Adventures of a Mama & Four Boys

Mesa Verde is the only cultural Park in the NPS system.  It is about the people that lived here over 800 years ago.  You really need the rangers to see it. They take you to the Cliff dwellings and teach about how they lived.  They got the boys coming up with reasons why they might of wanted to live here and why they might of left.  It was a great lesson.  We were in  a  group of maybe ten people and were the only ones there.  On a normal day they have 100 people on their tour.  Needless to say…..another very special trip.  I had no idea that there was such a place in the USA.  I felt like I was in peru!

Mrs.Paladino’s Class……Checkmout who’s there!!!!

This was the biggest surprise so far.  Wow!  I was so shocked at how breathtaking this place was.  I can’t believe that I haven’t heard more about this amazing place.  There is a quietness about it that even the boys didn’t want to disturb the silence.  They were so excited about this place that we all decided to hike down into the valley floor.  Everyone hiked their own pace and I held Griffin’s hand because of the sheer cliffs on one side of us.  I could of hiked with him for days.  I hope I always remember him hopping on every rock and listening to his every thought.  I love 5 year olds!  Aiden has come to terms with the trip too.  He informed me on this hike that he needed to make friends with his brothers or this will be a long lonely trip!  Yes!!!!!   Make friends.  Overall Canyon De Chelly…pronounce “shay” has been my favorite!

We left The Petrified Forest bright and early to try and beat the wind.  We did a pretty good job….until the hailstorm hit!   We were in the middle of nowhere with gigantic amounts of hail hurling towards us.  I went southern route hoping to avoid weather…..whatever!  On a good note….we have these parks to ourselves! After, leaving the Petrified Forest we went to Canyon de Chelly.  We had no service there so it was just about enjoying that beautiful place!

Long Day I will post more pictures and stories tomorrow.  I’m dragging.  Feeling a little scared, its only day 6….

We spent the day helping the boys earn their junior Ranger Badges for the Petrified Forest.  We learned about the dinosaurs and jungle that once covered this barren land.  We saw beautiful petrified logs everywhere and learned about how and why they were formed.  We also saw what happened when the “wood thieves”  started harvesting the wood for the crystals inside.  It was a great day and the sights were just a part of the magic of this place.

Another beautiful spot is the painted desert.  We stopped at an overlook and it took my breathe away.  It is an arcing range from the Grand Canyon to the Petrified forest.  Seriously between our imaginations and the colors its worth visiting.  

So far every thing is great . Today I’m going to the petrified forest and just to make sure are you following the blog  a lot  more things are ahead of me going great by.

No need to say anything…….It’s like being in the movie cars!