Southwest! 8 weeks with the family, Denver-to-Denver loop, 1st part... (page 3 of 5)

This American road trip is sooo cool!

On top of being well-written and beautifully photographed, it reminds us of some amazing places, introduces us to new ones, and it’s so cheerful that it’s a real pleasure to read 🙂

Looking forward to the next part...

Hi Dolma,

Welcome to the journey and the adventure!

Thursday, July 21: The day we cooled off in Lake Powell...

Another great night in the tent—we sleep so well in Monument Valley! 🙂 We get up around 8:30, have breakfast, and pack up, but we’re taking it easy this morning. 😎 We fill up on gas near Goulding's grocery, wash Buddy (who thanks us 🤪 with those last dirt roads), and head to Page for two nights... We arrive around noon, and our stomachs are growling. 😛 Lunch is at Slackers—a good burger (50$ for 4, and it was great).

After that, we drive to Antelope Marina to rent two canoes for 2 hours (75$ total). Turns out, there are paddles *and*... pedals!!! 😄 Pretty cool!





We have a blast, heading to a secluded spot where we’re alone to take a dip or jump off a rock by the shore... The boys love it, and so do we!





We dock, then head back to the car after taking a shuttle—since the parking lot isn’t near the marina... Why, you ask? Well, the docks are now *way* farther out because the water level has dropped dramatically in recent years. The lake is shockingly low! 😕

We check into our hotel room—another Holiday Inn! We really like this chain for its great value: a room for 4, a pool, and a high-quality breakfast included.

The boys enjoy the pool for a good half-hour, then we shower and head to a restaurant near the hotel, the Gone West Family Restaurant. Country vibes with a live band, long tables where everyone sits side by side—it’s a really fun atmosphere! 😏 The food is just okay, but first, we order a good pint... And then, while waiting for our drinks—BAM!!! A waitress drops a whole tray of glasses not far from us. She freezes, starts crying, but everything gets sorted. An employee mops up, and that’s that... OR NOT! A second server comes running in a few minutes later, and you *know* what’s about to happen—RE-BAM, same BANG, then BOOM! The server slips on the freshly mopped (but not dried) spot and falls with a tray full of OUR glasses... Broken glass everywhere, spilled drinks, and—oh no—even a *bloody ankle* for... ME!!!! A small piece of glass got stuck above my ankle... The server is pale, everyone rushes to clean up, and eventually, things settle down. Our drinks finally arrive 45 minutes after we got there. Phew! 🏴‍☠️

We enjoy the evening—eating, singing, dancing the Madison and other country dances, having a blast! The kids don’t want to dance... Fine, off to jail with them! (Just kidding.)



Then comes the bill. I lean over to the waitress with a playful tone and a smile: "I hope the drinks are on the house!" She stammers something and disappears with our bill... only to return with a manager, who asks if my leg is okay and if I need a doctor. 🤪 Uh, no, it’s just a small cut—no stitches needed... "Alright, well, we’ll give you 50% off the bill for the inconvenience!" !!!!!!!! 😮 Oh, okay—I was just hoping for free drinks, but 50% off the whole evening?! 😎 So, 40$ for a country night with drinks included! Great deal!

We head back to the hotel and hit the hay.

Good night, and see you tomorrow!!!

$40 for the small scratch, you guys got off easy 😉. Gotta say, they’re so scared of procedures over there...

Friday, July 22: the day the Colorado River’s meanders were all ours... just ours...

Yep, you read that right... just ours!!!! Of course, when you hear "Colorado meanders near Page," you immediately think of Horseshoe Bend... but we discovered another viewpoint—maybe less spectacular, but with way fewer people!!! 😎

But yeah, this spot’s earned—big time!!!!!! 😏

Let’s rewind: We got up around 8:30 AM, had a fantastic little breakfast at the hotel—Oscar *loves* getting sausage-omelet when he can! 🙂 We feasted on pastries, pancakes or waffles, fruit... We were stuffed, energy levels maxed out (maybe a little *too* much 🏴‍☠️), and headed off to today’s hike, about an hour from Page: Spencer Trail...

