Zion (6.3.11)

 Zion was gorgeous. A true representative of the Colorado Plateau - red rocks and all! To get a full view we hiked to the top of Angel's Landing - the last 0.5 miles to the top is all chains on a precipice!

Adam gazes back from whence we came.

Yup. 1500 foot drop to the Virgin River below.

Hello river and road far below!

Another main attraction of Zion - the Narrows - was closed due to high waters. Still 7ft of snow melting into this tiny canyon, but don't worry ... we'll be back!

The Grand Canyon (5.30.2011)

The Grand Canyon is truly amazing - big smiles upon arrival!

There is an awesome bike path all along the South Rim - incredible views & some sharp drop-offs. Those familiar with Ailey's brave attitude towards biking should be proud.

According to ranger instruction we were up at 4am the following morning for our hike to the bottom of the canyon. On the bus at sunrise!

And on the trail by 6am - beautiful and chilly (40 degrees!)

The views just kept getting better.

We tried to play hide & seek along the way. Where's Ailey?

...And arrived at our campsite by 9am with temperatures approaching 100 degrees. Huh. Clearly time for a nap.

We had 2 nights at the Bright Angel Campground on the Colorado River, which gave us ample time to explore, stop to smell the cactus flowers, ...

 ... and go on an incredible day hike up the North side of the canyon.

We hiked to Ribbon Falls - an oasis (or Fern Gully?) in the dry, hot canyon - did we mention it got up to 110 at the bottom of the canyon? The view from behind the waterfall (on top of the "mossfall") was spectacular!

Las Vegas (5.29.2011)

With an extra day before our reservations at the Grand Canyon we decided to spend one night exploring Las Vegas. After finding a nice spot at the Circus Circus KOA we headed off to see the sites.