RV trip Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Small Things Are Big Things

June 21, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Jumping in with the Family

We stayed with family in Colorado for 3 short fun-filled days. We parked our RV right in front of the house and stayed in a lovely basement.
People outside of California have basements.
It’s CRAZY awesome!!! Like your own private suite. They even let us sleep in while our kids went wild upstairs. One day we slept till 10am.
Till 10am!!!!

Isn’t it great when you can be with people and pick up where you left off and have a good time? We had BBQ, got excited for a upcoming baby, got to snuggle a new baby and played backyard football. We jumped together too at Jump City. And you know what they say about a family that jumps together.
They get hot and sweaty. True story.

All in all, it was a great and restful 3 days. Then we got back in the RV and drove toward Yellowstone.

Where was our next stop?
You’ll find out tomorrow!

View our whole trip here:

June 18, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Fluttering at the Butterfly Pavilion

We love the Butterfly Pavilion!
It’s just outside Denver, in Westminster Colorado, and every time we’ve been in the area (twice before this trip) we have paid a visit.
The Crawl-a-see-em has all sorts of insects in easy to see habitats as well as interactive activities. They even have a living bee hive where bees come in and out from outside.

One of their most famous attractions is to hold a tarantula named Rosie.
I haven’t done it yet.

Another room is called Water’s Edge and guests can feel real star fish (and other stuff) in open tanks.

But by far, for us, the most exciting place is the Wings of the Tropics, a tropical conservatory filled with about 1,600 live butterflies!
Yes friends, at the Butterfly Pavilion about 600-1000 butterfly chrysalis hatch each week and you get to see it happen. Below you can see the chrysalis hanging from boards, what you can’t see are the various states of hatching the butterflies are going through.
It’s really lovely.

chrysalis

We bought a butterfly directory for $1 and had so much fun playing the matching game with all the butterflies we came across.

Eli wanted to buy edible crickets. My boy is growing up and thinks things like this are cool. Eli and his awesome older cousin ate the first ones. Then we pressured everyone else to eat one too… even me!

Things to know, if you go:

There is plenty to do at the Butterfly Pavilion so get ready to spend the day there.
It’s pricy for big families $9.50 for each adult and $6.50 for kids 2-12 years old. Free 1 and under. (Should be free for 3 and under, in my humble opinion.)
The butterfly area is really amazing but it is very humid and hot so bring water for little ones and maybe spend some time there then take a break and go back.
Hold Rosie. You get a sticker!
Bring snacks.
A fun souvenir are crickets. Bon appetit!

View our whole trip here:

June 12, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Cheese for Dinner. Yes.

I love cheese and I think wine is dandy. When my aunt suggested we go to The Wine and Cheese Restaurant in Westminster CO for a date, while she watched the kids… how could we refuse?
We loved the place so much, I had to write a quick post, just in case you happen to be in that area. The Wine and Cheese Restaurant is located in an outdoor mall called The Orchard Town Center, with loads of shops and a movie theater. We walked over to the movie theater to see The Great Gatsby (best movie ever!!) after dinner.
Dates with your sweetie are the best.
The picture above was our dinner… which (shockingly) completely filled us up. We also split a flight of 4 wines. It was the perfect amount of food.
Check out the Wine and Cheese Restaurant’s complete menu here and get ready to drool over their cheeses… if you are a cheese lover like me.
Here’s what we got:

Trio platter – three items for $31

Walnut Gourmandise – Cow’s milk. France. Soft, buttery and with a hint of sweet served drizzled with Colorado wildflower honey. A customer favorite with its smooth and creamy layering of cheese and crunchy walnuts.

Fleur Vert – Goat’s Milk. France. Fleur Vert (green flower) is a rindless soft creamy cheese covered in fresh thyme, tarragon and pink peppercorns. Mild goat flavor with some sweetness which is not that usual in fresh goat cheese. The herbs cover the cheese creating a beautiful contrast with the white of the cheese though they do not overpower the creaminess of the cheese, a delightful treat, even if you are not (yet) a goat cheese lover.

Honey Smoked Salmon -Colorado, Lightly smoked after being marinated for several hours in a secret blend of all natural herbs and spices. Then the fish is smoked over 100 percent hickory wood keeping it extremely moist, tasty, and tender.

Delish, my friends!
View our whole trip here:

June 11, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Dinosaur Tracking at Dinosaur Ridge

We arrived in Denver to stay with family and did normal family stuff, like learn to fly fish in the back yard and work out.

The next morning my cousin suggested we check out Dinosaur Ridge just outside Denver in Morrison CO, to see real fossils. We did, and it was such a blast for the kids (and us). Dinosaur Ridge has a small exhibit hall, gift shop, tours, and outdoor area. The whole place is great for kids because it’s very interactive. And a great place for parents because it’s so inexpensive.
We got to The Ridge in the afternoon and ate a picnic lunch at the entrance area and played around big giant dinosaurs.

