Spring Break 2017

Arches, Hammocks and Family sums up our trip in three words.

 When the temperature was forecast to drop below freezing,

it took all my persuasive powers to convince the man 

to postpone our camping trip by one day.

Regardless, that first night was still pretty dang cold. 

But we bundled up, and survived that first night and 

by late morning the next day the weather couldn't 

have been more perfect for hiking in the high desert. 

We started off playing a game to see how far away our fellow hikers on the trail 

had come to visit Arches (Switzerland), but that soon changed into 

seeing who could run into the most people they knew from home.

We stopped for a minute to talk to Glen and Christine Harris and family, as they waited in line for the rest room. And unbeknownst to us, Gavin slipped away and cut inline for the bathroom just as we were heading to the car.  We were pulling out of the parking lot before we missed him.

Running back in a dead panic, I run into Glen coming to get us. Gavin had locked himself in the Bathroom and couldn't release the lever to open the door.  Christine was talking through the door, patiently trying to explain how to open the lock.  Sometimes friends are the greatest blessing!

Our favorites were, of course, Delicate Arch:

By late afternoon the kids were hot and tired and 

we almost missed out on our next favorite, Sand Arch, 

 

The nice cool walk in-between the fins was a welcome

 respite from the sun and the fine red sand... 

well, lets just say Gavin could have spent all day there.

 Mark was a wild spirit, full of energy, 

he literally ran circles around us, 

climbing every rock and hill in sight.

Back at camp, we enjoyed having found the perfect campsite for our

hammock-crazed kids.  Lots of small trees, shadowed in beautiful red rock

 next to the Colorado river. They had a hammock city built in no time.

 The weather even warmed up enough for the kids 

to sleep in their hammock that second night.

We spent a lot of time being lazy...

  

napping...

  

and reading books...

The next day before we headed out we did a little catch up at the visitors center.

And all the way home Gavin pointed out the Arch on the Utah license plates, 

reveling in the fact that he had been there and had actually touched it. 

It was fun watching the world get just a little bit bigger for him.