Salt Lake City Utah and Zion National Park

Salt Lake City Utah-

Saturday- We set up camp and took the kids  cousin Casey Farmer out to get Ice cream. 

Sunday- Church and Lunch at In-n-Out! We were all happy that we were in a state that had an In-n-out! That night we drove down town and went to Temple Square. We walked around the visitor center for a bit and then went to visit GRANDI BENNION! She lives only minutes away from the temple and we went to her home and visited with her and AL (her husband) for several hours. It was a sweet time of fellowship and precious to watch Collin tell his 90-year-old grandi riddle after riddle. I am always amazed at her kind spirit and witty personality. We were very grateful for the time we got to spend with them.

Monday- School in the AM and in the evening we went over the Farmer cousins' house for pizza and to play Mafia!! The kids were so excited to see the Farmers (it had been 4 years) and to play one of their favorite games with them.  We all had a blast connecting and meeting some knew great people as well.

All the boys accusing Wes of being Mafia,
and they were right! 

Tuesday – School/Work

Wednesday- We went to In-n-Out with the Farmers and Susan Farmer's sister Katie Weaver. 

Thursday- School/Work

Friday- We went to The Leonardo Art and Science Museum in downtown Salt Lake with Stacey Farmer and her husband Geren as well as their two cute kiddos (Guy and Marshall) and Stacey’s parent Judy and Richard . The kids all liked the art aspect of the museum, as there were many hands on activities for them to participate in. After we explored the museum we went to dinner at a pizza place and were able to visit a bit more. It was a great time getting to know them more and sharing with one another about life. 

Note- The RV Park that we stayed at was surrounded by cotton trees. It was very windy while we were there and the air swirled with cotton. The ground was layered with it and it appeared as snow. 

Zion National Park~

Emerald Trail

Emerald Trail

Zion quickly became one of our new favorite locations! Zion is unique  because you are able to  stand at the bottom of the gorge  and be fully surrounded by slick rock and hanging "gardens". 

Emerald Trail

 For  our first hike we took the tram into the park and then hiked the Emerald Pool Trail. Easy 2 hr hike that led to several water falls and a pool of water that looks green because of the foliage that grows in it. 

Pa'rus Trail 

 The kids and I went back to Zion mid week without Wes and went on a walk on the Pa'rus Trail. This trail meanders along side  of the Virgin River. It was super hot that day so we took some time to sit at the rivers edge and the kids floated branches down the river while the older girls and I enjoyed listening to the sound of the water pouring over the rocks.

           The Narrows         

The highlight of our time in Zion came at the end of the week. We had heard so much about this stunningly beautiful hike in the Virgin River and it was hard to wait until Friday for this  amazing adventure. We all got up early in the morning packed lunch and snacks for our long hike and set out on the hour drive to Zion. Once we arrived we rented all our "gear”. We wanted the kids to have an enjoyable time and to be able to spend as much time in the river as possible, so we all got our water hiking boots, walking sticks and the little kids geared up in wet suits.  The water in the Narrows is cold, often times swift moving and the river bottom is full of uneven rocks, so having the right "get-up" is essential. We hastily walked the mile long River Walk Trail to the Rivers edge, and then enthusiastically plunged into the river. We stumbled a long at first trying to figure out how to walk in this new environment . Soon we got the hang of it and as we trudged along we became more and more captivated by the beauty that surrounded us.  Completely surrounded by towering Rocks with water seeping from  them. 

We wandered up the river for a mile and as the rivers current became greater Lacey’s desire to continue on lessened. So we turned around and followed the current back down river stopping along the way for the kids to jump off rocks and splash back into the water below

Another fun experience we had while in Zion was visiting and getting to know some other Full Time Families. The women who started a group that we are a part of  called "Full Time Families" happened to be in Zion the same time we were . Wes connected with her on face book and we went over to were they were camping and had a potluck with her family and several other families that all were all  camping together.  It was fun visiting with other people who   can relate to this adventures lifestyle. It was also interesting because they were "boondocking" . This is were you do not have any hook ups and you are completely living off your own reserve of water and generator. They were also staying on BLM land , which is public land that is free for anyone to stay on. It was fun  being out  in the open desert letting the kids run free all over.

~ The rest of the week we took a couple of days and went to visit St . George Utah, I took the kids  to the the mall there and Ally was excited to go shopping. ;-) .