This wasn't the end of the tunnel, but a lighted portion from a window. It was so very cool driving an entire 1 1/4 miles through a solid mountain. I said to Nathan, "Does this remind you of the Stillwater train?" (That is the mine train that he used to ride everyday to work. It goes a mile into the mountain to the mining sight. It's one of the things, he doesn't miss about that job!)
From there we drove to Panguitch, UT and visited the grave sites of Grandpa Kerr's parents and grandparents. We had lunch at the cowboy restaurant in town that used to be his great-grandfather's mercantile. Then we drove to Bryce Canyon National Park. It really is as pretty as all the postcards! 
Josie isn't in this picture. One of the cousins must have been holding her.
You can drive from one viewpoint to the next, but they're also connected by an easy walking trail. So, we ended up half a mile from our car. Nathan took the kids down into the canyon and I packed the little fat one back to the car and drove around for them. The minute Josie hit her car seat, she was fast asleep. That poor girl was so tired the whole week. Below is Mazie down in the canyon. You can see the Hoodoos above.
That night we stayed in Hatch, UT, since the other families were heading south to the Grand Canyon. We took a different route and met up with everyone later in Moab. Day 5: July 23. Red Canyon, Grand Escalante Staircase and Capital Reef National Park. Between Hatch and Bryce Canyon is Red Canyon. We drove through it on day 4, and said, "Hey, let's come back tomorrow and hike around those trails. So, we stopped at the visitor's center first thing in the morning and asked the forest rangers what trail would be a good hike with four kids. She recommended only one, and it was great-- Pink Ledges Trail. It was a fairly flat mile loop that started and ended in the parking lot.
There were several very cool rock formations. These are just a few of the many pictures we took on this short hike. Plus, the kids loved it because it wasn't difficult and we were the only people on the entire trail. 
Dylan snapped a shot of the rest of us, which (of course) sparked an argument, because every kid wanted to take a picture. Will this bickering ever end?!
Honestly, I think I liked Red Canyon as well as Bryce and Zion. It's smaller, but the scenery is just as beautiful.
Here is the family with a Hoodoo. My flash wouldn't turn on because it was so bright outside.
This photo doesn't do it justice. It steps down, then steps down, then steps down some more. The summit where we are standing is just under 10,000 ft. There were some places on the drive where the road weaves through at 30 mph and the canyons fall away on either side. Yeah, and I drove this pulling and ATV trailer.
Mid-afternoon we arrived in Torrey, UT and went to the Fruita Campground in the Capital Reef National Park. We had never heard of the Capital Reef before we started planning this trip, but we saw it on the map and searched it out. The Fruita Campground is on the original property of the Gifford family farm. It was their fruit orchard. It is in a small canyon with many large trees, and the historic Gifford farmhouse is right next door, turned into a small museum and store. We drove in, set up camp, then went back out to see the viewpoints. Look closely. Nathan is standing on a rock overhanging the cliff, and he's holding my baby. It dropped at least 300 feet below.
This is what was so cool about the Capital Reef. The sandstone is all water marked and fossilized. It almost looks like lava rock, but it's an exterior scarring. I guess that's why they call it a reef. 
And, here's the close-up.
What beautiful scenery!!!
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