Family Road Trip

We took a week this month, May 21-27th, to go on our first road trip as a family that didn't involve visiting other family members. We had a great time, and definitely have the travel bug (now we just need the money). I'll post more details about the different places we visited, but here's the overview:

Saturday - Lot of driving! We drove from Southern California to Winslow, AZ, which took us about 10 hours with stops. Luckily, the kids didn't have enough time to be bored too long. We packed enough games, school books, audiobooks, video games, and movies to keep them occupied. It may have been a long drive, but at least it was scenic. We even drove some of the historic Route 66. Then we tent camped in Winslow at a KOA, with Darin pitching the tent in the dark. They didn't allow campfires there which bummed Ian out (fire hazard), but the facility was nice so we couldn't really complain.

Yum - camp food

Playground at the campsite, which the kids loved

Sunday - We headed over to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. It is a beautiful place and we spent hours there looking at all the different scenic stops and taking some short hikes. The kids even completed the Junior Ranger program there and got their first Junior Ranger pins and patches. (Details and photos from this area can be found by clicking here.) This is also where we started our license plate game - trying to find as many different state's license plates as we could during our trip.

Monday - After our yummy all-you-can-eat pancakes at the KOA (for $1.99 per person), we packed up and headed to our next stop. But on the way we stopped at the Walnut Canyon National Monument Cliff-Dwellings in Arizona. (Details and photos from this area can be found by clicking here.) This place was quite a treat. We checked out where the Puebloan people lived - in rooms built into cliffs. It was amazing to see how resourceful they were, and also a bit scary as we walked along the cliffs. Bode had to hold Darin's or my hand the entire time. Then we headed over to Grand Canyon. And Darin was happy because he go to set up the tent while the sun was still out. This was also our first night making a campfire, so Ian was especially happy (our little pyromaniac). Plus, campfire = smores = yummy treats.

Tuesday - Grand Canyon here we come! (Details and photos from this area can be found by clicking here.) I've been here before, but it has been a long time, and it was the first time for Darin and the boys, so it was a special treat. The canyon is amazing, especially in person. Pictures don't do it justice. We checked out the rim, the visitor's center, the geology museum, the Colorado River, and the Junior Ranger program (of course). Ian was a little disappointed we weren't traveling down into the canyon, but with a 4 year old, my nerves weren't ready for that. I think I was a teenager when I first hiked down into the canyon, so we told Ian we'd come back when the boys are a bit older. But we had deer visit us a few times at our campsite, so that's always special.

Before

During

After

Camping Fun

Ian finally gets to make a fire

Yum, hot dogs over a campfire

S'mores, finally!

Gooey goodness

Burning their test prep books from STAR testing

Deer kept visiting behind our campsite

Love the wildlife

Wednesday - We slowly said goodbye to Grand Canyon. I say slowly, because we still had to drive around it to get to Utah. But we made sure to stop by the Tusayan Ruins (click here for photos and details) and the Grand Canyon Watchtower (click here for photos and details). Every view of the canyon is unique and amazing. The drive to Utah was long, but also incredible to see how the landscape changed as we headed away from Arizona and into Utah. God's creation is truly amazing! Utah not only brought us into the gorgeous Zion National Park, but also to a lovely hotel for our last 2 nights of vacation. After 4 nights of tent camping, we were all grateful for a comfy bed.

Tusayan Ruin and Museum, Grand Canyon

The Watchtower, Grand Canyon

Hello Utah

We enjoyed our stay here, especially after camping.

Beds!

Thursday - Hello Zion National Park! (Details and photos from this area can be found by clicking here.) We love this place and want to visit again. I'm still awed by the natural creations around me. We spent the whole day visiting Zion, the museum, the Junior Ranger program, the shuttle tour, seeing the Virgin River, and most importantly, hiking in this beautiful park. We checked out the Weeping Rock Trail and Lower Emerald Pool trail. These easy trails were enough for Bode and we had to carry him part of the way. But it was such a great experience. We even saw baby squirrels (so cute).

Friday - Time to go home. We drove home through 4 states, which was interesting but beautiful at the same time (except for the desert in California - not as pretty as the mountains). We even drove through Las Vegas so we could show the kids the buildings while driving down the strip (which was close enough). And then it was home sweet home. What a great trip!

By the end of the trip, we:
* Drove about 1580 miles
* Drove through 4 states (California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada)
* Listened to two audiobooks (over 10 hours of listening)
* Found 43 state license plates and 4 Canadian provinces
* Completed 4 Junior Ranger programs
* Were amazed by God's creation
* Had a Great Time!!