Day Five - Wild West Tour - Antelope Canyon

 

Day Five was spent kayaking through Antelope Canyon.....and a little hiking too!  Pictures speak volumes here.  Maryn's favorite part was being allowed to swim from the kayak....it's the little things! Chapman and I stayed behind for this adventure.....instead we shopped for Maddox and got a few things to help her celebrate her 12th birthday!

Following Antelope Canyon, we began our drive to Williams, Arizona.  We took a little detour to the "middle of nowhere" in the desert to see dinosaur tracks.  We had no idea what to expect but all agreed it would be a good break in our afternoon drive.  We arrived and our tour guide, albeit a 9 year old little girl, showed us the fossils and explained to us what each one was.  She was super insightful and we all enjoyed hearing her stories.  

We arrived at our hotel and celebrated our Maddox Ren.  Cannot believe she is 12!  While she loves growing up and getting older, I need time to slow down!  She continues to make everyone feel like they are the most important person in her life when she is with them. She is an incredible dancer - over the last year, she has gone from all things ballet to learning four other genres of dance and excelling in each of them!  She is a gift to all who meet her and we are so thankful for her life!

Wild West Tour Days - Mesa Verde National Park and Horseshoe Bend

Mesa Verde National Park

Due to Covid, there were many closures to include the Cliff Dwellings which is the one thing I remember when I visited this park as a teen.  We were able to see from a distance the impressive and unbelievable homes that were created in the middle of a mountainous terrain many, many moons ago.  To think people settled here and made this their home....and gathered resources to sustain life....it's amazing.  

Next stop....Four Corners

We were in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado all at one time!

So cool.  I am pretty sure Maryn will remember the tiny dust tornado we spied in the parking lot more than the states we walked through in a matter of minutes.  

And we finished Day 3 with Horseshoe Bend

This will likely remain Pryce's favorite stop of the entire trip....he says it's because he had no expectations and then there was the wow factor....it is beautiful and we hit it at just the right time of day to capture all of the natural colors.  

Ryan was a bit unnerved by the lack of railings and feared for all of our lives the entire two hour visit.  Bless.

I am pretty sure this was the drive where we noticed the "pink clouds" above.  The sun reflects off of the sand onto the white puffy clouds and makes them pink....so cool to see.