August 16, 2017
Huffmans Out West
I've recently returned from a pretty epic trip out west seeing some of the amazing beauty in that part of the country. View the gallery.
This year instead of the typical family beach vacation, since my neice was getting married we decided to turn that trip into our vacation. My niece Hannah asked me to perform her wedding ceremony. It was the honor of a lifetime, and I was more than a little nervous about doing a good job. It turned out pretty wonderful, with the help of everyone. I would say it was the must fun and beautiful wedding that I've ever attended, and I think I did a pretty good job with the ceremony :)
The wedding was held at the AA Barn, which is on property that meets up against the Colorado River. It was a beautiful place to have a wedding, and the weather worked out perfectly.
I decided to make the most out of this trip and extend the vacation with a trip out west to see some of the awesome National Parks in our country. This was largely inspired by my trip last summer to San Francisco and experiencing the John Muir Woods National Monument.
My mom and dad were up for going with me on this journey. I tried to fit in as much as possible in the somewhat narrow window of time we had after the wedding. They did a great job hanging in there for this whirlwind National Parks experience.
We were already right next to Rocky Mountain National Park, so that's where our National Park trip began. From there we headed west on I-70 into Utah, heading for Bryce Canyon and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and then heading north on I-15 up to Yellowstone and the Tetons. It was pretty amazing.
All of the parks were amazing but if I had to pick a best one, then it would have to be Bryce Canyon. Bryce is gorgeous, and the lodge accommodations were really amazing, and perfectly situated next to the famous Bryce Amplitheater. Next time I'll definitely try to see less places and spend more time in one particular place, hiking and camping around.
Here's a gallery of some of the more interesting photos I was able to capture from the wedding and the trip to the parks.
And here's a map of our trip. I have to say, it was a pretty intense amount of driving. In a weeks time we drove over 2,000 miles. It was really impressive seeing the landscape transform as we journeyed from state to state.
I plan to pen a more detailed post about my impression of the parks later. I really can't wait to get back out there and see some more of what the parks system has to offer; they truly are some of our most precious gifts.
Labels: national parks, Photos, travel, vacation