The outside area has lots of {FREE} hands-on activities like digging for fossils and life sized dinosaur tracks in the concrete. Along with a few information plaques which my little scholar had me read. Every single one!

reading about dinos

But the highlight for us was most definitely the guided shuttle bus tour. It’s $5 a person (4 years old & younger are free) and takes you up the ridge on a 40 minute tour to see the fossils, with a few stops along the way. We called our bus the Stegosaur-bus and suggested they put Stegosaurs plates across the top. Wouldn’t that be fun!?!?
Fun Fact: Stegosaurs is the state fossil of Colorado because it was first found in their great state.

We learned about what the area looked like long ago, and our tour guide, Matt, showed us dino tracks and taught us how to recognize real fossils.

…and we thought every rock was a fossil.
Except for Cy…

One of the stops was their famous Dinosaur Tracksite. The hillside has hundreds of fossilized dinosaur footprints imbedded in the rock.
Cousin pic… (Tessa’s “cheese” face here kills me!)

After the Stegosaur-bus tour we hit up the small exhibit hall. My favorite part was seeing what the USA looked like a gazillion years ago. The kids liked it all.

Things to know, if you go:

The entry area is a great place for a picnic lunch.
Spend some time doing the free hands-on outside activities.
Do the shuttle bus tour ($5 for everyone 5+) and don’t forget a lil’ tip for the driver.
They have a great gift shop with real fossil for as little as $4. We purchased a dinosaur book with a compilation of stories for $8.
If you have older children consider hiking the 1.5 mile Triceratops Trail.

View our whole trip here:

June 4, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Visiting Garden of the Gods

After our excursion the Air Force Academy (and lunch at Subway). We drove to Garden of the Gods.

I love this place. It’s a 480-acre area of land filled with rock formations, hiking, and horseback riding.
And it’s free! (The last wishes of the land’s owner, who died in 1907.)
We got there on a busy day and it was crowded. The husbands found a spot right away and took the big kids to the Park and the wives took the little kids to the Visitor Center. This was a great arrangement because it was late in the afternoon and the little kids were exhausted.
Just like Arches, Garden of the Gods has huge sandstone formations filled with cracks and crevices perfect for climbing. The big kids had a blast exploring. Eli even informed me later, he had found “secret hideouts” that he knew Indians used to live inside long ago.

The Visitor Center is geared toward smaller children, so the little kids had a blast. Though I’m sure the air conditioning would be a welcome reprise for kids of all ages on a hot day! Cyrus loved the full sized mountain lion in all it’s taxidermy-ed glory. He proudly announced to the whole room multiple times, “the mountain lion is DEAD!” The center also had a small section about dinosaurs and a volunteer station with all different animal pelts where kids got to guess which animal each pelt came from. Cy’s favorite part was playing with the trains in the gift shop.
Because we don’t have any trains at home that he plays with all the time already. HA!!

We had ice cream at the café and headed home for naps and dinner.
Then we said goodbye to our friends (boo) and drove just north of Denver for more adventure!

Day 3 – Traveled 85.6 miles

Things to know, if you go:

Parking can be tough. Go early, or park at the visitor center and walk in.
They do have a small Visitor Center and café. Perfect for lunch while out sightseeing.
It’s free to get into the Park!
Easy hiking. (When the kids are older, we plan on trying the horseback riding!)

June 2, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Air Force Academy

We woke up on the third day of our RV Adventure in Colorado. We were so blessed to stay with our friends who recently moved back to Colorado. It was Sunday, so we went to church that morning, then set out for a day of fun in Colorado Springs.
Our first stop was the Air Force Academy.

Now, the Air Force Academy might not be first on your list of tourist places to go. But if you have boys, you might want to check it out. Our amazing hosts, James and Sharron, knew a lot about the place – James graduated from the Academy and they were married in the gorgeous on site chapel.

I can’t believe we didn’t take more pictures (I think we left the camera in the car), because this place is a visual goldmine. Especially the chapel. Floor to ceiling stained glass windows and the pews were molded after the fin on an airplane.
Here are some pictures I pulled of the internet.
(photo credit Kevin Crafts Creative Photography)

The grounds are beautiful as well. We hiked a short trail and watched the school video in the gift shop theater. We were told you can see students jumping out of planes on clear days, as a part of their training.
The Air Force Academy was most defiantly a highlight for Eli most. He has always been into “army guys” and battles. He learned about the different branches of the military and made me read the plaque on every statue we passed. I learned a lot too!

I’m so glad one of my children (so far) likes history like me!
Gosh I love this kid.

We saw a few uniformed students on the campus and Eli was star struck. One of them was so sweet and asked Eli if he was planning on going to the Air Force Academy. Eli, in all seriousness answered, “I’m not sure yet.”
That kid.
Things to know, if you go:
You have to show your ID to get onto the campus. So don’t forget it!
I’m not sure if there is a restaurant so bring snacks if you plan on staying for a bit.
Plan on walking the grounds and visiting the chapel.

We then headed off to another fun family destination… read the next post to find out where!

(Miss you guys!!)

