The Saga Continues...

So Sunday morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of Belgian waffles at the Packs' and then loaded up our car for the next leg of the journey. We sat in the shade in the front yard at Chari's waiting for my friend Charlene to arrive from Salt Lake so we could drive to Bryce Canyon together. It was getting close to noon by the time she arrived and we had said our hellos and goodbyes and hopped in the car. I rode with Charlene in her car so we could catch up. We led the way and Lincoln will probably forever be irritated because she drove 90 mph the whole way. (That is not exaggeration for your benefit. She literally drove 90.) But we were able to spend a lot of time catching up after not being in contact for 8 years. We arrived in Bryce Canyon and met up with our dear friends the Whites. They had driven up from Las Vegas to camp with us that night. We spent a fantastic evening checking out the canyon,



cooking hot dogs and s'mores, and hanging out around the campfire.


The stars were magnificent and the company was perfect. Charlene left around 1am when we all decided to head for bed. Poor Charlene had hours to drive back to SLC, I still haven't talked to her to find out how it went. I feel bad but I am so grateful she was willing to make the drive. She's one of those friends that you never have awkward getting reacquainted time with. You just pick right up where you left off. Love you Char! Let's really keep in touch this time, K?


Monday morning we had a yummy breakfast of eggs and bacon cooked by our mountain men over the campfire. Jenn and Dawson claim to not be the camping types but they were great! Thanks for humoring us, guys, with "primitive" camping!


After breakfast we packed up camp and saw some more of the canyon. After a bit Devon didn't want to get out at the scenic view area. Lincoln told him he had to get out. When Devon asked why Lincoln told him it was because it's pretty and he needed to see it. Devon said, "But why Dad? It's just rocks on this side, rocks on the other side!" So between Devon refusing to get out of the car, Renie refusing to hold a hand (Hello! We're on the edge of a canyon!), and Jesse being tired, the three little ones did not enjoy the morning's explorations. The big girls were sufficiently impressed, however, and overall we had a nice time.

After we were done at Bryce we drove an hour or so to Zion National Park. This actually worked better with the kids because we didn't have to get in and out of the car. You're actually driving along the base of the rocks looking up. You don't have to park and walk to an overlook at all. Here are some shots from both parks.






We ate lunch in a little cafe in the park and then drove on to Las Vegas, arriving in the early evening. We spent the evening cooling off in Jenn and Dawson's pool. It was dang hot. We watched the thermometer in the car climb to 115 as we drove down toward Vegas.