Note the duct tape down the middle of the seat. Two hours into the trip, and Tanner’s Legos were already encroaching on Tyler’s side.

Missed the signs in Alabama and Mississippi

Storm! Fun times for Ammee while driving.

Lower White River Campground, Arkansas

First injury of the trip. I was trying to help Dave adjust the hitch, and the wrench slipped!

Sunset

Sunset

Making our camping sign

Crazy long game of BS. Ammee wins! Despite Tanner saying, “you didn’t put down a 3.”

Wind turbines

It’s windy in Oklahoma

For you, Dad. Too bad they were closed, or I would have bought you a T-shirt.

Made it to Texas!

We stopped at the U-Drop Inn cafe that inspired the set for the movie Cars

So far, we’ve seen license plates from 27 states, plus the Cherokee Nation.

Sunset over Amarillo

Full moon!

Hamm is enjoying himself at Barkfield while we’re gone.

Luke is on double secret probation because he jumps the fences between pens.

We got in later than expected, so I had to get pictures the next morning. Everyone was tired, hungry, and the hitch didn’t want to come off of the truck. We dined on \240Reese’s Puffs and applesauce for dinner.

The kids were impressed by the tiny house at the campground.

Stop number 2 is Teepee Curios. The last original curio shop in the area on Route 66.

They have GIANT Dandilions in New Mexico!

Stop number 3

The Blue Hole of Santa Rosa

The water completely renews itself every six hours. Water temp is a chilly 62 degrees. This is part of a series of lakes that are fed from an underground source. \240Dave, Tyler and I jumped off the rocks while Tanner opted for a mini leap into the water. We do have videos!

Tyler’s mini leap

Ammee and Dave

Tyler

Tyler and Dave

Pit stops are easier with the camper.

She needs her beauty rest.

Stop number 4

Continental Divide viewing

Somewhere in Arizona

Tanner lost a tooth!

Meteor Crater RV Park was a great place to stop for the night. Sites were pull through and long enough that we didn’t have to unhook the camper.

On the road towards the crater.

Astronauts trained here before they went to the moon. Based on what they learned here, \240scientists were able to identify other craters that had been formed by meteorites.

Tanner was looking for the wing of a plane that crashed in the crater.

Next stop, Grand Canyon

We decided to detour once we realized we were only 31 miles away from Desert View.

Navajo Point

Desert View visitor’s center

Watchtower

Next, it’s on to Zion.

The road is really wavy!

Glen Canyon Dam

Lake Powell

Tunnel number 1

Sheep on the mountainside

Since we were pulling the camper, we had to wait for the rangers to clear the tunnel and make it one way so we could drive in the middle of the tunnel. Then, this friend jumped onto the road, so we had to wait until he decided to hop over the wall on the other side!

Driving through the tunnel.

Zion Campground and RV Park

The view from our campsite!

Zion National Park

Mystery Falls

Heading toward Wall Street

Wall Street

Orderville Canyon

Tyler climbed the rock and took the picture below so the rest of us could see it. We promised Tanner that we’d go for 15 minutes in the canyon and then turn around, and it was time to go back.

We had an amazing dinner at The Spotted Dog Cafe!

Morning at the campgrpund

The ground is too hard to put our hook in, so Dave improvised.

Drying the laundry that doesn’t go in the dryer.

Our next door neighbors from last night are 81 and 90 years old, and they are on their honeymoon! Our neighbors tonight are from England, and they are spending 5 weeks touring the western US in an RV.

Waiting for the shuttle

Exploring the north end of the park

Checkerboard Mesa

The kids definitely felt adventurous.

We decided to get in a quick hike on the Navajo Loop that would take us down into the canyon. Dave will post pictures since mine are all on my camera.

We didn’t realize the last bus came at 7:45pm, so by the time we got done with our hike, we had missed the last bus. A very nice park ranger was going to drive us to our car, but then he called dispatch and learned that there was a “sweep” shuttle for all of the people who had missed the bus. We were the only people on that shuttle. (Our car was only .7 miles away, so we easily could have walked.)

Our deluxe spot at Cannonville/Bryce KOA. Dave forked our for the extra $5.00. There is a fire pit over by the Adirondack chairs.

The view from Inspiration Point

The start of our hike.

Today we hiked the 5.5 mile Peek-a-boo loop. It was hot, dusty and changed over 1500 Feet in elevation. Gorgeous views, though!

Wall of Windows

Hoodoo

Hoodoos behind TT

These flowers somehow survive on the edge of the dry canyon.

