Day Nine turned out to be the best day yet. We were met at the lodge lobby by the bus and off we went to raft the Colorado River. Had a wonderful guide and the trip was perfect, especially considering several were a little nervous. The rapids were class II and III and thus nothing that would throw you out of the boat but enough to give you a good soaking, with 50 degree water, cold. We did not jump in. Unfortunately, we did not have the camera and have no photos from the morning activity. Back at the lodge we disembarked from the bus and straight to the swimming pool for a picnic and swim…and we had it all to ourselves. After a little rest we headed back out and met the wranglers for a horseback ride up the mountain. Again, it could not have gone better. A little over two hour ride up the slope and across creeks (5 of them). Back at the lodge for heavy snacks and a well deserved (or two..ok three) cold beverage and we were ready to turn in for the night.

After the hike and a quick shower, we headed back out. Luckily Julie had it all ready to go as we were two hours over the appropriate check out time. Heading North, we left Arizona behind, but still probably bringing a little red sand with us, and drove into Utah. Passing through Moab, a quaint little town with lots of shops and galleries, we arrived at Red Cliffs Lodge with a two room cabin overlooking the Colorado River. We can breathe a little better now. Coming off of two nights in the RV and a cramped hotel room, its amazing how much more appreciative you can be. The kids were like “WOW, this is huge.” We had a steak dinner on a deck over the river and went to bed early to get ready for big day nine.

We started Day Eight rising early to beat the heat. After a quick bite to eat. Catherine, Anna and I began a 3.2 mile hike around the West Mitten on the “Wildcat Trail.” Julie and J. Gar decided to play around the hotel and get everything packed up for our next journey. Its a good thing they did. The hike was great for the first two miles as we stepped over rocks and through the red clay and red sand. The pics to follow I thought really turned out well. However, Dad took a wrong turn and the hike turned into a little over FIVE miles and the temperature rose quickly. Luckily, I had prepared with a backpack full of water, we needed it all. The last mile was uphill through the red sand. Anna became a little distraught and older sister chose that moment to completely lose it. Anna and I laughed a little at Catherine’s outburst and that only made it worse. At one point, with Anna and I about 100 feet in front, she declared that she was not moving any further until we came back and apologized to her face to face. Needless to say she shortly changed her mind and followed along. We made it back, it took about 3 hours and we were covered in red sand. The neat little French tourist looked at us as they took their pictures like we were natives returning from the outback. It sure made for a good story and eventually we all had a good laugh.