- This morning we started right on our school work. Well, Keaton did sleep in a little bit. Campbell said that when Keaton did wake up, she immediately woke up Campbell. This would have normally been a good thing, but Campbell had already told me that she was going to sleep in a little bit this morning. She usually works on Tuesday mornings, but today she was not on the schedule.
- Campbell spent a good bit of her time today working on the act. She took the whole test today, and for some reason she made a great score. I hope that when she takes the test next time, she just scores 1 point higher than last time. My reasoning is if she can score one more point each time every time she takes the test, then she will do just fine. However, if she scores what she did today, then we will have ourselves a party.
- This afternoon the kids and I loaded up to go and see all of the OBU kids. We picked up Grannymom, Nonna, and Pops and headed down to Arkadelphia. We went to Graham's room first to see his room. Of course, his room is the smallest so it also felt the most cluttered. He was proud to show it off to the grandparents, and his suitemates were there as well.
- Graham had to go and play a pickleball game so we went to Anderson's room. Nonna and Pops had already seen his room, but it was all picked up. We delivered Anderson the most things-gatorade, water, pumpkin muffins, and sourdough bread. Graham just had water and gatorade, while Reagan just got water, watercolor paper, and 2 necklaces.
- Next up, we stalked Reagan until she was finished with her tutoring. Then we picked her up and took her to room. There we got the tour of her room. Her room is super cute and styled adorably. When we left Reagan's, we met everyone plus Lena at the nearby Mexican restaurant.
- I had forgotten that it was Taco Tuesday, and I had no idea that everyone would be at the restaurant. It was completely packed, but we did get our food really quickly-though Grannymom and I split something, and we definitely didn't get what we had ordered!
- It was all still good though, and our little outing to Arkadelphia was absolutely perfect. It was good to see all of the kids and spend some time with everyone else on our drive. And of course, we stopped at Buccees on the way home where everyone got a treat.
- As soon as we came home, Campbell turned around and left to go to a friend's house while Keaton ran up stairs to watch a show. Whitman has even convinced Robby to take him camping tomorrow...I think that maybe Whitman was very gung ho about this idea because not only would he miss Wednesday night church, but also he will miss a day of school.
September 29, 2026
September 28, 2026
- It was a nice Monday morning, and even though I was running a bit behind waking everyone up and getting the dogs to potty, I still managed to start school somewhat on time. After I read with Whitman, he took a huge pile of things upstairs to work on and didn't come down until lunch.
- Campbell worked on her math homework-it was quite a bit so we had to finish when she made it home from work. Thankfully, it wasn't hard; it was all just long. Keaton seemed to zoom through her school work.
- This afternoon I made a loaf of brown sugar cinnamon sourdough bread. I didn't bake it until tonight so I can now smell it cooling. I also made some pumpkin muffins before taking my afternoon walk. Plus I played a short game with Whitman-I guess that I had pretty busy this afternoon.
- This evening we all ate some type of leftovers to help clean out the fridge. Then I sat on the couch for a while playing mahjong on my computer. Now, I think that I might have some ice cream or some hot chocolate...or both!
September 27, 2026-Happy 15th Birthday Keaton!
- This morning was an early morning-Campbell was dog sitting for the day and ran to let the dog out before church, my Sunday school class was moving to a new room so we had to make monkey bread, we had to pick up doughnuts for Keaton's Sunday school class to celebrate her birthday, and Robby was singing in the men's choir so he had to be there early.
- We were able to get all of this done and be at church when we needed to be so that was a win. Keaton didn't have a lot of people there today so she had plenty of doughnuts leftover which she shared with Campbell's class. Whitman didn't have any teachers in his class, so he said that they just did the lesson or some version of it themselves-I would have loved to have been a fly on that 8th grade boys Sunday school wall for sure.
- We had Sunday lunch at Nonna and Pops' house. They had lasagna which was delicious plus there were three cakes for all of the birthday people: Robby, Keaton, and Jason. We sang and did presents after lunch. Robby opened a gift card and cash, Keaton had 3 pairs of shorts and an alani, while Jason opened some books and cash. It was a pretty uneventful gift giving session!
- After lunch, Campbell went back to her dog sitting house. Robby dropped me off for dog duty while he took Keaton to pick up her 7 Brew birthday drink and Whitman to get a much needed hair cut. His hair had gotten so long that it was starting to curl up in the back. Anderson also needed a hair cut the last time that we saw him, but he will be getting a pretty good cut next week or the week after that.
- When Robby back back, we both took a short little nap before loading up to take Keaton and Whitman to their life groups. Keaton took cookies to hers to celebrate her birthday a little bit more. While they were there, Robby and I did some shopping-I made more money than he did!
- We picked up the kids and went to the Wilson's house for some dessert and conversation before coming home and starting the weekend!
September 26, 2026
- I woke right up at 7 this morning thinking about my bread which I had to add cheese to and put in the fridge. I snuck out of the room trying not to wake the dog. I was able to get the bread in the fridge and get back back into bed for a little bit longer.
- I did the laundry and dishes before cooking 4 pounds of meat before waking up Keaton and Whitman to go to Raymar to work the concession stand from 10-12. While they were working, I tried to find a Walmart delivery instead I just spent money at Walmart and Kroger.
- When I picked up Keaton, we went to a boutique where Keaton had a gift card. She didn't find anything. After we got home, Robby left to run his errands, and while he was gone I worked on organizing some of our games.
- Robby made soup for supper, and I made some cheesy sourdough bread. My bread was pretty decent while the soup was pretty good as well. Grannymom came over tonight to watch some of the football game, and we even had cookies for our half time dessert.
September 25, 2026
- I was going to lay in the bed for a little bit longer this morning, but Robby and I shot out of bed when we heard Marley throwing up. It was just a bit, but it did go ahead and start our morning a bit earlier than we had planned.
- I did my morning things around the house and then took a walk. The weather was super nice, but my book isn't really keeping my attention. I still managed to walk 3 miles before coming in.
- Campbell was awake by this time. She was eating her early lunch and trying to prepare herself mentally to go to work. Robby and I left a bit later to run to a few stores. We even stopped at Costco to pick up some dog treats.
- We then came home for a few minutes to unload our groceries, and then we left again. This time, we headed to the other side of town to eat a quick lunch. When I came home, I did some school work with Whitman that we didn't finish yesterday.
- When Campbell came home from work, Keaton and she left for a few errands. They came back with supper for them along with a few other things. Robby worked outside while they were gone, and I printed some school work for later.
- Now, everyone is home, and the house is quiet. I think that I might just have myself some hot chocolate.
September 24, 2026
- I helped at Mother's Day Out again this morning. I think that the girls would prefer I don't go with them because I think that I hamper their shopping afterwards. Today after MDO, I am the one who had us stop at ChickFilA and the library plus I even let them get a drink at the gas station. However, I think that they would have preferred to stop at Target or Altered State.
