Canyon de Chelly

We slept in until a quarter to seven then slowly started getting up and ready. I took another nice hot shower, walked the dog twice, spoke with the neighbors (the couple we met the day before from the Netherlands) and made breakfast while Dad hooked the RV to the truck and got it all ready to leave. Sonnie was all excited (I know, not news by now) and we headed off a little after 9.

We drove by the Four Corners Monument again (grumble) and headed through Arizona. Much of the drive was really barren and desolate. We stopped for a break at a gas station and treated us to a piece of Navajo Fry Bread from a little stand with two women working in it. Sonnie, er, relieved himself nearly, so I did feel a little bit obligated!

Once we got towards the Chinle area the landscape changed, and we were surrounded by gorgeous bright red flowing rock all around. We drove through two tiny little towns to Chinle, which is also a tiny little town with not much to see. We stopped at the Canyon de Chelly Visitor’s Center, ran in to get a map, and headed to the canyon. We are staying at the Spider Rock Campground—this one does have potable water and solar showers, and from what I read, a hilarious attendant. I spoke with him and look forward to meeting him. There was no one here when we got here, but a board had our spot marked on it. We were greeted by a sweet and very affectionate dog, and noticed a sign saying that if we feed the reservation dogs, we own them! Um.. guess this guy isn’t eating from my hand! He looks well cared for though, so I wasn’t too upset (yes, I’ve had a tough time with that, especially up in Monument Valley with the three dogs patrolling the visitor’s lot.)

Our spot is a nice little place surrounded by trees, with a little fire pit and a picnic table. Sonnie approved. It’s supposed to be in the high 70s today and while it feels it in the sun, it’s gorgeous in the shade with a nice breeze. We have all the windows open and are quite comfortable. I’m sure we’ll be ok leaving Sonnie in the RV during our tours.

Well, off to explore…

We drove down the south rim of the Canyon. First we went to the Spider Rock Overlook, and Face Rock Overlook. Both were really beautiful though I loved the ‘hoodoos’ of Spider Rock overlook. There’s a large relatively thin rock in the center of the canyon that reaches up, almost to the top of the canyon. The canyon consists of lovely shades of red, rust, brown and tan, and the bottom has a really small river running through. There’s a lot of trees and grass on the bottom as well, so it’s quite beautiful.

We then drove to see the Sliding House Overlook, which is a cliff dwelling towards the bottom of the canyon where much of the rock overhang fell, and looks like it took a bit of the ruin with it. The White House is beautiful, and has a set of ruins on the bottom of the canyon, and one not too far up the rock wall. It’s called the White House because the top level of the top ruin is covered in white plaster. We’re going to hike down to it tomorrow. We stopped at the Junction Overlook, Tunnel Overlook and Tsegi Overlook as well to enjoy the most beautiful views. I think this is even prettier than the Grand Canyon, which I love.
The man who lives here and runs the campground still wasn’t here when we got back, but his nephew was. We stopped to talk with him for a bit. We learned the dog’s name is ‘boy’, and there’s a really beautiful Bengal-looking cat with wild tiger stripes here now. Very talkative and decided to stretch using my leg as a post with full claws out! Ouch! We pet them for a bit and learned that Howard feeds them (the nephew stopped short of saying that they are his, but that he feeds them.) They both look pretty well cared for though.

The winds really picked up and were quite gusty by the time we hit the Tunnel overlook. There’s a short but steep trail down to a little metal ladder, which has a sign that you cannot continue down the stairs without a guide. I stood on the landing and took some pictures of the beautiful view. There are Navajos selling their crafts at every stop. I spoke with a man named Henry at the Spider Rock Overlook. He made the dream catchers, did the carvings in stone, and his auntie and mother did the jewelry. The stone carvings were really beautiful, and he took some time to explain what the symbols meant. They included things like corn, antelope, lightening, many circles within circles symbolizing many generations, the healing hand, the world and the four directions, and a solid circle within a circle symbolizing the ancient people and the Navajo. There were others as well. We liked them so much we made some purchases, and I bought a dreamcatcher as well. I do have one, but this one was really detailed and beautiful. He explained the story that dream catchers are designed to catch bad dreams, but good ones can go through. There were feathers and wood in each of the four directions, and there were tools sewn into it to use to fight the bad dreams away. It was really beautiful.

