National Parks and Navajo Parks

Having headed straight from Denver to Arches National Park in Utah, we gained an entire afternoon of touring, which was great!  The day was warm, almost hot, and the skies were a lovely blue as we headed through the park gates and up the steep and winding road into the park. We have had wonderful weather whenever we've been outside touring, and this day was no exception.  There are over 2000 Arches in the Park formed from huge sandstone hills.  The land is arid and hot and everywhere you are reminded to drink more water. It is the middle of October and we found it to be hot, even if the temperature itself wasn't that high. We'd never come here in high summer! Besides the huge number of tourists then the heat would be terrible! 

We drove through the park to the various points of interest, Dominik did a short hike with Jonathan and Rebecca and we marvelled at the wonder of creation. It was so beautiful! Especially in the late afternoon sunshine. How much people miss out in if they don't bring God into the equation. We've thought a lot about that as we have toured these National Parks. The land, the rocks, the wildlife...it all varies so much and sometimes quite a bit in a short distance. Well, we stayed in the park until sunset and then headed back from Utah to Colorado to the place where we had arranged to stay. It was somewhat off the beaten track, but we made a good night of it and then headed back to Arches in the morning.  See what you think of the photos! :-)

We finished a bit earlier this time and, upon discovering that you can't drive through Canyonlands National Park, that we would have to back-track a couple of hours, we decided just to hear down to Cortez, CO. The kids were getting three of the late nights and we wanted to give them a break. We will have to see Canyonlands next time!
Now, you know that various Restaurants in the States have nights where kids eat free. Well, we thought that we would go to Pizza Hut because it was Tuesday and  them eating free would save us a lot and be fun. We found a cheap motel and set off. It was closed! For kitchen renovation! Hmm, what to do. We thought that we might as well try Denny's. And, it was the night for kids to eat for free! It was great! They each had a meal and we splurged on a steak each (much cheaper there than in Canada!). It was still more than the dollar menu at McDonald's but OH so much nicer!
We started the next day with the free motel breakfast. Well, there isn't much to say about that. It was free but lacking in, hmmm, variety! No worries, we packed up and header out for Mesa Verde National Park it was a very short drive away, nice for a change. Mesa Verde is an ancient Native Indian settlement where the people built their homes into rock ledges in the Canyon walls. These settlements were then abandoned around 1200 a.d.. They were discovered in the 1880's by some prospectors searching for coal. You can view some of these homes from the opposite Canyon walls, or visit the one which was built quite low-down and can be walked to, or you can pay for a tour and do some climbing! We die all three. All of us. With Josiah on my back in the sling.  That was good fun- up ladders and through a couple if passage ways. It was great until Josiah needed a nappy change and started to cry. Fortunately that was at the end so it wasn't too bad. The guide was interesting but had so much info for the adults that the younger kids were a bit restless. But we had fun!

As it wasn't too late in the afternoon we wanted to visit the Four Corners Region of the States. This is where Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah all come together. It wasn't a long drive but when we got there They wanted 5 dollars for every person over six years of age.  To stand on the marker and be in all Four States at once. Well, we did it because we wanted to see it. And it was fun. But the bathrooms!!!!

We headed out from there in search of a motel and some dinner, looking at all the little places along the way. There was nothing! Really nothing! We finally arrived in Kayenta and ate at McDonald's. At least they have their Monopoly game going on now so we can collect the game pieces!  Now, Kayenta is the 'Gateway to Monument Valley' and yet they only have three motels there!!! Some were full and the others expensive. We went down the road a little further to a Navajo motel (everything in this area is Navajo) where we found an over-priced but acceptable room. They were friendly. I got the woman's childbearing history as I checked in!
So finally the day had arrived to see Monument Valley. That famous landscape from countless old Western' and other movies. The Navajo have a park there too where you drive on the sand roads around looking at the stone formation. The start of the road was quite rough but then the roads smoothed out. We got some good shots and marvelled at the landscape. Then, as horseback riding has been a topix here with the girls, especially Rebecca, Dominik asked if we would like to do that there, in the valley. The price was good for an hours ride so we got ready and headed out with one other tourist and our local guides. It was an easy ride and the girls did great for their first time riding without being led. What has dimmed our pleasure is that they brought us back 20 minutes before our hour was up and then said that they had a sign proclaiming "No refunds" so why should we complain. Well, we did and got some money back.  To so blatantly try to rip off the tourists, who mainly will back down and walk away, is horrible. So far that is the only bad or unfortunately experience of our journey this far.

