Next Stop....Utah....Zion House!

Continuing on in our road trip across the country...we made it to the Zion House just in time for Halloween. My mom and the kids were there along with Jennifer and her kids. We made fun halloween food and decorated the house. The Zion house is the best place for halloween.

 We often go for walks down the road and here CJ is trying to catch up. He wanted to walk but his little legs kept falling behind.

 Playing with costumes! Boo!

All dressed up! left to right: Tanner (ninja) Kenzi (M&M) Karissa (witch) Keyana (cat) Kaden (cowboy) Austin (knight)......(CJ wouldn't put his plane costume on, even though the week before he put it on and loved it at the ward party.

 I got in on the halloween action and dressed up as mustard. Lyndee is in front of me and the cast on her arm is not a costume. Jennifer dressed up as well. We had a great party!

 Here CJ is trick-or-treating door to door in the house. As you can see he is without costume, but loving the idea of getting candy in his bag!

 

 He also loved putting candy on his haunted house...and then eating it of course.

 The sunsets in Zion are always the best!

 My dad tricked us (very halloween like) into going on the hike Angel's Landing. I never had any desire to go on this very strenuous trail with sheer cliffs. After my dad tricked us into getting to the trail head. I decided to give the beginning half of the hike a shot (the part with out the chains you have to hold on to on the edge of the cliff). (That is aubrey in the picture hugging the wall to stay as far as she can from the cliff).

I took this picture from the Zion's National Park website. It shows more clearly the trail up to Angel's Landing. You come through the canyon and then up "Walter's Wiggles" (the very distinct switch backs) and then to the look out. Once at the top, the look out, the chain part begins along the top of the cliff. I made it to where it flattens out a bit before you go up a lot to the very top.

The beginning of Walter's Wiggles. Very steep switch backs!

 We weren't sure how much longer we were going to make it. Especially Aubrey, she was a good sport though and kept going.

 Made it to the look out point, just before the chains start. Beautiful view! My dad is a hikin' machine! At 61 he was ahead of us all on the way up.

 

 

 

 

 My dad said he wasn't stopping til he got to the very top. I was feeling pretty good and decided to join him for at least a little longer. Mom and Aubrey decided to stop and stay at the look out point. It started to drizzle though and they were cold so they slowly started back down.

 Here I am in all my bravery!

 It was as scary as it looks!

I made it a good ways along the chains and cliffs! My bravery ended here, or you could say I just didn't want to die quite yet at my young age. :) It was at this point that there was cliffs on both sides for a little ways until you got the a litte less cliff but more strenuous climb up to the top. I couldn't bring myself to cross the narrow bridge. I tried to convince my dad but he wouldn't have any of it. He just kept on going. I was most nervous about my dad at that point, but he is strong. I sat down by a metal post and held on to it and tried to decide what to do. I could wait here for my dad but I don't know how long he will be and I didn't like sitting on this cliff with nowhere to look but down really. Finally a nice couple walk past me that was going back down. I decided to follow them so that I was near someone in case I needed help, which I did need a little at one point and it wasn't as scary as going down alone. I met up with my mom and aubrey a ways down the trail and we waited in a somewhat covered spot, from the rain, for my dad. He took forever!! Finally he caught up and we finished the hike together. I am glad I found the strength to do something I was afraid of but I don't think I will ever do it again. Well, I guess I shoudn't say never because that is what I said before I ended up doing it this time. ;)