Granola in a Different Bowl: Opposites: urban/rural; hot/cold; high/low; new/old ...

Last weekend was a little extra special because I took a day off work, Thursday. For some reason we didn't have work or school Friday, and the following Monday was President's Day, a holiday for everyone. It was nice to take a vacation in the middle of winter. Especially to a warmer place.

At one point during the drive around Cedar City the kids began complaining of the heat. The car thermometer for outside read somewhere in the 50s, maybe 60 degrees. It did feel warm with the winter sun penetrating the car windows. The kids wanted me to turn on the A/C. I eventually did, however, it was refreshing and exhilarating to roll down the windows and feel the force of warm air rushing by at 80 mph.

The Joshua trees were an interesting variation to the desert landscape as we traveled further south. There were many signs along the road that contained the word 'cedar' and someone in particular recounted, "I felt famous." The kids were impressed we got to drive through Arizona to get to Nevada. And as we approached Las Vegas the volume to whatever we were listening to was turned off and we snapped at the kids to be quiet so we could hear Kim's phone telling us how far to go and when to turn.

We arrived. And details aside, the first afternoon and evening in Las Vegas left us tired, over stimulated, and slightly grumpy ... mainly because one of the kids was REALLY grumpy. And self-serve frozen yogurt didn't help. She couldn't have cared less about the facade of everything that was designed with the objective to impress. She was not, until we found the elevated tram ride back to the hotel. She was happy to be eating dinner because she knew that meant going back to the room soon. It was nice to see our friend Brian who joined us for dinner at Bucca di Beppo.

After dinner Kim took the kids up to our rooms and Brian and I walked the Strip for 3 1/2 hours. I had a hard time maintaining our conversations due to the noise, people, and flashing lights. But it was fun to be with him and 'see' Vegas.

first picture of Las Vegas trip not looking very "lasvegasy"

The next morning, after much persistence in getting my money back after canceling a tour for some stupid timeshare that I got finagled into when we first arrived at the hotel, we met Brian and his kids at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. About 25 mintes from the Strip we stepped out of our car and felt, *sigh*, like we were among a much more familiar place. Feeling welcomed and comfortable by the open space, we smiled. We had a great afternoon. The first pictures of the trip were taken here.

jackrabbit

the ears are shorter, but I think it's supposed to be a jackrabbit, too

I love how she assumed the role of the animal

seeking refuge under the yucca :-)

Brian and son

Brian's daughter and mine played very well together

climbing rocks with new friend

climbing rocks

the boys loved climbing the rocks

kid designated desert Christmas tree decorated with rocks and sticks

pretending to be a paleontologist unearthing a fossil, only she was pretty serious and thought she found a fossil

yucca closeup

yucca

After all these years, Brian and me

caught by Kim

After our commune with nature we drove the Strip. It was a great option for us and the kids much preferred this to walking. Later that evening we met up with Brian and Angie and let the kids play in the hotel room. It's interesting to have heard and read about this shooting that happened less than a week after we left, and other crimes that happened while we were there, since we were there.

Bellagio hotel and fountain show from car

view from our rooms at Excalibur hotel looking at Luxor

watching Sponge Bob .... in Las Vegas!

leaving Las Vegas

After the big city we escaped to Zion National Park in southwest Utah. We stayed at the lodge in the park. The windy air outside felt cold, probably because we had just come from Vegas. It was winter, after all. Thanks to Kim we were not underdressed. Except for me because I don't really have a winter coat. Oh well, I survived.

Zion Canyon is probably the main attraction, but it's a very small part of the park. And the canyon itself is not as big as pictures have led me to believe. It's all very compact. Many trails were closed due to falling ice. Trails that were open were kind of muddy. The nice thing about it being winter was that we were able to drive our car. I guess other times of the year you have to take a shuttle up and down the canyon road to the different sites and trails. My favorite part may have been lying on an edge of the visitor center pathway with the sun rays cozily warming my body as the kids worked through their junior ranger workbooks.

Before leaving for home we drove up the Kolob Terrace Road. There are a few pretty fancy-shmantsy houses, a private neighborhood, and a ranch along this road because it goes in and out between park and private boundaries. This is the road to reach and hike by permit the famous Subway. There are many trails along this road, but we didn't even get out of the car.

The ride home took FOREVER! I would love to go when the weather is warmer to camp and hike the Narrows, but I'm not sure about all the people. I guess we'll see because I'm really excited to go back. Until then, I will watch the snow fall on this cold Saturday afternoon from my window.