Rocky Mountain Highs (a non-Disney Trip Report) - COMPLETE 2/17

[Captain_Oblivious]

How cool is that?!

Very cool, if you ask me! Which you did.

But this is cooler. They are fascinating creatures.

I would have liked to have seen more moose on the trip. But the bighorn sheep is typically more rare.

Okay now I feel like an idiot. So I knew those were Elk so I thought a Moose was hiding somewhere so I was trying to find it. Not realizing you thought the Elk were Moose

That's ok with me, I've felt like an idiot on this point long enough!

I love that you have taken several shots of them like this over the past trips.

Please tell me you wrote a review on TripAdvisor. So many people check out that site, it would make them away to check the bill before they leave and not get scammed out of money.

No, I didn't--I actually meant to call back and fight further but it was in the middle of dealing with my FIL's death so I got distracted and forgot until it was too late.

Amazing!

That is very neat!

I agree on both counts!

Ugh that stinks.

It is what it is.

But oh my gosh, how ridiculous cute is he?!

He milks that for all it's worth, too.

And i'm sure you've heard the outrageous news that Bacon is linked to Cancer??...and I guess I don't care cause I had some this morning.

I refuse to believe it. Alternately, I think everything on earth has been linked to cancer at some point. But I have statistics to fight back. For example: did you know the death rate among vegetarians is 100%?

This sounds like the most perfect, complete meal.

Aside from the amazing views, this would be the second reason for wanting to live there. Amazing!

It definitely helps you cover ground!

Look so serene.

This is an epic photo.

That was a glorious drive.

I always love when folks show the 'real' photos! I got 2 snarky comments last Christmas (not on the DIS) from when DS was crying hysterically from sitting on Santa's (aka DH's) lap and I thought it was hilarious because every picture I had seen on my FB and Instagram was of happy, smiling children. I thought i'd add something different to break up the monotony of smiles. Oh well, some people clearly 'got it'.

You should unfriend those folks! Life is too short for people not to have a sense of humor! Once we sent out a "fake" Christmas card to our friends with grumpy photos like that. Man, now I need to find a copy.

Cool view, but poor Horses

Agreed.

Ick, i'd want to leave asap as well.

Yeah, not our favorite dinner of the trip.

Not fair! I've stayed at a couple HIE's and was never given Cinnamon rolls

Really? But they're standard at every one? Are you sure it wasn't a regular Holiday Inn? They don't serve breakfast.

I say this over and over. He is so cute! He really could be a Gerber baby. Enter him. College fund??

I like the way you think!

But you have to work off those Father's Day PB&J sandwiches somehow

And the 50/50 burgers.

Now wait a second. I've taught my son everything on this list minus the lawn and tire change. I'd like to think us American Mom's have a responsibility too.

Of course! I just meant there are certain things the father generally takes the lead on. But if mom is on board with these, that just makes you a wonderful woman!

You are right, glorious!

This is great! I've read of this happening to Blonde haired people before and the fact that it happened to you...err, Drew, is amazing!

The rest of the family sure got a big kick out of it!

Awesome! And a possible meet with Alison and Fran sounds like fun!

I think we'll make it happen!

Yes, that's what makes the DIS more expressive than FB!

Mom and Dad had all those bad boys.
When I started driving it was all about cassettes
(and I had every one of them right up until the time that we had to downsize to pay for college.)

I still have most of mine. Including the mix tapes made off the radio where I had to abruptly cut off the song when the DJ starts talking over it.

Speaking of which...
I need to get over this mental block I've gotten myself into and crank mine back up

Yes. Yes, you do.

C plus! Eeeeeeeeheheehe!

♫ You’ll shoot your eye out; you’ll shoot your eye out ♫
Waaaaahahahahaha!

There's one avenue left to try: Santa. He'll understand.

25th anniversary...
very likely to happen (and I will be "borrowing")

I can't think of a better way to celebrate!

 

[Dugette]

Thanks! I can't wait for the tour. Should be really cool. Did you go on any of the rides as part of the tour?

