Day 6- Zion national park- 6/26/14

We left early this morning for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Zion national park. One fun thing is the 1 mile tunnel you have to go through to get here. It's scary and fun at the same time. We entered Zion and set up camp at watchman campground. This is our third time here so it was all familiar territory. After setting up we headed to the river at our campground. The girls discovered the best thing ever in the river- it provided hours of free entertainment and peace and quiet for mom...tadpoles!  They caught tadpoles for hours and then I had to drag them away for our first hike. We got on the Zion shuttle and headed for the emerald pools hike which is about 3 miles round trip. There are 3 pools and we made it to the upper pools.  The pools are so pretty and the water is seaping from the high canyon walls which have ferns and greens growing out of them. The lower pool has water dripping down onto the trail which is refreshing. Although we hit a cold spell today and it is only in the 80s and overcast. We got separated from noah for a short time on our hike as he accidentally took another trail and didn't hear us call him back. Thankfully he showed up just as we made it to the upper pool!  After our hike we had delicious soft serve ice cream at the lodge. Then back at the campsite it was back to the river for the girls while the boys made dinner. After dinner the boys went to see a movie at the Zion theatre (only shows 1 movie!) and the girls worked on their jr ranger books. We met up at a late evening ranger program about the stars. Whew- that was a lot today!

Day 5- lake Powell- 6/25/14

We decided to spend our last full day at lake Powell where we began- on the lake. We took the SUPs down to the lake and just paddle boarded around the whole afternoon. Tim and Noah took a long trek to the shore on the other side of the lake while us girls floated in our tubes. It was a relaxing last day and the girls just love their time in the lake. We had a nice picnic and mom read her book too. It was a nice way to end our trip. The rest of the evening was cleaning and packing up. Tomorrow we leave for Zion!

Day 4- lake Powell- 6/24/14

Today was sightseeing- tour day. We started really early as we had a full day and it gets hot here quick. We went and saw horseshoe bend which is in Page. It is a part of the river that bends around a huge rock and the sight is gorgeous!  It is an uphill most of the way hot hike but well worth it (not according to Leah though).  We scrambled around the rocks and took lots of photos and then hiked back down. Next we went to our antelope canyon tour. The tour starts off in their office in page. 2 native Americans did an amazing hoop dance show for us that was very impressive. We then loaded into the back of a pick up truck- which incredibly had leather benches and seat belts. The kids thought that was the best part of the day!  It was about a 30 minute, sandy, bumpy ride to the canyon. We arrived there with the other droves of tours and set off into the canyon- which from the outside looks just like a small mountain in the sand. But once you are in- whoa!  It is a narrow slot canyon of red sandstone with light beams pouring in from the top. The temp was about 15 degrees cooler than outside. The walk was about 1/2 mile or so through the canyon. Our guide kept taking our camera and shooting the most incredible photos- the same ones I have seen hundreds of times in magazines. It was truly magnificent and a very special place. We then went back into page and had lunch out. We then took the 2 1/2 hour drive out to monument valley and got photos of the famous "mittens".  Monument valley was not that spectacular after what we had already seen but it has been on the list so glad we made the trek.  Lastly it was back to page for a walmart shopping trip for our next leg of the trip. We headed back to camp and then it was more of the same- resort pool (needed to get all of the sand off our bodies!), dinner, games, walk, and bed. Truly amazing sites today!

Day 3- lake Powell- 6/23/14

We spent another day on the lake today but this day had a lot more fun and adventure. Tim and I started our day off with a morning run to the Utah side. We ended up at the boat rental dock and decided to check into renting a boat. They had what we wanted available so we decided to do it for the day. We ran back and told the kids and we were all on the water by 8:45 am. Tim was a pro at driving the boat. We decided to head to rainbow bridge national monument- a 3 hour boat ride away. I've always wanted to see it but never thought I would since it is only accessible by boat and is quite far. The ride there was so beautiful and peaceful. The sign for the monument was actually a floating buoy. Noah did a great job navigating us there and dad driving. We pulled into this narrow canyon and then appeared a small floating dock. We docked the boat and started the 1 1/2 mile very hot hike to the monument. It was beautiful!  Definitely the largest natural arch we have seen. This arch is sacred to several Native American tribes so you are not allowed to go near it or under it.   We took some photos and listened to a ranger for a bit then headed back. We ate a picnic on our boat then back out on the open waters.  We stopped to fuel at a floating gas station which was cool. We then used the big inner tube on the back of the boat which was a blast.  Noah and I took a turn and dad was going so fast I almost lost my bikini bottoms!  Apparently no one on the boat can hear you screaming to stop or slow down!  We then stopped at a beach location and did some rock scrambling. Back in the boat and we were done- had it back just by 5pm check in time. What a fun day filled with water activities, hikes and special monuments seen only once in a lifetime!  We decided to do the pool AGAIN!  Then it was dinner and bed. We are all sunburned and tired!

Day 2-lake Powell- 6/22/14

Today was lake day!  First it was a nice day to sleep in a bit. After a big French toast breakfast outside, we hit the lake. We have new stand up paddle boards we wanted to try out so we brought those. They were a lot of fun-  even the kids enjoyed them.  We had a nice picnic lunch there and enjoyed the sun, sand, and water. People watching is fun here at Powell as there are a lot of foreigners around. After our lake day we headed to the resort pool again!  Then back to camp for dinner, our nightly walk and games. We are tired from all that sun!

Day 1- Lake Powell- 6/21/14

Up early and ready for our national park trip for the summer!  This time it has to be a little shorter than previous summers as mom had to go and get a job that interfered with our time away! Not to complain though, we have 5 days planned at lake Powell and 4 days at Zion national park- both places we have enjoyed before but definitely worth returning. The trip started off as usual- truck problems...this time trailer brakes weren't working. But Tim fixed them up somehow and after some initial drama, we were on our way. It was an easy 5 1/2 hour drive here to lake Powell. We went straight to our campsite at wahweap and set up. Of course the girls were anxious to get to the lake so us girls rode our bikes there where they swam in the lake for a couple of hours. Then it was back to camp for dinner. We then went to the resort pool and swam for the rest of the evening. Early to bed as it was a full day!