Mesa Verde National Park & on to Albuquerque

This was the last true day of our vacation with Allyson as we would stop for the night in Albuquerque. After leaving Arches and after our stop at "Hole in the Rock" we did travel on to Cortez, CO. We got our hotel room, ate dinner, splashed in the pool, (Ma Turner was a party pooper cause I didn't get into the pool) and then finished the night with ice cream. What else could we do, Dairy Queen was across the street.

We were up early, before eight and headed for the short drive to Mesa Verde. Now I didn't know too much about this park before we got there, so I learned a lot on this day.

Our first stop after entering the park was the Park Point Overlook. You can see for hundreds of miles up there. It is the highest point in the park at 8572 feet.

We then traveled on to the Visitor Center, looked at the exhibits there and headed off on another long adventure. Let me just say that Allyson was the best traveler we could have had. She went hiking with us and didn't complain too much about our long days.

We then took the long twisty road to the Wetherill Mesa, named after the ranchers who discovered the ruins found here. We took the tram to the "Badger House" community which are a group of four ruins from different time periods.

We caught the tram again and the driver, a very knowledgeable park service employee, stopped at a couple of other sites, namely the Kodak House and the Long House.

Then back on the road to the Chapin Mesa which is the most developed area of the park. We stopped at the Chapin Mesa museum which was very informative, saw the Spruce Tree House, from a distance, Took the Mesa Top Loop, and then finished up with the Cliff palace Loop which had numerous stops and lots of dwellings built under the mountain overhangs.

It is certainly a place I want to visit again, in cooler weather, to do hiking and visit the different houses that have been found.

After leaving Mesa Verde our destination was "Four corners" where Allyson wanted to be in four states at one time. However, we forgot to stop and get some cash and the Interagency Indian Council does not take debit cards, so didn't get to stop there. So we headed south to Shiprock, Farmington, Bloomington, and Cuba, arriving in Albuquerque at 9:30 Thursday night.

And so ended Allyson's Adventure with Grandma Turner. We would have more fun times during our stay in Albuquerque, but this special time I had with Allyson and Michelle on our journey will always be a special memory for me. Thanks guys.

Arches

(What the hikers)

Wednesday was our trip to Arches. Michelle and I have been to Arches, but Allyson didn't think she had been there. Time for another adventure. We first stopped at the Visitor Center which was new since my last visit. There is so much to see at the Visitor Center you could spend all day there, but we had exploring to do.

Some of the places we stopped and hike around and to were: Balanced Rock, Double Arch, Delicate Arch Viewpoint, (Delicate Arch hike will have to wait until a cooler time of year), and the Fiery Furnace viewpoint. We also stopped at Skyline Arch for a quick picture.

After touring Arches, we stopped for a picnic lunch and then Allyson and I toured the "Hole in the Rock" which is a home chiseled into a home. Very interesting, but I don't think I could live there. (It is the ultimate tourist trap.)

Canyonlands

Allyson and I spent Monday getting everything ready for our trip to Albuquerque. I'm sure Allyson thought we would never be ready to go, but I wanted to mow the grass and do the laundry before we headed south. We decided to go to Chelley's and spend Monday night and then get a good start Tuesday morning. We had a great time playing with Tinkerbelle and the cats before turning in for the night.

Tuesday we drove to Canyonlands to see what that park had to offer. What a splendid place. The views are indescribable. We visited the "Island in the Sky" district which is the northern most district of Canyonlands.

This rock formation is named "The Monitor and Merrimac". We stopped at the Visitor Center and picked up a cd that tells about the park and all the stops and sights to see. We stopped at every turn out and took a lot of pictures.

This is "Mesa Arch" and as you climb to the point underneath the arch, you can see another smaller arch called "Washer Woman Arch". When we finished our journey through Canyonlands, we went on to Moab where we ate dinner and splashed in the motel pool. Tomorrow on to Arches and then Cortez, CO.

Allyson Adventures with Grandma has come to an End

Yes, it is true. Our Adventure is over, but we had a great time. Let me share some of the memorable experiences and some pictures.

