My boys, and I* have been road tripping through the American Southwest these past two weeks, which means I’ve been out gathering a ton of fun information to share with all of you, but haven’t had time to write about it in detail yet! I thought it might be fun to give you a sneak peak at some of the amazing things we’ve experienced during this summer’s adventure, all of which I plan to write about in more detail in the near future!
Dear Faithful Reader,
Don’t you just love receiving mail! I do! We’ve been having quite a summer exploring Nevada, Utah and Arizona! It’s been so hot out and we’ve been doing a lot of driving! The USA is a vast and unique place!! Here is a little sneak peak of our Southwestern Adventures!
xo, hilary
Next stop… The American Southwest!
Dear Faithful Reader,
No road trip would be complete without long stretches of endless road. We saw this sign from the road, but when we pulled off to explore further, things weren’t quite what they seemed. Snapped a few picks, but didn’t hang around long…
xo, hilary
Next stop… Las Vegas, Nevada!
Dear Faithful Reader,
Las Vegas with kids wasn’t something I’d ever planned on… I’ll be writing more about our experiences there, but I think I’m going with my first instincts on this one.
xo, hilary
Next stop… Zion National Park!
Dear Faithful Reader,
Zion National Park has hikes and walks which are suitable for all ages! We did both the Emerald Pools hike and the River Walk!
We saw waterfalls and a tons of wildlife! It was 108 degrees, so dipping our toes into the river at the end of the walk was a welcome reward!!
xo, hilary
Next stop… Bryce Canyon National Park!
Dear Faithful Reader,
We saw this strange object from a distance and wondered… what is that?! Turns out it was the Rock Stop! There are so many of these shops, but this is the only one we saw that was actually in the shape of a rock!
We just had to stop!!
xo, hilary
Next stop really is… Bryce Canyon National Park!
Dear Faithful Reader,
After high temperatures in the 100s for days on end, the cooler temperatures in Bryce Canyon were a welcome reprieve!!
We did a moderate hike through the hoodoos. There were even a few raindrops! It was a steep climb back up, but so worth it!
xo, hilary
The next stop…
ArchesCapital Reef National Park!
Quick Stops at Capital Reef National Park and Goblin Valley State Park
Dear Faithful Reader,
Have you heard of Capital Reef?
Although it doesn’t get as much press it’s pretty beautiful! Many people say it’s their favorite due to low crowds… we saw some petroglyphs that were 2500 years old!
xo, hilary
The Next stop…
Arches National ParkGoblin Valley State Park!
Dear Faithful Reader,
The road from Bryce Canyon to Arches was so LONG….!
We took Scenic HWY 12, which was probably my LEAST favorite road ever!
It was beautiful, but so curvy!!!
We stopped at Goblin Valley State Park
for a stretch and a restThe valley is filled with hoodoos, which one can walk among… it was hot hot hot!
Evning might have been a better choice…xo, hilary
Next stop… Arches National Park!
Dear Faithful Reader,
I was surprised by how impressed I was by the arches! Does that sound silly?
Unfortunately, the hike to the famous Delicate Arch was in the difficult category, but there are a number of family friendly walks and viewpoints throughout the park!
xo, hilary
The Next Stop… Mexican hat!
Dear Faithful Reader,
After a few days in Moab, it was to head to our next stop: Monument Valley! This is the stop that starte it all, but I’ll save that story for a future post!!
The drive from Arches to Monument Valley isn’t too long, so wedidn’t stop along the way except to snap a pic of Mexican Hat Rock and to see the Forrest Gump movie sign!
xo, hilary
Next stop… Monument Valley! Finally!
Dear Faithful Reader,
We all loved our visit to Monument Valley! There so much history in this beautiful place!
We had hoped for some stargazing and to see the sunset over the magnificent valley, but instead were treated to quite a summer storm, complete with lightning, rainbows, and hail!
All was not lost… I set my alarm for sunrise and was treated to quite a light show, the soundtrack was provided by frogs and crickets! I may have seen some bats!
xo, hilary
Next stop… Page, Arizona!
Dear Faithful Reader,
When I first considered this trip, I knew the Antelope Canyon slot canyons would have to be on the itinerary! These canyons are easilyt one the most unqiue places I’ve ever visited, and this city girl definitely had a moment when I realized where I willingly was!
Wanting to take photos, and to enjoy the moment I opeted for two tours in one day! It was the best decission! our guide was awesome and this experience was definitely a highlight of the trip!!
xo, hilary
Next up… Horseshoe Bend!
Dear Faithful Reader,
Horseshoe Bend is the most photographed location along the Colorado River and it’s easy to see why! The view of the bend in the River from 1000 feet up is pretty magnificent!
I’ve recently learned I’m not great with extreme heights, so I wasn’t able to get all the way to the edge fro a complete view, but hopefully you get the idea!
xo, hilary
Next stop… The Grand Canyon!
Dear Faithful Reader,
We’ve been on the road for two weeks, and we’ve seen some pretty amazing sights!
Today was our final stop The GRAND CANYON! We visited the South Rim, where our first stop was the Desert View.
We were pretty excited to see an endangered California Condor fly over the Canyon!
xo, hilary
Next stop… HOME (via Las Vegas)!
*Tim stayed home to hold down the fort!
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