- When we came home, I started on a batch of pumpkin muffins. I'm not really sure what happened but the first batch was a fail, and the second batch was questionable even though I made it work. I was pretty disappointed especially since I have made that recipe before a few times.
- Campbell and I worked on her math next. It was much easier than what she has been doing, so we were both pleased about that. Whitman was at home all day today by himself doing school on his own. He had finished most of it by the time that we came home.
- Tonight all of us but Whitman left to go to Arkadelphia. Brett was speaking at Refuge, and he had a van full and then row full of folks. The Wilson, Layne, Ben, and all of us rode together, and of course, we stopped at Buccees on the way for a bite to eat.
- Refuge is the Thursday night worship service that is student led at OBU, and I think Robby and I left even more thankful that our kids have the opportunity to go to Ouachita. I think that they all go to Refuge most of the time, but all my Dennies were there tonight. We were able to see them and their friends so it was a great end to our evening.
September 23, 2026
- Keaton was the one who left this morning. She went to babysit and didn't get home until early this afternoon. By the time that she made it home, Campbell had already left for work. While Keaton was babysitting, Whitman and Campbell did most of their school work.
- Whitman has started taking quite a bit of his school work upstairs. Today he worked upstairs until almost noon. When he did come down though. he had accomplished most of his things.
- I went to pick up Keaton this afternoon. Of course, I was walking and was a bit a way from the house when she text. I had to hustle home so I could get her on time. When we got back home, I helped her finish school before working with Whitman briefly.
- Then I finished my walk before coming back and making granola bars with Whitman. We played a game after cooking. He got a few new games last year, and this is one of my favorites. I almost won but he came back in the end and beat me.
- Soon it was time for church, so I left first to drop something off at Nonna's house. As I was leaving Nonna's, Campbell, Keaton, and Whitman drove past me.
- When church was over, Keaton and Campbell went to ChickFila. Whitman and I both had sandwiches, but Whitman said he had eaten a lot of pizza so we will get our sandwiches tomorrow.
- I did come home and have myself a big bowl of hot leftovers which was wonderful. Then I worked on Keaton's school for next week-it was a little more difficult than usual because Marley ate most of her sheet which told what she did last year. I had to piece it together so hopefully things are right.
September 22, 2026-Happy Birthday Robby!
- I couldn't even stay up late enough to tell Robby happy birthday last night, so I did make sure that I was the first person to tell him happy birthday this morning (in real life.) Since it was his birthday, I got on up and made him a big breakfast. I lie-I did no such thing!
- I got up, and we started school. Well, everyone but Campbell started school. She went to work at church for a few hours. She has been excited about her paychecks lately because she is making quite a bit of money working 5 days a week right now...though she is also spending quite a bit of money right now too, so it all evens out.
- While the worked on school, I worked on my puzzle. And yes, I finished the 1,000 piece puzzle in about 24 hours. Yes, I do have a problem. I was telling someone lately that I have an addictive personality so I have to be careful the projects I start. However, I don't feel those same urges when it comes to cleaning or other productive things.
- Campbell came home and started on her math test. Her art teacher did email last night and reset her test. She took that last night, and then she aced her math test today so she was so proud of herself that she didn't do any of the rest of her school today. (She will have to catch up later though.)
- This afternoon I went on a walk which was the first one I had taken in a while. Then I came back and started on supper. It took me about 4 hours to make tonight's supper. I think that I might be a little bit slow for sure!
- It was good though-chicken fetticcini lasagna. The Wilson's brought over fried ravioli which we devoured immediately. And Robby had bought his own birthday cake-4 different cheesecake samples for us to try! And try we did-the biscoff cheesecake was definitely my favorite.
September 21, 2026
- This morning was a school day, so we all went to work pretty early this morning. I actually woke up before my alarm and should have gotten up to walk this morning, but that didn't happen. I snuck to the bathroom so Marley wouldn't hear me, and then I reset my alarm clock for a little bit later.
- School went pretty well today. Campbell was the first one finished this morning followed by Keaton and then Whitman.
- I had a doctor's appointment for a quick check up which Robby drove me to this afternoon. While I was at the appointment, Robby ran to the store, Thankfully, we finished at about the same time so that was perfect.
- Most of my day was spent working a puzzle. I did start a 1,000 piece about the National Parks this morning. And yes, I have spent a lot of time working on it-I don't think that anyone else has done any pieces, but I'm nearly half way done.
- This afternoon the girls and I ran to Nonna and Pop's house to drop off a few things. Campbell drove us there, and Keaton drove us home. There was a wreck on the way so Campbell had to turn around in the middle of the road, and Keaton had to navigate police and fire trucks on the way home.
- Once home, we pretty much did nothing for the rest of the evening. Robby and I had some butter chicken. Then I worked on my puzzle a little more before baking a few cookies.
September 20, 2026-Happy 15th Birthday (Party) Keaton!
- We all rode together to church this morning. Campbell had worship care this morning, but the rest of us were able to be ready in time to ride together. Campbell doesn't usually sit with us at church, but Keaton does. Today though Keaton up and left us-our Sunday morning row keeps shrinking.
- After church we went to Grannymom's house to celebrate Robby and Keaton's birthdays. Keaton opened up a a few gifts along with a cute white dress. Robby had a gift card and cash, and he already has a project for his gift card.
- Once we made it home, Keaton and Campbell went right to work getting ready for Keaton's party. There wasn't a crazy amount to do, but it did take most of the afternoon for them. Plus Keaton had to have her hair done which took a bit. While that was happening, I took myself a short little nap.
- Then the party started! Keaton had 20 friends at her Fancy Nancy birthday party. The house was certainly decorated to the max. Of course, there were lots of picture taking first.
- Next up was supper-walking tacos with all of the fixings. The girls ate and then played Who Knows the Birthday Girl the Best followed by decorating mirrors in fancy sequins.
- Finally, it was present and cake time. I think that Keaton was very pleased with her birthday party. It was sweet to see all of her friends singing Happy Birthday to her.
- The Wilsons came over to eat some leftover supper with us. When they left, Keaton finished helping me clean up-Shannon had already helped me clean up quite a bit. We are now done with clean up, and I think that I may head to the bed.
September 19, 2026
- Before my alarm went off this morning, I did get out of bed to take my cinnamon rolls out of the fridge to get ready to bake. Then it was back in bed for a little bit longer, and then I did finally bake the cinnamon rolls.
- The recipe only made 8 rolls which was odd, but they were certainly delicious. Robby and I both think that I should have made a sweeter icing. However, they were still winners.
- I then did the laundry and cooked some taco meat before leaving with Keaton and Whitman. They worked in the concession stand at Raymar for two hours. While they did that, I did a Walmart run plus a Kroger shop.