Yes, I believe we did the Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion. But not your typical ride, as we had the guide sharing details with us. If you want to read more, it's the first half of Day 8 in the links on this TR: http://www.disboards.com/threads/po...-updated-12-22-day-8-complete-new-tr.2820711/ For what it's worth, there's not many spoilers, as I wrote the TR entries SO long after the trip that I really couldn't even remember many of the details.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Yes, I believe we did the Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion. But not your typical ride, as we had the guide sharing details with us. If you want to read more, it's the first half of Day 8 in the links on this TR: http://www.disboards.com/threads/po...-updated-12-22-day-8-complete-new-tr.2820711/ For what it's worth, there's not many spoilers, as I wrote the TR entries SO long after the trip that I really couldn't even remember many of the details.

Thanks for the link! Even if you can't remember the details it's very helpful to know generally what to expect!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Chapter 11: First of All, Don't Make Fun of the Weather Here, and Don't Say the Weather is the Same All the Time Here. Because it's Not. In Fact, it's Two Degrees Colder Today Than Yesterday.

We sat in the van, drinking water, air-conditioning on full blast. I don't know that an air conditioner has ever felt so good as it did on that particular morning after that particular hike. It also felt wonderful to be able to sit down without that infernal backpack on.

Naturally, the next item on the agenda was another hike.

We were trying to beat crowds once again, and even though it was somewhere around 10:00 a.m., the park was starting to feel much more crowded. We drove to the end of the road at the Devil's Garden Trailhead. There's a huge parking lot here that wraps around the one-way loop road, but even at this time it was hard to find a parking spot. You just have to get lucky and find one as someone else is leaving. We got one at the end of the row and then I begged and pleaded to put Drew in the stroller this time.

We planned to take the trail to see Landscape Arch. You can go much further and see many more arches on this trail, but the path becomes much harder once you get past Landscape Arch. The trail guide described our portion of the hike as "Level" and rated it "Easy". Sounded good to me!

It was almost a mile to Landscape Arch. It wasn't far before we hit the first hill to climb. It was on this trail that we learned the difference between Delaware and Utah. In Delaware, "level" means flat. In Utah, "level" apparently means "the net gain in elevation is roughly zero." There were still plenty of hills to climb and difficult downhill slopes to manage with a stroller. But hey, at least we were already exhausted from the morning hike. And it was getting hotter.

Somebody was already done.

Once we finally got close to Landscape Arch, the trail turned to heavy sand, making further progress with the stroller impossible. So I waited while Julie took the kids around the bend to see the arch, and then she came back to give me a turn.

Landscape Arch is a very long, thin arch, making it one of the older formations in the park. You used to be able to walk up underneath it, but in 1991 a 60-foot long section of it collapsed. Suddenly it didn't seem like such a good idea to let visitors walk under it anymore. Sadly, every arch eventually will collapse. Such is the unforgiving nature of erosion. So, if you want to see these magnificent formations, you'd better get out here! You never know when another one will disappear. Park rangers currently think either Landscape Arch or Delicate Arch (no!) will be the next one to fall.

Just beyond this arch you can find Partition Arch and Navajo Arch, but they involve a very steep climb, so we decided against that and turned around. Back up and down the hills on the trail. There is a short side trail that offers views of two more arches near the trailhead. At this point, I was hot and exhausted, and the baby was still sleeping. So Julie took the big kids down the side trail while I sat in the shade at the trailhead with Drew and drank some water. I needed that rest badly.

Julie and the big kids saw Tunnel Arch:

And Pine Tree Arch:

Julie was in her element, finally getting to see this park after waiting so many years. I was also in my element, sitting on my butt and not doing anything.

Eventually Julie found me and we headed back to the car and glorious seating and air conditioning. It was lunchtime, and normally we would have found a good spot to sit and eat (say it with me now) PB&J sandwiches. But we had a problem: we'd left the peanut butter in our hotel room.

Darn it all! Now we'd have to spend extra time in the air conditioning! Normally this would have been a huge mistake, but it was only about a 15-mile drive to leave the park and get back to the hotel. Most other national parks are in the middle of nowhere and would have left us in a bind. So, we drove back to the hotel, grabbed the peanut butter, and then Julie made sandwiches for us to eat in the car while we drove back to the park. Problem solved.

Early afternoon: hottest part of the day. Sounds like it's time for some more hiking!

Nobody accused us of being rocket scientists.