So, on we went again, this time making sure that we could be in a motel earlier than usual to give the kids a break. That brought us to Page, Arizona and the splurge of a motel with a pool (freezing cold and the last day that it was open) and a hot buffet breakfast for everyone. It was lovely. The kids could make their own fresh waffles for breakfast! Josiah was teething and had a fever and the extra rest did him good as well.
Here's a quiz for you. Are Utah and Arizona in the same time zone? Utah is just north of Arizona, so one would think so. But no, Utah is an hour ahead. So when we left our cosy motel in AZ and drive to Zion National Park in UT we were an hour behind. The next thing that we didn't count in is that school in Utah have had the week off for 'The Hunt'.  Deer hunting season. There were then all kinds of families in the park. There are a lot of retirees on holiday in all of the parks because most families don't take holidays at this time of year.  We arrived in Zion just after lunch time and it was a zoo of people! You could hardly move on the roads. Because this park is made up of narrow valleys they do have a Shuttle system but even there the people were packed in like sardines.  All the car parks were full. We decided to make our picnic lunch, eat and then look for a motel just out of the Park and come back the next day early. If there wasn't anything then we would try on the other side of the Park and maybe do Bryce Canyon NP instead.  Springdale was also jam-packed full of cars. They were everywhere!  The town is the overflow parking for the park. We found one motel with rooms. I asked how much and when the man said '199 plus tax' I just laughed and said good bye. Then he proceeded to try to barter with me, even offering me the two-bed room that I wanted and that he said was unavailable. No, we left and found a nice little cabin which was perfect.
Then we were at Bryce Canyon National Park and it was fab! It wasn't overly crowded as Zion was, and the rock formations were truly stunning! When the kids are older it would be the perfect place to come back to for hiking. So would Zion, when you can camp in the park. At Bryce Dominik and the kids did a little hike and we shot some more fun photos. All photos were safely made- Grandma & Oma.

Now we are off to the Grand Canyon for a few days of exploration! More on that in the next blog........:-)

On the Torchbearer Trail!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving, Canadians!

Now.....

Having seen and enjoyed Mt. Rushmore we were ready and eager to move on to Estes Park. For any one who doesn't know us well, Dominik works full time at Schloss Klaus, the German-speaking Torchbearer center in Austria.  There are 25 Torchbearers Centres world-wide, the first of which was Capernwray Hall in England. You can read more about all of that, if you like, at www.torchbearers.org  There are three centres here in the States, two here in Colorado and one in Texas. We decided to try to visit them all, to meet some fellow Torchbearers staff and to see what's on offer at each location.

Our first stop, after driving through miles and miles (and MILES) of slightly rolling open plains in Wyoming, was Estes Park, Colorado. We were all excited to arrive there and to be in the mountains again! We were warmly greeted and had a good time running around on their basket ball court. That was great for the kids after sitting for so long.  Then we settled into our comfortable cabin and made ourselves at home.

The next day we went out to see what there was to do in Estes Park, but as the tourist season is over, the mini-golf and other things were closed. What we DID accomplish was buying Jonathan a really cool leather hat. He's been complimented on it twice now by complete strangers! He loves it, and we might even borrow it if he's not careful!  We headed back to Ravencrest then to let the kids play with the other kids there on site. They really enjoyed meeting the Snyder kids and having some new friends to play with. While we're travelling our kids have only each other to play with but they've done really well with that.  They squabble a bit, but actually less than usual!

Well, we all enjoyed Ravencrest a lot and the kids were upset to have to leave so soon, but we headed off to a friend's place south of Denver. We drove there via Rocky Mountain National Park, which was beautiful but we unfortunately didn't see anything more wild than a pair of deer!  We did find a coupke of other interesting things thiugh. We drive on the Trail Ridge Road which is tiuted as the "highest continuous paved road" in the States. So, knowing that Dominik and Jonathan jumped out of the car at the highest point of the road and hiked up to the highest nearby point. It was high enough that they noticed the difference the altitude made in their breathing. That elevation is 3713 m or 12 183 ft.
The next point of Interestingly on that road was the Continental divide- the point where all water on one side runs to the Pacific ocean, and on the other side it flows to Hudson's Bay or the Gulf of Mexico. We were following the Colorado River and we will see it again when we get to the Grand Canyon!

We made our way south and then began the search for Timberline Lodge, near Winter Park, Colorado. We only had to ask for directions once- the GPS didn't want to help- and soon we pulled into it's rustic location. There were a few people  constructing something but as we went into the office it all seemed pretty abandoned! The Bible students and a lot of staff were off on a trip to Arches National Park! There was hardly any one there.

Then, lo and behold, who walked into the office but Philip Stieb- a neighbour from Regau where Dominik's parents live!  We were suprised! He was suprised! What a coincidence! He went to Bible school at Timberline, married an American girl, and now they are working there! We haven't Seen Philip possibly since our wedding so, as you can imagine, we had a bit of catching up to do! I think that he had a good time speaking proper Austria German too! We had a great, short visit and then got back underway. Even with forgetting about rush-hour traffic, we made it to Parker (South of Denver) by 5pm.

