A Tent Rockin' Time

This week is our kids' Spring Break and R happened to have some vacation days that he needed to use, so he took the whole week off - hooray!

On Tuesday we decided - in "spur of the moment" fashion - to check out a National Monument a friend had told us about. We drove about an hour to the... northwest... I think... anyway, we arrived at the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument pay station where you are supposed to pay a $5.00 entrance fee. We had no cash. We offered a personal check, but the guy was super nice (L's favorite word is "super", so I use it whenever possible because L is a trend-setter in the making - trust me) and allowed us to go through without paying.

After parking, loading backpack, loading kid in pack and getting dog on leash we trekked off to make a bathroom stop where we unloaded D from pack and took turns keeping track of dog, kids and other miscellaneous items so we could all start our trek with empty bladders. :)

We were all amazed with the scenery and instantly decided we would be returning to this place often. Total, the hike was 3 1/2 miles. Most of the trail was pretty easy, but there were a few difficult areas and a section with some serious gain in altitude. The kids handled themselves like seasoned explorers; minus a couple of spills resulting in minor scrapes. D walked off and on, depending on the terrain and his mood. The kids were literally climbing the walls until I spoiled the fun by bringing up the rules of the trail - I'm such a mom.

It was an excellent day - perfect hiking weather included - and I can't wait for the next one!