This time we made a turn at a formation that for some odd reason is called Balanced Rock:

Everyone was hot and tired at this point, so we needed to provide motivation. We'd promised the kids at the start of the day that if they could make it through the park without complaining, we'd have a (dramatic announcer voice) Pizza And Pool Party at the hotel that night. Of course, you and I know that the primary reason for that was we knew we'd be exhausted and would just want to sit in cold water while the food was brought to us without having to go anywhere else. But to the kids (especially Scotty), you would have thought we'd promised a trip to Disney World. All throughout the day, Scotty kept asking if we were still on for the (dramatic announcer voice) Pizza And Pool Party that evening. And we reassured him that it hadn't been cancelled.

At the end of this side road there were a couple of trailheads for short hikes. The first was to the North and South Windows as well as Turret Arch. It was about a half mile round trip, and listed in the guide as "Level". Well, we weren't falling for that one again. No stroller. As much as I didn't want to, I strapped that blasted backpack on and hoisted the baby onto my back. It was 100 degrees.

First up was the North Window. This one is big and solid enough that you CAN walk up and stand underneath. We weren't going to pass that up.

Also, it was another chance to sit down. And I know I sound really old by the way I keep bringing that up, but...well, if the boot fits...

There's Turret Arch. We didn't walk all the way over there because--well, did you miss the 100 degrees part?

Scotty did his best to make sure it didn't fall down, though.

And here's the South Window. We didn't climb up there.

All around us, you could find interesting and varied rock formations.

The final hike we took was another short trail to see Double Arch. If you have seen the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you might recognize this formation. That part of the movie was filmed here.

I think Double Arch is my second-favorite formation, after Delicate Arch. Even though all of this hiking in the heat was exhausting, I am thrilled that we could spend a day here in Arches. The formations are unique and memorable, and conquering the Delicate Arch hike as a family is something I'll remember forever. I can't name another place in the world that looks like this. And due to the ever-changing nature of erosion, it'll never be the same park twice. If you are able, make the effort to see this place. You won't forget it.

With that, we returned to the van, and I slammed the backpack into the trunk with great joy. After I took the baby out, of course.

We drove to the visitor center and wandered. In order to get their Junior Ranger badges, the kids were allowed to watch the movie instead of attending a ranger program, so we chose that option. I may or may not have drifted off during the video. Anyway, the important thing here is that the kids got their badges, their fourth of the trip. And we'd conquered another National Park.

We did the math and discovered that in total, our family had hiked over 6 miles that day in the blazing sun and heat. At that point I might have even been more excited about a pizza and pool party than Scotty was. Heck, just walking into the hotel room and collapsing sounded pretty awesome right about then.

We drove back and called out. No Domino's for us. We found a local place, Paradox Pizza, that was pretty highly rated on Trip Advisor and asked if they would deliver to the hotel, and bring paper plates. They said yes to both. Beautiful. We all put on our bathing suits while we waited. Before long, the pizza arrived and we chowed down.

One of the laws of nature states that food tastes 78% better after exhausting physical labor, and this was no exception. This pizza tasted as though it had been hand-crafted by the Almighty Himself. I don't know if the pizza was really that good or if we would have said the same thing about a bowl of Count Chocula at this point. I just know we devoured it.

Then it was time to cool off at the pool. With a brief stop, of course, to climb on the luggage carts.

The pool felt glorious.

As dusk fell, Julie took Drew back to the room to put him to bed for the night. The big kids and I kept swimming. There was a big arch over the pool and at night, they lit a row of gas flames on the top of it. So now we can cross "swim under a flaming arch" off the bucket list. Actually, first we need to write that on the bucket list and then cross it off.

In any case, we were extremely happy with the Holiday Inn Express of Moab. We thought it was worth the splurge to take advantage of the pool. And the cinnamon rolls.

It started to get cool without the sun (desert air doesn't hold heat well at all), so we moved to the hot tub. And there, to cap off our amazing (dramatic announcer voice) Pizza And Pool Party...

...Scotty Happened.

Then I went to bed. I slept really well.

Coming Up Next: Finally, something besides PB&J for lunch. And one of the more obscure National Park sites you probably won't visit.

 

[wasnotafan]

Chapter 11: First of All, Don't Make Fun of the Weather Here, and Don't Say the Weather is the Same All the Time Here. Because it's Not. In Fact, it's Two Degrees Colder Today Than Yesterday...

