I lived in Utah a lot of my life and yet I have never explored any of the State Parks. Paul's parents go to arches quite often and we finally were able to make the trip with them. The girls love sleeping in a tent and we found a pretty good solution for sleeping arrangements.
I had terrible morning sickness so it was hard for me to go near any food and eating is always selective and hard during that time. Luckily it went pretty well as far as that was concerned. It was really nice to hike because the hiking and the beauty of Arches kept my mind off feeling nauseous all the time. I had no idea the dessert could be so beautiful.
While there Audrey was able to start her first fire and we stayed out till late almost nightly watching the stars. We probably ate too many smores and Rae ate too many granola bars. She had one in her mouth every time I turned around.
Hiking the first night was the best. It had cooled off quite a bit and we were walking down through tall rocks on either side. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect. At the end we saw the first arch of our trip.
Audrey liked wandering off to the view behind our camp. She sees beauty in the smallest things. It's one of her gifts. Where there is beauty to be seen in anything it will be seen by Audrey. She would often walk Rae to her spot and share it with her.
The next day we took a hike to Delicate Arch. It was a little more straight up than I had imagined. Rae hiked half of it on her own. She was a champ. I had anticipated us carrying her most of the way but Paul was spared half the hike. The other half he carried her, himself, snacks and a bunch of water, let's be honest, he was the true star of the hike. Part off the hike was right next to this shear rock face and the other side was a drop off. It was really cool to see and it had a beautiful view. We rounded the corner and there was Delicate Arch. I can understand why it seems to be the most photographed place in Utah. It's crazy to see something like that up close an personal. The beauty of the earth is truly endless and I'm grateful over the last five years we've been able to see a lot of it.
Later we went and played in the sand. Raelyn was not a fan, she didn't like it getting everywhere and she didn't like walking in it. Audrey did her best to change her sister's mind. It was an oasis to Audrey, she could have stayed another couple hours playing in the sand, which is why she had to take a shower when we headed back. She was covered head to toe in sand, including her hair.
Our next stop was in the evening while Rae was sleeping. I owe Anne for watching her. It was not really a hike, mostly just walking up to all these arches and rock formations. There were several that looked like elephants, one that looked like a face, and one that looked like a tea cup with a lid.
Audrey did a little climb up some rocks and found another arch out of view and we took pictures. It was high enough up that she had to slide down on her bum on the way back. In her older age she's getting braver with climbing and I'm proud of her for challenging herself.
The last thing to see and the last hike we took was to landscape arch. It's crazy to see something so thin still standing. A lot of the arch has already fallen, it probably won't be there forever and I'm grateful we got to see it and get pictures.
I felt like I could stay for another week, probably not to hike, being pregnant, but just to take cool photos of everything there is to see. I was amazed by plants and trees that could grow in such a harsh environment. Audrey as per usual couldn't help but get down to get a closer look and the flowers. She also is a fan of rocks and for a rock lover there is nothing quite like arches. I couldn't find Rae's hat before we left home so she ended out wearing mine which was too big. It was windy a lot and she was worried about her hat falling off so she was constantly holding it with one hand. She hiked more than she didn't and loved exploring our camp gathering little sticks and rocks. Her favorite part aside from hiking like a big girl was probably the snacks and eating breakfast in the trailer. Anna always had cereal and I think she ate it every morning with a smile.
I'm so grateful that everywhere we have lived we have been able to explore the surrounding parks, cities, and states. It has been one of my favorite ways to create long lasting memories with our girls. Here's to our next adventure!
Pictures loaded backwards but oh well!
