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On Saturday, 7/18 we left Casper, WY and headed for South Dakota.  First stop, Crazy Horse Monument.  I didn't know what to expect here.  I thought we would just pull up and take pictures and leave.  Oh NO!  First of all it cost a fortune to get in.  Then once in, there is a big Indian museum and movie about the Monument.  The movie was very educational.  I have to admit that this venture seems…well, for lack of a better word…crazy!  Although I can definitely appreciate the desire of the Indians to have a monument in the Black Hills, and to do it in a way that pays tribute to their customs and deep-rooted traditions, Derek and I were both a little bewildered at the magnitude of the project.  This is what the entire monument will someday look like:

And this is far as they've gotten in 60 YEARS:

So they've got their work cut out for them.  The people that manage it are actually not Indians…they are the family of the original sculptor that was hired by the Indian Council to do it.  And his wife and children have continued to live out the dream as it was given to him.  You have to admire their tenacity and loyalty.  They refuse to take any money from the government and only use private funds, and money made from tourists.  I don't blame them for that I guess – the government is not known for its integrity where the Indians are involved.  But you hate to see something like this take so long.  And its big – much bigger than Mount Rushmore.  Hopefully it doesn't crumble (figuratively) as it is passed on from generation to generation.  Will be interesting to see…

 

Then we headed up the road to Mount Rushmore.  Again, I didn't know what to expect.  It is beautiful!  The grounds around it are so nice and you can walk up close to the base.  We really enjoyed seeing it.  It was worth the trip!

 

After Mount Rushmore we still had 5 hours to drive to our next stop (Sioux Falls, SD), and it was already close to 6 pm, so we got on the road.  That night we saw an accident (just after it happened) – a woman had turned down the highway (on the other side from us) the wrong way and was hit.  Derek stopped to render aid and was the first one to arrive at her car (in the median) and luckily found her alive and able to get out.  That was scary.  And we also hit a pheasant that flew right into our windshield.  Thankfully no damage from that.  It was a long night – we lost an hour from time zone changes and we got in after midnight.

On Thursday, July 16th we drove to Casper, Wyoming and spent the night.  The next day we drove to Alcova, WY to Martin's Cove.

About 6 weeks ago Derek and I were called by church leaders to oversee/coordinate something called "Trek" for our Stake youth ages 14-18.  Trek is just a reenactment of sorts of the pioneer efforts of our early Latter-day Saints.  It's an effort in remembrance.  A chance to learn and relive some of the faith-inspiring stories of our past.  It occurs every 3-4 years, and will be a 3-day experience next March.  Derek and I have always wanted to participate and are so excited to be involved.

The early Mormon pioneers left Nauvoo, Illinois in 1846 for the Salt Lake Valley.  For the next 10 years large groups (or companies) of Saints would journey west, mostly in wagon trains.  Many of those people were converts from Europe, as we had sent missionaries there early on.  By the mid-1850s there were so many immigrants coming to head west with the other Saints, that the church started an Emigration Fund, that would help the poorer people to come and then they would re-pay those wages when the reached Salt Lake and got established.  Wagons and animals were expensive to obtain for these people who had just crossed the ocean, so the Church encouraged travel by handcart/walking. 

Many of these handcart companies went successfully to their new homes.  But two in particular suffered devastating circumstances when they 1) left too late in the summer without proper communication to Salt Lake of their travels 2) were hit with early winter storms in October and 3) had to got to extreme measures to ration themselves because of a lack of supplies.  These were known as the Willie and Martin handcart companies.  Their stories are well documented in a book that I just read called The Price We Paid by Andrew Olsen.  I highly recommend it!  Some of the neatest stories are regarding the rescue – when Salt Lake did eventually find out about their circumstances, many were sent to rescue these people and bring them food, clothing, blankets and wagons.

When we received this calling, we decided to head from Colorado to Martin's Cove (where one of the groups was stranded waiting out a bitter winter storm).  We spent all day there – seeing the Visitors' Center and hiking 5.7 miles back to the cove, crossing the Sweetwater River where the Saints also crossed and listening to many of the stories of these people.