<-thumb
Who knew that so much sand, rocks, sun and scrub could look so inviting. If I ever end up out that way I'll have to plan a little extra time in to look around.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

I am so impressed by all of your exploring and your stamina in the heat! I didn't know there were so many different formations in that area. Nice job getting everyone to cooperate with the promise of(questions announcer) Pizza and pool Party!!!!! Glad it did not disappoint. how fun the hotel had an arch to go with the park theme.

 

[jedijill]

So you are saying it was hot? At least it was a dry heat! Arches looks amazing. I'm going to have to make my own National Park tour some of these days. Its a shame that I've been outdone by someone from Delaware.

That pizza looks pretty tasty. The Pizza and Pool Party (TM) was the perfect ending to your day.

Jill in CO

 

[Lynne G]

Gosh, I remember some of that park when I was there so long ago.

We could never do PB&J, as DD hates sandwiches and never jelly. Oh well. We'd do fine with cheese and crackers.

Nice update. And yeah, any pool when it's hot is always the best place to be.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

<-thumb
Who knew that so much sand, rocks, sun and scrub could look so inviting. If I ever end up out that way I'll have to plan a little extra time in to look around.

I don't think you'd be disappointed! With 2 National Parks so close to town it'd be a shame to skip them.

I am so impressed by all of your exploring and your stamina in the heat! I didn't know there were so many different formations in that area. Nice job getting everyone to cooperate with the promise of(questions announcer) Pizza and pool Party!!!!! Glad it did not disappoint. how fun the hotel had an arch to go with the park theme.

That was a long, tough day. Lots of walking, lots of sweat. But it was worth it to see the arches. We needed that pizza and pool party to have something to look forward to at the end, though!

So you are saying it was hot? At least it was a dry heat! Arches looks amazing. I'm going to have to make my own National Park tour some of these days. Its a shame that I've been outdone by someone from Delaware.

As Baby Drew would say, "HOT!"

Man, Moab would be such a great weekend getaway for you. And if you could go in the offseason, to beat the crowds...wait, why aren't you there already??

To be fair, you've got me beat on international destinations.

That pizza looks pretty tasty. The Pizza and Pool Party (TM) was the perfect ending to your day.

Good, because I don't think we would have been up for anything else!

Gosh, I remember some of that park when I was there so long ago.

I bet it's changed since then. I think the last arch that fell down was in 2008.

We could never do PB&J, as DD hates sandwiches and never jelly. Oh well. We'd do fine with cheese and crackers.

Sounds like she has a more refined palate.

Nice update. And yeah, any pool when it's hot is always the best place to be.

We spent extra money for access to that pool, so we'd darn well better use it!

 

[afwdwfan]

Congratulations on the upcoming trip plans. I read through the plans a few days ago and I'm pretty sure I forgot to comment. It looks like a fun trip and I'm sure you and Julie both need it. And I'm sure the kids will be fine and probably won't lock you out of the house.

Well, at least not Julie. You might be in trouble.

We sat in the van, drinking water, air-conditioning on full blast. I don't know that an air conditioner has ever felt so good as it did on that particular morning after that particular hike. It also felt wonderful to be able to sit down without that infernal backpack on.

So... you went to see Arches and the highlight of the day was A/C. Got it!

We drove to the end of the road at the Devil's Garden Trailhead.

And you thought the other trail was hot.

In Delaware, "level" means flat. In Utah, "level" apparently means "the net gain in elevation is roughly zero."

It's all relative.

There were still plenty of hills to climb and difficult downhill slopes to manage with a stroller. But hey, at least we were already exhausted from the morning hike. And it was getting hotter.

Even if the hills were a little tough with a stroller, at least you weren't wearing Drew.

Park rangers currently think either Landscape Arch or Delicate Arch (no!) will be the next one to fall.

There certainly doesn't look like there's much to it. I can definitely see how it could be fragile.

Julie was in her element, finally getting to see this park after waiting so many years. I was also in my element, sitting on my butt and not doing anything.

Sounds about right for a state employee.

we'd left the peanut butter in our hotel room.

NOOOOO!!! Stranded in the dessert with no food!

Early afternoon: hottest part of the day. Sounds like it's time for some more hiking!

It's always time for more hiking!

