Nowlin News: Nowlins Head West: Spring Break 2018

We had all sorts of amazing adventures on our spring break trip out west! I took one million photos and it's taken several days and many many hours to comb through and pick my favorites. And of course, the photos simply don't do these places justice. You have to see them in person to truly understand the vastness and beauty that the scenery has to offer.

Here we go ...

Arrival day one | Las Vegas | Tropicana Las Vegas

We stayed on the strip and walked around so we would feel like we'd actually been to Las Vegas. It was a first for everyone but James and we were in awe of all the sights and sounds! It's a very stimulating place...

Day 2 and 3 | from Vegas to Zion National Park (Utah) | Hampton Inn Zion

One quick stop at the Las Vegas sign on our way out of town headed for Zion!

Zion is called the "straight-up lands" and once you arrive you understand why.

Gazing at Zion's "Grand Arch"

Canyon Overlook Trail

Th east side of the park (the part you can drive to) is made up of mostly "slick rock." The kids really liked hiking on and over all the slick rock.

This is where my documentation gets a bit confusing ... later that first afternoon we set out thinking we were hiking the Shelf Canyon (unmarked) trail. It was a great hike with lots of cool scenery. But we didn't figure out until the next day that it wasn't actually the Shelf Canyon trail.

Boulder hopping

My face says it all (are we sure we are in the right place) ...

Most beautiful drive back to the hotel

Autos aren't allowed in the main part of the canyon during this time of year, so you park at the Visitor's Center and hop on a shuttle bus that runs all day with stops at all the major trailheads throughout the park. Such an easy way to get around and enjoy the sights. We started day 3 with a hike to the (lower, middle and upper) Emerald Pools.

These deer were grazing only a few feet from us. They were not afraid of the people.

Shot taken from the lawn in front of the lodge inside the park.

After lunch on day 3 we hiked along the river to the Narrows where we watched those brave enough to hike through the water ... and we wished we had rented the wet suits so we could do it too. We didn't realize that we could have rented a suit to fit Emery until we saw other small kids in them when we got there. Next time ...

The kids did check out the water for a bit. It was COLD!

We also hiked to see the "Weeping Rock" that afternoon.

And then we ended the day back on the east side hiking the Shelf Canyon trail, thinking we were hiking to the Two-Pines Arch. There was no arch, but Case and James did make it to the slot canyon at the end (the payoff we didn't get the day before when we thought we were hiking this trail, but we weren't). Goodness ... the unmarked trails can be difficult to find ...

But honestly, it doesn't matter if you are on the right trail or not, the scenery is breathtaking all around!

Hampton Inn Zion

Day 4 | from Zion to Page, AZ | Hampton Inn Page

On our way out of Zion we had to make a couple final pit stops. One to take a pic at the entrance sign (of course) and then another for a bit of impromptu exploring. It paid off. We even (finally) spotted some big-horn sheep on the side of a mountain. Okay, so actually the other folks that had pulled over spotted them and told us what they were looking at. But once we knew we were there, we enjoyed looking at them through our binoculars. Unfortunately not close enough for a good photo.

Then we arrived in Page, AZ for a tour of Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon in the middle of the Navajo Reservation.

Ummmm... this place is unbelievable. You'd have no idea it was there. One minute you are standing in the middle of the desert and then you descend down into this small crevice into this breathtaking slot canyon. And then at the end you just walk back out at ground level. It's crazy!

A little photo trickery by our tour guide/photographer

James walking out of the slot at the end of the tour.

Our tour guide mentioned that the Navajo got lucky. That if the canyon were something you could easily see (that was on top of the ground) that the US Government would have taken it and turned it into a national park. But since it couldn't be seen, they didn't know it was there when the land was given to the Navajo, so they got to keep it.

We spent that afternoon at Antelope Point on Lake Powell (in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area). It was a beautiful afternoon and we just chilled, taking in the scenery while the kids played around in the water.

Day 5 and 6 | from Page, AZ to the Grand Canyon | El Tovar Hotel

Before we left Page, we decided to check out the dam. Colorado River on one side and Lake Powell on the other.

Then we made a quick stop at Horseshoe Bend. It was a brief hike out to the canyon from the parking lot and there were a lot of people. Really the only time on the trip that I felt "crowded." Plus there are ZERO barriers set up here so we tried not to get too close to the edge with the kids.

Made them belly crawl to be able to see the whole U

Clearly we needed to get the kids some sunglasses. #struggling

Then that afternoon we made it to the Grand Canyon!

First stop: Desert View Watchtower Lookout

Another stop along the drive to our hotel ...

A brief hike down the Grandview trail. It's not really suitable for small children, so we didn't go far. Just far enough for a great family shot!

Elk sighting! We pulled over so I could get out and snap a photo! They are very large animals.

Ended the day out on Hopi Point to watch the sun set.

This is my very favorite pic of the whole lot!

Started day 6 off with a hike down the Bright Angel Trail. We hiked about a mile down before we headed back up. Going down is so easy ... it can be deceiving how far you've gone and how hard it will be to get back up. We hope to go back one day when the kids are older and hike all the way to the bottom!

When we got back up to the top of the canyon, it started snowing. Like a lot. It was pretty awesome!

Eating ice cream in the snow! Crazy kids!

El Tovar Hotel

That afternoon we TRIED to hike the South Kaibab Trail out to Ooh Aah Point, but the wind was blowing so insanely hard and it was so cold that none of us could stand it. We spent the rest of the afternoon admiring the views from the comfort of the heated shuttle busses.

South Kaibab Trail (we tried) #makingmems

All the way to the end of the road at Hermits Rest

Day 7 | from Grand Canyon to Las Vegas

We made one last trip out to Powell Point to say goodbye to the Grand Canyon. I think it offered the very best panoramic views of the canyon and it was a beautiful clear morning!

Then made a pitt stop in Williams, AZ on Route 66 at this super cute Italian restaurant for lunch.

Another pitt stop at the Lake Mead National Recreation area to check out Willow Beach. The kids got to splash around in the Colorado River. It was just before we reached the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.