I had my first week off the beginning of April and Stephen had the week off as well. A few of our other friends got tickets to General Conference but were unable to join us on our epic week in Southern Utah. Too bad. So we just met up with them n SLC the next weekend.
We left on a Monday, drove to Cedar City where we stayed with one of Stephen's aunts. Tuesday we spent at Zion National Park where we hiked Angel's Landing and explored the beginning of the Narrows. I have ALWAYS wanted to do Angel's Landing -- the pictures I've seen have looked incredible. Yes, there was a chain most of the way to hold onto. Yes, there were straight drop-offs on both sides. Yes, it was snowing. But it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I imagined just a ledge slightly wider than your shoe all the way to the top, but it was actually pretty wide. And yes, the view WAS in fact incredible.
Tuesday night we stayed with another aunt and uncle of Stephen's in Hurricane then made a few stops on Wednesday including Horseshe Bend (just a short hike), the Glen Canyon Dam and Antelope Canyon outside of Page, AZ. Antelope Canyon as a upper and lower slot canyon, but we ended up doing the lower as it was more accessible and less crowded. Our tour guide was a hoot -- cracking jokes, playing tunes on the flute, and taking photos with everyone's camera. This place was pretty incredible.
Next stop was Monument Valley. I'd been here as a kid, but couldn't remember too much of it. There is a 17 mile dirt road loop around all the rock monuments, a little rough with potholes and steep hills. The Navajo guide said my Nissan Altima was probably not the best for the road and its condition. An SUV would be optimal. Well.... my Altima cruised that road like a champ! Yes, other SUV's were passing us left and right but we made it no sweat. Thanks to Stephen and his driving skills. A few other sedans were as daring as us, probably because we set the bar :) We made it out just before the fog rolled in and darkness settled in.
We drove through Mexican Hat on the way up to Moab. I remember camping here as kids on a family trip and that hat was HUGE, let me tell you. I was just a tad disappointed that it seemed so small. Funny how we remember things sometimes.
Thursday we spent the day hiking around Arches National Park in Moab. I love this place and hadn't been in a few years. We hiked to Delicate Arch and then did the Devil's Garden loop to see a few more arches and took the primitive trail on the way back. Challenging, yes, but super fun. We hiked about 11 miles total and then went mountain biking on some slickrock for a few hours. I've always wanted to bike in Moab, but I have to be honest... that type of mtn. biking was a little scary! There were drop-offs on one side and that unnerves me a bit. I'd probably be good if I had more experience riding it, but I much prefer wood trails in the mountains.
That night we drove up to SLC and spent Friday and Saturday there, where we did a session in the SLC Temple, ate our way through J'Dawgs and Iceberg milkshakes, then went to the Saturday afternoon session of Conference. It was a delightful weekend. We spent one evening with my sister and her family, the next night with Stephen's sister and her family. I always love seeing my niece! Then back on the road the next morning!