It’s not a super long hike—we did 8.5 km—but it’s got a steep elevation gain, so it’s pretty tough, especially under the summer sun. Bring *lots* of water—we took 6L for the four of us, and we drank every last drop!!!! But it’s *gorgeous*!!!!

We parked at Lees Ferry, and off we went!



That cliff in front of us? That’s what we had to climb!😮



And we quickly got a great view of the Colorado River...



We took plenty of breaks, climbing higher,



rationing our water by sipping small amounts regularly, and the ascent took about 2 hours. Once up top, we had to cross the little plateau to Six Mile Bend to see this...





Just to be clear—we were *completely* alone!!!! 😎 We spent just under an hour staring in awe at that stunning panorama... View of Marble Canyon



Then we started the descent, which was faster (1.5 hours).



Tom took the lead and even finished 15 minutes ahead of us, but he’d only had a little water left in his bottle and got heat exhaustion by the end... We found restrooms near the parking lot and a faucet with—get this—*hot* water 🏴‍☠️. Oh well, tea time for everyone, and we drank that warm water to rehydrate 😄.

Back in Page, we drove past Horseshoe Bend and its packed parking lot... Nope, not going there! 🙁 (Just FYI, we’d already done it in 2008...)

We’d grabbed groceries at Safeway yesterday for a picnic, so we headed straight to the boys’ well-earned reward... a beach for an afternoon of swimming and jumping in the lake!!! We’re not really beach-roasting fans 🤪, but honestly, that moment was pure bliss after this morning’s hike... 😉 We went back to Antelope Marina because we’d spotted a beach with rocks you could jump off while canoeing...



You can’t see them in the photo, but the rocks are on both sides of the beach. Tom and Oscar jumped from different heights, and we even tried a 3-meter leap 😄.

A perfect afternoon, but clouds rolled in around 5 PM, and the forecast called for storms. 😠 We’d planned to go to Alstrom Point and camp there... What to do??? Well, anyway, sunset was a no-go, and the Bisti storm is still fresh in our minds... Wise decision—we settled for Wahweap Campground around 7 PM. The storm seemed to be moving away, but the clouds weren’t, so no regrets... A nice campground with *tons* of groups... French groups, so it was lively, but the wait for showers was endless... 🏴‍☠️ Simple dinner and bedtime.

Good night, and see you tomorrow!!!

Back in July 2015, there were also tons of French people at Wahweap Campground—it was Air France’s works council trip !! For the Spencer Trail, I see you didn’t go all the way to the end of the plateau to be right in front of the meander. Fair enough, crossing the plateau after the climb is *super* long.

I’ll admit we wanted to reach the end of the plateau, but the boys had already hiked like champs and our water supplies melted fast, so we played it safe... Just to clarify, Oscar was 7 and Tom was 12 at the time, but I really would’ve loved to see that head-on!! I’ll be back!!!😏

It's a nice day+ for a 7-year-old, and you did the right thing if water supplies were limited 😉

The photos of Spencer Trail are gorgeous! But you started the hike super late... weren’t you worried about the heat? We finally got to do it in 2023 (it was on the itinerary several times since 2020, but 3 trips were canceled 😕). We stayed at Lee's Ferry Lodge (15 minutes from the trailhead) and at 6:15 AM, we were already climbing 😉 Once at the top, we didn’t go all the way to the end of the plateau either.

Hi Peggy, actually, we’re from Normandy and we love the heat! 😉 We always bring enough water and figure out when it’s time to turn back! A good hat and we’re off!

Sylvain

Saturday, July 23: The day we dipped our toes in the Colorado...

