Family Vacation

Today is the last day of my two week summer break.  I can't believe how fast that went! Luckily, my classes ease in, so I do not think I will be too busy with school for the next month. I have too many projects to do!  I am in baby-mode, no longer school- mode.  Last week, Michael and I went on a vacation with my family- parents and brother.  It was the first family vacation I have been on in a long time, and Michael's first time to join the Bates clan for travel.  

My dad has to travel to Salt Lake City for business quite often, and sometimes my mom goes along.  So, they know quite a bit about the area.  We visited a small town called Moab just a half days drive from Salt Lake.   Here is a play by play of our week:

Friday: After Michael finished work we drive to my parents house in NLR to stay the night 

Saturday: Michael, my brother, and myself ate lunch with my grandparents, who then took all of the family to the airport.  We flew into Salt Lake City just in time to go to sleep.  

Sunday: We slept in (common theme on this trip, none of us are morning people).  Then got in the rental minivan and drove to Park City.  I'd say its the Aspen of Utah.  A nice ski town with cute little shops. We ate lunch at a restaurant known for its "Mole", a popular dish in Mexican restaurants in Utah.  Its comparable to curry, but Mexican.  Its basically just sauce with different combos of spices, seeds, beans, etc poured on meat and put in a tortilla.  While in Park City we also toured the training facilities for the winter olympics.  On our way back to Salt Lake for the night, we drove to Sundance, where the film festival is held.  It was a beautiful little resort.  

Sundance.

Sundance.

I don't remember what my brother is doing in this picture.  But more at Sundance. 

Family pic.  I think its the only one from the entire trip....

Michael and Jonathan playing a game at the Winter Olympics Museum in Park City.

Monday: We drove the four hour drive to Moab.  We went from the big Rocky Mountains to the desert in just a few hours.  The first two days we were there we toured Arches National Park.

This is the biggest of the arches- which give the park its name.  It is the length of a football field.  The picture doesn't show the size.  Just 20 years ago a big chunk of it fell, luckily the people underneath ran quickly.  It won't be long until the remaining part falls.  

Most arches looked more like this. 

Michael practicing his "crane" He is over half way through P90X.  This is one of the moves he can do, that I have never been able to do.  Especially these days.  

In Arches National Park.  Though you cannot see any arches in this picture. 

Michael, standing in an arch.

Tuesday:  Arches National Park again, followed by dinner at a resort called Red Cliff Lodge.  I had fresh trout, right out of the Colorado River.  

Wednesday and Thursday:  We toured Canyon Lands National Park, Dead Horse State Park, and drove the La Sal Mountain Pass.  

This is called "the newspaper" its basically ancient native american graffiti.  Passers-by hundreds of years ago all left a little drawing. Its  a little blurry, sorry.  

This was on one of the hikes in Canyon Lands National Park.   A place where real cowboys would stay while the cows grazed- though it was mostly sand, they must have been hungry cows.  

This was what Michael could be found doing on most hikes- taking pictures of trees with his phone.  If you follow him on Instagram, you saw how impressive some of these pictures were.  

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An Aspen Grove on the La Sal Mountain Pass.

Don't fall in that canyon Michael!  When Michael wasn't taking pictures on hikes, I was wondering if my child would ever meet her father.  He daring on the cliffs.

Canyons for as far as you could see.  The Colorado River runs through the bottom.  Eventually these connect with the Grand Canyon.  

The Colorado River, right outside of Moab.

This is the Red Cliffs Lodge, our favorite eating spot.  We ate dinner there once, then went back for a big breakfast.

                        

                     Me and mom, sitting on the edge.  There is a picture of us both looking...somewhere

Friday we drove back to Salt Lake City after lunch and a little shopping in Moab.  We ate dinner at a popular place where locals eat, it looked like a hole in the wall, and without my family's expertise on the city, I would never have wanted to eat there.  The Red Iguana, I believe was the name, another restaurant known for its "mole"  it was delicious. 

The "mole" special at the Red Iguana.  All I remember is that it had mango in it.  We were given a taste test of all of the moles they offered.  This was the best by far.  

 Saturday: Flew back to Little Rock