September 1, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 11

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We woke up this morning before the sunshine. It was rough especially since I woke up at 5:45 to go to the bathroom. That was disappointing to see that it was already time to wake up. Capitol Reef still might be my favorite park, but after today Bryce is a close second or it passed it. Plus I think that today's trail was my absolute favorite.

We parked at Sunrise Point, and this was our first experience in any of the parks so far that we struggled to find a parking spot and that we saw a lot of people. Robby had to drop us off, but he easily found a park spot. 

We joined the crowds of people on the overlook to look at the sun rise. We stood with them for a little bit, but then we decided that we would walk on down the trail. We started down Queen's Garden and walked down the steep decent. I think that it was even more difficult because the rain yesterday disturbed some of the rocks.

What was neat about this trail was that when we made it down lower, we were walking among the hoodoos. At some points, they even had to blast tunnels or almost doorways for the trail to go through. We eventually made it to the Queen Victoria (I think) hoodoo. I never really saw it, but that is where our trail changed to Navajo Loop trail. 

Then we would have preferred to go up the Wall Street trail, but it was closed so we ventured up the Two Bridges trail. The kids were walking way in front of us, so they missed out on seeing the two bridges, but really, it wasn't much. Then we started up Two Bridges, and gracious it was a haul.

We caught up to Whitman on the ascent, and we were having to take breaks on each switchback. Once we made it up the switchbacks, we still had a climb to go. However, when you turned around and looked at the view, Sunset Point, it was breath taking. It almost made the climb worth it.

Now, once we made it to the top, we still had to walk a half mile back to Sunrise Point to get to the car. On this walk, Campbell convinced Robby to go and get breakfast. We had to drive to another town, but our stop at Rustler's Restaurant also made the hike well worth it. 

Campbell had waffles piled high with m and ms, strawberries, and bananas plus some bacon. Keaton had m and m pancakes. Whitman and I both had the kids American breakfast with eggs, hashbrowns, toast, and sausage for me and bacon for him. I also had hot chocolate, and I know it was probably from a packet, but it was the best hot chocolate I think that I have ever had. Robby had biscuits and gravy (they even toasted the biscuits) and an egg. It was so, so good-or maybe we were just so, so hungry.

Now, I said that the view was breathtaking, but what we came back to in the camper was also breathtaking-but not in a good way. Keaton unlocked the door and was the first to say "I smell poop." Well, bless poor Marley. Her tummy was upset, but thankfully she was in the kennel. 

Robby grabbed the kennel and got the hose, Campbell got Marley outside, Keaton took care of Bentley while I got the soap. Then Robby and Campbell washed Marley outside while Whitman hosed down her kennel. I was busy running around cleaning things inside and gathering necessary supplies. 

We were just going to take an hour break, but this little fiasco took us a bit longer so we were at the camper for an hour and a half. We then made a risky call and left Marley in her kennel when we left again to see more sights.

We stopped at pretty much every overlook and point that we could. Bryce Point and Inspiration Point were definitely my favorites. Then we also walked through the lodge again and browsed a general store. We even went back in the visitor center to collect a sticker saying that we hiked more than 3 miles at the park.

And imagine our relief when Robby went in the camper first after our outing and gave us the thumbs up sign. Marley made it fine! We celebrated with a load of laundry, and while Robby was doing that the kids did school. It was nearly 5 when all of that was finished, and people were getting pretty sleepy. 

We had to wake up Keaton and Campbell, and we even gave Whitman the option to go or not. He, of course, picked that he would stay in the camper and watch the dogs. We drove all the way through the park towards and ended at the last stop-Yakima Point and Rainbow Point. Would you guess what we saw at Rainbow Point? A rainbow. That was kind of neat; however, it is called rainbow point, not for rainbows, but for the colors of the rocks that you can see.

We then stopped at a few more overlooks chasing the sunset before we ditched our supper plans of rice bowls and ordered a pizza. We picked up supper and then quickly loaded the car in the sprinkling rain. Then we all ate and started on showers. Tomorrow we have a good bit of driving to do so we will need some sleep.

August 31, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 10

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Yesterday evening was wet, and today has turned out to be a wet day too. We pulled out of the campground near Capitol Reef around 9 this morning or possibly it was 9:30. Either way, we were pleased with our time.

We had basically one road to drive down, but it was a doozy. It was hwy 12 which is one of the most scenic drives in America. It was that, but I felt it was also a little on the treacherous side. Ha! Actually, I wasn't nearly as stressed as I was in Colorado leaving Denver. 

