Our last day in Escalante we headed over to the Natural Bridge hike which actually went through the Escalante River! We were so excited for this beautiful but relaxing hike where we could stay cool, take it easy, and have some fun!
The temperature was in the 90's and so hiking through the river made it feel soooo nice!
The beautiful red rock mountains seemed so bold and majestic and surrounded us on every side.
Every time we would come to a crossing of the trail through the water, all of the kids would stop and play and usually end up in some kind of water fight. :)
Kambriella and Kesslyn of course were the smallest and found the river the perfect depth for them to swim along and still be able to touch the bottom with their hands.
This picture right here just makes me smile, because that is exactly how they were the whole time...laughing, playing, smiling, and having fun! :)
When we got to the Natural Bridge you could really see why it was named that!
I wondered how many people have actually walked across that bridge?
And sweet little Kesslyn was such a trooper this whole trip! Hiking and going along with all of our adventures.
While we hiked we learned that she can speak bird, she has super powers to see snakes hiding in the bushes, and she is HIGHLY motivated by Fruit By the Foot! :)
Everyone sat down underneath the bridge and ate some snacks and explored for a bit.
Here is Gavin, Dallin, and Xaxton underneath the arch..
Dallin and Gavin wanted to actually touch it, so they did!
And as with all of my other pictures, they just DON"T do it justice.
It was beautiful there and I was so glad we got to go!
It was also the 4th of July, our country's Independence Day, and I was so grateful for the freedom to be out there doing what we wanted to do. We really do live in the best land of all!
Sometimes people would just sit in the water to cool down before hiking on, and some would sit in the river to go pee...
...but you never can tell who is doing what! ;) ;)
And because the water felt SO nice, we decided to hike back only through the river, instead of on the trail, just to enjoy the water a little longer.
It was a little more tricky with the slippery rocks sometimes, but such a fun adventure!
When we finished the hike we headed into town and bought some ice cream from the grocery store just 10 minutes before it was about to close.
Because that is the perfect way to end a summer hike. :)
Then, later that night as we sat in the family room of our cabin talking, we heard a loud noise from outside, and to our sweet surprise, it was fireworks!!!
We had a front row seat too, right from the front deck of our cabin!
(And the big bright full moon was right out there with us too! )
It was the perfect way to end our day of adventure, by celebrating our freedoms and remembering all those who have fought to keep us free
Then, the next morning as we were cleaning up to head back home, we wrote a thank you note in the book provided there, and found that our good friends the Schouten's had stayed there 9 years before us! :)
We stopped for a picture on Hog's Back Road, which was the scariest road I had ever been on!
And like all the others, you cannot tell from the pictures, but it was beautiful and steep!
Here again I see a beautiful silver lining to this pandemic...
Although some of our original summer plans had been cancelled and changed, we ended up taking a trip through our own beautiful state and seeing some of the most amazing things ever, and had a blast with some of our favorite people ever!
I am grateful for the freedoms that we have, especially for my freedom of religion.
So grateful for the people I am spending forever with too. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment