Road Trippin' Leg 4: Snowbird (Part two)

We left the desert and went back to the mountains and Snowbird and more extended family time!!

The girls helped me color my tattoo and then they started coloring all over each other! 

Ben was a little cold by the pool. Good thing he had lots of towels to keep him warm!

When I go on trips, I usually carry some of Jon's ashes with me. If there is a cool place that had meaning for him, or somewhere we think is particularly beautiful, we will leave some ashes behind. Jon's ashes are extremely well-traveled. Jon's family visited Snowbird often while they were younger, so there are a lot of memories tied to the area. Jon and I came to Snowbird a couple years ago with our kids and most of the Brady family. It was a wonderful trip and we all had such a fun time. In planning for this trip, we agreed that we needed to leave some of Jon's ashes behind. We decided that near the Alpine Slides would be an appropriate place.

I made a spot for Jon on the mantle in our room.

This is from our 2015 trip. We spent a full day playing on all the outdoor activities. Jon had so much fun with the kids on the slides. 

Most of the family took turns placing some ashes near the turn from the above picture. It was really sweet to watch them be interested in what we were doing, and to see them be sensitive to those of us who were very emotional.  

From there, we took the tram to the top of the mountain to have lunch with a view.

  

Crazy cousins in the elevator!!

 

   

More fun in the game room.

Some more family came up for the evening. It was such a great time together!!

   

All lined up before our goodbyes.   

Aaaaand then some hug piles 

Before leaving Utah, I visited a friend from my time in Manila. I probably hadn't seen her in over ten years. It was such a great visit. I felt so much gratitude for strong connections like the one I have with her and so many others. There were so many times on my trip where my heart was so full because of the great people I have in my life. 

Road Trippin' Leg 3: Moab

I had always heard good things about Moab, so it was on the list of places to go on our road trip. The drive from Salt Lake to Moab was really beautiful. Wide open sky is something I don't have at home, so this was a beautiful gift. 

When we got to our campsite, it was a bit too warm to go hiking, so we relaxed for a bit and then wandered a trail closeby. The rock formations and colors are so incredible.  

The next day was our hiking day at Arches National Park. One of the negative things about traveling with a motorhome is that there aren't as many places to park it. The lot for Delicate Arch was full, so we went to another spot where we could see it, but couldn't hike to it. Perhaps another time.

We drove on to find a different trail to explore. There were so many options and they were all beautiful and unique.  The first place we walked around was Fiery Furnace. It was just a short walk to a viewpoint. 

Our main stop was two arches. Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch. We wandered off the trail a little and the boys squeezed into a couple slots. 

 

 

 

 

On the way to Sand Dune Arch 

The boys really liked climbing all over the rocks. Walking through the sand was kind of hard, but they totally rocked it! There was a spot that I think they would have liked to continue on, but there wasn't an obvious trail and it looked a little dicey. So we took the safe route back out. I know sometimes the kids are disappointed that I'm not as adventurous as Jon, but I'm doing what I can. 

The trail to Broken Arch wasn't terribly long, but it was really hot!!

 

Made it!!

We climbed up through the arch and enjoyed the view for a few minutes.

We made one more stop on the way down at Courthouse Towers

 

We picked a spot to leave some of Jon's ashes. A shady spot under this big rock. 

Sean built a ring of rocks around where we put the ashes. I'm endlessly grateful for my children.

  

  

After Arches, we headed down by the Colorado River to a trail called Negro Bill Canyon. It actually may also be called Grandstaff Canyon. I'm a little confused about that. Anyway, it was such a huge difference being closer to the river rather than up in the desert. There were so many beautiful trees all over. 

That was enough hiking for one day, so we headed back to the campsite to rest for the afternoon. When it cooled off a bit, we wandered the nearby trail again.

Checking out a beetle

We visited the Sego Canyon Petroglyphs before leaving the area. 

 

All of the places we saw were so amazing. Years of wind and rain in the desert formed the arches. I'm impressed at the artwork on the sides of these rocks that have lasted for so many years. I'm in awe of all the beauty everywhere we go and I tried to point out so much to the boys along the way. Hopefully they will grow up with an appreciation for the beauty all around us no matter where we go.