On the Road to Home

We’re on the road to home in Arizona.  Stopped for the night at a casino RV Park in New Mexico, we are still hooked up and ready to hit the interstate in the morning.  We are Arizona bound!  We’ve been so many places this summer it’s almost hard to remember!  As of today we’ve been on the road for 2 months!  So here’s a recap of where we’ve been…

Red Canyon, Utah and Bryce National Park

Then north through Utah before heading into Wyoming for a stop at Grand Teton National Park.

Where we saw rambunctious buffalo, beautiful lakes, grand vistas, roaring waterfalls, and mama moose with her baby!
 




We continued north through Grand Teton into Yellowstone National Park for views of buffalo and babies, prismatic springs, and a junior ranger.



On to another national park!  At Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s North Unit we enjoyed more hikes, ranger programs, and watched out for the grumpy buffalo!



We kept travelling north and crossed into Canada to visit Grandma & Grandpa at the cabin on Lake of the Woods in Ontario.  Kayaking, boating, swimming, fishing, blueberry picking, tubing… so much  fun!


Then we started south again and made our way to the northern Black Hills of South Dakota to view the stunning Spearfish Canyon and look over the airplanes at the Air & Space Museum.

 

Then south into Nebraska to Chadron State Park for Caleb’s 10th birthday!  We rode horses, sat out under the shade trees, hit the bullseye at the archery center, swam in the pool and hit the trails.





We moved on to colorful Colorado before moving towards arid Arizona.

Staying at Cherry Creek State Park near Denver and then moving to Trinidad Lake State Park in the southern part of the state, we mused at the animal antics at the zoo, marveled at the wonders at the museum of nature & science and relaxed by the lakes!


Now you’re all caught up on our summer adventures!  We’ve had so much fun travelling as a family with our two German Shepherds!

Trinidad Lake State Park- Trinidad, CO

We pulled out of the metro Denver area in search of open fields and unobstructed vistas.  Along the highway we found what we were looking for!

We passed the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  Look closely on the right side of the picture and you’ll see a B-52 Bomber.

But we weren’t stopping yet.  We were heading towards this high mesa. 

To Trinidad Lake State Park!  After filling our tanks with water and navigating the narrow park roads, we pulled into our site to enjoy the weekend.

Sitting outside on our Lafuma chairs, while Caleb perched in a nearby Juniper, we watched the moon rise in the Colorado night sky.

Denver- Museum of Science & Nature

We climbed on our mountain bikes and picked up the trail down to the swim beach.  The Canada Geese posse was still there.  So Chris and Caleb darted left, then right, and then made a run for it until they were in the water!

A few times they had to do water maneuvers to thwart the geese.  I took an observatory position at a picnic table to keep an eye on the posse.

Today we decided to go to the Museum of Science and Nature in Denver.  Three stories high and filled with all sorts of exhibits.  We explored an old mine filled with gems & minerals.

We ambled through the Edge of the Wild to see all kinds of wildlife.

We took in a panoramic view of the city from the atrium.

And stepped back in time to measure up the dinosaurs!

We ventured into Expedition Health, where we were too busy getting an EKG, experiencing wind chill, measuring our stride, and looking at the veins in our hands for me to get a picture.  At the end of that exhibit, you receive a printout with all your health information.  Caleb thought that was fun! 
Tomorrow we leave the Denver area travelling south.  We have reservations at another Colorado State Park.  Check back to see which one!

Denver Destination- The Zoo!

While at Cherry Creek State Park we’ve ridden our bikes around the trails that go down by the reservoir.  Down to the swim beach… STOP!  The swim beach was being frequented by Canada Geese!  I don’t think we’ll be swimming there! 

Next stop?  The Denver Zoo!  We saw lions and tigers and bears!  Oh my!

We also saw snakes and Okapis, penguins and primates, Black Rhinos and Komodo Dragons, Sea Lions and Seals, Kangaroos but no Koalas, Ring Tailed Lemurs and Giraffes!

Black Rhinos are known for their “bad” attitude!  And he was coming right towards us!

Zoos are a great way to spend a day!  The exhibits are viewer friendly so the animals are close.  They are expanding the Pachyderm exhibit, which should be great when it’s completed.  Where’s your favorite zoo?

I think this old bear is wondering where they hid the food today.  This bear habitat was the first natural style habitat in the nation built in 1919.

Did you know that you have to have reservations to the Denver Mint two months in advance?  Well, we sure didn’t so we’ll cross that off our Denver itinerary.  Perhaps a trip to the Denver Botanical Garden instead?

Moving on to the Mile High City- Cherry Creek State Park- Aurora, Colorado

We stayed a few extra days at Chadron State Park to enjoy the hiking, biking, archery and swimming!  We ended up staying 6 nights and will likely return in the future.

We rode through the woods on the grass trails and needed to stop to refuel and re-cool at a picnic area.  Caleb thinks the water pump cools you down quite nicely!

We also stopped by the archery center a few more times. Caleb says, “It was Very fun!”  With the temperatures in the mid 90’s we also hit the pool! 

 

On Sunday morning we decided it was time to move on to Cherry Creek State Park outside of Denver, Colorado.  We plan on swimming, bike riding, and maybe visiting the Denver Mint!  Although some of our activities sound the same, this is definitely a different setting than we just came from.  From rural Nebraska to urban Colorado, we’re in an oasis surrounded by the city.