June 2, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Jersey Skirts are my Yoga Pants

I love skirts.
I love dresses.
I even wrote a little ode to my love of skirts back in 2009.
That’s how much I love them.
I like the feminine feeling and I think it looks like you look like you made an effort with your style, without actually making an effort. But most of all they are comfortable and flattering
My style of choice is a dress or skirt, and I don’t really think about it much. Then one of my friends commented on my travel IG photo saying she would be wearing yoga pants instead of a dress.
And that’s when I realized jersey knit skirts are my yoga pants.

And a messy bun is my go-to hairstyle.
I feel like it looks sophisticated and it’s so darn easy to do.
It’s the perfect travel hairdo.

You can’t even tell I had been wearing the same outfit for 24 hours.
Oh, did I forget to mention I slept in my dress our first night in the RV?
I did.
One thing I forgot to mention about Arches National Park is the strange fine dirt. It felt a hundred times finer than regular dirt but felt clean like beach sand. Brad made me a heart out of the strange dirt.
We played in that dirt for almost an hour.

Tell me I’m not the only one who lives in skirts and dresses?
Jersey knit skirts are my yoga pants.
What’s your yoga pants?
(It’s ok if yoga pants are your yoga pants.)

June 1, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Arches National Park

Confession: I’m not a planner.
It’s true.

But I was given a book titled, 100 Places that can Change your Child’s Life, and remembered to toss it in the RV after packing. I started flipping though the book while we were on the road to see if there was anything interesting on our route. Well, the whole book is interesting! And, sure enough Arches National Park wasn’t too far off the freeway, and about halfway to our evening destination. Arches has over 2,000 sandstone arch formations, lots of trails and a 36-mile road that takes you around the park, just in case you don’t feel like getting out of your car!
We decided to go.

100 places that can change your child's life

We stopped at Devil’s Canyon to stretch our legs. And the children built mini arches in honor of the giant ones we were about to see at Arches National Park.
Learning is fun.

And we got a pretty sweet picture of us at the edge of a cliff. We had to hike a bit to get there but it was worth it for the view. AND for the fellow hiker who made my kids say “whiskey” instead of cheese for the picture.

We arrived at Arches National Park at noon-ish and only expected to spend an hour or so exploring. We ended up staying for 3.5 hours and only left because we wanted to get to Colorado Springs by 1am.
(Why do I never tire of lining my kids up in age order for photos?… now if I can only talk Brad into a 5th to add to the lineup!)

Arches is massive and beautiful and there are plenty of EASY hiking trails for kids – we even brought our double stroller! The greatest part, was climbing around on the rock formations.

The kids were super into it because everything was so hands on. Arches National Park is so different than anywhere they had ever been and you could just see their imaginations going wild as they looked at the unique rocks. We liked to imagine shapes in the formations… kinda like cloud watching, except with rocks.

Many of the trails were .5 miles or less and you can see multiple arches and other pretty rock formations along the way.
I recommend packing a lunch, snacks, sunscreen, getting there early, to hike the day away. At least that’s what we’ll do next time!
We tore ourselves away and got back on the road. I drove this time, while everyone else slept.

I did wake up the big kids to hop inside a teepee on the side of the road!
Because we did whatever the heck we wanted on this trip!
(I searched to to avail, for this teepee location so I could give you an exact location. Ug. I believe it’s on the road just leaving Arches.)

We made it to Colorado Springs late that evening and were greeted with cozy beds at our friend’s home.
But that’s a story for another blog post!

Day two’s route across the beautiful stat of Utah and into much of Colorado…

Day 2 – traveled 752 miles

May 30, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Driving from California to Utah in a day

So…
We’ve decided to go on an RV trip to Yellowstone.
We packed.
And we know where we are staying.
Then we drove.
As soon as we got on the 15, we saw a lot of this…

The desert is lovely in it’s own way, and the vastness of empty land felt very big to me.
We had dinner at a McDonalds… in Vegas.
Par-tay!
Not really. We just stretched our legs then kept driving.
We drove from California, to Nevada, through a tiny tip of Arizona and ended up in St George, Utah. Four states on one day wasn’t bad at all.

Day 1 – Traveled 384 miles

In fact Brad and I were kind of cocky travelers. Then we pulled into the local Wal-Mart to park for the night. The kids were not cocky. They were cranky.

So we decided to have a dance party.
True story.

rv dance party

I feel like there isn’t much a dance party can’t fix.
(That’s some free parenting advice from yours truly.)
We survived the night in the Walmart parking lot and woke up refreshed.

When we told the children we were out of California, they could have cared less.
When we told them we were out of Orange County… their minds were blown!

out of OC and our minds are blown

We drove across more desert. This was my favorite sign…

Can you imagine being a runaway trucker out of control for almost 12 miles!?! Though if you are going 120 MPH, I guess it wouldn’t take long. It must happen often enough for the state to spend money on a GIANT sign, right?
Then we drove to one of the neatest places I’ve ever been.
True story.
Where? (you ask)
Well, you’ll have to come back tomorrow to find out! (I answer)