The night was hot—really, really hot—and I’m talking about the outside temperature, guys, okay? 😏 Didn’t sleep a wink; the mercury must’ve stayed above 30°C (86°F), no way it dropped. 🏴‍☠️

We pack up, grab some fruit juice at the campground center, and chat with a French camp counselor who looks completely wiped out... He just got his suitcase back 20 days after arriving, and he’s complaining about the heat and being fed up with the teens... Okay, fair enough, not having your suitcase for 20 days isn’t fun, but come on, buddy, you’re in the American West! 😎 We’re just thrilled to be here!!!!! 🙂

We hit the road again, passing through Marble Canyon and Lee’s Ferry to finally do the "Cathedral Wash" hike this time... 😛

It’s 10 AM, it’s hot, and we’re off...



But in the wash itself, there’s a nice breeze, and we manage to find some shade.



5 km (3.1 miles) out with a water hole at the end of... 🤪300 meters (984 feet)!!!!



You can either skirt it with a bit of agility or wade through with water up to mid-thigh... The rest is pretty sporty—following cairns, climbing, jumping, scrambling. The kids love it, we do too, and the scenery is gorgeous... And at the very end, the cherry on top.........



We dip our feet in the Colorado while watching rafts tackle the rapids. A good half-hour of peaceful contemplation...



Time to turn back! Another 5 km (3.1 miles), more climbing, more scrambling...





After 10 km (6.2 miles) of hiking and 3 hours total, we make it back to the car and chug a ton of water—nice and cold from the cooler. 😛 Then it’s off to Coal Mine Canyon, where we’d planned to camp on the canyon’s edge. But the horizon is... black, really black. Suddenly, wind—lots of wind, *so* much wind... Family meeting: what do we do??? It’s 6 PM, and it’s hard to see how things could improve in an hour or two... So we scrap Coal Mine and look for a motel instead.

We find our luck in the little town of Cameron, east of the Grand Canyon: the Cameron Trading Post ($100 a night) is a fantastic find! Super-friendly Native American staff, a nice room, a great shower, and a little stroll through the trading post, where we spend a few dollars on souvenirs. We’d picked up groceries in Page for dinner—originally meant for camping—so it’s... camping in the room, making the planned meal: tortillas stuffed with baked beans, cheddar, and avocados. 😛

Outside, it’s storming. By 10:30 PM, no regrets about skipping Coal Mine Canyon—we’ll check it out another time in better conditions... Lights out, and off to bed!

Good night, and see you tomorrow!!!!

Sunday the 24th: the day the boys discover the vastness...

Woke up around 8:00 AM—like, sleeping in for us here!!! We open the curtains, and it’s gorgeous, phew!!!

Light breakfast this morning with our supplies, then off to the Grand Canyon via Desert View, a route that takes us in through the east entrance. First stop and first view of the Grand Canyon for the boys... Oh wow, it’s huge 😏



We make a few stops, then have a picnic at the Village on a bench—nice and quiet, but we’re not alone anymore!!!! 🤪 Clouds roll in, and the canyon colors are a bit duller, but that doesn’t spoil our fun being there and walking a few stretches of Hermit Road...



It’s amazing—just an hour’s hike away from a parking lot, and suddenly, there are way fewer people!!!! 😉



A little goofy break for fun and memories for when we’re old... Oh yeah, we used to do this when we were young??? Well, mostly Caroline...😄



And we keep on our merry way with new views





Back on the shuttle—our time on the South Rim is over...



And we get back in the car to head to Williams and the La Quinta Inn (pretty pricey but nice. $130 a night with breakfast). We settle in, the boys take a quick dip in the pool, showers, then we head into town for dinner. Our pick: El Corral on 66, a great Mexican spot with a big, tasty margarita 😉(100$ for 4)!

A little digestive stroll, then back to the hotel for some well-earned rest! Bedtime!

Good night and see you tomorrow!!!

Monday, July 25: the day we cover a few miles of Route 66 before the golden hour...

Hey everyone! How’s it going today????

We woke up at 8:30, had a great little breakfast at the hotel with a waffle maker 😛 and, most importantly, sausages, omelet, and potatoes for Oscar 😄. We’re all set to stroll around Williams, a really charming little town on Route 66 that’s waiting for us with open arms! Wandering through the streets of Williams:





retro version!





We love this peaceful town, even if there are a few people around... Then it’s time to hit the...



