Independence Day weekend was super fun. Russ and I decided to spend the weekend with just the two of us and went to Cedar City. We primarily went for the Utah Shakespeare Festival, which is really well done. We also made a spur of the moment decision to spend Sunday at Bryce National Park, after Russ realized how close we were.
It rained a bit on the 4th so unfortunately we only hit the Independence Day events going on in the city's park, went to lunch, ran a lot of errands, and read in the hotel room. The local shops in Cedar City were closed due to the holiday so our options were pretty limited as to what local activities to do.
As You Like It was wonderful! Shakespeare's plays are meant to be seen and not just read. High school English teachers should show their students the play and then have them read it--or have them read along to the performance. Turns out this was one Shakespeare play I had not read so I started reading it a few days before the show. I thought I was getting it all but missed some important parts of the plot. Russ had no problem understanding what was happening without reading the play first. I'm excited for next year's plays, particularly Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth.
Since we had planned on hiking in Cedar Breaks National Monument on Saturday, we had our hiking apparel. Our plans were thwarted due to mother nature, but luckily Sunday had perfect weather so we went to Bryce. Russ has fond memories of a family vacation to the park in junior high, although he only remembers a hike. He thinks that all kids would rather play video games than visit a park, which is completely opposite of me. My parents instilled a love of nature and hiking at a young age. Still, he was excited when he saw we were only 1.5 hours away from the park so we spent Sunday there. We drove through the park, stopping at all the scenic overlooks. Russ had his picture taken with some ravens that loved people. We also heard many different languages, including a lot of French speakers, who I tried to eavesdrop on but could only make out a few sentences and words.
We also went on a hike down into the canyon. We saw lots of chipmunks and beautiful birds (one had a green back--think grass green). It is amazing that the hoodoos and other rock formations are randomly created by erosion. They look like they were deliberately carved by a sculptor's hand. I'll post pics once I get the film developed (we had to buy a camera since I can't my digital one).
Halfway through the hike we ran into a couple. The male was feeling sick so they asked us to get a park ranger once we made it back up the canyon. We decided to cut the hike short and went up a shorter, yet steeper hike. I really need to learn to pace myself! I tend to just go at the same pace regardless of steepness and there were times I felt I was about to pass out--not to mention I was in a hurry in case the gent had worse problems. Luckily, Russ is a pro at pacing. I went ahead since I'm in better shape but still had problems. I made it to the top after finally slowing down and walking with a lady who's family left her behind. A ranger was headed over to close the trail anyway. Apparently there were others who were having problems and a couple of stretchers were headed up the path. The ranger also said there were about 6 other hikers who requested help.
The weekend was very relaxing and fun. We tend to spend most holidays or long weekends with family so it was nice to really get away just the two of us. We both had lots of fun and talked about plans for other national park trips in the future. Southern Utah has many beautiful sights and we might as well see them before we leave the state.
Anyone who is interested in the Shakespeare Festival for next summer/fall should let us know and we can make it a date!
It rained a bit on the 4th so unfortunately we only hit the Independence Day events going on in the city's park, went to lunch, ran a lot of errands, and read in the hotel room. The local shops in Cedar City were closed due to the holiday so our options were pretty limited as to what local activities to do.
As You Like It was wonderful! Shakespeare's plays are meant to be seen and not just read. High school English teachers should show their students the play and then have them read it--or have them read along to the performance. Turns out this was one Shakespeare play I had not read so I started reading it a few days before the show. I thought I was getting it all but missed some important parts of the plot. Russ had no problem understanding what was happening without reading the play first. I'm excited for next year's plays, particularly Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth.
Since we had planned on hiking in Cedar Breaks National Monument on Saturday, we had our hiking apparel. Our plans were thwarted due to mother nature, but luckily Sunday had perfect weather so we went to Bryce. Russ has fond memories of a family vacation to the park in junior high, although he only remembers a hike. He thinks that all kids would rather play video games than visit a park, which is completely opposite of me. My parents instilled a love of nature and hiking at a young age. Still, he was excited when he saw we were only 1.5 hours away from the park so we spent Sunday there. We drove through the park, stopping at all the scenic overlooks. Russ had his picture taken with some ravens that loved people. We also heard many different languages, including a lot of French speakers, who I tried to eavesdrop on but could only make out a few sentences and words.
We also went on a hike down into the canyon. We saw lots of chipmunks and beautiful birds (one had a green back--think grass green). It is amazing that the hoodoos and other rock formations are randomly created by erosion. They look like they were deliberately carved by a sculptor's hand. I'll post pics once I get the film developed (we had to buy a camera since I can't my digital one).
Halfway through the hike we ran into a couple. The male was feeling sick so they asked us to get a park ranger once we made it back up the canyon. We decided to cut the hike short and went up a shorter, yet steeper hike. I really need to learn to pace myself! I tend to just go at the same pace regardless of steepness and there were times I felt I was about to pass out--not to mention I was in a hurry in case the gent had worse problems. Luckily, Russ is a pro at pacing. I went ahead since I'm in better shape but still had problems. I made it to the top after finally slowing down and walking with a lady who's family left her behind. A ranger was headed over to close the trail anyway. Apparently there were others who were having problems and a couple of stretchers were headed up the path. The ranger also said there were about 6 other hikers who requested help.
The weekend was very relaxing and fun. We tend to spend most holidays or long weekends with family so it was nice to really get away just the two of us. We both had lots of fun and talked about plans for other national park trips in the future. Southern Utah has many beautiful sights and we might as well see them before we leave the state.
Anyone who is interested in the Shakespeare Festival for next summer/fall should let us know and we can make it a date!