- When I picked up the kids, we ran to Dollar Tree looking for mirrors for Keaton's party. They didn't have one, so we went on to Dollar General. They also didn't have one-decorating a mirror is the craft for her party. I was going to get another from somewhere tonight, but she had one person cancel on her so we are good with just 20 mirrors.
- Back at home, Keaton went to work getting ready for her party. She was stressed because she still has quite a bit to do. However, she did get the cake done and quite a bit of decorating. I bet she will be up late tonight working more, but she will have some time tomorrow.
- Campbell and I did math this afternoon. Before too long though the girls had to go and babysit. They have been there all evening long so I bet they will be tired. When they left, I had a nap before cleaning the bathrooms.
- Robby and I then went to Costco and Hideaway Pizza with the Wilsons. Then they came in to visit for a little while. Robby made brownies for us to snack on, and as we visited we watched some football.
- Now, Robby and I are finishing the football game while waiting on the girls to come home.
September 18, 2026
- I told Robby a few years ago that he would be the one to teach the last 3 how to drive since I had already completed the first 3. However, it didn't work out like I would like for it to. Today was Keaton's day to take her driving test.
- I have felt super confident with Keaton driving except today on the way to her test, she did run a red light. That shook my confidence a wee bit! We were able to take a practice drive around where she would need to drive before her test.
- When it was time for her exam, I was so stressed. I could have sat inside and waited, but gracious I had to walk around outside as I tracked her progress. She did great though and passed easily-she didn't know where the windshield wipers were was her only mess up. We had gone through all of the things in the car that she should know, but we forgot about those completely.
- We celebrated with Starbucks on the way home. When we did get home, I got a text from Anderson saying that his intermural soccer team won the tournament. He had been playing most games and even helping another team out until Sunday night when he sprained his ankle.
- He says that it is still pretty bad, but he did say that it was improving. He still got a tshirt for being in the winning team. I told him that in his short college career so far, he has won two intermural sports and been on the winning Tiger Tunes team. Not too bad.
- Keaton spend the day decorating for her party. Campbell had to go to work this afternoon, and while she was gone, I started some cinnamon rolls and sourdough bread-all for me to bake tomorrow.
- This afternoon Keaton went to get her nails done, and Campbell joined for moral support. While they were gone, Robby and I ran a few errands and picked up supper-pizza and nuggets for the kids and butter chicken for us. Now, to eat the ice cream we bought!
September 17, 2026
- This was a different morning because instead of sending the girls off to Mother's Day Out, I went with them to work. It wasn't bad especially since 4 of the 8 kids in the class were out today. I had thought that the day might drag, but it really did fly by. I can only imagine how the day would have flown if there had been 8 kids in the class I was in.
- I never saw Campbell today because she was on the other side of the building, but I did get to see Keaton a few times. Those girls really love working at Mother's Day Out.
- When we finished, we went to Southwest Little Rock and did some practice driving for Keaton since her test is tomorrow. Now, I'm a bit stressed for her because she had such a hard time passing her written test. However, I feel the more confident with Keaton than I have with any of the other kids driving-like I can just look at my phone as she drives-so I think that she will do great, but you really never know.
- Once at home, Campbell and I did math before she left for her outing tonight to a volleyball game. Whitman was at home all day long doing school, and for some reason it took him pretty much all day with some things left for tomorrow. I did get him to do a few things tonight though, but we have tomorrow to finish a few more things-plus I need to check Keaton's school from earlier this week and more math with Campbell.
- Currently, Robby and I are watching a documentary-it is making me want to burn my phone.
September 16, 2026
- This morning Keaton was the one who left the house first. She babysit most of the day and made a decent amount. While she was gone, Campbell again started on her school a little bit early. She had just started her college art test when she clicked "submit" instead of "next question."
- This made the test stop and she received her score for only doing 2 of the 25 questions. She was about to panic, but I told her to email the teacher. She did email the teacher two different ways. I thought for sure that we would hear back quickly; however, she still hasn't heard anything.
- We had seen a post lately about someone trying to call a certain department at their child's college, and they ended up having to take off work and drive to the school to get a reply. I hope this isn't the case for Campbell!
- Also today, Robby had a question about our school bill. He called and the phone was answered by the same person that was able to help him. Made my thankful for our big kids' school.
- This afternoon Whitman and I made cookies-the recipe went along with something that we were reading. I didn't think that they were too great, but Whitman must like them because every time that I see him he has one in his hand.
- This afternoon Campbell went to work while Whitman finished up his school. Then I picked up Keaton and before too long it was time to head to church. Church was lively tonight-sometimes everything seems noisy and people are everywhere. Tonight was definitely one of those nights.
- The Wilsons came over tonight to visit, and when they left I started this blog. Now, I think I'm headed to the shower!
September 15, 2026
- Another school morning which went fairly smoothly. Campbell was at church all morning working, so it was a bit quieter during our early morning school time. Keaton was able to finish this morning, but she had another day of school to do tonight because she will be gone tomorrow.
- Campbell came home a bit after lunch. She then started on her school work. Keaton and I ran a few errands really quickly-first we went to the post office, exchanged her dress from yesterday, and then picked up a free birthday gift from Sephora.
- We came home, and I then helped Campbell with her math homework. It took a few minutes, but we got it done. And then we get to do it tomorrow and the next day and the next day too! However, it is one class she won't need in college so that is a good thing.
- I again went on a walk this afternoon-just for a mile today. Then I left with Robby to run to Tacos for Life. When we finished eating, I ran to church for MahJong. I tell you, I just had so much fun-I kind of wish that MahJong was every night. Would that be bad?
- When I came home, Whitman did a science experiment. He lit some foam on fire, and it made a loud boom. It was a pretty neat experiment. I then joined Robby on the couch, and we watched a tv show until bedtime.
September 14, 2026
- This Monday morning went incredibly smoothly. Campbell started on her school a few minutes earlier than usual, and I think that helped her morning go smoothly. She went back to work today after the summer off, so she needed an easy transition.
- After school was over, I did work in the camper for a little bit. It is now ready for the next trip. When I finished that, I made sure that Whitman finished his school. And then I went for an afternoon walk. It has been a while since I have been able to walk. It was cloudy yet I was still super sweaty when I was done.
- The girls and I ran some errands when Campbell came home from work. Keaton is taking her driving test on Friday so she did all of the driving. First stop was Altered State, then Platos (where I found something), next was Hobby Lobby followed by Walmart. We were gone for a bit, so the boys were hungry when we made it home.
- I made sandwiches (on fancy bread) when we did get home for everyone's supper. Even though it was sandwiches, I didn't get any complaints at all. Plus I think that we have ice cream so that will make everyone forget about the non fancy supper.