It was a great experience for us.  The boys were troopers!  It was hot (in the mid-90s) and dusty and long.  And it was not easy.  At one point we were pushing the handcart with all of our might uphill in the sand.  The property is just as it was then – it's never been plowed or built on.  Many people were buried there and it is a sacred and serene place. 

There are stories of them crying when they got to the river (this would have been the 7th crossing of a river for them) and saw chunks of ice floating down it.  Four young men who had been sent as rescuers carried all of the people back and forth so they wouldn't have to cross.  This was my favorite part, I think…crossing the river and thinking of them.

We will be doing our Trek at a local lake, but many stakes in the West take their youth to this very spot.  While we were there, there was a group of about 300 youth (the same as ours) from Colorado.  We walked with them much of the way, which was neat for Derek and I.

 
 
 
 
This was also our 11th Wedding Anniversary!  Last year, hiking in Hawaii, this year hiking again…
 Colorado "trek-ers"

Little Sam had it easy – he would either ride in the handcart or ride on Derek's back (or sleep), but at the end he wanted to get out and push a little too…
 
The Cove itself – where they tried to escape the wind (and it is very windy there)
 
This snake was trying to swim upstream right at the place where we were trying to cross the river – the boys loved it but admittedly it was a little alarming to this mama!
 

We were so tired after a day of treking that we picked up pizza and root beer and ate in our hotel room.  Then we took a dip in the pool and went to bed.

HORSEBACK RIDING

On our last day in Estes Park we woke up early and went on a trailed horseback ride.  It was 2 hours, so we were a little worried about how Samuel would do, but he loved it.  I enjoy horses and wish I knew more about them.  I found this early morning ride to be so relaxing and soothing.  And my big boys each did great on their own horses.  Caleb had "Colby" who was 25 years old and used to be the manager's trail guide horse.  Good ol' slow, reliable Colby!  And Jacob had "Clown" who was equally reliable, but did not like it when Derek's horse would nip at his behind!

 
 
 
 

DOWNTOWN

Every evening we ended up on the main drag in Estes…it's just a fun little strip of shopping and treats.  Mom and I had a favorite store called Trendz.  And of course the boys loved shopping for souvenirs.  Another favorite was trying different ice cream shops.

SCENERY

Here's a few more of some of the gorgeous scenery we enjoyed:

 Sheeps Lake, dusk
Moraine Park, double rainbow
Trout Haven Ranch
 
 
This is our condo, as seen from the road

We loved Estes Park.  It was relaxing and fun.  And we enjoyed hanging out and sharing it with Mom and Steve.  Can't wait to go back!

 
 

 
 
 

More favorite adventures included…

HIKING
How can you not hike in this lovely place?  We would put Samuel in his backpack (which he enjoys thankfully) and head out.  We went to Bear Lake and then decided to brave the hike to Nymph Lake which was UP the entire time.  Mom and Caleb "barely" made it (and were pretty pathetic about it when posing for a photo as you can see).  Beautiful and serene.  We loved it.

(Sidenote: Derek and the boys went on an early morning hike on some trails near our condo.  And then Derek went during a nap time for a large hike around Gem Lake)

 
 
 
 
 
 
I like to call this picture "Leave No Trace" – Samuel has a slight obsession with trash, picking up trash and throwing away trash.  He's a little OCD that little one. 

WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS
I think this is what we all probably enjoyed the MOST about Estes Park, strangely enough.  We spent HOURS doing it.  We would pile in to the Suburban and drive into Rocky Mountain National Park and look for wildlife.  We would ask park rangers about the best places to "sight" them and then drive to those places at opportune times (evening).  And we were VERY successful!  On our first outing we saw a badger, which is a rare find.  We also saw a coyote (or KO-YO-DE as Sam calls it), deer, and a bear (also a rare find).  We were so giddy about it all. 