We take the stretch passing through Seligman, an old-school town packed with relics from the Route 66 heyday: cars, storefronts, gas stations, motels...











To be continued in the next post...

... We obviously stop at Delgadillo’s, who deserves credit for keeping the myth alive...



We pick up a few souvenirs, then head to Hackberry Store before Kingman...





We’re less enthusiastic, but a storm hits at that exact moment—it’s pouring... How I’d love to cruise in one of those old American cars (restored) that are just rusting away...



We push on to Kingman—still pouring, but it calms down as we arrive at Mr. D’z, the town’s legendary diner!!! ($55 for 4 burgers + drinks)



We finish the Route 66 stretch, and now it’s time to buckle up—it’s VEGAS for 3 nights and all the clichés that come with it... Well, the guys got sucked in and got hassled by a gang... 😮



Naaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnn 😏

We settle in for the first night at the California Hotel (85 € without breakfast, free parking), perfectly located right next to our first stop late afternoon and early evening: Fremont Street! Once we’re settled, we need to withdraw some cash... Quick side note: even though the card no longer exists, we had an AU MAX card linked to our account with zero withdrawal fees—total win!!! So, we look for an ATM (not just any one, since many charge high fees) and find one, but there are tons of people in pretty rough shape—let’s just say totally high—sleeping or just hanging around near the ATM.... Not super reassuring, but we’re only 2 blocks from Fremont Street, so we gather our courage, withdraw the cash, and head straight to Fremont Street... 🏴‍☠️

The boys spot the zip line crossing the whole street right away! We ask about it: $40 per person 😮—that’s a bit steep for 30 seconds of descent!!!! The guys realize that and don’t push it...

We watch the famous ceiling screen show—it’s just WOW!!!







Night falls, we’re hungry, and we spend at least 10 minutes looking for the American Coney Island sign to grab a quick hotdog. We finally find it—25 € for 4 hotdogs, which was meh... Some very *special* characters show up, and we’re stunned—Fremont Street is pure Vegas: lights, noise, smells..., scantily clad women (if you can call it that) 🙁, cocktails, high people, shows... WOW, it’s overwhelming, we’re wiped out, time for bed!

Good night, and see you tomorrow!!!

Tuesday, July 26: The day the credit card said stop... before the STRIP...

Woke up at 8 AM, quick breakfast with what’s left in the cooler, then we’re changing spots!!! Check-out and off to the Strip! 😎 Oh wait, before that, our big Tom says, "Weren’t we supposed to hit the outlets, actually?" 😄 Oh right... When we told them yesterday that the $40 for the zipline would be better spent on clothes, well, it didn’t fall on deaf ears!!!! 😉

So off to the North Outlets of Vegas... We follow the flow of cars, then a bunch of people with cops directing traffic and making us park in a lot... We follow everyone, thinking we’d arrived at the right place... Nope!!! Ugh, sheep 🤪 We end up in the middle of a crowd with badges around their necks—turns out it’s a huge home-building convention!!!!!!! 🏴‍☠️ Back to the car, we reconnect MAps.me and tell the cops who want us to park that no, we’re not going to that 🏴‍☠️ convention, we want the Outlets!!!!!!!

Finally, we get there, but at 9:30 AM, OUCH, everything’s closed 😮 Seriously, what’s with this karma this morning???? We ask around again and find out it opens at 10 AM, phew!!! We wait at the only open spot: a Starbucks with a coffee and a pastry ($35 for 4......)

It opens, and that’s when the splurging starts... We’d said, it’s this much per person... Yeah, but Dad, we can’t find these shoes in France, and the NBA jersey will definitely be more expensive there, and... well, we’ll eat out less and cook in the room.... A quick Shake Shack before checking into the Park MGM hotel, which would’ve cost us $500 for 2 nights... BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... It’ll only cost us $100 for 2 nights in a gorgeous room with 2 king-size beds 😎 How, you ask? Thanks to the MyVegas game, which also gets us a free buffet at Excalibur.... We head to the MGM Rewards desk to get our Mylife card, which gives us all these great deals, then we settle in and treat ourselves to an hour of pool time and relaxation in one of the hotel’s 3 pools. Showers and off to the Strip and the Bellagio fountains, which make Oscar blurt out, "It’s so magical!" 😉



We even catch a wedding near the fountains with a full-on Elvis... So tacky 🤪 Honey, wanna do the same tomorrow night? Uuuuuh, no thanks 😏



We walk past Caesar’s Palace, Treasure Island, taking in all the lights...



