Grand Canyon--Part II

While Tyler and I waited in the "safe" lodge behind a table, everyone else went on a hike to get better views of the canyon.

They did get some cool pictures of the canyon. My favorite was when Megan and Mammy got back they said someone was taking their picture and a woman sitting nearby looked at Mammy and said that she had to do something with ther hair. She couldn't possibly want a picture with her hair looking like it did.

Mammy tried to flatten her hair and this is the result that the bystander thought was at least somewhat "acceptable."

More amazing views.

Grand Canyon Here We Come!

Megan, Tyler, and Emily were so excited to get to the Grand Canyon. Not because it is geologically significant, but because the Brady Bunch went there in one of the episodes. They had to play the DVD along the road into the park and then looked for spots the "Bradys" would have seen. We tried to tell them that that was filmed 35 years ago and the actors were probably flown in and flown out really quickly, but they still found a gas station they think is now a Chevron and the road in Megan was sure "Mike" drove on. At least it kept them occupied and excited.

The view near the lodge is amazing. Tyler was so worried about the lack of fencing on the trails he stayed just a few steps from the lodge. This was as close as we could get Tyler for a picture. He must have a fear of heights and the steep cliffs around him made him very hesitant.

Again the camera just can't pick up exactly how big or amazing the canyon really is.

Zion---Finale

Mammy and I were sore from hiking and running that day and happily got on the shuttle to take us out of the park. I think Megan could have stayed all day posing for pictures. Good thing we don't use film anymore.

We ended the day with a picnic in city just outside the main gate. We had to take a picture of the playground with the awesome scenery behind it. The pictures really don't do Zion's justice. Now on to our next National Park.

The River Runs Through It!

The highlight for Tyler of Zion's was definitely our final stop by the river. He found sticks and rocks and mud---a boy's dream.

With the great background and the sound of the river it really is one of the most relaxing places on earth.

Emily wasn't quite as brave as Megan and Tyler about venturing into the river. She was very content throwing weeds in the river for the fish to eat.

Megan found this great rock that made for a cool recliner.

Zion National Park--Part II

I'm using Picassa and it will only let me download pictures in lots of 4. So until my computer skills are honed a little more, these posts will be continued. After 2 hikes the kids were ready for ice cream at the lodge. There is a big grassy area in front of the lodge surrounded by the red cliffs---Wendell's favorite scenery.

Another hike to weeping rock. Water seeps through the rocks year-round and mists down on the trail. This was Tyler's favorite hike.

Emily was a trooper on all the hikes. She insisted on walking so she could prove that she was as big as Megan and Tyler.

Water is always a draw. The kids hiked to any river they saw.

Zion National Park

After our race and lunch we headed south to Zion National Park. It rained right as we got there, but by the time we got off the shuttle for the first hike the weather cleared up and was actually perfect---not hot at all for this time of year. We started with a small hike found beautiful views of the 3 Patriarchs in the background.

Emily and Megan were enthralled with the cactus plants along the way. Yes, they had to touch it to see if it really would poke.

Our second hike was a little over a mile to see an emerald pool. After getting to the end of the hike we could only assume that the pool must have been more green a hundred years ago when it was named and had a lot more water.

Megan did like that there was water trickling off the cliffs from the previous rain and felt like misters.

Defending Titles!

On the tumbling floor Megan did really well and ended up with the Silver medal. She wasn't as thrilled with 2nd place but considering the tumble track was too short and had a dip in the middle, we were just grateful she didn't injure herself. She got 2nd in this event last year also so she has defended her title well.

Megan with her medals and Emily wishing they were hers.

While in Cedar City, Mammy and I ran the 5k. It is a beautiful race down the Cedar canyon along the river. The best part is it is downhill and the breeze from the canyon pretty much pushes you to the finish line. Mammy had won gold last year and came to reclaim her title. She was hoping for more competition in her age group this year, but much to our surprise all the old looking ladies in the race were actually younger---who would've guessed.

And so, Mammy defended her title well and got the gold again. We did look and even if she would have been in the age bracket below she still would have gotten a medal even racing against other women. I was happy that I beat my time of last year by a minute and a half---that is huge for me. I came in 7th, which wasn't too bad considering some of the fastest times overall came from my age group. I think every women age 30-39 must run all the time. It was the biggest group and some of the fastest. A fun time in Cedar City.