Zion National Park

Sadly, all of the damn nature & fresh air had started to get to us!  BUT, Babbitt promised Katie that if she made it through Zion National Park, that he would take her to Las Vegas, where she could see the total opposite spectrum.  Babbitt did leave out one tiny detail however, the fact that he wanted to climb to Angel's Landing, which is a hike at Zion that has had four fatalities since 2004!

View while hiking about 5 miles round trip to Angel's Landing
Before we started this hike, Babbitt had his 2nd run in with the law, but Katie was there this time to confirm
that the threat was totally off base...we were incorrectly charged an oversized vehicle fee when we
arrived & when Babbitt asked about the discrepancy the bent out of shape Ranger said that he could
call law enforcement to verify the size of The Rig...we have filed a complaint & are waiting to hear back

More views of Zion National Park

Angel's Landing - 1,488 Feet Tall
After hiking uphill in the sun for about 2 miles we thought..."Well that wasn't too hard!"
Until we saw this & realized that the last .4 miles were going to be the toughest

The O'Babbitt's on top of Angel's Landing!
We were so excited we made it, but Katie wasn't looking forward to going back down...
obviously she didn't pack clothes for hiking & didn't want to be caught dead in this getup

Babbitt hiking down from Angel's Landing
You will notice the chains provided by the park
These are not just for looks at some points if you let go, you will fall off the mountain

Babbitt after 3 hours & 20 minutes of hiking
After lunch, Babbitt told Katie that we should check out the Emerald Pools Trail
He claimed the trail looked easy, but the additional uphill climb mixed with the heat was anything but

Bryce Canyon National Park

We quickly learned that although stunning, there is not much going on in Utah.  We drove for 100+ miles and are pretty sure that we didn't see another human being the entire time.  So, since we were sure we wouldn't miss much, Babbitt decided to drive well into the night to get us as close to Bryce Canyon National Park as possible.

View of the hoodoos & forest mixed together at Bryce Canyon National Park
This natural wonder was unexpectedly Katie's favorite...so far

The O'Babbitt's dangerously close to the edge at Bryce Canyon National Park

View from one of our many hikes while at Bryce Canyon National Park
Now that we've started hiking nonstop, Katie is feeling a bit uneasy that she knows
how to properly use the term trailhead, but she's learning to cope with her new found hobby

The O'Babbitt's taking in Bryce Canyon National Park

The O'Babbitt's in Old Bryce Town, just outside of the park
We weren't planning on staying here late, but we happened upon their Astronomy Festival & decided
to stick around to see Saturn through a telescope in the "last grand sanctuary of natural darkness"

Corners, Bridges & Capitols

Before we continued our National Parks Tour, Babbitt proved to Katie that dreams really can come true at the Four Corners Monument!  Afterwards, we drove back through Utah to see the National Bridges Monument & Capitol Reef National Park!

The O'Babbitt's at the Four Corners Monument bright & early the next day
It has been a childhood dream of Katie's to be in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado & Utah
all at the same time & Babbitt was nice enough to drive the extra miles in order to make this happen

Katie's dreams coming true as she starfishes at the Four Corners Monument
Even though we had a bad taste in our mouths from the day before we still
had quite the photo shoot while here & Katie couldn't have been happier

Babbitt getting ready to hike at Utah's first National Monument
Katie wasn't feeling the best after our dinner at Pepperheads & the heat didn't help,
but that didn't stop us from hiking to all three natural bridges here

The Sipapu Bridge

View from the bottom of the Kachina Bridge Trail

The Kachina Bridge

The Owachomo Bridge

The Capitol Reef National Park
Katie thought this was a beautiful place to drive through, but Babbitt was unenthusiastic...
his blase attitude could have had something to do with the full day of hikes & long drive through Utah

Mesa Verde & Free Play

Not that we have preplanned any of this adventure, but our next stop to Mesa Verde National Park was not on either of our radars.  When looking at the atlas to figure out the best route to the Four Corners Monument we saw that the remarkable cliff dwellings were on our way back through Colorado.  So, after a full day at Mesa Verde we were then enticed to stop at the Ute Casino, initially just for the soda, but they also had popcorn, gave Katie tons of June birthday incentives & walked out BIG winners.  Of course all of this was too good to be true, because as we drove up to the Four Corners, which was in the middle of nowhere, we saw that the gate was closed.  The AAA Book noted that the monument was open an hour later & we had just missed it.  So, since we were hours away from any other civilization, we had no other choice than to drive all the way back to the casino to spend the night!

View from the Mesa Verde Balcony House Ranger Guided Tour
Our Park Ranger, Jill was fantastic & taught us quite a bit about the Ancestral Puebloans & how they lived

Babbitt climbing out of a passageway during our tour

Katie's buns crawling through a tunnel during our tour...everyone can thank Babbitt for this photo
The park has dubbed this tour the Indiana Jones Tour, because visitors have to climb
ladders & crawl through passageways...if only Anne & Harrison could have been there with us

Spruce Tree House
This is the only cliff dwelling that you do not need a Park Ranger Guide to explore

Birthday prizes from Sky Ute Casino
Not only did we each get $10 in Free Play, but Katie got an extra $20, dinner & cheesecake

Arches To Arches & Dust To Dust

As we crossed the border into Utah, we couldn't believe how clear the night's sky was & if Katie hadn't been terrified of the Rest Stop we were at, we probably would have stargazed longer!  The unbelievable scenery in Utah didn't stop there...the next day we checked out Arches National Park, Moab & devoured our last green chile for a while at Pepperheads, when we crossed back into Colorado!

