The holidays are over, the blizzard of '14 has come and gone, the polar vortex has settled in...but we're home, safe and warm, enjoying the first snow day of the year. My mind woke up at 5:30 a.m. today...right on schedule, as if it knew that winter break had ended and it was time to go back to school.
Read MoreOn our last day in Colorado on our great Southwest trip, we finished up our crafts. We were all pleased with how they turned out!
Read MoreToday is the last day we can really spend with Seth, as he goes back to work tomorrow, and we fly home tomorrow night. So we wanted to get in a good family hike.
Read MoreSince Seth is volunteering for ACMNP (A Christian Ministry in the National Parks) this summer, he and his team are responsible for putting on the worship services in the NP campground amphitheaters. Today it was Seth's turn to "preach!"
Read MoreWe had decided that today would be a "kick-back" kind of day, so we awoke at about 8:30, and realized we needed to rush to get breakfast, which ended at 9:00. After that, the girls and I relaxed in the lodge room…
Read MoreWe had a relaxing morning as we enjoyed breakfast out on the restaurant balcony of our hotel. Then the girls and mom walked down the street to do a little souvenir shopping in Moab.
Read MoreWe wanted to get an early start to beat the heat today, so we awoke a little earlier, had breakfast and headed out to Arches National Park, just about 10 minutes from our hotel in Moab. By the time we got there at 9:00 it was already 85 degrees.
Read MoreWe rolled out of bed, a little stiffer and sorer than the day before. But after a little stretching and a decent breakfast at the East Zion Thunderbird Lodge, we were ready to hit the trail again.
Read MoreToday was the day for Zion National Park. We woke up after a fairly short night of sleep, and had breakfast at the East Zion Thunderbird Lodge (it came with our room). We pulled our hiking things together and headed for the park. Zion is an incredible park with a wide variety of marvels and wonders.
Read MoreWe woke this morning, looking forward to our day at the Grand Canyon. After a less-than-thrilling, mediocre breakfast at our Days Inn, we headed toward the park. On the way there we drove through Williams which was plastered with signs for Route 66, on gas stations, cafes and gift shops.
Read MoreWe had just finished our yearly trip to Minnesota for fishing and family time, and rather than going all the way home, stopped at Barb & Fred's house in Tinley Park, Illinois, for a short night of sleep and a ride to Midway airport. We awoke around 3:00 a.m…
Read MoreOur flight left early Sunday morning, and after a quick transfer in Minneapolis, we were home in South Bend (Niles, MI). Since we had just driven by car from home to Minneapolis a few weeks earlier…
Read MoreSaturday, we spent the day driving from Banff back to Helena. On our way, we were able to stop by Gord and Annie's home in Calgary one more time.
Read MoreFriday morning, we headed out to Lake Louise, about 60km Northwest of Banff. Lake Louise was beautiful and the Fairmont Hotel there is amazing. But we were surprised at the crowds. We kind of felt like we were at Disney World.
Read MoreBanff is a very touristy, little ski village with lots of shops and restaurants. In contrast, Jasper was a fairly quiet town with a much less touristy feel. We liked them both.
Read MoreOn Wednesday, we packed things up and headed to Banff. On our way we saw many wonderful sights, beginning with a black bear in the woods on the way to Athabasca Falls. Athabasca is a huge, raging waterfall, and we spent at least a half hour there taking pictures and just marveling at it.
Read MoreTuesday, we headed out to the foot of Mt. Edith Cavell. It was a scenic, curvy drive and around each corner we could view Mt. Edith Cavell getting closer and closer, bigger and bigger.
Read MoreWe woke the next morning to sunshine and clear skies. Doug, our guest house host, had recommended "Bears Paw Bakery" for breakfast on Monday morning. When we found it people were lined up out the door.
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