Summer Vacation 2013! Family Style!
I have always been a planner. I make lists of my lists (not that I fulfill all of them or do all the things on the list) but I would get made fun of (MOM!) when I was still a kid because if I was going to camp in say, June, I'd start making lists and packing around March. Yeah. And my new iPhone helps me with my maniacal planning! With my tripadvisor.com app...I'm unstoppable!
So, you can imagine how much planning it takes for a family of 6 to prepare for going to Yellowstone National Park! But I'm so excited! I already have reservations made for most of our trip and our itinerary mostly made out...a folder full of maps and confirmations I have printed....for our SUMMER vacation....and the heater is still running around here! So does that tell you that I've not changed much?
It's a lonnnnng trip! Really long. We probably could've flown considering how far the drive is and how many hotels and how much gas we'll be spending...the cost would've most likely been very similar in the end...but we'd have missed out on so much along the way! I'll tell you a little bit of what we have planned:
Carlsbad Caverns! I've never been and my kids have certainly never been (I'd never let them go by themselves ;) )...That's our first stop. We'll have the better part of one day there before we leave for...
Then on to Yellowstone!!! We'll stay just outside of the park for 3 days...during those 3 days we will see as much as possible of the geysers and natural sights in the park and hopefully see but not "encounter" a bear or wolf or SOMEthing to write home about! There are also some wonderful things to do in the town we're staying in (West Yellowstone) like the IMAX theater and the Discovery Center (I think it's called the Grizzly Discovery Center). Plus I have some guys who are itching to fish and a girl that wants to ride a horse (boo-Haley can't ride as the minimum age is 8)
On the way home we'll check out Mesa Verde National Park and look at some Ancient Indian Ruins! Cliff Dwelling Indians apparently built some awe-inspiring homes that are available to tour! We'll camp at this part of the trip and I fully plan to wheedle the telescope that we never use into the van (my husband likes to weigh everything that goes in...if I want to take the telescope I'd better start taking my diet a little more seriously!) to get a great view of the Heavens in the high desert!
As a bonus...I found this list a while back of places that you should take your kids (top 100)...and our trip contains 3 of them!!!!!!! I'm so excited! Another list I can start checking off. Kidding! *Or not*
From there it'll be a pretty hard-driving trip home (as in not much stopping)...but I can't wait!
P.S. I'll be requiring my children to participate in the Junior Ranger Program at both National Parks. *evil laugh*
P.P.S. I attributed my photos by linking the photo to the website from which I got it...please click on them to see where I got them! :) Obviously I can't share my OWN photos yet....I've never seen the places!
2 comments:
Awesome! I've been to Carlsbad and Mesa Verde, and you won't be disappointed by either of them. This looks like a fantastic trip, kind of like I plan to start doing once Mr D is a little older. Enjoy (and PS - I've already researched our summer trip, too, so you're not alone in your planning)
Glad I'm not alone in my "nerdness" Meredith!!! LOL Yes, we feel this trip is just now appropriate since Nathan is now 3! :) Can't wait to hear what y'all are doing!
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