Day 3 we did not have to get up super early which was nice after the kind of night we had. Of course I didn't want us to sleep the day away either. We were able to make breakfast....I we had sausage, eggs and toast. Which was nice change from the Pop Tarts we had the morning before.
Our only thing on the schedule for this day...September 18th was to visit Arches National Park. I have wanted to visit Arches for years!!! I was so excited to finally be able to fulfill that dream!
This was the road we were going to be driving up....
Here we are looking down from that road.
Just driving through is spectacular so even if you aren't a hiker it's worth a look.
All of these formations have names of course, but I can't remember them now. I love how Zeke got in this panoramic shot!
How does that even stay up there!?!?!
This was our first stop to get out and hike at.
That trail goes back inside that formation!
Here's the opening you have to walk through to get inside it. There were so many nice people that we met that were totally fine taking our picture. In fact the further we got away from Washington state it felt more and more normal. No masks, no social distancing, nobody staring at your like your carrying the plague. It was a breath of fresh air for sure!
It's a kids paradise in regards to having tons of big things to climb on!
Or little things! :)
My sweet girl!
This is Sand Dune Arch. We never got a picture with it though because there was a couple getting wedding shots under it. How cool!
There was this fun formation in-between the two high walls. I thought it would be neat to get a picture with us all at different levels. This lady was so nice to indulge us. She waited patiently for us to get into place and even she moved to different spot to get a better view. I love this shot!
It was fun seeing all these tiny cacti!
There was also big beatles....I should have laid down something for comparison sake....he was a big guy!
Taking a rest!
This is Broken Arch!
I wanted it to look like I was holding up the Arch!
It almost looks like it should be called Kissing Arch to me since the two sides are coming together for a smooch!
After walking under Broken Arch we headed for another Arch that was a bit of a hike.
There were fun things to see along the way though.
I thought this rock looked like an Eagle standing tall with his chest puffed up so I had Owen mimic the stance.
The weather was perfection! Lots of clouds so it kept the heat down. Honestly it can be a scorcher in Arches, but it was really quite pleasant.
By this point Ella Grace was tired. She did just puke the night before, but she woke up feeling okay. This is her posed picture.
This is real life! My sweet darling girl!
While Michael took the boys over to explore Tapestry Arch Ella and I just sat and enjoyed the view.
Having fun exploring!
While they were over there we saw a few deer coming through right in front of the Arch.
After seeing Tapestry Arch we started off for the van. We were doing a complete circle instead of walking in and walking out. We had to go by the campground so we were able to refill our water. There was a bit there where Michael had to carry Zeke because he wasn't going to make it. We probably hiked at least 4 miles so it was asking a lot. Towards the end the sun did start to shine more. We tried to stay in the shade of the rock formations so that helped.
When we got back to the van we drove down the way a bit and found a nice area with picnic tables. We found one in the shade and we had our lunch. Then it was back in the van to drive around and see what we could find.
I think this is Skyline Arch!
Jack and I were the only ones that wanted to get out of the van and see that one. We didn't hike all the way to it...just enough to snag the picture.
I bought these rechargeable fans for the trip because I knew it would be so hot! We only used them a couple of times, but they did come in handy and held a charge for quite a while.
This picture shows you how many bug guts we had on our windshield! :)
So amazing!
I could have gone on so many more hikes, but after that first initial long one the kids were pooped...plus having been in the van for 2 really long days of driving they were getting gone.
We did get out at a couple more places to climb fun rocks because what kid can pass up climbing up high rocks!
If you look closely this is a double arch....it's so cool!
I believe this rock formation is called 3 Sisters.
After checking out the park for hours we stopped in at the Visitor Center. Only the gift shop section was open though. The only thing I was bummed about that we didn't get to do was go on a Ranger guided tour of the Fiery Furnace...it was closed because of Covid, but that just means we'll have to come back someday!
Late in the afternoon the weather had turned crazy with wind, sand and rain going everywhere. Thankfully we were able to get inside the restaurant right when it started to downpour.
For dinner we ate at The Broken Oar.
They sat us upstairs which was nice and quiet although it did feel like we got a little forgotten.
I love going on road trips with my kids. I know some people don't like it, but it's such a great way to make memories with your family.
Handsome Jackson!
Beautiful Ella Grace!
By this point she was nice and hungry. She got spaghetti and loved every bit of it!
This goofy boy is always trying to ruin a good picture.
I don't know how many pictures I took where he wasn't looking at the camera so Michael is pointing to where he should look.
That got him smiling!
After dinner we headed back to the Airbnb. While I was in the shower Michael fell asleep....he was beat! Zeke started banging on the door to our room and woke him up to which Michael told him to go to bed. After I got out of the shower he was crying because he didn't have his Melatonin. Michael was about to lose it and so was I. I decided he needed his Melatonin so we could maybe all get a good night sleep. I took it to him and gave him a stern warning to which Ella replied...Dad already told him that Mom!!!
After that all was good and no one puked. Praise God for a good night sleep!
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