Bryce and Grand Canyon

At Bryce, we did a hike down through the Hoodoo canyons, something Becky and I did last time and felt it made the whole visit much more magical than just looking out on it from the viewing areas.

August in front of a low archway the trail passed through.

An enchanting narrow rock passageway.

Becky and Rose panting up the hot, dry final climb on the trail out of the canyon. 

Then we stopped off at a creek for some cool-down wading.

On our final day we drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Here we are at Bright Angel Point soaking in the enormous views.

Zion National Park

Here we are in the spectacular canyons of Zion in southern Utah!

We visited Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon on our quick trip and all agreed that Zion was our favorite--the same as Becky and I felt on our previous trip there 12 years ago.

This was one of our favorite spots, "The Weeping Rocks", where water drips down from an overhanging cliff above.  (That's why Auggie looks wet--trying to cool down from the intense desert heat.)

They have a wonderful shuttle bus system in the park (no private cars allowed in!).  This is the view out of one of the vent windows on the roof of the busses, which, in addition to providing nice ventilation, give good views of the peaks towering right above you as you pass up the canyon, maintaining the sense of awe at the vertical scale of everything.

Oregon for Juel's 50th

Juel held a big party for her 50th birthday on Memorial Day weekend.  The next day the majority of her ever-growing clan drove out to a mini-railroad run by a local club of model enthusiasts.  Everyone had a good time and the kids rode again and again.  (It's free!)

Misty, DJ, and Rose up front

Hunter and August in the far back

August, Kyler, Noah, Bryson, Ashleigh, Rose

                    Bryson, Ashleigh             Rose        Misty, Connor, DJ

Noah, Kyler, Joe                      Connor, Betty, Ashleigh, Juel

Cougar Mountain Zoo + Burke Museum

Rob and the kids returned to the (small, private) Cougar Mountain Zoo for the first time since they were quite small.

Relaxing in the shade on a hot, sunny day.

Some of the collection of beautiful, colorful parrots.

A few weeks later we also went to the Burke Natural History Museum on the UW campus in Seattle, which focuses specifically on things from Washington State.

I think August definitely liked the various dinosaur fossils best.