Zion National Park

We had a great time at Zion National Park, in spite of a rocky start.  We left later than we'd planned, then it was such a popular destination on the day after Thanksgiving that it took us over an hour to drive the last couple of miles into the park itself.  And once we got in, we couldn't find a place to park.  I was disappointed but it actually turned out for the best.  We kept driving through the park for a while, and finally found a great pull-out spot to park.  By then it was lunch time, so we brought the picnic we'd planned to a little area that looked like it would be a good place to explore.  While we were eating, a family walked by and said they had just hiked for a while, following the dry stream bed where we were.  So when we finished our lunch, we did the same thing, and we didn't see anyone else there.  It was great!  If we'd parked at the Visitor Center and taken the shuttle to the popular hikes I'd planned for us, they would have been really crowded.  This way, we enjoyed the majesty and beauty of the park in an off-the-beaten-path (literally) kind of way, feeling like we had our own adventure that might never be replicated.  We took our time, talked freely, and snapped plenty of pictures.  It was great.

Enjoying the sun roof, and the sun

Walking to our picnic spot

Following the stream bed

Looking back at where the cars were parked

Let the exploring begin

I love that Eliza carried her purse around the whole time.

When we finished our adventure, we were finally able to find a parking place at the
Visitor Center and the kids received the Junior Ranger badges they'd earned, ahem, last year.

When we were leaving, Luke was sad that we hadn't seen any deer, the way we did
at Bryce Canyon two days before.  Then, as if by magic, Ben spotted a little family of deer.
Perfect.

One of the kids might or might not have put a wild berry in his or
her mouth while we were exploring.  Thank goodness Cat had brought
the Army survival book along.  Turns out, it wasn't poisonous.

I love these pictures Suz took with her good camera and her good eye:

I was really glad to be able to go to Zion again, and on the way back to St. George I talked to Ben about two more trips I want to take there.  One with kids (on a day when the rest of the world isn't there) and one without kids (so Ben and I can do the legendary Angels' Landing hike).  Maybe 2018 will be the year?