Flat Henry crossing the border into Utah

View of a flowering cactus at Arches National Park

The Double Arch
We hiked a number of trails here; Balanced Rock, The Windows, High Viewpoint
of Delicate Arch & Landscape Arch, but our favorite by far was the Double Arch

The O'Babbitt's at the Double Arch
Babbitt was a good sport while here, but he was not impressed...Katie disagrees, we did agree on one
thing, however of all the arches here we can't figure out why the Delicate Arch is Utah's state symbol

Babbitt inside of the Double Arch
Once Katie saw Babbitt climb to the Double Arch, she had to do it to,
but she did not get down quite as gracefully as Babbitt did

Landscape Arch is the longest & thinnest of all the arches here
Since 1991 three large chunks of this arch have fallen to the ground
& we were told that one day it will no longer be an arch

The world-famous Hole N' The Rock House - Moab, UT
After Katie drug Babbitt to most of the arches, we rushed to see this home built inside a mountain
before they closed & after the 12 minute guided tour, all we really have to say is ehhhh

Grapes and Gorges

All of our summers in Indiana combined did not prepare us for the dry heat of Palisade, CO and the triple digit temperature made our early afternoon run a bit of a challenge.  Thank goodness it was nothing a little wine tasting couldn't fix and after a few samples we were grateful to have our house in the parking lot to take a catnap.  Babbitt then drove us to the Colorado National Monument, where the views blew us away & we ended our day in Fruita, CO with a headless chicken!

We sipped wine at Talon Winery, St. Kathryn Cellars & Grande River Vineyards
(above), but those three were just the tip of the iceberg in Colorado Wine Country

Babbitt over looking a portion of the Colorado National Monument
We weren't sure what to expect before driving through, but we loved it &
it even ended up being Babbitt's favorite National Monument so far

Katie braving the heights at the Colorado National Monument
We also took a few unexpected short hikes while here to get even better views

Mike The Headless Chicken in Fruita, CO
Apparently, Mike was a real life chicken, who lived for 18 months after
his owner chopped off his head, once Katie heard this story & found out there
was a statue she wouldn't leave Fruita without seeing it

Babbitt taking a load off in the cute town of Fruita
We were so sad to hear that we just missed the annual Mike The Headless
 Chicken Festival, where attendees are invited to "Party Their Heads Off"

Hiking, Biking & Bonding

Visiting our friends in Colorado proved to make our mornings the next day a bit tough. Luckily Jess recommended we try Buckhorn Bakery & Cafe in Frisco, CO for breakfast before she left for the airport & the delicious food mixed with a nap in Vail did the trick before meeting one of our oldest and dearest friends, Eric.  We then spent a few days in Minturn, CO & even had some surprise visitors meet us in Edwards, CO!

View of the Continental Divide from Jess & Phil's back porch
The O'Babbitt's had varying opinions on what the Divide actually was before seeing this...for some reason
Katie was under the impression that it was a land purchase, but luckily Jess & Phil set her straight

The resort town of Vail
After our nap we took a stroll through Vail Village & imagined what this
 town looks like during peak ski season

Babbitt taking in the fresh air of Vail
We met Eric here & made the quick drive to Minturn, where we caught up
& had a tasty dinner at the local Kirby Cosmo's

Babbitt in his new hiking gear...generously provided by Eric
Eric couldn't have been a better host...not only did he outfit Babbitt
with a new wardrobe, but he was also a terrific tour guide...

Babbitt & Eric on the Mount of the Holy Cross Trail
While visiting we went on a hike, toured the nearby mountain town, Redcliff, lunched at
Mango's Mountain Grill and biked to the historic Minturn Saloon & Magustos for a Minturn Bar Crawl

Eric doing quite a bit of bicycle maintenance on Babbitt's bike in his impromptu repair shop
Eric reversed the damage done to our bikes after weathering 5,000 miles on the back of The Rig?
He also gave us full use of his washer & dryer, electrical outlets, shower & even let
Babbitt wash The Rig in his driveway...we couldn't have asked for more or for a better time

Our waiter, Anthony, Andrea, Bob, Katie, Babbitt, Augie Doggie & Eric
While at Eric's we got a call from Bob, who was driving from L.A. to Chicago...he wanted to
let us know that he would be in Colorado later that afternoon, so we went to the internet
& found a restaurant to meet at that was close for everyone & dog friendly...
although our visit was too short it's a late lunch we will never forget

Eric & Babbitt biking through Glenwood Canyon...our new favorite biking trail
After sending the cross-country travelers on their way, Eric took us & our full
bellies on one last biking adventure before we had to say goodbye