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2013 western us

Day 31: July 17th, 2013: Part 1 - Sequoia National Forest to Kings Canyon

Scott went for a bike ride this morning at 7.  He was supposed to go a little earlier, but it was a wee bit cold and he waited for the sun to warm the Earth just a little more.  I am not complaining.  Especially since the Valley of Fire was a just a few days ago, but this was the first time on the trip I woke up with frozen toes during the night.  Lucky for me I am sandwiched between two adorable sleeping space heaters.

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2013 western us

Day 32: July 18th, 2013: Kings Canyon to Yosemite National Park

Since we pulled in so late last night we didn’t have an opportunity to meet our incredible neighbors from Philmore, California.  They had a little girl who was three and a little boy who was five.  Brooke played with the little miss at our picnic table for a bit before breakfast while Cody played monster trucks with the little boy in the pine needles and dirt. Does this scene look familiar?  They started yesterday morning on a large rock collecting small rocks.  New day, new rocks, new friends, life is good.  The family we met is on a quest to visit every one of the National Parks before the kids are eighteen.  The mom pointed out that there is a national park in the Virgin Island and the Samoa Islands.  We plan on meeting up there at some point. :-)  The mom was in awe that we packed for a two month trip.  We shared that planning for a two month trip isn’t all that different from packing for a weekend.  As far as clothes go if you are grabbing one pair of shorts just grab a few more.  You can’t pack enough food for two months, so you have to plan on shopping. You still need all the dishes, pots, pans, stove and stove fuel for a short or long trip.  Really the only difference between the long trip and short trip is that the longer trip gives everyone a chance to get into the camping routine and the longer trip makes all the effort of packing seem much more worth it.

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2013 western us

Day 28: July 14, 2013: Part 1 - Zion National Park to Nevada

We woke up at 6:45 in an attempt to get to a Ride with a Ranger talk at by 8:45.  We stretched and chatted for a few minutes before getting into gear.  We pulled out of our campsite one mile down Dalton Walsh Road by 7:15. We ate some cereal in our dinner spot from yesterday and still had plenty of time for the kids to take out their bikes before our Ranger Ride.

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2013 western us

Day 30: July 16, 2013: Sequoia National Forest and Park

Ahh.  It is always nice to have a long uninterrupted night’s rest after a wild night of no sleeping.  Last night was such a welcome relief after the night prior of no sleeping in the Valley of Fire.  Scott drove a looong time yesterday, but he managed to get us up into a higher elevation to cooler weather.  It was the perfect temperature.  It was cold enough that you could snuggle with your sleeping bag and not be too hot.  We were positioned perfectly to see the sun rise and slowly greet us to another day.

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2013 western us

Day 26: July 12, 2013: Bryce Canyons to Posey Lake, Utah

Finally a really long uninterrupted night of sleep.  The kids slept in until 9.  They would have slept longer, but Scott was ready to start the day.  He had been up since 7:30 and already hiked in the canyon and back.  While I was off in the washroom brushing my teeth Brooke complained to Scott that she wanted to hike too.  So Brooke and I hiked the 1.3 Navajo Loop into and out of Bryce Canyon.  Bryce is still one of my all time favorite National Parks.  Its beauty is unlike any others.  Due to my extreme love of this area I took a few too many photos…

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