San Rafael Swell Trip
It has become the annual tradition for me to give Jen a weekend away from kids in conjunction with Mother's Day. I could not entirely fulfill that tradition this year due to William's arrival, but I was able to take the other three kids camping, freeing Jen for about 36 hours. 
One of my favorite areas to visit is the San Rafael Swell in Central Utah. Friday at noon the kids and I loaded up and headed down, reaching the San Rafael Reef (the Eastern edge of the Swell) at about 4:00. We set up camp where we had a terrific view of the majestic Reef.
Here the proceedings are just beginning. After the kids climbed a little on the bluffs against which we were camped while I set up the tent, we dug into the junk food. Later we progressed to roasted hot dogs, then s'mores, each step being punctuated by walks into the bluffs, trips to the "bathroom" (a large rock we labeled "Pee Rock"), and investigations of bugs.
By dusk Grant's face appeared as if he were wearing foundation from all the red dust caked on it.
We had sponge baths then settled into the tent for a cool, refreshing night of watching the stars appear over the desert. It truly was a beautiful night. At one point Aspen exclaimed, "Daddy, why don't we do this all the time?"
In the morning we woke up, and after eating some breakfast, set off into Little Wildhorse Canyon, a slot canyon dug out of the Reef, located just a few miles from where we had camped.
This (below) was probably my second favorite picture of the trip. It was a hot day but the canyon provided lots of refreshing shade. The canyon walls were impressively tall and narrow.
This was my favorite picture, however.
I was really impressed with the kids. They hiked in a good hour and half with me. We probably logged a mile in and a mile back. They did complain a little bit, but not much. And when they would bug me to turn around, they would soon get distracted by some rocks or a lizard or some other natural wonder. I let them stay distracted as long as they liked, and patiently watched or played along. It was really a neat way to experience this canyon.
This final picture is from the way home, at Eagle Canyon overlook. This gives an impressive overhead view of the Swell and leads me to think of the mystery and adventure it holds.
