So, the other day Drew tried to slip the idea of buying a tricked out van to travel out West into our conversation….and he was dead serious. As with most things he says, this idea was prefaced by research, thought, number-crunching and an adventuresome spirit. And in stark contrast, my response was rash, narrow-minded and less than supportive. I’m working on reactions to ideas that aren’t my own and how I handle the one opportunity I have to give my “first impression.”

All that to say, we love our time out west and give thought often to possible ways we could spend more time exploring without completely uprooting. The van idea is still just an idea…..one that I still need some warming up to, but clearly we liked Utah.

Drew and I tend to squeeze a lot into trips--traveling with us isn’t for the faint of heart….and sometimes I can barely keep up. We always come home from a trip glad we made the extra drive, last hike, or early sunrise….but extremely tired and here’s why:

Jacket; Leggings (Outdoor Voices) — Jacket; Leggings (Outdoor Voices)

Day 1:

After arriving to our hotel in St. George at 2 am (we flew into Las Vegas), I had one shot at meeting a sweet girl I had connected with on Instagram for an early morning workout. Drew said I was more than welcome to go meet her as long as I was ready to leave the hotel by 9 am. I laughed and said of course--I’m used to early mornings and Tasha was willing to get up before her kids to smash a workout, so it was a no-brainer. We had the BEST time and I was reminded that while Instagram and blogging can seem very odd most of the time--just writing and pictures sent out into cyberspace without knowing whose screen they will show up on or if it will mean anything close to its intent if it is read. Anyways, this shattered all of those thoughts because we met in REAL LIFE, and giggled and sweat the whole time and I want to workout with her every day, and go hiking with her family and she is just another reason to get back to Utah!

It was a whirlwind shower, breakfast in the car and we were off to hike Kanarraville Falls. This hike started off reminding us of the season we were missing out on in Greenville--FALL. The trees and colors were so vibrant, the air was crisp and I didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world than there with Drew. The further we got into the hike, the more we were forced to stop walking along the banks of the creek as they turned into walls of rock and memories of The Narrows in Zion National Park started flooding back. The water was COLD, but this part of the hike didn’t last too long and before I lost feeling in my toes, we were at the waterfall! It was a perfect distance, perfect time of year and I would recommend it to families as because it was not challenging, but completely worth the time.

We ate lunch in the car, and made our way to Bryce Canyon about an hour and a half away. It was cooler by the time we got arrived, so I added another layer and we were off again. The trail is basically down into the canyon and then back up the rim all on a flat, walk-able paths. It's only incline is at the end to get back to the rim. It truly seemed like we were on another planet with the spires of orangey brown in every direction. I learned that they have a name other than orangey brown spires and it’s actually “hoodoos.” The whole walk probably took us an hour and forty-five minutes and we were in no hurry--

Afterwards, the sun was starting to get a little lower and the temperatures were also dropping, so we got in the car and headed towards a spot Drew had scouted for sunset pictures. I was reaching uncomfortable hunger levels at this point and was hoping this would be a somewhat brief event….I should know by now. I waited in the car until I got the “sunset’s in five minutes” text and debated whether I wanted to go or not because I was quite cold at this point, hungry and probably on the verge of grumpy. I mustered up all my courage, added another layer and was determined to get Drew back in the car in less than 10 minutes. It ended up being prettier than I thought, he was right again….blah blah.

This is my "darn he was right, but I can't admit it" face

We had been told that the food in the park was not worth eating, so we stopped at a gas station for a few snacks and drove two hours to our cabin for the night in Escelante, UT (aka nothingville). The small cabin community had a restaurant and store attached and it was our only option, but turned out to be DELICIOUS. I had the best tasting sanwhich of my life, took a shower in the outhouse (no, really), and slept like a baby.

Delicious---macros were the furthest thing from my mind.

I’ll have more on our Day 2 adventures that involve sliding down 25 ft cliffs and wrong turns soon!