Team Cohen: Utah Rocks!

Having seen my children every single day since Gabi was 14 months old (and every single day of Ethan's 21-month-old life), we decided it was time for a well-deserved break. LUCKILY, Nana and Zayde agreed and came to watch our babies so Jon and I could take a weeklong baby-free vacation to visit some beautiful National Parks in Utah!

(If you're brave enough to tackle this post, you are accepting the following conditions:

There are no pictures of cute kids.
There are only pictures of Debbie and Jon.
There are a LOT of pictures of Debbie and Jon.
There are a LOT of seemingly repetitive, very pretty scenic pictures. How do you choose though?)

Yes, our flights got cancelled the morning we were supposed to travel. Yes, 3 members of our family (including Debbie) got positive strep the morning we were supposed to travel. Yes, our new last minute travel plans included 2 longer flights, a 2 hour layover, and a 4 hour drive- getting us to our hotel at 2 am...Alas, vacation we still had!

kosher shwarma in Las Vegas!

Stop #1: Bryce Canyon National Park

On our first hike of the trip, we set out on a strenuous, steep, but spectacular 5 mile Navajo/Peekaboo Loop. (It may not have been the wisest of streppy things to do, but I survived.)

Two Bridges

Wall of Windows

The tall, thin spires of rocks protruding from the mountains all over Utah are called hoodoos.

Day 2 took us horseback riding through the canyon, giving us different views from the day before.

Having sore pelvises from the morning's ride, we decided to take it easy along a scenic drive with stops at Natural Bridge and then a short hike on Bristlecone Loop.

At night, we found a local Rodeo to enjoy.

On the third morning, we check out one last part of Bryce before leaving the area to see Mossy Cave and a small waterfall. Debbie was the only one brave/stupid enough to climb up close.

last view of Bryce Canyon National Park - not too shabby

We drove out to Cedar Breaks National Monument for our next pit stop. Once again, the view was pretty darn fantastic.

We attempted to start a strenuous out-and-back hike along the rim of the amphitheater on Ramparts Trail to Spectra Point. It turns out the melting snow caused so much mud, we didn't even make it halfway.

Snow in June - who knew?

Being ever so flexible, we drove to Alpine Pond for an easy 2-mile loop.

We went every bit as far as we could...until the trail completely disappeared into the snow. That was the end of that. Hasta luego, Cedar Breaks.

On Day 4, we arrive at Zion National Park and start our adventure there at The Narrows, a unique hike almost completely in the Virgin River. At 52 degrees, the water was chilly but very refreshing in the hot dessert sun, and we had tons of fun navigating through this adventure.

We passed some mule deer friends on our way back to the car.

On Day 5, we decided we were brave enough to attempt Angels Landing. To quote the website, "Angels Landing is one of the world's most renowned hikes and is an unforgettable adventure hike worthy of all bucket lists...This hike will take between 3-6 hours; your legs will burn, your knees may shake, and the view will take your breath away!"

In other words, you start by hiking 2 miles up Walter's Wiggles as you ascend the steep 21 sharp zigzags up to a scenic plateau called Scout Lookout. THEN, you navigate the last 1/2 mile which includes holding onto chains for your life as you scale the side of the mountain and often walk on a 2 ft wide path that drops 1200 ft on either side of you. In other words, it was 'scary as sh**' and very few pictures could be taken to capture such an adventure.

WE MADE IT TO THE TOP!!!

Inspired by the canyon's orientation film we watched after Angels Landing, we decided to drive to the North End for our last day of hiking and visit lesser-known and lesser-visited Kolob Canyons.