The morning started early for me, at about 630am.  I got up so I’d be able to get to the airport, a few minutes away, at 7:30 when the rental counter opened.  I was there at 7:10, so spent a few minutes walking to the small park adjacent to the airport that had a few life-size model aircraft.  I got a few decent pictures of the planes with the mountains and tower in the background.  Once the counter opened, I traded our full-size car in for a mid-size SUV (Ford Focus).

After spending a bit of time getting everyone ready at the hotel, we were off and on our way to Utah.  The weather was partly cloudy, breezy, and in the high 50s (my perfect weather).  There was a “we’ll laugh about it later moments” of accidentally leaving the trunk door open because the automatic function failed, driving away from the hotel hearing the noise of shifting bags in the back (actually the stroller falling out of the car), and a mile later realizing there was a bit more of a breeze than there should be because the back was open, we high tailed it back to the hotel to find the stroller that had fallen out had been placed on the sidewalk by someone.  After a frustrating start to the day, we were laughing about it later!

The next stop was to a grocery store to pick up muffins, bananas, and apples for breakfast, along with a tray of turkey wraps and sun chips for lunch.  Some robust coffee and a white mocha for Laura and we were on our way.  After just a leisurely hour and a half drive on a mostly deserted I-70 and then a state highway, we were at the entrance to Arches National Park.  The first stop was the visitor center, where even though we’d forgotten the girl’s National Park Passports, we had each girl stamp a cancellation to staple in their passports later.  Glad we thought to do that!  After a quick perusal of the displays, we made our way back to the car and up the steep switchbacks that took us up in altitude quickly and into the park.

The weather had turned cloudy by then, and the temperate dropped into the low 50s with a strong breeze once inside the park.  The landscape was really unique on the initial drive in.  We made the first stop in the parking lot for Balanced Rock, where we had our wraps and chips.  The girls sat in the truck while Laura and I stood…which has been come a national park tradition for us.  We got bundled up in our coats and hats pretty quickly after getting out of the car.  After lunch, we ventured to the Balanced Rock trail.  We took the stroller part way and the girls walked the rest.  They were really fascinated with this part of the park.

After that, we ventured on to The Windows, where we hiked first to North Window.  All three girls did a pretty good job on this hike.  They wanted us to carry them, but after some encouragement and pushing, they made it to the North Window.   We then made our way to the South Window viewpoint, and then on to Turret Arch before heading back to the car.  For it being a decent climb, the girls did pretty well.

We then made our way to the Delicate Arch.  Because the girls were pretty worn out from the last two hikes, we only went to the viewpoint, which was much further from the arch than we anticipated.  The hike is a decent climb and has some tricky terrain, so it’ll be on our list to visit when the girls are older.  The girls were nearing the end of their rope from being in the car and hiking, so we decided it was time to head into Moab for an early dinner.

After a drive through town looking for food and stopping at a small store to pick up some small gifts for the youngest daughter’s birthday, we turned back to the north and decided upon Atomic Burger, where we were some of the only people there, and the only ones on the patio.  It was a bit cool and breezy, but with our jackets and propane heaters, it was nice to enjoy the nice patio and the fresh air.  Laura and I split a burger and BBQ sandwich, while the girls split mac & cheese and a quesadilla.  We told the waitress that it was the youngest girl’s 2^nd birthday, so after our meal, the staff came out singing happy birthday (though we hadn’t told them her name!) and presented her with a large bowl of chocolate ice cream with two candles.  We were really impressed with the service, and could tell the patio was probably a great place to hang on a busy night.  Highly recommended!

At long last, we finally made our way to the place I’d been looking forward to seeing ever since hearing about it, Under Canvas Moab.  It’s a “hotel,” though would be considered “glamping,” as it’s tents with beds and cots, some with bathrooms, and some with teepees for the kids.  We drove in and checked in with one of the most enthusiastic people I’ve ever encountered in hospitatlity.  She got us checked in, and offered to have us follow her to our tent.  She drove a golf cart to the parking area for it, helped us load our bags onto the cart, and we all piled in for the short ride to our tent.  She showed us inside, where she showed us the operation of the wood fireplace with a wood stack outside, along with the small bathroom with a sink, adjacent shower, and separate toilet.  They were separated from the main area by canvas that could be drawn back.  We got settled in, and headed out to the back porch to watch the sunset and enjoy a couple beers (just me).  It was cool and breezy, so we got into our cozy pajamas and sat on the porch under blankets and in sleeping bags.  The 2 year old opened a bag full of Disney princess goodies that we’d picked up for her birthday.  The sun was setting behind our tent, but the colors the sun cast on the nearby rock formations and mountains was incredible.

We then made our way to the community campfire, where just as we were arriving, the staff was announcing to the approximately dozen guests gathered that it was a staff member’s 22^nd birthday, and a guest’s 2^nd birthday, ours!  They had bought mini cupcakes for everyone to enjoy, and put candles on them for the ladies to blow out, and sang happy birthday to them.  The staff hung out with us and the other guests at the fire and we talked for a while.  The girls were ready to crash, so I helped get them to the tent and into bed.  I was still wide awake and can’t resist a good fire and conversation, so I headed back to the fire.  I talked to several people there, and somehow the conversation turned to John Denver, and then turned into a John Denver sing-along.  Laura came back to check on me after a couple hours, at which point the night auditor shut us down for being up too late and being too loud!  By this point the stars were showing quite well, so Laura and I enjoyed that before putting some wood on the fire and snuggling up in our tent for the night.