Allyson and I dropped Nate off a the airport on Friday, July 31; stopped in Riverdale to pick up my Dad and headed north. The trip to Idaho was routine, nothing spectacular. After dropping Dad off in Rigby, Allyson and I were ready for a fun camping trip with Cheryl, Jason, and Ben. We were not disappointed.

Cheryl and Jason had the camp all set up and dessert cooking. Jason makes a mean cherry cobbler which tastes even better for breakfast.

After breaking camp we all headed to Big Springs. Ben loved looking at the fish, ducks, and there were even a couple of muskrats joining in the fun.

We wandered over to the Johny Sack cabin for a look inside the house he built. He was 4'11" tall so everything looks tiny. What a lucky guy he was to have a cabin in such a wonderful spot. Then it was on to West Yellowstone and the Grizzly Wolf Discovery Center and then to Yellowstone and Old Faithful. While we waited for the geyser to go off, we did some shopping at the General Store.

After sitting in the hot Wyoming sun and watching the geyser go, we headed back to Cheryl's where we enjoyed pizza for dinner, a visit from my sister, Carma, and my Dad, and watched Ben and Allyson play. After this busy day, I was ready for a good night sleep.

Sunday we attended Sacrament meeting in Cheryl's ward then headed to Grand Teton for a picnic with Carma and Dad. Allyson and I stopped at the Craig Thomas Visitor Center then traveled to String Lake for a picnic. We stopped to see a moose bedded down in the willows for an afternoon nap.

Allyson had a great time splashing in the lake while lunch cooked and then we all enjoyed the refreshing water after lunch.

Then it was time to head back to Evanston to get ready for the trip to Albuquerque.

What Day Is It??

We are still having lots of fun. We have played in the river Wednesday morning. I will share some more pictures later. Wednesday evening we spent an hour out on the "ice ponds" in a pedal boat. That was lots of fun. And of course, afterwards we went to the "Scoop" for ice cream. At the end of Allyson's Adventure she will tell us which flavor she liked best; each day she has had a different flavor.
Thursday the State Park was closed for paving so we went back to the ice ponds for some more pedal boating. (My legs will be in great shape, that's for sure.) It rained on us to begin, but Allyson wasn't scared of a little rain. We enjoyed our time pedaling. The evening's activity was bowling at a real bowling alley. Just let me say, we are much better at Wii bowling. Afterwards, more ice cream and to end the evening more wii bowling.
Today we take Nate to the airport for his flight to Baltimore where he meets up with Roy for a weekend of frolicking in the York area. Sunday night they fly back to Tampa for some play with work sprinkled in. Friday night we all meet up in Albuquerque.
After getting rid of the boy, Allyson and I will stop in Riverdale to pick up my Dad and we will head north. We will drop Dad off at Carma's and then head to the Ashton area for a camping trip. Saturday we will head to Yellowstone and Sunday we will have a picnic with Carma in Grand Teton before heading back to Evanston to wash clothes and get ready to head to Albuquerque. Chelley is going to ride to ALB with us. We are so excited.

Days 2, 3, & 4

Allyson and I are having so much fun it is hard to find time to blog. Let me catch you up on the activities.

Sunday after church, where I was sustained to be a cub scout worker, and after dinner, Allyson and I rode up into the mountains. I am always up for a ride into the mountains. We drove up to Mirror Lake with the intent to take the hike around the lake. Just as we pulled into the parking lot it started to rain. End of hike around Mirror Lake.

We then headed back toward Evanston, but took the turn-off into Christmas Meadows, which is my favorite place after Yellowstone. We have taken many camping trips there and lots of hikes, too.

Allyson and I started off at the trailhead, but quickly turned back to spray on bug spray. As we got to the car, the rain came, again, so we headed back home. After ice cream and a drive through the state park, it was bed time.

Monday the day started out with fixing the flat tire on Nate's car. After that was taken care of, we headed to the bowling alley to do some real bowling. (Sunday night Allyson and I played lots of wii bowling.) The bowling alley is closed until Thurs. We then went to the county fair. Allyson played a dart game and won a cute little stuffed panda. After more wii bowling, we headed to the ice ponds to do some pedal boating, but because they were working on the road, no pedal boating. We went out for more ice cream.

