Cup stacking and Grossology

The fun continues! Who new 4 kids could make so much noise consistently for days on end? One of the highlights of Jenna and Rylan's fun with their cousins - cup stacking! (Picts to come soon) Yesterday we visited the Grossology exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum. Yep, the kids had hand-on learning about boogers, gas, barf, poo and scabs! (oh yes, we have Picts to come of this too) After the museum, we went to the stockyards and watched a cattle drive. The longhorns moseyed down the street right in front of us.

Finally Dallas

We finally made it to Dallas a few days ago. Jenna and Rylan are having a great time with their cousins. The first day we all went bowling. Everyone did well bowling, kind of. Scott came in first, the kids held their own, and me, well my 4 year old niece beat me and I had to buy lunch. In my defense I had at least three strikes... I just threw gutter balls after each one (really, I can't even make that up).

Hello Phoenix

After a lunch stop in Sedona to see the beautiful red rocks, we arrived in Phoenix... to 117 degrees! The kids had not seen Scott's grandma in 3-1/3 years, so they were VERY excited to arrive.

Nonna has been feeding us very well. And giving the kids brownies at 7:30 a.m., pie at lunch, and ice cream in the evening. The kids love the pool in her retirement community, but the best part was watching a 70+ year old woman (whom we didn't know) rub sunscreen on Scott.

The Grand Canyon, AZ

Finally we made it to the Grand Canyon on Sunday. Scott was the only one who had ever seen it. What an amazing sight!

The kids not only became Junior Rangers at the Grand Canyon, but also completed a Discover Pack Program with Ranger Anne. They checked out the weather, explored with binoculars, and learned to identify plants and animals around the park.

Later we went back to the park for sunset, a definite must see.

Wupatki National Monument, AZ

After Sunset Crater on Saturday, we traveled further into the National Forest and visited the pueblo ruins at Wupatki National Monument.

There were two pueblo sites to visit. At Wukoki, we were able to crawl (literally in a few places) around and explore the old home. The kids loved it!

The next ruin, Wupatki, was huge! It once had as many as 100 rooms, plus ballcourts which were outdoor arenas. We made it about half way around and Jenna and Rylan were begging to head for the car. The desert heat was enough for all of us.

 These are blowholes. I know what you're thinking, but I'm not talking about the people ;-) . This is ancient air conditioning. Cool air is blowing out from inside the earth.

Sunset Crater National Park, AZ

On Saturday we visited our first volcano! Sunset Crater erupted between 1040 and 1100 AD and the lava flow trail remains.

We hiked the trail and the Junior Rangers were at it again, identifying different kinds of lava rock and cinders.

Yes, that's us sniffing the trees. Pinyon pines are everywhere and one of the rangers told us they smell like butterscotch or vanilla. Sure enough, it's true!

Finally, Updates!!

No, we did not fall off a cliff. FINALLY, we have good internet access. Enjoy!

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

It was another beautiful day today! We spent the day exploring the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. The painted dessert is located on the North side of the park. The landscape is incredible (I'm really going to run out of adjectives on this trip!).

 Next we hiked different trails surrounded by petrified wood. The kids discovered the differences in the feel, color and size of the various pieces. Rylan was so impressed, he said is going to take some wood outside at home and check on it every day to see if it gets petrified!

 Once again, Jenna and Ry worked hard and were sworn in as Junior Rangers, this time of the Petrified Forest National Park. And they are improving their game - they talked Scott into buying them Junior Ranger t-shirts. I think they earned them ;-)

Four Corners

Well, we managed to find ourselves in four places at once at the intersection of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. It's cool to say we did it, but none of us will ever be the same after the trip to the bathrooms there. Let's just say a bumper squat would have been a royal throne compared to that!

Mesa Verde, Colorado

On Thursday we visited Mesa Verde, Colorado. Once you enter the park, it is a 15 mile, 1 hour drive up the mountain to get to the visitors center. The views were awesome, but the passengers (okay, mostly Ang and Jenna), we a little stressed about the distance of the road to cliffs, which was a little too close for comfort. But Scott did a good job and we made up and back with no incident :-)

The Cliff Dwellings in Mesa Verde were created by Ancient Pueblonians who lived in the years 500-1,500AD. They are AMAZING! We visited Cliff Palace on a guided tour. You had to climb down and back up 100 feet, which included 4 different ladders. But that wasn't a problem for these little monkeys. 

Later we took a self-guided tour of Spruce Tree House. There we were able to climb down inside a kiva, which was believed to be used for religious ceremonies.

We also took a little hike and visited the museum.

 After a little hard work, Jenna and Rylan were sworn in as Mesa Verde Junior Rangers. They were really excited and received an official badge.