Road Trip USA: Albuquerque

Lying in bed in our hotel room in Cortez, I thought about a good friend of mine who hates to have things scheduled in advance. She prefers to wake up every morning and decide, "what to I feel like doing today?!" Then she goes out and does it. I admire that spontaneity. As I pondered, I knew that the only reason I was getting up every day and doing these big events was because they were planned well ahead of time. If I left decisions till the morning of or the night before, I wouldn't do much because that's when it all feels overwhelming and not worth it (hello, laziness!). Yet, if it's planned, then I rarely ever regret moving forward and am almost always glad I followed though. Well, I suppose this is the kind of random mind wanderings than come from being cooped up in a hotel room.

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Saturday morning the kids were eager to get on the road from Cortez to Albuquerque. We had breakfast, packed up, and were on the road by 8:30 am. At home, we're usually still in our pajamas and sometimes just starting breakfast at that time.

 The drive to ABQ was about 4 hours long and full of a whole lot of nothing. 

In ABQ we were visiting friends from when Mark and I lived in Wymount at BYU, Brant and Lindsey. Lindsey and I were pregnant with our first babies at the same time. We walked almost every morning of the summer until our girls were born. In the evenings, we'd get together with Andrea and Spencer and play Bang! and talk for hours. Yet, despite our good times, after we moved to Florida and they moved to New Mexico, we lost touch. Keeping up with cherished friends is not one of my strengths, but it doesn't diminish the admiration and loyalty I feel towards any of them.

So, when we rolled up to Brant and Lindsey's home, it had been over 13 years since we'd seen them. Besides newborn Aubree and Hallie, our kids had never met. You never know what to expect in situations like that, but Brant and Lindsey opened their home and their hearts as if it had only been weeks we'd been apart instead of years. 

Graham, Thane, and Nellie quickly disappeared into their backyard to play with Calvin and Ty. They spent most of their time digging, sometimes in the sandbox and sometimes in the garden beds. They were fast friends only moments after arrival.

With older kids, things aren't always quite so easy. Except in this situation, gregarious, confident Hallie swept Aubree right in and didn't even give them a chance to have an awkward beginning. Soon they were laughing and talking and planning their evening out to a special youth fireside with two members of the Quorum of the Seventy. Aubree was extremely excited to be able to go to the fireside with Hallie. She's really missing Youth activities while on this trip.

It wasn't quite as smooth of a start for Caleb and Bryce, as they are both more reserved and cautious. Yet, with a little time, they'd overcome their reservations and started to become friends. 

By the time bedtime rolled around, I had a rough time convincing the boys to go to bed, because they just wanted to stay up and play with their new friends. Nellie, on the other hand, insisted she "wasn't tired at all" and that she "would not sleep" if I made her lie down. About 47 seconds later, she was zonked out. 

Aubree and Hallie (and Caleb) returned from the fireside full of stories and laughter. The laughter continued while they watched a satire version of Pride and Prejudice set in Utah. 

While they watched, I got some laundry done and felt extra grateful for the generosity of our hosts. It shouldn't be a surprise how much laundry six people make, but carrying the laundry around in a laundry bag somehow makes it all seem like so much more.

Church on Sunday didn't start until noon. That gave us tons of time in the morning to talk and play. We had even more time than normal,  because Thane woke up at 6am and decided that since he was awake, he might as well wake up Nellie and myself. I can't say that helped me start the Sabbath day with feelings of peace and love.

The big boys spent all morning and part of the afternoon playing Risk. They still weren't done when it was time for us to leave. Considering the reputation of Risk, I guess they did really well only having two minor screaming fights (both times it was my boys).

The only time we'd ever before been in New Mexico was for a flight layover (which probably shouldn't even count). I'd always kind of considered Albuqueque to be just like Phoenix, only further east. I was surprised to learn it doesn't get nearly as hot as Phoenix and doesn't really have scorpions or many snakes. Even if it doesn't get as hot as Arizona, it's still a lot warmer than we are used to!

At church, all the kids but Graham had a buddy with whom to attend class. 

 

After church we changed, packed up, had a delicious early dinner, were spoiled with ice cream, then got to the hard part - saying good-bye. This good-bye was made somewhat easier by the potential to see them again possibly in a few months or next summer. We won't let another 13 years go by this time around!

Road Trip USA: Mesa Verde

It's only a two hour drive from Arches to Cortez, Colorado. We arrived at our hotel with plenty of time in which to check in, then stop by Walmart to pick up supplies for dinners. The boys thanked me for letting them eat while sitting on the ground. Uh... You're welcome?

They were all excited to be in our first hotel of the trip. I'm glad there are three beds so we're not too squished. 

We started off our day with hotel breakfast where we were the only people in the breakfast room. That was both nice and strange. We packed a picnic lunch, then set out to Mesa Verde. That's when things started to go awry.

