What a great getaway. Seriously, we had the best time. These are my very favorite kind of weekends. It’s funny how you can cross things off your list of places to see only to add more places to that list as you’re crossing things off. There is so much more to see in the Escalante area.
Some classic Escalante scenery today with a hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls. Saw a rock yesterday and water today which makes for a pretty awesome hiking couple of days if you ask me. We heard so many birds on this hike. It was a bit drizzly and it was cold at the waterfall so we didn't spend long there. We grabbed a bubbly in Escalante, stopped at the Visitor Center, had a detour for a hike in Kodachrome, and regretted eating at Desert Grill in Panguitch.
We drove the rest of Hwy 12 and how I wish I could talk to my dad about it. He would have loved chatting about that. I would have too.
Started our hiking weekend. Made our way to Escalante through rain and snow to mostly overcast. We hiked to such a cool place today! Cosmic Ashtray was amazing. We've been wanting to see this place for a few years. At one point we had to huddle by the side of a rock to get out of the pelting rain but luckily it didn’t last very long and the rain made cool little waterfalls on the slickrock. The ashtray was so much bigger than pictures show. Did I mention it was such a cool spot? (8.5 mile RT hike.) And the views hiking in were pretty cool. We saw zero people hiking today which is one of my favorite things. Having the ashtray to ourselves was fabulous. Pizza after this hike was delicious. We stayed in the Ponderosa Inn and had a cute little room.
Will I ever not cry when I come to Richfield? I’ve felt so much love inside the four walls of the Richfield house for 50 years.
Happy Earth Day! This earth is definitely worth celebrating. This planet is pretty cool and I feel like jumping for joy thinking I get to experience the smallest fraction of it.
Happy Kenzie’s birthday! That Kenz is so great. She is so very kind. I love how passionate she is about teaching. She puts so much thought and effort into teaching and is very good at it. She is the best sister and is always up for hanging out with her sibs, even if they tease her all the time.
Some things that made me smile this week:
“In the absence of experiences with God, one can doubt the
existence of God. So, put yourself in a position to begin having
experiences with Him.” - Russell M Nelson
Things I’m especially thankful for this week:
A tender mercy in the form of an email from a former Snow College girl that went to the Manti temple regularly and always saw my parents. Denise forwarded it on to me. (Denise let her know my parents had passed away.) Her email had wonderful timing as I have been missing them a little extra this week with my mom’s birthday. I have been quite teary after reading it. It’s a good reminder that kindness can span generations. I sent her an email and her reply to me was so sweet!
“Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” - Oprah Winfrey
Missing my mom on her birthday (and every other day). Her birthday present was an announcement for a temple in Lehi.
Today was such a good vacation day. I love those. Darren and I started out the morning early in Zion. As we got close to the park there were misty, cold clouds hanging on top of the Zion rock towers. Sigh. It was another cold Spring Break day. We hiked some of the West Rim trail. We love that trail. The views seemed extra awesome this morning. This hike felt so good (and not warm so we kept moving).
First full day Spring Break escape to Hurricane with Darren, Cam, Sadie, Kenzie, and Tanner. Sadie woke up and chose Dolly and donuts. She came out of the room singing, “Farting in my bed and farting in the kitchen” (sing to 9to5). Today’s entertainment was Barnes and Noble for the girls (with mall pretzels) and golf for the boys, with Pizza Factory for everyone after. Mmm. Darren and I went to see Brian Regan tonight at Tuacahn. That guy is so funny! We laughed and laughed. I love his comedy. We wished it was a little longer but it was freezing so it was also nice to get warm.
