On our way to Zion, we stopped in Utah

 Our first view of Zion NP

In the middle of May, Dan and I were ready to get on the road and go for and adventure, because we're adventurers. Plus, we wanted to get out of the Portland rain in search of some Utah sunshine. Last year, we spent a week in South Eastern Utah in Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park and had to skip Zion National Park. So we decided that we would spend a week in Zion this year. It did help that my close friend Jenny Eberline just so happens to be a park ranger at Zion.

We took off early in on Monday morning and made our way through the Oregon rain, the Idaho dust storms that were similar to driving in a white out, then into the great state of Utah in hopes of sunshine and beautiful weather. Well, it wasn't raining at least, but it wasn't sunny.

Our first night was spent camping in the northern end of the Salt Lake City area at a campground on Salt Lake. It was a gorgeous site with a creek running through it. We crashed after spending 18 or so hours in the car and adjusted to sleeping on the ground.

The second day of our road trip adventures only had us on the road for about an hour. We were lucky enough to spend the day with our good friend Scott who had just arrived back in the states from a six month internship in India. After grabbing a bite to eat in Provo, we headed to the theater and watched Thor. Awesomely fun movie by the way.

We spent Tuesday night at a campground on Utah Lake and were able to walk out on the pier and see all the city lights of Salt Lake City. We woke up to clouds on the mountain peaks and snow had fallen to about 4,000 feet.

Wednesday, we headed for Zion National Park!

Just another Thursday

Breakfast
This morning Dan decided to to make his own breakfast, and lets just say I was happy he was making it for him and not me. The sausage cooked a little too long and the eggs were, well, more scrambled than pan-fried. I'm just proud that he took it upon himself to make his own breakfast. He's growing up so fast.

Produce

Yesterday was our first produce delivery from the Pumpkin Patch farm on Sauvie Island. We received a bag full of goodies freshly grown right here in Portland. In that wonderful bag were strawberries, rhubarb, radishes, lettuce, green onions, red onion, a lemon, potatoes, and a jar of strawberry jam. The strawberries are so sweet and juicy, I can't wait to make a strawberry rhubarb crisp with them.

With all this produce, I thought it would be wise to add to my Wusthof knife collection. I went to Crate and Barrel and picked up a new pairing knife, another knife to slice and chop veggies, and a knife sharpener. The little girl with pigtails inside of me is jumping up and down with excitement!!!

Parker
It was time for Parker's winter coat to go, thus, we shaved him down. Per Dan's request, he also now has a mohawk.

If you haven't had a chance to meet Parker, he's a super smart dog. He knows when he's going to get a treat and will do just about anything for a piece of chicken jerky. When I was at Target the other week, I picked up a hula-hoop to play with. Then I got the great idea to see if Parker would jump through it like a circus animal. With a treat on one end, he jumped right through!

Chopping Wood and Utah Vacation

This past weekend we were invited to our good friend John Munson's parent's cabin in Goldendale, Washington for one reason: to chop wood. And that's what we did. Dan got blisters, sunburnt, and fed. I got to split a few pieces of wood, fresh air, and fed as well.

After the wood splitting was over, Dan thought it'd be fun to take the quads out for a spin with Andrew, but he tried to "spin" a little too fast and ended up kissing the ground. Thankfully, he's a tough man and wasn't hurt (neither was the quad).

Utah, Here we come!
We'll be taking off next weekend for Utah, Zion National Park, and wherever else the road might take us. Stay tuned for pictures and updates of our amazing adventures yet to come!