Waiting for us in Denver was a friend of mine (Cathy's) and her family. I had been a housemate of Kristine's at Queen's (University) and hadn't seen her since our wedding! Well, that was 12 years and seven children ago! She and her husband, Carl have two lovely little kids and they all welcomed us warmly into their home. We relaxed, went shopping, went to the local fair and ate at a mexican restaurant which had cliff-diving swimmers/actors as entertainment! It was really a relaxing time and catching up was wonderful. We will be sure to get together again well before 12 years has gone by this time!

Photos coming........

Now we're off again, back in some National Parks- but that is for the next blog! We're in motels until we hit Las Vegas now as one place fell through on us, but so far we're finding cheap ones! So, good night all from Cortez, Colorado! Tomorrow we'll drive in two more States and I will start on the next blog! :-)

Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota

Well...What a week it has been!  We've gone from Calgary to Yellowstone to the Black Hills of South Dakota!  We've seen bubbling hot springs, snow-covered mountains, lots of Bison and even a few bears.  A week ago we did some shopping in and outside of Calgary and experienced the Bass Pro Shop there. They have loads of taxidermied animals and a waterfall to see. Dominik and the kids had fun pricing four-wheelers and fishing boats!  The next day was our big drive down to Yellowstone National Park. We had rested up nicely at friend's and were all excited about the drive so, armed with our last dose of Tim Horton's, we headed out early and made it to the American border by daylight.  It didn't take us too long to get Dominik's visa and we were off again, enjoying all the vast and wonderful scenery that is Montana. So far it is our favourite State!  It was in Montana that we had our first taste of hospitality from the members of 'acandleinthewindow.com'. We were really warmly welcomed in Bozeman by a lovely Christian family and we spent a comfortable night there.

Now, to Yellowstone! Yellowstone National Park sits at the junction of three states: Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Did you know that Yellowstone is actually a huge super volcano? We found a cheap motel in West Yellowstone where they didn't ask how many children we have and where we could do a bit of cooking on our little camping stove. We unloaded a bit there and headed off for Old Faithful- the large and regular geyser, the most famous attraction in the park. Probably because it is so famous, and because it was a cloudy day, we were all a bit disappointed with it's performance. I think we were expecting some noise, or maybe that the ground around would shake. No, it was pretty quiet. A stream of water and steam came shooting up quietly out of the ground, the steam blending into the background of the gray clouds, and was photographed by hundreds of tourists.

What WAS impressive were the Bison (Buffalo). They were all over the place, in the fields, on the plains, walking through streams and across the roads. Dominik said that he would give a candy to any child who would reach out and pet one! Nope, no takers there! Bison were everywhere but we were also on the look out for the other animals in the park, especially Elk, Bear, Wolves and Cougars. All the shy animals!

On our second day we went to the upper and lower Canyon Falls and then went to the Fishing Bridge and to the look out over Yellowstone Lake.

Our third day started with Dominik, Jonathan and Rebecca hiking up Mt. Washburn- They just missed seeing a grizzly with two cubs crossing their trail! We were able to see those bears on the side of the road just lower down from the train head later. There were SO many tourists there taking pictures that the park rangers came and, when the bear was getting agitated, they ordered everyone to leave or face bring arrested! Hmmm, he was a little stressed.

To end the day and the visit to Yellowstone we drove up to where the Boiling River (yup, it's that hot!) meets the Gardner River. It is the one place where people are allowed to safely swim, where the two rivers mix. We arrived late in the afternoon and there were a lot of other people doing the same: sitting in pools like hot tubs, enjoying the peace of it all.  Even Josiah and I managed to get in.  It was a really a great way to end our time there.

We all ran back to the car (the sun had gone behind the moiuntain and it was about 5 degrees C) and, after a few Elk photos in Mammoth Hot Springs we headed off for the north-east exit to find a cheap motel for the night. Then we drove....and drove...and drove...and ate some tortillas with peanut butter and jelly....and drove. Up and over a mountain pass and finally ended up in The Yodeler Motel! Not a bad spot for some Austrians, eh? We were on the Beartooth Highway, a windy and winding and very scenic highway which leads from the Park to Billings, Montana.

Another driving day brought us from the mountains and hills of Montana to the wind-swept plains of Wyoming. The wind really does blow a lot there!  On the way to Sundance we stopped at the monument and battlefield of the Little Bighorn. Jonathan had read about it in a children's history book about the west and wanted to stop. We are all glad that we did. The presentation was very well done and we all enjoyed learning about it.

We were hosted by another interesting ACITW family, and we are thankful for their hospitality. We toured The Devil's Tower National Monument and Mount Rushmore. They were really interesting, especially hearing how they were formed or sculpted. So far this trip has been great for teaching the kids about geology, geography and history.

Now we are off on the road again headed for yet another state. This time it will be Colorado and we will spend a week there. Our first two nights will be in Estes Park at Ravencrest Chalet, a Torchbearer Center. We can't wait to see the Mountains again, the center and best of all- some old friends in the Denver area!