4 Bowes and 4 Corners

Following a great week with family in Santa Fe we hopped in our car and began the next phase of our vacation. It was going to be a tour de force with a lot of driving, hiking, and adventuring. We couldn't wait.

Our first stop was Mesa Verde National Park, about a five hour drive from Santa Fe. We already had reserved a tour of Balcony House for that afternoon so we had to keep to a schedule. This is definitely an example of you have to see it to believe it or at least appreciate it. You hear about these structures and see pictures, but to be inside of them within that environment is incredible.

They warn you that there will be some climbing involved and they aren't lying. We went up ladders, went through tunnels, and learned a lot from our ranger throughout the tour. It's hard to believe how old these dwellings are and impressive to see they are still in good shape after hundreds of years. It is awe-inspiring to even contemplate how they were built.

We spent the night in the lodge at the park. The room was small but had an amazing view, and the restaurant served a delicious and pricey meal. The next day we hoped to have another tour but they were already booked so we had to settle for seeing things like Cliff Palace from more of a distance. This was certainly a perspective that helped us to see the overall beauty of the dwellings. Mesa Verde deserved more of our time but we had to hit the road.

We had a quick stop during our next phase of travel to get the iconic photo at the Four Corners destination located on the Navajo reservation. Not seen here are the dozens of people waiting in line in the 90 degree heat to take the same type of picture. There is a little bit of pressure since everyone is really there to capture this one moment to say they did it. No dawdling allowed, and certainly no time to try ten different variations of the shot.

Later that day we made it to Zion Ponderosa Ranch in southern Utah which would be home for the next four nights. We were glamping, which meant we had beds in a canvas tent that was on a wooden platform. This was a compromise since Sarah wanted to stay in one of the Conestoga Wagon rooms the ranch also provides. That was a hard pass for the rest of the family. Our first adventure here was a jeep tour out to Jolly Gulch. The ranch shares a border with Zion National Park so we got to see some of the park before we even officially went in.

One of the many highlights of the Ranch was the fact it had not one but two pools. We also went all in for the all you can play mini-golf pass. Reese and Callie made sure we took advantage of the pool as much as we could. As you see here, John did not need any more sun while the girls couldn't get enough. 

On our second day we arranged for a canyoneering trip that took us to one of the nearby slot canyons. As we may say a lot in this post, pictures won't do it justice. We first had a 20-30 ride in a four-wheeler through the back country to get to the canyon. Our two guides, Riley and Ella, were young college-aged women who had our lives in their hands. They were wonderful and we felt very safe, which is good since they were literally holding the ropes as we rappelled. But first we had to hike to the first slot canyon.

The first rappel was about 60 feet and Callie volunteered to be the first one down. She had a great balance of risk and caution, and set the tone for our group. It was quite impressive to see how she tackled the whole thing without blinking an eye. The first rappel was fun and got us excited for what we would get to do next.

As if the rappelling wasn't enough, hiking through the slot canyon was beyond cool. You had to stop and soak it all in so that you didn't take for granted the way the sunlight brought the rocks around you to life in such cool ways. And one of the best aspects of this adventure as well is that outside of Riley and Ella there was only one other person on the tour. So walking through the canyons was serene and we didn't feel like we were rushed or packed in like sardines.

The morning of the tour John got a call saying that there was water at the bottom of the last rappel and wondering if we would still want to go. Of course we still wanted to go even if we didn't really know what that meant. Well here is a picture that kind of captures what it meant. John is standing in cold, muddy water up to his chest waiting to help Reese when she gets to the bottom of the rappel. Without him there Reese would have had to deal with water up to her chin and probably would have had to swim out. It was awesome! After that last rappel we hiked out of the canyon and got to enjoy the ride back to the car. We would do this again in a hearbeat.

What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July then to spend it in a national park? We had the whole day set aside to explore Zion and it turned out to be a perfect plan. One of the best decisions we made was to rent e-bikes so that we could move around the park without waiting on shuttles. And since no cars were allowed in most of the park we ended up having the roads to ourselves for almost the entire time. It was such a beautiful way to see a lot of the terrain and Reese loved going fast and cruising through the main valley.