Nobody accused us of being rocket scientists.

Or engineers.

We'd promised the kids at the start of the day that if they could make it through the park without complaining, we'd have a (dramatic announcer voice) Pizza And Pool Party at the hotel that night.

Pizza and pool parties always work for me!

Of course, you and I know that the primary reason for that was we knew we'd be exhausted and would just want to sit in cold water while the food was brought to us without having to go anywhere else. But to the kids (especially Scotty), you would have thought we'd promised a trip to Disney World. All throughout the day, Scotty kept asking if we were still on for the (dramatic announcer voice) Pizza And Pool Party that evening. And we reassured him that it hadn't been cancelled.

Whatever it takes.

No stroller. As much as I didn't want to, I strapped that blasted backpack on and hoisted the baby onto my back. It was 100 degrees.

What was 100 degrees? The air or your back?

First up was the North Window. This one is big and solid enough that you CAN walk up and stand underneath. We weren't going to pass that up.

SHADE!!!!!

We drove to the visitor center and wandered. In order to get their Junior Ranger badges, the kids were allowed to watch the movie instead of attending a ranger program, so we chose that option. I may or may not have drifted off during the video. Anyway, the important thing here is that the kids got their badges, their fourth of the trip. And we'd conquered another National Park.

They got their badges. You got a nap. I'm hoping you all got A/C. Sounds like a win all the way around.

One of the laws of nature states that food tastes 78% better after exhausting physical labor, and this was no exception. This pizza tasted as though it had been hand-crafted by the Almighty Himself. I don't know if the pizza was really that good or if we would have said the same thing about a bowl of Count Chocula at this point. I just know we devoured it.

And whatever you're drinking really tastes good. Heck, you probably could have made a peanut butter pizza and drank water and it would have tasted awesome.

There was a big arch over the pool and at night, they lit a row of gas flames on the top of it. So now we can cross "swim under a flaming arch" off the bucket list. Actually, first we need to write that on the bucket list and then cross it off.

"Swim under a flaming arch" wasn't already on your list??????

...Scotty Happened.

BAYMAX!!!!

 

[pkondz]

We sat in the van, drinking water, air-conditioning on full blast. I don't know that an air conditioner has ever felt so good as it did on that particular morning after that particular hike. It also felt wonderful to be able to sit down without that infernal backpack on.

Really? How odd. Was it hot?

Naturally, the next item on the agenda was another hike.

Naturally, because, masochistic.

We got one at the end of the row and then I begged and pleaded to put Drew in the stroller this time.

Thank goodness! I don't see how you could backpack him again!

The trail guide described our portion of the hike as "Level" and rated it "Easy". Sounded good to me!

In Delaware, "level" means flat. In Utah, "level" apparently means "the net gain in elevation is roughly zero."

Oh.

Somebody was already done.

Awww....

Actually, that's probably what you wanted to do right about then.

Landscape Arch is a very long, thin arch, making it one of the older formations in the park.

And very cool, too.

but in 1991 a 60-foot long section of it collapsed. Suddenly it didn't seem like such a good idea to let visitors walk under it anymore.

Eep! No, I suppose not!

Sadly, every arch eventually will collapse. Such is the unforgiving nature of erosion.

Yep. And it's the way it should be.
Please don't try and support it somehow.

Park rangers currently think either Landscape Arch or Delicate Arch (no!) will be the next one to fall.

Not surprised. That thing is razor thin!

Julie and the big kids saw Tunnel Arch:

It really does look like a man-made tunnel.

Julie was in her element, finally getting to see this park after waiting so many years

Glad she got to see it!

I was also in my element, sitting on my butt and not doing anything.

Well, I'm glad for you too.

It was lunchtime, and normally we would have found a good spot to sit and eat (say it with me now) PB&J sandwiches.

PB&J sandwiches!!

But we had a problem: we'd left the peanut butter in our hotel room.

Whoopsie!

J sandwiches!!

Early afternoon: hottest part of the day. Sounds like it's time for some more hiking!

Oh, dear Lord.

Nobody accused us of being rocket scientists.

Well, considering the sights you saw... I'll pass on the snarky comment on this one.

This time we made a turn at a formation that for some odd reason is called Balanced Rock:

I wonder why. Guess I'll have to Google it.
(If Google still worked, I mean.)

