Tuesday, March 20, 2018

We were up relatively late this morning as we were pretty spent from the day before. Laundry had to get done this morning so Sonya was up and showered and off to the resort’s laundromat. The rest of us showered and waited.

Breakfast consisted of cereal and pop tarts. The gallon of milk leaked in the frig the night before and combatting that with nothing but kleenex’s was interesting. The cabin was pretty nice but if there’s one thing I would change it would be to add more horizonal surfaces. Eating cereal on the floor wasn’t any fun.

Laundry was done about 10 or so. So we had to get a move on to make it out by the 11:00 check out time. We packed our clothes, packed up the minivan and we were out by 11:15. Sonya didn’t like my joke that they charged us for an extra day.

Off to Arches National Park! I’d been here a couple of times, once with Sonya. But we were anxious to share it with the kids. After a quick visit to the Visitors Center we we’re off to our first attraction.

We opted for a stop that allowed us to see the Double Arch, North and South Windows, and the Turret Arch. We had a great time climbing the surrounding rocks and enjoying the views.

Double Arch

North and South Windows & Turret Arch

We had lunch here: sandwiches and lunchables. Then it was off to see The Delicate Arch. Sonya and I made this hike on our honeymoon in 2000, but it was a very different, yet memorable, experience this time around with 5 kids (one of them a toddler). The hike was a mile and a half uphill more or less. But the sight when reaching the Arch is truly amazing.

We wondered how Vivian would do with all of the hiking. I have to say that she has done wonderful and has even surprised us with how much she has wanted to hike on her own. We could tell that her lack of depth perception has made it difficult for her, but she has done great and hasn’t at all gotten frustrated.

The Delicate Arch

After the hike back down, the dogs were tired! But we trekked on. We drove out to Devil’s Garden for another quick hike. It was amazing how much the scenery changed so much within the park. We walked through steep rocks on either side that created a wind tunnel effect which was welcomed at first, but then got pretty chilly. We hiked up to The Landscape Arch and back again. More beautiful views.

Landscape Arch

We wanted to go into town and get some souvenirs and dinner. Moab is a cute little town and the weather was perfect for a little stroll. It was clear that we all were having a good time together. Lots of laughs shopping for souvenirs.

From Moab, we made our 4 1/2 hour night drive to Glendale where our much-anticipated 5 night stay was. Up to I-70 W to 89 S. Sonya drove this leg of the journey. The kids watched Hunger Games and fell asleep. I should have caught up on my blog posts but I was pretty wiped from the hikes and passed out for a little while. We found the place on AirBnB and it would be our first experience with the AirBnB. It looked really nice from the listing and the price was right. At this point any place where we could hang our hats for more than 2 nights was going to be welcomed. But we were hoping it was as nice as its listing.

Finding the “ranch” was a little difficult. We lost our cell signal about an hour or so before arriving. It was the land that AT&T forgot. It was about 12:30am when we pulled into “town” and very dark. We may have woken up some area families pulling into the driveways looking for the place we’d stay. At least none of us pooped there (I won’t mention who). When we found the ranch our instructions were ring Barry and Judy’s doorbell and they would come down. It might take her a few minutes. Then Barry would take us down to the apartment on the Polaris. Barry and Judy were extremely nice people and took the time to show us everything about the apartment. It is spacious and will suit us just fine for the week. We quickly settled in and passed out.

Zion tomorrow!