Some of the other people selling things had beautiful things, including painted stones and painted jars. They were all assertive but not pushy. Going to get dinner started soon. We have an early day tomorrow, with a driving tour of the canyon schedule at 8 with a guide that was highly recommended on tripadvisor. I love that site! We did early tours as we were unsure of the temperatures, and I was concerned leaving Sonnie in the RV if it got too hot. Given the cool mornings and the breeze, I suspect he’ll be fine. Should it get warm, we’ll just take him on our drives.

Howard just came by to collect the money we owe, and to say hello. Boy is at his side, and just rolled on his back for belly rubs. What a sweet dog. Howard is a character, and a nice guy. Gave us some suggestions, and told us about the walking trail on the property. It's a 3 mile round trip walk, going to the cliff and ruins. Can't wait, nor can Sonnie!

Signing off…

Mesa Verde

If you don't have any interest in native american ruins, you may want to skip this one. I spent the entire day exploring Mesa Verde and loved every minute of it!

We got up early to arrive at the park at 8 am when it opened. We made our way to the Far View Visitor's Center, which was a good 17 miles inside the park. They were doing construction so the narrow road went down to one lane twice. It was the perfect drive on a long windy road for a little sports car, though there were really steep drop-offs during a good bit of it. (Thankfully dad was driving!!) The views were gorgeous as we climbed, and then we arrived to the visitor's center. We bought tickets for two cliff dwelling tours, then made our way to the first.

The description for Balcony House 'the most adventurous cliff dwelling tour. This one-hour tour involves climbing 32 foot ladder to enter the dwelling. At the exit you crawl through a 12-foot long by 18-inch wide tunnel, followed by 60 foot climb up the open cliff face using two 10 foot ladders and a series of stone steps." Now, you might think that this could dissuade someone who's horribly afraid of heights. Maybe it was the wine last night, or perhaps it was the determination of being at Mesa Verde and not observing from the sidelines.. I'm not sure. All I can tell you is that I'm glad I didn't think too much when I bought the tickets! The 32 foot ladder was going up, for which I was grateful! I got quite spooked at the top, but managed to cling to it and made my way up without humiliating myself too much. Of course, the panicked breathing at the top kind of gave it away, and the ranger and I had a good laugh.

Speaking of the ranger, Gary was a riot. Very dry sense of humor and clearly loves his job. As he said, he gets paid to play outside! Good gig. We wandered through the ruins and learned about the people who lived there. The Anasazi, or Ancestral Puebloan people- the name was changed from Anasazi, which is Navajo for several things including 'enemy.' The 21 descending tribes from these people took offense to that, so they are now referred to as Ancestral Puebloan people. They moved into the area over 1400 years ago, first building on the top of the mesa where the land was lush and fertile for farming, then moving under the cliffs in the 1100-1300s. It's not known exactly why they moved, but not all did, and it's believed it's either because of over-population, or protection. Most of the cliff dwellings, and I believe we saw over 15 of them, were built during around the same time period. I don't remember the details of each of the three cliff dwellings that we toured, but each had between 100 and 150 rooms, and were believed to have housed around 120 to 150 people. Each had several kivas as well, which are believed to have been used as gathering places for social or religious purposes.

The climb out was even more fun than the climb into the dwelling. We had to go up another ladder, but more fun than that (I say fun with a twinge of sarcasm) was the stone steps. These were footholds carved into the rock. Thankfully they did have a thick chain to cling to, er, grab onto, with metal rods drilled into the rock. Of course, grabbing the chain was ok, until someone immediately below you did the same causing it to buckle a bit. [deep breath]. I lived to tell about it, but it was a bit frightening.

The next dwelling we toured was Cliff Palace, which is the largest of the cliff dwellings. In this tour we had to climb five 8- to-10 foot ladders (a piece of cake after Balcony house!) This ruin was simply amazing, and a good bit larger than the last. We also had the opportunity to walk through it, though with Balcony House we did much of the walking behind instead of in front of it. The climb up the rocks worn smooth by thousands of feet was narrow and a bit slippery in parts, but not too bad. Having walked through both of these ruins, it's hard to imagine life during that time. They did find thousand-foot long ropes which they likely used to climb down into the structures, and to climb down to the floor of the canyon to collect food, water, etc. There were burn marks on the ceiling which distinguished living areas from storage areas. Rooms were quite small, and Cliff Palace also had several kivas.