Tuesday was our day to take Nate to Orem so Chelley could take him to look at UVU. While they did that, Allyson and I headed to the Beane museum at BYU. That always is a favorite place. We then visited the BYU Bookstore and then met Chelley and Nate at Golden Corral for a late lunch. Then it was back to Chelley's to play with Tinkerbelle. After the drive home it was time for more

bowling and ice cream.

Here's some of the pictures from our short hike (pictures that Allyson took) and Allyson's new stuffed friend.

My vacation with Allyson

My long awaited vacation with Allyson began today with a trip to the zoo. I met Summer, Pat, Allyson, and the boys in the morning for a fun time viewing the animals. It was a very good time and by noon time, I could look at Evan and he wouldn't hide his face. Small achievements. We then traveled a little way up Emigration Canyon to a fine little diner named "Ruth's Diner". We had to wait a while to get a table, but it was worth the wait. The kids were very patient and very well behaved.

Allyson and I then traveled home by way of Emigration Canyon to East Canyon. A very beautiful drive. Allyson and I stopped at the house long enough to drop off her belongings and then headed to the state park for a little walk and to play in the river. Allyson had a great time getting into the river. After a stop at the grocery store and MacDonald's for some ice cream, it was beddy bye time for Allyson. We have lots of fun things planned for the next two weeks.

Summer time Fun

I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. Is it really July-almost the end of July already. Let me recount what has been happening.

June: Nate and I made a trip to Rigby in mid-June and made a wonderful trip through Yellowstone with my sister, Carma. I really enjoy driving through Island Park, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton. We saw bison in Yellowstone and a couple of moose in Grand Teton. There was still snow on the ground in a couple of spots.

Roy was home the first weekend in June to complete the brake repair on Nate's car. I was glad they got everything fixed. (I don't know what we would have done if that car hadn't gotten fixed.)

July: The 4th of July is always a good time in Evanston. We have 5 firework stands and it is legal to shoot off fireworks beginning the 3rd of July. My favorite memory of this year's fireworks display at the Turner home was watching Jason, Stewart, Nate, and Jon all lined up on the front sidewalk and each of them lighting off a roman candle. This was after attending the Evans reunion in Clinton earlier in the day and the boys trip into the hills to shoot the .22 rifle and the .357 magnum pistol. We had lots of good food and homemade raspberry ice cream.

I had the privilege of watching Michelle's little Tinkerbelle puppy for a week while they went on vacation with Carolyn and Stew.

This past weekend, Nate and I traveled to ID, again. Our purpose was to go to Tiffany Merrifield's wedding reception. That was a lot of fun. It was good to see all the Merrifield family and celebrate Tiff's marriage.

Saturday morning, Cheryl, Nate, Ben,and I headed to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes for some fun. Cheryl demonstrated the fine art of Dune jumping and she and Nate performed the stunt for Ben and me. The evening entertainment was a trip to the "riot Zone" where Cheryl, Jason, and Nate drove race cars and bumper boats. They seemed to have a great time. Jason and Nate then played minature golf while Cheryl and I took Ben home to go to bed.

Sunday morning Nate and I headed back home.

Memorial Day WEEK

Memorial Day is now a pleasant memory and it was a fun filled week. Roy arrived home Thursday night, the 21st, with a long list of things to get done. He worked hard all day Friday doing stucco on the shed and other things around the house and Friday night Ben and Cheryl arrived for the weekend. (Jason had to work in Blackfoot, so just the two of them came down for a weekend of fun.)

Saturday we traveled to SLC to visit the zoo. Chelley came up from Orem to join the fun. ( I understand Jon was busy putting a hole in their ceiling so he couldn't join us.)

We had a lot of fun at the zoo; looking at all the animals, eating popcorn, and of course, riding the train. Ben liked the camels. Nate liked the penguins and Chelley liked the tigers. Aunt Chelley had a lot of fun with Ben and liked teasing Nate, too. After the zoo, we made a stop at "The Spagetti Factory" for a meal of pasta.

Sunday after church, Cheryl and Ben headed back to Idaho and Roy and I took a nice Sunday afternoon drive.