- Tonight my plans are to have some of that ice cream, read a little bit, and possibly do some crocheting-this is the first time in a very long time that we have been home and on the couch early!
September 13, 2026
- It was kind of difficult getting out of bed this morning because yesterday we had slept in so late. Campbell and Keaton were already stirring above us getting ready for church. Keaton told me that we had to dress well today because we had been gone so long-it was almost like a first impression.
- Thankfully, I think that we did make a good first impression at church today-people seemed to like us. Keaton and Campbell were there much earlier than Robby, Whitman, and I so they had already saved our seats this morning which was nice.
- Then we had Sunday school before heading to Nonna and Pops' house for Sunday lunch. Nonna had tacos and all of the fixings which is one of my favorite meals. Campbell liked it too-but that is what she ended up having for supper tonight too!
- Robby and I ran some errands this afternoon, and when we made it home, we both quickly fell asleep on the couch for about 30 minutes. Then it was time for us to start our evening route.
- We picked up one of Keaton's friends, and then took Keaton and her friend to life group. We then did some sparking which we haven't done in a long while.
- Finally, it was time to start pick up. We picked up Whitman and his friend and then Keaton and her friend. Then we dropped both of them off and made it home. The kids love their lifegroups, but it does make our Sunday nights a little crazy plus we had to skip our Sunday night dinner with the Wilsons because of our taxi service happening.
- When we did make it home, I started trying to mark a few things off of my list for next week. This will kind of be the first real week without everyone here (last week didn't count because we were just getting home from the trip and leaving again.)
September 12, 2026-Partying at Degray and Happy 21st Birthday Reagan
Robby and I woke up at a decent time this morning, but we sure didn't leave the bed for the longest. He did get out of the bed to take Marley out, but she is turning into a good dog and went back to sleep, so I eventually also went back to sleep too. It was wonderful for sure.
We then started moving pretty quickly. Robby went to work on the outside things while I started to put away and pack up some inside things. Within an hour of us getting out of bed, we were pulling out of the campground.
I had to run to Arkadelphia to pick up a camera from Reagan so I was able to see her and wish her a happy birthday in person. Then we caught up with Robby in Malvern for the gas station. When it was time to get back on the interstate, we saw that it was stopped so Robby and I both headed out different ways following our gps's.
I some how got pretty far behind him, but I eventually did get on the same road. Then I went one more different way to get to my next gas station stop. By this time, I certainly needed to go to the bathroom so I was glad I had a gas station to stop at.
Once we made it home, everyone started helping unload the camper. Of course, with just a 2 night trip, unpacking didn't take too long at all. Things went pretty quickly plus there was only just one load of laundry to do so that made things super easy.
A bit before 5 I left to go eat at Tacos for Life for a friend's birthday, and then we went to play mahjong for a bit. I actually won one game which was fun because I'm usually not a winner.
Robby took Campbell to pick up the car at church, and then they grabbed supper. She then met some friends to go the fair. I left my party and picked up Robby. Then we headed to the Wilson's house to watch the football game. We watched most of it before deciding that even though the company was good, the game was not worth our time so we headed home.
September 11, 2026-Partying at Degray and Happy 21st Birthday (party) Reagan!
On our Utah trip, Robby and I would wake up before our alarms most days. This would happen even when our alarms were set to go off early. Now, that hasn't been happening at home this week, but I was little worried that would happen this morning in the camper. I was so happy when I looked at the clock this morning, and it was already 8:30. That was wonderful.
Robby took the dogs to potty, and then I got dressed. We decided to go and walk the dogs, and we had not gotten too far when it was started raining. We knew that the rain was coming, but we thought we had a little bit of time.
We hurried back to the camper and settled in during the rain. And it rained and rained and rained. We kept looking at the weather hoping that it would clear and hoping that the 6:00 shower that they forecasted was wrong.
Thankfully, after a 2 hour rain shower, it finally cleared, and the sun came up leading to a beautiful day. We all loaded up and headed to get ice and of course Sonic drinks. We filled 4 ice chests with sprites, waters, diet cokes, and cokes. Then we came back to the camper for a little bit.
Around 4:40, we loaded up the 7 pans of watermelon, the 6 pans of cookies, and the 10 bags of chips along with the 4 ice chests and headed to pick up 25 pizzas. We had the food and just needed Reagan to supply the people!
The party was at a professor's house, and it was the perfect location. They had a lake completely stocked with all kinds of kayaks and canoes plus a little pavilion. Reagan and her friends were there when we drove up, and they were all working hard getting things ready.
Our big boys showed up soon along with Shannon, and they all went to work helping get things out of the van and set up everything that we had. Then people started showing up. The party officially started at 5:30, but the group picture happened at 6.
I counted 59 in the group picture, plus Shannon who took the picture. When I counted everyone else that was not in the picture that showed up later, I think that there were 67 people at Reagan's 21st birthday party.
After our group picture, Reagan prayed, and then the kids started to eat. They ate and ate, but we still had plenty of pizza left. We also had plenty of cookies and watermelon left. My boys and Brett all had cookies and pizza for later. Reagan and some of her friends took watermelon and pizza. Plus I gave two pans of watermelon away to the teachers who were there.
Not only was it the perfect location, but it was also the perfect evening. Keaton, Campbell, and Whitman all kayaked. Anderson did a lot of paddleboarding-that was his first time to paddleboard. Graham didn't get in the water. I think that Reagan had the best time tonight-I know that we did.
When it started to get dark, we started to pick up. Cleaning up didn't take too long plus we had lots of empty pizza boxes to bring to our trash can. Once at the camper, we unloaded some things and then took the dogs on a walk. Now, it was just 10, and we had the whole night ahead of us!
September 10, 2026-Partying at Degray
This was Campbell and Keaton's first day of Mother's Day Out so they were up early plus we took some first day of school pictures as well. As soon as they left, Whitman and I started on school. I thought without the girls there to bother him, I could help him knock school out sooner.I was wrong though. I have just given the boy way too many things to do in the day. He doesn't mind so we will be pressing on, and like today, what we get done is what we got done.
I was able to print out some more curriculum this morning-poor Whitman. Plus I got school out for next week which is something I have been doing for what seems like forever-pulling school out every Thursday for the next week. This afternoon Robby and Whitman headed to Degray just as Campbell and Keaton were getting home. They girls had a good first day, but they hadn't finished at church. Around 5, they had to head back to work tonight too.
This left me with no one home, not even a dog. Plus I didn't have my computer so I could/should have been productive, but I was not! And it was wonderful.I did run by Nonna and Pops' house on my way to church to pick up 7 pans of watermelon. We have 6 pans of cookies and 7 pans of watermelon.
Once I got the girls, we headed on to Degray. Now, of course, since we passed a Buccees, they had to stop. I just sat in the car and listened to my book. They were back in no time, and in no time we were pulling up to the camper.