Next we drove the Mesa Top Loop Road where there were several pit houses (surface dwellings) and cliff dwelling overlooks. We got to see some of the older structures, and the early attempts at kivas. As they developed, they used stone columns instead of wood beams to hold the ceiling up, and interestingly had a large hole that served to draw clean air in, along with a deflecting stone at the opening of the hole that dispersed the air in the room. The center of the kiva was a fire, and usually there was a hole in the ceiling so people could enter it from the top. There was a Sun Temple which was a large, many-roomed structure and quite beautiful, with a lovely view of the canyon.

We rushed back, or tried to, since we got stuck for quite a bit at the one lane parts, to let Sonnie out for a walk, grabbed a bite and planned to head back. I made a sandwich, went to the fridge to put everything away, turned around and NO MORE SANDWICH. Seriously? Sad, but true, and I should know better but apparently I don't. He was licking his lips happily, thankful for the snack! Of course, he left the lettuce but ate everything else, and every last bit!!

We headed back and went to the Museum, and then walked down to see the Spruce Tree House. It's the best-preserved cliff dwelling and was really amazing to see. They had a reconstructed kiva that you can tour, and though it was smaller than the other two, it still had 110 rooms and an estimated 110 inhabitants. At the top of the hill, we met a gal that I met and talked with while doing the Cliff House tour! We chatted a bit, and learned they were from the Netherlands and headed to Needles in Canyonlands Park.

We went to one more area, called the Far View Sites Complex, which was made of several developments. They were all fairly close to each other (one was about a 15 minute walk, and the rest were all within 5 minutes of Far View.) There was a tower, which we hadn't seen before, a large, round high structure, and also a reservoir, where they stored water for crops. They were a great example of pit houses, and you could tell that some were older than others. The signs showed that when one was deserted, they used some of the rocks from it to build another.

We headed out, filled up our gas tank and headed back to the RV park. Sonnie was eager to see us (of course!) As we were making dinner, we noticed we have a neighbor--- sure enough, it's the couple from the Netherlands! Too funny, and what a small world.

Long day today and we're tired! Got to take a nice long hot shower (ahhh...) Tomorrow we head down to Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. I've wanted to go for several years now, so I'm really excited about it. So is Sonnie (of course, he's excited about absolultely everything!!)

S

Four Corners Adventures- Day 3

We got up while it was still dark and got all packed up, tied down, etc. to make our way out. Thankfully the mud was partially frozen and equally thankfully, Sonnie was patient with his morning ritual. Dad carried him right to the truck, hooked up to the RV, and off we went! We drove up to the visitor's center parking lot and I ran Sonnie around the lot. He was quite excited to sprint as I suspect he felt a bit cooped up yesterday as we all did!

The drive was desolate in parts, but quite beautiful in parts as well. Sloping hills where you can see for miles covered in shrub brush, and jagged mountains and buttes in various shades of red, tan and brown in the distance. We planned to drive just under two hours to make our first stop at the Four Corners National Monument. We pulled up to see a large sign 'CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION.' More four-letter words ensued. Seriously? I checked the official site a few weeks earlier and no mention, but apparently I looked too early. As we stood gaping at the sign, another RV and three cars pulled up, with the very same reaction. Ok, at least it wasn't us. Not that the monument is a big thing to see, but it's not really a place on the way to anything that you'd happen to pass by! Sonnie decided to poop right in front of the gate which I thought was perfect, though, I did the good deed and bagged it. No, I didn't leave the bag there, though I thought it really stated perfectly what I was thinking.

We drove on to Mesa Verde driving through the cute little town of Cortez. The RV park we made a reservation at is 1/2 a mile from the Mesa Verde park. We pulled in and got settled. It's really cute and has some nice amenities. After dry camping for the last two days, I'm looking forward to a nice hot shower with water pressure! Ahh.. the simple things. I walked Sonnie around the back to the pond and he explored to his furry little heart's content. Have I mentioned just how happy he is? Smiling up a storm.

We grabbed a bite to eat then went to the Anasazi Heritage center. I have to say, I was really impressed with what a beautiful little museum of artifacts they have there, all ecavated from sights in the Canyons of the Ancients BLM land nearby. There were cases and cases of pottery, pottery sherds, bones, tools, baskets, etc. as well as a replica of a room where the native americans who inhabited the area might have lived. It exhibits life on the Great Sage Plain. There's also a trail behind the building leading up to the Escalante Pueblo ruin with a beautiful panoramic hilltop view of the surrounding areas overlooking the McPhee Reservoir and looking out on the Mesa Verde range, as well as many other mountains, some snow capped.

