Our Trip to Arches . . . . ROCKED!!!

Our family was lucky enough to get away for a quick weekend trip to Arches between Andrew's rotations (psychiatry, and now, OBGYN). We've been hoping to go for some time, but it kept getting elbowed out by the craziness of med school. So, needless to say, we were thrilled that we finally got the chance! It was a wonderful opportunity for us all to spend time together and unwind. The weather was PERFECT, around 70 degrees, so we did just about every hike in the park. Emma was, I think, the best behaved of all of us! She's our outdoors girl, so an endless supply of rocks, sticks, and fresh air made this vacation a winner!

Some shots from our hikes:

Double O Arch:

Partition Arch:

Landscape Arch:


Is it just me, or can you see a funny resemblance of Mount Rushmore here? I see George Washington, in the center with his bald head on top and hair at the sides, two eyes and a long nose looking to the right. (There's a tiny hole in the rock just to the right of where his chin would be.)


Sand Dune Arch area:


Up inside Double Arch:

(He looks so happy and relaxed!)

The most famous of all the arches:


Now we notice it everywhere, including in the backdrop of the KSL news set (because we are true to the faith of our fathers, and watch the evening news, of course).


I took this photo while laying down under Delicate Arch. I tried not to think too much on the idea of all these arches collapsing, though the rangers point out that many have tumbled to the ground. You better see these while they last!


On our way to the park the first morning, we passed this sign in Moab, so, of course, we pulled over to catch a picture.


Emma LOVED the visitor's center for all its rocks, fossils, frogs, and so forth.



Some artistic photos by Andrew:



Emma was quite content in the hiking backpack (thanks Anne!).


Lunches are never this good at home, fresh cut deli meat, expensive cheese, sweet pickles, and, of course, good 'ole mother nature and all her beauties.

Thanks to a blog favorite of mine (Frugal Wife=Wealthy Life), I learned that you can get an upgrade at your hotel for FREE! Yep, that's right, just ask. At our Best Western, we got upgraded to a suite, which was rather nice, and it cost us nothing extra. The pool was a bit chilly, but we loved going to the hot tub, and they had warm cookies EVERY time I passed by the front desk. The hot breakfast was really the deciding factor when choosing a hotel, and Andrew had, I think, three or four helpings. :)

We didn't come in contact with any bed bugs at our hotel, but we are DEFINITELY infected with the travel bug after this great trip. There are so many great places to visit that are so close . . . at least for now, so we really want to take advantage of this area while we can, so if you have any connections (like a place in southern Utah where we can stay for free) let us know!! What are your favorite spots down there?