We unloaded all of the watermelon, and thankfully it all fit in the fridge. Then we took the dogs for a walk-next up is a shower for me.
September 9, 2026
- It was really a fairly uneventful morning. We did our school work, and I tried to get a few things done around the house. The most eventful time was working on Campbell's math which we only did half of.
- The girls finished school before Whitman did, but we all still left the house around 1 to go to Nonna and Pops' house. I brought 2 watermelons for them to slice for Friday. Pops wasn't sure my watermelon was enough, but we shall see.
- When we came back home, I was exhausted and laid down for about 30 minutes. Then I had to hurry for the rest of the afternoon to get everything done. I managed most things, and then it was time for church.
- Campbell and Keaton spent forever getting ready for church tonight. You would have thought that we were going to a wedding or some fancy event-not Wednesday night church. They really were super happy to be back.
- After church, Robby and I went to Shannon's house so she could help me make a few dozen cookies-I think it was around 17 or so. We will have plenty of cookies at least on Friday. We were there a bit late because making that many cookies isn't quick.
- When we came home, there were a few more things to do, and now I'm headed to bed!
September 8, 2026
- It is strange how after being gone a bit, you can so easily get back in the swing of things. There are still some things that I need to tweak since we are down quite a few kiddos from this summer. I need the littles to do their chores earlier and to take a bit more responsibility.
- Don't get me wrong, they do help quite a bit, but no one ever does much without being asked and when I do ask, they eventually do it but usually I have to remind them.
- Campbell left early this morning to go to work at church. While she was gone, Keaton and Whitman worked on their school work. It was a little bit of a long day, but we managed to get all of school finished, plus a few extra school things done.
- When Campbell came home, she started on her school. She had to make a schedule for her college classes about when she needed to complete things. Things will continue to get busier for her as work starts very soon.
- This afternoon I ran some errands with Robby. Then we came home-he worked in the camper while I played a game with Whitman. Robby and I just reloaded the camper, and now I'm going to finish my game with Whitman and then hopefully read some of my book.
September 7, 2026
- This was not yet a normal day-we haven't had a regular day at home since dropping Anderson off at school. Even if we had been home, this wouldn't have been too regular of a day because it is a holiday.
- We didn't really celebrate any because Robby, Campbell, and I headed to Ouachita for Tiger Preview Day for Campbell. This was her first official college visit, and I think that she really enjoyed it even though she thought it was too early for a college visit.
- We went to the education department. Right now Campbell is thinking about Occupational Therapy which falls under education. The dean was excellent and she made teaching and all the other things sound so good.
- Campbell won the trivia game which included a bag of Ouachita swag. While she was at that meeting, we made the rounds and saw Anderson and Graham. Robby had already seen Reagan during a meeting before.
- We then went to the lunch where Graham and Reagan snuck in and ate with us. It was fine, and then we went on a campus tour. The tour was great-it so helps to have a good guide. Then we were about to leave when Campbell remembered that we hadn't stopped at the bookstore.
- She quickly found herself a shirt in te bookstore. Then we headed to Sonic for a pre-drive home drink. The drive home was quick, but I was sleepy. When we made it home, I laid down for a few minutes.
- Then Jason came over to drop off a shirt. When he left, I went to town trying to do a few things from my list. We had just sat down on the couch when the Wilsons wrote mentioning that they had cookies so we ran over there for a few minutes!
Ultimate Utah Adventure By the Numbers
Here is a rundown of some important and non-important numbers from our trip:
Days: 16
Nights: 15
Miles Driven: 3,433
Miles Biked: 28
Miles Hiked: 40.4
Longest Hiking Day: 7 miles (Capitol Reef)
Time Zones: 3
States Visited (counting Arkansas): 8
National Parks Sites Visited: 10
Tire Change: 1
Time to Change Tire: 24
Pictures Taken: 2,372
Favorites:
Star Ranger Program, Narrows Hike (Whitman)
Ebikes at Zion, Bryce Sunrise Hike (Keaton)
Bryce Sunrise Hike, Rustler's Restaurant (Campbell)
Bryce Sunrise Hike, Zion Narrows, Hot Chocolate at Rustler's Restaurant (Tara)
Narrows Hike, Ebikes at Zion, Bryce Sunrise Hike (Robby)
September 6, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 16
We woke to our alarms at 6 this morning. I don't like hearing alarms ringing in the morning. Robby stirred first, while I tried to decide if I could just lay in the back while he drove us on towards home. I didn't do that though and instead got ready and took the dogs out.
We then started on our way. The day went incredibly smoothly. Actually, all of our travel days have gone smoothly. We never once said anything to each other about tires this whole trip because we did not want to jinx anything. Robby's tire pressure monitoring system never went off, and I wanted to ask him the whole time if he had just turned it off (I could see that it was on!)
Even though we had no tire problems at all this trip, we still changed a tire today. Robby had to stop to potty at a rest stop when we were already in Arkansas (we had stopped before too). When he was walking to the camper, he noticed that the trailer tire was a little bare and was showing some of the cords. We pressed on though towards home.
After a while though, he said that maybe he would change the tire to be on the safe side. Changing a tire in a gas station parking lot under a tree is a lot easier than changing it on the side of the interstate. He took a exit in a few miles, and I started the timer (I didn't tell him about my timer.)
I got the jack, and Robby had to remember how to put the jack together which seemed to take the longest of all the parts. Then he unscrewed the thing a ma bobs and picked a tire from the trunk (yes, we carry two spare tires for the trailer.) In no time, he had the new tire on, and I put the jack up while he aired up the tire. We were back on the interstate within 24 minutes which I think is pretty impressive.
Soon we were rolling onto Jacqueline. We had the kids help unload the camper, and with their help we were finished with in an hour for sure. They did a lot of bringing it in the house so when I came in, I had a lot of things to put up. That was fine though because I just steadily worked on that all afternoon.
I am also steadily working on the laundry! Usually, we use both washing machines, but the second one is up the stairs so I'm not sure it is really worth all of that! It will all get done when it gets done! Campbell headed out to play volleyball and to Sonic tonight while Robby and I went to the Wilson's house for supper. Keaton and Whitman stayed here and vegged out for a bit.
I will try to do a trip by the numbers post tomorrow. However, I will tell you now that we hiked almost 40.5 miles on our little trip!
September 5, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 15
Robby went to the bathroom around 2 this morning. I woke up and thought about going to the bathroom too. I knew that if I didn't go then, I would wake up another time during the night. I did wake up to go to the bathroom, but it was at 6! Ugh, that was the worst time ever since we were going to get out of bed at 6:30. Of course, me going to the bathroom woke up Robby and Marley so no one got anymore sleep this morning.