We watched the short movies offered, and headed to the Lowry Pueblo, a ruin around 30 minutes drive from the Heritage Center. It was amazing, though the woman at the Heritage Center warned us that they had put a 'roof' on top, which caused and uproar among the locals. Of course it was to preserve the ruin, however, it really looks awful! The pueblo is a 40 room structure (native american condos!) with eight kivas and a reconstructed Great Kiva. It was about the size of Wupatki near Flagstaff, for those who have seen that ruin, however the rock is a tan color and not the same vivid red. It was really a beautiful pueblo and there were diagrams of how it might have looked when it was inhabited. I believe I read it was inhabited for over 150 years.

There's over 6,000 archaeological sites in the Canyons of the Ancients, and three nearby pueblos. Hovenweep National Monument is on the other side of it, though I don't think we'll have time to see it. We headed back to the RV park where Sonnie let us know just how unhappy he was with being left alone. Neglected. I decided to do some laundry, we'll make some dinner, follow up on e-mail (I LOVE having internet when I travel!) and relax a bit.

Tomorrow we're going to explore Mesa Verde National Park, which should take a good bit of the day. I'm looking forward to seeing the ruins, enjoying the warmer weather (it should be in the low 70s and hiking a bit. Oh, and that nice long hot shower!!!

Cheers!

Four Corners Adventures- Days 1 & 2: Monument Valley

It’s been three years since Dad and I went on an RV adventure, so we were long overdue. I packed up the dog and drove up to Kanab UT for the latest adventure. Sonnie, my dog, was quite excited, though I’m not sure he knew why. He did get a car ride, though, which he loves! He was positively drooping by the end of the almost six hour drive, but no worries! He sure perked up when we got there!

I got the RV packed up with my things and the groceries I brought. Went to the store for the last minute critical items (ice cream!) and were early to bed. We got a nice an early start, and off we went! Sonnie was snuggled comfortably in the backseat, enjoying the open windows in the back of my dad’s truck for sight-seeing. We stopped at the Navajo National Monument for a break, walked Sonnie and went into the visitor’s center. We decided to walk one of the trails and got to see some amazing little ruins under a cliff overhang. They are called Batatakin, and are one of the largest cliff dwellings of the ancestral Puebloan people. It was inhabited for only a short time between 1250 and 1300 AD. I believe I read that based on tree rings, they found that there was a 30 year drought that likely drove them out among other possibilities such as social, religious and other pressures. The visitor’s center had some pottery, and a Hogan set up (one inside and one outside) like it would have been years ago.

There is another ruin, the largest cliff dwelling in Tsegi Canyon called Keet Seel. It’s beautiful and rather large. It’s also a 5+ hour hike, so we didn’t go to see it. Batatakin is a smaller version of it, and was quite a treat following a walk of under a mile. Betatakin means ‘ledge house’ and Keet seal is from an altered Navajo word meaning ‘broken pottery scattered around. The village also have Hopi names, Talastima and Kawestima. The people who lived here are called the Hisatsinom by the Hopi, and Ansazi by the Navajo, though modern descendants of these people go by the term “Ancestral Puebloans.” The cultural subgroup of people who live in this vicinity are known as Kayenta, which is also the name of the town close to Monument Valley.

We headed onward to Monument Valley, passing through the small town of Kayenta. Nothing much to say about it! Approaching Monument Valley was beautiful, and somewhat like approaching Sedona AZ in that you get a flash of bright red color here and there, then all of a sudden it opens in front of you with a beautiful landscape with shades of reds, oranges and browns. Bright blue sky, puffy white clouds. As alert as Sonnie was for the whole drive, he really pooped out and I have a great pic of him snoozing just as it was getting beautiful.

We got pseudo-directions at the entrance gate, paid our fee and were on our way. But we had no clue and saw the visitor’s center, so we went in there figuring we could go to the information center. It’s huge and really nice with a glorious view of the buttes and mesas of Monument Valley. We went in to find the visitor’s information center is closed, yes closed, on Saturdays and Sundays. Spectacular! We took in the views then went back to the RV. I couldn’t help but give some treats to the two dogs roaming the lot, then we went to a lot that we suspected was the ‘primitive’ Navajo campground. Yup, two little porta-pots and a couple of picnic benches. But, it has the most glorious views!

