family
photo map update
Our map got an update today. Some states were filled in. Some states got updated pictures. Oh... New Mexico. You are going to drive me crazy.
kids
first day of school
We are a little late getting started, but today is officially the girls first day of (home)school.
family
recap
Our summer roadtrip took us through 13 states: South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa. Whew! Emma and Olivia visited 7 states for the first time: Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. Braden and I visited 4 states for the
family
canyonlands
This is probably our last (and 15th) National Park/Monument/Recreation Area on our summer roadtrip. We are all pretty exhausted at this point, so our visit was a short hike, a couple overlooks, Junior Ranger badges and we called it done. Afterward we had lunch at a diner with
family
sand flats
There are two things I am not a super fan of (1) jet skis (2) UTVs. UTVing through the Sand Flats in Moab was something Braden really wanted to do on this trip. Three of the four of us loved it. I gladly took on the role of photographer/videographer
kids
throwback thursday (september 7, 2022)
family
arches
We almost skipped Arches National Park. I figured once you've seen one arch you've seen them all. It seemed pretty boring. We're staying in Moab for a couple days because Emma and I want to go to Canyonlands National Park and Braden and Olivia
family
slot canyon
Tomorrow we leave Southern Utah, but before we go we took an ATV tour to a slot canyon. They are as cool in person as they look in photos. Fun fact for Austin - the height of a slot canyon is at least 10 times more than the width. Because
family
zion - day 2
Most of the parks have different ways they try to minimize crowds and traffic, except Yellowstone. Yellowstone was just a free for all. Glacier required reservations to enter the park that you had to purchase two days in advance. Zion only lets you drive on one road in the park.
family
zion
Our drive into Zion was not looking promising this morning despite the weather forecast saying low to no chance of rain today. We didn't get to do much before the rain started coming down. One of the hikes we wanted to do was partially closed because potential flash
family
grand canyon
Today we made it to the Grand Canyon. I was actually ok skipping this National Park, but I'm glad we didn't. There is a reason it is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Our next adventure of the day (and it was quite
family
farewell las vegas
Our last day in Vegas was filled with laundry, pool, dinner and a show. We ate dinner at a Japanese steakhouse in the Bellagio. The girls were excited to get dressed up. They were also excited about the sushi, steak and soup. After dinner we took the girls to their