People have told us that Utah was easily their favourite state to visit and after travelling through southern Utah we whole heartily agree. Beauty after beauty surrounds the landscape. After hiking through Zion National Park we spent the next day hiking through Bryce Canyon. These two national parks are about four hours apart but the temperature difference is huge. Bryce Canyon takes you hiking down into the canyon and you walk through trails surrounded by crimson coloured hoodoos.
Hiking with cousins makes it so much more fun!
And...we really appreciated the extra shoulders and hands when our little boys got tired.
Hiking along the Queen Victoria Trail. Everyone said this was easily the most beautiful national park. If we had to decide between taking the family to the Grand Canyon or Bryce, we would pick Bryce.
On the way out of Bryce we hiked a little ways to see ice formations in an open cave.
Andrew examining with his flash light.
After spending a day in Bryce we headed to the Arches. Along the way had the most beautiful drive. Ever. It was along Hwy. 12, called the All-American Drive. We had read about this in our trip research but there was no way you can describe the beauty. Around every corner there was a stunning display of nature, a feast for the eyes.
The Arches contain the world's largest concentration of natural sandstone arches. There you can see massive balanced rocks and the pinnacles and spires soar into the sky.
Going for a jumping picture under a gigantic arch.
We learned quickly that these two groups of kids loved to climb. They had a blast playing games and talking in the RVs but climbing rocks is what they liked and did the best. Hiking and exploring was the perfect way for our two families to hang out.
~Adam and Eve heading toward the garden of Eden!~
This brings us to the end of the trip. People continue to ask how Andrew is doing after his accident. Here you can see him skipping along a huge rock as happy as can be. Action is what he likes best so this has been somewhat of a difficult time for him. To give you an idea; we brought three pairs of glasses along on the trip for him and he was on his last pair when we returned home. He needs to stay safe and keep two feet on the ground but this is a real challenge for him. (I don't get it!) I could write some stories about these past few weeks...it isn't only challenging for him but for me too, not knowing what he should or shouldn't do. Behaviourally he does have his moments as a result of the concussion usually occurring when he cannot express himself. This makes us feel very bad for him and we have to struggle with our own impatience with not knowing how to solve what he cannot express. Andrew also tires easily but has a hard time falling asleep at night making another challenge because he needs to rest to continue healing. His healing has taken longer than what we initially thought but we are slowly getting there. The doctor told us last week that all of his bones in his ear are now healed and for that we are thankful.