The view through on of the windows.

Tanner was exhausted, but humored me and let me take a picture.

Next we stopped at the Mossy Cave Trail. The mossy cave was pretty boring, but the waterfall was cool. We didn’t realize we would be able to go in the water, so the kids just went in barefoot.

No signal, so we went old school atlas.

Capital Reef - holes in the stone

Storm! Luckily, we didn’t end up driving through it.

The landscape was crazy on Hwy 12, but the pictures are on my camera.

Our campground

We had dinner at The Spoke on Center. They have delicious house made Mac and Cheese that you can add toppings to. I had a BLT with avocado that was great, too.

Hiking up to Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch

Bowl that you have to walk on to get to the arch.

Little green dot is Tyler

Dave and Tyler

Dave

Scary!!!

Cairns mark the trail

North Arch in the Windows section

South Arch

Turret Arch

Three Gossips

After lunch and some rest, we moved on to Canyonlands National Park.

Grand View Point Overlook

Buck Canyon Overlook

Green River Overlook

Part of Mesa Arch. A German couple was hogging the center of the arch with their tripod.

I finally asked the German couples to move back (nicely, of course) so we could get a picture. They were just chit chatting, and a bunch of people were waiting for pictures. Tyler got better pics on my camera.

Tanner climbed every rock he could.

Grand view overlook at Canyonlands

Tanner coolness

Ames and Tanner making the climb

Ames and Tanner at the Delicate Arch

Park Avenue trail

Double Arch

Landscape Arch trail

Landscape Arch-part if the right side of the arch fell in 1991, so you aren’t allowed to walk all the way up to it anymore.

Lunch and Gelato time!

Cool rock shop

Just on the other side of the 10 foot patch of grass is another camper and a family from Nebraska. They rent a camper for 2 weeks every summer. Tanner hit it off with their 11 year old who also loved Legos. We hung out at the pool and while making dinner. The dad works on cell towers and loved to tell stories!

All the buildings in Moab are done in colors that match the landscape.

Mesa Verde National Park

75% of this Park has burned at some point due to fires started by lightning strikes. It is the only national park established to preserve something created by humans.

Going down the steps to Cliff Place. We took a ranger tour that allowed us to go down to the cliff dwellings. These were the homes of the Ancestral Pueblo people for over 750 years.

Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace is the largest dwelling in the park.

Steps and ladders going back up

Hand and foot holds used by the original inhabitants.

We found a great pizza place in Cortez-Table Top Pizzeria. We arrived at 8:05pm, and they were very welcoming even though they were closing at 8:30pm. One of the guys working had recently visited Cumming!

Dave and I had a wild mushroom pizza-delicious!

Ancient Cedars RV Park. Our next door neighbor was a Marine Vietnam Vet. Also, after driving big rigs for 25 years, he drove in convoys during Operation Iraqi Freedom for 2 years.

Movie theater in \240downtown Cortez. I wish I had gotten a side view picture, too..

Path to the dunes

Some people were sledding down the dunes, but we got there too late to rent sleds. The kids had fun anyway.

Windy!

Tanner passes his time in the car by building National Park mini sets. Above is Mesa Verde, and below will be Thor’s Hammer from Bryce Canyon.

Fancy filter

Sunset on the way to LaJunta KOA. Prettier pics will come soon-on my camera. The Campground smelled like manure, but thankfully it was just a stopping point for us.

Wolf Creek Pass, top of the world as far as I’m concerned. \240 Had to pull over twice to let the truck cool down.

Great Sand Dunes, CO. \240 Was pretty cool.

We didn’t bring a slide so the kids found a quick way to get down.

There are hills in Kansas!

Kansas City

Tyler is psyched because the school supply lists are posted! She was researching options and prices.

We made it to the Campus RV Park, which is really just a parking lot. The sites are level and long, so we didn’t even have to unhook the camper. Our next door neighbor appeared as we were setting up and said he’d never seen so much set up participation from kids before. We have them trained well! Everyone has a job to do so that we can get set up and get dinner going.

We may or may not be eating dinner at 10:03pm.

We’re in a church parking lot in Independence, MO. \240Resting place of Harry S Truman, \24033rd President.

Mississippi River

Dave tried really hard to kee the windows clean!

St. Louis

Busch Stadium

We had to drive down this sketchy road to get to the Gateway Arch viewpoint.

Our campground was on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Ol Mississip, the Old Miss, the Old Man.

Central BBQ in Memphis. Tyler said Dave’s pulled pork was better.