Zion National Park and Great Friends...

For one last summer hurrah we drove down to southern Utah to see some friends from our early Boston days. We double dated together, were married at about the same time and have three children who are very close in age. Needless to say we have enough in common to make a casual visit entertaining and comfortable. While there our friends took us to Zion National Park. I've never been to Zion and was stunned by the beauty. Having lived most of my life in wet, green climates I was not expecting much in the way of beauty in the dry, hot desert. The red rock canyons and "weeping walls" were so incredible I literally walked around jaw dropped. My rinky-dink camera did little to capture the sights but snapped what I could here and there.



Of course the kids found entertainment of unusual sorts--like skidding down a rock slope to see who could slide a hole in their undies first. I neglected to take a picture of the winner.

We took an easy hike through one of the parks slat canyons. The water had carved its way deep through the rock leaving the path completely shaded and a few degrees cooler. At the end of the hike our reward awaited, access to the river where we dipped our toes and splashed in the water.


This is a picture of my husband, trying to drown our only son. And here is my husband, trying to drown our friend's daughter and our oldest daughter--classic. Really, Will was holding them in what he assured us was his tightest grip while the kids kicked their legs in the current.

Another curious attraction where the squirrels running around the paths. They were fearless, not even flinching when the kids tried to shoo them off by swinging their arms and legs in the squirrels general direction. Apparently, the squirrels are pretty aggressive in their search for crumbs and cast offs. There were posted signs telling us not to feed the animals unless we want to pay a $100 fine and encouraging us to report offenders around us--nice.

If you are wondering--yes, southern Utah is very hot and dry in at the end of August. Heat aside, we had a great time. It was so nice to catch up with our friends, thanks for having us!