Our Epic Adventure pt 5 Durango

 Our side trip to the Cliff Dwellings ment we weren't going to make it to the Dunes 

 So, we made camp among the lupins

 We hiked the area looking for shed antlers we did find some bones and a picked carcass

 and this skull but no sheds.

 Beau's set up.

Time to kick back and relax after our evening meal 

and play some cribbage.

Tomorrow the dunes.

after a hot breakfast by the fire.

Our Epic Advunture pt 4 Kaibab and Mesa Verde

 We went North West toward the grand caynon and made camp in the Kaibab national forest.

 As we traveled east toward the four corners region we got side tracked and stopped to check out Mesa Verde.

 Here's a shot of the Cliff Palace home of the Paleo-Indians durring the 13th century ad

It's truely an amazing area.  The Anastazi and other indians lived in these remote cliffs of the masa for over 600 years.

Our Epic Adventure part 3 Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and Flag Staff.

 Monument Valley

We did a driving tour on our way down to Flag Staff.

 Kimber ran down to Phoenix to pick up Barb

 So, Kensley thought we should bike to the park.

 We had a blast with her.  Two thumbs up?

 Jordan has a great selection of nice bikes, I went fat with this Cooker steal frame with 4" tires.

A stop at the brewery for a cool one and a pizza for the road.

We hit the farmers market grabbed a scone, some duck eggs and we're off.

Our Epic Adventure part 2 Arches National Park.

 All smiles as we head into the Fiery Furnace.

 Where yesterdays hike was long todays hike was vertical.

 Two thumbs up for arches.

 And windows.

Beau checked out some tight spaces.

 The trail wasn't always as well marked  as we might like but it gave us a chance to explore

and some places got tight

 There was something cool to see around every corner

and I thought we might have to follow the guy on the right hand side.  He said he'd been looking for the trail for about 3 hours.... not the guy to follow.  We pointed him in the right direction and worked our way back to the car after a 4.5 mile hike and 44 floors in elevation.

We did a drive by of the DelacateArch on our way back to camp. 

Our Epic Adventure part 1 Cayon Land.

 After driving 1000 miles to the Springs our adventure begins

First stop.  Canyon Lands National Park in Utah.  This will be our base camp for the next three nights.

 Our camp was just about 1/4 mile from a deep canyon so we scouted the area

You won't catch me getting too close to the edge.

and meet the neighbors before we head back to camp.

The first of two dozen plus cribbage games.

 It's over a twelve mile round trip hike to the Druid Arch and back.

We were happy to beat the heat in this slot caynon.  Two thumbs up.

 Things heated up down in the dried stream beds

 and shade was tough to find.

Just a little further

pretty major scramble up a major rock face to reach the Arch.

 Sometimes going down is tougher than the climb up.

 No more shade in the slot, thumbs up?

But all smiles

 Burgers back at camp.  Sitting by the fire feels pretty good.

We saw over 5 species of lizards  and  Beau caught this one for a moment.

Maybe a 12 mile hike was alittle more than I barganed for on the first day.

Tomorrow we hit the Fiery Furnace at Arches National Park.

2018 -2019 SCHOOL YEAR IN THE BOOKS

 The teacher

 Students

 Explorers

 Gardeners

 Athletes

 Not the school Nurse

 Two busses at the DBQ farmaer's market.

Stickers