The scenery was gorgeous even with a steep drop off and no guard rails on both sides. There were turn outs every few feet almost plus we were listening to our audio guide with information about what we were seeing. 

Before we even go to the scenic views, we had dealt with construction and a super long traffic light, a heard of cows in the road, and even crazy foggy weather. Thankfully, by the time we made it to the on top of a mountain part, everything had cleared up, and the drive was super nice-maybe because Robby was going pretty slowly so he could take it all in as well.

We arrived to our campground in Ruby's Inn right outside of Bryce Canyon just as the rain started. We ate as it rained. When there was a break in the rain, Robby hooked everything up, and we unhooked the car. Then the rain started, and it went on and on. 

Robby caught up on some work while the kids did school. Campbell is making her way through college algebra so she just has a test to do tomorrow, and then we can be finished with that at least this week. After school was finished, we had to wait on the rain to finish.

When it did, we headed towards the visitor's center. We did all the things there-bought a sticker, got our stamps, bought 2 postcards (one for an obu kid and one for a little friend studying the states), and turned in our jr ranger booklet plus at this park we even watched the movie. I stayed awake during it because I was busy working on writing the postcards.

We then drove around the park some-we didn't see anything of note except we did drive around all of the campgrounds plus we looked in the lodge. We like to check out all of the campgrounds just so we can see what we are missing by not being in the campground. Here, we aren't missing anything since we have power and water. 

Then we drove out of the park, through town, and to another section of the park to walk Mossy Creek Trail. It was just a short little hike, about a mile, to see a cave and to see a waterfall. We were even able to see some pretty cool hoodoos on the hike.

We then stopped at the general store in town. Pretty much everything in this town is Ruby's something or another. We are at Ruby's campground, and we went to Ruby's General Store beside Ruby's Inn right near Ruby's Laundromat. Seriously, good for Ruby. I think that she was actually an earlier settler here, and her family still runs all of this. 

The store was massive-we all got separated, but we eventually found every in the food section. We were all hungry. I guess I took the crock pot out so when we went to make the soup for supper earlier, we realized that we would have to make it on the stove. It was just a bag soup so it only took 15 minutes, but that was a long 15 minutes.

After eating, we played Whitman's warewolf game before urging everyone go to go bed. Tomorrow is an early morning!

August 30, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 9

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We left the camper around 7 this morning. We were trying to beat the heat, but we all left wearing jackets. It took us a bit to drive to our trail, but by 7:30 we were climbing out of the car. Now, it is a bit eerie being the only car in the parking lot though.

Campbell had wigged herself out on the length and altitude gain on this trail, but once we got started all was well. We literally climbed to the very top of a cliff today. When you drive in, you can see Cassidy Arch, and it is at the very top of cliff or maybe I could even say a mountain.

The first part of the trail was steep, rocky switchbacks which we weren't sure were going to end. We took quite a bit breaks on this section of the trail. Once we finished the end of the switchbacks, the trail did get easier though we were constantly climbing the hill. 

We had walked over a mile and a half when we made it to the slick rock face that we had to walk over. The weather perfectly cooperated with us the entire day. We were often in the shade, or there was a breeze. Even when the sun would peak out, it was still comfortable. 

There was a lady walking in front of us, and we weren't sure why she had stopped. Then we realized that she was indeed at the end of the trail. Not only could we see the arch from where we were, but we could also walk across it. Our photos look like they were not real, but they were. Robby said that it was his favorite hike so far. I would pretty much agree! (Though everyone walking around on the top of the mountain side did make me and Campbell a little bit nervous.)

We took our pictures, and then after one last look we headed down the mountain. Of course getting down wasn't nearly as hard as getting up. We made it down after walking 3.4 miles, but we didn't head to the car. We kept walking along the grand wash-basically a dry riverbed.

We walked another 3.6 miles on the riverbed. The cliffs are on both sides of you, and it was neat to see. However, this afternoon it has stormed so I know that dry riverbed is no longer dry at all. We were all pretty beat after 7 miles of hiking.

We, of course, made time to to stop at the farmhouse on the way out of the park. As we were walking towards the building, Campbell told us to hurry up because more people were coming. Robby just about broke into a sprint and managed to grab the last cinnamon roll. Plus we managed to get a few pies. However, I just couldn't stomach paying 6 dollars for a cookie.

After leaving the park, we stopped at Rim Rock Patio for our late lunch. We had thought about eating supper out, but we were all pretty hungry. This was the perfect place-they had a patio so we opted to eat outside. There was baggo and horseshoes outside, but the view was wonderful. Plus the food was really good (though we were starving and could have eaten anything happily.)

