Favorite Vacation Link Up

 

 

Summer 2011 the hubs and I (then dating) went on THE best camping trip... we flew in to Phoenix and got to see HUGE cactus along side the road headed up to the Grand Canyon... they are amazing!

 

Once at the Grand Canyon we saw two bull elk along side the road in the national park, it was pretty crazy, but also just the beginning of the animal sightings this trip!

 

 

 

We also got to walk around the rim of the canyon, its so vast and beautiful, amazing to see, if you haven't been, you HAVE to go!!!!

 

 

 

 

The second day at the canyon we decided to hike down one of the trails... and guess what we ran into??? Or I guess they ran into us... two desert big horned sheep!!!!!

 

They were walking down the same trail and then climbed around this rock and off and up the side of the rock face, one was much older with bigger horns and the second was younger because his horns were a lot smaller.

 

 

It was a great hike down, lots of fun even though it was hot, but we decided to turn around about half way down because we didn't have a place to stay at the bottom in the camp area down there... it was fully booked. SO glad we turned around when we did, I wanted to hike the whole thing and the hubs made the call to turn around, well the trip back up was HARD and hot and miserable... so glad it wasn't as far as it could have been...

 

 

There is a tower on one corner of the canyon and we went and checked it out and got a few pictures from that side as well... its all just so beautiful there, just amazing!

 

 

We then drove the next day to Monument Valley - such a pretty area, but a HORRIBLE road to get out to it!!!

 

 

 

BUT there were horses and a pony in the middle!!!! It was beyond adorable! I have always wanted a pony... still do!

 

 

 

Then we went up to Arches National Park!

 

 

We also got in a picture with the obligatory balanced rock... holding it up!

 

Another arch...

 

And we spent a day hiking the "Fiery Furnace" that you had a get a special permit to hike because people get lost in it because there are no trails in it... we were able to navigate through it and I found our way back out again!!!! It was a blast...

 

 

 

Then we drove into Colorado and drove on the million dollar highway, crazy narrow road and high in the mountains, but we had a lot of pretty views on the way

 

 

We also passed a heard of elk on the side of the road...

 

 

and spent the night in the San Juan National Forrest.... tons of huge trees! And we got to camp right along side a creek. Very relaxing.

 

We headed to Mesa Verde the next day and were able to see TONS of deer.... they were all over the camp site!

 

 

 

Checked out the cliff dwellings and did some tours...

 

 

The next day we got to crawl around in/through the cliff dwellings just like the native americans did when they lived there... they were little people, Jake had to lay down to get through this "door"

Wild mustang!!!!



 

 

and we ended the trip with a visit to four corners!

 

 

 

We had a blast and I CAN NOT WAIT to go back!