Sept/Oct Photo Dump

Another school year has started and things are going fairly smoothly.  The girls are back in the same school for the first time in a while and adjusting nicely.  Pip has started trombone and likes it so far.  Nina has been babysitting more as of late and now seems to have more cash on hand than we do.  We've all had fun with the Homecoming festivities and we're enjoying a warm fall.  Other highlights have been the weezer concert, volunteering at the Twin Cities Marathon, the Japanese Lantern Lighting Festival, and, of course, Kara's birthday.

Road Trip 2024 Part 4 - NE and Wrap Up

Silly video of Road Trip 2024

The end of our road trip brought us back to Nana and Papa in Fremont.  It was so refreshing to be back in a place we know well with people who know and love us. We enjoyed having one of Nina's favorites, Runza, and playing games together. 

Our trip brought us over 3800 miles and through 10 states.  The car made it, but needed new tires by the end and an oil change in the middle.  The warped rotor really became apparent as we were going through the mountains of Colorado.  We read a combined 10 books and played a lot of Mario Party on the Switch and kept entertained with a lot of music and some Harry Potter book six on audio as well.  Our health held out pretty well until the end, but overall we feel extremely lucky with how we all fared.  

Road Trip 2024 Part 3 - AZ, NM & CO (again)

Our final stages of the road trip were supposed to help us wind down, but they seemed to fill up with other activities.

Upon leaving the Grand Canyon, we went to Lake Powell in Page and had a great stay.  We saw some cool spots along the drive in Marble Canyon and overlooking the Colorado river. The girls liked cliff jumping near the dam and Horseshoe Bend was another beautiful spot. We spotted a California Condor, North America's largest bird and one that is fairly rare. Shiprock was another crazy site on the drive out.

Then we made our way into New Mexico and all of their one-lane road construction.  Our lazy day turned into fun at a park on a lake, some shopping and ice cream.  Our favorite part of the stay was the Aztec Ruins National Monument.  It was interesting to learn about the Puebloan people who founded the site around a thousand years ago.  

Our last destination was the Sand Dunes National Park.  It was much different scenery as we went from the deserts of New Mexico to the forests and mountains of Colorado.  We took a hike to see the waterfall nearby, Zapata Falls, and then got to spend a day walking the sand dunes.  It had rained the night before, so much of the sand was cool and wet, but we still tried the local activity of sand-boarding and sand sledding.  We had a few falls, but overall enjoyed the experience.