Escalante Trip--Day 4 the End

Waking up on our last morning was less relaxing because we knew we had to clean up to go home and we wanted to do so by 10:00am...how did the time go so quickly?

It was a beautiful morning with this gorgeous view out from the kitchen.

It really is such a nice house. It was luxurious for all of us to have our own room while we were there.

Farewell kitchen full of snack goodness!

We planned one last outing which was to see Devil's Garden. It meant driving 15 miles down a dirt road then turning right at this sign.

Apparently the Devil's Garden looks like the bottom of the ocean! It was full of these amazingly ginormous rocks, caverns and scrub brush, it truly felt like we were walking along the bottom of a drained ocean.

Crazy no?

Of course Michelle did her rock climbing in style!

Check out the reflection in my glasses!

I had never seen anything like this place before!

After that stop we broke out the rest of the fabulous caramel popcorn my mom had made for us, this big hunk looked like Africa.

We drove home a different route from the way we came and as we made our way back into real-time we traversed all kinds of landscapes.

We stopped at a couple scenic look-outs including one that must rival the Grand Canyon.

We stopped in Boulder for lunch.

We were too late to get their fabulous breakfast (Amie had told us about) but we were all happy with our lunch choices. I had the best BLT of my life!

We also drove past the cutest post office ever!

Amie's husband and kids were on Boulder Mountain hunting for the weekend, so we stopped in the mud to visit them. Only Amie was brave enough to walk through the crazy thick mud, so we just waved to the kids (Jimmy was sleeping in the trailer).

There was snow on the mountain!

Amie and I turned our cameras on each other.

The mountain views were so beautiful that Michelle took pictures from the car window.

We had just been in the desert so it was super weird to be on a mountain in the snow!

Beautiful!

And then it was back to red rocks on desert views...crazy.

I came home to this sweet note from Whitney.

I also came home to a new hamster! I knew they were going to get one while I was gone, but it was still a surprise to come home to a new member of the family. "Rino" looks like a fluffy little mouse but with a hamster tail. He's so light that he feels weightless.

**Ever seen anything like Devil's Garden?**

Comment Window Tidbit: The Headache book has suggested peanuts/peanut butter as a possible trigger for my headaches...I eat a peanut butter sandwich every day at work! Hello!

Escalante Trip--Day 3

Morning number 2 was leisurely as well and meant that we could take breaks in the middle of getting ready. Michelle and I were both reading ROOM for book club and were thoroughly sucked into it.

Amie had gifts for us!

Amie taught Melinda how to play Sudoku.

Michelle had to spend some time on the phone with various family members because her mom ended up in the hospital. It was quite worrisome and yet we were in the middle of nowhere and thousands of miles from her mom...it's a good thing prayers travel well.

We ventured into town again and saw a few more fun sites, including this very blue house with intimate apparel on the line (yes, it is the home of one of Amie's relatives!).

We went to lunch at a gas station in town because Amie's mom recommended the pizza there.

I couldn't believe it when Amie showed us Jessica's picture on the wall of this gas station! It was like visiting another planet, but different.

The pizzas took awhile to cook so we spent some quality time in the gas station...weird.

Fun though.

The pizza was really good and I indulged in a Coke again. (It's a slippery slope for me after being off diet Coke for 6 years! I thought if I drank Coke I wouldn't like it enough to get hooked, but I keep thinking about it and wanting it.)

After lunch we drove down the road to the Hole in the Rock Monument where we read about the amazing story behind it. It confirmed for me once again (as if there was any doubt) that I was NOT cut out to be a pioneer!

Beautiful.

Covered wagons are narrower than I thought!

After our time at the monument we drove around some more to take in the scenery. Amie was kind enough to humor Michelle and I when we wanted to stop to take photos.

Michelle took some pictures of me taking pictures.

And I took some of her too. I love it that we share a passion for photography!

This is one of my favorite shots.

Amie also took us to the reservoir to see more beautiful sights.

The town map has an Alvey Wash! I'm telling you, Jimmy and Amie's family has some roots in this town!

After touring the town, we spent a couple hours watching "Persuasion" (oh Mr. Higgly bottom).

And cutting coupons and loading pictures for blog posts on the laptop. I had seen that version of the movie before but Michelle and Melinda hadn't and I really wasn't sure if they were going to recover. Jane Austen has such a way of building up to a big finish.

We ventured out one last time to go to dinner at a place that cooks everything in an outdoor brick oven. It was tasty food and an interesting place to visit. We had to drive over a super narrow bridge to get there (good thing Amie was driving) and the people at the table next to us were German tourists (apparently they wanted to go back in time too).

**Have you heard the Hole in the Rock story before?

Have you seen "Persuasion"?

Do you enjoy Sudoku?

Ever hung your undies on the line?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Today was crazy busy, I worked 9 hours, did Orchestra car pool, came home and planted daffodils, went to dance class, helped Whitney with her homework and then blogged. I'm wasted.

Escalante Trip--Day 2

As much as I love it when I get going early and seize the day, the thing I really love to do on vacations is to wake up on my own and then read in bed for awhile. I surprised myself by waking up at 7:00 but then spent a delicious hour and a half lying in bed reading.

When I surfaced I found Amie and Melinda showered and ready hanging out upstairs, and I found this pretty view of the fall leaves through the window.

This is the amazing view through the sliding glass doors in the kitchen!

When we finally all got ready (happily Michelle was on the lounge and read wake-up plan as well) Amie drove us around town and pointed out where all their relatives live. It crazy that both her parents and Jimmy's parents are from Escalante (it's a seriously tiny town) so they have all kinds of relatives there. She took us to Jimmy's grandma's house and that solidified the "going back in time" feel of the trip. It was like a museum!

Aren't these the coolest stove knobs? Did you have those salt and pepper shakers when you were a kid? I did!

We visited the one tiny grocery store in town and then the thrift shop.

Michelle found several books, I bought a couple decorative books and Melinda found the original Primary Children's Song Book that we all grew up with.

 

Our last stop was for big drinks at the gas station (I got a Coke for headache-relief purposes and actually liked it) then came home for chicken salad lunch.

We had a leisurely afternoon at the house. I went out on the patio to read for 1.5 hours and loved it. I soaked up the sun, enjoyed amazing view, listened to the sprinklers and the huge birds flying by. It was a Zen experience...antisocial but Zen.

The other 3 stayed inside (they thought it was too cold outside) to work on projects and read.

We opted to stay in for dinner that night (more chicken salad) and then played cards.

Michelle made a different kind of gooey munchable that we were more than willing to try.

We played "Speed" for quite awhile until it was clear that Melinda is a wicked card shark and that we didn't stand even a little chance of coming close to a victory. She pointed out that she's a middle child and fiercely competitive and I pointed out that Amie, Michelle and I are all first born children and don't care to lose. Ha.

The score sheet of doom!

**Are you a card shark?

Do you ever drink Coke for medicinal purposes?

Do you like to read on vacation?

What number are you in your family?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I bought tap shoes for myself today and it felt good.