Today I'm going to let the pictures of our trip do the talking. We had a wonderful time in Colorado and Utah.
We started off our trip in Glenwood Springs, CO where we promptly braved the Colorado River.
It was the first time white water rafting for the kids. Alyssa was nervous, Ryan and Jessica were excited. I'm not sure how much of the river Ryan actually saw though, every big rapids his eyes were shut tight.
Later, we hiked a couple of hours up the Hanging Lake Trail where I was gasping for air from lack of oxygen in the high altitude but neither that nor the rain deterred us from making it to the top where we were rewarded with the Spouting Rock.
Our next stop was Moab, Utah where we visited Arches National Park and Canyonlands.
We tried canyoneering which is kind of like extreme hiking. (Have you seen the movie 127 hours? Where the guy is canyoneering and he gets stuck and has to cut off his own arm. He was in Moab. My imagination ran wild with that!) We had to swim through deep canyon ponds of milk chocolate colored water, crawl up steep slopes, and rappel down cliffs. It was one of the most amazing thins I've ever done.
Then we rented Side X Sides (like ATVs) and raced through the desert trails. I've never had so much fun driving before!
The couple hour hike up to Delicate Arch was difficult but we were rewarded with spectacular views. It was like walking through a landscape painting. As the sun lowered in the silver sky, the windswept sandstone formations came alive with color.
Despite the beauty, when we arrived at Delicate Arch, standing alone in its splendor, Ryan asked, "Wait, we walked all this way to see that?!" He was totally unimpressed. I guess he pictured it much bigger and thought there were multiple arches in a row. Maybe in this age of overwhelming visual effects in movies and video games our brains need more stimulation to be amazed.
Sometimes, parent's ideas of what is cool doesn't match with a nine year old's. But I can bet that eventually, he will look back fondly on that long hike as he and Jesse held hands and talked. He will probably even take his own kids on the same hike.
Well, that was half of our trip, I'll share Part II with you next time!
I hope you all have had a wonderful summer, I can't believe it is almost over!
Kathy :)
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| We are the front 5 |
It was the first time white water rafting for the kids. Alyssa was nervous, Ryan and Jessica were excited. I'm not sure how much of the river Ryan actually saw though, every big rapids his eyes were shut tight.
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| Ryan making a wish in Spouting Rock waterfall |
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| Relaxing in hot springs |
Our next stop was Moab, Utah where we visited Arches National Park and Canyonlands.
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| Canyoneering in Chamisa Canyon |
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| Jessica rappelling down the cliff |
We tried canyoneering which is kind of like extreme hiking. (Have you seen the movie 127 hours? Where the guy is canyoneering and he gets stuck and has to cut off his own arm. He was in Moab. My imagination ran wild with that!) We had to swim through deep canyon ponds of milk chocolate colored water, crawl up steep slopes, and rappel down cliffs. It was one of the most amazing thins I've ever done.
Then we rented Side X Sides (like ATVs) and raced through the desert trails. I've never had so much fun driving before!
The couple hour hike up to Delicate Arch was difficult but we were rewarded with spectacular views. It was like walking through a landscape painting. As the sun lowered in the silver sky, the windswept sandstone formations came alive with color.
Despite the beauty, when we arrived at Delicate Arch, standing alone in its splendor, Ryan asked, "Wait, we walked all this way to see that?!" He was totally unimpressed. I guess he pictured it much bigger and thought there were multiple arches in a row. Maybe in this age of overwhelming visual effects in movies and video games our brains need more stimulation to be amazed.
Sometimes, parent's ideas of what is cool doesn't match with a nine year old's. But I can bet that eventually, he will look back fondly on that long hike as he and Jesse held hands and talked. He will probably even take his own kids on the same hike.
Well, that was half of our trip, I'll share Part II with you next time!
I hope you all have had a wonderful summer, I can't believe it is almost over!
Kathy :)
What an adventurous trip! Were you checking your cell phone signal every five minutes in Moab? And don't worry - your kids will look back and think that was the best trip ever.
ReplyDeleteWow, I am envious, so much fun! Great vacation!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful comment on Alex's blog. Flirting can be a problem, especially if you don't know what you're doing. If I'd been any good I'd have sold that book! :)
What amazing scenery! Glad you had a great trip. I well remember white water rafting in Australia.
ReplyDeleteOh that looks like so much fun. I would've taken 1000 photos on that vacation.
ReplyDeleteWhat an exciting family adventure holiday, it looks as though you all had great fun.
ReplyDeleteAlex- Haha! There was no service at all in the canyons, thank goodness we had great guides!
ReplyDeleteYolanda- Thanks!
Nick- Oh rafting in Australia sounds cool, but I'd be looking all over for crocodiles!!
L. Diane- I think all of us combined did take over 1000 photos! :)
Sally- It was exciting and exhausting, but so much fun!
Looks like an awesome place to have a vacation. Great photos!
ReplyDelete