Our Tour of Utah - Part 1

When there began to be talk of a family reunion on Jason's side for this summer, we decided to extend our trip and make it a whole vacay for our little family.  We were long overdue.  When I scheduled my back surgery for January of this year, our "big trip" in June was always seen as my goal to work towards.  I knew I could be better by then, to enjoy long rides seated in the car and all the activities in between.  This vacation was highly anticipated in so many ways.

For part one, we went to Bryce Canyon in southern Utah for the family reunion.  It was an 8-hour drive that passed without incident.  Oh wait, one incident.  Less than an hour before reaching our destination, a truck traveling 2 vehicles in front of us hit a deer.  Thank goodness it did not cause an accident, swerving, or anything much.  But thank goodness it was a big truck because it was also a big deer.  It split that animal wide open and we saw the whole thing as it spun through the air before landing in the other direction of traffic.  Ick, yuck, ugh.  We felt very blessed for our safety.

When we arrived at the rustic hotel property, the surroundings were BEAUTIFUL.  Since the sun was going down, the temperature was sooooo nice as well!

Over the next day and a half, we had plenty of fun adventures.  Unfortunately, that sun was pretty brutal and daytime temps were HOT!

Jason took us to see the nearby campsite where he goes

every year.

Cooper enjoyed the many treats provided :)

We took the boys to their first rodeo!

(Too bad it was a really, really lame one.)

Here we are on a very beautiful, although sweaty and sunburnt, hike!

The boys also got to experience their first horse rides.

This is Cooper riding on a horse named Cooper!  

We also spent plenty of time lying around in the shade enjoying meals and relaxation time with the extended family who was there.  The whole group played a candy bar game all together one night which was fun to get to know them better!  My kids enjoyed some souvenir shopping, squirrel watching, and a quick stint at our hotel's indoor pool (brrr!) as well.  Our biggest regret was not getting a group picture!!!  Oh well, I guess we'll just have to do it all over again very soon.