Weather

Good morning from the Poconos! Yesterday we drove through six states: North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. We woke up early to beat the approaching thunderstorms but rain and wind followed us all day anyway.

This morning we woke up to light snowfall. Because it's snowing quite a bit in Maine right now, and because we're pulling a trailer, we may need to adjust our travel plans and arrive tomorrow instead. We want to stay safe as we travel.

Next week I'll post pictures and update you in more detail but I wanted to check in and let you know we're alright and enjoying ourselves. I've been updating our social media accounts so you can see our progress there until next week.

Hope you all have a great week!

-Jen

The End of 2016 and Arizona

This New Year weekend marks the end of our stay here in Arizona and the first anniversary of this blog. Happy anniversary to us! :-) I'll try to post an update from the road next week if we have Wi-Fi.

Here in Sedona, we were surprised with snow for Christmas. Inches of snow blanketed the red rocks and surrounding areas. It was really beautiful! Who knew we'd have a white Christmas this year? Not us! That's for sure!

During our stay here in the Southwest, we've found a new appreciation for the desert and colorful rock formations. For the animals and art. For the changes in climate and terrain. For the diverse communities. If you don't already live here, I'd encourage you to learn more about this part of our beautiful country. It's history and future are quite interesting.

Of course, a trip to Arizona wouldn't be complete without a visit to it's most popular natural attraction, The Grand Canyon. On Monday we visited the astounding geology of this site and were able to see for ourselves the gorgeous colors and vast scenery. It was very cold and snow was on the ground all around the canyon. I suspect we came on a slower day, but there was still a wait at the South Entrance.

Our youngest son loved how the Park Ranger spoke directly to him because he was "bringing his family to the park." He is the one with the fourth grade pass, after all! :-)

Word to the wise if you plan to visit. Park in "Additional Parking". It's actually closer to the Visitors Center and you can avoid the circling cars and people walking in the middle of the lane.

When you're there, it's amazing how the canyon seems to change with the daylight. The picture you take in the morning will look completely different from the picture you take at dusk. Here are a few we took while there.

There are fences at most of the viewpoints to keep visitors safe, but not at all of them. So be careful!

The Colorado River runs right through the Canyon and there are all kinds of activities you can participate in during your visit.

The elk and deer wander freely at the sides of the roads. One thing though: If you visit places where animals roam freely PLEASE don't get out of your car to take selfies with them! They may be beautiful but THEY. ARE. WILD!

Plus, you can get shots that are just as good, if not better, from the safety of your car.

You'd think after spending so much time in Sedona, we would have taken an official tour before now. Nope. We finally took one this week, though, with Pink Jeep Tours and it was great! A lot of what the guide had to tell us about the area, we had already learned on our own. So he adjusted the tour to tell us more scientific things he wouldn't ordinarily have covered with a new crowd.

He also engaged the kids and told jokes, which kept things fun! Here's one for you:

Question: If you have seven pinon nuts in one hand and eight in the other, what do you end up with?

Pinon Nuts

Answer: A difference of a-pinon. ;-)

He told us about how the Agave Plant (also sometimes called a Sentry Plant) grows for decades before it sprouts an enormous bloom. The bloom grows so large, so rapidly, that it kills the agave plant. That's how they reproduce.

He showed us some grooves on a prickly pear cactus where a javelina had once snacked. Now our kids can spot the javelina bites whenever they see them.  See that top pad with the bite taken out?

Another botany lesson we learned was about mistletoe. Most people think of mistletoe as the pretty Christmas decoration that you traditionally kiss under. Actually, it's a poisonous, parasitic plant, that can emulate the look of it's host. If the infestation gets large enough, it will kill it's host. Here's what it looked like in the example he showed us. See the clumps?

Here's another example of how they adapt their look to their host.

Our guide took us off road and we were able to get some great views of our current "home". Here are a few shots of the city.

And here are some of surrounding rock formations.

Do you see those black stripes? That's from the waterfalls that form during monsoon season in August.

We hope you've enjoyed the Southwest leg with us. As always, feel free to post questions in the comments and we'll do our best to find the answers. Also, be sure to follow along with our social media accounts to see what we're up to from day-to-day (see top right for links).

We wish each of you a wonderful, adventurous 2017! May it be filled with joy and new discoveries! Thanks for following along. Now, on to the orange groves of sunny Florida!

