Pickle pie

My parents are in town visiting from Alaska. Although Alaska has it's nature adventures, I think Dad has really missed the southern Utah desert. As soon as he arrived Joy and Dad went down to enjoy the beautiful sites on the Colorado plateau. In one weekend they went to Arches National Park, Goblin Valley, and Capitol Reef National Park; quite the whirlwind trip.

For years Dad has told us about this cool restaurant in Bicknell (near Capitol Reef) that has unusual pies. This time they brought some pies from the Sunglow Motel and Cafe home to share with us. They were as delicious as they were unique.

My favorite was the buttermilk pie, which had a nice clean lemon taste, however the pinto bean pie was a close second. Lisette's favorite was the pickle pie, and everyone liked the oatmeal pie.

These were first class pies; the crust was just right and the fillings were excellent. Thanks for sharing, Dad!

Arches in springtime

We went to Arches National Park this spring. We are starting to get the hang of camping, but I think more than 2 nights in a tent is still pushing it. The kids got the Junior Badges and learned about the geology there.

Spring was the perfect time to see the wildflowers. It's amazing to see how these plants have learned to thrive in such arid conditions. This paintbrush plant (I believe it's a Castillejea chromosa) seemed especially vibrant.
We really enjoyed hiking the Park Avenue trail. Saffron loved hiking on her own. She was quite the trooper.

The kids had a lot of fun. The weather was just right and it was so nice to get away. Hmm... maybe it's time for another trip!