We'd promised the kids at the start of the day that if they could make it through the park without complaining, we'd have a (dramatic announcer voice) Pizza And Pool Party at the hotel that night.

Ah yes. The pool.
Crack for kids.

But to the kids (especially Scotty), you would have thought we'd promised a trip to Disney World.

As much as I didn't want to, I strapped that blasted backpack on and hoisted the baby onto my back. It was 100 degrees.

Oh. My. God.

And yet you're still smiling!

Scotty did his best to make sure it didn't fall down, though.

Single handedly, too!

All around us, you could find interesting and varied rock formations.

Really interesting and I'd love to go now.

The final hike we took was another short trail to see Double Arch. If you have seen the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you might recognize this formation. That part of the movie was filmed here.

Cool!

If you are able, make the effort to see this place. You won't forget it.

On the bucket list now.

With that, we returned to the van, and I slammed the backpack into the trunk with great joy. After I took the baby out, of course.

I read that with the extra comma...

"and I slammed the backpack into the trunk with great joy. After, I took the baby out, of course."

We did the math and discovered that in total, our family had hiked over 6 miles that day in the blazing sun and heat.

Whoo boy.

I don't know if the pizza was really that good or if we would have said the same thing about a bowl of Count Chocula at this point. I just know we devoured it.

My earliest cooking lesson.
Want your guests to really like your food?
Starve 'em for a bit.

Then it was time to cool off at the pool. With a brief stop, of course, to climb on the luggage carts.

Of course.

Everyone looks pretty darned happy.

There was a big arch over the pool

Fitting.

and at night, they lit a row of gas flames on the top of it.

Nice.

...Scotty Happened.

Yes. Yes he did.

Then I went to bed. I slept really well.

I can't even imagine.

Finally, something besides PB&J for lunch.

What?!?!? No!!

And one of the more obscure National Park sites you probably won't visit.

And yet you did. Interesting.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Congratulations on the upcoming trip plans. I read through the plans a few days ago and I'm pretty sure I forgot to comment. It looks like a fun trip and I'm sure you and Julie both need it. And I'm sure the kids will be fine and probably won't lock you out of the house.

They have threatened to change the locks. I'm going to have to bring back some major loot.

Well, at least not Julie. You might be in trouble.

But I'm the fun parent!

So... you went to see Arches and the highlight of the day was A/C. Got it!

No, it was Delicate Arch. THEN it was A/C.

And you thought the other trail was hot.

Not hard to figure out how they came up with those names.

It's all relative.

Yes, it is. They probably think it IS flat out there.

Even if the hills were a little tough with a stroller, at least you weren't wearing Drew.

True. And I needed that break.

There certainly doesn't look like there's much to it. I can definitely see how it could be fragile.

I was surprised when they said Delicate Arch might be next. Landscape Arch looked a lot more fragile to me.

Sounds about right for a state employee.

They say to write what you know.

NOOOOO!!! Stranded in the dessert with no food!

WE'LL NEVER SURVIVE!!!

Ok, back in the van.

It's always time for more hiking!

These arches aren't going to see themselves!

Or engineers.

Or rocket surgeons.

Pizza and pool parties always work for me!

Great! Now I know how to motivate you.

Whatever it takes.

Exactly.

What was 100 degrees? The air or your back?

Yes.

SHADE!!!!!

And a seat!

They got their badges. You got a nap. I'm hoping you all got A/C. Sounds like a win all the way around.

Yeah, I think we all just needed to wind down. It looked different for each of us.

And whatever you're drinking really tastes good. Heck, you probably could have made a peanut butter pizza and drank water and it would have tasted awesome.

Truth. At that point, I might even have eaten vegetabl--

Ok, probably not. I guess I do have my limits.

"Swim under a flaming arch" wasn't already on your list??????

Is "drive car/motorcycle through a flaming barricade" close enough?

BAYMAX!!!!

I didn't make that connection, but you're right!

 

[Steppesister]

So, story time:

Once upon a time, I met a really handome guy in college when I was studying for my M.R.S. degree in Flagstaff. He was so hawt, I decided to add a minor to my Ed. Degree so I could see him more. Oddly, (or not so much) I took a Geo 121 class and he was the TA and that trip happened to have a field trip out of NAU to Moab. The memory that stands out most from that EXACT hotel was gin and tonics with all of the MA students (and me cuz I was in the "in" crowd by then) by that pool after hiking all over God's red earth that day (and yes, it was 100 and hell degrees then too). 25 years ago there wasn't a really cool flaming arch, but there was a flaming hot romance a'brewing.... Truth.