Looking for dinner: the guys get a big slice of pizza ($12), and we go for a Jaburrito with a beer ($40)—super tasty, fresh fish, rice, and veggies wrapped in seaweed.

Back to the hotel, crossing the Strip’s crowd: homeless folks, tourists, people handing out cards advertising prostitutes, cops in skimpy outfits, nuns in skimpy outfits 😮, dancers with feathers in skimpy outfits, cheerleaders in skimpy outfits... Tom: "Everyone’s walking around naked here!!!" 🤪 Well, we did warn them about all this craziness!! 😛

We head up to the room, check out the Vegas lights from our 27th floor, and bedtime! Oh, and I’ll gamble $20 in a penny slot, just in case!!! Well, no luck—lasted 15 minutes.... 🏴‍☠️

Good night, see you tomorrow!!!

Wednesday, July 27: the day we finally discover Cirque du Soleil....

Hey everyone!!!!

Up at 10 AM this morning 😇Did someone spike our drinks last night??? Nooo, just a well-deserved sleep-in for everyone. 😉

We get ready and head to Excalibur because we’ve got a buffet waiting for us (won on MyVegas)... We walk there, passing by several casinos:







You can eat whatever you want—that’s the whole point of a buffet, right? 😛 Pancakes, crêpes, omelets, pizzas, veggies, mashed potatoes, seafood, meats, fruits, desserts... Everyone piles up three or four plates. We don’t waste food, but some people—ugh!—have 4 or 5 plates in front of them with mountains of food barely touched. 😠 We even talk to the waitress clearing the tables, and she’s disgusted too!

Stuffed, with our bellies stretched a little too much, we head to Count’s Kustoms, a collection of custom American vintage cars...







We hit it off with the guy at the entrance (it’s free, by the way) who’s dying to learn a few French words. We teach him: "very beautiful cars and very nice day" 🙂 A great moment of connection, selfies (he wants to show his family he learned French with us 😉), and then we head back to the Strip. A bit of walking—it’s *so* hot! We pass by a shooting range offering different guns: from a simple cowboy revolver to... an assault rifle for... psychopaths. 🤪 Parked out front is a tiny car model...



The walk is long under the scorching sun! We admire a few more casinos, then decide to spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool!!!! 😉 It’s not really our thing, but hopping between casinos isn’t either, and we’re feeling a little tired at this point—gotta adapt when you’ve got kids!!!! 😉 We splash around, play, dive—such a great family moment. The pools at Park MGM are pretty quiet and perfect for kids😛

Showers, and we ask the boys to get all dressed up—though they’re already cute as is 😉—for our "night out"... We eat at Johnny Rockets. It’s meh and *way* overpriced!!! 4 milkshakes and 4 burgers for $100! We should’ve gone to In-N-Out, which we love and is so much cheaper!!!!!! Anyway, on to the surprise of the day—the boys have no idea—time for Cirque du Soleil’s *Ka* show... 🙂



A beautiful theater



A technically mind-blowing show—a stage that goes vertical, something we’ve never seen before, and acrobats at an exceptional level... The kids are over the moon, their eyes sparkling. As the main reason for this trip, at this exact moment, watching our little ones, I get all teary-eyed during this powerful travel moment....

After all those emotions, on our way back to the hotel, we pass by the M&M’s store... And BAM, we end up with 2 mugs and a glass full of chocolates...😛



We have fun in the M&M’s store photo booth—great memories captured! Okay, now time for bed!!!!

Good night and see you tomorrow!!!

