{Miscellaneous Mondays} Vacation Musings

From September 1st through the 9th, my family and I traveled out to Colorado Springs and then onto Moab, Utah for my first-ever experience of the American West. I was terribly excited because I’ve never seen this part of the country (and in case you don’t know, I love to travel). I can assure you, it didn’t disappoint.

Of course, there were hard parts, too: Little sisters throwing up on your bag and wetting their pants in Garden of the Gods and screaming for several hours in the car thereafter; brothers smashing fingers and shins while attempting epic jumps over rocks; me almost swerving off the road (but I didn’t overcorrect. Aren’t you proud of me?); a sore throat and stuffy nose making its rounds through the family … but overall, it was good.

Here are a few of the highlights:

•  taking the Cog Railway up to the top of Pike’s Peake (Note to self: When they say it’s colder at the top, they mean at least fifty degrees. Not ten, like you thought.)
•  hiking in Arches and Canyonlands national parks (Arches has amazing, well, arches, and Canyonlands offers incredible panoramic views)
•  seeing Native American petroglyphs in person (a little freaky that real people several hundred years ago actually drew them)
• visiting the Air Force Academy (very sterile and futuristic with a very unique chapel), Focus on the Family headquarters, and the Broadmoor Hotel (really fancy)
• rafting and swimming in the Colorado River with my mom and brother (We were in a group of some older people whose joy and zest for life inspired me. I hope I can be like that when I’m that age.)
• taking pictures of famous landmarks, like Delicate Arch or Balancing Rock
• meeting old friends again after too many years

But, in the end, those things weren’t the true highlights. Looking back, I discovered that it was the small, simple things with my family that made it wonderful.

Things like playing in the little creek behind our condotel with my brothers (we were racing acorn caps under a little bridge—we used watches to time them and everything).

Things like sitting on towels and stargazing as a family.

Things like spur-of-the-moment jaunts to grab some ice cream.

Things like listening to my mom’s homeschooling podcasts on a rainy morning.

Things like waking up to a roomful of sleepy siblings and choruses of “Hi!” greeting my ears.

Those were the things that meant the most.

And now, for some photos! All taken by me. =) Click on one of them for a larger slideshow. 

the outside of the Air Force Academy chapel

Mountain sheep on Pike’s Peake

Bowtie Arch

under Corona Arch

Corona Arch again

desert asters—aren’t they lovely?

The Three Gossips (or The Magi, as we renamed them)

amazing views at Arches

Delicate Arch

more amazing views, this time at Canyonlands

looking through Mesa Arch; La Sal Mountains in the distance

rainbow at Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods

Balancing Rock

Happy Monday, everyone!