The Courthouse Towers in Arches National Park

The traditional road trip "champagne" dinner. We pulled over to watch the sunset at Arches with some cheap champagne, and cheese and crackers. This tradition started on our very first road trip to Oregon while we were watching the sunset at Clear Lake in Central Oregon.

Along highway 24 just North of Hanksville, Utah. We pulled over along the highway to feed Alex his bottle, and I stumbled across these rocks. Such a strange formation in the middle of nowhere, but thought they were pretty cool so took a picture. Funny thing is, there are formations like this all over Utah that have no name, but are incredibly beautiful and have probably been around for millions of years.

Goblin Valley State Park in the middle of nowhere, Utah. This really is a remote little place, but truly amazing. Really does feel more like Mars than Earth. I think Hollywood felt the same, as there have been several movies filmed here including Galaxy Quest fairly recently. There's a great little campground nearby and lots of interesting hikes around the area that we'll be sure to come back for when Alex is a little older.

Dad and Alex hiking around Goblin Valley State Park

Bryce Ampitheater from Inspiration Point.

An abandoned tractor in the ghost town of Grafton, Utah. This old ghost town was really worth the trip...we were the only people there which added to the experience, and were able to wander around the few old buildings and cemetery that seem to have been frozen in time.

Springdale, Utah.....Can you imagine living in a town with this kind of scenery? Not only does it have endless outdoor opportunities, but also a nice town with good restaurants, nice shops, and a lot of local artists. Very cool place that we'll definitely be back to visit again. The two top hotels that we saw were the Desert Pearl Inn and the Cable Mountain Lodge in case you're planning a visit.

The Watchman and Virgin River within Zion National Park at Sunset. This is the classic photo that draws so many people to Zion. It drew me in and the park did not disappoint. It's a hiker's paradise, and has scenery that is out of this world. We're already planning our next trip in the Fall so that we can take advantage of some of the hikes that weren't open during this trip (ie Narrows was closed due to high river waters...apparently must be 140cfs or less for the Narrows to be open).

Spring green along the Virgin River in Zion National Park

A road bending through Zion National Park.

Dad and Alex at the end of the Canyon Overlook Trail.

Taken along the Canyon Overlook trail in Zion National Park. Such a short hike (1 mile RT) and such a big view....definitely worth it!

The famous Angel's Landing trail in Zion National Park....this is the one hike I did solo because it didn't feel right to drag Oneea and Alex up there knowing that there was significant exposure on the last half mile. As it turns out, the warnings and signs are right (and maybe even a little understated). The first two miles are a breeze, but once you reach the last half mile, BEWARE. The trail becomes incredibly exposed and a slip/fall would almost certainly mean death. The park service has installed chains to hold onto for portions of the hike, but I think those may actually do more harm than good. I crossed the saddle just beyond this point and did a very bad thing...I looked down. On both sides, there was at least a 500 foot drop and the trail was very, very narrow. At this point, I decided that it was best to turn around. Haven't done that on too many hikes, but my knees were wobbling a little after seeing how far down it was, and how one slip could change everything. When I came back to the cabin, I googled Angels Landing deaths and found that 5 people have recently fallen and died on this very same trail....