Day Eight - School, Errands & Major Pool Time!

This morning we cracked open those school books for a bit and got some general schooling done. I think while we’re here, we’ll focus on the basics which allows us to be done within an hour or two. While the kids finished up their school work, David & I headed out to run a few errands and pick up some lunch. When we got home the kids were already down and in the pool. It was a warm day again with temperatures climbing a bit each day. After lunch David was out again to pick up the kids’ bikes from the storage unit and pick up a tool he needed to tighten Joshua’s new purchase - a trick bike! He used his Christmas & birthday money and he was pretty excited to purchase it! We hung out some more at the pool (hours were spent here today) and when David got home we fired up the grill again and BBQ’d up some chicken. Kids wanted to have another evening swim before bed, so down we went before getting them into bed and off to dreamland :) Although when the time came to get into the pool, it was just the boys who went in :)

The new bike!

David's evening ritual... photographing the sunset.

☀

Day Seven - Walks, Shops & Pool Time

After breakfast this morning we went out for a morning walk. This is our first experience in a gated community and it’s nice to have everything so clean & tidy with great walking trails, although all of Goodyear has amazing paved & landscaped trails complete with parks with every subdivision. Even those that they have yet to build have the landscaping & walkways put in! I guess with the recession the building has really slowed down. Someone was telling David how Goodyear was booming and growing like crazy 2 years ago and now some of the retail and lease complexes have never had owners in them. After our walk we had some errands and shopping to do. We found a great store much like our Winners called TJ Maxx and it had some amazing deals. No maternity clothes, so I think we’ll hit the outlet malls later this week. The truck seemed to gravitate to all the ATV shops and the kids (and Daddy!) had fun looking at the “toys” :). We got home and David fired up the grill for some burgers outside on the deck. The wind was a bit chilly so we sat around the gas fire pit for awhile before heading inside. The kids decided they wanted to go for an evening swim so we went down to the pool for a bit too. They didn’t last too long... I think everyone was tuckered from the full day and ready to find their pillow!

Yes, she walks to the pool like this ☺

Heading down to the pool...

On our morning walk.

Trying on funky hats.

Why only one when you could wear two?

Day Six - Quad Riding & Pool cooldown.

This morning Joshua & Sarah were up early with me, so we let Daddy & Megan sleep in and went out for a morning walk. I think back to my morning walks with David after he got off the bus and we were all bundled up.... what a difference to be in a tank top at 7:30 in the morning! We enjoyed a yummy breakfast together & then everyone was anxious to get loaded up and off to the sand trails with the ATVs. It took a bit of time to get to the storage unit, load up, fuel up, go back for the helmets (oops), and get on the road, but well worth the effort. Everyone had a blast and got some color on their skin! It was quite windy out there, but it didn't seem to slow them down at all. Joshua even found a jump area with David and they paced it off to see he made 8 feet of air! He thought that was pretty cool!

Everyone was hot, dusty and sweaty so once we made it back to the house, we cleaned up a bit and then made our way to the pool. Although it's nice to have a pool in your own backyard, the kids have enjoyed the HEATED pool in our gated community, and it's much bigger. There's also other kids to play with which has been fun for them.

After sitting in the storage unit for a few months, the quad took some effort to get started. After some pushing and a number of attempts, they got it running.

Sarah wishes she could go all by herself. She can drive on her own, but Daddy or one of the kids ride with her.... just in case :)

Megan loves to take off and explore new trails. Today she found an old car in the sand!

Sarah hanging out and waiting for a turn. She was getting pretty hot so borrowed Megan's hat for awhile.

End of another great day.

☀

Day Five - Easter Sunday in Goodyear, AZ

We awoke to clear, blue sunny skies and enjoyed a great Easter service at Harvest Baptist Church. After the service we got unpacked into our rental home and then lounged by the pool for a little R&R. OK, the kids swam, but David fell asleep on the lounge chair (and burnt his head!). We flashed up the BBQ for supper - we’ve been waiting for that for 3-1/2 months! A very relaxing & enjoyable day. Also a day of great significance as we remember history’s most important moment. It was very cute this morning at the hotel for breakfast. Sarah was very vocal in her prayer of thanksgiving & we’re quite sure everyone in the dining area heard an Easter sermon even if they didn’t go to church today! :) Happy Birthday Grandma V!!

The view from our hotel window this morning.

A new friend who welcomed us into our rental :)

Bougainvillea in our backyard.

Palms by the pool.

Megan chillaxin' before jumping in.

No chillaxin' - straight into that pool!

Joshua not waiting for anything!

Our backyard overlooks a golf course.