Monday was a work in the yard and fix the white hyundai day.

Tuesday Roy had to go to Ogden for a part for said hyundai, so I tagged along. After picking up the part we headed north for a nice relaxing drive. We drove to Brigham City and went through Sardine Canyon to Logan. After stopping for a pizza lunch, we drove through Logan Canyon and around Bear Lake. It was a beautiful day and it was very relaxing. The boys spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get the hyundai fixed.

The week went by way too fast; it always does and before we knew it, we were headed back to the airport for Roy's flight back to Tampa. It was a great week.

Springtime Fun

It feels like spring has come to this part of the world. And not a minute too soon. We have been busy having fun, here at home. Let me go back a couple of weeks to explain..

Nate flew back to DC, met Roy there and the two of them went to the Jimmy Lange flight on Sat., May 2. Nate spent the weekend with Dad and the two of them had a lot of fun from the stories I heard. It was a wet rainy weekend, so the planned baseball game was cancelled.

Last weekend, Mother's Day was celebrated with a picnic at Grandma Turner's house, Sunday afternoon. Aunt Jan came up and Tonya from Casper came with her 4 kids. They are cute kids and are very active. After lunch, I took the three older kids to the state park to see the 5 baby bison.

After a hectic week dealing with banking snafu's, Nate and I loaded up the new Santa Fe to see how it handled a Yellowstone weekend. Jason was out of town and Cheryl didn't want to spend the weekend alone, so she invited us up.

Saturday morning we got up--not too early--and headed north. After a stop in West Yellowstone, headed into the park. We encountered a herd of bison taking a nice leisurely stroll with babies in the group.

We then drove to Canyon and stopped at the Canyon Education Station. It explains all about the seismic events that shaped the Yellowstone Region. Then we drove through Hayden Valley, around the Lake, which still has ice on it, and then on to Old Faithful. There is still a lot of snow on the road to Old Faithful.

After watching Old Faithful go off, we headed for the south entrance to the Park and a drive through Grand Teton. We drove through Jackson, along the Snake River, Palisades, and Swan Valley to return safely to Cheryl's for bedtime. It was a busy day, but a very fun day. On Sunday, Nate and I returned home safely.
By the way, the Santa Fe handled very nicely. It will be a great car to take on our adventures.

Nate has eight days of school left. It is that time of year, when you have had enough school and let's get on with summer.

Our plans for the summer are not finalized, but we have fun things planned. Roy will be home for a week for Memorial Day. Nate and I hope to go to Florida for a beach vacation sometime in June. Roy comes home again for a week over the 4th of July. He will then come home for a week beginning the 17th of August. Any one wishing to spend a week with us in August is welcome to join us, hopefully in the Yellowstone area. Let us know asap if you wish to join us.
We are also going to meet up in Albuquerque the first part of August for Ryan's baptism on the 8th. Roy will fly to ALB and Nate and I will drive. I would like to do some sightseeing on the journey and also in the ALB area. Anyone wishing to drive with us, you are sure welcome to come along. Michelle, Cheryl, and I are planning at swimming trip to Lava Hot Springs and also a camping trip in the Bear Lake area. Anyone wishing to join us on these trips are welcome.

So--that's what we have been up to and our plans for the upcoming months. I hope to do some camping along the way, too.

Ma's New Ride

For the past several months, I (Ma Turner) has been on a mission to find me a new car. I have visited dealerships all along the Wasatch Front looking for the perfect car. Yesterday, Chelley and I drove to Pocatello to pick up my car. I had visited the Hyundai dealer in Pocatello the previous week and had made my choice. It is a Santa Fe and it has lots of bells and whistles that are super cool. My favorite is the sunroof. It also has heated seats, outside mirrors that defrost, auto headlights, XM radio free for 3 months, and upgraded cloth seats. It drives wonderfully and looks great. I look forward to many road trips in "my new ride".

Cheryl and Ben came to Pocatello for the big event and we had lunch together. Ben looks like he is a handful for Aunt Michelle, but he really just wanted to get behind the wheel of Grandma's new car.

