We drove down to Arizona for the weekend the week before Easter so we could go to the Easter pageant at the Mesa Temple. On the way down we stopped at Glen Canyon Dam. Marion LOVES the bridge, so we got out and walked on it so she could see the dam better. I like the statues of dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
Marion checked to see if her had was as big as a dinosaurs – not quite!
There was a fun robot in the visitor’s center which showed how the swimming dinosaurs moved through the water. Oliver really enjoyed playing with it. There were also a lot of neat pictures showing the building of the dam, which Oliver was really interested in. I am excited to come when they are a little older; it will be neat to go on a tour to see the inside of the dam. Elora found a Jr. Ranger vest in the gift shop she really wanted, so she spent her birthday money to get it. She wore it most of the weekend.
Once we got to Arizona, we stopped at a shopping center to take a driving break before heading to the pageant. We went to World Market and got some chocolates. James was really excited to share chocolate with Daddy.
We went to Walmart to get some snacks. James grabbed the grapes and stuck them in his lap. I think he ate a whole pound of grapes by himself.
We laid out blankets on the grass, had dinner, and I met up with my friend Jacki to chat until the pageant started. The kids played with Nana and Grampy who came to join us. I am so happy that Jacki is always willing to meet up with me when I send her a facebook message two days before I arrive! We have been friends since birth and it is always great to see her.
On the way home from our super short Arizona trip we stopped at Walnut Canyon. I had never heard of it before, but it is just outside of Flagstaff and there are several really nice Native American dwellings built into the canyon walls. It was a really pretty place just to walk around. We took the trail which led along the sides and down into the canyon.
It was a little chilly and we weren’t really prepared for that since it had been 85 in Phoenix. Marion borrowed Daddy’s hat and sweater. The kids loved crawling around in all the holes, caves, and dwellings we came to.
Here we are heading down into the canyon.
It is a really pretty hiking trail and the kids really enjoyed looking around.
The dwellings have all been reinforced so you can actually go inside of them and look around. There is black on the rocks from the fires they built inside the homes. This area was abandoned about 800 years ago, but there are A LOT of the houses that you can see and go inside. It was really cool. The kids loved exploring there.
This one had a really black ceiling. The kids would run around inside the houses and stir up all the dirt from the soft dirt floors.
This section had about six houses all right next to each other, all built into the canyon wall.
James ran around a lot and at one point face planted in the soft dirt. He looks pretty awesome with dirt and mud all over his nose.
Luckily he is a happy little guy and enjoyed hiking and jumping with Daddy. Oliver ended our tour by really needing to use the bathroom, so I had to run up all the stairs at the end of the trail. I was feeling pretty winded by the time we got to the top!
Elora finished the Jr. Ranger packet and earned her first Jr. Ranger badge to put on her vest. That is one excited Jr. Ranger!
Then it was off to home! Only four more hours to go from Walnut Canyon. Luckily Marion found sunglasses in the car – then she didn’t have to be sad about the sun in her eyes! There are so many neat places to visit between our house and Arizona. We might have to spend more time exploring all the area!
