September Staycation: Zion, Angel's Landing

After a lovely day in Bryce we drove through Zion National Park to our lodge where we stayed for the rest of the week. 

We stopped before on our way to take in this breathtaking scene.

 About to enter the tunnel that opens up inside the park.

 Our home for the week, Cliffrose Lodge was incredible.  I highly recommend it to anyone planning a Southern Utah Vacation.  The rooms were larege and clean, the beds were comfy, and we had outstanding views. It was very convenient to the park and the hot tub and pool were also a plus.

View from our balcony which was also a great place to see the stars at night.

Out to a delicous dinner at Whiptail Grill which may be my new favorite eatery in Springdale. It was reasonably priced and delicious.

Where we spent most of our nights - in the hot tub and pool.

Great location.  We only had a quick walk on this trail right into the park.

First morning out we hiked Angel's Landing.  David and I had done this hike before on our first trip to Zion and loved it.  It has some of the best views at the top.

 A little treacherous at times...

No, this photo was not edited.  That really is a few hundred feet straight down just off the trail.

We survived and made it to the top!

 Breathtaking panoramic views of Zion

 Worth the treacherousness

Yes, we hiked up that

Morgan was not a fan of falling off a high cliff.

 After a great day in (an on top of) the canyon we took the Zion bus back to our place and relaxed in the hot tub before dinner.

Check back later for details on the rest of our trip!

September Staycation: Park City and Bryce

Time to start playing catch up!  I know it has been way too long so bear with me while I take you through the last 6 or so months of our lives.

In September we were blessed to have our lovely friends fly in to spend a week with us in Utah.  The Whaleys came from Philedelphia and the Andersons from Nashville.  We all knew each other from the 4 years the husbands spent together in medical school.  Taylor is now doing residency in radiation oncology and Morgan in radiology.  We had an adventure packed week as we traveled to Park City, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park.

The Whaleys and Andersons arrived on Saturday.  We had a low key first night cooking dinner together and hanging out on our patio talking.  The next morning we went to breakfast at the lovely Silver Fork Lodge (great scenic breakfast place at Solitude).  We took the scenic route from breakfast over to Park City where we spent the day.

Park City has a weekly "Park Silly Festival"  on Sundays during the summer.  We walked around the picturesque town then headed to PC Mountain Resort.

Park Silly Market

No Name Saloon has the best buffalo burgers in town!

PC was breathtaking with its leaves in full color. The reds, oranges, and yellows with the mountain backdrop are some of my favorite scenes.

We had a great time with their summer activities.  The alpine slide, zip line, and roller coaster were super fun.

Barton even got to join us for some activities. He was just a couple years behind these guys in med school.

Whaleys on the Zip Line

Andersons on the Roller Coaster

Alpine Slide

The next morning we packed the cars and hit the road to Southern Utah with the girls in one car and the guys in the other which worked out great to get in a little girl talk.

Lunch on the way at Cowboy's Smokehouse. 

We even saw "Duke."

First Stop:
Bryce Canyon National Park

We hiked a few miles through Bryce's beautiful scenery

After taking in Bryce's beauty we drove on in to Zion NP to spend the remainder of our week hiking, canyoneering, eating great food, and soaking in the hot tub.

Delay

I'm sorry for the long delay in posting.  Life has been busy lately.  There is so much to catch up on that I won't try to fit it all in this posst.
David is currently working with the joints team.  Christmas marks our half way point with residency - 2 1/2 more years until he is finished! Next summer he will decide if he wants to specialize further- which means More training. As if 9 years after college isn't enough, right?  If he does specialize, which he likely will, he can choose pediatrics, trauma, joints, tumor, spine, upper extremity, or foot and ankle. This will mean 1 more additional year of training. 
In addition to work I've been taking a photography class this semester with the Salt Lake Art Center.  I'm really enjoying it and have learned so much already.  I'll be sure to share some of my homework with you soon.
We have the most amazing, beautiful fall colors surrounding the city now. We're striving to spend as much time as possible outside enjoying the mild weather because I know it will be snowing soon!  I've been enjoying long runs in the afternoons with Peyton and practicing with my DSLR camera in the mountains and in the city.

Cecret Lake

A few weekends ago while trying to get out of the city, we headed up to the Albion Basin area in Little Cottonwood Canyon to hike through some beautiful wildflowers. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and perfect timing on our part because all of the wildflowers were in full bloom.

Beautiful day to be up in the mountains

Eventhough it was about 80 degrees we found snow on the trail.

Love the wildflowers

We found the "Cecret Lake"

Wildflowers Galore!

Days like those make me think I need to always live close to mountains...