It is always surprising when you can sleep so well in a gas station parking lot. We had about a 10 minute drive until we would need the kids to be up for a visitor's center. Robby knew exactly what to do-he ran in the gas station before leaving and came out with drinks for everyone.
This definitely helped make our morning a little easier and happier. We were soon pulling into the Petrified Forest National Park. I'm sure that I knew that the Petrified Forest was a national park since I have been there before, but I sure did forget it. We have been to 7 of the 63 national parks on this trip. We have been to over 11 percent of the National Parks on this trip which isn't too bad at all. (Plus we also stopped at a few other National Park sites including Colorado National Monument which is still super high on my list.)
We stopped at a few places on the drive through the Petrified Forest. All I could think about when we were there was the Brady Bunch when they took a shell (or something) from Hawaii and had bad luck until they sent it back. I was careful to make sure that no one took any petrified wood home!
After the forest, we didn't really stop much again until this evening. The roads were horrible-they were crazy bumpy or the wind was again bad. Plus since we have been on 40 there have been plenty of trucks for Robby to deal with. I can tell that today's drive hasn't been as bumpy as yesterday because the yogurt lid only came over twice today.
We have stopped at a few times to get gas, once for Robby to potty, and once to adjust the generator (the altitude can mess with it.) Our big stop tonight we were afraid that we might not be able to do it. You can't drive through Amarillo without stopping at the Big Texan. (I probably can next time though.)
I jumped out and put our name on the list. They said that it would be an hour, and since Robby couldn't find a parking spot we went to get gas. While we were getting gas, we got the text saying it was ready. We hurried back to the restaurant and still no parking spots.
I went in with the kids, and Robby stayed in the camper looking for a spot. It took us about 10 minutes to get to our table, and then within 10 more minutes Robby had arrived. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long for a spot to clear.
We were right near a man trying to finish his 72 ounce steak so that gave us plenty to watch. Plus the guitar man came around and snd to us. Campbell loved that part (kidding, she really did not love that part at all.)
Robby read on the blog that we had chicken fingers last time, and we weren't impressed. This time I ordered him a burger and me cheese dip. I was going to just share his burger, but I will not pay 5 dollars for an extra plate-so I ordered 12 dollar cheese dip instead. That math works, don't worry.
After eating, we took some pictures and looked through the gift shop. Then we hurried back to the camper so we could hit the road! We still have about 2 hours to drive tonight. I had Whitman bring me my computer so I could get a head start on the blog!
September 4, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 14
I think that I wrote last night that we were leaving Zion a day early because we had seen all there was to see and had done all there was to do. We still don't plan on getting home any earlier, but this will give us a little bit of breathing room when we do get home.
Coming home from trips early isn't new to us. 26 plus years ago I walked out of the bathroom on our honeymoon, and Robby was trying to book an earlier flight home for us. Then we had done all there was to do, just like we did in Zion.
However, since we got an early start on the drive home, there are a few side trips that we took today. Our first stop this morning was at the North Rim at the Grand Canyon. The kids were pretty confused when we woke them this morning saying that we were at the Grand Canyon.
There isn't a whole lot happening at the North Rim since their lodge burned a year ago. We walked around the sad lodge area remembering when we were last there. We stayed in the lodge, and it was Reagan's birthday possibly in 2013. Our cabin was so close to the rim of the Grand Canyon that Robby put set of drawers in front of the door just in case. We had never had anyone get out of bed and sleepwalk or wander in the middle of the night, but we were close enough to the edge that it did kind of bother us.
Most of those cabins are gone now plus the lodge with it's beautiful back porch overlooking the canyon is gone. Because the blocked off lodge set where the view was best, we had to park in that parking lot and unhook the car. Then we had to drive about 15 miles to really get a good look at the canyon.
We then stopped at a very small camper store at the Grand Canyon campground. I needed a sticker for this camper, a post card, and a pin (that's a new collection for my bulletin board by my bed in the camper because I got tired of looking at what I had on there this trip.) Anyway, the only 2 choices of postcards they had were of the burnt down lodge. Seriously, I had to buy a 5 dollar postcard book so I could send one postcard.
We had a great view of the Grand Canyon on our drive and even on the way back to the main road. However, we have seen so many beautiful things on this trip, that the Grand Canyon is really not that impressive. There, I said it. It is grand, and it is beautiful, but wow, there is just beautiful scenery everywhere. Bryce and Capitol Reef are my current favorite National Parks but Zion is at least third on the list. Maybe the Petrified Forest will move up closer to the top tomorrow (It won't!)
Our next stop was a Navajo Bridge which was part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. We walked across it, but it was warm so we didn't stay too long. The kids have grown up traveling plus now they have every modern convenience with them-phones, ipads, gaming systems, tvs along with a full kitchen and bathroom. We rarely here anything from them.
However, today, I did hear a crash in the back. I turned to see Campbell standing by the fridge. She asked if I could help, so I jumped up and headed back there. I was expecting things to be splattered everywhere, but things had just fallen to the floor and not spilled. This was a miracle, because the roads today were either curving going up or down a mountain or incredibly bumpy. Nothing is where it started in this camper. For example, there is a container of yogurt in the fridge, that I have put the lid on 3 different times today because it keeps bouncing off.
We have always heard of Horseshoe Bend but have never stopped there. Today we changed that and took the long cut to get there. There were a lot of people walking the trail down the see the river. It was a completely different experience to something very similar at Dead Horse Point State Park. However, Horseshoe Bend was prettier, and we could have enjoyed it more without all of the people and without all of the heat.
Then we were back on the road until we got to Winslow, Arizona. We also don't think that we had ever stood on the corner there like the song says. I looked on the blog, and we have stopped in Winslow and done some grocery shopping, but I didn't mention the corner. Tonight we fixed that too by taking a few pictures on the corner of that famous spot on Route 66.
Then it was a quick run into McDonalds as we drove our last 30 or so minutes. Robby had two spots picked to spend the night. This first one didn't really have any parking for us plus a sign said "no parking" where we wanted to park. We drove on to the next spot, and they had the perfect spot to park, but that sign said "no overnight parking." Robby went in and asked and was given the green light so we are all bedded down in a gas station parking lot.
Tomorrow we have to drive quite a few miles so we will be getting an early stop because we have a few stops too.
September 3, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 13
We woke up super early today because this was Zion all day long! It was the best day so far on the trip. We have had a few wonderful days, but this day has topped them all.
Robby splurged and not only rented boots, socks, and walking sticks for our hike today, he also rented electric bikes for the rest of the day. This way didn't have to ride the shuttle at all. They were all lined up for the shuttle when we passed them in the car to pick up our bikes.
The bike shop people were super friendly and helpful. They told us about the bikes and gave us directions on how to get into the park. Keaton and Campbell took off on their bikes, but it took Whitman a second to figure it out. Those bikes were heavy, and I struggled too getting started each time. After a bit Whitman figured it out, but I was always in the back of the pack. I didn't feel super confident going super fast like everyone else. At times Keaton would circle around to check on me!