Thursday, July 28: the day of returning to calm... well, almost...

Woke up around 9 AM—we sleep so well in our king-size beds!!! We’ll miss them tonight... 🤪

We pack ALL our purchases (outlets, souvenirs) as best we can into the suitcases and do a quick check-out. We get to the car and—darn!—we forgot to ask for a parking ticket to get out... Back to the lobby, then the real departure. Stopped for groceries at a Trader Joe's (really good and not that expensive) and headed to a park on the outskirts of Las Vegas for a picnic since everyone’s hungry!!! We find the perfect spot near a playground where the guys have fun doing parkour! 🙂

Off to Valley of Fire... arrived around 4 PM, found a spot at the park campground in a dreamy setting... 😄



We’re supposed to spend a dream night here... Yeah, right, we’ll see about that... 🏴‍☠️

We take the South road and head toward the East exit of the park



stopping for a short walk around Elephant Rock...



...then the Seven Sisters...



...the road is stunning...



...and around 6 PM, with the light perfect, we decide to take the road heading north...



...which cuts through the park’s most beautiful views...



...it’s just magical...



We return to the campsite—the light is soft, and some mountain goats come to visit...



A nice shower, and as we step out—hey, lightning in the distance... We cook dinner in our perfect camping spot, with a table tucked into a rock alcove. 🙂 On the menu: baked beans for some and ravioli for others... when suddenly, some Kit Foxes come to visit!



The distant lightning in the fading light is gorgeous... Dishes done, teeth brushed, and we settle cozily into our sleeping bags around 9:30–10 PM. It’s peaceful... then... *drip drop*, it starts raining on the tent... then... *BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*... wait, the storm’s getting closer 🤪 and—BAM!—a gust of wind sends the tent stakes flying!!!! 🏴‍☠️ Storm!!!! Oh no!!!!!! The crazy gusts keep coming... Our tent, which has two rooms and a central living area 😎, threatens to take off—I hold the center poles while the two rooms lift up 🙁 Then, suddenly, it calms down, though it’s still raining hard. I strip down to go replant the stakes (no one’s around, don’t worry!!!), the guys think it’s hilarious and join me—naked too—and the whole family does the "Sun Dance" in the pitch-black night to finally secure the stakes... We go back inside to dry off and get back in our sleeping bags... then... another gust, then an even stronger one lifts all the stakes again. Mayday, Mayday—we were actually in the eye of the storm 🤪 Okay, Caro and Oscar decide to head back to the car while Tom and I cling to the tent to keep it from flying into the sky, thinking it’ll pass like at Bisti... But after about an hour (we joined the car around 11:15 PM), after an hour of effort, I ask Tom to go to the car and tell Caro to come help us take down the tent if we want to save it!!!! A few seconds in total darkness—Tom took the last headlamp—with the tent bending but not breaking, I’m not feeling too brave... 🏴‍☠️ Caro arrives, we tear everything down in a hurry, stuff the tent into a ball with sleeping bags, mattresses, clothes, and shoes inside, place it in a rock nook near the table, and I put a dozen huge rocks on top... and we sleep in the car!!!!! Phew

Good night (well, not really) and see you tomorrow!!!

Friday, July 29: the day we reach our home base for 6 nights: Saint-George

...a horrible night... 🤪 ...it was scorching hot, but we couldn’t open the windows at first because it was raining, and then because it was just as hot outside 😮 ... a sleepless night trying to find a position to sleep... I woke up at 5:30 AM!!!!! 🙁 The upside? The sunrise over this beautiful campsite was pretty stunning... but I don’t have my camera—it’s in the car, and I don’t want to wake the angels 😇

I take down the tent, find my shoes, mattresses, and sleeping bags, fold everything carefully, let the tent dry (it only takes 10 minutes!!!), and pack it all up... Perfect, by 7:00 AM, the campsite is tidy! We can hit the road! Oh, wait—everyone’s still asleep in the car 😄

I quietly open the trunk to make myself a coffee with... beef jerky! 😛 and just soak in the deafening silence as nature wakes up...

