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Our Campsite in Flagstaff, AZ
First let me apologize, I can't seem to get the photos integrated into the blog post. We awoke to most beautiful sounds and noises, and our neighbors music. I felt like it could have been a little retribution for awaking them late last night and didn't worry too much about it. I learned quite a few things this morning. First, the car would need to be reset each morning, which takes time, so no more lollygagging about in bed. Secondly, it takes longer than normal to move the kids towards moving. The kids had a great time wandering around the campground while I did the stuff that only I could do, including cleaning out my foot to make sure it didn't get infected while I traveled. I was ever so grateful that it had finally worked its (the sewing pin that broke off inside my toe) to the surface before I left. I don't know that I could have done it without that having happened. Just like a splinter, the relief and healing was instantaneous. |
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| Note Frankie's hand sticking up from the center of the pile |
We also spread the map out on the table and showed our plan for the day, laid out our school work and discussed our token system. I had found some clever ideas for road trips on pinterest and I loved this one. I rewarded the kids with little dots for doing something good or kind or listening. Then they could trade them in for treats, something from the Mary Poppins bag (including goodies from Karen's classroom, thanks) or if they earned 100 (or combined them together) they could trade in for stopping for goodies.
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| The Trip Ribbon/ No Cross Line for the Kids |
We also had a little trip ribbon that they could earn tokens just for passing the stops/landmarks on the trip ribbon. The kids were happy to earn tokens for rhyming words, building words out of their letter cookies and doing simple math problems. It was so great! It was at this time, the longest eared gray squirrels came out to meet us. They didn't really like us, they wanted our bananas and as soon as our backs were turned, they ran off with three of them. The kids were mortified that their squirrel, named Hoppity Hops Buffo, would steal from them.
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The car being repacked
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| Sleeping bag Ninjas |
We finally got moving about 10 am away from Flagstaff. We decided to skip the several other things we had planned to do in Flagstaff, Lowell Observatory (the telescopes weren't open) and the Sunset Crater. We had three goals in mind, the New Mexico Natural History Museum, Petrified Forest and swimming in Santa Rosa, NM.
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| Holbrook Historical Courthouse and Museum |
The trip began well, in about an hour and a half we got to Holbrook, AZ our first stop. We wanted to get some bargain rocks so we could avoid the price at the gift shop in the National Park. What we found was so much more!
This is the Holbrook Historical Museum. It was so amazing! There was so much to see here. We had just finished reading Little House on the Prairie so I was excited to show the boys a covered wagon. I said to them, what do you think about putting all you own and need in here and leaving for an unknown place. Vinny remarked, "I didn't think it would be so big." Ah, the perspective of youth. For me, having just crammed all that we would need for a month and still having access to grocery stores and gas stations, I was amazed at how they managed such feats as crossing and building homes across the nation.
I can make a full post just out of this museum, the kids were mesmerized with the schoolroom (the most time they spent in the last six months in a classroom), typewriters and the jail. That was particularly instructive. A few weeks earlier we had discussed why we had to learn to control our tempers while young. That to lose your temper as an adult would land them in jail. I don't think they understood what the conditions of jail were, until that moment. Gianni was appalled at the lack of space, light and privacy and asked, "Don't they fight?" and of course I answered yes. I think the kids were a little stunned and determined not to land there in their lifetimes. Hallelujah. We spent a little time at the gift shop getting postcards for our friends and family and small pieces of petrified wood. While running around and eating lunch on the lawn Anna fell and smashed her face up, but all in all it was a great time.
We then pressed on to Petrified Forest National Park. I belatedly remembered that there was a time change in New Mexico and there was no physically possible way to make it to the museum in Albuquerque before it closed. We elected to spend our time in the National Park.
We drove the 30 minutes from town and up into the National Park. And despite the fact that I had explained to the kids that the trees were not a forest, but were stone laying on the ground, they kept asking where the trees were. We discussed fossilization, but here it was at it's plainest. It was good fun though in the Visitor's Center and we hiked the Rainbow Forest Trail. It was hot but three of the four kids loved it. The other shall remain nameless.
After we worked our way through the museum, half the Jr Ranger program and then drove through the Painted Desert portion of the trip, I realized we still had about five hours of driving until we hit Santa Rosa, and it was already three pm. We decided to just book it until we got there. Shortly, outside of the National Park we hit New Mexico. And there the fun began.
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| Painted Desert |
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| Blue Mesa |
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