Belated spring break report

The trip to Southern Utah was short, packed, and tiring, but I had a great time. On Friday, we left home early and went to Snow Canyon and hiked the trail to the lava tubes, went swimming, saw a few relatives, and visited the temple visitor's center and Jacob Hamblin's home. On Saturday, we spent the day in the Zion Canyon part of Zion n.p. and did some great hikes. Zion
is stunningly beautiful if you've never been. On Sunday, we went to church in La Verkin. The bishop looked just like the judge of Deadwood, c. 1875. He had the Wyatt Earp/President Taft handlebar moustache, the long, high-buttoned greycoat, the string bowtie, and the riding boots.
After that, we did the scenic drive and a hike in the Kolob Canyons part of Zion n.p., and also stopped at Cove Fort on the way home.

It was a lot to do in a few days, but it was fun and inexpensive. Our motel in Hurricane was quite nice, had kitchen facilities, and cost $133 for two nights, including tax. Beyond that and gas, our costs were pretty minimal. I hadn't been to Zion for many years, but I highly recommend it. I think the kids liked it even better than when we went to Arches last spring break. My wife stayed home with the baby, which gave her a little quiet and enabled us to do a little more. I could carry L when she got tired, and the older kids did just fine with lots of snacks and periodic rest breaks.

I made sure to point out to the kids that most of the people in our motel seemed to be German. People come from all over the world to visit the parks in the Southwest that are only a few hours from my home. I want my kids to realize that a vacation need not be to some far-off place or cost a lot of money to be memorable.