The National Parks Tour ...Bryce & Zion

We drove to Bryce Canyon on Thursday night. We stayed at one of the original 1920s cabins right in the middle of the park. We almost came home before our trip even got started because we got a call from RJ saying Leo was sick. He is congested. Elizabeth, the dog walker, went over and assured us that he would be in good hands with her and to enjoy the weekend. Thank god Leo has so many human friends who were willing to baby him for the weekend. On Friday morning, after deciding to stay and not rush home to a sick dog, we splurged and went on a helicopter ride. We saw the black & red canyons. The black canyon is inaccessible by foot, so it was a special treat to see. Pictures could never capture what we saw.

After the helicopter ride, we drove through the various viewpoints in Bryce Canyon. We did a few short hikes, followed by a 4-mile hike through the Bryce Amphitheater. We walked down the Navajo Trail, through a slot canyon called "wall street" and then through the Queen's Garden, back up the canyon wall through the hoodoos. An easy, but interesting hike. You do not realize how big the hoodoos are until you are walking amongst them.

As we were driving from Bryce to Zion, we found a great restaurant called "Buffalo Bistro" -- Steve and I shared a platter of ribs (Elk, Wild Boar, Buffalo), which also included a generous helping of Rocky Mountain Oysters. Are they really cow balls? Great food, great atmosphere, and friendly dogs walking around the dining room. What more could you ask for? We made it to the town of Springdale, just outside of Zion National Park, around 8pm. Our room at the Inn was spectacular. It was the entire second floor of the house.

On Saturday morning, we met our friends Nikki and Joshua for a tour of Zion National Park. Zion is quite possibly one of the prettiest places in the world. The major hike we did was an 8-mile hike to Observation Point. The pictures below hardly capture the beauty of this place.

On Sunday, Steve and I drove up through the park to the East Rim to see the scenery from a different perspective before driving back home. Leo was happy to see us. He still has that cold, though.

Dad comes to Salt Lake

My dad came to Salt Lake City, on a whim. He called me on a Wednesday night, asking if I could pick him up from the airport the following Tuesday night. He found a good deal on Priceline. We did not do too much, but it was nice to have him out here. He helped us think through some plans for new projects.

Shh.... It's a Secret!

Becky is pregnant. The due date for Baby Altman is the second week of June. If everything is still OK by thanksgiving, we will tell our families then. Or perhaps we will wait until Christmas time, just to make sure all is well.

Steve goes to Michigan

Steve went to Michigan for Joerg and Ann's wedding reception. While in Ann Arbor, he enjoyed a night out at Connor O'neils and Fleetwood Diner. As you can see from the photo, Steve shared the smoking jackets from our wedding with Joerg. Before flying back home, Steve made a side trip to Cleveland to play golf with his dad and brother. I stayed at home and missed all the fun because I could not get away from work. I was in charge of a major conference, that featured the former surgeon general.