Tag Archives: nationalpark

Grand Canyon

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The Robinsons at the Grand Cayon
The Robinsons at the Grand Canyon

This was the only definite thing I had on our itinerary before we started the trip, and now I’ve seen it. It’s definitely an impressive site, and I hate for there to be a but, but it wasn’t as amazing as I’d hoped given the hype and some of the rock formations we had recently seen. Part of the lack of being amazed could have been that I was just getting over a cold and grumpy, or that we’re close to 3 weeks into a road trip and getting a little road weary, or maybe it was the Disneyworld kind of atmosphere for what I believe might be the most visited national park in the country. Whatever it was, it still definitely worth seeing and something I’m glad I saw, just not the standout highlight of trip so far. Continue reading Grand Canyon →

Bryce, Red Canyon and Lake Powell

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The family overlooking the amphitheater at Bryce Canyon
The family overlooking the amphitheater at Bryce Canyon

Southern Utah seems to be about as interesting as central Utah is boring, which is to say very. The nicest part about central Utah was that you could drive fast, so from Salt Lake City we had our longest driving day in terms of miles.  We set up camp at the campground in Red Canyon, about 15 minutes from Bryce.  The campground had a view of the red rocks while still having enough tree cover for shade and hanging our hammock.  We initially planned to just spend time here and skip Bryce since national parks tend not to be very dog friendly, but it seemed a shame to miss out on Bryce when we were so close. Continue reading Bryce, Red Canyon and Lake Powell →

Craters of the Moon

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Ubu holds down the camp while Kim and the kids hike
Ubu holds down the camp while Kim and the kids hike

We weren’t sure if we’d last two nights here because it’s so desolate, we were worried it might be cold and windy, and our dog Ubuntu can’t go on most of the trails. It was well worth the trip though.

The campground definitely is desolate compared to the trees and lakes we’ve been camping near, but it’s also not crowded which is a very nice thing not having to fight for a spot on a Friday night. It wasn’t even close to half full either night. We got one of the few spots in the place that had a tree large enough to provide some shade. During the day it got pretty hot in direct sun, which is almost everywhere, but it was pretty nice in the little shade we could find. At night it was actually a lot warmer than it had been in the mountains, although the elevation here is still close to 6000 ft.  The weather at night was interesting with really high winds the first night and a thunder and lightning rain storm the second. But our tent handled it all very well, and the warm sun during the day dried everything out very quickly. Continue reading Craters of the Moon →