From the bike shop, we biked about a mile and a half to the park entrance. Then we had to bike 9 miles through Zion Canyon. We had get to stop 9, and thankfully stops 1-3 were on a bike path. Then we did have to get on the main road. Thankfully, only buses could go on that road, and when they came on our side, we had to stop and get off the bikes for them to pass. We were able to make it all the way to the end of the road with only 1 bus passing us so that was a relief.
We were already wearing our neoprene socks and water boots. These were weird, but they were necessary for the hike. The guys said that the socks regulated our body temperature which was absolutely necessary because it was cold riding our bikes. We all even started our hike with jackets on, and I kept mine on but rolled up some most of the hike.
The boots were necessary because they helped you not slip on the rocks plus they gave you ankle support. And the sticks were essential because without them you couldn't feel the rocks or the water depth in front of you.
Once we parked our bikes, took us a bit to get situated. Robby had a water proof bag with charges, waters, and snacks for us. Then we had to walk a mile down a paved trail to get to where the narrows trail started. I had been freezing on the bike ride since it was before 8, but by the time that we had walked down the trail, we were starting to warm up even though the sun was never shining on us until we walked back, but then it was just on us some because of the deep canyon we were in.
Our first steps into the water were not as icy as I had expected, but it didn't take long for water to get to our toes. I guess the socks did their jobs because our feet were never really cold. We walked and walked over rocks and through the water. There were some spots where it was sandy which was easier to walk through the water in, but for the most part, we were stepping over rocks. There were some times that we were able to walk over dry land, but of course this was just rocks that we were walking over.
There were a lot of people on the way down the Narrows, but it wasn't horrible but walking back was a different story. There were people everywhere-barefoot people, crying kids, old people, babies in backpacks-we reminded the kids to always come early and come prepared.
We stopped once for snacks, and then we pressed on trying to make it to Wall Street. This is the section of the canyon where the walls narrow to about 30 feet they said. We thought that some areas were less than this. We have been in the narrow section of Canyonlands, but the canyon walls were not so, so tall. These walls were so high and so impressive! According to our watches, phones, and apps, we hiked past Orderville Canyon, through Wall Street and as far as the Elephant Temple before turning around.)
Really words can't describe how neat the hike was. It was beautiful. Now, on the way back, the water seemed higher and again I was way behind everyone else. It was more challenging going back because we had to navigate around all of the people, but I was pretty happy to see where we could get out of the water.
Of course this meant that we had to walk a mile back to the bikes. Robby pretty much sprinted the mile because he needed a stop at the restroom. Keaton and Campbell walked as fast as they could because they didn't want anyone to pass them. Whitman, who had felt pretty sickly yesterday, must have felt so much better today. He did great, and we enjoyed our leisurely walk back to the bikes. Of course, our boots were already heavy, but now they are water logged plus the socks are as well, so it was a tough mile hike.
Back at the bikes, we split up. The kids rode the 9 or so miles back to the camper while Robby and I rode to a short hike, Weeping Rock. It was basically a cliff that had water dripping off of it. It was neat, but I almost died walking up the incline even though it was just a quarter of a mile long.
It was worth it because our next stop was at the Zion Lodge. We had a picnic with the kids on the front lawn last time we were here, but this time Robby and I ate in the restaurant. We split a burger, and I was probably starving, but I have never had anything so good.
The kids were back at the camper taking the dogs out, eating their own lunches, and resting. We rode back to them-even with electric bikes, it still took about 25 minutes for us to ride the 5 miles back to the kids. We then stayed in the camper for 45 minutes. I tried to not sit down because I knew that I would have a hard time getting up because we were already tired.
We all left and went back up to stop 6 where we could at least look at the Angel's Landing Trail. I had originally wanted to walk some of that trail, but I did wise up, We then rode our bikes to the next stop and walked the Lower Emerald Pools trail. It was another rock with water dripping off of it, but it wasn't so steep so it was enjoyed much more.
By now, we had realized that we had done all there was to do today in Zion, so we have changed our plans and will head home tomorrow. We still may get home on Sunday, but we really didn't know what we would do tomorrow in Zion. The only other trail on my list was the Watchman but it is closed due to the flooding that happened here the other day. We might could take it easy tomorrow, but you know that isn't our style.
We took the kids to the Lodge for a few minutes, and then we zoomed on back to return our bikes. We had them out for almost 12 hours, and we put some miles on those babies. Then we all went to the visitor's center where we turned in our Jr. Ranger booklet. We had some postcards, stickers, and even a pin to buy. I know I have mentioned it before, but I just love gift shops even though I don't really buy anything.
The next stop was back to the camper to pick up the dogs and our boots, socks, and sticks to return. We mailed my postcards, returned the shoes, took a picture at the sign, and picked up Subway before coming back to the camper.
At the camper we all ate on the picnic table-Campbell wasn't going to eat at the table until we found a tablecloth. The other day at another campground when Marley needed a bath due to a potty accident, we washed her on the table, and I told the kids to always make sure you use a table cloth at a campground. I'm glad she was listening.
We ate in the shadow of the Watchman and soaked in the scenery. Then we went to work-Keaton helped me inside, Whitman helped Robby outside, and Campbell managed the dogs. It took about 30 minutes, but the camper is pretty much clean(er) and organized again.
The kids started showering and working on a little bit of school while I worked on this blog. I'm pretty tired so I apologize where it doesn't make sense. Also, this is too much information, but did you know that after riding a bike all day long, your rear end can feel pretty bruised! Truth.
September 2, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 12
Even though we were sleeping in this morning, Robby and I both woke up at 7. We did lay in bed for a little bit before getting up. It didn't take for us to pack up and leave Bryce Canyon.
Since we are in the camper, we have to take the long way to Zion. The long way, however, was much more fun to Keaton. Our first stop was in Cedar City at a Swig. Swig sells dirty sodas, and even though there is one in Conway. we have never been. Since they are based out of Utah, we had to stop.
We all got a drink plus Robby bought some cookies and pretzel bites. Not only did we stop once at Swig, at the next city that had one we stopped there as well. We had to mail off a care package to OBU so we were already stopping in that town. This time Campbell and Whitman didn't get anything, but the rest of us did plus Robby bought parmesan garlic pretzel bites with marinara. They were delicious.
We ran into Walmart and picked up a few things while we were in the Swig parking lot. We should have taken better stock though of what we needed. I'll get to that in a minute though. We did buy some more waters, cokes, gatorades, and a few snacks.
From that town, it was just a bit of a drive to Zion. Robby did comment that since we have seen so much beauty on this trip, maybe that makes a bit less impressed with this gorgeous park. It is a park that Robby has always wanted to come back to visit for a few days, and for a bit this afternoon I was beginning to think that we weren't even going to make it a night here.