 

[pkondz]

Once upon a time, I met a really handome guy in college when I was studying for my M.R.S. degree in Flagstaff.

@Steppesister had to get a degree in becoming a Mrs???

Huh.


Who knew?

 

[franandaj]

I think we're supposed to be there around 4:00 or so. Not ideal, but we'll make it work. We figured we'd do the lights late at night.

Turns out I was completely confused. We are going there Monday night! Doh!

Naturally, the next item on the agenda was another hike.

Of course!

We planned to take the trail to see Landscape Arch. You can go much further and see many more arches on this trail, but the path becomes much harder once you get past Landscape Arch. The trail guide described our portion of the hike as "Level" and rated it "Easy". Sounded good to me!

Ha! Whoever comes up with these designations needs to spend a day with a Handicapped person, not marathon runners!

Park rangers currently think either Landscape Arch or Delicate Arch (no!) will be the next one to fall.

That's too bad. And I supposed it will take another 100,000 years for another one to form.

Darn it all! Now we'd have to spend extra time in the air conditioning! Normally this would have been a huge mistake, but it was only about a 15-mile drive to leave the park and get back to the hotel. Most other national parks are in the middle of nowhere and would have left us in a bind. So, we drove back to the hotel, grabbed the peanut butter, and then Julie made sandwiches for us to eat in the car while we drove back to the park. Problem solved.

Tough one. At least the problem solved itself fairly easily.

Also, it was another chance to sit down. And I know I sound really old by the way I keep bringing that up, but...well, if the boot fits...

After all the walking you have been doing, you sound like a spring chicken to me!

We did the math and discovered that in total, our family had hiked over 6 miles that day in the blazing sun and heat.

At that point I might have even been more excited about a pizza and pool party than Scotty was. Heck, just walking into the hotel room and collapsing sounded pretty awesome right about then.

So now we can cross "swim under a flaming arch" off the bucket list. Actually, first we need to write that on the bucket list and then cross it off.

Nice.

Then I went to bed. I slept really well.

Yeah, I would expect you would have!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Chapter 11: First of All, Don't Make Fun of the Weather Here, and Don't Say the Weather is the Same All the Time Here. Because it's Not. In Fact, it's Two Degrees Colder Today than Yesterday.

Two degrees colder… and me without my muff.

We sat in the van, drinking water, air-conditioning on full blast. I don't know that an air conditioner has ever felt so good as it did on that particular morning after that particular hike. It also felt wonderful to be able to sit down without that infernal backpack on.

Ahhh… the simple joys of life

But hey, at least we were already exhausted from the morning hike. And it was getting hotter.

Under such conditions, this should be nothing more than a bit of a lark.

Somebody was already done.

And I s’pect he was plenty glad to have the shade and chauffeur,

Once we finally got close to Landscape Arch, the trail turned to heavy sand, making further progress with the stroller impossible.

You needed you one of these handy-dandy devices, righ’chere…

Well lookie there… Y’all found someone with a relatively decent eye for composition.

I was also in my element, sitting on my butt and not doing anything.

We must all be masters of something

But we had a problem: we'd left the peanut butter in our hotel room.

That’s a problem?
Sounds more like a cunning plan.

So, we drove back to the hotel, grabbed the peanut butter, and then Julie made sandwiches for us to eat in the car while we drove back to the park. Problem solved.

And an opportunity missed
(of course, you also didn’t spend extra money either so really, it’s all good)

Nobody accused us of being rocket scientists.

You’re telling me that this ain’t rocket surgery?

This time we made a turn at a formation that for some odd reason is called Balanced Rock:

Well… it’s a mystery.

And I know I sound really old by the way I keep bringing that up, but...well, if the boot fits...

Pup…

Scotty did his best to make sure it didn't fall down, though.

You need to get that boy to Pisa…
There’s this tower over there that needs just one more person to help hold it up.

And here's the South Window. We didn't climb up there.

Can’t imagine why…

All around us, you could find interesting and varied rock formations.

