Bryce Canyon

We made a trip down to Bryce canyon just three months ago during Spring break.   It was beautiful, and we were really excited when the boys' scout troop announced that they were having a family campout in Bryce over the summer.  Last time we stayed in hotels, but this time we were able to bring our camper.  Since buying it, we have used it twice for dry camping (basically a glorified tent with a heater and tv), but this trip was the first time we used all its amenities.  We used the refrigerator,  heater,  stove, faucets,  toilet (just for pee), shower, and water heater.  Everything worked great, and we had a good camping experience.  Cleaning it out after this trip was a bit more work than previous trips, but I think we are slowly getting the hang of using our camper.

our first meal in the camper - carne-asada, quesadillas, and fruit 

We had a lot of moaning and complaining on this trip.  However, Blake was really excited to use his new water backpack and got really excited any time we said we were going on a hike.  These backpacks worked great - both boys drank a ton of water.  One thing we didn't think about though was all the pee that would inevitably occur.  Blake has a good size bladder for being four, but on this trip he had to pee pretty much every ten minutes around the clock.  He would go, and then a few minutes later he had to go again.  Poor kid even had an accident on a short hike and cried as we had to walk back to the car because it was stinging his legs.   There is NEVER a dull moment on a Burnell hike. 

breakfast - pancakes and berry bowls 

Even though Bryce was busy, it was far less crowded than it was during spring break.  We actually had one of the most popular trails to ourselves for a few minutes.  Along the way we met a very friendly squirrel that  let Wesley pet it.  All my boys wanted to take it home, but I told them a bunny and a hamster were enough pets!  :-)

"Mom!!!  Take a picture of me hugging this tree!!" 

My cute little hiker 

After our hike, we found a shady picnic table and ate lunch.  Wesley ate a ton of cherries, and we were teasing him, saying it looked like he ate a squirrel 

After lunch we stopped by some old western shops.  Wesley had a float with old fashioned grape soda and the rest of us had an ice cream cone.  After eating half the float, Wesley started moaning about his stomach hurting.  I didn't think much of it because he often eats too much and gets belly aches. He then told us he felt like he had to throw up.  I quickly walked him around until we found a porta-potty.  Within one second of finding it, Wesley ran it and threw up for a good three minutes, after which he proclaimed he was hungry and acted like nothing happened.  Kids are fun!!  :-)

Since we were down in this area a few months ago, we wanted to try to find something new that wasn't too far away.  We found a reservoir on our map and decided to drive over and take a look.  It wasn't too exciting, but there was a pretty view and it gave us a chance to relax for a little while.

This was a short trip, but we were able to enjoy some fun hikes that were closed last time we were down.  The boys and my favorite experience this time was the waterfall.  Last time we came down the water fall was dry, but this time it was full of water.  We were able to hike through the stream and actually play in the waterfall.  It was an amazing experience!  Most of us stayed close enough to enjoy the mist, but far enough away to avoid getting soaked.  However, Wesley (my water lover), ran right in it.  That kid will run into any water he sees - no matter what he is wearing!

View from the camper -

Good night sweet bug!