We had pizza, salsa, nachos, and sloppy joes, and what we didn't eat, we brought home. Back at the camper, the girls took the dogs to to the dog park which they love. The temperature was comfortable plus it is the most lush grass ever. Then Robby did laundry while I napped. 

Then a crazy loud storm rolled through. All storms are loud in the camper, but the thunder was really loud, and then when the rain finally started we were having to shout at each other. We were trying to watch church from this morning, but there was no way for us to hear it so we had to give up. We would think that the rain had stopped, and then it would pour again.

Our first stop was the side of the road a few times to take a picture of the most beautiful rainbow ever. It just kept following us. The girls made sure to get quite a few pictures of it.

We eventually did leave, and we were pretty surprised to see the water rushing in some of the creeks. We have to assume that the dry creek bed we walked through earlier was flooded like those creeks. Then we walked down the little boardwalk so we could see the petroglyphs.

Next up was a little drive the other way down the road. We did stop at the town of Notom. Apparently, when they were naming the town, someone said, "well, we have No Tom here," and that is how the town got it's name.

We then drove back through the National Park before realizing that sunset was beautiful. We stopped so the girls could take some pictures. They even hiked to the top of a hill to get better shots. Whitman even joined them, and they all came down the trail with their arms linked in a circle. It was amazing that they didn't fall down the hill. 

Back at the camper, the girls walked the dogs briefly. Then everyone heated up their own suppers. Now, the girls are headed to the bath house to take their showers, and Whitman is going to take his shower here. Then I'm next in the shower because I'm about to fall asleep!

August 29, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 8

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We didn't leave Moab until 9:00 this morning. It was nice getting to sleep in a little bit before getting up. Of course we were quiet when we did start getting everything ready to leave, but it is just hard to be quiet with the dogs and with starting the camper. When Robby starts that camper, it is like a race car revving its engine.

Campbell woke up feeling much better this morning, but she did continue to remind us that she was sick-especially during our trail hike this afternoon. I do believe that I am getting her cold now, so that will be fun. Graham wrote late last night saying that he felt horrible, but it looks like he hasn't stopped today and has had a busy day. 

We stopped in Green River where we had actually stayed before years ago with Grannymom and Grandpa when Campbell was a baby. Robby drove past a museum and hotel and immediately remembered it. We had to get gas so we stopped at a Maverick, which according to Keaton is a famous Utah gas station that she sees her blogger stop at.

Not only did we get gas, but we also had some dirty sodas. Whitman was sleeping so I stayed in the camper, but they fixed me up with cream and vanilla flavoring in mine. I like my dirty sodas with more cream than actual coke. 

We had to drive through Capitol Reef National Park to get to our campground tonight in Torrey We made here about 12:30, and this is the first campground that Robby has not had an extra 110 outlet to plus up our back air conditioner. Our front one can easily do the job, but he likes the noise. However, there may be no air conditioners running tonight, because it is chilly tonight. During our night time walk with the dogs, we both had on jackets plus it was more like a jog because it was so cold. It is just 64!

After getting everything set up, we left for Capitol Reef. They sky was pretty dark, but we pressed on. Our first stop was an overlook and then to Gooseneck point which was another overlook. I really think that Capitol Reef is my favorite park. It is so gorgeous, and in the middle is the orchard..where they sell pies. However, they were out of them today! We knew that they would be because it was nearly 4 when we went. Though we will be there tomorrow at 9 when they open!

We stopped at the visitor's center-it was small and hot so we didn't stay long Then it was down an unpaved road. I mentioned that the sky was dark earlier, and on our drive a ranger stopped us to make sure that we weren't hiking in that area in case it rained/flash flooded. 

We then drove to Hickman Bridge. This is the hike that the ranger suggested to me, and he even mentioned that it would be a good one to do because of the weather. This was a 2 mile round trip hike to a bridge. It was really neat with spectacular views. There was a bit of uphill, but it wasn't horrible. 

However, Whitman and Campbell were a bit concerned about the weather. It never rained or even thundered, but we might have been in a pickle if a rain storm did come our way. It was a fun hike with lots to see on it. I think that it might have been my favorite hike so far. 

We made it down the mountain and drove around Torrey for a bit. We even stopped in a store that said "Bakery" on the sign. It was not a bakery, instead it was just a tiny grocery store. We were disappointed, but back at the camper we heated up some chicken pasta and all was well. Robby and I even had some ice cream before our walk which could have been why we were so cold!

Tomorrow is an early day-maybe even the earliest yet!

