50/50

We had a nice time.  It was great to relax and talk and drive through beautiful country side by side.  Turns out I like Moab.  I had never been there before.  There's a lot of Utah I've never been to, considering I grew up in the state next door.

We are slowly seeing a lot of Utah though and I love it more all the time.  What a stunning place!

We went to a really delicious Thai restaurant for dinner.  It's the best Thai food (hands down) that we've had since we left Seattle.

At our hotel we got in the hot tub, well one of the many hot tubs.  There were a network of hot tubs and pools and our kids would love it.  We'd probably never be able to get Mark away.  We chose the hot tub that had the most steam.  Another couple joined us.  Adam wanted to explore but there was no way I was getting out until we were ready to go in or I was uncomfortably hot, whichever came first.  So Adam went to look around at all the pools and that left me engaging in small talk with my new friends.  It was a difficult choice, but I opted to stay warm.

The guy enthusiastically told me all about what they had been doing and gave me unsolicited advice about what we should do at Arches (some people just love to feel like experts).  They told me they were going to camp the next two nights.  I asked, "How cold will it be where you're camping?"

"In the 20s," he gleefully responded.

"I don't like camping in the best circumstances," I said.  Which maybe sounded a little snotty so when we left I told them I hoped they enjoyed their camping.

They cheerfully said, "Look for us in the news."

People mystify me.

There was ice on the sidewalk going back into the hotel.  It was cold.  Which is what happens in December.

It felt like the perfect time to be there though.  The hotel was super cheap and there were no crowds anywhere.  At breakfast Saturday morning, Adam started talking about when we could come back and bring our kids.

Then we hit the National Park.  It was beautiful!  I don't have the adjectives to describe it and the pictures don't do it justice but will have to suffice.  At least there are a lot of them....

I loved this tree. There's something just stark and lovely about the desert.

This view reminded me of the Fremont Troll in Seattle.

We took a few short and easy hikes and it was cold but not terribly cold.  We drove around too and I pointed out to Adam what the rock formations looked like to me.  It was kind of like pointing out shapes in the clouds.

Here Adam and I took pictures of each other:

Because we know how to have fun in a National Park.

I went away feeling grateful for Adam + National Parks + not camping + eyesight + a heated car + Christmas lights at our house when we returned.

Speaking of Christmas, on the freeway on the way home, we saw Santa:

He didn't seem to be the jolly old elf I've come to expect.  Maybe he was cranky because he had to drive and he'd rather take his sleigh.