On Saturday my mom was a huge help getting us out of the door before noon so I could drive the kids down to meet up with Abe, Tom, and Jere in Zion National Park. On the way down, we took a detour to Cove Fort. I had read about Cove Fort in President Hinckley’s biography because President Hinckley’s grandfather was told to build it by Brigham Young. It was interesting and all of the kids enjoyed the stop quite a bit:
We had an exceptionally beautiful drive from Cove Fort to Zion because my GPS added two hours to our route unnecessarily. Unfortunately, I didn’t pull over to take pictures. But we had a wonderful time listening to Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Beyonce’s “I am Sasha Fierce” album, Bela Fleck, the Poulenc trio I am learning, and Vivaldi’s violin concerto as we drove.
We entered through the back end of Zion, which is the best part of the whole park. I did stop once and take some pictures, but I should have stopped at every single pull off. Honestly, every vista on the road is stunning. But Clarissa was crying on and off because she was trying to poop and couldn’t quite do it, and so I only pulled over once and took pictures lightning fast before getting back in the car.
In the meantime, Abe, Jere and Tom were biking in Zion and its surroundings.
Then I pulled into our meeting place just as Abe and his dad and brother were biking into it. Perfect timing! It was great to have Abe’s help because Clarissa was a mess. She adores Abe, so seeing him gave her the impetus she needed to perk back up and keep going.
Then we ate dinner at a pasta and pizza place with awesome pizza, and then the kids got ice cream. Afterward we drove to our campsite in the Watchmen campground in Zion National Park. We got the kids all bundled up in preparation for the cold night and morning. They were so excited to camp and sleep in their sleeping bags.
