Utah day 1

Traveling with a teenager has its challenges.  Let me be honest . . . Colin does not enjoy travel like he used to . . . or maybe it is because now he has an opinion?  It annoys me.  I consider it a luxury to travel and an enrichment to his life but he thinks it is boring.  This has been the summer we have spent more time at home than away.  It has driven me a little crazy, but I have tried to adapt.  When I sprung on him we were going to have one last summer adventure it went over not so well.  He complained for days, and I just tuned him out.  So here we are in Utah.

I am not sure what I expected when we flew in but it was beautiful and seemed to take forever to land.  We are  going to check off the last of the Big 5 National Parks of Utah.  We have visited Arches (2012), Canyonlands (2012), Zion (2018), Bryce Canyon (2018) and now Capitol Reef (2019).

So off we go after picking up our rental car which I do not like at all.  I booked a small SUV but they were out so got an upgrade to a Ford Edge.  I always thought they seemed small but in fact it felts huge behind the wheel.  I feel like it barely fits in a lane and very uncomfortable but it was the smaller option of what they had to offer.  We say good by to Salt Lake City and head south towards Torrey, Utah.

What really got me interested in this area other than Capitol Reef National Park were some cool looking options for lodging.  So I booked it.  We were finally about 2 hours into our drive and in the middle of nowhere Utah.  Colin was super quiet so I looked at him in rear view mirror.  He didn’t look good . . . he was a bit greenish yellow so I quickly found a pull off in the middle of nowhere.  He never gets car sick but once I started asking questions it was weird.  His legs were clammy and his hands ice cold.  I was trying to not look panicked and quickly gave him some gummy candy I had been eating and water.  We had just had lunch an hour earlier.  His color came back to his face and I felt a bit of relief.  Back on the road we went but I was worried he would pass out and not know it since he refuses to sit in the front passenger seat next to me. About an hour later we arrived at our lodging for the next 2 nights . . . how cool are these Conestoga Wagons?

I was so excited until we went inside and it was worse than a sauna.  I quickly turned on the AC which provided little to no relief. 

Of course the complaining started and I was secretly about ready to throw in the towel. I decided to go for a swim which was so nice and refreshing. You may be wondering where the restroom is.  Across from the wagon is a building and you are assigned your own private bathroom.  I was amazed at how clean it was so that is good.  In fact the entire area is super clean and even better it is a family owned business.  So the bathroom has air conditioning and I told Colin worst case we go sleep in there since it is so cool!

I knew once the sun went down it will help cool off the wagon but man it is just HOT!  I told Colin worse case is we take pillows and blankets to our bath house and sleep in the floor because it was spotless!  He laughed but I was half serious.  We headed out to dinner at the hotel restaurant, Broken Spur Steakhouse, which was music to the miserable teenager’s ears.

I mean who doesn’t love a huge porterhouse steak?  The steaks were amazing and cooked perfectly too.  We planned our day for tomorrow and returned to our coolish wagon.  The sky was just beautiful so I sat outside for a bit.

Thankfully after a bit it was cool inside and outside too!  I’m loving this wagon . . . the teenager well not so much!  Good Night . . .