Flagstaff- Day 3- 5/12/13

This morning is Mother's Day!  I woke up to the girls leaving me a sign on the bulletin board wishing me a happy day.  Then they presented me with their creations from the night before.  I went on a trail run on the Arizona trail and then came back to have a delicious breakfast and started packing up.  We just took our time breaking down and cleaning up as there was no rush to get home.  But, it was time to go.  When we got home, I realized I could not find my wedding ring!  We searched high and low and called the campground...but nothing.  2 days later I woke up in the middle of the night and visualized putting my books in my backpack and knew that my ring was there.  I got up and there it was!  Whew!  This week has been a week of annyoances and turmoil.  But as I sat down to read my Bible on Monday, I had put a quote in there that said "Peace is not the absence of turmoil but the presence of God".  So I am trying to rest in that peace and be thankful for our health and our family and most of all our gracious God who has a plan in the midst of all things!

Flagstaff Day 2- 5/11/13

This morning we slept in a little bit.  It was a chilly morning here.  We had a nice breakfast and a bike ride around the campground.  Then we headed out to do our hike at Lockett Meadow, the Inner Basin trail.  After a 1 hour drive, we arrived there and the road to the trail was closed...again. I was so disappointed!  I did not see anything in my research the week before that the hike would be closed but here we were again, just like last year!  So, we headed back to the Arizona trail which is right by our campground and did a few miles on that trail.  We saw a horned lizard on the trail.  We stopped to say hello and then started off again.  Leah was lagging behind and when we looked back to see her, she was holding the lizard in her hands and walking towards us.  She didn't want to leave it behind but we talked her into it.  Megan was of course her usual self and worried and crying in the forest...she still has her lingering fear of bears so she cut our hike short.  Then it was back to our campground and we relaxed and hung out for awhile.  We took Lily to the meadow to run around and took walks around camp.  The girls were in heaven playing in the forest and catching grasshoppers and other bugs.  We then had dinner and campfire again.  A relaxing day even though I didn't get to do my hike...at least I was with my family.

Flagstaff Day 1- 5/10/13

We left early this morning for a 3 day camping trip to Flagstaff.  A repeat of last May and mostly for Leah to visit the Deer Farm and for me to redo a hike that was closed last May.  It was a rough week in our household and all indications were pointing to stay home but we did not heed the warnings of the week...hoping to escape those annoyances and relax in the cool pines.   Those annoyances included a broken garbage disposal, my car breaking down, and on the way home from the mechanic, Tim got in a little fender bender which resulted in a citation for him.  That was the day before we left...his precious truck that we pull our RV with was dented and bruised, along with Tim's pride.  Did we really want to sit at our campsite looking at the dented truck that would remind us of the woes of our week?  Our troubles were minor and we decided to continue with our trip.  The first hour of our drive was fine but we did end up with a flat tire on the trailer near Sedona.  Tim did a quick tire change but there was some damage to the bottom of the RV but nothing major.  We headed straight to the deer farm, which made all of our problems go away.  Seeing Leah in her dream of being surrounded by deers is so wonderful!  I have never seen anyone so in love with an animal.  She was in Leah land most of the time where her imagination was running wild.  There was a fun parrot in the beginning that talks and some other fun animals including a monkey and camel.  We were there for a couple of hours but Tim was dealing with the tire issue and decided to get all new tires on the tire trailer...why not right?  After that it was time to head to Pine Grove campground where we stayed last year.  A cute campground near Lake Mary.  We set up camp,  had dinner and a campfire.  The weather is beautiful and cool.  It was then lights out!

McDowell Mountain Park- Day 3- 3/13/13

Today is my 41st birthday!  What would I like to do on my birthday?  I started off the morning with one of my favorite things...a trail run.  It was so fun running with the bunny rabbits next to me.  I couldn't keep up with them!  Of course, the kids had some presents for me and surprised me with a new Abraham Lincoln book!  The rest of the morning was packing up and getting ready to come home.  It was a great camping trip with a lot of rest, relaxation, hiking and biking.  Just what I love the most!

McDowell Mountain Park- Day 3- 3/12/13

Our last full day at the park had us sleeping in a lot.  After a big breakfast, we took off on a long hike from our campground.  We covered about 7 miles and saw a lot of the park.  The wild flowers were so beautiful!  At one point, Noah stepped on a lizard, or maybe it was a frog and killed it.  That was a little sad.  After the hike, it was time for a long nap and relaxing until dinner.  We spent the rest of the night watching the gorgeous sunset and beautiful view of four peaks.  We had a campfire and then bed time.  It was a great trip but time to go home tomorrow!

McDowell Mountain Park- Day 2- 3/11/13

We started off the morning with a big breakfast.  Then we drove a little ways to a hike in the Northern part of the park.  It was an interpretive hike that had a guide with it and number markers that taught the kids all about the different trees and plants and even the mountain that were surrounding us.  It was really informative!  One of the best hikes we have done in awhile and the kids really enjoyed it.  After the hike it was lunch time.  Then Tim and Noah went on a mountain bike ride- Noah's first ever.  They both came back without their shirts on and looked like they had a blast.  Noah was able to keep up and they were both safe.  Tim liked it so much he then insisted I go on the same ride with him next.  So, we did.  It was a lot of fun but I am not as adventurous on the trails on my bike...it scares me a little bit but it was fun and a great workout!  The rest of the evening was more walks around the campground, a walk to the visitors center, dinner, another campfire and bed. 

McDowell Mountain Park- Day 1- 3/10/13

Today is our first day camping at McDowell Mountain Park, just north of Fountain Hills.  It is really beautiful out here and even though you are close to town, it feels very seculded and private and you can't see any city lights.  The park is full of rolling green hills, saquaro cactus and wildflowers in bloom.  We left mid-day and set up camp.  The sites are very nice and large but the girls loved the playground right at our campsite the most...they went there first thing.  Right away, Lily got a cactus stuck in her hind fur so that was a little dramatic.  After setting up, we headed over to the visitors center.  There were some snakes, turtles and tarantulas the kids were making friends with there.  We walked around the campground a bit and then got ready for dinner.  I quickly realized that I forgot the hamburgers...so we ended up eating tomorrows lunch instead.  We then had a campfire and early bed.  I'm excited about our hike tomorrow!