Day 2 -- Driving to Zion National Park

These were taken going from Hwy 89 to Hwy 12, also known as Mt. Carmel Scenic Byway.  I think all of our jaws dropped a time or two with the magnificent views.  Steve and I were amazed that the kids could sit in the backseat and play electronics when there was so much to see.  Several times, we had to turn off ALL games so that they would look at the sights.  Kids!!

We stopped in this parking lot before going through the tunnel to do the Canyon Overlook hike.

Day 2 -- Pink Sand Dunes State Park

 The sand was really hot.  They tried taking their shoes off so that it was easier to walk, but it burned their feet.  The kids had fun running up and down these hills for about 15-20 minutes.  After that, Shane got sick and threw up a few times.  We think it was a sign of heat exhaustion.  Hopefully he will remember the fun he had rolling down the ills and not the getting sick part. :)

2013 Vacation -- Day 2 -- Moqui Cave

On our drive to Zion National Park, we stopped by Moqui Cave.  (The guy that lived in the house in the previous post suggested this and Pink Corral Sand Dunes as stops on our drive.)  The cave houses a museum full of artifacts, fossils, and fluorescent rocks.

     You could go through the little tepee entrance and enter the deeper, cooler part of the cave.

                                    We had never seen Florescent Rocks.

2013 Vacation -- Day 2 -- Kenab Utah

After seeing the Grand Canyon, we drove to Kenab, Utah to sleep.  I woke early so that I could get in a quick run.  The elevation here was about 5,000 feet compared to the 650 feet I am used to running in at home.  I knew that I wanted to try and do the Bryce Canyon Half in a few days, so this was an important trial run.  I asked the front desk clerk if they had a treadmill, but they did not, so I had to go outside.

Wow!! I am so thankful that there was no treadmill inside the hotel.  These views were awesome.  I could definitely wake up to this every morning.  Wishing that we had more time here so that we could hike and maybe get in a trail run.

2013 Vacation -- Day 1 -- Grand Canyon

We got to the Grand Canyon about an hour before sunset, so we didn't have that much time to hike and explore.  Seeing the sun go down was amazing!

This picture is my favorite!!

2013 Vacation -- Day 1 -- Driving to Grand Canyon

On July 9th, we flew standby to Las Vegas and got there with ZERO problems.  We got our bags, our rental car, and headed to the Grand Canyon.  It was about a 4.5 our drive to the North Rim.  The kids spent their time watching movies and playing electronics in the back seat.  Steve and I enjoyed the beautiful landscapes of Nevada, Utah and Arizona.  One thing we learned is that when we left the bigger cities, we no longer had cell service which is what we were using as a map!  Luckily we stopped at a Utah Visitor Center and they were able to give us a map.  Reminded me of the "olden-days" and the dog-eared, highlighted atlas that my parents always used on our road trips in the motorhome.