Spring Break - Part 4 - Bryce Canyon National Park

Our final day at Brian Head we drove out to Bryce Canyon National Park for a day of hiking. We took the Navajo Trail down into the orange hoodoos.

As is typical, the skies were a beautiful blue to give a spectacular contrast to the colors of Bryce Canyon.

The north facing sides retained their snow, adding to the beauty.

We had a fun time looking up - up at all the big rock formations - and wondering how those trees grew here.

Going up the switchbacks wasn't everyone's favorite part of the hike, but they looked pretty cool from the top!

 

The day was perfect for hiking - sunny and not too hot. It was a nice change from the cold and snow

It was with a sense of awe that we looked at all the different formations and wondered how they would have been made that exact way!

Jared had fond memories of going to Bryce Canyon on spring break as a junior in high school. It was one of his favorite road trips freshman year and was where Jared and Dani spent a weekend a month after getting married as proxy for a honeymoon. It is also were Jared hiked on the last day of his trip with papa and his brothers to celebrate papa's 60th birthday.

Jared was especially happy to bring his 5 kids to visit one of his favorite places!

After our Navajo loop trail, dad decided that we should go further, so against the wishes of a few, onward and upward we went! 

We all made it - some parts were a bit slick with the snow and ice, or muddy with the melting snow and ice - and the view was worth it! This view was a view from the other side of the amphitheater that we were hiking in.

It truly was fun to be back in Bryce Canyon!

What a great travel buddy Dani is!!!

Spring Break - Part 3 - On the snow at Brian Head

One of the main draws for this trip was to ski at Brian Head. We had a ski in / ski out condo, less than a hundred yards off the slopes. We skied all 3 days with the Smiths, which was a lot of fun.

They days were very different - day 1, it was blue skies.

Day 2, it was snowy, cold, and socked in with clouds. Visibility was difficult. This was a day that it was often worth wearing a mask to keep chin and mouth warm!

Day 3 returned to beautiful, sunny skies. This time, the trees were white and the snow was powdery soft!

Brian Head is split between two mountains, Navajo and Giant Steps. We were on the Navajo side, which is where the ski lessons were and where our condo was. Navajo is an entirely green circle mountain, so it was perfect for our newer skiers.

We sent the kids for morning lessons the first 2 days and enjoyed some parents ski time!

We loved the grand vistas of skiing out west.

It was fun skiing with our family, with the Smiths, and in various little groups all over the mountain. The resort was small relative to some in Utah, but it was plenty large to have a lot of fun all 3 days and really feel like we got to explore.

Jacob enjoyed skiing all over the mountain and took turns exploring with Dani, Jared, and Claire.

On the cold snowy day, it was especially nice to have access to the condo so close by to warm back up. We had warm Raman and hot chocolate most days.

2 days after skiing, Jared wasn't quite done with the snow yet. Since there were sleds and a good sledding hill just up the road, he wanted to go sledding. One day, Jacob joined. 

Someone had built a big jump, and Jared and Jacob took turns going off that jump. Landing wasn't a good idea, so really, once you would hit the jump, it was best to bail.

We took a couple rides at the same time.

Afterwards, we went further uphill to where Cedar Breaks is. I think it would be pretty to visit when it was accessible!

Another day, Jared took Torin. The jump was still there so we of course rode the jump a few times

and took a few rides with Torin stacked on top. Our goal was to go as far as we could every time.

 

Spring Break - hanging with the Smiths

One of the best parts of the vacation was that it was with our friends, Ryan and Jessica, and their kids. We loved being outside hiking and skiing with them, but we also loved the time that we got to spend hanging out in the condos.

After our day 1 Zion hike, most of us got into the hot tub.

The moms had a better idea of how to warm their feet!

We decided to use the fire pit for roasting s'mores.

Admittedly, they weren't all that good... turns out, a gas fire pit doesn't roast marshmallows nearly as well as a natural wood fire! It was for the experience!

We ate meals together at both the St George and the Brian Head condos. We watched church on Sunday before hiking in Kolob, and we enjoyed playing games (including pop a shot at the St. George condo).

One of the most funny games was using the upside down goggles. Everyone got some good laughs watching each other try to fill a water glass, or put cards in order.

At one point, after observing others fail at what seemed to be an easy task of putting cards in order, Ryan decided he had what it takes. He did... pretty eventually, which got lots of laughs!

At the ski condo, the Smiths stayed at a separate condo nearby, but we were together a ton. Evenings after skiing were filled with games, movies or shows, 

treats,

and maybe a couple pillow forts!

The beds were kind of hilarious. There was a triple bunk that seemed pretty wobbly! So we took the top mattress and put it on the floor.

Dani and Jared's bed was adjustable - and it could adjust into some pretty unique positions! This one was actually very difficult to get out of!

On the final day, the kids got to grab a few of the icicles they had been eyeing all week. They were huge!