Morro Bay, Zion National Park & The Great Salt Lake

So, now that everyone has the travel bug... :) I think all our pictures are finally loaded so let's go on an adventure together!

 

Matthew took off work starting Monday. Tuesday morning we got up early and went kayaking in Morro Bay.With the sun low in the eastern sky and the water calm, we could see into it really well. I was so excited to spot a bat ray! It was just so cool to see ocean wildlife in the wild. Like, not in an aquarium, not behind glass or in a pool. I was still over excited about that, when I saw something else and was so excited I couldn't even get my words out! "Matthew!!!! LOOOK! Is that...?!  Is it????! OH MY GOODNESS!" Yes, it was a shark, small shark, yes, but a SHARK in the wild! It was probably 3 feet long (possibly 4, but I want to err on the side of not exaggerating). And swam right by the front of the kayak. The rest of our ride was uneventful but fun and relaxing with a break on the dunes for a bit.

I worked Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Soon as I got off Thursday at 11:30, I beat it home. Matthew had cleaned the house and packed the car. We threw everything in the cooler and headed to Mr.Pickles to pick up sandwiches (gluten free wrap for me, Thanks Mr. Pickle!). And off we went, munching our lunch.



Through Arizona and Nevada and Utah we experienced some thunderstorms, flash flood warnings, rain, wind, flying tumbleweed, and lightning over the distance hills as well as an awesome rainbow just before the sunset.



We arrived at the Adventure Pad in Virgin, UT a little after 10 that night. After getting up at 5:00, we were a little tuckered out...

We found the Adventure Pad on AirBNB. Would be a great spot to land while seeing Zion. The next morning we were up at 6 and out the door ASAP. Matthew begrudgingly let me take the time to eat eggs for breakfast because he knows what happens when I get hungry :) On to Zion! We arrived in Zion with a 35-40 minute drive. We found a parking spot and caught the shuttle once we realized we weren't allowed to drive to the trailhead. I didn't really know what to expect since I hadn't seen any pictures or really heard much about it. Matthew was the one that put it on the bucket list and boy, am I glad he did! The only thing to say is - the pictures say a lot, BUT don't do it justice! GO!

If you do go, don't be surprised to find yourself doing this, a lot! You kinda just can't help it!Walter's Wiggles - the switchbacks

Umm, yeah, That's the trail. To on top of that rock^Once on top of that rock, looking back

Looking down at this...That's the road down there with the shuttle buses in that turn-around thing.From the above picture, we turn 180 and take this picture...\/
^Give a bit better of an idea of what it is like on top of the rock.One last look back in disbelief that we actually did this, that you can actually hike up there.

We hurried back down the trail, caught the shuttle bus, got off at the wrong stop and saw the 3 Patriarchs, caught the shuttle bus again, and got back to our car.Psalm 121 ~ A song of ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

(NIV GatewayBible.com)

"How can I help but PRAISE HIM?"

Even though it was only about 10:30, we ate some lunch and then hit the road. We arrived at Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake a little after 5:00. What an interesting place!

The water was disgusting with slime on top and flies so thick on the shore that you have to keep your mouth closed and there is a black cloud around you. None-the-less, we were at the Salt Lake and had go float! We walked directly back to the shower so it wasn't too bad. Matthew was able to float for the first time ever and I almost was airborne since I float like a true Clem anyway!We didn't just love the atmosphere at Great Salt Lake (hot, humid, flies, smelly), but it was a neat experience! And the sunset was amazing! We just sat in wonder, twisting our heads around in every direction to not miss a single color or cloud!

And that ends Friday! We headed out Saturday morning, driving to a lake a few hours outside of Glacier NP. But being 4th of July weekend, we couldn't find a campsite. We stayed in a Motel6 suite that night (it was raining anyway), and drove into Glacier early Sunday morning.