We have been planning to take a "Big Trip" for years. This was finally the year it all came together. After pondering our options, running the numbers, and facing reality, we decided to buy a pop up camper and start making reservations. All in all, it turned out to be a really great time! Here are some highlights from our 3 weeks away from it all!
(Warning: These 3 posts are really long!)
Day 1 - July 19 - drive to Louisiana
Within hours, the kids had discovered how to make annoying noises with their snacks.
Who knew how loud goldfish could be?
Rest area stop for lunch - time to get the wiggles out!
Our campsite at Chicot State Park. It was very muggy, but the air conditioner worked fine and it was nice that we had the place to ourselves!
A rousing game of spoons to end the day.
Day 2 - July 20 - drive to Wichita Falls, TX
We chose Wichita Falls as our stop so we could see Adam & Holley and their family. We didn't want to overcrowd their apartment, so we set up the camper in town and then stopped in for a visit. We had hoped to all go swimming together, but the pool was closed. We had some disappointed kids! We still got to see their almost finished home, though, and we celebrated Sophie's birthday with her a little early!
Our campground.
Wichita Falls RV Park (not much to look at, but it had really nice bathrooms!)
Day 3 - July 21 - Drive to Albuquerque
We saw oil derricks as we crossed Texas, but we didn't get a picture.
We also saw quite a few windmills.
A random rest area stop turned photo shoot.
I'm not sure why the kids were asking for pictures!
Crossing the Sandia Mountains - our first look at some real hills.
Heading for the pool at the Enchanted Trails RV Park in Albuquerque.
A look back at the Sandia Range.
These cars were on display at the campground. One of the big bragging points of the location was that it was right on historic route 66. It turned out that EVERYTHING we saw along route 66 made a point of mentioning it! The novelty wore off quickly.
These cars and campers were cool, though!
Day 4 - July 22 - Petrified Forest
We saw SO many trains traveling across the southwest.
We stopped for gas on an Indian Reservation. They had all sorts of tourist trap stuff.
Brandon regularly used this little scope from Derek's old spy kit. It was pretty funny.
Along the Puerco Pueblo walk, we saw lots of petroglyphs.
A few looked like they might be modern additions.
At the Blue Mesa trailhead.
Dustin wrote very diligently in his journal for the first few days of the trip.
The trail dropped down into the badland portion of the park. It was pretty steep going in and coming out.
A little petrified wood here and there.
Outside the Rainbow Forest Museum.
Digging for fossils.
The rain finally came in earnest about the time we finished our loop through the park.
We saw these elk in Tusayan, the little town just south of the Grand Canyon.
Day 5 - July 23 - Grand Canyon
Our camper set up in Trailer Village.
Heading out to catch the shuttle and do some hiking.
Checking out the mules in the corral near the trailhead.
Heading down on the Kaibab Trail.
The kids enjoyed playing on the mule hitching posts.
Looking back towards the trail.
Another glance back from out on the point.
Somebody was either really brave or really stupid. Probably both.
Time to head up - now the fun really begins!
If you look close, you can see the people on the trail up ahead.
Looking back down after some mules passed us.
Everybody was pretty tired when we got back!
And not necessarily in a very good mood.
They just wanted to go sit in the camper, but we weren't done yet!
We hiked along the flat rim trail for a while to see some other vantage points.
The Bright Angel trail down below.
Colorado River
A small rain shower moving in. It was really cool to watch it.
I left for a few minutes and came back to find my family on the wrong side of the rail!
No more walking - just snacking. Now he's happy!
We were eating dinner in the camper when the kids pointed out the window and got really excited. There were several mama elk wandering through the campground with their babies.
I decided too late that I wanted to see the sunset in the Grand Canyon. We couldn't get to the rim in time, but we got a nice picture in the parking lot! It was probably really pretty in the canyon!
Day 6 - July 24 - Hoover Dam, Las Vegas
Since we missed sunset, we got up super early in an attempt to see the Grand Canyon sunrise.
We had to be on the shuttle by 5:00 Am to get out to Hopi Point.
Dustin was obviously very tired as we headed back to pack up the camper.
Lake Mead
Approaching Las Vegas.
We opted to just do a driving tour of the strip.
Amazing fountains in front of the Bellagio. It was quite a show!
Heading for St. George.
Back into Arizona for a short stretch. Keeping track of what time zone we were in proved challenging in this part of the country!
The St. George temple could be seen easily against the red rock.
Anne & Bill Smith's home that they graciously let us use.
Kamm & Milli's house across the street. It was a wonderful set up!
We loved visiting and catching up with the Davis family!
Milli, Kylie, Kassidy, Kamm
All the kids - Kaylee was in heaven spending time with girls!
Day 7 - July 25 - St. George Temple & Zion National Park
It was easy to find a place to attend Sacrament Meeting in St. George! After that, we stopped by the St. George temple to walk around. The visitor's center was open and we got to learn some interesting things about the temple.
After we toured the temple grounds, we changed clothes and headed for Zion National Park.
Taking the shuttle up through the canyon.
We decided to do the Riverside Walk, which was paved and therefore quite crowded. It was also very hot outside, and we didn't plan to swim in the river, so everyone was a little miserable.
Using some dripping water to cool off.
The squirrels weren't afraid of people.
We did do a little wading at the end of the trail,
trying to get a glimpse of the narrows around the bend.
Too many people!!
We made the mistake of leaving our bag unattended for a few minutes!
He chewed right through the side.
After we finished the cattle run, we decided to try for a more secluded trail. We thoroughly enjoyed the Emerald Pools trail. It felt much more like enjoying nature on the Sabbath!
Kaylee holding a tadpole.
The road heading out of the park looked like spaghetti on the GPS.
It turns out we were just barely narrow enough to use the tunnels without an "escort."
Roger couldn't resist stopping the car to climb the rocks.
1 comment:
Wow! Looks like quite the week - I'm not sure what else there is to do in the next 2 weeks! I loved Brandon's fingers in his ears...he looked so happy! Everyone really does look happy in most of the pictures - I'm sure it was as exhausting as it was fun! Love the family on the other side of the rails, too. I don't think I would have been very happy about that!
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