Zion's Trip 2010.

This week we took our second annual family vacation to Zion National Park. We pulled the kids out of school for a couple of days...and we were off. We had a great time, of course!! I ran into a neighbor the day before we left. She was getting supplies at the store for their trip to southern Utah the same days that we would be in Zion's. They are big campers. Part of me wishes we were campers too. But by now I think we have come to the conclusion that a two-room hotel reservation is our style of camping. And considering that I actually had the stomach flu for the better part of this trip--thank heavens we are not campers!! We did the regular "Zion's" stuff. We went on a couple of bike rides along the paved Parus trail. We hiked to the Lower Emerald Pools. That was a heart-attack in the making for Darin and myself. Too many ledges for one active child. And it was even one of the more tame hikes!! We didn't do too many hikes after that. We did take the Riverwalk trail to the beginning of the narrows area. We played on the riverbank and had a picnic. The kids seemed to enjoy playing in the sand/dirt more than the water this year. It was icy cold water!!

Logan and Ellie took a few of their own pictures for a book they will be making for school. They tried to capture on camera some of the plants and animals that they saw in Zion's.
We were able to spend a couple of hours with Fodie and Melissa. (Darin's brother.) It was fun to go to dinner with them, and chat for awhile. The kids were really excited to see them and talked their ears off!!

The hotel pool is always the highlight for the kids. They went swimming five or six times.

Our hotel was so great. The view from the pool was incredible. There was a nature trail for acres behind the hotel, which crossed the river and had a pond and a little gazebo.

Each time we go on a vacation, we are reminded of how much our kids are growing up. While I still hover over them and keep a much-too-vigilant eye on every move they make...they are happy as larks off on their own. They can run ahead, stay behind, explore, and discover, all on their own. I always pine for the days when they were tiny--but it is so enjoyable to stand back and watch them be independent and explore every little rock, squirrel, lizard, cactus, etc.

As we were driving out of Springdale, Logan asked, "Are we still in Zion's?" When the answer was "no", he moaned and groaned. We all just want to stay in ZION!!!