Stellhorn Family Travel

08/29/2021

Well Colorado was magical... and I am still sad to have left. I feel like we could have spent more time than the week we spent there!

Our first couple days were spent in Estes Park at the Rocky Mountains, and boy was it magical and full of adventure. Driving Trail Ridge Road was incredible, and seeing elk everywhere was neat. I would love to go back.

Our last few days we spent in the Colorado Springs area where we got to experience the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, and the North Pole Amusement park.

I look forward to sharing more later, but now on to New Mexico!

08/27/2021

Upon leaving South Dakota, we ventured through Wyoming, staying overnight an hour outside of Cheyenne.

We took the time to explore Fort Laramie, and the older two boys and I did the small hike through the Oregon trail ruts. That was incredible to stand in, and pondering the people and situations that occurred in that area. So much history!

Also side note, I don’t know how all states visitor centers are, but Wyoming has amazing ones, and I highly recommend checking them out!

08/19/2021

Badlands

08/18/2021

I have gotten myself behind in posting.... Sunday and part of Monday we spent driving through Wyoming.

I have to say I enjoyed our time in Wyoming. The people were friendly, the drive beautiful, and they really had some neat visitor centers.

On Sunday, we made our way through multiple Oregon Trail sites including Fort Bridget, Split Rock, and Independence Rock to name a few. I wish we had had more time to explore! Gideon was super excited he found a signature from the 1840s at Independence Rock.

Monday we drove and explored Devils Tower. It was quite a site to see!

We are currently half way through our time in South Dakota, but will adventure more later this week in Wyoming.

08/18/2021

08/18/2021

Chuckwagon Dinner Rapid City, SD

08/17/2021

Sunrise at our cabin in Keystone, SD

08/15/2021

Well... Utah has been... an experience.... to say the least. The only positive thing I can remark on during our 24 hours here is the scenery and landscape is spectacular, but we are most definitely happy to be moving on!

On our way out, we passed a wildfire that started yesterday that’s not contained. Devastating to see the damage.

On the agenda today are multiple Oregon Trail sites in Wyoming, which I am particularly excited about as a big history buff!

08/14/2021

Well Arizona... it’s been real!

We had five amazing days exploring the vastly different landscapes of Arizona. I am still blown away by how Arizona is different than I ever imagined. I had guessed that it would be all about hot, deserts, and cacti, but it’s much more than that. In one day, we went from sweating and hot at 95 degrees to 55 degrees at our hotel!

We started out our trip experiencing the Wild West town of Tombstone and Tucson. We visited the historical sites of Tombstone, including a gun show at OK Corral and lunch at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. Tucson blew us away with the quantity and quality of cacti! I never knew cacti could be so big. 🌵

From there we visited Goldfield Ghost Town, which I would highly recommend anyone to stop by in the area. It was a really neat ghost town. We did the train ride as a family, then the husband took the older two through the other activities, including a mine tour. Aibhlinn and I walked through the town, panned for gold, and got a drink while she explored her treasures. 🤠

Our last part of our time in Arizona was experiencing the Grand Canyon. We opted to do the north rim for our trip, and wow did it surpass our expectations of what we thought we would be seeing and experiencing. Words can’t describe how awe inspiring God’s creation is. So glad we spent a couple days doing a couple of hikes and scenic drives through the canyon. Can ✔️ that off our bucket list! 🏜

Now is our 24 hours in Utah!

08/13/2021

Grand Canyon Views at Angels Window

08/13/2021

Grand Canyon Scenic Views

08/12/2021

Bright Angel Point at North Rim

08/12/2021

More views from the bridge

08/12/2021

On the drive to the north rim of the Grand Canyon

08/11/2021

Scenic Views

08/08/2021

Here is a short video of our fun we had in White Sands today. White Sands was amazing to explore, and so very hot! It’s a different kind of hot when it’s dry and higher elevation, but definitely liking it better than the humid hot we experience at home.

08/08/2021

Mountain View

08/08/2021

Well we accomplished day one of our road trip! The day was spent making it across Texas, which was an interesting adventure to see how the countryside changes as you make yourself further west through Texas.

Aibhlinn especially was restless after a day in the car, so we did some pool time before dinner and bed where everyone fell asleep quickly and easily.

And on today’s agenda... White Sands National Park!