24 Hr Trip

Last Friday we loaded up the Pilot and drove to St. George as soon as Nate got off work. I am always amazed at the amount of planning and work it takes to get our family somewhere, even for one night. We were meeting Steve and Jody there to go to the St. George Winter Bird Festival. The plan was...Nate, Steve, and the kids: camp. Me, Emmy, and Jody: hotel.

The kids had been so excited to go camping and had been talking about it all week. Unfortunately, it got a little too windy, and they did NOT want to camp anymore. Steve and Nate convinced them to at least try it. They drove out to the campsite and began setting things up (the kids had fallen asleep in the car on the way.)  When they woke up after not too long, they were even more deadset against the camping idea. They all came back, and all 7 of us slept in the hotel room. Hahahaha. Emmy was our alarm clock of course.

The hotel did have a pretty yummy breakfast:

 We made it to the festival in time for a presentation on raptors. Emmy, Jody, and I slipped out quickly...this was not a good place for a 16 month old.

 We had a really nice time walking on some nearby trails. Emmy fell asleep, and I settled down on a bench and relaxed with her. 

 Here we are at Lytle Ranch...our big destination for the day. One website describes this place as "an oasis in the deserts of southwestern Utah." It's owned by BYU. We really enjoyed the few hours we spent exploring.

 Since the  "camping" hot dogs didn't get used, we ate them for lunch in the parking lot at Lytle Ranch.

 This sweet dog joined us in hopes of some scraps. He must live there. I think all he got were a few Oreo crumbs. :(

 You hear people say that the desert has a beauty all its own. I think that's definitely true. 

We were back in Utah a little after 5 pm on Saturday. An awesome 24 hours.