Dinosaur National Monument

We spent three nights at Dinosaur National Monument but only one day exploring the Utah side. It was a decent drive from Moab to the park and it took us back into Colorado. I may have jokingly told A1 we would be heading back to BoCo. She was not impressed. Overall, Lex enjoyed this park more than Athena, I think. 

Athena: We went to five parks in Utah. I liked them all but loved Arches the most. I made a lot of friends in Utah and there were lots of kids to play with. I want to go to Arches with my homeschool friends. I think they would like it. We got to see dinosaur fossils and clam fossils at Dinosaur Park. It was fun to hike and see the fossils outside. 

Three days, four parks

Our plan leaving the Grand Canyon was to head to Moab and spend two days hiking at Arches but the girls proved to be far better at hiking than I had anticipated going into the trip. A friend from college mentioned going to Zion NP, I had been skeptical because it really seems like a park that is best left to exploring when you have a backcountry permit, which we did not have the time for. 

I decided to drive up to Zion and hit Bryce Canyon on the way to Moab. A little out of the way (10 hours driving that day not counting drive time in the parks) but Athena and Lex enjoyed each of the parks. We pulled into Moab around 10PM with two very energetic kids!

Zion National Park

Bryce Canyon, or on the way into the Canyon.

The following morning we slept in and hiked at Arches. Athena very much enjoyed the hiking and each of the girls enjoyed climbing on the rocks! I think we hiked over five miles and the girls were NOT tired at all.

Arches was a huge focal point on this trip because of geology but also to spend time with a worldschool family I had met on the internet.

Athena thinks it is cool getting to see the arches form. 

We decided this one looks like a dinosaur head. 

Lex got pretty high into the arch. Unfortunately, being two her legs and arms are not long enough to make the climb. I put Lex into the Ergo on my back on the ledge and continued the climb. 

At this point Athena had already made the climb with her worldschool friends from Australia. It was great to meet this family and finally put some faces to the names of a family I have known a few months! 

Getting up, easy! Getting down with a toddler on your back... In sandals, a challenge! Oh, I'm afraid of heights... Fun stuff. 

Athena and Zaharra had an amazing time. The family is on their way to Ireland to stay for a few years before heading back to Australia:)

Athena and Jack were exploring every inch they could together. The 6-7 year age is so much fun. I'm happy we had a friend with us to explore. 

The following morning we went to Canyonlands for a driving experience before heading up to Dinosaur National Monument. The three days and four park expedition was surprisingly calm and relaxing. Arches proved to be a favorite and Athena has enjoyed teaching Jay about how the arches were formed as well as erosion. Geology kid was a pretty big fan of Arches NP and Bryce Canyon.

A note from Athena: We learned about erosion causing the arches and causing the canyons at different parks. We did a science experiment with water on a rock path. The water moved some sand and small rocks. That is how erosion works. The water and wind move change things. I liked that some arches are still forming and some canyons get bigger. 

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.