There is so much to do in Zion, but a top priority was exploring the Narrows. Since we went in July and there hadn't been much rain the Narrows were open to hikers and we made the most of it. For those who haven't been there, this is an entire hiking route that is in a river that travels through a canyon that has walls at least a hundred feet high. The further you go the more narrow the canyon gets. It is awe-inspiring.

The Narrows is also a perfect hike when it is July in Utah and the temperatures are in the high 90s. However, the water really is cold and at a few points it is deep enough where you have to brace yourself to keep going, even when you are over six feet tall. This is the portion of the hike where Reese had to swim a little bit and it is also one of the reasons why Reese was shivering for a portion of the hike. The Narrows is not kind to those with little body fat.

Because of our e-bikes we hiked the Narrows in the morning, biked to the lodge to eat our picnic lunch, continued to bike out of the park and into town for ice cream, and then biked back up to the Narrows to venture back into the canyon again. From the park entrance to the path to the Narrows is about 7 miles, so needless to say we hiked and biked a lot. But it would not have been as easy without those e-bikes. And at numerous times during the day we stopped, looked around, and soaked in the incredible experience. These trips as a family mean the world to us.

Next on the agenda was hitting Bryce Canyon National Park which was only about an hour and a half drive from the Ranch. It was another hot day and we certainly felt it a bit more since we weren't able to spend the day walking in a river. Every national park is different and this one kind of looks like what we would expect to see on Mars. It is incredibly unique and beautiful, just the way we like our national parks.

We hiked along the rim of the canyon for a couple of miles and then ventured down into the valley for one of the many hiking loops to check out the hoodoos. As with every portion of this journey we have countless pictures to share but figured we would include one with Reese smiling because she did not start out the journey in such high spirits. In fact, as we were beginning our hike along the rim the girls were walking ahead of us but still overheard Sarah's comment that Reese appeared to be in her "I hate life phase." Thankfully, we were able to joke about this and it didn't dampen the mood for the rest of the day.

The final destination of our barnstorming adventure through the Southwest was Page, Arizona, where we had several excursions planned. On the drive from Utah we had to stop at Horseshoe Bend for the well known scenic view. Not pictured are the hundreds of other people jostling to get a similar picture. 

That very afternoon we also had a reservation to tour the lower Antelope Valley Canyon on the Navajo Reservation. We had seen numerous pictures and knew this was something we wanted to do, however we were overwhelmed with the beauty of the experience. We couldn't stop taking pictures in the hope that at least one would be able to capture what we were seeing in person. 

One of the incredible parts of it all is the hidden aspect of it all. To get in and out of the canyon you have to climb a series of stairs and when you finally get out and turn around the canyon just appears to be a narrow crack in the earth and gives no hint of the grandeur that lies below. We would highly recommend making sure you take this excursion if you are in the area.

Having done so many hikes the girls were definitely ready for a different kind of activity that involved water. Lake Powell is right outside of Page and we rented kayaks to spend the day venturing around the lake. The folks we rented from gave us good pointers on where to find coves off the main lake that would be secluded and provide opportunities to get out of the boats. It was just what the doctor ordered.

This was definitely one of Reese's favorite parts of the trip. We found one particular spot where we would test our cliff jumping abilities and overall bravado. This was the small jump. Callie, Reese, and Sarah all did an even bigger jump off a higher cliff across the cove after this one. We had packed lunches and were able to spend the day floating, swimming, and just enjoying being together in nature. We couldn't ask for more. To remember the day a couple of us purchased sweatshirts with a slogan that still makes us smile. Lake Powell. Fresh Water. No Sharks.

And because no day, even a long travel day, should be wasted, we had one final stop. It was going to be a long drive from Page back to Albuquerque where we were catching our plane the next day, but along the way we had to make a mini-detour to see Monument Valley. We did not have time to do the complete driving tour but ventured far enough to see a few of the iconic rock formations. We have been so fortunate to have such great adventures and see so much of the beauty this country has to offer. As we have said before, we made a decision long ago to emphasize experiences over things and from being to end we think this trip showcased why this has been such a priority for us.