FINALLY! Vacay Recap Part 3!

Going from the coastal breezes of Southern California into the Southwestern US desert, you quickly notice a change in temperature. Especially if you are eating gummy bears. Mine melted into one giant, gummy lump the car, while the car and the A/C were running, full blast. It was just that hot. 102. Ugh. At the time, I remember thinking, "Why did we leave California to go back into the desert?" I didn't need to look much further than the backyard of the Cliffrose Lodge & Gardens in Springdale, Utah to find out. We were exactly 40 yards from the South entrance to Zion National Park. Absolutely spectacular views. Here's what we could see out of our hotel room: Ah. This is why we drove here.

We spent the first morning hiking in the park, a weeping rock trail, a trail following a river (beautiful walk!) and then a picnic. By 11am it was 102 again, so we spent the afternoon swimming while we await AMALY's arrival! She loves me so much that she drove 6 hours to Springdale from Phoenix, basically the entire length of Arizona. It was awesome to see her again. We hadn't seen each other since December! Addison was, as usual, immediately comfortable with Amaly. Addison does this with exactly two people beside her immediate family members: Amaly & Jason. I find this fascinating and wonderful. Anyway, we wasted no time getting Amaly into the spirit of a Watkins' vacation and went on a dusk hike. It was about one mile, flat, and paved, so it hardly constituted a hike, but we all enjoyed getting to see the park at night time. The following morning, we awoke early and drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive, on which I nearly got carsick. I attempted to sit in the back seat with Amaly & Addison. A mistake I will not soon repeat. We arrived and I was speechless looking at those canyons. No words can describe the size of them. Simply astounding to see. And, while I was not exactly EAGER to get up early on my last day of vacation and drive for two hours to see more rocks, I am extremely glad I did. It is something no picture can express accurately. We lunched at the North Rim Lodge, which was built in the 1920s. It was a beautiful building and the food was delicious. We also saw the most wildlife on this part of our trip: wild turkeys, including several babies, big horn sheep, porcupine, and tons of deer. I think that made Robert's trip.

We saw this on the way back to Springdale from the North Rim. This is my favorite sign of the entire trip. Be sure to read the fine print!
I was extremely sad to leave Springdale for several reasons: 1) Amaly was leaving and I never know how long it will be until I see her again, and 2) our vacation was O-V-E-R. We drove solemnly back to Las Vegas, slept a few hours despite all the obscenities being yelled in the hallway by drunken partiers winding down their evenings, and got up VERY early to head back home. All the flights were smooth and no major delays. We were glad to be back home but so sad our fun was over. We cannot wait to go on our next vacation. Spring Break 2010 we're hitting up NH, ME, and MA!
Check back later for my "Top 10" photos from the 2009 Watkins Family's Awesome Adventure!