Vacation In Pieces

We had a terrible time deciding where to go on vacation this year. 

As I mentioned a while back, every year we have to weigh our budget against possible destinations and time restraints with my husband's job.  This year we had to worry about time constraints even more than normal - Derek actually got a new job this spring, and he had to start from scratch on building up vacation time.  Next year we should have a chunk of time to work with again, but this year he is only able to take off a day here and there.

Because of all that, instead of going on one week-long trip this year, we have decided to do several smaller weekend trips.  In the end, this will likely work out better anyway since many of the destinations we considered are not places where we necessarily want to spend a whole week!

Over the last couple weekends we took our first two mini-trips.  The first was a planned field trip/camping trip to a historic fort, and the second weekend was a last-minute road trip to Utah over Memorial Day weekend (once we found out Derek would be able to take an extra day off).  In Utah we visited three national parks, and I plan to write a post about my tips for visiting Utah national parks with kids.  But for now, here are a few pretty pictures.

Visit To Bent's Fort

Our first weekend road trip taught us an important lesson - do not try to start a long drive after work on a Friday night.  We had grand plans to make it to a certain destination and set up our tent before dark - well, that did not happen, and by the time we arrived it was nearly 10:00 PM in the middle of a lightening storm.  We ended up springing for a hotel instead.

The next day we made it to the campground and set up our tent, and then made the trek out to Bent's Fort, which is a historic reproduction of an old west trading fort.  I have to say, the kids were completely fascinated by the fort.  They paid such close attention to all the details and history, and said it was one of their favorite field trips ever.  If you ever have a chance to go, it's a great stop for kids!  I think the general store that sold old-timey odds and ends added to the magic, and we ended up getting the girls some pioneer girl bonnets, a powder horn for Clyde which he has been exceedingly proud of, and a fire starter kit and arrowhead for Wyatt.

(On the top level of the fort.)

(Looking through a fort window.)

(Saying the junior ranger pledge.  This guy stayed in character the whole time.  I was very impressed with the commitment of all the employees in enacting their historical parts!)

(Bird watching near the fort.  I was mad at myself later for not getting a view of the outside of the fort for the blog - sorry guys.)

This was the first camping trip where we did mostly our own cooking (instead of eating meals out), and I'm happy to report it was a success!

(Playground near our campsite.)

(Checking out the lake.)

Utah National Park Trip

Our next weekend trip was to Utah to check out some of the national parks down there.  I am working on another post with more details of our visit and tips, so I'll keep it short here.

First we went to Zion National Park, on perhaps the busiest day of the year, which was perhaps a mistake! The trails were completely packed, but I still couldn't help being impressed with the grandeur of all the cliffs and canyon walls.  I'd like to go back sometimes when it's not so crazy-busy and visit some other locations within the park.  Because of the amount of time it took to navigate into the park, we only got to check out one trail in the day we were there.  

Our next park was Bryce Canyon, and I have to say, I liked it better than Zion just because it was less of a zoo, and we were able to drive into the park ourselves (more on that in my next post on this subject).  The views were honestly breathtaking, and almost more beautiful to me than the Grand Canyon (though it's been a while since we were in Arizona - I reserve the right to change my mind).

(Guys, look at this trail that went down into the canyon!  We didn't go that far down, because we had kids and time constraints.)

(We found a waterfall, which was perhaps my favorite part of Bryce.)

Lastly, we made a spontaneous detour to attempt to check out Capitol Reef National Park on the way home.  It ended up being a three-hour detour with a disappointing payoff - only because of the fact that I really wanted to see the arch, and it took us a while to figure out that we had to hike two miles to see it!  We didn't have time to do that, so that was a disappointment.  I wouldn't go back to this one unless I had time to explore it properly, but like all the other parks we visited, the areas we did get to see where impressive and beautiful.

So that's part one and two of our vacation in pieces this year.  As I said, I'll be back with more details of our visits to each park, and what I would do differently next time!