Daniel and Nathan both have pretty heavy semesters course work wise right now, and trying to balance school with work and church responsibilities has been a bit of a challenge this semester, especially for Nathan. So, they were both good and ready for a break. This past week was spring break and like so many other college students, Nathan and Daniel hit the road. They did not hit the road together though.
Nathan joined some friends for a stay in the St. George/Zion’s National Park area. They stopped to attend two different temples along their path which is one of the fun things about Utah. They stopped at the Cedar City temple and the Manti Temple. We have so many different temples that are relatively close together that temple road trips are a thing. And I love that they made it a priority and scheduled it into their trip.
They also did some hiking, and Nathan spent some time relaxing during some of the more intense hikes. Like me, the migraines limit him somewhat and while he doesn’t like it, having a raging migraine is worse. So, pros and cons. He did suggest the dinosaur footprints museum that Kevin, Malia and I visited in November, and it appears that they had a good time there. But honestly, I remember socializing in college and even if the locale was boring, being with friends meant fun anyway. So maybe they were bored, but at least they looked like they were having fun in the pictures Nathan shared. 😂
Nathan and his friends all pitched in and rented a vacation house which meant that there was cooking to be done. One evening Nathan taught one of his friends to make the baked mac and cheese that we like so much around here, the one that Nathan makes quite frequently for cousins and friends. His friend then proceeded to make five recipes of mac and cheese. So, here’s some context. One recipe will feed Malia and I for 2-3 meals depending on how much we eat. If we average that, it’s about five servings per recipe. Times five. That’s a lot of mac and cheese! But they are college kids, so I suspect it all got eaten. And they added bacon which probably made it even more delicious!
Daniel and Tawni headed to the Grand Canyon. Unlike Nathan, they did not go in a large group. This was a litmus test kind of a trip for them, the one where they spend a week together to see if they still like each other afterwards. So, it was just the two of them. Daniel has never been to the Grand Canyon and Tawni was only ten when she visited, so they were both excited to go.
Daniel’s first impression of the Grand Canyon was that pictures don’t do it justice. And he’s right. There is no way that a photo can convey exactly how large the canyon is. Even when seeing it with your own eyes, it is a bit hard to comprehend. One day they did an all-day 15-mile hike around the rim of the canyon, and he described the scenery as “superb.” Another of his observations is that the canyon just appears. It isn’t visible until you get to the rim. For those of us who live so close to a large mountain range, our concept of a canyon is in relation to those mountains. But the Grand Canyon is a whole different beast, and it was surprising to him.
On Thursday, they got some snow. The storm was large enough that their drive back to the hotel from the canyon was long and slow. On Friday, they did some exploring in Williams, Arizona and accidentally found A coprolite museum. For those that don’t know, coprolites are fossilized dinosaur poop. Daniel actually got coprolites in his stocking for Christmas one year. And it wasn’t because he was naughty. It was because that is what he really wanted! So, when they came across an entire museum dedicated to dino poop, they knew they had to stop. And they discovered that the museum is in the Guiness Book of World Records twice-once for being the world’s largest collection of coprolites and once for having the largest coprolite in the world. I guess that you can say that the #2 is actually #1. WACKY SMILEY FACE
Around here, when we talk about enough snow to close roads, that means a lot of snow. But in the Arizona desert, just a bit is enough to make a big difference. There was enough snow that the road on the north rim of the canyon was closed. That meant Daniel and Tawni had to drive south to hit the highway that would allow them to turn back north to come home through Page, Arizona. It added a good two hours to an already long drive, so they arrived back here (their pitstop on the way back to Logan) later than anticipated. Despite the detour, they really enjoyed their trip.
I’m so glad my boys are taking advantage of these opportunities to explore the world. I wasn’t ever a travel on spring break kind of a girl, but Daniel and Nathan are both more adventurous than I was at their age. And knowing what I know now about all the responsibilities that accompany adult life, I’m grateful that they are taking time to be fully engaged in their college lives and taking advantage of the opportunities they have to be young and free. These times will never come again, and I’m glad they are finding as much joy as they can!
