Monthly Archives: July 2011

What a WONDERFUL but extremely exhausting day we had today!  We got up early, had a GREAT breakfast, got to know the Spanish couple a little bit that was staying there,  and went into Zion National Park to spend the day.  You can no longer drive up into the park’s scenic drive due to congestion.  You have to take a shuttle which is MUCH better than it used to be.  We decided to take the most strenuous hike first (Angel’s Landing).  With me being out of shape, Angela kicked my butt on this hike and had to wait a few times for me to catch my breath. The views are spectacular, however.

It’s a 5 mile, very strenuous hike that goes up 1500 feet!  In some places you have to hold onto chains in order to keep from slipping off the trail and falling hundreds of feet!  At the end, it narrows into a small trail with chains that is only about 3 feet wide in some places and 1200 feet down on either side.  We got to this point (see picture below) and decided that we would just watch others do it.  There have been many deaths from people falling and when you look at the last little bit, you start thinking of your kids and life insurance.  😐

We rested there for awhile and enjoyed the incredible views!  In addition, I needed to rest and get some energy back.  It was at this point I realized how much more I need to exercise and not be as much of a computer geek/couch potato!  🙂

The hike down was much easier than the hike up and then we went on a couple of other hikes…  One to weeping rock, and the other to hidden canyon, which was pretty strenuous (at least for that time of the day and that we had already hiked a bunch) and had some chains to hold onto as well.  You don’t see that kind of hiking in Illinois!  🙂

Probably the most majestic picture in the park is of the Great White Throne (shone above).  It is also probably the most photographed as well.  Overall, we hiked about 10 miles or so (felt like 20 with the major changes in elevation) and were totally wiped out!

We took another recommendation of Maureen and Warner and went to the Bit and Spur restaurant for dinner.  It was pretty good (Mexican food), but it was much more bland than what we are used to, even in Illinois.  Warner said that Southern Utah Mexican food is not really authentic if you like spicy.  🙂

After dinner, we came back and went swimming in the pool.  It felt so good to get in the pool after the heat of the day and all that hiking!  I can’t imagine what it would be like if we had the humidity of Illinois!   Yuck!  It was a beautiful day, and here, the head isn’t so bad because the humidity is low.

We are ready to go to bed and I don’t think that falling asleep will be too hard tonight!  🙂  We are looking forward to a great day (and a break from hiking) in St. George tomorrow!

This morning we got up early, picked up Alec and his friend and drove down to Provo to drop the kids off at EFY.  The girls were SO excited!  The boys and Kirstyn were excited to spend the week with Grandma and Grandpa Halliday without having their older sisters around!  🙂  When we got down to BYU, we parked at the Marriott Center and waited in line to get the kids checked in.

It was very interesting to see all the different kids there and you could really tell who had been to EFY and who hadn’t.  We also ran into Bret and Trey Brady from our ward!  They were there with their cousins and grandmother, waiting to check in as well!  Small world!  Anyway, we got them checked in and then we took them to lunch before dropping them off at Helaman Halls and getting them settled in their rooms.  It was funny to be back there where I spent my first freshman semester!  Alec and his friend were in Budge hall which, at the time, was the girl’s hall in our ward.  In fact, I think Alec’s room was the same room as a girl I liked.  🙂  The girls were in Taylor hall, right next to Chipman Hall where I stayed.

After saying good-bye for the week, Angela and I drove around Provo a bit and took a look at all the old apartments/houses we lived in while going to school.  Things have changed a bit.  Awhile ago, the house we were living in when we graduated got ripped down, and the lot is now an entrance to and part of the church parking lot where we attended.  Our first apartment we lived in when we first got married is still there, and so is the ugly apartment building we lived in when Sarah was born (below).

It was fun to reminisce for awhile before taking off for the long drive down Zion National Park.  On the way down, we stopped at Cove Fort, a restored church site that was very fascinating.  The last time we were down there (about 18 years ago), they were starting to do some restoration work.  Now it’s unbelievable what an “oasis” it is in the middle of the Utah desert.

We took the full tour and really enjoyed learning about everything that went on down there.  Turns out, our tour guide, Elder Cummings knows a bunch of Angela’s family.  Way back when, her uncle was the one that hired him as a teacher!  Again, small world!

We enjoyed the rest of our drive down to Rockville, UT, where we checked in at the Desert Thistle Bed and Breakfast.  What a wonderful place! We know we are going to absolutely love it there.  It is a beautiful house that the owners (Warner and Maureen) have taken great care of.  The grounds are beautiful and the rooms are great!

By the time we got settled, we were starving, so we asked Maureen and Warner for a recommendation on where to eat.  They recommended the Switchback restaurant.  We were not disappointed.  It was a bit pricey, but the food was excellent and the view from the outside terrace was even better!  The picture below was taken from our table!

I think that we are going to absolutely love the next few days.  Maureen and Warner are so kind and love to chat and get to know their guests.  Right now there is a family staying here, and also a couple traveling from Spain.  We are excited to meet them and get to know them as well.

This morning, we got up, ate breakfast, packed everything up and started our drive back down into Utah.  As we drove through Franklin, ID, we stopped and saw Angela’s grandmother’s old stone home that is still there, and then drove over to visit the grave of her Aunt Ann.  It is amazing to see how fast time has flown and that she passed away almost 6 years ago.  We drove by the new Brigham City temple and saw it in construction, and then drove down to North Ogden to my parent’s place.

It was SO nice to take a shower and get all cleaned up!  We went to church and it was fun seeing all the people that I grew up knowing.  Some are no longer there (either passed away or moved), but it was surprising how many still knew who I was.  🙂

After church, we had a great dinner and birthday party for Zach, Brittany, and Austin!  Greg, Lisa and  little Tommy came as well.  It was great to see Tommy for the first time.  He is SO cute!

We had a great time hanging out and enjoying family company.  We also got some family pictures done which I don’t have the digital copies for yet or I would post one here.

After the party, we made a quick visit to my Uncle Jerald’s house to see him.  My aunt has Alzheimers and is bed-bound now.  He takes such good care of her.  What an amazing man to do what he does in taking care of her and meeting all her needs.  He always has a positive attitude and we admire that so much!

Well, off to bed!  We have a big day tomorrow.  We’re taking the kids to EFY in Provo and then going down to Southern Utah for some R&R!  🙂

The past two days have been a lot of fun!  Most of our time we have spent swimming in the pool.  Downata is a hot springs and so the pool was very warm on very warm days.  It took some time to get used to the hot water in hot weather, but the kids had a blast!

When we weren’t swimming, we were eating, doing crafts, sleeping, visiting, and playing games.  The kids loves the many craft things that Auntie Carla brought up for them to do.

The food turned out awesome as well.  For one of the meals, we had milk can dinner, where you throw a whole bunch of stuff into a milk can, cook it, and then dump it into a sled.  🙂

By the end of the day today (Saturday), we were so hot and tired, we couldn’t move.  We didn’t have any ice cream, so I went into the thriving metropolis of Downey (population about 350) and spent $10 for a 5 quart bucket of ice cream!  Yep, we were craving ice cream that bad!  🙂  It was gone within 10 minutes!  We’ll sleep good tonight!  We’re not looking forward to packing everything up tomorrow morning, but we are excited to go to Utah to see more family and the girls are absolutely stoked to go to EFY in Provo next week!