August 28, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 7

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This morning started early once again with my alarm ringing at 6. That was fine this morning because at 1:30 last night I woke up to go to the bathroom, and I thought that it was nearing 6 already. Needless to say, I was super happy that the night hadn't really even started yet.

Campbell is still feeling kind of puny today, but I think that she is on the mend. We definitely have her good and doped up. She did take a hot shower this morning which probably helped more than any medicine could at all.

Then after we all grabbed breakfast, we were on the road to Canyonlands National Park by 7:30. It was about 45 minutes away, and once again you don't have to drive too far for the scenery to completely change. I had a podcast to listen to on the way there about Canyonlands, and when we drove through Robby had things to listen to as well. We are kind of dorks like that!

Our first stop was at the visitor's center. Robby did the stamps on the passport books while Whitman and I did the Jr. Ranger book. The ranger asked if we wanted to do the pledge, and I told him that we would in our hearts. We bought a few postcards and a sticker for the camper before leaving the visitor's center.

We stopped at a few overlooks, but our first main activity was a 1.8 mile hike on the White Rim Trail. It was just a trail then we ended up at an awesome overlook. We climbed on some rocks to take some pictures, and man, the pictures were really good from up there.

We drove pretty much all of the roads in the park and even ventured up to Upheaval Dome, but when we made it there was a one mile hike so we opted to skip that so we didn't get to see it. I did google it, and it did just look like a hole in the ground so it was probably a good call. It was already getting hot. 

Our main stop at Canyonlands was Mesa Arch. It was really pretty and a bit crowded. We were able to get a few pictures plus we had more rocks to climb over and explore. Back in the car, we had more snacks before heading back towards Moab. It didn't take us long to go down the hill, and we were soon back at the campground.

Robby collected laundry while the kids ate. Then while we put the laundry in the wash, they headed to the pool. We then came back to the camper and collected the dogs for a quick run to the store. When we came back, the kids had returned and were showering. Our afternoon ended with some school before leaving around 4 for the next adventure.

We drove almost back to Canyonlands to get to Dead Horse Point State Park. From here, you could see Canyonlands, but this is basically on the other side of the road and the fee goes to the state. If I'm currently ranking things, I would say that our delicate arch experience was the best, but my favorite spot so far would be Dead Horse Point. 

We hurried down the main road so we could get to the visitor's center before it closed-the mission was to buy a sticker for the camper. We made it, but as I was inside it got incredibly windy and started spitting rain. The rain stopped but the wind did not!

We drove to the point, and it was amazing. I'm not sure why we haven't stopped here before. It was incredible. We could have done the whole rim trial for 4 miles, but opted to just do a shorter version for one mile. The point had 360 degree views and the little trail we walked took us to all the sides. Again, it rivals the Grand Canyon.

We then came back and took a few pictures in Moab at a sign before going back to the camper. Robby loaded the car first while I started on supper-meatball subs. We all ate, and then Robby took one more load of laundry, mainly bathing suits. Now, we have a bit of down time before bed plus we might just have ourselves some ice cream.

August 27, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 6

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My alarm went off at 6 this morning because we are in Operation Beat the Heat. It was warm yesterday afternoon so we knew that whatever we did today needed to be in the morning and evening hours. The kids surprisingly stirred pretty easily. Keaton is really loving this trip the most since she is the one who really wanted to go to Utah. 

We left around 7 and headed to the back of Arches. Before we stopped at our destination, we did drive around their campground. There are some beautiful camping spots but not for our rig. Then we started our hike to landscape arch. It was a mostly flat hike compared to last nights, plus there were long stretches that were in the shade of the rocks.

It was about a mile to the arch, but landscape arch is a super long arch plus it is super narrow (I think they said 5 feet in a few spots). After our pictures there, we took a short trail to two other arches, tunnel arch and pine arch, before going back to the car. Back in the car, we had some more water and some snacks.

Then we stopped at two other arches-skyline arch and sand dune arch. These were both about a half mile, but sand dune was my favorite by far. There was sand everywhere and it was incredibly cool because you were surrounded by canyon walls. 

We then went right back to the camper. The girls walked the dogs while Whitman explored the putt putt course. Robby and I went to the store to pick up a few necessary items: gallon sized ziplock bags, body wash, ice cream, teddy graham cookies, and more water. They weren't all necessary items, but some were (body wash and water!)

