Road Trip Days 7 & 8 :: Zion National Park

Leaving Grand Canyon, we needed to stop in a city to do laundry, get an oil change and other odds and ends so we spent about 3 hours in Page, AZ.  It was a nice town, but still not that large.  {Their only Starbucks was in a grocery store!}  We are finding that there are still A LOT of small towns exist and have NOT been pushed out by the "chain" stores and restaurants.  

The drive to Zion was beautiful!  I love the southwest!

When we arrived at Zion, we found out that their campgrounds were full so we set up camp just outside the east entrance at Zion RV and Campground.  We went into Zion after setting up our tent and visited the Visitor's Center.  Zion is very organized and you get around by parking your car and taking a tram to most of the hiking areas. Cars aren't even permitted and this actually eliminates a lot of stress and pressure. We took the tram to the Zion Lodge and took the Lower Emerald Trail.  It was a beautiful {and very hot} walk.

Afterwards, we went back to camp. There was a burning ban within the National Park, but our campgrounds was allowing controlled fires. They only sold "Stump Stoves," which are large pieces of wood carved in the center and a hole on the side.  You place burning sticks into the top and face the side hole towards the wind and it is supposed to catch on fire. It worked... after awhile, and I was just not impressed with it's hotdog cooking skills.

The next day we got up and spent the day in Zion.  First we did two hikes. The first was "easy" and called Weeping Rock. The second one was "strenuous" and called Hidden Canyon. It was super steep and then took us along cliff edges.  It was crazy.

After our morning hikes, we went back to the car to eat lunch and then sat by the river for a few hours on a rock just reading. We were going to go into the river because it was so hot but clouds rolled in and we didn't need to because it cooled off. We ended the day in the park with a River Walk.

For dinner we went into Springdale (just a couple miles West of Zion) and ate dinner at a restaurant called Orange Star.  It was a very relaxing day in Zion. 

Road Trip Days 5 & 6 :: From Peculiar to Spectacular

We left Kingman, AZ with the intention of maybe stopping at a couple of the small towns on Route 66.  However at the last second we decided to take Route 66 between Kingman and Seligman.  It added a little extra time, but it was an adventure and I felt like we were supporting the small towns.  {Not that there are many things left along the way.}  The drive looked like this most of the way.....

Then you’d come across the town. Most of the buildings were abandoned which reminded me of ghost towns.  The whole concept of just picking up and leaving your home or business seems so foreign to me, but when you can’t afford to live what else can you do?  

 Mixed in with the emptiness was some CRAZY shops and restaurants.  I’m not sure what these places were like in their “day” but these days they are very peculiar.   

{It’s kind of creepy isn’t it?!}

We even found the cars from Cars but I can't get the picture to upload!  

We kept driving and after a stop for lunch at a Route 66 diner in Williams, we made it to the Grand Canyon!  We didn’t have reservations and one of the campgrounds was full so we booked it to the other one which was “Desert View.”  It was located at the other end of the park {about 25 miles}, so our first glimpse of the Canyon were just flybys.  It seriously made me go “OH MY!” when we first saw it though! It doesn’t even look real.  We got a camp site and I took a nap. {I hadn’t slept well the night before.}

We then went to a place called Desert View Watchtower, which is a building that is created to look like a Native American structure. We went up inside of it, but it was really  hot. The view from outside was just as beautiful and not stuffy! We decided to stay until sunset and so found a cozy {rocky} place to read and journal.  

After a beautiful sunset we made grilled cheese for dinner and then headed back to the canyon around 9pm to look at the stars. The moon was so bright you could see the canyon. 

The next day (Day 6) we spent it exploring and walking along the rim of the canyon.  We walked some and just soaked it all in.  We watched the sunset and then went back to look at the stars again. It was a really relaxing day, and I’m glad we had a whole one to just be THERE and not have to rush.  

We even attempted to take some night time photos. :)  This is completely lit by the moon...

We’re currently in Page, AZ on our way to Zion National Park.  We’re at a McDonalds so I can post this, but the internet is really slow, so there aren’t many pictures. I’ll put a bunch up on Facebook at the end. :) 

{P.S.  I have a couple job interviews in process! Please be praying for me! THANKS!}

Road Trip Day 4 :: A Canyon Created by a King

While we drove into King’s Canyon yesterday in the dark, today we got to soak in the amazing and overwhelming beauty.  We stopped first at the visitor’s center and then we went to a grove of Sequoia trees. Man, are they HUGE!  They make me feel tiny. It’s humbling to stand beside them.  

{Brian HAD to break the rule. Shame shame!}

Then, headed down thousands of feet to the bottom of this canyon....

