Vegas and Zion National Park

Well, Kyle and I just enjoyed another great weekend! Making memories!

On Thursday when Kyle got off of work, we dropped Turbo off at a friend's house and then decided to go explore the strip. I have been in Vegas for a few weeks now and had only seen the strip from a distance, so I was very excited to go see what all the hype is about. I had read about a buffet that was supposed to be really good called the Spice Market, which is in the Planet Hollywood Casino, so that is where we started out. It was set up with different stations: Seafood, Italian, Asian, Middle Eastern, American, and Deserts. We tried a whole bunch of different foods, and for the most part, it was pretty good (but for $30/person, I'm pretty sure I'll never go back). After dinner, we walked down to some of the hotels/casinos that I was wanting to see...NY NY, MGM (the lions weren't there!), Bellagio, ect. I have to say, I was a little disappointed in it all. All of the casinos pretty much look just alike, and Kyle and I really aren't too much into gambling. Kyle's parents are coming to Vegas this next weekend, and we thought we may stay at NY NY to celebrate our two year anniversary which is quickly approaching, but after seeing it, we decided we'd just rather make the drive back to the camper and save a little $$ (or spend it doing something else : < ). We are going to see Zumanity one night this weekend, which I am super excited about!

We decided that we wanted to go somewhere this past weekend, since Kyle had Friday and Monday off. It came down to either Sequoia National Forest, Yosemite National Park, or Zion National Park. We ended up picking Zion...I think that is where we both really wanted to go, and it is so much closer than the other two destinations. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in most national parks. I had found a place to board Turbo, but then one of the girls that Kyle works with volunteered to keep him. So, on Friday evening, we dropped Turbo off again, and headed to Utah!



Kyle had visited earlier in the summer and found a free place to camp, so we ended up spending three nights sleeping in the back of the truck. We took our tent but never ended up using it. The Virgin river runs right thru the place and it was very sandy, like being on the beach. These pictures are of us after just waking up the first morning.

We did two hikes our first day in Zion. The first one was the very popular Emerald Pools hike, which takes you by three different pools/waterfalls. We didn't take any pictures here....Kyle had taken lots when he went earlier in the summer. Next, we tackled Angel's Landing, a 5 mile round-trip hike (1500 ft elevation gain). It starts out on a paved path that zig-zags upwards. The last 1/2 mile follows a steep, narrow ridge. From this point, they have put in a chain to help you climb to the top, where you find great views of the canyon below. This little guy kept getting uncomfortably close...

After a good, long day of hiking on Saturday, we stopped by the store and picked up some hot dogs (yum!). After dinner and a nice campfire, it was time to sleep! The next day, we tackle the Narrows...

Kyle hiked the Narrows ealier this summer, and I was very excited to get to do it with him! It is ~ a 10 mile round trip hike up the Virgin river, which meanders through towering canyon walls. The final destination is Big Springs, three small waterfalls that flow from the side of the canyon. Most of the hike, you are knee-deep in water. Other times, you are either wading in water chest-deep or walking on short river banks.

We started at about 9 am on Sunday morning (aimed for 7 am...didn't work so well...). To get to the Narrows, you take a 40 min bus ride through the park, then walk down a paved mile long trail. I was just fine with our late start as it meant that it was just a tad bit warmer than it would have been at 7 am. The Virgin river was a chilly 60 degrees, and when it's only 60 degrees outside, that's pretty cold!

So a little ways into the hike, we stopped to take some pictures. I really wanted to know how to take a photo where the water looks really smooth...

So, here is Kyle standing next to some pretty water.....next, I tell him,"do something funny"...and the result was...

Well, he flashed me...had the picture up, but he was embarassed, so I took it down. As he pulls his pants up and turns around, two other hikers appear around the bend!

Here are some more pictures of our hike up the Narrows:

We ended up finishing the hike around 5:30 pm on Sunday and were both so exhausted and ready to take off our cold, wet shoes! We treated ourselves to a nice dinner at one of the restaurants in town. On Sunday, we managed to sleep until about 9:30 am. After finding some t-shirts and food in town, we were on our way back to Vegas!

What a great weekend!