Cedar Breaks

Chris had flown home a week earlier, Davis was staying another week in Utah to attend EFY, so Nathaniel and I drove home by ourselves.  We left early in the morning so we were near Cedar City around lunch time.  I had never seen Cedar Breaks National Monument and it was only about 15 miles off the highway, so we drove up there for lunch.  It is a tiny little park but it was so pretty.  At 10,000 feet above sea level it was also a lot cooler up there (63 degrees instead of 89 in Cedar City and 103 in St. George.)  We spent a couple of hours having lunch, going for a little hike to an alpine pond, and stopping at the visitor's center where a wildflower festival was in progress.  We didn't arrive home until about 8pm that night, but it was worth the stop.

Lunch on the edge.

Rockfall we saw on our short hike.

Everything was in bloom.  I guess at 10k feet summer is short so all the flowers bloom at the same time.

Nathaniel helps a ranger with native plant restoration by planting a yarrow seedling.

Yikes.  I've been in the car too long.