When we got to the visitor's center to get tickets to tour Cliff Palace, we learned that they were all sold out for today. Tickets go on sale two days in advance, have to be bought on-site, and sell out quickly. We didn't have a chance. Drat. The rangers assured us there was plenty to see even without a close-up tour, so we continued our drive through the park.

We first stopped at "Park Point" which affords vista views of four states: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Unfortunately it was super cold and windy, and Nellie decided she was done for the day, crying, "I just want to go back to the hotel! I don't want to be outside!"

To appease her, we next headed to the main museum. There the kids set about filling out their Jr. Ranger packets. 

Again, we watched a movie all about this National Park, but unlike Arches, this one was well done and informative. Nellie wasn't done with her fussing though and had a full meltdown in the middle of the video. I took her out until she started to calm down. After another ten minutes or so of sadness, she perked up and was reasonably happy and cooperative the rest of the trip.

We stepped outside and found our first Cliff Dwelling, Spruce Tree House, just about 100 yards from the museum. Spruce Tree House is the best preserved of all the cliff dwellings, and even from a distance is incredible.

Before heading out to see the other archaeological sites, the kids turned in their booklets and got their second Jr. Ranger badge of our trip.

By this point it was lunchtime, but true to the theme of the day, I realized I'd left the lunch bag behind in the hotel room. Niiiiiice. Good thing we had lots of snacks in the car. 

We drove around Mesa Loop Drive and stopped at a variety of different sites. We saw cliff dwellings from a distance, but were still duly impressed.

 This is as close as we got to Cliff Palace. We were really looking forward to an in-the-ruins tour. Nellie even refers to Mesa Verde as the "ladder park." But, we were not in top form today so maybe it was for the best. There was a lot of arguing, fussing, and all-around grumpiness. 

 On our last stop before leaving the park, we stopped at Far Site to view some pueblos even older than the cliff dwellings. It's not everyday you get to see structures almost a thousand years old in North America! By this point, we were walking around feeling very warm in our shorts and t-shirts. The other hikers we passed were decked out in jeans, coats, and hats. Ha! These warmer climates are new to us.

The kids were super eager to get back to the hotel to swim. But (you guessed it), when we checked, we discovered the pool is closed and doesn't open until Memorial Day. Argh!

With a long, boring afternoon stretching out ahead of us, and attitudes already testy, I gave in to the siren call of electronics and let the kids veg in front of the TV.

Here's to a better day tomorrow!

Road Trip USA: Arches

Wednesday morning I’d hoped to get an early start towards Arches, but everything took longer than anticipated. We finally rolled out shortly before 10am. Though our car travels up to this point had seemed smooth and quick, this 3 hour drive seemed to drag on and on, and the kids were wild children. We were all more than glad to arrive at the Visitor’s Center and have a chance to get out of the car.

We stayed at the Visitor’s Center just long enough to go to the bathroom, climb on some statues, grab Jr. Ranger booklets, and watch an informational video. The video had some interesting information, but was way too repetitive and overly dramatic. Kira and I had to hold back our laughter.

We had lunch in Kira’s RV, then began to make our way towards our campsite. Along the way, we stopped to hike at Balanced Rock.

I say “hike,” but it’s only .3 miles round trip, so it’s definitely more of a scenic walk.

The weather was absolutely perfect. I’m firmly convinced that early May is one of the best times to come to Southern Utah. I’ve heard that Arches can be insanely packed at times, but it wasn’t bad at all. We got to our camp site around 2:30 and immediately prepared for our big afternoon adventure to see more arches. It was a bit of a trek from our spot in Devil’s Campground to the trailhead, but it was’t too far from the trailhead to the first scenic spot at Tunnel Arch.

Along the way the kids also found a neat sand run. They would have liked to stay and play in the sand, but we urged them onward.

Not far from Tunnel Arch is Pinetree Arch. Pinetree Arch is especially neat because you can get right underneath it.

In fact, we sat underneath it and ate a little snack.

Nellie complained the whole way about having sand in her shoes, no matter how many times we took her shoes off to dump out non-existent sand. Finally I told all the kids that I had gummy bears for all kids who walked without complaining to our final destination: Landscape Arch.

Landscape Arch is a feat of nature! It’s also the point where we lost Bryce for a few minutes. We stopped to get a picture, and he kept on walking, not realizing we’d stopped. He was distracted by trying to keep his Camelbak from leaking on him. Kira ran after him to bring him safely back.

The hike back seemed much easier. The kids insisted that the gummy bears were a great source of energy. They also really liked hopping from one barrier stone to another.

As we walked, Nellie told me, “I miss my camera, my toys, and my friends.” But, she said it with a smile, so I guess she’s holding up okay.

