From Moab, Utah to Torrey, Utah

Day 9: Moab, UT to Torrey, UT

We checked out of the hotel in Moab and drove into Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. 

Don't fall!

A lizard sunbathing with a view.

We arrived in Torrey, Utah in the afternoon which is a small town with a population of under 200 people and is located right outside of Capital Reef National Park. 

There were horses and mules at the hotel ready to venture toward the cliffs for some trail riding.

View 1 outside our hotel room.

View 2 outside our hotel room.

View 3 outside our hotel room.

It's a rarity for a nap these days, so when Amaryn takes one, it's worth taking a photo of.

We went to Saturday night mass at a small mission church in the town where the priest travels an hour and a half to get there each week. Our family of 5 doubled the attendance that day...it was definitely the smallest church we have ever been to. The locals were so kind and so was the priest. Another storm came in, so afterwards we went to dinner and back to the hotel for a quiet evening. 

The hotel overlooks farmland with beautiful red and white cliffs in the distance. Cows graze in the fields. There are patio chairs outside the rooms and so we chilled out there and watched as the sun set and the stars came out. 

Day 10: Capital Reef National Park, Torrey, UT:

We woke up to the fields outside our hotel room speckled with cows and their calves. There was a praying mantis on our door and people were saddling up the horses at the hotel for a day of trail riding. We have all been enjoying the scenery around us and the rustic, rugged feel of this land. We ventured into Capital Reef National Park for spectacular views or cliffs, gorges, and countryside. 

We saw petroglyphs on these rock walls...Its hard to see in the photo but some you can see on the bottom right next to the chipped rock.

Petroglyphs of a person and big horn sheep on the left.

More petroglyphs.

We took a drive and saw more cool rocks.

Rain and thundercloud in the distance.

Went to dinner and loved this sign on the door. When in Utah...

We took an evening hike which was fun, except for the dark stormy clouds nearing us and the fact that Amaryn kept wanting to walk (but there were huge cliffs a few feet away) and put objects in her mouth including rocks and blue berries off a tree.

AHH! In the mouth of a whale!

Got back to the hotel to a beautiful sunset.

We ended the evening stargazing and watching the bats fly through the sky catching bugs.

From Colorado to Utah

Day 7: Keystone, CO to Moab, UT:

Once again, the change of scenery is phenomenal. We departed Colorado and drove out of the Rocky Mountains into the desert of Utah. We met my parents in Moab, ate dinner, and then drove into Arches National Park. 

 Balanced Rock.

Family snapshot.

Day 8: Arches National Park, Moab, UT:

In the morning we went back to Arches National Park. We drove through the park and got out and walked a few trails to some of the arches. It was absolutely beautiful. It's hard to tell how massive these rock formations are until you really walk up to them. Vianney slept most of the time in the Onya carrier, Amaryn did great in the backpack carrier, and Teá was a trooper walking around with us and loved the soft sand on the paths and climbing on the rocks. There is much more to do than we could possibly fit in, but we are appreciative for all we were able to see given three young kids, two tired parents, 100 degree high heat, and strong sun rays. 

Tall, long, and thin. 

How many arches do you see?

Under Double Arches. 

Turret Arch.

Us in the middle.

Managed to get a photo with Vivi and an arch. Love that adorable, squishy face. 

 Happy birthday, Mom/Grandmere!

Tired.

In the afternoon we went back to the hotel. Teá and Amaryn went swimming in the pool with Daddy where Teá made friends with two older kids, one of which was named Chelsea. Later Teá told Jason, "Today was SO much fun, I really liked making friends with Chelsea and Ryan!" 

We went back to Arches National Park in the evening. A storm came in with rain and beautiful lightning that we saw in the distance over the park. Once it moved past us, we took a short hike to one of the arches hidden in between huge rock formations and where the ground was all soft, red colored sand. The girls were in love!!

Making sand angels.

Sanddune Arch.

Appropriately enough, we ended the day with a rainbow.