Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Trip to the Smoky Mountains
























It was too much of a reality shock to come home after our trip to Utah, so 1 1/2 weeks later we went to the Smoky Mountains for a few days. The fall colors were wonderful and the weather was perfect. We saw bears, turkeys and elk this time and the kids all earned their Junior Ranger badges. James and Jacob did some white water kayaking on the Nantahala River in North Carolina. The girls and I followed the river and cheered for them along the way. After the kayaked, the girls got a little paddle time as well. We hiked to Laurel Falls and spent one day in Pigeon Forge playing miniature golf and riding go carts. It was super, we can't wait to go back.
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OUR SUPER FANTASTIC TRIP TO UTAH

It all began with a long ride in the RV. 30 hours later we arrived in Heber City, Utah to spend General Conference weekend with our dear friends the Weavers. We were able to visit my Aunt and Grandfather in Midway, Utah as well which was wonderful. Sorry no pictures of that...








We had a little birthday celebration for me at the Weaver's home over General Conference weekend. Kristen and Ashley and their cute families joined us, it was great! We were grateful for the opportunity to take our 3 oldest children to General Conference in the Conference Center. It was a neat experience for all of us and James and Jacob really enjoyed attending the Priesthood Session that evening.























Monday morning we headed south to Moab. We camped in Onion Creek, one of favorite places on earth. We wasted no time and began riding as soon as possible. Lance and LuAnn Weaver joined us a couple of days later. The Isenbargers, Savages, Greers and Grandma joined us a couple days after that. It as a super way to celebrate James' 40th birthday. Thanks so much to everyone who came and helped us have such a great time!


























We rode the trail to Pritchett Arch one day and played at the sand dunes on the way back to camp. We didn't quite make it to the Arch, but we had fun anyway. The sand dunes remains one of the favorite riding places by the entire family.

































































No camping trip would be complete without s'mores!




YUUMMMMOOOOOO!!!




























We found some dinosaur tracks on one of our rides. The muddy puddles next to the girls' feet are actually dinosaur tracks. Very Cool!


















A microburst storm blew through our camp at the end of the day. It left behind beautiful clouds clinging to the cliffs surrounding our camp.






















































One of our favorite rides was to Gemini Bridges. The view was amazing and the ride was really fun! The kids keep asking to go back. Jacob, Kathryn and Sarah all rode their own bikes with Emily and Samantha taking turns on the 4-wheeler with Lance, or riding with James on his bike. Everyone impressed me with their riding skills. It was a great day!











































James and Jacob took advantage of the Colorado River near our camp and did a little white (I mean brown) water kayaking. The girls enjoyed building sand castles while we waited for the boys to float down the river.







































































































We took 20 people, 2 four wheelers, 5 motorcycles and 1 jeep on a ride up Onion Creek near our campsite. It was wonderful! The views were spectacular at the top and a terrific time was had by all.









































































































We had a birthday celebration for James. We ate Navajo tacos, peach cobbler, chocolate cherry cake and cheesecake. The Weavers gave James 40 LuAnn Bars for the occasion - he was generous enough to share a few with the family on the long drive home. They were fantastic as usual!































































On the way home we stopped in Cortez, CO to visit James' Aunt Kim, Uncle Eric and their daughter Mia. We had such a nice time seeing them. They took us on a little hike to see some indian ruins. It was totally awesome! We plan to go back and visit the area again to see how many more ruins we can find.









































Our final stop on our adventure was the 4 Corners. We got to stand in all 4 states at once. It was super!















Needless to say, after an adventure like this we are already starting to plan our next trip back.
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