The weather has been so weird! So we decided to take off to Southern Utah where it is "supposed to be" warmer. We left Monday and had to drive through snow storms to get there so we weren't able to do a lot of stops along the way that we had planned: like Bridal Veil Falls and Bum Rock.
But we did get to stop and eat. You can see how exciting that was. This was a little Bistro in Provo and their cilantro fish tacos were so good! But apparently everyone else did not enjoy their food and lapsed into a food coma afterward.
You can see how warm Escalante was! LOL We had to change more plans as Egypt Canyon was definitely out since stemming a wet and muddy canyon is out of the question with young-uns.
I have an obsession with dead trees. I just think the dead trees in southern Utah are so beautiful. And the cloudy skies made for a perfect backdrop!
With all the plan changes, Tuesday looked nothing like I had outlined. The adults went for a jog in the morning and got soaked in the snowfall. We returned and got the kids bundled up and decided to walk them to the Hole in the Rock Museum. We originally thought it was 0.8 miles away. NBD. It was actually 1.6 miles away... down the road. Still NBD... we weren't hiking with the weather so this would be a good chance to stretch legs! Uh... down the road just does not have the same effect. But we reached the museum after dodging many semis and their splashes. To find it was closed! In my defense, it was supposed to be open! So we got to check out the outside and learn things but I wonder if the kids were beginning to question me at this point? Good thing they're so resilient!
The stories surrounding this area are so cool. The San Juan pioneers answered the call to establish settlements to serve as a buffer between the lawlessness and the more settled areas. What was supposed to take 6 weeks instead took 6 months because the terrain was so rough. They found a natural crack in the mountain overlooking the Colorado River (just before the San Juan River split) and decided to blast it and use the rubble to build a road that descended through the crack some 1400 feet at a 45 degree angle. Problem was, none of the horses would go for it. So while 80 families scratched their heads wondering what they would do next, one man led his blind team to the head. They had gone blind earlier in the year due to conjunctivitis. He whispered in their ears and they began their descent, trusting in their master. The other teams followed. Pretty incredible to consider the plans of the Lord and how He can use seemingly horrible circumstances for our good! It's an important lesson!
I also really enjoyed the story of the last wagon!
After our muddy slog back to the VRBO we watched the youtube documentary on Hole in the Rock and then settled in to play games. I would mention the brownies and ice-cream but they don't merit mentioning. LOL. We didn't have eggs so we used an online substitution of banana and baking soda. Don't ever use that substitution.
Wednesday wasn't much warmer but it was no longer snowing! So we took the kids out to Lower Calf Creek Falls for a 6.5 mile hike. Oh the joy! The girls were so excited to be out! Lilia said a few times "MOM! I have missed this!" It almost sounded accusatory! LOL And McKinley said she wished she lived there. And since we're quoting people, I must throw in Jaedyn and her quote about an "unwordable pain in her heart" caused by something her sister said. The kids had such great attitudes the whole time, they played, helped each other along, and it was my favorite hike in the history of hiking with kids!
They scrambled all over God's playground.
We even managed a family shot thanks to Helen's photography skills!
This made my mama heart so happy. I loved watching the bigs helping the littles along. And hiking with everyone happy and loving what we were doing... I felt a little like I'd arrived, ya know?
The Falls were much bigger than the last time I was here thanks to all the precipitation. But boy were they cold! We picnicked here and then headed back.
Thursday morning was sunny! Hallelujah! Cuz we had plans down Hole in the Rock Road. This is a very looooooong dirt road that is very bumpy and is in constant need of grading. The whole purpose of the trip was to bring my family back to see Peek-a-boo and Spooky Canyon. My favorite! But we weren't sure we'd be able to even do it! We drove out right as a small storm cleared the mountains and headed just past us. We hung out in the car for a bit to ensure it really did pass us as it had not been forecasted for that area! Once we were in the clear we started hiking to Peek-a-boo. Up top it was a bit windy and blowing our hair in our faces. McKinley getting exasperated declared that her nose was itchy because of her nose hairs! haha! After a mile and a half of hiking we arrived and found a giant puddle at the entrance to the canyon! No!
Now what?!
Guess I owe my family a trip back again! We decided to bypass the entrance and hike around and up to see if we could drop into the canyon. This was at Helen's suggestion. So we did. We dropped in...
And found more puddles! So we were faced with a choice: hike Peek-a-boo barefoot or hop up the other side and make our way over to Spooky. None of the kids were keen on hiking barefoot but all had adventurous spirits, so Helen climbed up and out while I held her feet. She then tied a rope to her waist that the rest of us could use as a handline and we were all able to make it out. Thanks to her awesome way-finding skills we also quickly found the entrance to Spooky.
Which was dry! Finally!
So though it wasn't what I had planned, we still got to play.
And everyone was a big fan and would like to return to see the whole thing.
So, mission accomplished, we had a good time and my children still enjoy nature. And we are looking forward to returning to have the full experience! You can see parts of the canyon were so narrow! We started joking about how that's why we fed them soup and salad all week... so they wouldn't get stuck! Really, it was because I could prep, freeze, bring, and have a simple hot dinner ready when we returned to the VRBO with minimal effort on vacation. The kids were not big fans of my planning. I thought it was great! I told them they were welcome to help with the planning and prep next time! LOL We shall see if any of them take me up on it. I'll let you know 😉
Sure love this family of mine!
And I'm so grateful that they not only humor their mother, but also have an adventurous spirit of their own!
You can see the exit was quite lengthy and the kids spirits were still up, which I'm always grateful for. Once again I got to witness the bigs being so kind and loving to the littles.
Now a little tribute to our subaru! Snow had slid down from the roof onto our windshield on the way in on Monday. When we went to clear it off, one of the winshield wipers broke! So we did the muddy hour drive on Hole in the Rock Road with one functioning winshield wiper... a bit of a trick! LOL
Don't worry, she's been cleaned since this. But she is still awaiting a good vacuuming!
On our way back we stopped at Devil's Garden... a large rock playground. At first we were all of a mind to hang out in the car while Chad played on the rocks cuz the wind was so cold!
But then something convinced us to join him. Or rather, I should say someone.
She was kicked out into the cold... jk. But really, I did pull her out of the car when she was leaning out the door freezing us all out. Why? Trying to get signal! Nope. So here she is out in the cold by herself. LOL Not for long though. Because Chad convinced us it was warmer up in the rock formations and that the kids really needed to play up there. So we unloaded and headed out, and he was very right. They could have played there for hours!
Helen shared with us the history of the word hiking: During World War II the government was trying to encourage people to get out and exercise by hill walking. It got shortened. The kids loved it and all throughout the trip referred to how they liked "hill walking". Me too. I very much enjoy hill walking with my people of choice!
Friday we made the long drive back and found more snow at home than when we had left! I'm glad we got to escape it for a bit.
Somehow I didn't get many pictures of Helen this trip. I must have been distracted LOL. So she had to take some of herself! 😂 Thanks good friend, for joining our crazy crew!