 
 
 
Jacob had a checklist of animals that he wanted to see (thanks in part to his uncles who gave him a challenge), and many had been checked off.  But the one animal still eluding us was elk.  We knew that there was a plethora of elk around Estes Park, but we were never in the right places to spot them.  Late in the week we learned that they go to higher elevations when it's warm, so we took a trek up the mountain to see them, and we DID!  Jacob was particularly excited.  We also saw a groundhog up there.
 
 
I remember as a teen going to Colorado and we would do the same thing…and my Mom would be dead set on finding a deer.  She would make us open the door of our van as we drove slowly looking for wildlife.  She loved that sport!  And still does.  It was fun to watch how excited she would get and have her share that with her grandsons.  (Although I will probably always tease her about the open door thing).

FAMILY FUN

One day we headed to the local "fun" zone and played.  The kids loved it and it was nice to do that sort of thing in the beautiful mountain air.  Thanks, Mom, for taking pictures!

 
 
 
 
(I think Samuel thinks I drove too fast… 🙂
 
 

Ahhh, Estes Park - you have my heart.  I loved this place.  The scenery, the weather, the quaint little shops downtown (the only thing I did not love was the restaurants, but I'll get over it).  Anytime I can wear a jacket in the summertime, it qualifies as a good vacation.  Mom and Steve joined us on this leg of the trip, which made it extra fun.  We shared a three-bedroom condo that was to die for!  Gorgeous place!  I am happy when I can stay at nice places – I'm a little snobby that way.  A good clean bathroom with granite countertops just speaks to me, what can I say?!  And the view from the balcony took my breath away.  HAP.PY.

Here is the first installment of our E.P. adventures…

FISHING

We took the boys trout fishing at a stocked pond to ensure the rate of success.  We had found this pond the night before while waiting to be seated at a restaurant – they were closed but the owner and his son invited us to help feed the fish.  So we went back the next day and the boys were ecstatic with their catches.  Here's the catch – the cost was $.95 per inch of fish.  So in approximately 8 minutes we had caught 80 inches worth of fish!  Yikes!  It was perhaps a little too easy, but the boys sure did have fun, as you can see from their ear-to-ear grins.

Sam's catch – I love how he's looking at his fish!

Watch this sequence with Caleb who's fish tried to escape…

Caleb also caught the biggest fish of our excursion at 18 inches!

Jacob is my true-blue fisherman who was hoping for a little more of a challenge (although thrilled with the outcome) and could have fished for a lot longer than 8 minutes.  The budget didn't quite allow for any more, but he had fun anyway.

Derek did grill up all of that trout one night and we had it for dinner, so the cost wasn't just for the fun!

 

BOATING

We were hoping to rent canoes on Lake Estes, but found the water to be very choppy and the wind to be a-blowin' so we opted out of that possible disaster in waiting, and rented a pontoon boat instead!  It's a pretty lake (although small) and it was a nice way to get out on the water.

HATS

On the second night of the trip, Mom and I found these fun hats that we just HAD to have.  So we wore them the rest of the trip, everywhere we went.  We even got stopped on the street by a lady complimenting us.  It was fun!

 

Colorado Springs was all about family.   My whole family headed up there to spend some cherished time with my Grandpa (mom's dad) and his wife, Joan.  Also there is my mom's sister, Carol.  And her brother, John, and his family.

FRIDAY night my Grandpa treated us all to a nice dinner.
 
M & A talking wedding plans with Grandpa; Mike entertaining Carol (Liv is skeptical)
Aunt Carol with Samuel;  Anne and Mark
Mom with her Dad

SATURDAY we headed with Steve to the gorgeous Garden of the Gods near my Grandpa's home.  The weather was spectacular and we all enjoyed the hike.

Then we headed to my Grandpa's neighborhood "club" pool.  We had gone to the pool two years ago on our last visit and the boys still remember the great diving board!  They were excited to swim there again.  Jacob had the whole pool a "buzz" with his flips and tricks – he spent HOURS on that diving board.  And Caleb attempted lots of twist moves and loved the splash park.