We got set, grabbed a quick bite and decided to do the 17 mile loop around the park before it got to late. We were glad we did as it took a couple of hours to navigate the rather pitted roads. Good thing for trucks! The drive was amazing and yes, I took lots of pictures! We stopped a bit to take it all in, then headed back to the RV. The wind is blowing and is quite loud, but at least the rain held off. It was supposed to rain all weekend, and now just tomorrow is scattered thundershowers. I’ll take it!

Only a few RVs are in this park so it’s pretty quiet (well, except for the wind!) There’s a few tents as well, which are obviously quite tough people! Given the weather expected tomorrow, they’re gutsy!

I’m sure it’ll be an early night for all of us. Sonnie’s hurting a bit and is limping on a back leg. I don’t have enough of his arthritis meds for the entire trip, so going to try to find a vet in the next town if we can. He’s a trooper though, and is trying to play fetch in our little RV!

Tomorrow we’ll explore the area a bit more, doing some driving in areas north of the park. There’s supposed to be some smaller parks in the area that are quite beautiful. Overall, it was a nice drive and not all that far.. around 4 hours to get here, even with the stop. The ride was beautiful in parts, too.

I just read that the Navajo reservation is close to 25,000 square miles, and is the largest Native American reservation. Over 200,000 Navajos live here. Amazing considering the landscape: beautiful, but quite desolate. Scattered with small, mostly rickety-looking buildings. A good number of horses, donkeys and cows grazing, and lots of areas set up for Navajo crafts to be sold. Interestingly, alcohol is banned from the reservation, though there is a significant issue with drunk drivers here.

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Also known as Snow and Other Four-Letter Words!

This post will be liberally sprinkled with four-letter words! Sonnie woke up around 6 today needing to be one with nature. I got up to let him out with Dad helping him down the stairs. It was pouring, but we expected scattered thundershowers today so that was ok. Sonnie attended to his business, and Dad let us back up. I decided to try to go back to sleep to the sound of pouring rain. I woke again to hearing the sound of quiet and thought “cool! It’s clear out.” Opened the curtain to ‘@#%” Well, not exactly, but another four letter weather word: SNOW.

Um, #$%&. What the hell is a girl now from Phoenix going to do with @$%^. I mean, snow. I didn’t exactly prepare for it either. The weather was supposed to be in the high 50s today with lows in the high 30s, so I brought a pair of jeans, a pair of pants, a sweatshirt and a sweater thinking that I had WAY overpacked with warm clothes. BAH! Hopefully it’ll start clearing as the temps increase today, but we’ve gotten a good 3-4 inches in just a few hours.

Sonnie decided mid-morning he needed another nature break, so out I went after bundling up in as many layers as I could find. Thankfully I brought a water-resistant soft shell! I wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen the snow, and he loved it. He was rescued from the Tucson pound two-and-a-half years ago so he may have seen snow if he lived in the outskirts. He went trotting away snapping at the snow and seeming quite happy with himself. Then he got to write his name in it! The joys of being a boy, I suppose.

He wanted to walk a bit but I didn’t, so back to the RV we went, where I will stay hidden and bundled until we leave this hellhole. Frozen hellhole that is!

Had planned to check out some of the surrounding little parks and areas. Dad just mentioned that he’d like to get information on how bad the snow is around, and said ‘hey, let’s go to the information center.’ HA! It’s closed.

A dozen or so other RVs came in during the evening and they are all still here. I’m just glad we’re not in a tent! There were three or four outside last night!

Sonnie seems to feel better today too and is moving around a bit more than he was. He was limping and his back leg was pretty stiff. I unfortunately didn’t bring enough of his arthritis pain meds, so if we’re able to leave here tomorrow I’ll try to track down a vet in a nearby town to see if we can get some.

So, unsure if we’ll get stuck here, or if we’ll be able to move on tomorrow morning as planned. Good thing I have a few good books! I guess it’ll be an adventure! @#$%&! :o) All part of the fun of travel and hey, beats getting stuck in an airport!!

mid-day update: More snow!!!! 6 inches!! Spoke with a guy in one of the other RVs, took some pics, took a very happy dog for a romp and bio break, then ran back in shivering. Dad dug out the truck. Hoping we can leave tomorrow! The pop-out is covered in snow which may pose an issue. Guess we’ll see, nothing we can do about it!! At least the white out conditions are over, and the slow is slowing up a bit. Hopefully for good. One of the dogs from the visitor’s center appeared in the campground, the black and tan with long fur. Poor thing was soaked and patrolling the place.

