Anderson Family Vacation 2009

We're back from the unforgettable Anderson family vacation of 2009. And for those of you that like to hear every intricate detail of other people's vacations, accompanied by extended slide show presentations, then have you come to the right blog today! We spent most of our vacation in Bryce Canyon, but we saw many other points-of-interest along the way. So sit back, pop some popcorn and buckle up as we take you on an unparalleled odyssey of wonder and intrigue.

COVE FORT

On the way to Bryce Canyon we stopped at Cove Fort and took the tour.
Here, you see us in the obligatory family photo in front of the fort.

And here we are in another family photo on the wagon next to the fort.

This is what the Cove Fort missionaries do while they're waiting for the next tour group. That doesn't look too bad. We talked with one of the missionaries and she mentioned that she and her husband had served a mission in Hawaii before serving in Cove Fort. She said they're enjoying their mission in Cove Fort better than Hawaii. It really does look like a nice place to serve.

FREEMONT INDIAN STATE PARK

Next, we went to Freemont Indian State Park and took a hike. The kids found this eroded hole in a rock on one of the trails.

BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN

Let's sing the Big Rock Candy Mountain song! Everybody now...... "Oh....the....birds and the bees and the lemonade springs in the Big Rock Candy Mountains...." Well, that's enough of that. We stopped and beheld the wonder that is the Big Rock Candy Mountain and we haven't been the same since.

There's the mountain in all it's splendor.

BRYCE CANYON

Now we're getting to the nougat center of our vacation. That night we checked into our hotel, ate and went to some of the gift shops just outside of Bryce Canyon's entrance. There were photo-opps aplenty.

The next morning we went into the park. It was spectacular. We loved it. The hikes are great and the scenery is even better. There's one hike in particular called the "Navajo Loop Trail" that is possibly the best hike I've ever experienced. It leads you from the rim, through a series of switchbacks, into the hoodoos at the bottom of the natural amphitheater and then back up again. If you go to Bryce Canyon, trust me, you shouldn't miss this hike.

This is how Christian experienced Bryce Canyon—from the comfort and convenience of an elevated view in a back pack. Thanks to Rob and Maren for lending the pack to us for the trip. We wouldn't have been able to see nearly as much as we did without it.

Here we are on the Navajo Loop trail. The archways along the way made the hike even more fun for the kids.

We met this little beggar on one of the trails. He's perfected his "look how cute I can be, now give me some food" pose.

This is another great hike called the "Bristle Cone Loop Trail" at the peak of the park. This one leads you through thick woods up to a majestic look-out point.

Either the pack was extremely comfortable or our schedule was a bit too intense for a two-year old.

This is the view of Bryce Canyon's amphitheater from "Inspiration Point"—in my opinion, the best place to view the canyon.

And this is "Natural Bridge" near "Fairview Point."

We liked the "Navajo Loop Trail" so well that we decided to hike it again. Here we are on the initial descent of switchbacks. Check out Christian's face in this photo. Classic.

This is the point where all the hikes started to take their toll on Adam. The next few photos show a progression (or regression) that's almost comical.

"How can I be this tired with my intense video game training regime?"

"What would Luigi and Mario do in this situation?"

This photo cracks me up. Poor guy.

The mighty canyon conquerors.

CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

On the way home we went through Capitol Reef National Park.

In front of "Chimney Rock."

GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK

Our last stop on the historic Anderson family vacation of 2009 was Goblin Valley. It's an amazing little basin of other-worldly looking rock formations near Hanksville, Utah. They encourage you to get out of your car and climb on the rocks as if it were a huge natural playground. So we did. It was a lot of fun and a needed break from all the driving we'd been doing that day.

By this time, Adam had recovered fully from the fatigue he'd been experiencing on the trail the day before. He was scrambling all over the rocks. So much so that we couldn't keep track of him. When Adam contemplates what heaven might be like, I'm sure he's hoping it will be just like Goblin Valley.

And that, dear readers, is the end of the show-and-tell portion of our magical vacation. If you made it through to the very end without skimming or skipping parts, you're either family, or very good friends and you deserve an award of some sort. Thanks for letting us share. We had a great time and look forward to our next family vacation. But for now, we must get back to real life. (sigh)