Polaris = Fun!

The night prior to our last day in Utah I was able to meet up with a friend from the 'Burgh (how crazy is that?)  Missy and her buds were traveling through the west and strangely enough we ended up in Moab at the same time.  She was telling me how they were renting a Polaris the next day....fun, right?!?!  Friday came, the team and I were headed on one last mountain bike ride and quite honestly the kids were done; they were tired, hot, tired, and getting quite grumpy.  Mike and I thought Missy had a great idea with the Polaris so we went and checked it out.  It was a little pricey (okay, VERY pricey) but we knew the kids would love it.  We rented one for five hours and traveled through the back of Arches.  Of course we let both kids drive for a bit and thankfully ended the day injury free. 

Our stay in Moab was fantastic.  At times camping in over 100 degree weather was less then desirable but according to Mike it beat living over a year in Afghanistan:)  The kiddies had so much fun on their bikes, getting dirty, driving a Polaris; but we were ready for Crested Butte. Spending a week as a family with no outside interruptions was such a blessing.  No television to distract us and no late night calls for Mike.  Spending the evenings at a picnic table with a fire going playing cards...the absolute perfect way to spend quality time as a family after a year of being apart.

Deadhorse Point

Near Canyonlands is another great place to mountain bike ride.  It's in an are called Deadhorse Point where apparently cowboys would round up the loose horses, pick which ones they liked the best, and then leave the rest to die overlooking water (cruel, I know.)  It was a 10 mile ride and just fantastic.  We saw some great views of the mighty Colorado River and finished the ride off with some MRE's for the kids.  Jack could not contain his excitement of eating an MRE so getting him through the rise was a breeze.  

Canyonlands National Park

Ahhhhh...Canyonlands.  Another beautiful stop through Moab.  We grabbed the bikes once again to ride through the park,er,down 1500 ft from the top of the park to another roadway at the bottom.  Baylee, Jack and I started the descent (which didn't look bad at the start) and only Baylee and I finished.  I have to say  I would've much rather Baylee not finished because some parts of the ride down were pretty rough, rocky, and close to the ledge but she made it to the bottom and Mike and I couldn't have been more proud.  Mike followed us in the truck just in case anything happened and he stopped a few times to take some pictures.  A few below will show you the depth; try to find Baylee and I!

Once we biked to the bottom we drove back to the top and headed to Mesa Arch.  It was a beautiful site ( some say better than the Delicate Arch but I don't think so) and once again Bay and Mike climbed to the top.  This one was not as bad as the Double O's from Arches, in fact Jack headed up there with them.  Poor thing fell (not really:) and you'll see his landing in the pics as well.

Another fun day for the McGuires!

Delicate Arch

On our second day in Utah we decided to take the kids white water rafting down the Colorado River.  They had a blast, needless to say; in fact Mike had just as much fun as the kids getting out of the boat and floating down river a bit.  Of course I have no pictures since I didn't want to get my camera wet but it was a beautiful and scenic ride.

Later on that evening as the weather dipped down into the 90's we took the kids back to Arches to make the 1 mile each way hike to see Delicate Arch (which if you ever see a Utah license plate, it's the picture.)  I have to say this was the most beautiful scene I think I've ever seen (besides of course my 8th grade school picture.)  The hike was fantastic and the views were unbelievable.  We wanted to see the Arch at sunset and what a decision that was.  The pictures speak for themselves..