Wednesday evening we drove back into St. George to pick up the girls. Hailey flew in from San Francisco and Harmony from Logan airport in Boston. Imagine their surprise to fly into a one gate airport!!! Oh, the joy of smaller cities! The next day, Thursday, started with a hike in the Narrows. First step was picking up the walking sticks, water proof pants, neoprene socks and water shoes. We all hopped on the Zion bus. I don't know how Mark got this photo with the Zion bus perfectly positioned in the photo!
Then its a walk down the mile long River walk trail. That's Harmony in front followed by Hailey and then Mark at the back.
Hailey was the trooper as she had two left socks but not only did she make it all work, she was in full gear before anyone else.
All dressed and ready to go! Yes, this is one hike that is not on dry land. You hike the river!
The twins had a great time from the start of the trail...
...all the way to Wall Street and back down the river with a stop for snacks. The girls are also showing off their "head tilt" pose in many of the photos!
Back to the RV because the day is not done... Uncle Mark has a full itinerary.
A short time to shower and change then it is off to see "Rock of Refuge" at the IMAX theater. It was about rock climbing and canyoneering - some pretty scary scenes but it was enjoyed by all. Then off to The Spotted Dog Café where we dined alfresco (just a fancy word that means outside). We enjoyed the perfect weather, the view and the hummingbirds (everyone thought of Grandma Pauline.) But, I think the girls really loved the chocolate mint sticks that we got after we finished our desserts!
It's Friday and that means its canyoneering day. An early pick up, out to select gear and its off to the Canyon. There are so many wonderful memories that this will get its own blog update. Look for this incredible adventure in the next blog.
I don't canyoneer so I took advantage of a Ride with a Ranger opportunity. I got this great photo of the three most famous mountains in Zion. On the far left (sorry the top is cut off) is Cable Mountain, then the Great White Throne, and the one on the right, Angel's Landing, is most famous for a scary hike!
Speaking of Angel's Landing. Mark did a hike to the top before the twin's arrived and he sent me a text message with this amazing view of Zion from the top of Angel's landing. Zion starts from the bottom of the canyon and all hikes are to the top.
While on the Ranger Ride, we also got to see the ever present mountain climbers at Zion - not on my bucket list!
On Friday, after a long day dropping into slot canyons we took it easy and had dinner at the coach. Who knew that the twins would have already experienced "Kugel" but it was fun. The coach is literally steps to the amphitheater so we finished the day with a Ranger Talk - Harmony may have dozed off and not seen all of it but it was a beautiful evening!
It's Saturday and you can't come to Southwest Utah and not take the time to visit Bryce Canyon National Park. The twins grabbed a nice nap on the ride. First stop was the Navajo Trail hike. Bryce is the exact opposite of Zion. At Bryce you start at the top and hike to the bottom. So, there are a lot of switchbacks to get you to the bottom. The hike back up to the top isn't any easier.
When you get down to the bottom of the Canyon you hike around the trees and the beautiful hoodoos!
There were so many great shots that I just had to do a "Twins do Bryce Canyon Collage."
But the "money shot" is always the view of the "Amphitheater" from Inspiration Point.
And its a perfect stop for a "we were there" photo.
But wait...the day is not done. We headed back to the Zion Campground, packed up the coach, and the girls got to ride back to St. George with us in the RV with the car in tow. After a quick dinner at Kneader's, we headed out to share our favorite outdoor theater, Tuachan, with the girls. We saw the Disney musical, "Beauty and the Beast."
Its a sad day when the girls have to head home. We had a wonderful Sunday brunch at "Breakfast at Tiffany's." We all enjoyed the French Press Coffee, some huge crepes, eggs benedict and the house specialty Crème Brulee French Toast.
What a wonderful surprise and a perfect ending to our trip to find, sitting in the back seat, a beautifully written thank you note from the twins. It was a fabulous visit filled with special memories to last a life time!
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