Spring Break in St. George: Part II / Nelson Notes

Spring Break in St. George: Part II

4.03.2018

Click to see Spring Break in St. George: Part I.

Continuing on with our Spring Break highlight reel...

Zion's National Park will forever hold a special place in my heart. The sights are just unreal in their unique gorgeousness, the hikes are adventurous and fun, and it's the location of some great memories made with Bron and during some extended family reunions. Unfortunately, we waited in line to enter Zion's National Park for 90 minutes with a 16 month old. In one word, it was torture. I have never in my life seen that place so packed with people! I guess Spring Break is not the time to visit. It was actually disappointing because, for me, the crowds took away from the sheer grandeur of the place. Jed and Levi weren't impressed either. Oh well. Just another one of those parenting flops. You know, the ones where you are so excited to show your child this awesome thing but the experience falls flat on its face. Yeah, that's pretty much what happened in Zion's on Sunday. (See Spring Break Un-Adventure #14.) But we made the best of our day there anyhow, tackling the Emerald Pools hike with the boys and enjoying a long picnic lunch.

^^Alllmost ready to turn green! I absolutely love seeing green against the red rock. I think it is so pretty.^^

^^Hooray for a family picture!!!^^

^^Pit stop for lunch off the beaten path.^^

^^Eating snacks atop a giant boulder in the sunshine.^^

^^Miniature explorer.^^

^^Filling his cookie bag full of sand. Haha. Yuck!^^

^^Chillin' with Dad!^^

^^Solving a dispute with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. I'll give you one guess who won.^^

^^Feeling a bit small at the bottom of the waterfall.^^

^^My handsome man and Conrad just happy to be alive.^^

^^Hiking back out.^^

^^I spy my four boys on the bridge!^^

Bron and I are typically go-go-go on any vacation, so we learned some valuable lessons about slowing down and rolling with the punches when vacationing with children. ( See Un-Adventures numbers 5 and 6. I'm pretty sure Jed and Levi were just too wound up and played too hard!)

^^Watching cartoons nearly every morning while Bron, Conrad, and I slept in. Look at that pretty light!^^

Trip highlight not pictured: Our evening spent with friends eating and swimming at the Young's condo just up the street from ours.

Last but certainly not least numbered among our trip's highlights was the Red Cliffs Hiking Trail. Wow! It was a relatively short hike along a little stream bed. There were so many incredible plants and rock features to see and touch. And then, when we reached what seemed like the end, we explored further by holding on to some ropes and climbing up some steps etched into the rock. It was so cool! However, it was very nerve-wracking for Jed, but I am proud of him for being brave and conquering his fear. (If he fell, he would have fallen into a pool of cold water and been scared but he would have been just fine.) Anyhow, the views from behind the waterfall were just beautiful. We hiked around and the boys played in the stream. What a dreamy Spring day spent as a family! I hope the boys remember this one.

^^The center of my world. I love them.^^

^^See what I mean about the green against the red rock?! It's pretty!^^

^^Going under instead of over. Haha.^^

^^Jumping over the stream where the trail ends. There were plenty of people there just chilling or waiting for a turn to go up and over the small waterfall. Fortunately, it didn't seem overly busy or congested.^^