When we got back to the campsite, Aubree and Kylee started a game of War (that eventually morphed into a story about a character who "answered questions" based on the results of each war hand... "if you're a girl, let Kylee win...") while the boys explored the rocks just behind us. Bryce informed me, “the other side of this rock has a really big drop off.” Grrreeeat. Thankfully no one fell off. Chase ripped the seat of his shorts, but that was the worst casualty. Well, except both Kami and Graham shut their fingers in the camper door, but thankfully not too terribly.

We had walking tacos for dinner (or, as the kids call them “talking walkos”), then a little scripture study before ice cream for dessert. These kids are spoiled!

When it was nearly time for bed, Nellie, the child who crawls in my bed every single night, threw a huge tantrum because she did not want to sleep next to me. She only wanted to sleep with Aubree, which wasn't an option because there wasn't room in Aubree's bed. She settled for sleeping with Bryce, but, not surprisingly, scurried into my bed about 8 minutes after we tucked her in.

We got everyone ready for bed (Graham came back from the bathroom and explained, “I used the sand hanitizer!”), then crammed all 10 of us in Kira’s RV. I’m not going to say it was pretty trying to get all the kids to be quiet and go to sleep, but everyone was crashed (or at least quiet) by 9pm.

Day 2 in Arches began with an excellent scrambled eggs and muffin breakfast. Camping in an RV is the way to go! We packed up camp and were off to our first hike of the day (Skyline Arch) by 9:30 am.

Skyline was a simple hike with a major payout at the end - boulders to climb and sand in which to play.

Next, we drove to a different section of the park where there were a bunch of incredible arches. It's hard to keep them all straight, but I'm pretty sure this is Turret Arch.

 The two Windows Arches are huge.

 We got to walk right up and under North Window. Spectacular!

 It afforded some excellent views.

Our last hike of the trip was to Double Arch. This one just might have been my favorite. On the way up, Nellie let me know she was not enjoying herself. "I don't like all this walking, and I want to be home with Dada playing puzzles."

 The older kids, on the other hand, loved Double Arch. There are so many rocks and places to climb in its shadow that my kids started to believe they were mountain goats.

 I reminded them that they're not allowed to break any bones this early in the trip, and thankfully we all made it out unscathed.

 All too soon, our Arches adventure wound to a close. We returned to the visitor's center where the kids turned in their paperwork and were sworn in as Jr Rangers.

 We had lunch with the Pope's, thanked them for coming to explore with us, and climbed back into our "mobile home" to head to our next adventure in Colorado.

When our kids are older, I'd love to come back to Arches to hike Delicate Arch and Fiery Furnace.

Road Trip USA: Utah Valley

We only had one full day in Utah County, which is kind of tragic considering we have so many friends and family who live in the vicinity. When we come down for two weeks, we still never have enough time to see everyone! So, I apologize to everyone that we missed. We are trying to move as quickly as we can through familiar locations so we can have time to explore parts unknown.

Tuesday morning my kids were up bright and early again, even with the time difference. In their rooms at home they sleep with blinds and black-out curtains. So far on this trip, when the light hits their eyes in the morning, they are up and ready to play! I'm sure the allure of cousins and Kira's fun toys contributed to their excitement.
Kira's big kids had to go to school, so we spent the morning playing with Chase and Kami. When they went to school, I took my kids to visit Provo. We stopped at the Provo City Center Temple. We'd driven past before, but never had a chance to explore closely.

It’s beautiful, especially with the spring flowers in full bloom.

Next we swung over to our alma mater, BYU. The visitor parking lot is right next to the Museum of Art, so we briefly breezed through. They had an exhibit called "Windswept" where the art pieces were all made of branches woven together. It was certainly unique.

As we walked through campus, I thought it expedient to take my kids to visit the library since we are self-proclaimed bibliophiles. The place is enormous! It brought back a lot of memories of late nights, study groups, and long papers.

Aubree begged to go the BYU Bookstore. She’s long since outgrown all her BYU gear and wanted to get a new shirt. On our way in, we found a great photo op with mannequin Cosmo.

The kids convinced me that no trip to BYU or Utah was complete without BYU creamery ice cream. Luckily, there was a mini Creamery located in the CougarEat. Even more luckily, we stumbled upon "Taco Tuesday," which was a taco shaped, chocolate-dipped waffle cone filled with three scoops of ice cream and covered with whipped cream. We paired up and shared three very delicious and very messy "tacos."

We stopped by Wal-Mart no the way back to Kira's to stock up on supplies for camping at Arches National Park, and we were grateful to be inside when a massive and deafening hail storm descended. We ran to the car during a break in the storm, then met Kira to see the house she and Stew have been flipping. The hail returned and Nellie flipped out a bit herself; she was terrified of the falling chunks of ice. We eventually made it safely into the house. Kira and Stew have done a great job!

That evening I helped Kira make Indian Butter Chicken and Naan bread for dinner. I made it last summer when we visited and couldn’t wait to have it again. Yum!

Dinner was made even better by having Daniel join us. Colleen was going to come down, but her kids were sick, and Ian had finals. Boo hoo.