Moab 2012 - Canyonlands

We packed up the van Thursday night (5/17) and Friday (5/18) after work and hit the road at 4:30PM to make the trek to Moab, UT.  The travelers consisted of me, Sean, Fiona, Bob, and Carol.  We made it to St. Charles, MO on Friday, Denver, CO on Saturday, and finished up the drive Sunday to Moab.  We took our time on Sunday, stopping several times to enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery, and got into town around 5:30PM local time.  After unpacking, we went to Pasta Jay's for dinner and got to experience the solar eclipse.  Sean and I borrowed some "eclipse shades" from a guy and got to see the crescent sun...it was really cool!

On the road!  Fiona insisted on wearing gloves...in May.

Somewhere in Kansas.

Proof that Kansas is boring.

Holding her "Curious George" balloon animal made by the guy at IHOP in Denver.

Family photo at scenic overlook near Dillon, CO.

Mommy/Fiona shot.

Grama/Fiona shot.

Walking around.

Running!

We stopped in Vail, CO for ice cream (lunch) and to walk around.  We ended spending almost 2 hours there.  It was a beautiful day.

Papa/Fiona shot.

Bob, Carol, and Fiona.

Another family photo.

 One of my favorite pictures.

Daddy/Fiona shot.

Monday we decided to go hiking at Canyonlands National Park, Island in the Sky District.  It's about 25 miles from Moab.  Sean and I went there a few years ago.  We stopped by the Visitor's Center on the way in and looked around, and then decided to head to the picnic area by the Grand View Point Overlook for lunch.  Fiona fell asleep as we were driving there (it was another 12 miles) so she stayed in the van (running with air conditioning) while we ate our lunch.  We had two chipmunks and a couple of ravens that were watching us very closely as we ate.  Fiona was still sleeping when we were done, so we decided to hike the White Rim Overlook trail in pairs.  It's about a 1.6 mile trail (0.8 out and 0.8 back).  Sean and I went first and then Bob and Carol went.  Fiona finally woke up after we all had finished hiking.  She had her lunch and then we hiked the Mesa Arch Loop trail (0.5 miles) as a family.  She did really good.  She walked at least half of it and stopped to inspect lots of rocks and sand.  It was a very warm day (mid 80s F) so we called it day after that and headed back to the condo.  We had Uncle Charlie and Aunt Dorothy, who had arrived into town on Monday, over for some of Sean's delicious homemade chili.  Unfortunately I got altitude sickness (even though I drank plenty of water) so I didn't get to enjoy any.  12 hours of sleep fixed me right up though.

Our picnic area.

The ravens were stalking us.

White Rim Canyon

You can see why it's called White Rim Canyon.

Super close up on the canyon and the Colorado River.

They liked it!

Mmmm...Fiona loves peanut butter.

It's like a giant sandbox!

Hiking!

Taking a break.

Mesa Arch

The view through the arch.

The cactus were in bloom!

So pretty...