Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

We had quite the adventure this weekend. At one point, Justin and I turned to each other and said, "What were we thinking!?" But it really was fun. We saw some amazing sights and truly enjoyed the beauty of the world around us. Maybe when Mylie gets a little older she'll be able to appreciate it just as much! :)

Friday night we stayed in a little podunk town-- Glendale-- and found a Bed & Breakfast right across from the turn off to the hikes we had planned. It definitely turned out to be an interesting night, sleeping in what felt like a closet with bunk beds. I guess that's all the space that we needed! Mylie had a rough night and cried a lot. We were so worried because you're RIGHT next door to other guests and with a hotel built in the 1900s-- the walls are pretty thin! And with B&Bs you have to face the other guests in the morning! :) But, everyone said they didn't hear her.... we think they lied! The B&B had some fun flowers and places to hang out, which we enjoyed. I loved taking pictures of the gorgeous flowers! We ate at a little local owned restaurant next door-- we went with the buffalo and wild boar ribs. They actually were pretty good, believe it or not! :)

After a great breakfast, we hit the road to travel to the trail heads. We planned two different hikes-- Bull Valley Gorge and Willis Creek-- and luckily they were pretty close to each other. Little did we know, that our little girl would only be able to handle one.. well not even one! :) Mylie did okay at first, but once we had to start climbing over boulders and down tree trunks, she decided she was done and ready for a nap. She cried for most of the hike, but ended up falling asleep part way through. We did find out that she prefers to be carried in your ARMS as opposed to a hiking pack! It was pretty funny when Justin was holding her and carrying her pack on his back empty! The slot canyon was amazing though. The views were spectacular! We enjoyed ourselves, especially when Mylie was enjoying herself! Look closely at one of the pictures... you can see where a jeep got stuck up above in some lodged boulders! Pretty cool! By the time we were done with Bull Valley Gorge, Mylie wasn't up to another hike, so we decided to make the trek back. We stopped at a visitors center in Cannonville and planned out our next adventure. We think we might hold off until Mylie is a little older though! :) Poor little thing cried the whole last hour of the drive back.

All in all, it was a fun trip-- there's nothing like enjoying some fresh air with your family! We hope you enjoy the pictures! Maybe you'll have to make a trip down there too! :)