- Jen

The Frigid Southwest

We've been exploring our new locale this week. The scenery has changed, to be sure, but it's a little cooler than we anticipated. We must have brought the chill with us. In fact, it even snowed! So much for daydreams of flip-flops and wide brimmed hats!

Ice on the cactus. Those yellow parts are the cactus flowers. They're very waxy.

Snow in the buttes

This is what it looks like when it snows on the buttes.

We've settled back into our homeschooling routine and made sure to get our temporary library cards. If you really want to immerse yourself in a community, always make sure to join the local library. They tend to be the place where you can find great programs and people post event advertisements. Plus, we love books and it's fun to earn about the history and food of where we are.

Another quick resource I've found is children's books.  Most places offer a coloring book made for kids with digestible bits of information. These books come in handy before day trips because they help familiarize you without overwhelming you. Then, when you find a subject you want to explore more, you can get the larger, more detailed books!

This past week we visited a Boy Scout troop. I love this because it really introduces our kids to other kids who know the area and local traditions. Plus, most scout troops do community service projects and they are usually very friendly and helpful. At this meeting the boys took the lead and walked my younger son through knot tying (he is now a pro at tying people up. ;-)) while my older son observed.

They also invited us to join them to help set up a traditional Southwestern holiday event. When they described it to me, I had never heard of the tradition! Needless to say, I'm SUPER excited to participate with the kids and report back to you. You'll just have to wait for the details until then!

My husband and I went out for a drive this past weekend and ended up visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It's a Catholic Church that was commissioned by local rancher and sculptor, Marguerite Brunswig Staude. She worked with architect firm Anshen and Allen and it's very unique. It's also supposedly located within an "energy vortex". As a visitor, though, I can't say I felt any more or less "energized" by being there. Although I was pretty amazed by the architecture and landscape.

We learned that Sedona is not a name that comes from either the Native American or Mexican languages. This city is actually named after Sedona Miller Schnebly. Her mother supposedly made up the name, herself, because "it sounded pretty". Sedona Miller Schnebly was the wife of the first postmaster here. He decided to name the town after her. After reading more about her life, she sounds like a very interesting and hardworking woman.

Since Christmas decorations weren't on our list of things to pack for this trip, we headed down to the local Walgreens yesterday and picked up a tiny tree and some stockings. Now we're all set for the holiday season!

We also searched all over for, but sadly didn't find, an advent calendar. I thought they'd be everywhere right about now! I even looked online for Lego ones and it seems they're all sold out. Wow! During our search, though, we played some of the public instruments downtown. It's really a fun, artsy town.

We're still on the lookout for Javelina!

Wishing you all a wonderful month! Happy December!

- Jen

Driving in a Winter Wonderland

Today we woke up to ice. It's 7 degrees outside here in Victor, ID. Thank goodness we followed the Boy Scout motto to "Be Prepared" and bought ice melt for the driveway and chains for the tires! It snowed yesterday so we spent the better part of the morning shoveling to make sure it was as clear as possible for today. Our hard work paid off and the driveway is still clear and dry.  Because today was our original departure date, and it seems to be the only window in a series of snow storms here in the Grand Tetons, it's now or never!

The valley below our house

The trailer before we shoveled

We all pitched in!

A job well done

Both the house in Alaska, and the house here, have these grates outside the front door. It's for getting the snow off your shoes and letting it melt in the dirt below instead of tracking it in the house. The dogs hate it. Like the pajama pants? ;-)

Dealing with freezing temps brings on a new series of things to consider. For example, how did the glass jar of jam I packed in the trailer yesterday fare in the deep freeze? Am I going to have to deal with a shattered mess of glass when I get out there? How will the car handle the icy roads with the added weight of the loaded trailer? Did we bring enough blankets for the chilly RV park overnights until we reach AZ? Things like that.

I have time to write this short update because we've decided to wait until the sun is completely out and it warms up a smidge before leaving. We'll head out around 10am mountain time and will probably be in Utah tonight. Next time I post, we'll be all settled in at the new house in Sedona, Arizona! Until then, it's so long, Idaho (or more accurately where we've been, Driggtor, Wydaho)! Thanks for the memories! And a very special thank you to the family who runs Daydreams Espresso for the best chai, breakfast burritos, and muffins around! Keep spreading the good news! :-)

Have a fantastic week!

- Jen