Moab 2017

Over President Day's weekend we went to Moab. It was such a last minute trip but it was really fun.  The weather was not great for a lot of the trip which made me kind of sad but it was still really fun.  Jordan and I went to Moab together a couple of years ago but this was the first time that we'd taken our kids.  They were actually so good on this trip!  It was rainy and actually super cold for most of it but they did great and hiked really well.  I was so impressed with Jackson especially.  

We left on Friday morning and went straight to Dead Horse Point.  The weather was actually beautiful when we got down there.  We walked around Dead Horse Point for a while and then went to Canyon Lands.   

This little guy was so fun and crazy!  He loved crawling around in the dirt and walking along the rocks.

After we walked around Dead Horse Point for a while we went to Canyonlands.  Link was kind of a punk at Canyonlands.  He was just wild and crazy and kept running around which is not good at a place like that because there were tons of cliffs without any railing so it was really scary.  We stopped at a bunch of the pull offs and then we hiked Mesa Arch.  The kids were okay at Canyonlands they weren't as impressed as I thought they'd be.  

This hole was actually really high up and Link was freaking out.

Mesa Arch

Mesa Arch

We spent most of the day at Canyonlands then went to Arches at about 4:30 to try fit one more hike in before it got dark.  We decided to do the Devil's Garden hike and hiked to Landscape arch.  The weather had been okay for most of the day but by 4:30 it was pretty cold and windy.  About the time we got to the Arch it started raining so it was kind of miserable for Harrison.  The poor kid just screamed the whole hike back to the car.  Link was super tired by that point as well so we pretty much had to carry him the whole time.  

After hiking we went to dinner and then headed to our hotel.  We stayed at the Red Cliffs Lodge.  I had no idea when I booked the hotel that it's 20 minutes away from Moab up a canyon.  We kind of thought that our choice of hotels was a mistake that night because it was just such  a long day and our kids screamed pretty much the whole way up the canyon and then Harrison and Link fell asleep about 5 minutes before we got there.  The place was pretty cool.  It's up a canyon with nothing around it but campgrounds so it was super dark but it was really well lit and really pretty in the dark.  When we woke up the next morning and looked out the back door we were shocked by the view.  It was seriously amazing.  It was just gorgeous we had our own little gated patio that led out to a little grassy strip and then the river was right there with gorgeous red cliffs around it.  There were some fun little things to do at the hotel so we had breakfast there and then walked around the museum there.  

View from our patio

View from the restaurant.  These pictures really do not do the view justice at all.  It was beautiful.

We went back to Arches for the day.  It was pretty rainy and cold for the entire day.  We still did a few fun hikes even in the rain.  We did Double Arch and the Windows, Sand dune arch, and balanced rock.  After arches we played on the little sand dune that is just outside of arches and then went home.  It rained the whole time but we still had fun.  Jackson and Harrison were so good the entire trip.  Jackson hiked everything without being carried at all and didn't complain about the rain or anything else.  Harrison was just happy and cute the whole time even though it was freezing.  Link was just Link kind of grumpy and whiny and refused to walk most of the time but we've come to expect that from him.  The rain was a little disappointing and took some of the fun away but it was still a good weekend and did have a lot of fun.

Sand dune arch.  The beautiful sand was wet everywhere except directly under the arch.  Harrison loved it!  The soft sand is my favorite so it was  a little disappointing that it was wet and just kind of  a mess.

Sand dune arch

Double Arch

Double Arch

This isn't a very good picture but Jordan and Jackson climbed all the way up to the opening of double arch.  Jacks got pretty scared because it was really high.

The Windows.  Link was pretty much done at this point and refused to be in pictures or do anything except be carried and be ornery.

Balanced Rock