Planning our December trip

It's that time of year again! I can't believe I'm already thinking about airfare, lodging, and the whole world as my potential playground for December. Eek. This is something pretty new for my family; we've traveled across the USA together, visiting our beautiful National Parks, but we've recently adopted the idea of spending the winter holidays away from home. Last December was incredible (I'll blog about it at another time). We stayed in Kanab, UT, and visited the much-anticipated Coyote Buttes North. My dad first introducted me to the surreal area known as The Wave, which requires a permit that can only be won through a lottery, by mailing me a newspaper article about it. Somehow, I managed to win the lottery not once, but twice! First time I visited, eight of the 10 in-person spots had been given out, and the next group they selected had four members. So the group chose to wait and try again the next day, and the next number they pulled was ours! (Quick info: they literally do a ball lottery where numbers are randomly selected. They have an online lottery that selects 10 spots, as well as an in-person lottery that selects another 10 spots. Twenty permited hikers per day, max.) So last December 24, a group of seven of us (four passes won online, the other three in person) followed the photo landmark map to the curving mass of colorful sandstone. Honest, there are photos of landmarks and arrows guiding you the right way. More on this later.

But anyway, it is time to decide where we're going next. Howie and I spent last summer in Yosemite (best trip ever!), and this past July was spent hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, then hiking and climbing in the Pisgah National Forest and surrounding area. My first pick for this December is Moab, UT, so we can further explore Arches National Park and actually see a lot more of Canyonlands. Howie and I visited Canyonlands back in 2008, but we barely scraped the surface of what that park has to offer. We really only did one or two hikes (Upheaval Dome and Mesa Arch, I believe). Anyway, I know there's much more to see, so I hope this location wins out. However, I'm open to other ideas. (It didn't escape my attention that there would also be an opportunity to climb if we visit Moab...)

So where will we go? My sister mentioned Mammoth Lakes. A cabin or lodge, maybe, and some snow activities? Could be fun. My other sister mentioned camping in Death Valley. I will have to look into that to see if that's a good idea. I will do some research, and stock up on some good base layers, and see what we find. The key will be getting everyone to agree!