The rest of the crew wakes up around 8:00 AM... Showers for everyone, and we head back to the park’s main road to do the Fire Wave hike... Oh, wait—it’s been closed since this summer because of too many incidents caused by 😠 tourists who try to do this hike in flip-flops with just a small water bottle... Result: rescue operations almost every other day last summer, hence this drastic decision!!!!! We knew about it before coming, so we planned something else 😉 Instead, we’ll do two short hikes that’ll take us barely 2 hours total:

White Domes: a 2–3 km loop that takes less than an hour



...but we can’t complete the whole thing because there’s too much water in the slot canyon... We have to turn back!



Then Mouse’s Tank: a short 1 km round-trip hike in 30 minutes



We’re all a bit out of it 🤪, so we finish up at the Visitor Center to complete the Junior Ranger booklets, take the oath (well, the kids do), get the badges, and then—off to Saint-George!

We stop in Mesquite for Jack in the Box (meh, meh for $40) and arrive around 3:00 PM at our 5-star residence—a 1,290 sq ft apartment for 6 nights, and all for... ta-da... $0 or 0 € if you prefer!!!!! 😏 How’s that possible? Well, it’s another home exchange, something we’ve been doing for over 10 years with HomeExchange... People stay at our place while we’re on our trip, which lets us earn points we use here for Scott’s apartment...

We unload the car and take over the apartment on the 2nd floor of a small complex in a gated community with a guard at the entrance... 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living/dining room—all with thick carpet and air conditioning 😮. We should be pretty comfy for 6 days 😎 We check out the community, and OMG, we’re blown away—we’re really gonna love it here!!! 3 pools



including one with slides



We walk past a big building with basketball and gym posters... We see some kids outside and ask them about it. They tell us to come in, and BAM!!!!



It’s a full-on sports complex with 2 basketball courts, a roller rink where you can skate in circles (you know, like in American movies!!!!), a gym, and in the basement—a parkour room (like Ninja Warrior)... The boys are over the moon—they love climbing and parkour, so off they go for an hour of Ninja Warrior!!! The exhaustion vanishes





Just to clarify: everything’s free to use except... the parkour room, which costs $10...

Anyway, we head out to grab groceries for the evening, take a quick dip in the pool, have dinner, and hit the sack early because we’re... wiped out!!!!

Honey, is that thunder we’re hearing? Or the wind? Oh, no—we’re dry and totally safe tonight... and for the next 5 nights!!!!

Good night, and see you tomorrow!!!!

Saturday, July 30: the day we should’ve explored Yant Flat...

Slept in till 10 a.m. for the real "sleepyheads"—we crashed hard last night, no idea why... Oh right, we had a 20 cm-thick mattress, fresh-smelling sheets, and... 25 °C air—dry and windless. 😏

American-style breakfast with the works (or pick and choose): eggs, bacon, sausages, donuts, fruit, yogurt, coffee, tea.

We get dressed for the pool and kick off a *super* chill morning—like, *really* chill 😎—with games, swimming, water slides, diving contests, cannonballs, belly flops 🙁

Back to the apartment around 2 p.m. for a quick sandwich and prep for exploring Yant Flat, about 50 minutes’ drive from St. George via I-15, then a 10-mile dirt road and a 2–3-mile approach trail...

By 3:30 p.m., we hit the dirt road, which turns out to be pretty easy except for a few sketchy "washes" (fords) that are a bit rough and carrying some water... OK... To our right, the terrain (Burger & Signal Peaks) hides some big black clouds we only spot once we reach the makeshift parking lot (2–3 spots) marking the start of the approach hike... OK... Given the elevation of those peaks, the dark clouds, and—wait, what’s that sound? Thunder 😠. If it starts raining, what shape will those already rough washes be in??? Family huddle 😉 So, what’s the plan? Do we go for it? The clouds seem to be sticking to the mountains... Off we go on the approach hike.



