And his great-granddaughter.
Love them so much. Keep smiling!
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Thursday, August 08, 2019
Memorial Day Camping 2019--Natural Bridges
Memorial Day Camping 2019. Six months in advance, we reserved a group campsite at Great Basin National Park so that we could hang with my parents, Justin, Brianna, and Ruby. A few days before we were supposed to leave, we took a close look at the weather forecast. Lots of snow, freezing temperatures, daytime highs in the low 30s. All of this while tent camping? No thank you.
We switched our plan and took off for Natural Bridges National Monument. About fifty miles from the Four Corners, Natural Bridges is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Even so, the small campground was already booked when we arrived. Fortunately there is BLM land all around, so we picked a promising spot that was not too far from the Visitors Center. All in all, it was the best of all worlds. We had space and seclusion, plus we could take a short drive to flushing toilets and running water anytime we wanted.
Well, perhaps we weren't completely alone.
We found some pretty striking evidence that a mountain lion roamed the campsite after the most recent rains. Just for the record, that's Brooklyn's hand, so that's no small kitty. The park ranger said they hadn't had any negative human/cat interactions so we needn't really worry, but we kept Annika and Ruby a little closer to camp, just in case.
Here's Eli, poised as king of the campsite.
While hanging out at camp, Annie spent most of her time searching. What for?
Lizards, of course.
The nearby wash turned out to be a great place to play football...
...or search for bugs.
NomiAnn's out for a stroll.
Of course, she looks just as happy in her comfy chair.
If you're camping with the Wheelers, you can be sure there will be plenty of tasty food. Thanks, Brianna!
Ruby concurs. Delicious.
You can always count on Papa Kay for some unique entertainment. Our gunny sack races were hoppin'.
The very best part of camping is the time spent hanging 'round the campfire. Justin sharpened his whittling skills.
Meanwhile, my kids were mesmerized by lighting sticks on fire.
What can I say? There's a little pyro in me too.
Off to bed, then rise and shine. Annika stayed warm by hopping in mommy and daddy's sleeping bag.
Ruby says, "wake up!"
If there are ladders, you know it's going to be fun.
Pretty amazing place.
Continuing our descent to the bottom.
Standing directly underneath Sipapu.
A stream running through the bottom allowed for some beautiful desert wildflowers.
Brooklyn was excited to be reunited with her NomiAnn when she reached the top.
After all, grandparents are out of this world.
Our next destination--Horse Collar ruins, former home of the ancestral puebloans.
Getting a closer look.
Nice job staying on the trail.
We'd hate to destroy any of that rich
Hiking brings out Ruby's wild side.
Woot woot! Celebrating all four Bears Ears.
Later on, we went for a long drive and discovered Goosenecks State Park. It's pretty amazing what water and time can do.
Continuing onward, we passed Mexican Hat and made it to Monument Valley. We couldn't figure out why all these people were just standing in the middle of the highway taking pictures until we realized this was the spot where Forrest Gump turns around.
That's something to drink to, right Justin?
Good thing Papa Kay brought along an assortment of sodas for sampling.
Bottoms up!
Welcome to Utah, where we specialize in root beer.
Life elevated.
On Sunday we decided to hold our own family devotional since the nearest church was hours away and we were covered in dirt. Afterward, we decided to take some direction from the cows and head to Bears Ears. Made a national monument by President Obama in 2016, it was reduced in size by 85% by Trump in 2017. Sigh.
Still a fantastic place for blowing bubbles.
Justin, Jason, Eli, and I decided to make a quick jaunt to the top of one of the ears. Towards the top, the trail got a little icy/dicey, but we made it.
Our manly men.
Sunday afternoon we took another glimpse at the weather forecast for Memorial Day. Once again, we changed our plans at the last minute and decided to break camp in a hurry. Why the hussle? We wanted to make it to Goblin Valley while there was still light. (By the way, the drive through San Juan County is incredible.) Turned out to be a great decision.
Papa Kay bumped up the fun to the next level.
No better spot for yoga.
Queen of the toadstool.
Such a happy Talia.
While in Goblin Valley, we played the ultimate game of hide and seek. So many great places to hide.
I love watching my big girls play like they are little.
Life really is good.
We packed an impressive amount of fun into our three day adventure. So many thanks to Papa Kay, NomiAnn, Justin, Brianna, and Ruby for making it all happen.
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