Samuel wanted to get in the "big" pool by himself and when Derek gently told him he was taking a break from the big pool, Samuel walked away with this pout – so glad I captured it, I love it. / Samuel shivering after getting splashed.
 
Grandma Joan and Grandpap

Saturday night we spent the evening at Grandpa's house having pizza and enjoying each other.

 

And here are the men being…manly:

SUNDAY morning we headed to my Uncle John's house for a lovely brunch with him, his wife Barb, and daughter Emily.  We haven't seen them in quite a while and it was great to get re-acquainted.
 
Sweet Aunt Barb had set up "ladderball" to keep the kids entertained, and they loved it!  We now own our own ladderball set for the backyard.
 
 
 
Siblings: John, Nancy & Carol   /   Emily, John and Barb – our hosts
 
Cousins: Emily and Mer    /   Soon to be sisters-in-law: Anne & Olivia

This was a special trip – the chance for us to all be with extended family is rare and cherished.  And we will all remember it for a long time.

 

SFRT = Smith Family Road Trip

My mother pointed out to me that I forgot to mention that Amarillo and the surrounding areas had experienced record-breaking temperatures on the exact day that we were there.  112 degrees in one area.  And when we sat down for dinner close to 7 pm it was still 104 degrees.  Yikes – I think I was trying to forget that part!

The first leg of our road trip took us to Amarillo, TX – the half-way point between home and Colorado Springs.  We met my mom, Steve, and Olivia there at the hotel and we all headed south to the Palo Duro Canyon.  Such beautiful landscape!  We had tickets for the outdoor steak dinner from the Big Texan restaurant, and for TEXAS! the musical held in an outdoor ampitheatre.  It was a fun way to spend our time in this somewhat lackluster destination!  The Palo Duro Canyon was gorgeous, and is second in size to the Grand Canyon for US canyons.  And the musical was really fun – a history lesson, a love story, and a comedy all rolled up together.  I enjoyed it!

 

 

Here we are trying to teach Samuel how to do the chicken dance…

 

Caleb was picked to go on stage and help the MC tell the crowd that NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY was allowed – in his most gruff voice.  He was very cute doing it!

 

These were the main characters:

 

The next morning it was time to pack up and get going again…

 

But first we had to make one last stop at the famed Cadillac Ranch.  It's Cadillacs – buried in the ground.  People come from all over to spray paint them (it was happening while we were there)…so they never look the same from day to day.  They are in the middle of a big, dusty, dirty and VERY windy field…so we went, we saw, we took pictures and we got out of there!

 

We're back.  12 days, a LOT of driving (somewhere around 3000 miles), lots of adventures, lots of wildlife sightings, fun time with family, lots of Smith family togetherness, some not so great restaurants, some not so great but decent hotels, and some FABULOUS hotels, and most of all lots of FUN and memories made.  It was a great time and I'll be documenting our adventures over the next few days.

Here are the 6 hotels we stayed in:

 

 

 

We, of course, like to get our feet wet.  So we visited 5 out of the 6 hotel pools.

 

 

This is the trusty Suburban that got us everywhere safely…

 

And this is our favorite bell boy…

 

Here I sit waiting for my allergy shots…four of them to be exact. All 3 boys are with me being somewhat quiet which is a miracle since they are boys after all. I am feeling overwhelmed with summer time. The messes, the arguing, the constant motion, the asking “what’s next?” or “can we…?”. The laundry, Sam’s 2-year old screaming, Jacob’s 9-year old negativity, Caleb’s incessant desire to egg them both on. I seem to always be several steps behind.

But I have no time for self-pity, I just discovered toothpaste on my pants (courtesy of Samuel who is obsessed with tubes of creamy substances). And it’s Wednesday, so it’s library day. AND most importantly it’s Caleb’s 7th birthday, and we have lots of celebrating to do!

Lots of cool things to report on from our trip when I can get my head out of the clouds.

This morning we head out for the first leg of our Smith Family Road Trip.  11 days.  2600 miles.  Lots of fun, family and cool mountain air.  And lots of time in our big white bus (Suburban).  Wish us luck!

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