Four Corners Monument

The kids were pretty interested in visiting this place, knowing that it is the only spot in all of North America, where 4 states; Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah share their borders.  ;)

There is really nothing fancy or overly exciting about it, other than knowing what makes it special.

However, what it lacks in luster, just gave the Golden Gang another good reason to act silly!


Here, Zach and Emily are yelling from Arizona to Colorado!  :)

Then, the kids tried to think of creative ways to be in all 4 states at once!

And, yes, even Todd had to get into the 'silly' act too!  HA!

There is a small fee to enter the monument, and there are local vendors selling home made jewelry and other items to support the area Navajo tribes.

Blessings,
Steph

O.K. RV Park, Campground Review

While in Moab, UT., visiting the Arches National Park, we stayed at this campground.

We were only here for a couple of days, and seemed to be pretty nice.  We really did not use any of their facilities though, so I can't comment on how clean or modern everything was in the campground.

Price-$30/night.  If you stay here in the summer, they don't charge extra for kids, so it would be $20/n with a Passport America membership.

Location-  Perfect for visiting the Arches, only less than 15 minutes away.  :)

There is not a pool or playground, but is a great overnight stop.  :)

Blessings,
Steph

The Arches!!!

 In a place, far, far away, you will find Moab.  Moab, Utah, that is.....

 There is a nice visitor's center with a museum and a short film.

But then, outside in the National Park, you see some pretty cool stuff!  We have been looking forward to visiting this park for a long time.  Many movies, like Star Wars and Indiana Jones were filmed here, so it makes for quite an adventure.  :)

Here is the 'Balanced Rock.'

The 'Double Arch.'

'Windows' is also part of what you will see on the many short hikes you can visit.

Wolfe Ranch is still here with their cabin and corral that was built in 1906!  :)  Our RV is bigger than this home.  :)

There are petroglyphs on the way to 'Delicate Arch.'  Too cool!

Now, let me explain something here.......
We decided to take an 'easy hike' to visit the 'Delicate Arch.'  Not only was this hike NOT easy!  But it was UP HILL the whole way!  It takes the average person 3-4 hours to complete!  Really......
Now, it was cool, until we realized that we got lost, and then we were on the wrong side of the Arch, and had to back-track to actually SEE the Arch from the front, safely, I must add......

 I'll tell you what.  These kids are AWESOME.  We made it in 3 hours with one of these guys being THREE YEARS OLD!  YEAH!  It was a real accomplishment, and a picture well earned!


On our way back to the visitor's center to get badges, Hannah, my bug-loving-girlie-girl, found this praying-mantis.  Nice....... :)

 We were all so exhausted from that big hike, that our legs were like Jell-O!!!

Way to go Golden Gang!


Blessings,
Steph

Red Ledge Campground Review

While we were visiting Zion National Park, we decided to stay here.
I am SO glad we did.  :)  Our friends, the Martins, recommended it to us, so a big "Thank you!" goes out to them!  :)

At first, we were going to stay at the South Campground in Zion Park, but we found out REAL quick, only by driving through the campground, that our rig is WAY to big.  Thankfully, we did not damage our RV, but it was too close for comfort trying to drive around, let alone park in a space.  (The ranger should not have let us in)
So, I want to warn anyone with a rig larger than 30ft long, that this just may not be the best option for you.  :)

So we went to the North Rim of Zion, and stayed in Kanarraville, UT., at Red Ledge.

Price- $26 for the first night, and then $13 for the 2nd night, since we have a Passport America membership

Amenities- The restrooms were nice, however, the showers need a DEEP clean, as well as the laundry room.

It is a very small campground that has full hookups, and a picnic table.  The owners are very sweet and helpful, and were always working on the grounds to keep them clean.
Make sure you go grocery shopping before you get here, too!  :)


Blessings,
Steph

State #17!! UTAH!! Zion National Park

 The colors of autumn have reached Utah, our 17th state to visit.  It is just so gorgeous here.  I am constantly amazed at how beautiful this country is, whether it is the plains, oceans, or mountains, I am amazed.
It really causes me to be thankful.  I am giving thanks to the Lord for this experience everywhere we go, and it doesn't seem like there is an end in sight!  Just when I think, 'well, surely this is it.....' I am struck by something else; sometimes simple, sometimes complex.  But all of it causes me to be more and more thankful each day.  :)

 We went to Zion National Park and took a couple of hikes.  The first one took us up to an overlook that was really simple, but gave quite a view.

 Up, up, up!  The kids LOVE hiking.


Todd HAD to do this, while my hand was shaking, trying to take the picture.  HA!

 Zion is a magnificent place.  The weather is perfect.  The views are so beautiful.  It is so quiet and peaceful too.

These little guys were everywhere.  The kids kept trying to catch one, but that is literally impossible.  They are SO fast.  Way faster than any lizard in Texas!

After our short hike, we had a nice picnic lunch, and then went to a more difficult, 2 mile hike.  :)
During one of our breaks, we were sitting by a natural spring, cooling out feet, and Tanner noticed this little guy!  GOODNESS!  This is actually the first snake we have seen so far on our trip!

By the time we finished this hike, Parker was just, plain ole' pooped.  :)
Tanner and Todd took turns carrying him.  :)

 

 Yeah Golden Gang!  Another badge!!

We had such a great time at Zion.  There were so many sights and wildlife to explore.

Blessings,
Steph