Capitol Reef National Park

 

Kolton & Karson resting on rocks at Capitol Reef

The family with Capitol Dome in the background

Jr Rangers

Canyonlands National Park

Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands

Kane climbing a ladder on one of our hikes

Our camp site while at Canyonlands

The ranger congratulating the kids after they earned their Jr
Ranger badges

Arches National Park

The family in front of the park sign

 

 

We got to Arches late in the afternoon and took a tough hike to see Double O Arch
just as the sun set. Then we all hiked back to the trail head in the DARK!

 

I love this picture! Kane and Ken admire Landscape Arch, Kalista and Kolton
embrace as Karson smiles for the shot.

 

The Three Gossips

Karson, Kalista and Kolton resting on the rocks after a mid hike lunch.

The park ranger goes over the boys' Jr Ranger books before they give their
oaths.
 

Mesa Verde National Park

 

 



A kiva - a sacred circlular room found in ancestral Puebloan homes.



Kane & Kalista in the ruins of an ancestral Puebloan kiva



The family inside a restored kiva



Balcony House tour



Kolton working on his Jr Ranger book



Kane, using a historical diorama to answer questions in his Jr
Ranger book



Karson & Kalista with Spruce Tree House in the background

Shot with the park sign. Even Tae is posing!

Rocky Mountain National Park

Tae, the Regal Beast

 

Kristin taking a break during a hike in RMNP

Cow moose

Bull moose

 

Love is in the air



Taking a hike

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado was a surprise. We didn't expect to find a dune field nestled in amonst the Rocky Mountains.

Karson & Kolton learning about lighting at the visitors center



Hiking the dunes was hard for some of us, but not Kane! He was the
sand dune climbing-est hiker EVER!

 

Karson holding Popsicle the salamander

Kalista holding the smiling salamander

Kalista & Karson enjoying some reading material in the
visitors center

Kalista working on her Jr. Ranger book

 

Kane, Kolton & Karson working on their Jr. Ranger books

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Before heading to national parks in Colorado, I had only heard of Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde. Black Canyon of the Gunnison was a place definitely worthy of hearing about! Located in western Colorado, this park surprised us with its beauty and history. 

Our first view of the canyon

In the kids' Junior Ranger books they were asked to create a story about how the Black Canyon was made. Here are a couple of possibilities:

 

Once upon a time there was a group of aliens looking for more space and they used their super telescope and looked at Earth. They thought it would be perfect except they were afraid that there would be smart creatures. So they got an idea: They would use their lasers to make a steep gash in the Earth. They failed a lot making all the canyons then they finally did it, but then smart creatures called humans evolved. So they poured water in the gash and lived under the water and that is how the Black Canyon of the Gunnison was made.

By Karson

 



The family upon arrival at Black Canyon of the Gunnison

 

Once a husband and wife lived together. Then one day the wife died. The man in his grief decided to dig the deepest grave ever for his wife, so he began to dig. He dug for a long time, but when it got really deep it started to cave inwards. He realized then that to ensure it would always be the deepest he would have to dig forever. To do this he asked God to turn him into a river to continue his work. So when you look into the canyon you can still see him digging away to ensure his wife's grave will always be the deepest.

By Kane

 



Karson on a hike at Black Canyon

Kalista, Karson & Kane taking a break from a hike

A view at the end of an interpretive hike

Painted Wall in the distance

Kane and Kolton on Painted Wall

On October 6th - Karson's 9th birthday we took a back country hike down
into the canyon

The entire hike was this steep and steeper!

Using a chain, Karson descends into Black Canyon

View of the canyon from the Gunnison River

Submitting their Jr. Ranger booklets and pledging to preserve national
parks to earn their badges.