Days 11 & 12
Monday and Tuesday were long car days. We made it to Hoover Dam at the end of the day on Monday due to an accident on the highway. Thankfully, we were able to pull off and go on Route 66 for a while to by-pass the traffic. Hoover Dam was interesting, but very hot and not very conducive to kids and a stroller! We were in the last tour of the day, so it was pretty rushed.
The next morning, we got up and drove quite a distance. We thought the trip was only going to be 4 hours, but it ended up taking us 8 :(. We had not taken into account losing an hour leaving Arizona (where they do not recognize daylight savings), plus we did not realize that to get to Bryce Canyon, we had to drive through another National Park (with a 30 mph speed limit). Sooooo, after leaving our hotel at 9am, we did not arrive at Bryce Canyon until almost 5 pm! Needless to say, we were all tired. But, even with being tired and maybe a little grumpy ;), we were awestruck by the beauty of Bryce Canyon. It was totally different from the Grand Canyon. To compare the two would be like trying to compare watermelon to pineapple and (for me) to try to choose a favorite :). They were each breathtaking in their own way. However, Bryce Canyon, to me, was more peaceful. I do not know if that makes sense, but it was quiet and the breezes were gentle. The temperature reminded me of NC in the fall, just slightly cool with the sun still offering warmth. The park rangers at all of these parks, for the most part, have been so knowledgeable and kind! They have definitely helped us in our knowledge of these parks. Sadly, though, they have almost all discussed their thoughts on the parks being millions of years old. But as I have said before, this has resulted in good family discussions for us.
What worked: Picnic on the side of the mountain at Zion. Food in the trailer has really been a lifesaver, as well as our own water bottles, especially when we are out in the middle of "nowhere." ;)
My store...that is one of the highlights for the little ones. I do not open it everyday, but most days I do. I have candy in it and different items I have picked up. Some places we go, I might pick up inexpensive things to put in the store. For example, at Lowell Observatory, they had glow in the dark pencils for 75 cents...fun for them and cost effective for us :). They earned tickets before we left for doing chores at home and now they earn tickets by being helpful and kind in the car, getting compliments from others when we are out in public, and for answering questions about the different states we are learning about. Also, I do not remember if I have mentioned this or not, but Harvey had a great idea before we left. We picked up a trophy for one dollar at Target. He gives it out each morning to the person who was the best behaved the day before. That person gets an additional twenty tickets.
Trey creating "Traffic Rush" competitions with all of his siblings. They play the traffic rush app. on his itouch, keep score, and pass it around to each other :). They love it!
What is not working: The back seat of our van! It seems that the three who are back there usually get pretty frustrated with each other on long travel days, as it gets a little crowded. We are switching it up daily which helps. Trey always stays behind Harvey since he is the oldest and has the longest legs :), but whoever is the "Trophy Winner" for that day gets to pick their spot, which is almost always behind me. But for the three remaining, well, let's just say they are definitely learning lessons on getting along in close quarters!
Also, what did not work: Benjamin and security checks at Hoover Dam!! He was not very happy with the people going through his Mommy's purse, diaper bag, and making him empty out his pockets. We could not convince him that they were not bad guys and that they were not going to keep our stuff :).
Carried by His grace,
The next morning, we got up and drove quite a distance. We thought the trip was only going to be 4 hours, but it ended up taking us 8 :(. We had not taken into account losing an hour leaving Arizona (where they do not recognize daylight savings), plus we did not realize that to get to Bryce Canyon, we had to drive through another National Park (with a 30 mph speed limit). Sooooo, after leaving our hotel at 9am, we did not arrive at Bryce Canyon until almost 5 pm! Needless to say, we were all tired. But, even with being tired and maybe a little grumpy ;), we were awestruck by the beauty of Bryce Canyon. It was totally different from the Grand Canyon. To compare the two would be like trying to compare watermelon to pineapple and (for me) to try to choose a favorite :). They were each breathtaking in their own way. However, Bryce Canyon, to me, was more peaceful. I do not know if that makes sense, but it was quiet and the breezes were gentle. The temperature reminded me of NC in the fall, just slightly cool with the sun still offering warmth. The park rangers at all of these parks, for the most part, have been so knowledgeable and kind! They have definitely helped us in our knowledge of these parks. Sadly, though, they have almost all discussed their thoughts on the parks being millions of years old. But as I have said before, this has resulted in good family discussions for us.
What worked: Picnic on the side of the mountain at Zion. Food in the trailer has really been a lifesaver, as well as our own water bottles, especially when we are out in the middle of "nowhere." ;)
My store...that is one of the highlights for the little ones. I do not open it everyday, but most days I do. I have candy in it and different items I have picked up. Some places we go, I might pick up inexpensive things to put in the store. For example, at Lowell Observatory, they had glow in the dark pencils for 75 cents...fun for them and cost effective for us :). They earned tickets before we left for doing chores at home and now they earn tickets by being helpful and kind in the car, getting compliments from others when we are out in public, and for answering questions about the different states we are learning about. Also, I do not remember if I have mentioned this or not, but Harvey had a great idea before we left. We picked up a trophy for one dollar at Target. He gives it out each morning to the person who was the best behaved the day before. That person gets an additional twenty tickets.
Trey creating "Traffic Rush" competitions with all of his siblings. They play the traffic rush app. on his itouch, keep score, and pass it around to each other :). They love it!
What is not working: The back seat of our van! It seems that the three who are back there usually get pretty frustrated with each other on long travel days, as it gets a little crowded. We are switching it up daily which helps. Trey always stays behind Harvey since he is the oldest and has the longest legs :), but whoever is the "Trophy Winner" for that day gets to pick their spot, which is almost always behind me. But for the three remaining, well, let's just say they are definitely learning lessons on getting along in close quarters!
Also, what did not work: Benjamin and security checks at Hoover Dam!! He was not very happy with the people going through his Mommy's purse, diaper bag, and making him empty out his pockets. We could not convince him that they were not bad guys and that they were not going to keep our stuff :).
Carried by His grace,
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