The second part of our vacation most definitely did get hotter... and was completely awesome!
On Wednesday, we drove down to Moab and headed to Arches National Park.
The first place we stopped was the visitor's center,
Which the kids enjoyed looking around and hanging out in the air conditioning.
But not for long!
We have so much to explore!
All throughout our time in the national parks, the kids kept their eyes out for different animals the visitor's center had on display: we saw countless whip tail lizards, ravens, and even one snake! They also kept saying that we were "cautious, adventurous explorers of the desert!" I'm pleased to say they had plenty of exploring and adventure, and also the right amount of caution.
Balanced Rock was the first hike on our list, and it was quite a bit cooler than I expected.
Also, bigger. Much, much bigger.
The views around it were pretty good, too.
After our stop at Balanced Rock, we headed to The Windows.
Any time we found shade, we stopped to rest and drink water. Lots and lots of water.
The kids could scramble up North Window Arch, which they enjoyed.
We decided to take the primitive trail back to the car, which actually led to the view of both North and South Window at the same time!
And, not for the first or last time on our trip, a nice person offered to take a family picture.
After The Windows was Double Arch.
Caleb fell asleep part way there.
Double Arch is pretty awesome because it's two arches, but from the same point on one side (as you can see on the left).
Pretty cool, right?
The kids could also climb up this one, and it was nice and shady, so Kyler and I didn't mind a bit of a rest.
After Double Arch, we headed to the RV we rented just south of Moab. It was pretty fun.
We got an early start on Thursday, beginning our hike to Delicate Arch at around 8 AM.
I was worried about this hike. It was the most ambitious one I planned for the whole trip: 3 miles of steep slickrock with little shade.
Before we went on our trip, I got Craig to agree to "five tries" while hiking.
I don't know what that means, but with the encouragement of some Oreos, we made it to Delicate Arch!
Which, as you can see, was pretty exciting.
The view was absolutely incredible,
And the arch so much bigger than it looked. That seems to be a theme, I think.
Calista took this picture of us. Caleb had on a leash backpack for part of the hike, to make sure he didn't wander and fall off the cliff edge.
Nobody fell off the cliffs, but Kyler did manage to take a step and rip his shorts from top to bottom, 1.5 miles from our car and a change of clothes. Whoops.
Right by Delicate Arch is also this one, Frame Arch. It had a nice little view of Delicate Arch, but it was pretty windy!
After Delicate Arch, we headed to Sand Dune Arch.
It is surrounded by sand (surprised?)
And also high fins of rock,
Meaning it was shady and the perfect place to eat lunch.
Or perhaps sand. Gross.
Craig made a little town with the sandstone.
We finished off the day by heading to Landscape Arch, but apparently I didn't get any pictures of that one. Whoops. The kiddos were exhausted, but were able to hike with the promise of Oreos again. Then we said goodbye to Arches National Park and
Headed back to the RV to eat,
play, and relax.
Because we had another busy day ahead of us!
Friday morning we started pretty early again, but headed to Canyonlands National Park instead.
Specifically The Island in the Sky.
Our first adventure was the Grand View Point Hike.
And, we quickly decided, the name might actually be underselling it.
Caleb walked all the way to the edge of the canyon and halfway back himself.
At the canyon's edge, you could look out all around.
The view just went for miles.
Pretty grand, right?
The all enjoyed climbing up a rock to see in all directions.
But kept Caleb close, again with the help of the backpack leash.
Although to him, it wasn't a leash. It was his tail, and he was a tiger.
On our way to eat lunch, we stopped at a couple of viewpoints
and overlooks, like Buck Canyon.
Calista was the only one who wanted to get out, though, so Kyler and I took turns with her.
After eating, we did a short and steep hike to Upheaval Dome.
It was cool, partially because geologists aren't 100% sure what cause it.
Current best theory is a meteor impact crater, but they reserve the right to change their minds.
Our last stop in Canyonlands was Mesa Arch.
See the mesa behind the arch?
Calista borrowed the camera and took a few pictures here.
But obviously not this one.
Or this one.
And with that, we said goodbye to the high desert,
And went back to the RV to rest.
Our Utah leg of the journey was pretty much done!
