July 10 we were on the trail to The Narrows before 9:00 A.M. It was supposed to get really hot that day, but four of the five of us were very cold as we walked to the river.
There were some deep areas - at least one where the girls had to be shuttled across.
Man, that water is cold. For most of the time, Jim claimed not to be very uncomfortable, but I do have this picture of Bear trying to warm him up.
My feet were going numb. It was so very cold. When the sun finally got high enough to reach into the canyon and we reached a patch of sunlight, we were overcome. I've never been so excited about that life-giving light.
We snacked in this wide, sunny area near a fork in the canyon.
Ever didn't want to go on, so we left her there alone (with no provisions) and kept going. We ended up being gone a couple of hours, and I was so worried that she'd be out of her mind with rage when we returned. It seemed like rather neglectful parenting. I was so relieved when we got back to her, and she was perfectly fine. A super nice lady said she'd kept an eye on her and I think shared a little food.
Berry was so sweet trying to carry Tiny. Tiny was very appreciative, but that turned to shock when Berry dropped her.
It was always cold, but most of us did some floating/swimming on the way down. Even Ever tried it once or twice.
The morning of Tuesday, July 11, Jim and I left the girls at the motel and went for a nice run. I love the mountains.
On the way to Brian Head, we went to an inflatables park in a reservoir outside Hurricane. It ended up being super fun. I don't have any good pictures, but there were things to climb and jump on and jump off of. There was a trapeze that you could swing on out over the water and drop from. The other kids who were there thought I was a pro because I blackflipped off it. Ever really wanted to do it, too, but was freaked out. She finally did a couple flips before we left, though, which was exciting.
We gathered at the cabin in Brian Head that afternoon and had tortellini for dinner, and then some of us sat around a fire.
Wednesday we went to Cedar Breaks and hiked to Spectra Point. Except Jim drove down to Cedar City to get a flat tire fixed on the van.
Everyone besides Dustin (the photographer):
Most people turned around after that lookout, but the girls and I continued with the Rob and Annas to the Ramparts. (Pics are not in order, so I don't really know what pictures are of what.)
Jim got back from Cedar City in time to join us for this next hike.
Back at the house, Jim and Anders dozed.
Dustin went with Jim and me on a little walk up the hill from the house that evening, and it was absolutely beautiful (until we started getting attacked by mosquitoes).
Thursday morning we discovered that the tire was flat again. Everyone else went to Bryce Canyon; Jim and I went into Panguitch and found a repair shop. It turned out that the place in Cedar City hadn't looked at the right tire or something because the nail was still there. There'd been some miscommunication between them and Jim. Anyway, we had to buy a new tire in Panguitch. Jim and I took a walk through town while the car got worked on.
After we retrieved the van, we met everyone at Bryce Canyon. They'd done a walk around the top before we joined them. Then some went back to the house while most of us hiked down into the canyon. Pictures are mine then Jim's, so not in order.
It was insanely hot, and Lucy was feeling sick before we got to the bottom. It's an amazing place, but it was not the right time of year to hike it.
Back at the ranch, we had pizza and s'mores.
It's a lovely spot, and the cool evenings were glorious.
Friday we stayed in Brian Head, starting with a ski lift ride and a hike down the mountain.
Off the lift, this big formation greeted us, and Tiny and Jim headed straight for the top. Ever and Wren followed. And then Pod had to get in on the action, and Anson, too, which Coco did not appreciate at all.
There was a debate about hiking down versus riding the lift. The Homers rode down, and we took Toots and Pops on foot. It was a way longer hiker down than I anticipated, and Mamo had a really hard time on the terrain. I held her hand a lot of the way.
We lost the trail toward the bottom and had to just traverse over toward the bottom of the lift.
We decided to shell out for day passes for the kids to do all the fun things at the resort - zip line, trampoline with bungee thing, slide, and climbing wall. The zip line was a favorite.
Ever threw slow-mo double and triple back flips on the tramp.
Anson and Tiny enjoyed the tube slide.
Tiny, if I recall, was surprisingly scared about the climbing wall, but she did make it to the top.
That evening, we drove to a lookout at the top of Brian Head. The girls got yelled at by someone for crossing the grassy/rocky area and not staying on this path.
The ruins, or whatever they were, enticed the climbers. It seemed wrong, but it was enjoyed.
Pod took in the scene from his own spot.
Ladybug sighting.
Then everyone had to defy death and go out on a scary sticky-outty thing.
We had dinner catered in honor of Mamo and Pod's 50th wedding anniversary. The poor chef forgot the ingredients for the planned pesto dish, and that was a bummer for my people. I felt really bad for the chef, though, and she tried to make it up to us by offering nice grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids to go along with the rest of the meal. Many people thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was unfortunately not the honored couple's favorite style of food. Also for some reason the chef put cherries in the brownies, and the Kringels were unanimously opposed to that.
Tucker had to leave a little early to get back to work. The rest of us left Saturday morning. It was a quick reunion but nice to see everyone.
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