{"id":2241,"date":"2022-04-18T11:10:10","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T16:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.anselcross.com\/?p=2241"},"modified":"2022-04-18T16:39:47","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T21:39:47","slug":"ultimate-utah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.crosscountryadventures.net\/?p=2241","title":{"rendered":"Ultimate Utah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We slogged through the winter and finally made it to a much-needed spring break. We felt like we needed a real<\/em> change of scenery. 19 years ago, Kristie and Jay honeymooned in Utah. It seemed like the perfect place for us to escape to in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angel’s Landing in 2003. Look at those kids! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Las Vegas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We woke up early Saturday morning and flew from Charlotte to Las Vegas. The plan was to leave Vegas as quickly as possible. The one-and-a-half-hour line at the Avis counter prevented that. One benefit of waiting though was that Jay got to meet a celebrity of sorts from his hometown of Conway, SC. When he walked up to speak to a Coastal Carolina fan, he quickly learned that the fan was the head coach of the Chanticleers Jamey Chadwell<\/a>. Figuring that was the end of our luck, we decided it was time to head for the hills. First, we stopped by Fremont street to fuel up at La Comida<\/a>. From there it was on to Virgin, UT. We didn’t quite make it due to the teenager hunger pains and our need for provisions for the trip. To fix these things, we stopped in St. George. Parker has always wanted to go to In-N-Out Burger<\/a>. He got his wish. With full bellies, we headed on to the Fairfield Inn <\/a>in Virgin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, we woke up early and drove to Zion National Park<\/a>. We had an early reservation to hike up to Angel’s Landing<\/a>. Jay has told the kids multiple times about the last time that he and Kristie completed this hike. The story includes a woman being airlifted off the peak (the picture above was taken minutes before the helicopter arrived). The hike consists of a two-mile walk with many switchbacks, known as Walter’s Wiggles, followed by a half-mile ascent to the peak. The signs indicated that 13 people have died there since Kristie and Jay last visited. Everyone tackled the hike without problems. We enjoyed the view at the top and then began our descent. We ate a quick lunch at the Red Rock Grill<\/a> at the Zion National Park Lodge. Afterwards, we caught the bus to the Temple of Sinawava stop and walked the 2.2 mile Riverside Walk trail. We checked into the Springdale Spring Hill Suites<\/a>, went for a quick swim in the pool, and then headed to the Stage Coach Grille<\/a> for dinner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 2 at Zion involved a drive through the National Park to the east side where we met our canyoneering guide Brandie with East Zion Adventures<\/a>. We packed up our things and loaded up in Brandie’s Can-Am UTV. Brandie drove us down the highway at high speeds, then turned down a BLM road never letting off the gas. It was at that point that Kristie dubbed her a wild woman! Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride continued until we reached our destination. We geared up and headed into the canyon. We enjoyed the hikes, rappels, and scenery as we ventured through the canyon. Our drive out of the canyon involved Parker telling Brandie to go faster and Kristie telling Brandie to slow down. Despite the fact that Kristie was paying, Brandie listened to Parker. We capped off the day with dinner at Dulivia Ristorante Italiano<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our third day in Zion was the coldest. We woke up and drove into the park in below-freezing weather. Once there, Ansel, Parker, Kristie, and Jay saddled up on Murphy, Sundance, Shadow, and Navajo respectively. We had a great ride through the park. Kristie and Ansel both declared this the highlight of our trip. That afternoon, we explored the area some more and dined at Balcony One<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n