The remaining bones of vast mountains now long gone…
The whole area is just jaw dropping.

The final hike we took was another short trail to see Double Arch. If you have seen the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you might recognize this formation. That part of the movie was filmed here.

“It belongs in a museum!”

With that, we returned to the van, and I slammed the backpack into the trunk with great joy. After I took the baby out, of course.

Oh, of course…

the kids were allowed to watch the movie instead of attending a ranger program, so we chose that option. I may or may not have drifted off during the video.

We could debate which of y’ens made better use of the time.

We did the math and discovered that in total, our family had hiked over 6 miles that day in the blazing sun and heat.

Hummm…
Sounds like a July day at AK.

We found a local place, Paradox Pizza

Like the name…

I don't know if the pizza was really that good or if we would have said the same thing about a bowl of Count Chocula at this point.

Gonn’a have to go with: good pizza, on that particular comparison.

With a brief stop, of course, to climb on the luggage carts.

Because it’s a moral imperative.

That right there would have been a worthy Christmas card if you’d have just drug Julie into the pool with you

...Scotty Happened.

Look out! He’s gonn’a blow!
(reminds me of the old “never fart in a wet suit” joke.)


.

 

[Steppesister]

@Steppesister had to get a degree in becoming a Mrs???

Huh.


Who knew?

Well, let's just say that my MRS degree turned out to be far more lucrative than my BS.Ed.

Sorry, Mark. Looks like your thread just took a divebomb. You're probably sitting there thinking, "Man, doesn't she have some studying to do or something?!"

 

[pkondz]

Sorry, Mark. Looks like your thread just took a divebomb. You're probably sitting there thinking, "Man, doesn't she have some studying to do or something?!"

 

[afwdwfan]

I need to make one of these!!!

That'll get people out of the way!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Really? How odd. Was it hot?

According to Baby Drew, it was "HOT!"

Naturally, because, masochistic.

Pretty much. Why couldn't they put these parks in more convenient places?

Thank goodness! I don't see how you could backpack him again!

At that point, even the thought of it just made me

Awww....

Actually, that's probably what you wanted to do right about then.

And very cool, too.

These formations are just fascinating!

Eep! No, I suppose not!

I think there's actually video of part of the arch collapsing online. Pretty scary!

Yep. And it's the way it should be.
Please don't try and support it somehow.

It's the way of things. The good news is, new arches are always forming. Bad news: we won't be around to see them.

Not surprised. That thing is razor thin!

You can see the wreckage below, too.

It really does look like a man-made tunnel.

But prettier.

Glad she got to see it!

Me too! Never let it be said that I don't deliver on my promises. It just takes a while.

Well, I'm glad for you too.

Hey, we all have our special talents.

PB&J sandwiches!!

Whoopsie!

J sandwiches!!

As if our lunches could get any more basic.

Oh, dear Lord.

Sounds like you were in the van with us.

Well, considering the sights you saw... I'll pass on the snarky comment on this one.

Nah, go right ahead. Those are more entertaining than anything I wrote in the chapter!

I wonder why. Guess I'll have to Google it.
(If Google still worked, I mean.)

Right. I guess we're left to ponder it for eternity.

Ah yes. The pool.
Crack for kids.

Oh. My. God.

And yet you're still smiling!

Because I'm sitting down! In the shade!

Single handedly, too!

He's a pretty amazing kid.

Really interesting and I'd love to go now.

I hope you get the chance to see it!

On the bucket list now.

You mean it wasn't always there?

I read that with the extra comma...

"and I slammed the backpack into the trunk with great joy. After, I took the baby out, of course."

He wasn't annoying me enough to do that.

Whoo boy.

So...tired...

My earliest cooking lesson.
Want your guests to really like your food?
Starve 'em for a bit.

It's true! Everything tastes better when you're starving and exhausted.

Everyone looks pretty darned happy.

Because we're in the shade! And in the pool! And we had pizza!

Yes. Yes he did.

He just seems to do these things. Cracks us up every time.

I can't even imagine.

ZZZZzzzzzzzz...

What?!?!? No!!

Sooner or later, even our family gets sick of 'em.

And yet you did. Interesting.

We had a long drive. I try to find something to break it up whenever that happens. And there's some personal history to this one.