As we drove, we of course realized we needed gas [I’m never good at getting gas early.... this time it paid off though!]. We stopped at the only gas station in the canyon and it was an OLD gravity gas pump!  You get to watch the gas as it is going into your car. It was so cool!

The drive into and through the canyon was GORGEOUS.  It’s designated one of the National Scenic Byways and it has everything! There are towering mountains, giant rocks of all shapes, sizes and colors, a flowing river, waterfalls, and huge trees.  Every new thing reminds me what a creative God we have!  These pictures don’t begin to do this place justice....

{Rainbow}

As we headed back out of the canyon we stopped for ice cream (partially just because this sign was cute).

We didn’t go to the Sequoia National Park, though we were SO close, because it was already getting late (after 1pm) and we wanted to get most of the way to the Grand Canyon.  Brian had the great idea of reading a book together so we’ve been reading that out loud as we drive. {It’s one he found in one of the gift shops. It’s by an author who writes mysteries set in the National Parks. This one is in Rocky Mountain NP which we’ll be going to later.  It’s called The Hard Truth and it’s pretty good!} It was also cool driving through orange groves and desert as the sunset. The last 10+ hours of driving really went  fast and we stopped in Kingman, AZ {a neat town along Route 66!!}.  We stayed at a Quality Inn for only $52 (thank you AAA), and it has FREE Wifi, a pool (we went swimming) and breakfast! Perfect!

Yesterday was a good day and today is Route 66 and on to the Grand Canyon! 

Road Trip Day 3 :: Rough Around the Edges

Monday was a day that had a little bit of rough edges.  It was nothing life-shattering, but sometimes when a person like me who likes to ‘have a plan’ can find it hard to be positive in all situations, sometimes days are just off.  This one started well with hanging out with our friends, playing games, holding babies and making the most of our last hours together.  However, then we had to say goodbye. This was something that had to be done so that we could start on our road trip extravaganza, but it’s still hard to say goodbye.  

We left around 11am, and it took us until about 4pm to get to Yosemite by the time we stopped for gas, food and random stops.  As we had gotten closer, the road got really windy so I had to switch to driving, but I had already gotten car sick, so I felt gross. The below picture wasn’t a joke. It was crazy.

When we finally arrived at Yosemite, we found that the guidebook had spoken truth that this is one of the busiest and most visited parks {especially by foreigners} in the US National Park service.  It was packed and people were everywhere doing their own thing and most of them didn’t speak English. I felt like I was more at a theme park than a National Park. There were even trams packed with people to get from one “attraction” to the next. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful park and I am glad that people are able to enjoy God’s creation.  However, it already made me miss the National Parks of the Northwest.  They are just as beautiful AND, while still having visitors, feel more “respected” and secluded from the craziness of humanity! 

We squeezed a few of the sites in before the sun started to set behind the rocks.  In tribute to Ansel Adams, here are some of my Yosemite pictures in black and white.

The campgrounds were full in the park and we had decided that we’re going to add King’s Canyon/Sequoia to our National Parks tour, so we decided to start heading that way at 7pm and we’d find a place to camp somewhere that direction.  Three hours later and right outside of King’s Canyon, we started to get a little worried. Brian kept reminding me we are on an adventure, but the control freak in me was stressing out! A helpful motel owner told us that the campgrounds inside the park are not usually full during the week, so we should go and just camp there.  Onward we went, with it getting close to 11pm and after driving around the campgrounds for awhile, we found a site and were in our tent by midnight. 

We did go to sleep this sign ringing in my head. Brian thought I was being silly {again} as I pulled the cooler, all possible smelly things and food to put into the bear safe box.  I figured that while I’d like to see a bear, I would rather it be from the safety of my car, not from the inside of my tent. 

While there were some rough edges on our day, I was still blessed with a busy and mostly beautiful start to our actual driving portion of our road trip.  In the gift shop there was also this great bookmark that I’ll leave you with for now.....

Road Trip Day 2 :: Newborn Photo Shoot and Quality Friend Time!

Today was a wonderful day! I got to spend it with one of my best friends.  She has two beautiful children {one of whom I'm blessed to call my Goddaughter.}  They also have a 4 day old and he is precious! Jalynn (the momma) is a grand host and I can't believe how calm and organized she is with two little ones.  I have never gotten to spend so much time with a newborn before and I wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow! 

I also was privileged and excited to try 'newborn' photos for the first time. In between chats, playing with the kids and playing card games today, we took a TON of pictures. It really was a perfect day.

I always hate to say good bye to amazing friends, but it makes me value and appreciate every second we have together! 

Tomorrow we drive.... :)