Zion National Park

On Memorial Day, we met up with Todd's best friend from from high school (and his family) and spent a few days camping in Zion National Park.  It had been five years since we'd gotten together with them and I cannot believe how their kids have grown.  Time flies too fast.  I remember visiting them when Todd and I were engaged, and they had two toddlers.  Now those boys are 15 and 13!  

Thanks for meeting up with us, Chuck and Susan. It was wonderful to spend time with you and your family.

Zion NP is absolutely beautiful.  I think Capitol Reef will always be my favorite, but Zion is a close 2nd.

The first evening, we hung out in the campground.  The kids entertained themselves by making bridges so the ants could cross the "river" without getting wet.  Such thoughtful boys...

The next morning, we rode the bus to the "top" and went on a gorgeous hike...but only after we closely examined the buses to see if the rear tires turned when the front tires turned.  Why does this matter?  I still have no idea.  I know you're all just dying to know (well, Papa and Uncle Michael are dying to know) so I'll tell you.  The rear tires did turn along with the front tires.

Whew! I'm so glad we all know that.

FYI- Todd drove a city bus for five years before and during grad school. His dream is to retire someday, and once again be a bus driver.

 The hike was perfect. It was beautiful, and easy.  We totally could have taken a stroller, if we'd remembered it.  Instead, Justin rode on Todd's shoulders for most of the time.

We saw this pretty little dragonfly among the bulrushes.

Here we have proof that I was there.  I think it's the one and only picture that Todd took. While looking through all the pics I took of this hike, I noticed that Brayden was guzzling water in about half of them.  That explains why he had to go to the bathroom so bad when we got to the top, and had to RUN all the way back to the restrooms.  It's a good lesson for our upcoming Disneyland trip.  I will be in charge of the water :o)

Hands down, the boys favorite part of Zion National Park was the squirrels. Really. Every time they saw one they'd yell, "Squirrel!"

 So pretty!

Can you spy the animal in this picture?

Our second hike was "Weeping Rock".  This picture is terrible and doesn't do it any justice.  It was absolutely breathtaking, and the rock really does "weep".  It's not your typical waterfall. I loved all the trees and vegetation that grew out of the rock.

I was more than a little excited when we saw (and got a picture of) a California Condor!  We attended a ranger class on the CA Condor when we were at the Grand Canyon a few years ago.  We looked and looked, but never saw any while we were there.  If I remember correctly, there are less than 75 CA Condors in the world, and they all live between California, the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park.
Did I mention that their wing span is 9 feet long?  That's a big bird.

Caleb and Dillon worked diligently on their Jr. Ranger booklets...

 ...and proudly wore their Jr. Ranger badges for several days after we got home :o)

We have been really blessed to visit so many National Parks in the past few years.  Next on our list?  Mesa Verde.  And the South rim of the Grand Canyon.  And I'd love to visit Yellowstone again. Oh, and the Redwoods...definitely the Redwoods.  I hope our boys will continue to enjoy it as they reach their teenage years.  It's so nice to get away and get "unplugged" once in awhile.

Squirrel!