Miles' Trip Report

Miles in Wire Pass

Click here for pics from the kids' cameras Miles selected.

This vacation was fun from the start: waking up at 4, looking out the plane windows, and the incredible views once we were there. 

Our first hotel, the Quail Park Lodge, was a cute and basic motel. It was my 3rd favorite place to stay and the pool was nice. I enjoyed our tour and the slot canyon mainly because of all the climbing  and exploring you could do, and the Grand Canyon had nice views. 

The car ride to our next hotel was long, like most of the car rides, and you have to drive to get everywhere. The Desert Pearl Inn was the nicest place we stayed, and we could walk anywhere unlike the other places. We woke early and fell asleep late everywhere we stayed. Zion was my favorite park, and some of my favorite hikes (The Narrows, Angel's Landing, and other short ones) were located here. 

Bryce Grand Hotel was disappointing (least favorite) because out room felt yucky and smelled of wet socks, but this hotel held the best breakfast, a buffet!  The scenery of Bryce was outstanding, and we got to get real close to the hoodoos that filled the park. 

My 2nd favorite was the Slot Canyons Inn. It was a cute building with an interesting story. The Rex family, owners, lost their house in a fire and lived in a small house located next to the inn for six years until the bank lent them the money to build the inn. The son, a builder, came and built a patio and outdoor kitchen/grill on the back of the inn where the best restaurant in Escalante is located. The entire inn is beautiful and perfect, and the Rex family lives there in it. It seems like a fulfilling job, and a fun one, too. There is even a cattle ranch with cows, horses, and bulls. Callie and Brady's favorite part of the inn are the owner's four kittens that roam around. Our canyoneering tour was a new experience, ropes and all, and we learned many things. We have seen lizards, snakes, bison, horses, cows, bulls, goats, sheep, and big horn sheep, but nothing could compare to seeing a rattlesnake! Our second day in Escalante we saw dinosaur tracks, but it rained, so our last day of hiking was a bit of a bust. I am sad to see the last of our days here slip by, but I also can't wait to get back home. It has been an amazing, new, beautiful, and recommended trip. 

Funny Comment: Amy, who worked at Excursions of Escalante, we later saw at the grocery store, and later that  night we saw our tour guide, Jim, at dinner. Our waitress knew both Jim, Amy, and two other people working at Excursions of Escalante. Then another family showed up at dinner who had had a tour at the same time as us. Later that night, yet another family who we saw on the tour showed up! It's a small world out here. Speaking of which, an entire High School Class in Escalante has 14 kids, and 22 is large! Much different compared to Vegas , where one homeroom had 34. At the end of the year in Vegas, the homeroom will still have 34, but half will be different kids! 

Synchronized Jump in Zion