100+ degree heat through Arizona back into Utah where it was well over 100 degrees?!? One day, we saw the temperature at 119. Really?
Anyway, Zion was amazing. If I had to choose between Bryce and Zion, I would choose Bryce. But not by much. In Zion, we drove Highway 9, took the shuttle twice and hiked the Emerald Pools and Weeping Rock. It was a great time with some beautiful views!
Memory #4 – Independence Day
We celebrated the 4th on the highway just outside of Bryce Canyon City. The fireworks show was great and the family had a good time. But we were sure to let the kids know that, just as Christmas is not about presents, the 4th is not about fireworks. Without the sacrifice of the original signers, the brave folks who fought and gave up everything for the chance at living free and creating a life for their children and children’s children, we would not be on this amazing road trip. And to those still serving to protect our freedoms – THANK YOU!
Memory #5 – The Heat
Not all memories are about great things. Hurricane Utah was HOT. And when we were not checking out Zion we were stuck inside blasting the AC. While we are and were very grateful for the cool air, it’s really not our thing to be stuck inside for so many hours. But, on the bright side, we spent some quality time with the family playing board and card games. Made lemonade out of lemons.
The Wrap
Utah was phenomenal! Looking past the heat, we saw some of the most beautiful scenery that we have ever had the privilege of seeing. This state definitely set the bar high for the rest of the trip – but time keeps on slipping… On to the next state!