At least I can see the beautiful buttes now, covered in snow. Interestingly the weather on the radio is declaring a high of 56 in Kayenta and scattered rain showers. Really? We have seen rain since 6 am! No mention of snow at all in the four corners area. Very strange.

It’s now early evening around 6, and the snow has stopped and it’s warmer out. What’s that mean? MUD. Lots and lots of mud. Should be an interesting time getting the RV out of here tomorrow, but at least we plan to leave early when it’ll be frozen so hopefully it’ll be easier. We settled in during the afternoon to read and both napped a bit so we should be well rested for the trip tomorrow!

The buttes look beautiful now, covered in snow. Another big RV is coming in now, struggling in the mud but making it’s way ok. It’s been a nicely relaxing day, much more so than planned but that’s ok. Part of the adventure of traveling.

Mud, More Mud, and oh @#$% Where’d the Dog Go?

Eventually all good things must end, and Sonnie heard the call of nature. I looked out the window, and the beautiful snow was replaced by a beautiful gelatinous glop of red mud. Well, duty calls. Thankfully I brought my Keen sandals. Oh what a sight in fleece pjs, keens and socks, gloves and a softshell jacket. Oh yeah! Dad lifted him down the stairs and all I heard was ‘splut’ as Sonnie sunk in the mud. We walked a few feet and lower and lower he went. “Um, how about you go potty, big guy, before I lose you in this?” No one loves dragging me across wide open spaces quite like Sonnie, but as the mud raised to his belly, I think he thought better of it and decided to go for it with a gusto. We had towels at the ready when he was up in the RV, and did the best I could rubbing him down to clean him off. I just can’t wait until the next potty break. Maybe he can make it until morning. Maybe?

We went to bed early planning to get up really early with the hope of finding frozen ground.. not only to be able to walk without the risk of sinking in, but to be sure we could get the truck out! We'll see....

'I got problems'

Ahhh... the joys of potty training with an almost-three year old boy.

"I got problems." He says. "I got problems." We're eating a lovely breakfast of french toast with strawberries and toasted coconut when Mason comes over to say, "I got problems."

"What's the matter?" we ask. Mommy and Daddy are on to this, but Auntie Sam, not so much.

As the fork is lifted to my mouth, Mason says, "Mommy change my stinky poo." Um, yep, we now can say when we've done our 'business', however, we're not very proactive about it. The screaming about having to stop at the potty before playing with the trains, and what he needs to point downhill is part of the joys of being with a toddler, I guess!

Apparently my train cars are a huge hit, as out they are dragged everywhere. They are currently running over Mason's breakfast..

We decided to go for a hike on this beautiful path around a butte. There were a lot of horses and it was a nice hike. It was a bit warmer then we expected and we had two tired dogs and child, but had a good time. Mason's quite a talker now, and is just hilarious. He regales us with his trains, and 'What's Mason doing?'. He loves watching Thomas videos on youtube and knows how to navigate. It's quite impressive.

Not sure if I mentioned, but his dog's name is Bishop. He couldn't say it when they got him, and started calling him 'fish sticks.' It's hilarious! Seeing Mason running around yelling 'fish sticks, fish sticks!' Now Mason is on my lap saying 'I got problems.' I'm afraid to ask!!!

Seeking warmth in CO

Yesterday turned out to be much colder then the weather peeps claimed it would be! I spent the morning with Tanya's family, then headed to the airport to meet my brother and drop the rental car. Got to catch up with my brother on the way back and we were greeted by a very exited Mason! On the way we stopped by the toy store for Mason's birthday gift of a couple trains to go with his incredibly exciting Thomas the Train set. Who knew little blocks of wood with wheels could be SO exciting?! He saw the bag and dove in, all giddy with excitement. He drove them around the car for a bit, then found the bubbles and the trains were momentarily forgotten. He had a blast blowing bubbles all over the car and me, of course.

He's talking up a storm now and very interactive, which is fun. Still very into mommy, but every now and then I hear a "where's Auntie SAM?? I want Sam!!" I'm only too happy to comply. He then regaled me with story after story about his trains, 'Emby and Ebard' (Emily and Edward). Snuggle time ended as quickly as it started, and he was off to the next exciting adventure banging on my poor computer and watching Thomas the Train videos on youtube. You might notice a trend.

