To end Joe’s three-week break, we took a vacation. My planning consisted of when we were leaving, the general direction we were headed, and what we were going to eat. I made no reservations or firm destinations. On Monday night, the day before we planned on going, poor little Peter started to throw-up. Much of that evening and the next morning were spent cleaning carpets or doing laundry. He seemed okay after a long nap, and we were both unwilling to cancel the vacation so we headed down south.
We stopped by Cove Fort as a rest stop. I realized how wasteful I’ve gotten, and I want to be more thrifty. On the tour, they were showing all the ways they would reuse materials, like making old clothes into rugs. I was also impressed by the craftsmanship behind everything. They lived well, even when they didn’t have a lot.
Next we went to Cedar City to visit a good friend. She wasn’t home. So we kept driving and went through Kolob Canyon for a scenic drive. During the drive Peter threw-up again (but he was doing a lot better, just ate far too many fruit snacks). We went back to Cedar City and stayed the night at my friend’s house. That was very nice because not only was I able to wash the clothes Peter threw-up on, it rained. I also play the best game ever–The Farming Game. My farm was filled with fruit trees. The game is actually pretty representative of farming too, including real pests and harvest schedules. Someday, I might go ahead and own a small farm. In the meantime, I liked pretending to be a farmer.
We finally made it to Zion’s the next morning. Our first stop was to get a campsite, but the campground was already mostly full. We managed to find what must have been the worst site in the whole campground. It was a walk-in site a good 100 yards or more from our car with absolutely no shade. I was just very grateful we found a campsite.
After lunch, we took the shuttle up to Emerald Pools and hiked up and around. I was surprised that I was in decent shape, and Joe is in shape not matter what he does. Peter started his wining and no’s that lasted a lot of the trip. He did enjoy himself: I think he also got very tired. His favorite activities included splashing in puddles and throwing rocks into the river. I think he prefers the scenery of “cars” more than beautiful red cliffs.
The next day we went to hike Angel’s landing and did all but the last half mile. I was very surprised that they have a trail there and I don’t think I ever want to finish it. I hike to enjoy myself not scare myself. We had Peter along too, and he makes an excellent excuse. On the way back he started crying, and we all got a much-needed nap back at camp. Our final hike was the riverside walk. There were plenty of rocks with a river near by at the end for Peter.
No camping trip is complete without a campfire. We did hot dogs and s’mores and within an hour of lighting in, we put it out again. I’m just not into campfires, and ours was smoking too much. The next morning we were all ready to go home. Overall, it was a great trip. (And cheap. The whole thing cost $100, mostly in gas money. Joe even gets paid time off at his work.) But camping with toddlers ends up in a lot of complaining.
Liz Braithwaite 