These pictures are going to be in no particular order but they do a good job of capturing our
Fall Break trip to Mesa Verde.
The desert sky was gorgeous every day!
It was amazing! The fall scenery and the cliff dwellings were unbelievable. I seriously can't wrap my head around the fact that mothers raised their babies...on a cliff. I would have had a heart attack.
Climbing ladders to get to Cliff Palace
at the entrance to Cliff Palace (notice my death grip on Lucy's arm). Any time we were near a cliff...which was often...I was so worried that my kids were going to go over the edge. Chad asked me if I really thought that they were going to just suddenly fall off.
My response was a solid, "Yes. Yes I do."
Luckily no one did. It was a miracle.
See the crowd of people off to the right? The scale of this place was unreal.
More ladders.
I won't lie, after our full days of exploring the Park, there was an excessive amount of Disney Chanel going on in the evenings. We did manage to force (I mean fit) in some games of Code Names and pool time. I'm fairly certain that on family vacations, the kids like staying in a hotel just as much...if not more than the actual things we came to see and do. Not pictured...about a million cups of hot chocolate. The kids were THRILLED with the 24-hour self serve hot chocolate bar. Strong work Holiday Inn Express.
One night at dinner the kids bet Gracie a dollar that she couldn't eat one of Jack's spicy fries dipped in spicy sauce. She did it. Then very calmly and collectedly PUKED onto her plate. Dis.gus.ting. I apologized profusely to the waitress and offered to clear the plate myself. The waitress just laughed, Grace got her dollar, and everyone was happy!
More cliffs...yay!!!!!...
On road trips we pass the time rotating between books on tape...hah! I mean audiobooks, taking turns playing our favorite songs, listening to podcasts- 6 Minutes is our VERY favorite and watching movies. Apparently whatever they were watching here was hilarious!
It always cracks me and Chad up when our children who have been silent, bust out laughing in unison. This trip I started making my kids listen to Stand'n Tall songs that I used to listen to when I was really little. They are short songs and stories that teach values like; gratitude, happiness, honesty, love, obedience etc... I LOVE them. My kids can't STAND them...but I think they are getting the message. A little cheesy 80's kids music won't hurt them too much.
Me: Grace let me take your picture
Grace: Ok, but take one with me doing my "Can you believe this face"
-True story
Highlights:
- Everyone practicing their Spanish with the waiter at the Mexican restaurant in Cortez
- Chad saying "CORTEZ" with a Mexican accent every time. It never got old. Seriously.
- The kid's reports that I made them write before we left on our trip. Jack did a report on Ancestral Puebloan culture (he informed us that the term Anasazi is offensive), Marian - Four Corners, Grant- Cliff Palace, Lucy- Ancestral Puebloan food, and Grace- Mesa Verde in general. Their reports were short and simple, but still, I was glad that at least knew something about what we were going to see
- Grace taught us in her report that there was a USS Navy Warship named after Mesa Verde National Park and was very excited (hard to tell with that hat...gotta love it) to see a replica in the visitors center.
- Getting another stamp in our National Park passports.
- Picnic lunches out of the cooler in the trunk and games of catch with the football afterward.
- Grant asking if we'd just driven through a "poop force field" when we drove passed what was actually just a boring old herd of cows.
- Four Corners
A lifelong dream fulfilled!
Our picture taking skills are top-notch!
- Have everyone stare directly into the sun- CHECK!
- No one look at the camera. In fact, turn away if you want to - CHECK!
- Cover your face if desired - CHECK!
- Ask a random person with no picture-taking skills whatsoever to take our once in a lifetime never coming here again photo. CHECK! (Why HELLO random woman in the background :) )
I am so glad I didn't hold to my previous vow to NEVER take a family road trip again because
Mesa Verde was super impressive and being with my 6 favorite people made it something I will never forget. And thank you, kids, for not falling off any cliffs!
