4-29-16

Back at the zoo today to visit the giraffes...

the zebras...

and the pretty pink flamingos!

Kavan & Riley love seeing the live zoo animals…but they really love the animal carousel. Kavan was excited to ride the dino & Riley the lion. Happy kids!

Zoo tradition is now camel rides!!! :-) This time Riley & I rode Dale. He's a good camel!!!

The 3 of us had a fun day at the zoo!!

4-28-16

It's no secret I love flowers! :-) So I was very happy when Bob surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of roses on my birthday. I get to enjoy them for days & they make me smile. Thanks, honey!!! xoxo

When we returned from Utah our neighbor showed us this photo of our tiny saguaro arm that Bob planted behind our backyard. We weren't sure if the replanted cactus arm would survive but it just sprouted these gorgeous blooms! Thanks for the great photo, Patti. Bob & I didn't get to see these flowers or the other blooms that were about to pop because of those pesky pigs again! Argh…stop eating our flowers, Javelinas! :-(

This pretty pink bloom lives in California. My mother-in-law Pat sent the photo!

The crazy story behind these AMAZING flowers is that it all started with a very tiny little cactus of Bob's. He had picked it out when he was 4 years old. Over the past 42 years (& TLC from Bob's mom) the cacti has multiplied & graduated to larger & larger pots. Love the "Flower Power" of this cactus!!

4-27-16

"And the girl loved the tree… very much. And the tree was happy."

#thegivingtree #brycecanyon #utah

Wall of Windows. Bryce Canyon National Park.

We left Zion National Park after The Subway hike (4/21) & drove a couple hours to Bryce Canyon. Bryce is different from Zion & more like a miniature Grand Canyon. The beauty is down below the rim. Gorgeous!

We spent the night of 4/21 in Tropic, Utah & on 4/22 we set out to hike the trails of Bryce Canyon. PS: If you ever find yourself in Tropic, Utah…eat at Stone Hearth Grille @ Stone Canyon Lodge. It's a bit pricey but we splurged & had the best birthday dinner @ sunset on their outdoor patio. Lovely!! 

Thanks to our friend, Shelly for the route suggestions. We went down Queens Garden Trail...

…to the Peek-a-Boo Loop...

…and up Navajo Trail. We hiked about 8 miles total.

The hiking in Bryce is not as challenging as Zion but it's some of the prettiest scenery. I think the Peek-a Boo loop is ranked the most beautiful 3 mile hike in the country. I believe it!

Bryce has amazing spires & makes for a fun game of seeking out rocks that look like animals or people. :-)

Bryce isn't as crowded as Zion so very few people on the trails. Overall it's a smaller National Park.

We loved hitting all the main hiking trails but Bryce Canyon is a place you get just as amazing views from the rim (or by only walking a short bit down the trails). Nice for those physically unable to hike.

Thor's Hammer is the tall spire and Kissing Rocks are to the right of Thor's Hammer. See them?

Perfect temps all week!

Panoramic pic of the Wall of Windows. Do you see 2 windows?

 One last pic of Bryce & then we hit the road. Bob & I got back to Phoenix by 10pm. We made a stop at Coral Pink Sand Dunes where we were sand blasted (don't go there on a windy day) & another stop in Kanab for ice cream (highly recommend The 3 Bears Creamery). 

That concludes our Zion-Bryce week. Fun that we were there for the 100th anniversary of National Parks. Very thankful for National Parks…they are amazing places to visit.

#getoutside :-) 

4-26-16

Oh Happy Day!

It's my birthday TODAY…April 26th!

So we kicked up some sand & celebrated! :-)

The sand kicking actually took place on April 22nd @ Pink Coral Sand Dunes (near Kanab, UT). That day was fun…but not a particularly good time to visit the sand park. It was soooo WINDY and after an hour of hiking the dunes we had sand in the eyes, ears & everywhere. It made for a rough drive back to Phoenix. :-/  I feel like I've been celebrating my birthday all month with so many special gifts & visits with family & friends. Thank you all! :-) Today Bob & I enjoyed "my day" with a Harley hike, a pedicure, a bouquet of roses (thank you, honey!), plus relaxing at home topped off with Halibut & sweet corn supper made by Chef Bob. It was wonderful!!! 

4-25-16

We've been home since Saturday, April 23rd but I'm still posting pics from last week's southern Utah tour. We were pretty excited when we first entered Zion National Park & saw these big horn sheep. We saw more big horn sheep a couple days later too.

I'm leaning out the car window to get a good shot. They were close!!

Zooming in on baby & mommy!

And off they went doing what they do best; climbing up crazy steep terrain with ease. Happy hiking!

4-24-16

Look who we ran into at Zion National Park…Pete; Bob's high school buddy who now lives in Mammoth Lakes. It was actually through Facebook where we saw Pete, his wife Deanna & their two boys were vacationing in Moab, Utah earlier in the week. And through FB found out they'd be coming to Zion to camp while we were there.

Pete, Deanna & their boys are the ultimate outdoor family. They have all the good adventure gear & travel by camper.

And these two boys can play all day with just sticks & sand.

Theo filling his worm prison with little critters. :-)

Bob & Pete rigging up Max's lizard catcher. It worked!

We'll be seeing The Clark's again this summer when we're in Tahoe. Pete is always up for taking us on an epic adventure like last year's Yosemite hike!

4-23-16

"The Subway"

Bob & I were lucky to score the last 2 permits to hike "The Subway". Zion National Park allows only a few hikers in certain canyons each day. On-line permits were full in advance so we went to the permit office the day before in hopes that "walk-in" permits would be available. We stood in line at 6:30am & to our surprise we got 2 permits to do the hike the following day (4/21)!! Here are our pics...

It was a 45 minute drive to the trailhead. We started at our usual time; Early. :-)

It's a 4.5 mile hike to reach The Subway. 

The cascading waterfalls were beautiful!

The whole hike is along a canyon river (sometimes shallow, sometimes deep). With many crossings back & forth we took the advice of others to rent neoprene socks for the cold water. So glad we did…they were awesome! PS: I hate cold feet & hands.

As we neared The Subway the canyon started to narrow.

Big canyon cliffs and a unique curving of the side walls.

Inside The Subway were several clear green pools. So pretty!

Then we hit a dead-end of sorts. If we were to continue we would have to wade, swim & use ropes to traverse up & over large rocks & around waterfalls. We've had friends do this from the top of the canyon down. Maybe another time for us but today this was the end of the trail.

We hung out in The Subway, ate PB&J's (of course) & looked around the place.

It truly was spectacular - especially how the sunlight illuminated the tunnel.

We snapped a bunch of pics!

Sorry for many similar shots…it's just a cool place.

Sometimes you have to click a lot to get the one favorite shot! :-) 

I like this one!

And this one!

But this one is my favorite!

No…this is definitely my fav!!! :-)