Jacqueline's dad Tom and her brother Paul came down to visit. We met them in Monticello to hang out for the weekend. They had already been doing a little bit of exploring of their own before we came. We went out to dinner on Friday night with the whole crew and had a good meal. The next day we were off to Canyonlands National Park for a trip I had wanted to take for quite some time to go see Paul Bunyan's Potty. We had about an hour drive to get to the trailhead. I was a little bit nervous about the road so we parked at the beginning of the road, but realized later that we could have driven it and saved ourselves 20 minutes.
Oh well. The hike was down an old road that was now no longer used for driving. So needless to say that even though it was a beautiful Saturday in October, we only saw one other group of people. The wash that the road followed and eventually would enter was either really sandy making walking difficult or wet. I got to carry Zyla and she was having so much fun. We had not heard her talk so much but she was so happy and making so many loud noises. We did not move incredibly fast because of the sand, the heavy baby, and the good company.
We were all enjoying it as we walked under the cliffs that soon became bigger until we felt like we were in a small canyon even though it was so open. We hiked for a couple of hours and then stopped for lunch. We knew we were close to the arch, but we did not know how close. Jacqueline did not want to stay out too long with Zyla, so after lunch her and Tom headed back while Paul and I went to Paul Bunyan's Potty. It turned out to be only about a half an hour away. When we got to it we knew what we had found as it did look like a giant toilet seat.
We spent a few minutes checking out the ruins beneath it, but the best part was finding a way to climb up on the cliffs to get closer to the arch. We had to take a long way around, but eventually found a way up to the cliffs right beneath the arch. I spent a little bit of time there and then Paul followed behind me. He was taking a lot more pictures as he was enjoying the different scenery in Southern Utah compared to where he lived up north in Salt Lake. I climbed on down and hung out in the shade waiting for Paul.
He took quite some time and I realized he was having trouble finding the way down, so I finally pointed out the way down. From there we hustled on back knowing that Jacqueline was wanting to get back by a certain time to keep Zyla on her schedule. It was fun hiking with Paul as it was good to spend some time with him. Jacqueline really does have a great family and I am lucky to have such good people to be related to. When Paul and I made it back to the car, the Tom, Jacqueline and Zyla were nowhere to be found. They left a note, though and we found them in the shade under a big rock. We headed out back to Monticello for some good food and to watch UW when a late night game over Oregon State before it was back to Norwood and the work week.
Jacqueline's dad Tom and her brother Paul came down to visit. We met them in Monticello to hang out for the weekend. They had already been doing a little bit of exploring of their own before we came. We went out to dinner on Friday night with the whole crew and had a good meal. The next day we were off to Canyonlands National Park for a trip I had wanted to take for quite some time to go see Paul Bunyan's Potty. We had about an hour drive to get to the trailhead. I was a little bit nervous about the road so we parked at the beginning of the road, but realized later that we could have driven it and saved ourselves 20 minutes.
Oh well. The hike was down an old road that was now no longer used for driving. So needless to say that even though it was a beautiful Saturday in October, we only saw one other group of people. The wash that the road followed and eventually would enter was either really sandy making walking difficult or wet. I got to carry Zyla and she was having so much fun. We had not heard her talk so much but she was so happy and making so many loud noises. We did not move incredibly fast because of the sand, the heavy baby, and the good company.
We were all enjoying it as we walked under the cliffs that soon became bigger until we felt like we were in a small canyon even though it was so open. We hiked for a couple of hours and then stopped for lunch. We knew we were close to the arch, but we did not know how close. Jacqueline did not want to stay out too long with Zyla, so after lunch her and Tom headed back while Paul and I went to Paul Bunyan's Potty. It turned out to be only about a half an hour away. When we got to it we knew what we had found as it did look like a giant toilet seat.
We spent a few minutes checking out the ruins beneath it, but the best part was finding a way to climb up on the cliffs to get closer to the arch. We had to take a long way around, but eventually found a way up to the cliffs right beneath the arch. I spent a little bit of time there and then Paul followed behind me. He was taking a lot more pictures as he was enjoying the different scenery in Southern Utah compared to where he lived up north in Salt Lake. I climbed on down and hung out in the shade waiting for Paul.
He took quite some time and I realized he was having trouble finding the way down, so I finally pointed out the way down. From there we hustled on back knowing that Jacqueline was wanting to get back by a certain time to keep Zyla on her schedule. It was fun hiking with Paul as it was good to spend some time with him. Jacqueline really does have a great family and I am lucky to have such good people to be related to. When Paul and I made it back to the car, the Tom, Jacqueline and Zyla were nowhere to be found. They left a note, though and we found them in the shade under a big rock. We headed out back to Monticello for some good food and to watch UW when a late night game over Oregon State before it was back to Norwood and the work week.
2 comments:
Total domination. I believe UW (Wisconsin) took down Ohio State...always a good thing! Also, I believe MSU won and University of Utah. A great weekend all around and not just for the sports :) Zyla had her first real swim. She loved it! And we enjoyed some excellent food several nights in a row. I would love to meet Paul and Dad in Monticello again. Great time!
-Jacqueline
Paul Bunyan was the man.
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