Summer Fun Out West

This summer Ronnie, the kids & I ventured out west. The night of July 4th we set out for our family vacation. Ronnie hasn't traveled as much as I did growing up and was truly amazed at the beautiful scenery our drive allowed us to see. Our 1st overnight stop was Silver City, NM and night 2 was Jacob Lake, AZ. As we neared Jacob Lake the scenery was even more awesome. The drive just before Navajo Bridge was neat in that there were the Vermillion Cliffs to one side and Echo Canyon on the other. On our hike to Jacob Lake, we ran into Daniel Chudleigh & his sons. We were to meet them there and spend the next 4 days of our trip with them. Day 3 was Ronnie's birthday so we surprised him with breakfast complete with a Dr. Pepper (his coffee). That day we went all around the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. All I could say was...what an AWESOME GOD we have. The views were spectacular.

We then went on to Kanab, UT & stayed in a townhome there with the Chudleigh's. While there we went to Zion National Park 2 days. This is currently my favorite park. The cliffs, the river, the trails, the Emerald Pools, the history...WOW! The kids were real troopers. Next time I would love to see Bryce Canyon National Park as well. The last night we were together, Aliska made a cake for Ronnie & Daniel since they both celebrated their 40th birthday while we were together.

Various views from the shuttle ride to our stops.

Falls into Lower Emerald Pool & View from the shuttle

View from the Weeping Wall

Kids playing at the Middle Emerald Pool, climbing from rock to rock. They kept trying to catch one of the hundreds of tadpoles.

Looking down where we started; the bridge that crossed over the Virgin River. Our family at the Weeping Wall.

On the 10th we headed back home. We stopped that night in Alamogordo, NM and had dinner with my dear old friend Sherri. I can't tell you how happy I was to have been able to see her again. She was one of my best friends in high school. The next morning we drove out to Whitesands National Monument. Most people would have taken plastic sleds out there, but we aren't most people. While we were there, I decided we could make Ronnie's Budweiser box into our sled. What a redneck sled that was, but hey, it worked. The last night we stopped in Junction, TX. Dinner that night was real interesting. We ate at a hole-in-the-wall joint that actually turned out to be quite entertaining and delicious.

The final day on the road was...STRESSFUL!!! Ronnie had no clue, but waiting at the house for our arrival was about 65-75 people ready to surprise him for his birthday. Unknowingly, he was going to get us there WAY TOO EARLY; so the kids & I had to perform some major stall tactics. They ranged from a fake stomach ache, anxiety attack and extended trip to Wal-Mart. Luckily, we arrived just on time. He said this was the best birthday ever and couldn't believe we pulled it off without him knowing. I accomplished my goal for his 40th birthday...for it to be the best ever for him. He got to see a good friend from high school and then the surprise party of the century. Most of these pictures to are from Zion, but I will post ones from the Grand Canyon & Whitesands later.