"It is a giant hole in the ground."

We stopped for gas on the way into the Grand Canyon and while Athena was washing the windshields  a man in an RV next to us struck up a conversation that will forever be engraved in my memory. 

Him: Are you going to see the GC? 

Athena: Yeah, I'm REALLY excited! (Note: Her pallor did not match her enthusiasm.) 

Him: I'm excited! Can you believe I am 68 years old and have never been to the GC? 

Athena: Yeah. 

Him: I wanted to see it before we got to the park. 

Athena: Ummm... it is a.... can-yon. 

Him: I know I wonder when we will see it? 

Athena: You can't see it because it is a GIANT HOLE in the ground. 

Schooled by a six year old! I will never forget his face. 

We enjoyed hiking and camping at the GC, we explored the museums and visitors centers. Overall, a great experience but we needed less than five days at the park because it is a giant hole in the ground;)

Athena wanted to see the IMAX movie so she spent the money she earned on the trip to take us to the movies. (Well she paid for me, me because they let her in for free. SCORE!) 

I would rate the Grand Canyon a 5 out of 10. Maybe Mesa Verde set the bar high but the rangers were not as cool, interactive and they seemingly had little interest in teaching... and this trip was about learning through exploration. The 5 rating is based on the educational opportunities and hiking. 

We spent a night in Flagstaff... and rather than contacting ME when there was no activity at our campground, Xanterra or the rangers called Jay to find out if he had heard from us? I absolutely had cell phone service so it was frustrating when I received no call.

Gas prices were $4.79... I get it, an hour and a half from Flagstaff. 

But 40 minutes away and between the two geographical points, gas was a dollar cheaper. 

Added in after Yellowstone: It's a tourist place, no? Well, yeah. But Yellowstone was the same cost as the surrounding towns (or cheaper) and just as remote. 

Random passing by male: "Ma'am you might want to watch your kids."
Me: "They will be fine."
Him: Eye roll.

I learned at this point on the trip trusting your children is basically code for, "You are a horrible parent." 

She just might be my favorite six year old.

Athena: I like Flagstaff. I want to come back. I love the Grand canyon because it teaches us a lot about the earth and evolution. All of the different colors are formed at different times in history. All of them have different species. The movie was cool. I want to raft the canyon!

Adventures of Food Poisoning

The girls wound up with a nice case of food poisoning while we were in the desert. 

My best advice to any human traveling in the desert of Arizona is to not eat a Subway salad... You are probably better off with a cup of Ramen Noodles. 

It was fun... 

While debating if we would head to our next campground or a hotel we decided to hit up Bearizona. It was something I knew Lex would enjoy and something that we could do in the car. We chose to stay in the car and not get out and explore the walking portion of the zoo. TBH, I'm not sure Athena could have walked around.

Lex loved this attraction even though she was dying.

Athena: I was sick. I don't remember much and had to sleep. Sissy had fun. Kayla still made us go camping but it was okay because we were done being sick after getting new tires. 

Petrified Forest National Park

Stop number two on our trip was Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. We were supposed to spend two days learning at the park but opted to spend one of those days exploring the cable channels our hotel offered;) When we arrived I asked how long it took most people to move through and was given the answer of 2-4 hours. YAY! Our cable laziness did not impact our learning! We took eight hours because of hiking and Athena's newfound interest in petrified wood and learning, "ALL of the things." While I was excited for her to learn, I must admit geology is her interest, not mine but I did enjoy hiking with each of the girls. 

There were petroglyphs, kiva foundations and gorgeous views but mainly it is a drive through park. We started the Jr. Ranger book and completed all but two pages, including the pages geared at older kids, more than we needed to complete for a six year old. When we went to the museum to turn in her book the ranger made us do the two last pages (which were based on the museum and fossils.) I was down to my last diaper, literally the one on Lex's butt and needed to drive to Holbrook, 30 minutes away to get diapers. I was not amused. Athena dealt with it like a champ and Lex was a trooper, thanks to being mostly potty trained.

The best experience we had on this leg of the trip was talking to the archeologists and geologists who were staying at our hotel. They were uncovering a few kivas and sites prior to a road going in. One of the archeologists was Native American and not thrilled with the home of her ancestors being demolished for progress. She was very kind and Athena liked her very much, she invited us to their dig site as a field trip. We were excited. That night the girls wound up with food poisoning so we had to miss. Athena was heartbroken.

PFNP is a decent park and a great way to break up a longer drive but I would not go out of my way to travel to this park unless you have an intense interest in petrification. I would rate it a 6/10. Athena rates it as a 9 out of 10... 

We spent the morning hiking and had a blast doing so! 

We were learning about minerals and various things which created the color changes in the layers. I will be honest, Athena could easily tell me some of this and I'm over here typing having no clue what any of it means. 

Petrified wood! Yeah, we learned about silica, water and wood over time the minerals crystalize within the wood... Or something like that... I can appreciate the beauty and hikes but I'm not a fan of the science behind petrification. 

Toddler was pretty hungry at this point. 

Exploring in the dirt... Welcome to childhood. 

PFNP may have gained five kid points with climbing on logs alone. 

Athena: They have NO dinosaurs. They have reptiles and amphibians and protomammals but NO dinosaurs. I like learning about the wood. It needs ash from volcanoes and water to become petrified. The water has minerals. My mom would not buy me a book on the wood. She told me to save my money for it and to order on Amazon. 

Reflecting on the Trip

Before I blog about the trip in any detail (most posts are written) I wanted to reflect on what I learned... not the "What did we learn?" on a three week field trip but what we learned about ourselves on the road for three weeks, what we learned about the logistical standpoint and what we would do differently next summer and in the future.

I took a lot of notes.

Some mental: IE- we should do a homeschool project on the marketing and advertising of products start to finish so Athena can understand WHY it's ridiculous to buy massively marketed products... Riiighhht...

Things I learned:

It's difficult to plan three weeks out when the goal is learning. It is easy to miss various points of interest or historical sites when you are booking in advance.

Traveling on a schedule is not forgiving. Not at all... Food poisoning? Do you want to add in a trip to _____ place but you need to leave for your next campground? The kids want to hike at a random trailhead in the middle of nowhere but of course it is late and we need to check in!

I like my kids more when we travel!
I always love my kids but I like them more while we are on the road! The girls never fought, didn't argue, were able to play freely and explore. We had no "schedule," we quickly realized we did not want curriculum during the time spent. It was great. It was relaxed and it was nurturing to our relationships. We decided on our adventures together as a team... Well, Lex went along for the ride.

Growth is quick to come by while exploring! The very cranky and overstimulated toddlers seemingly love to be outdoors and exploring. At least mine does! Lex was able to grow coming out of her shell and pushed herself pretty far. It was a great transition and being back less than a week, she is moving back into her shell:(

The six year old found inspiration in meeting people. She learned to communicate to an Asian woman who knew no English, that she loved her hat. She wanted to go to countries of all of the people she met. A boy from Italy who knew very little English. She now insists on learning Italian. German, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, etc. She wants to learn all of them...

Overall, the trip was amazing and I'm thankful we had the opportunity to get out and explore. I'm very confident in our decision to part-full time travel in the next few years and mostly, the girls are looking forward to Jay and the dogs joining us.