Kayla MathieuAfter an exciting week in the Sand Hollows and visiting friends in Zion, the week started out fairly mundane. Our campsite was in the town of Green River and while there were mountain views around the town, the view from our campsite reminded me a lot of 12th street in Sioux Falls. I didn’t take a single picture of our campsite. We did have a bit of a panic moment mid-week when there was a power outage in town. Interesting facts on what a power outage looks like for us in an RV. Most of our electrical runs off of the battery, that’s what keeps our fridge and freezer working during travel days. We still have lights, fridge is still running, but our microwave and anything plugged into our outlets will turn off. That is how we know we are having issues with our power. We have had random power surges that last a few minutes, but this time the power didn’t come back. We keep our RV heated with space heaters during the day and an oil heater at night. With our heaters not running, the temperature began to plummet quickly. After about a half an hour we started debating if we hunker down, embrace the cold, snuggle under warm blankets and hope the heat comes back soon or book a hotel and stay the night there. We ultimately decided to hold tight and hope for the best. About an hour into the power outage, the power was thankfully restored.
On Friday, we took a trip to Moab to hike the Arches National Park. After doing some research, I read that the Delicate Arch Trail was the granddaddy of the trails to hike and was safe for kids. This was our first stop when we arrived at the park. We didn’t need to obtain a permit, but we did need to find a parking spot. That was our biggest challenge. The trail was a really fun trail to hike and the view at the Delicate Arch is incredible. Colton and I both agree that this was our favorite hike and one of the coolest things we have ever seen. This is definitely a sight that needs to be viewed in person to really appreciate the beauty of it. Pictures do not do it justice.
All around, the Arches National Park is on the top of our list of favorite National Parks. We hiked around the balance rock, the windows, and the double arch. Unfortunately, we ran out of daylight and didn’t make it to the Devil’s Garden Trail. There are just too many things to do and see. We were all pretty hungry after hiking all day, so we stopped in Moab at a local pizza restaurant. While waiting for our pizza, Colton ran into a fellow Marine who was also a tracker in Camp Pendleton just a few years before Colton joined. While the two of them reminisced about the good ol’ days, his two boys (who are also homeschooled) were teaching Rylen how to solve a triangle rubix cube that they had brought. You just never know who you are going to meet when you travel and that is part of the fun.
The next day was Lylah’s birthday and she had her whole day planned out. First we went to Moab Giant, a dinosaur museum and park. I was kind of surprised that was where Lylah wanted to go for her birthday and didn’t think that we would be there more than an hour. Four hours later we had to drag the kids out of the park. They loved it there and didn’t want to leave. Once we finally left the dinosaur park, we ventured back into Moab for birthday ice cream at a local ice cream shop. Next on the agenda, was to head back into Green River to play at the local town playground. The kids met some new kids and a big game of tag ensued for the next hour or so. While Lylah’s birthday was a little different this year, she had a great day.
