A Grand Tradition
I didn't foresee that we were starting a tradition. I thought we were just trying be a little rational during a highly emotional time of our lives. When we decided to get married thirteen days before I entered law school, my wife and I realized that it would be wise to not spend too much money on our honeymoon. We still wanted to start our marriage off right with a trip that we would remember for years to come; we just didn't want to dig ourselves into a deep hole of debt. We investigated options that we would enjoy but wouldn't require us to raid the bank.
We opted to stay fairly close to home and avoided expensive fares to Europe. Because we married in early August, the Utah Shakespearean Festival was an easy choice for quality entertainment at a fair charge. And once we were in Cedar City it was natural to add stops in two of the best national parks in the country that are only an hour or so away and right in our home state. The majesty of Zion and the geographic diversity of Bryce Canyon offered days of quick hikes and adventures. These destinations proved to be reasonably priced for a young couple and helped to create the lasting memories I had sought.
Over the years we have frequently found ourselves in those same parks. We have come alone or during family reunions and we have brought foreign exchange students to experience the parks. I love their reactions to these mountains and impressive formations that grows into a truly awed reverence. Watching children and teenagers silenced in the presence of nature's beauty is a wonder all of its own. I can say that I have never been disappointed by one of these trips.
Because of the relative ease of getting to these places I now realize that they have become regular destinations for our family to the point of becoming a tradition. To add to the nostalgia, this year my good friend at work mentioned that his daughter was attending an acting camp at the Shakespeare festival. We decided that we would send our daughter as well. She rode down with my friend and his daughter and we planned to pick her up at the end of the camp. Once again, since we were already going to be in Cedar City, why not work in a trip the national parks?
This year it came with a twist. My 16-year-old son asked if he could see the Grand Canyon this year because he never had. He was right, our repetitive travels to Zion and Bryce meant that none of us had never been to the Grand Canyon. This time we changed that. We varied our itinerary and came down early in the week and made a trip to the Canyon. As I walked with my three other children, my youngest looked around and declared, "Bryce is great, but this is Grand."
We'll be back.
We opted to stay fairly close to home and avoided expensive fares to Europe. Because we married in early August, the Utah Shakespearean Festival was an easy choice for quality entertainment at a fair charge. And once we were in Cedar City it was natural to add stops in two of the best national parks in the country that are only an hour or so away and right in our home state. The majesty of Zion and the geographic diversity of Bryce Canyon offered days of quick hikes and adventures. These destinations proved to be reasonably priced for a young couple and helped to create the lasting memories I had sought.
Over the years we have frequently found ourselves in those same parks. We have come alone or during family reunions and we have brought foreign exchange students to experience the parks. I love their reactions to these mountains and impressive formations that grows into a truly awed reverence. Watching children and teenagers silenced in the presence of nature's beauty is a wonder all of its own. I can say that I have never been disappointed by one of these trips.
Because of the relative ease of getting to these places I now realize that they have become regular destinations for our family to the point of becoming a tradition. To add to the nostalgia, this year my good friend at work mentioned that his daughter was attending an acting camp at the Shakespeare festival. We decided that we would send our daughter as well. She rode down with my friend and his daughter and we planned to pick her up at the end of the camp. Once again, since we were already going to be in Cedar City, why not work in a trip the national parks?
This year it came with a twist. My 16-year-old son asked if he could see the Grand Canyon this year because he never had. He was right, our repetitive travels to Zion and Bryce meant that none of us had never been to the Grand Canyon. This time we changed that. We varied our itinerary and came down early in the week and made a trip to the Canyon. As I walked with my three other children, my youngest looked around and declared, "Bryce is great, but this is Grand."
We'll be back.
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