They got a goldendoodle puppy who's a cross between a crazy puppy and a muppet. Long black curly hair and the sweetest disposition. His name is Bishop but Mason couldn't say it and calls him 'fish sticks.' It's hilarious!

Mason has the coldest feet on the planet, and when he settles down to snuggle, he likes to push them between your legs to warm them. It's a good thing he's so cute.

We had planned to camp but the temperature really dipped low in the late afternoon, so I bundled up shivering and we stayed put. He decided to play a little game of going in and out of our rooms to do his best to avoid sleep. I read him a story to no avail, and finally turned out the light! He's now sitting on my lap watching me type being really good, though I know he's waiting for the moment when youtube can come back on with Thomas..

"What's Emby doing? What's Emby doing? Where's Ebard?" It's going to be a fun-filled day of trains and more trains....

Back to Colorado

This may be the longest stretch in years that I didn't travel! It's been close to four months since the Bisbee, AZ adventure, and time to hit the road again (or the skies, rather) for a trip to CO! Visiting with my good friend Tanya and her family (formerly of CA and in the process of moving), my brother, sister-in-law and nephew, and another new friend as well. Busy long weekend but lots of fun!

Not sure how often I'll be on, but will be sure to provide the highlights of the trip.

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I arrived yesterday around mid-day, and made my way to Louisville, CO, between Boulder and Denver northwest of the city. The kids (Isabelle and Mitchell) are HUGE, and so much bigger since I saw them last May on our camping trip. They're 7 and 8 now and just a blast. We went for a great hike up a big hill in Boulder, where lots of people had the same great idea! It's cool here but really beautiful and warm in the sun. The view of the snow-capped mountains is so beautiful! Not sure about all the snow they get here, and of course the cold temperatures, but April is quite nice!

Today I woke up early and got great snuggles with Isabelle, then we made our way to Estes Park right next to Rocky Mountain National Park. The town is really cute and quaint, at the base of gorgeous snow-capped mountains. The drive wound through the mountains, and we twisted higher and higher until we came to the town. There's a large and beautiful lake, and lots of cute little shops. We got lunch at a mexican cantina then made our way to the farm where we were scheduled to go horseback riding. It was the first time for the kids and they were really excited.

There were two cute little horses, as well as a bunch of larger ones for the 'big' people. Our guide, Jason, was quite adorable and a really nice guy who pointed things out during the ride Not long after we started, a prairie dog ran across our path. I'm not sure if it was the prairie dog or the horse behind Mitchell's horse, but his horse actually reared causing us a few unnerving seconds! Mitch handled it like a pro and hung on well while the guide looped back to calm down the horse. We rode through the woods and had a really fun time enjoying the beautiful mountain views. Then we were walking alongside a small hill and the horse in front of me actually slipped and fell! I've never seen that before. The woman managed to jump out of the stirrups so the horse didn't land on her, and the horse got right up. All were ok though it made for an interesting ride!

We passed the gum tree (self-explanatory), boot hill, where the summer hands retired their boots when the were finished, and grandpa tree, a really old tree that was actually hit by lightening three times. We were told to touch it for good luck, and of course did.

My horse rainey was a beautiful somewhat-spirited red male. He knew the trail well and was great, though really enjoyed having his nose in the next horses's backside, and didn't care much for my pulling back on the reigns to get him to slow up. Every time I did, he stopped but shook his head as if to tell me he was going to follow my direction, but he was NOT going to like it.

Towards the end of the ride we came across at least 50 elk, some were quite close. A couple of the horses spooked a bit when the elk got to around 20 feet away. The elk didn't seem to mind, and just stared at us walking away. The elk were much smaller than I've seen in Arizona and Maine though still quite impressive.

We got down off the horses and the kids were jumping up and down, wanting to go again. We drove around a bit to enjoy the scenery and headed back. We had planned to go into Rocky Mountain National Park, but it was already 3:30 so we'll go another time. We stopped by for some ice cream on the way home (because we were hungry, of course)!

It was a beautiful day and lots of fun. Tomorrow I head down to my brother's to see my nephew, and I heard we're going camping for a couple of days. Should be beautiful in the mountains though BRRRRRR...!!! My thin Arizona blood.. :o)

Sam