50 things to do before I die. . . .

Yes, I do in fact, have such a list.  When I was a teenager, my dad read an article in the Reader's Digest about making such a list.  Because such a list can seem a bit daunting in working towards accomplishing, he also make a list of 'Things I have done/accomplished'.  Liking the idea, I decided to follow suit.

One such item is to visit all the National Parks in Utah.  With only one left (Escalante), the last two spring breaks have made a nice dent in accomplishing that goal.  My sister and her husband are both teachers.  Last year it worked out for all my sisters to go to Moab and visit Arches National Park.  We had a blast!   This year, it turned out to be my older sister/family, my parents and I.  We decided to do Canyonlands and are hoping next year to visit Zions (neither Dan or my brother-in-law have been there yet).

Here are a few pictures of the breathe-taking backdrops we saw.

The shortest and by far all of our favorite hike - Mesa Arch was a .5 mile jaunt with a breathtaking view . . .

. . . and a formidable drop-off. 

My cute nephews and brother-in-law; part mountain-goat, part human.

The view from Mesa Arch.

Aztec Butte Trail was a bit of a climb up some slickrock that led to some ancestral Puebloan granaries.  

Jen and 'the boys'.  She's a great mom and sister!  I often wish they lived closer. Jen planned the trip and basically made it happen.  Definitely someone nice to travel with :)

Hmmm. . . I think this is a view of 'The Island'. 

We also did the Grand View Point Trail and Upheaval Dome Overlook Trail. 

The boys decided they needed a break and took a quick nap on the rock. . . not the most comfortable, but they didn't seem to mind.

And Whale Rock.  When all was said and done, I think we ended up hiking around 6 miles the first day with good times had by all.