Destination 24: The Very Last & Final Stop - Brian Head, Utah

Alas, our trip is coming to an end. Although there were days where it seemed like no end was in sight, in retrospect, this "Great American Road Trip" as Dad likes to call it, zoomed by faster than we could have ever imagined.

After Riverton, we went to Brian Head for 4 nights of unwinding before it was time to return home. Brian Head is similar to Mammoth in that it's peak season is during the winter for skiing and snowboarding; however, people still go out there during the summer to ride ATVs, hike, fish, relax, etc. Brian Head is much, much smaller than Mammoth though. There aren't a lot of shops or grocery stores, so we made sure to stock up on groceries at the store an hour before reaching our destination.

Thursday night and all day Friday were spent doing absolutely nothing...literally. Our day pretty much consisted of eating, watching TV and reading. The jacuzzi wasn't working because of some construction they were doing so we stayed indoors most of the time. I went a little crazy at some point on Friday, feeling pretty restless and getting frustrated at everyone's lack of motivation to do anything. But since I was feeling under the weather (and no one even acknowledged my whining), I figured it was wiser for me to embrace the nothingness rather than complain about it. I took a long nap, woke up, ate a little, watched a little TV, read a couple pages in my book and went back to sleep. I felt like an infant all over again :)

[Robert and his chocolate chip cookie recipe (as he wrote it):
2 chokolet chip cookies
1 jar of peanut butter
1 bag of chokolet chips
1. spread peanut butter on the cookie
2. add chokolet chips
3. put another cookie on top to make a sandwich]

Saturday was a lot more eventful. Rather than watching Hannah Montana, we drove into Bryce Canyon for the day and hiked a couple simple trails to equal a little over 2 miles. The national park was beautiful...the formations and red rock were so vivid and incredible. And the sky couldn't have been clearer! I thoroughly enjoyed the day out and about. Unfortunately, the kids weren't feeling too hot and Daniel suffered a little heat stroke in the middle of it.

At one point, we looked out across the canyon and to our right was clear skies and a bright, beaming sun. But to our left were dark gray clouds and rainfall. It was so powerful (and a little freaky) to see the rain come closer and closer, climbing over each canyon ridge and spreading out like a huge shadow. Sure enough, it rained a couple minutes later and we decided that it was probably best to return to the condo.

We cooked up some dinner and plopped right back onto that tan leather couch for some more lazing around. With some hot chocolate in hand, we watched America's Funniest Home Videos (you should hear Robert roar with laughter every time that show comes on!) and more of the obnoxious Disney Channel (have you noticed that there's a lot of yelling and high-pitched voices on that station?)

The following day, we were planning on going to Zion National Park since it was so close by. However, after some intense contemplating, we decided to embrace the last day of our trip by staying in and continuing our lazy fest. The kids didn't really enjoy the hiking at Bryce Canyon so much, so it didn't make much sense to drag them out to Zion if they were just going to whine and complain the whole time. I continued nursing my cold and finished my book, while the kids took in more Disney Channel and junk food.

[I wish this picture wasn't blurry!]

[Taking a breather and soaking in the scenery]

[Talking about what the rock formations remind us of. Mary said, "That rock over there looks like a queen sitting on a pillow with her bodyguard next to her."]

On Monday morning, we whipped the condo back into shape, repacked all of our belongings and said "goodbye" for the very last time. We had mixed feelings of excitement, nostalgia, sadness, anxiety and happiness running through our bodies. But there is no doubt in my mind that we all felt thankfulness as we drove out of the parking lot and onto the freeway towards home. I am so thankful for my beautiful family and the hours upon hours of entertainment they provide me. I am so very thankful for my gracious parents who organized and funded this entire trip. I am absolutely blessed to have the opportunity to experience such a thing. The night before it was time to go, Dad sat us all down for a little discussion and reflection. At the very end of our family meeting, he said, "I hope one day you guys and your families will have an opportunity to do a trip like this."

And it is so true. Perhaps I will not have the time and money to go on such an extensive trip like this one, but even a couple weeks driving across country is an experience that I think everyone should partake in. Our country is filled with fascinating stories and beautiful sights; it's a shame to think about how many Americans would rather fly to Europe rather than explore their own backyard! If everyone took some time to go on a "Great American Road Trip" of their own, I think our country would become a little more enriching and a little more cultured, don't you think?