Hiking in Southern Utah

To kick off our Utah trip, we decided to spend a little time hiking around in Southern Utah. Here are a few photos of our time in Goblin Valley and Arches.

I think this photo was taken at the bottom of the trail to get down to the valley floor. Isn't Gary so cute, carrying Simon in the snugli? Amelia thought so... she shoved a baby doll down her shirt, so as not to be left out of the baby wearing fun. (too cute!) Here's me and Jonny wandering around among the goblins, looking for the rest of the family. I had the brilliant idea to play hide and seek. It was really fun, until everyone was hid and I realized just how many places there were to hide. So I will call that part of the adventure "scary fun."

There were lots of peek holes among the goblins. Look below to see the view from this particular portal. I called it "kissing goblins." Jonny loves to have his picture taken, so he ran down to be photographed again.

Jimmy and Amelia and Jonny attempted to cool off in the shade of this overhanging rock.It was hot and we didn't bring much water (OOPS!) so we didn't stay too long. :(

We drove from Goblin Valley to Moab, spent the night and rose early to start the hike to the Delicate Arch.

We set off with plenty of water and smiles on our faces. That was due in part to the kid's excitement over the gumball machine they believed waited at the end of the trail. Delicate Arches are nice and all, but do they really compare to gumball machines in the mind of a 2 year old? We gave the kids pennies along the way to reward for good hiking. "You can put them in the gumball machine at the Delicate Arch." They were so in to the idea, they spent the last quarter mile deciding who should go first at the gumball machine and how they should line up. When we reached out destination, I attempted to pull the gumball machine from our backpack and place it behind a rock. I was not sneaky enough... Amelia caught me in the act. Jimmy, Amelia, and Jonathan enjoyed their break at the end of the trail and didn't seem too disappointed with my little trick. Below are a few photos from along the way.

Here we are at one of our first water breaks. There was another photo where everyone was looking, but Jimmy's smile in this one is so heartwarming, I had to use it.

Here we are at the Delicate Arch! This is where the trail ends. You can go on some sloped slick rock to go under the Arch, but Jimmy and I opted to stay at this point to photograph the others. Notice Amelia, Gary and I are twins... how fun to have a girl who wants us to match! I am always amazed at her attention to detail. She has a real appreciation for beauty and noticed many wonderful things along the trail.

Jimmy, Amelia, and Jonny really liked the gumball machine. Simon doesn't know why everyone else is so happy, he just likes to be happy too.

If you look carefully, you can see Gary (yellow shirt) under the Delicate Arch! Amelia and Jonny are there too, but you'll just have to imagine you can see them.

Due to some gastric distress, we ended up hiking back in two parties and I want to give Amelia a big thumbs up for carrying the water. She was my hero and I was proud of the maturity she showed. The hike was an amazing experience and time of bonding for everyone.