Zion Day 1: Scouts Lookout

I should caveat that we did zero research on any of the parks before the trip.  I mean nothing.  We had no idea what hikes to take, what was popular, what hikes were difficult and how to get around each park.  So with each park, our first stop was to the visitor center to get a map and talk to a ranger about what they would recommend.  These stops also enticed the kids to check out the gift shop (they had their standard $20 to spend on the trip) and allowed them to get their Junior Ranger Activity Book which they would furiously work to complete before even leaving the general vicinity. 

From the visitor center, we learned that Zion is a car free park and there is a shuttle that runs through the valley with stops at all of the trailheads.  We also quickly learned that Zion is the Manhattan of the National Parks: the line for the shuttle was an hour long and wrapped around the building. Thankfully, by staying at Watchman, we avoided the other shuttle through the town of Springdale to get to the park entrance and the line to get into the park, so I suppose we had it better than most. 

With the Narrows hike planned for the next day, we opted to hike to Scouts Lookout on our first day. Map in hand, and the hour long shuttle wait over, we finally got to the trailhead at lunch time so our first priority was to stop and eat lunch before the hike (this would be a theme throughout the trip: get ready to hike, eat food at the trailhead and then hike).  

During our lunch break we managed to ruin Oskar’s Junior Ranger Book (something about not getting the camelpack lid on correctly), which coupled with his disappointment for not being able to already buy a magnet from the gift shop, we were off to a rocky start. It was going to be a long 3 hour hike and possibly an even longer trip.  

The hike started along the river, then straight up a crack in the mountain, followed by a nice flat section through some trees and boulders (offering a bit of shade) and finally up through Walter’s Wiggles, which are 21 short, steep switchbacks, before reaching Scouts Lookout where we encountered the most aggressive and fearless chipmunks I have ever met. Thankfully somewhere between the flat section and Walter’s Wiggles, Oskar’s bad mood lifted and we were back to having fun.  The renegade chipmunks also help to lift his spirits. 

Our hike back down brought even more joy: the kids had brought their walkie talkies on the trip and were communicating to each other the entire hike down (Alva was in front with Martin and I was a few hundred yards behind with Oskar).  

Personally, the hike was invigorating and encouraging.  I felt stronger and healthier than I have felt in a long time especially when making my way up the steep sections. And even Oskar’s initial bad mood couldn’t impact my excitement for not only this hike, but the whole trip.  I had flashbacks to my own hiking adventures growing up in Lassen and Yosemite and was excited to create similar core memories for the two kiddos. 

We wrapped up the hike with a quick dip of our toes in the river and then, after the shuttle back down the valley, we immediately headed out for emergency ice creams and crisps. 

Zion National Park

Founded in: 1919

Size of the Park: 146,597 acres

Topography: Famous for white, red, and pink Navajo sandstone cliffs, with Zion Canyon reaching up to 3,000 feet deep.

Number of Annual Visitors: 4.6 Million 

Popular Hikes: Angels Landing, The Narrows, and Emerald Pools.

Breuer Fun Facts: This was the park Oskar was most excited to visit and his only request was to hike the Narrows.  I also wanted to stay inside the park to give him the same experience as the book and we were lucky enough to grab a campsite in Watchman Campground the first 4 nights of our trip.  And while I was a bit nervous that we were going to get kicked out of the campsite (our van was just a bit longer than the site allowed), we were completely okay.

Sin City: Kids Edition

Never in my life would I think to take the kids to Las Vegas.  And more importantly, never in my life would I think I could convince Martin to go back to Las Vegas after our trip over a decade ago. Our original plan was to fly into Vegas Sunday morning and head straight to IndieCampers to pick up our van.  However flights were $500 more expensive on Sunday morning so we ended up flying down Saturday evening. I leveraged hotel points to get a free night’s stay at the Rio, so it felt like it would save us some money, I am not sure if we ended up making or losing money on the deal, but given it is Vegas, I am guessing we lost.  

We landed in Vegas at 7:30 so we didn’t get to the hotel and into bed until much later than a normal night for us.  And with both kids being wired from both the flight and the lights, noise and general “vegasness” of Vegas, we opted to watch a bit of TV while laying in bed before attempting to sleep (something we never do at home). 

We woke up Sunday morning with no plans other than the complimentary breakfast and a 2pm van pick up.  With the pool closed until 11am, and with Martin’s aversion to Las Vegas, I figured we would hunker down in the room for the morning and possibly watch a movie.  It would avoid the overstimulation of Vegas but offset the anticipated drought of man-made stimulation to come.  So imagine my surprise when Martin suggested we head to the Strip for a few hours to explore and introduce the kids to Las Vegas. 

 

We did everything we could for a G-rated version of Vegas: one where there were no rules, the kids could do what they wanted and we could unintentionally walk nearly 5 miles in less than 3 hours.  We spent an hour in the Arcade at New York New York (Alva was too short for the rollercoaster), we ate ice cream before lunch from the Cosmopolitan, we checked out the flowers and water show at the Bellagio, we took a hot lap through Paris for a break from the heat and we wrapped up the tour with fancy drinks over lunch at Cabo Wabo.  

The walking was a good introduction for the hiking to come.  First stop, IndieCamper, to pick up our “home” for the next two weeks and then straight to Zion National Park! 

Looking For Guidance in the Woo Woo

I have reached a point in my life where I want someone to tell me what to do and tell me everything will be okay. I don’t want a therapist, I don’t want to work through life’s many challenges and I don’t want to make any more decisions. Over the past year, I have outsourced this critical thinking to clairvoyants, tarot cards, palm readers, gurus and shamans. 

Yes, I am kidding (I will not blindly follow the cards or mystics or anyone else), but it is kind of nice to have someone else tell you what you need to hear every once in a while. Sometimes they are spot on, sometimes they feel wildly off. Only time will tell. Below are some of the highlights. 

Clairvoyant: I am an old soul, with blue energy and I don’t like people. 

Tarot Cards: I am carrying a burden (something that is challenging at work like a big project) but it will wrap up in Spring and it will result in very good change or outcome 

Palm Reader 1: I will have three great loves and three kids in my life (it was caveated that the great loves might not all be romantic and the three kids might not all be biological)

Palm Reader 2: I will be married twice (which the second palm reader delivered with a shrug that indicated that I was heading for a divorce).  It could be that I was one of the last readings of the night and she was done with all of the drunkards

Shaman: A really good opportunity will come my way in 6-18 months, I will sell something big in about 3 years and in the meantime I need to focus on making the most of the quiet time (including investing in younger self me and my relationship with Martin)

Energy Reader: She sensed a dichotomy between my mind and my second chakra.  I need to listen to the little kid in me and focus on a passion project I have been thinking about for a while (something similar was also said by my Shaman) 

And finally, while not from a guru, shaman or other worldly individual… my year of the snake ended with a terrible cold and me spending all day Sunday in bed and on the coach on Monday. Hopefully I have officially shed last year's old skin and am ready to embrace the energy and transformation in store during the year of the fire horse!