Day #2-Atkins Go West 2.0 –Adventure of a Lifetime Continued…(May the Forest Be with You!)

June 10, 2017 Zion National Park (Hurricane) to Bryce Cannon National Park to Grand Canyon, North Rim National Park

Atkins Go West 2.0 –Adventure of a Lifetime Continued…(May the Forest Be with You!)

Weirdest thing we saw: We saw an active burn going on on top of the mountain on the way to the Grand Canyon.  It was still smoldering.  Also saw Kayden single handedly destroy her jacket with a single rib.  I have never seen so much bbq sauce on something other than food.

Funniest thing we heard: "Can Yuns stop making puns about the parks?" -Joe-Nicholas

"Zionara" (As we left the park)- Kayden

Most memorable moment of the day: The hike in Zion and the sunset at the Grand Canyon

Critters we saw:  2 dozen ground squirrels, two turkeys, 1 pronghorn Deer, 10 deer

Captain’s Log: We started our day eating a delicious breakfast at our hotel.  Free Hot Breakfast is an Atkins favorite!  

The town of Hurricane was so scenic.  The buildings are all built to blend in with the beautiful surroundings.  Even the Walmart was high end!  We made a stop at Walmart for some much needed snacks and supplies for our adventure.  

We arrived at Zion National Park around 8:30 local time.  

You park your car at the visitor center and ride shuttles throughout the park.  I can’t put into words how beautiful this place was.  The colors of the mountains and the bare rock formations were unbelievable.  Just before we boarded, the kids spotted two deer and we saw another up close.  The ranger told us they were Mule Deer.  We rode the shuttle to the very end of the Canyon Loop to the last stop, Riverside Walk.  The shuttle plays an informational talk throughout each stop to give you information about what you are seeing. 

At stop 9, we took a 2 mile hike into the canyon along the Virgin River.   It was an easy hike with a paved trail and a LOT of other visitors.  

We loved the scenery with towering rock walls, hanging natural gardens, a light blue river, and tons of overly friendly ground squirrels.  

A few of the little critters climbed onto our backpacks that were laying on the rocks as we explored.  We met a neat couple from Iowa that showed Joe-Nicholas how to set the Cannon so that he could get some sun burst effects on his pictures.  We boarded the shuttle after the hike to head back to the canyon entrance.  The driver on the way back had tons of interesting facts to tell us as he drove along.  After a quick trip to the gift shop to purchase our National Park  post cards, bumper stickers, and Junior Ranger Books , we jumped in the van and headed out of the Eastern Entrance of Zion towards Bryce Canyon.  We were in such a hurry, I made a picnic lunch in the front seat of the van as Chris drove us along this crazy curvy road.  I can make a  PB&J under any condition!

We drove through the longest tunnel in any National Park that was over 1 mile long.  The canyon rocks were totally different on this side of the park. 

Because we are the Atkins and because we are just that insane, we decide to squeeze in an additional National Park while we were so close!  Because we had dinner reservations at the Grand Canyon Lodge at 7:30 local time, Chris figured out that we could drive to Bryce Canyon, stay 1 hour or so, and drive the 3 hours to Grand Canyon on time!  So, National Park #2 of the day was Bryce Canyon in Utah.  On our way to the Park, we got to drive through Red Canyon and Dixie National Forest.  It had the coolest rock formations.  They almost looked like Dr. Seuss creations!  We also drove through two rock tunnels along the way. 

We got to Bryce Canyon with a little over an hour to see the sights. 

It was well worth the drive and effort.  The view from the extreme elevation was breathtaking.  The pictures just don’t do it justice. Some of our favorite highlights were the natural bridge,

 Thor’s Hammer, Sunset Pointe, and Farview Overlook.  On our way out of the park, with 9 minutes to spare, Kayden and I ran into the gift shop for post cards, bumper stickers, and Junior Ranger Books.

We left Bryce Canyon and headed to the GRAND CANYON!!!  

We made it in time to see the Canyon at the North Rim before the sunset over the western edge.  The kids could not believe how beautiful and how HUGE the canyon was.  We ate at the lodge dining room.  The food was delicious (Ribs, Chicken Alfredo, chicken tenders).  We checked into our little cabin.  It had two bedrooms so we had plenty of room tonight.