Loves' RV Adventure, Day 2

Ah, smell the fresh national park air.

Before most childless couples have rolled out of their sleeping bags for a cup of coffee, we are dressed and moseying toward the tram stop for the first of our two planned hikes of the day.

In the days before our firstborn came along, Kevin and I spent a lovely outdoorsy weekend at a "no kids" bed and breakfast in Zion. We did a zillion hikes and had beer and the best pizza of my life in town afterwards. Things were different this trip. Four kids equals two hikes. Truthfully, they were as excited about the tram ride as being out in nature enjoying God's creation.

Here I am with my boys on the tram ride. I hadn't had a shower and was going on about three or four hours of sleep, so I consider the fact that I'm sitting upright quite heroic.

During the taking of this photo, odds are that I was listening to a fellow tourist's cool accent. Sure were a lot of European folks in Zion.

We chose our hikes from the "easy" list. Here we are on an uphill going to Weeping Rock and you can tell by our faces that it's not too strenuous (except for the one carrying the kid!) You can also tell by the shoes we're wearing that this isn't Everest.

Shots of John and then Bethanie at Weeping Rock. I won't explain all the geology. That would ruin it for you when you go.

Once we'd seen all we could see of a drippy cliff, we refueled with granola bars and trammed it over to the lodge to catch the trailhead to Emerald Pools. By this time, the sun was making the trail MUCH warmer, and we bribed the kids with ice cream at trails' end if they could refrain from whining and complaining. I think the cute little tree frogs we saw all along the way, plus the fact that Bethanie was captivated by the myriad of other people's shoe prints helped too.

I agree the frogs were cute, but the scenery also happened to be phenomenal.

Cayna held hands with Kevin in order to help her NOT whine and ask repeatedly, "When are we there?"

They did get their ice cream. Kevin and I each had an apple. John was covered in drippy, sloppy chocolate and vanilla. He even managed to get some on the back of his head and neck! How do they DO things like that?

Later, while John napped and I joined him, the kids and Kevin went to the river and played in the mud. A good time was had by all.

For dinner, I cooked my first-ever RV meal consisting of spaghetti and ground turkey (thanks to veteran RVer Sharon Anne for the advice to cook some meat ahead of time). Kevin bathed the kids, and then we walked around the campground with them in their pajamas until the stars came out. Oh, and ate popcorn. And avoided all the ants. And peeked in on other campers in their tents and RVs.