Zion National Park

After the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon, the kids and I drove to Zion NP. This was our second trip to this great wonder, and it's our favorite National Park for its rugged cliffs and earthy red stone. 

And check out the view from our hot tub at the Holiday Inn Express. Whoa.

 That night these cliffs boasted the most spectacular lightning storm I'd ever seen. I watched from a covered balcony with a crowd, all of us in awe of heaven.

 The park itself was quite crowded... we waited about half an hour in the shuttle line until it finally whisked us away through these craggy cliffs and up to our hike toward Emerald Pools.

 

 The trails were still wet from flooding with debris, and the Narrows were closed. Darn.

 Gryffin wasn't in the mood for pictures so we couldn't re-create this little gem...

But Lorelei still obliged. :)

 Below are the three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac & Jacob.

We didn't make it to the lookout we'd hoped because of all the rain and flooding--large sections of the park were closed off. In fact, the main road leading out of the park was completely shut down due to fallen debris, which took us HOURS out of the way en route to Bryce Canyon. 

So instead of the more direct route, we meandered through Colorado City and other polygamous cult lands, which made for some fascinating talks en route to our next stop, Bryce Canyon...

Grand Canyon & Antelope Canyon

Sometimes during summer, I like to whisk the kids off on a special mom and kids trip. 

Last year we went up to the Y of the Rockies in Estes Park, then on to the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota. 

A few years before, we took one wild boat ride across the Baltic from Sweden to Estonia. 

And summer 2018, before meeting up with Mark for our traditional time together in Vail, we did something quite Grand... a trip to the Grand Canyon and the Big Five parks in Utah: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, Canyonlands and Arches NPs. 

It was so much fun. :)

We flew into Phoenix, rented a car... and went straight to the home of the kids' favorite YouTube star, The Odd Ones Out. It was a bit out of the way, but according to them, this was the highlight of the trip. Yep, this.

  The old G.C. kind of paled in comparison. Obviously.

 Well, at least Lorelei was enthusiastic about it, too. :)

 And I was a little bit picture happy. It was my first time at the Grand Canyon!

 I really freaked out the lady taking my picture when I put my legs over the edge of the Grand Canyon. Ha!

 Not sure what's happening here, but it's not looking like a very good idea...

 I spent some time on this trail.

 We stayed on site in a hotel but spent some time listening to the piano playing in El Tovar Lodge.

 Mother Earth, what glory!

 Next, we drove out to Antelope Canyon, most widely known as that groovy swirly computer wallpaper everyone loves. :)

 This place was a favorite for all of us. The kids loved it more than the Grand Canyon with its other-worldly beauty full of twists and turns and ladders and tunnels. I'll let the photos tell the story.

 The kids loved this place. They even let me take some pictures. What?!

 And this was our tour guide who spoke a gazillion languages. He was awesome.

 Yep, Antelope Canyon was spectacular!

 Next stop, our favorite National Park... Zion.