Day Four - Travel day with Canyons

It seems exhaustion proves to be a great sleep aid as everyone crashes as soon as our heads hit the pillow. These days of driving have been full, but today had to be the most stunning. Leaving Beaver we began to make our way to Arizona. The magnetic pull of interest and adventure forced us to leave the interstate and head into Bryce Canyon (we were just SO close). What a great detour! Just before getting to Bryce Canyon we passed through Red Canyon. The intense red rocks were incredible and they even formed archways over the road to drive through. The kids thought those were very cool. We took in the amazing red rock hoodoos, sprinkled with snow at Bryce Canyon. The rim elevation at Bryce Canyon is 8,000 feet and this year they received a record snowfall, 11.5 feet of standing snow! They only had one trail open, but because this was just a detour we didn’t have the time to explore as we would have liked. We’ve already discussed a return trip in May! We are impressed at the magnificent creation and how all the canyons we have explored are so different from each other. Bryce Canyon with all it’s pinnacles & spires is breathtaking, and so different from Zion National Park with it’s flat rocks and multiple layers, and the Grand Canyon with it’s veins of red and white rocks and indescribable vastness. Back on our scenic route it proved impossible to make good time. Every pull out was a must stop to take in view points and multiple photos! We headed from Bryce Canyon to Page, Arizona and Lake Powell. Along the way we passed through Kanab, Utah where all the mountains were completely red top to bottom. It is so strange how some of the mountain ranges just look like normal mountains and then some of them are brilliant red. We passed by the Pink Coral Sand Dunes, but just didn’t have time to stop. It seemed around every corner was something to stop in to see - another trip is a must! Page was a beautiful little city perched high on the bluff above Glen Canyon. Traveling from Page, south to Flagstaff, we passed through all kinds of scenery from towering red rock mountains, to vast plateaus, stark dessert, and ponderosa pine forest. Several times throughout the day we reached highway elevations in excess of 7,000 feet, the highest being 7,920 feet. It’s hard to believe that’s 80% of the way up Mt. Baker! Even at this height some of the mountain peaks towered above us. The sun set as we took the interstate from Flagstaff to Phoenix. We arrived in Goodyear at about 9pm, clear, starry skies and 23C. Tomorrow’s forecast: Sunny & 29C! Hello summer, it’s great to be back.

Cutting across Utah towards Bryce Canyon.

Red Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Lake Powell near Page, AZ.

The Colorado River is down inside that gash in the ground. This is a little ways before the start of the Grand Canyon.

Approaching Flagstaff, AZ.

Day Three, Good Friday - Beaver, Utah

We slept well, enjoyed breakfast, packed back up and got on the road a little after 10am. Upon leaving the hotel, David inquired about a carving of some sort that was lit up as we drove in the night before. We learned (and saw on our drive out) that it was an enormous statue (standing 90 feet tall) of Mary, the mother of Jesus, placed 3,500 ft. above the city of Butte which is at about 5000 ft. above sea level. It was a spectacular monument and the kids had wished we could have taken the tour to the top to have a closer look. Montana was beautiful with farms in the valley against the hills & snow-capped mountains. We saw numerous cows and many cute calves along the way (along with horses, buffalo, goats & sheep). Some of the landscape reminded us of the Okanagan with the rolling, grassy hills. The temperatures continued to lower as we drove into our second state, Idaho. The roads continued to be clear and although a little narrow with construction, we made our way through with some extra concentration with our trailer (it’s a bit wider than our truck). The snowy mountains were breathtaking and we had to pull over to try and capture them with the camera. Although it lends itself as a reminder of what we saw, it never really captures the full sense of beauty when you’re seeing it with your own eyes. At the highest elevations a few flakes fell, but nothing that amounted to anything. Venturing on, we crossed over into the our third state of the day, Utah, Mormon country. All of these churches have white steeples that are easily seen. It seems that although small in size, there are many of them scattered throughout the communities. Many are very ornate and quite beautiful. A highlight thus far for Megan was getting to Costco and getting an ice cream bar!! We had supper, fueled up (fought the wind doing this task, wow!) and hit the road for some evening driving. It only took a few hours before the days driving caught up with us and we were tuckered out. We ended up staying in a little county called Beaver for the night. Nice to be in a bit earlier than the last couple of nights (11pm) and we look forward to our last driving day tomorrow as we arrive at our first main destination - Goodyear, Arizona.

Goodnight!

Our Lady of the Rockies Statue.

Butte, Montana

A little Okanagan-like?

Valley farms in Montana.

Near the Montana/Idaho border.

Coscto dessert - always a frozen swirl yogurt for Joshua

Churro for Sarah

...and Megan's delight - ice cream bar dipped in chocolate & crushed almonds!

Holidays have officially started.

A Mormon Temple high up on the mountainside near Salt Lake City.

Day Two - Butte, Montana

Today we had a lot of stops to make so it took us awhile to get out onto the open road. We left Lacombe & made our way to Calgary where we took some time to look through the homeschoo/teacherl store & pick out some material for next year. After getting lunch we pulled out around 4pm; kids were great with patience today! We enjoyed the spectacular views of the Rocky Mountain range and David pointed out to the kids were Grandma Gray grew up :). I totally forgot about snapping photos along the way, not that the flat plains are photo ops, but those Rockies sure are! The border crossing went smoothly and we were on our way with no troubles, it’s always a little nerve racking crossing over. The sun began to set as we drove through the plains of Montana. We saw many stormy clouds along the prairies, but seemed to avoid them all. The great, big sky is so beautiful and the multitude of stars, spectacular. We refueled for some night driving and pulled out some bedding so the kids could fall alseep. We drove through until about midnight and then found a hotel to stay at in Butte, Montana.

A "through-the-windshield" shot of the arch of the storm we passed under without a drop of rain.

Some lovely sunsets with that big sky!