The sky over the Lake Dardanelle State Park Campground in Arkansas

A Rare Bird in Arches National Park

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Just some arch we stopped at while driving down the road



Remember at the beginning of this blog when I said I wasn't proofreading anything nor was I checking spelling, well, my family is doing it for me. They are happy to point out where I've mispelled or didn't get the date right or even typed in the wrong state. I will continue to be imperfect to give these ingrates something to do besides whine for their next meal.

We didn't get to visit the four corners because they're closed due to construction. Sammy wondered what kind of construction was needed for a plaque in the ground. Regardless, we have to miss this photo opportunity. Today we made a short trip to the Arches National Park. It was neat, but, so far, the Canyonlands were more impressive, in my opinion. I still wish I could get the video thing to work. Craig missed most of today's festivities. He spent most of the day in the camper "sick". We left there and traveled to Cedar City, Utah. Hoke got too hot and the motion from the vehicle caused him to get sick. I don't care how bad the toilet smells while traveling at 60+ mph at 100+ degrees, I was grateful to have it today. We went through a whole case of water today. Unbelievable how much water we have to drink. Even Hoke is drinking water now. Every time I tell him to drink water at home, he turns up his nose. As I update this, it is now 10:00 Monday morning and we are sitting outside drinking coffee. The weather is pleasant for now, but will get brutally warm soon. I forgot to mention they have to heat the pools here because it gets so cold at night.

I will have to say, even if you never get to visit inside the national parks, the landscape is extraordinary. Just driving down the highway leaves you speechless. Our Creator is an amazing artist.

My juveniles, defacing public property, again.

These pictures were taken before we ever made it to the Arches National Park. There was a place to pullover and there were several families stopped, too. The climb up wasn't the best, but the climb down was tricky. Sand, loose rocks and steep terrain made for a slow decline.

Balanced Rock at the Arches National Park

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Left Cortez, Colorado and stopped by the Canyonlands National Park on our way to Moab, Utah. Yes, we are Moabites for a night. The scenery through the Canyonlands was spectacular. Pictures cannot describe. We stopped to hike the Pothole Point. It amazed us that there were so few people there. In hiking these paths along the canyontop, we were supposed to follow the stacks of rocks. Of course, these boys pointed to the huge rocks and decided those were stacks. One by one, each of them scrambled to the tops of the rocks and I soon followed. As soon as I started on the path recommended by Jake, I smelled the unforgettable smell of cat pee. It didn't help that the scenery looked exactly like something you would see on the news where someone was attacked by a mountain lion. As soon as I verbalized what I smelled, each child made a rapid descent. Except for Hoke, he skipped along oblivious to my concern. Unlike many parks, where there are handrails and fences to keep people from certain demise, these trails are open to any outcome.

New rule for today: No fighting near the edge of a cliff!

Quote of the day: "Gross Jake, you need to shave your toes!"

We stopped at another trail and Jake, Addie and Hoke hiked down into the canyon. Craig stood at the edge and took pictures. Craig stumbled on the way back to the camper, but luckily didn't break the camera. I had already told him, he was insured but the camera wasn't. I waited in the camper for a few minutes and heard something on top. I grabbed the video camera to go outside and a huge raven came swooping down from top. I went back inside to change.

Addie took this picture from down in the canyon. Those specks on the cliff are me and Sammy.

Cliff Palace at the Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Friday, June 25, 2010

Visited the Mesa Verde National Park today. It was cool. This is the park where the Indians built their houses in the cliffs. It was cool. I could totally live there. We took two tours. The first we got to climb a 35' ladder up the side of a cliff to reach the dwelling. To exit this tour, one had to crawl through a small tunnel. New rule for today, No skipping along the cliff edge!! Hoke almost started to hyperventilate while climbing the ladder. The ranger told us not to look down, but does Hoke listen? I wish I could figure out how to get video uploaded to the blog. Jake is helping, but, so far, unsuccessful. The second tour, Addie started to get altitude sickness. She almost fainted. We left the tour early with the group ahead of ours. Jake thanked her for getting "sick" because he was getting bored. I was ready to leave the tour because one of the other tourists stood right behind me and was making this awful tongue smacking sound. I thought I was going to scream. I need to thank Addie, too.

35' ladder up the side of the cliff

Tiny tunnels to crawl through

Cliff Palace

Wild Horses from the Ute Indian Reservation

Thursday, June 24, 2010

We took our time leaving the Albuquerque KOA. Of course, we forgot to make a left turn and ended up in Cortez, Colorado. Actually, we meant to go to Cortez. The only thing we did today was fill the propane tank since the relief valve had almost emptied the contents. Beat that for fun.