It’s worth starting by saying that this is the first trip in a long time (with the exception of planned trips for events) that we actually were able to go to our originally planned location, without having to change because of flights filling up, weather, etc.  It didn’t quite go as planned, as we had to drive from Salt Lake City, instead of flying to St. George (which is closer to the park), and the order of hotels and parks changed accordingly.

We took an 8:20am flight to Salt Lake City, and we were lucky enough to get the next to the last row to ourselves, with the last row empty, even though I was afraid only middle seats were open.  I sat with the oldest, while Laura sat with the younger two across the aisle.  One of the reasons we love Delta is that most aircraft have TV screens in the back of the seats, so the girls were able to watch movies on the way, with some naps here and there.  The oldest started with an upset stomach and feeling groggy, but luckily was fine by the time we landed.  I spend an hour and a half watching a documentary on the making of Hamilton.  Overall, one of the best flights we’ve been on as far as the girls behaving themselves.

 

We arrived in SLC and headed to baggage claim, where we waited over 45 minutes at the belt for our flight, only to find out that somehow they ended up on the next belt.  That was followed by a long walk to the rental car counters and another 45 minutes of waiting, first getting a tiny “mid-sized” SUV that was much smaller than the two crossovers we own.  Luckily we were easily able to exchange it for one that fit everything fine.  Two hours after landing, we finally had our bags and the girls in the car and ready to go.  We found a Thai restaurant nearby where the girls loved their fried rice, and Laura and I were both very happy with our yellow curry and Tom Kha soup, respectively.  Overall it took over an hour as the service was slow, but three total hours after landing, we were finally ready for the long drive.

After a quick stop for a few bombers of beer at a state run liquor store (we thought Indiana had old laws), we were headed south on I-15, with Laura taking the first hour of driving.  I switched after an hour and drove the remaining 3 hours.  We were surprised how far south the jagged, snow covered mountains extended.  That coupled with the 80mph speed limit, and the fact that traffic was light, actually made for a pleasant drive.  Listening to Hamilton for three quarters of the drive also helped immensely.  All three of the girls slept about 3 hours of the drive, which was fantastic, as listening to constant demands and complaints (mostly from the youngest) gets old.

 

Knowing grocery stores and restaurants in Bryce are sparse, we peeked in a grocery store (though didn’t find anything quick and easy for on-the-go meals) in Panguitch, though settled on Subway for our dinner.  We wouldn’t normally eat at a chain on vacation, but with only so many options, so it was a quick and easy dinner.  We took sandwiches to go, made the final 20 minute drive to the town of Bryce, and pulled into the parking lot of the hotel we wanted to stay at, where we booked it last minute for a good rate on Hotwire!  The Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn is a large complex of multiple outbuildings, and all that was available was a room in a building a ways off from the main building.  The main building had a nice large fireplace, huge general store with high priced groceries and souvenirs, a restaurant that looked very mediocre, and a large pool.

We checked into the room, got settled in, and ate our Subway sandwiches, before piling back into the car for the very short 5 minute drive into the park.  We scrambled up a short trail to Sunrise Point, took in a few minutes of the sunset (ironically), got some pictures, and headed back to the car.  The temperature was in the high 40s during the day, but was dropping quickly, with an overnight low of 17 that night.  Back at the hotel, we wound down, much more quickly for the adults who’d been stressing about travel logistics all day.  The highlight was being sung happy birthday to and presented with pre-packaged cupcakes, each with a candle in it.  The oldest has been under the weather, so was out in no time, with the adults not too far behind.  The youngest two played together and watched some TV before finally crashing.  Overall, a long and stressful day and birthday for me, but worth it in the end to reach our destination.