But after about 20 minutes, the lightning and thunder ramp up, the clouds close in, and we decide to turn back—no risks with the kids. In hindsight (it rained, but mostly on the higher ground, not Yant Flat), we think we *could’ve* done it without the kids... Either way, the light at the site wouldn’t have been great... Oh well, we won’t see it—it was out there somewhere...



We’ll *have* to come back! We head back for a dip to cheer up, and the guys squeeze in another Parkour session 😉

Then a quiet evening at the apartment and off to bed!

Good night, see you tomorrow!!!

Sunday, July 31: The day it was 13°C at Cedar Breaks...

Woke up at 8 AM this morning... Yeah, we're not here to twiddle our thumbs—there's a schedule 😄, we're not gonna lounge by the pool for a week!!!! 😛

Usual quick breakfast and a bit of driving today to Cedar Breaks NM (1H25), but as usual, the drive flies by in the U.S., especially with the stunning landscapes around Saint George.

An hour and a half later, here we are at 3,000 meters with a cool 20°C at 11:30 AM at the Visitor Center. A ranger gives us the Junior Ranger booklets and says there might be a few showers later in the afternoon. 😎

Tom decides to stay near the Visitor Center and the car because he’s feeling a slight pain behind his knee from the parkour yesterday evening... Well, the planned hike "Spectra Point/Ramparts Trail" should take us about 2 hours... Tom says he’ll fill out the booklets since the area is really quiet with the rangers nearby, so we leave him to rest...

So Oscar and I take off for a 4-mile round trip—piece of cake!!! 😎

We reach the start of the trail and wow, what a sight!



It’s an amphitheater like Bryce Canyon (not quite as stunning though 😊), with hardly anyone around. We walk among the beautiful and ancient Bristlecone pines...



A few clouds add some nice contrasts...



Speaking of clouds, there are more and more of them... 🤪 We reach Spectra Point: gorgeous!





Come on, let’s push on to Rampart Overlook—it’s wilder, we’re almost alone, and it’s even more beautiful!!!





...but it’s getting cloudier and cloudier!!!!! The ranger said there’d just be a few showers later, in about 2 hours—right??? Yes, yes!

BUT NO!!!!!!!!!! We reach... the end of the trail, you know, when you have to turn back and you’re as far as possible from the start 😠, and well, it starts raining 🤪. Okay, we turn around and pick up the pace, but the rain does too 🏴‍☠️. Well, we’re from Normandy—this doesn’t scare us! We’re not made of sugar!!! Except then we hear a huge clap of thunder—like, the lightning struck 100 meters from us!!!! And then it’s a downpour!!!! The ranger won’t be winning any weather forecasting awards today 🙁. We hunch our shoulders and try to move forward, but mostly we try to take shelter under the pines—but those *beautiful* trees don’t have many leaves!!!! We’re quickly soaked to the bone and... freezing!!!! We wait for it to calm down because right now, it’s raining "cats and dogs"—or as we’d say, like cows (Norman ones, no less) peeing!!!! 😕

And we start the 2-mile return trip, which is going to be VERY long... Alternating between thunderstorms and... light rain, we take shelter when it’s too heavy because the path turns into a torrent carrying all sorts of things, and we’re not far from the edge—it’s slippery... On the way there, the paths looked like this...



We take shelter when it’s too heavy and keep moving the rest of the time—thunder, lightning, we’re cold, we’re slipping, but we reach the holy grail: the car, where Tom was only just starting to worry. We’re only an hour late!!!!!!

We strip off our clothes and turn on Buddy’s heated seats!!!!! The outside thermometer reads 13°C!!!! 😮 Still, we validate the booklets and Oscar earns a well-deserved new badge—he barely flinched even though we did a 6.5 km hike, half of it in a storm!!!! We hit the road back, eat the planned picnic in the car, and arrive in Saint George where the mercury reads 37°C 😮!!!!

Oscar wants to go to the pool... as if he hadn’t been soaked enough today 🤪!!!! Okay, off we go for a pool and scorching hot tub to end the day... 😎

Showers, a good meal, and bedtime!

Good night and see you tomorrow!!!