Bryce canyon

 Just when I think I've seen everything Utah has to offer, Utah surprises me again!  Bryce Canyon is breathtaking and unique and inspiring.  Pictures do not adequately portray the beauty of this canyon.  Mother nature is truly an artist.  Her formations never cease to amaze me, and the beauty of this earth is so diverse.  I was completely in awe with Bryce canyon, but I don't think my boys felt the same way.  I feel like they have experienced more nature in their short little lives than many adults experience in a lifetime, so beautiful nature isn't as much of a rarity to them as it is to me.  It is really important to me that my boys get out and enjoy this beautiful world, but I don't want to overdo it. I want to instill a love of nature in them, but i'm worried all our hikes are causing more angst than love. Hopefully we can find balance, and they will learn to appreciate our outings more as they get older. We only spent one day in Bryce Canyon, but it was enough time to experience the views and the beauty of Bryce. We hiked a short one mile path that took us though some pretty evergreen trees and amazing views.  We also hiked the three-ish mile Navajo/queen loop trail which was absolutely gorgeous, but fairly steep.  This hike takes visitors down into the canyon to see the hoodoos up close. We were going to take the shorter one mile loop, but a section was closed (and we didn't know until we were all the way down in the canyon) so we had to do the longer three mile loop.  I felt really bad for the boys since they were already tired, but besides complaining, they all did great.   Blake struggled a bit (he is only four years old and had completed a five hour hike two days before, and another long hike the day before).  I feel like I missed half the hike because I had to calm and reassure the poor little guy for three miles that he could do it, that "yes" this hike was hard, that "no" his legs were not going to break, and that "yes," if we kept walking we would get back to the car.  It was a long hike, but it truly is one of the most spectacular hikes I've ever been on.  In the end we all made it, and the boys got to enjoy  pool time at the hotel that evening.