We are staying at the National Park campground which is right next to the visitor's center. When we checked in, the man told Robby that there was some mud on the site, and there's nothing he can do about it. Zion had some extreme flooding here a few days ago. We are right next to the river so we aren't sure if the mud came from the river or from the mountain beside us.
About 10 sites have mud on them-not just some, but mud covering the site. We are probably parked on a few inches of mud. Thankfully, our mud is dry-at other sites the mud is not dry, and we would have worried about getting stuck. We were relieved that we were in the site we were in because the mud was manageable, but things continued to decline.
We had said that tonight we were going to have rice bowls for supper. Well, we could have had rice bowls, but we sure could not find the chicken. I guess that I didn't load it in the camper or possibly it is sitting in the garage. Then we shifted to pancakes and sausage for supper.
That was fine except I also forgot chocolate chips. We all like chocolate chips on our pancakes, but since we have syrup, everyone agreed that was fine. Robby fired up the griddle and was done cooking the sausage when he blew a breaker.
We do that often enough, so he went to the plug on our campsite, but he couldn't get it to reset. Of course, the first thought is that it is the camper and not the plus. However, he was able to try the empty neighbor's site to double check that it was the campsite plug. He then went to the check in gate and found a not so friendly ranger.
She eventually came and was able to fix it. I guess she had to flip a switch somewhere else for it to work again, but it did and all was well. So after mud, no chicken or chocolate, a blown breaker, and a rude ranger, our day could only go up.
And it did! We have a fun day now booked for tomorrow-more on that tomorrow. But Robby is at the point in the trip, that he is willing to spend all the money to make the fun memories. We ate our chocolate chip less pancakes and then went into town.
We tried on shoes for tomorrow's hike, and then we drove back to Zion and through the tunnel. Right after the tunnel, we parked and hiked up Canyon Overlook. It was a fun hike-though I'm not sure why people think that it is ok to have trails on the side of mountains. We made it to the top just in time to see the sun set behind the mountains.
Campbell is all better now I think. I have had a few days when I felt back, but now I feel fine but just have a never ending cough, and my lungs where on fire during tonight's hike. Whitman now also has our cold, so I'm just hoping that we can get home before Robby gets it or maybe he will have built up immunity to it.
We hiked down the trail and back to the car. Then we headed back to our campsite and got the dogs. We walked down to the amphitheater for a ranger program. It was excellent! The ranger talked about the stars for 45 minutes and even shined her laser pointer at stars. We can clearly see the Milky Way because the stars are amazing.
We then walked back to the camper and tried our best to pack our bags for tomorrow. It is hard because we really don't know what all we will need on our day of exploring.
September 1, 2026-Ultimate Utah Adventure Day 11
We woke up this morning before the sunshine. It was rough especially since I woke up at 5:45 to go to the bathroom. That was disappointing to see that it was already time to wake up. Capitol Reef still might be my favorite park, but after today Bryce is a close second or it passed it. Plus I think that today's trail was my absolute favorite.
We parked at Sunrise Point, and this was our first experience in any of the parks so far that we struggled to find a parking spot and that we saw a lot of people. Robby had to drop us off, but he easily found a park spot.
We joined the crowds of people on the overlook to look at the sun rise. We stood with them for a little bit, but then we decided that we would walk on down the trail. We started down Queen's Garden and walked down the steep decent. I think that it was even more difficult because the rain yesterday disturbed some of the rocks.
What was neat about this trail was that when we made it down lower, we were walking among the hoodoos. At some points, they even had to blast tunnels or almost doorways for the trail to go through. We eventually made it to the Queen Victoria (I think) hoodoo. I never really saw it, but that is where our trail changed to Navajo Loop trail.
Then we would have preferred to go up the Wall Street trail, but it was closed so we ventured up the Two Bridges trail. The kids were walking way in front of us, so they missed out on seeing the two bridges, but really, it wasn't much. Then we started up Two Bridges, and gracious it was a haul.
We caught up to Whitman on the ascent, and we were having to take breaks on each switchback. Once we made it up the switchbacks, we still had a climb to go. However, when you turned around and looked at the view, Sunset Point, it was breath taking. It almost made the climb worth it.
Now, once we made it to the top, we still had to walk a half mile back to Sunrise Point to get to the car. On this walk, Campbell convinced Robby to go and get breakfast. We had to drive to another town, but our stop at Rustler's Restaurant also made the hike well worth it.
Campbell had waffles piled high with m and ms, strawberries, and bananas plus some bacon. Keaton had m and m pancakes. Whitman and I both had the kids American breakfast with eggs, hashbrowns, toast, and sausage for me and bacon for him. I also had hot chocolate, and I know it was probably from a packet, but it was the best hot chocolate I think that I have ever had. Robby had biscuits and gravy (they even toasted the biscuits) and an egg. It was so, so good-or maybe we were just so, so hungry.
Now, I said that the view was breathtaking, but what we came back to in the camper was also breathtaking-but not in a good way. Keaton unlocked the door and was the first to say "I smell poop." Well, bless poor Marley. Her tummy was upset, but thankfully she was in the kennel.
Robby grabbed the kennel and got the hose, Campbell got Marley outside, Keaton took care of Bentley while I got the soap. Then Robby and Campbell washed Marley outside while Whitman hosed down her kennel. I was busy running around cleaning things inside and gathering necessary supplies.
We were just going to take an hour break, but this little fiasco took us a bit longer so we were at the camper for an hour and a half. We then made a risky call and left Marley in her kennel when we left again to see more sights.
We stopped at pretty much every overlook and point that we could. Bryce Point and Inspiration Point were definitely my favorites. Then we also walked through the lodge again and browsed a general store. We even went back in the visitor center to collect a sticker saying that we hiked more than 3 miles at the park.
And imagine our relief when Robby went in the camper first after our outing and gave us the thumbs up sign. Marley made it fine! We celebrated with a load of laundry, and while Robby was doing that the kids did school. It was nearly 5 when all of that was finished, and people were getting pretty sleepy.
We had to wake up Keaton and Campbell, and we even gave Whitman the option to go or not. He, of course, picked that he would stay in the camper and watch the dogs. We drove all the way through the park towards and ended at the last stop-Yakima Point and Rainbow Point. Would you guess what we saw at Rainbow Point? A rainbow. That was kind of neat; however, it is called rainbow point, not for rainbows, but for the colors of the rocks that you can see.
We then stopped at a few more overlooks chasing the sunset before we ditched our supper plans of rice bowls and ordered a pizza. We picked up supper and then quickly loaded the car in the sprinkling rain. Then we all ate and started on showers. Tomorrow we have a good bit of driving to do so we will need some sleep.
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