Wednesday, March 21, 2018

We got a late start to the day today, mostly from getting in late the night before. We ended up leaving the ranch at about 11 or so to head to Zion National Park. Sonya and I had been here before as well and couldn’t wait to share it with the kids.

After leaving the ranch and heading out for breakfast, we quickly found that there was some getting used to Utah country life. There are many things we take for granted in Greenwood Indiana… like places to eat. I had a friend text me recently and tell me that we had to get more adventurous with our food (so far Denny’s, McDonald’s, etc.). Well (you know who you are), here ya go! This is your day!

After driving about a half hour south from just north of Glendale where we were staying toward the park we found our first place to eat anything in Mt. Carmel Junction. It was called The Thunderbird. Cute little place. Known for its “Ho-made pies” – which has caused some controversy in this heavily Mormon-populated area. You could tell there was some history here. We were hoping for breakfast but that ship had sailed a half hour earlier. So, our brunch consisted of burgers for Seth and I, a chicken wrap for Sonya (which she was hoping to be hot but was cold), chicken and fries for Vivian, a corndog for Savannah, “Alfredo Fettuccini” for Eli, and Pasta Bolognaise for Zach. The Thunderbird didn’t receive rave reviews from the group. But it was well decorated. Seth was impressed with all of the replica cars.

Off to the park! Since some of the parks that we planned to visit on this trip were the same ones that Sonya and went to on our honeymoon, we wanted to recreate some of the photos that we took during our trip almost 18 years ago. We were able to take the same picture at the park entrance sign.

First stop was the Visitors Center as usual. This visit all the kids wanted hats. Large rimmed hats for the boys and ball caps for Savannah and Vivian.

We also learned that access to most of the trails were made via a shuttle bus. This was Vivian’s dream come true! To finally be able to ride the bus!

Our first and only stop was Stop 5, the trails to The Emerald Pools. Sonya and I made this hike on our honeymoon. Again, the experience as a little different this time. But the sights were just as amazing. In June of 2000 it was really dry and the waterfalls weren’t as impressive as they were this day.

Vivian was extra friendly on this hike, saying “Hi!” to just about everyone who passed by, bringing a little joy to everyone’s day, and keeping me entertained at the same time. This is a common trait of Williams Syndrome children, to be very outgoing with strangers. She did so great hiking again today and is truly an inspiration. Seth had a funny moment when he had to go off-trail to take care of some business. When he came back out…

Seth: “I used a rock.”

Me (laughing): “Oh yeah? How was that?

Seth: “Hard. But I did find a rock that fit my buttcheeks.”

Emerald Pool Trail Pictures:

After seeing the lower, middle, and upper pools, we branched off onto another trail to a grotto. It took us along The Virgin River and eventually brought us down to Stop 6 where we caught the shuttle back to the van. By this time it was too late in the day to catch any more trails.

Springdale, UT is just west of the park so we decided to spend the rest of the day there. The only chain restaurant that we saw (in this town and in any of these small towns) was Subway. Well that would be boring! So we drove up and down the main street to see what we could find. We settled on a place called Porter’s Smokehouse Grill. This place was really good! It was expensive and the portions were huge, but the food was good.

After dinner, the kids easily talked me into ice cream. Once again, the weather was perfect that night, and lots laughs walking around town. We also stopped at a local grocery for some breakfast and lunch foods.

Headed home we could drive around the park for a 3 hour trip, or drive through the winding park roads. We opted for the park drive. Very creepy! Pitch black and cliffs on one side of the road all the way out. Exiting the park was a relief. But the deer eating at the sides of the road kept us on edge. We got back to the ranch about 10:30pm or so. Very ready for bed. The plan for the next day was to get up earlier and head to Capitol Reef.