Back at the camper, everyone ate, and then everyone napped! Well, Whitman didn't nap, but the rest of us did. Our naps were long enough that we may not sleep tonight. I was going to make meatball subs for supper tonight, but my bread must have gotten a little bit warm so it wasn't usable. Instead, we did walking tacos which was even easier to make. The kids all ate before we left this evening, but Robby and I ate when we came home. 

Tonight's hikes were in the windows section of Arches National Park. We first walked around North, South, and Turret Arches. Two of the arches were pretty deserted so that was fun to explore them without anyone around. 

Then we drove just a bit to get to Double Arch. This arch is the one that Robby climbed up on when we were here last and got a bit panicked because he wasn't sure how he could down. Keaton climbed up pretty high tonight, but she didn't have any problem getting down. It was pretty, but I think that the pictures would have been a bit better if it had been sunnier-however, the attitudes would not have been better because the temperature was perfect tonight, and we all enjoyed the evening.

On the way back to the camper, we stopped at 7-11 again for some refreshments. Now, we are taking turns showering because tomorrow is again an early morning. 

August 26, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 5

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We slept in this morning since we couldn't check into our spot in Moab until 2. Robby and I walked the dogs around the lake on the campground. It was a mile walk and was pleasant when we started. However, it started to get warm by the time that we finished.

When we made it back, we immediately hooked up the car because we wanted to do it before it became too hot. The kids were stirring when we came back, and around 11 we headed towards Moab.

The drive was just about 2 and a half hours. We only stopped briefly at the Welcome to Utah sign. We took a few pictures there-with Campbell and Keaton both taking pictures, we have over 800 pictures so far on this trip. 

We made it to Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway campground a little bit before 1. The girls were worried that we did not know that check in was at 2, but we thought we would try anyway. We were able to check in early, and we have a pretty perfect spot. We are next to the dog park (though the girls took the puppies, and the dogs just stood in the shade.) Plus there are mountains on both side of us, so it is a pretty perfect campground.

We had a slow and wonderful afternoon. It was too hot to go and do anything, plus our plans included a sunset hike, so we just rested until time to leave. I read some of my book and napped some. We should have been doing school, but there is always tomorrow.

At 4, we left for the Arches National Park visitor center. Keaton went with Whitman this time when we turned in our junior ranger book. The guy looked through it, and then gave use the badge-it was super easy compared to last time. We were actually finished before Robby had finished stamping all of our passport books.

We watched some of the film about Arches. It was better than the last one, and I stayed awake. Robby bought a guide that tells you about the sites as you drive by so that was interesting. We stopped at most of the overlooks plus we walked around Balanced Rock on the way to our main evening attraction.

Around 6, we made it to Delicate Arch trail. We knew that it was going to be steep and 1.5 miles each way. It was a haul. If we walked that every day, we would be in the best shape of our lives. Seriously! Our goal was to make it by sunset, and I wondered for a little bit if we would make it.

Keaton and Campbell were in the front of our group. Robby was in the middle, and I brought up the rear with Whitman. He is not a hiker, and he will tell you this. However, this was a hard, hard hike. It is about 1.2 miles straight up the side of a mountain, and then the last little bit is on the edge of a mountain with a drop off beside you. Whitman does not like heights at all, but he did super well on this part. 

I got a little bit wigged out when we made it to the top and saw the Delicate Arch. There are steep drop offs everywhere plus you are walking on super slanted ground-one slip and you just roll down the hill. We had read that up to 100 people or more could be there to watch the sunset. There were just about 20 or so which made things nice.

After we took our pictures, we sat down and had our snacks and water. We ate and enjoyed the view for a good while. Then one of the girls said that we should probably start back down. They were right, and we were prepared with flashlights to walk down in the dark, but that wasn't preferred.

Robby and I took one last picture before leaving the arch because we knew that we sure were never making it back there! Then it was down the hill-Whitman was the last one up, and the first one down. He walked with our ahead of Keaton and Campbell. They only slowed down when a family of mule deer were waking on the trail with them.

By the time we almost made it to the car, it was pretty dark. We could still see, but the man in front of us had his flashlight out. However, on the way down we passed at least 10 people going up. I wanted to tell them that they were not going to make it before dark and encourage them to turn around or even give them a flashlight, but I kept my mouth closed. 

Back in the car, we rested for a minute before we left the park with many other cars. Then we drove into the town of Moab looking for a Sonic. They didn't have a Sonic, but they did have a 7-11 so we had drinks on the way back to the camper.

The kids started their showers while Robby and I walked the dogs. Marley was terrified walking tonight, and would have given anything to run back to the camper. We all had a bit of supper after showers even though it was super late...and the morning begins super early because we are going to try to beat the heat.