Never Say Never

Thursdays are a special day of the week because my teacher friends and I get together at lunchtime and enjoy a relaxing lunch. I usually pick up lunch and bring it in and we sit down for 35 minutes and talk about what's going on. It is a day I look forward to and so do they.
A few weeks ago Kathy told me that Chris, the principal was going to talk to me about a job opening at UME. I must have been in a very bad mood and went off telling all my friends I was NOT interested in teaching ever again, I didn't want to work in the school once my after school gig was up, etc, etc, etc.
Monday morning Chris called me and asked me if I was interested in working with a student as a "tracker" for three days. I agreed, so today is day three of working again for the school district. Yesterday Chris came into the classroom we were in and asked me if I would substitute for the morning in one of the fifth grade classes. So today I will be a "tracker" and a substitute teacher.
I really would rather be working out in my yard, taking Copper for a walk, or riding my bike, but I will go and enjoy this experience. I hope I have made a difference in Ethan's school days.

Now!! That was Fun!!

We have returned home from our Florida vacation. We really did enjoy ourselves and wish it could have gone on longer. We spent time on the beach, spent a day on the gulf fishing, ate lots of great seafood, and even took in a Tampa Bay Rays bb game.

We flew from SLC to Tampa on Sunday, stopping in Denver and changing planes in Kansas City. (I do not suggest stopping in KC. The airport is just awful.) After arriving in Tampa, we stopped at LeRoy Selmon's for a delicious dinner and then drove to Sarasota via the Sun Shine sky way. It is a beautiful drive along the coast. Roy and I went for an evening walk in his neighborhood.

Monday, while Nate and I chilled out, Roy headed into work. He picked us up for lunch and a drive around the area. We ate at a place named "Pincher's Crab Shack" and my fried shrimp was the best shrimp I can ever remember eating. Nate and I went to Roy's office where we picked up our "car" for the week. A very nice Lexus. Later that afternoon, we headed to the community pool for a relaxing time. After Roy finished work, we headed to Lido Beach.

Tuesday was a wet and windy day. Roy came and got us for lunch--a little pizza place where we enjoyed a Chicago style pizza. After dropping Roy off at work, Nate and I found a place where Nate got his haircut. (He looks so much better.)For dinner that night we went to "Stonewood Grill" for a great steak dinner. The rest of the evening we drove around Lakewood Ranch looking at homes for sale.

Wednesday, I got up early and went to look at a couple of model homes in the area and after picking Nate up and feeding him, we headed back to Lakewood Ranch to get more info on homes in the area. After Roy finished with work, we jumped back in the car and headed to Siesta Key for another evening on the beach. We ate dinner at the "Lobster Pot", a little place we drove by on the Key. The seafood there was great--another delicious seafood dinner.

Thursday was our day for fishing. We got up early and headed to Sarasota Bay and jumped aboard the "Flying Fish". We went out into the gulf for some deep sea fishing. I caught the first fish of the day, (for our group), Roy caught the most fish, although we weren't keeping score, and I think Nate caught the biggest fish of one's caught by the Turner fisherpersons. We all came back a lot redder that when we left. It truly was a fun day. Later, Nate and I headed back to Longboat Key and an evening walking along Lido Beach.

Friday was chill out day for Mom and Nate. I went and bought souvenir t-shirts for the grandkids. We met Roy for lunch at an Irish pub called "Firkins and Fox." It was an interesting little place. Friday night we headed to Tampa for the Rays game. The game was great--Tampa beat the White Sox on a pinch hit grand slam home run. Tropicana Field leaves a lot to be desired in the comfort area and baseball should really be played outside. Why can't every ball stadium be like Camden Yard in Baltimore?

Saturday was travel day and Nate and I arrived home late at night. It was a great trip and I look forward to spending more time in the warm climate of Central Florida. There is so much to see and do.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE

1. It's taken on a Saturday. (Today, April 11.)

2. Spring break started yesterday when school let out.

3. We are leaving for Florida tomorrow so Nate should be out with friends.

4. That's a book he is reading. 1984 to be exact. Yes, he is truly reading every page of the book.

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO MY SON???

Passing Time

It seems like forever since I posted a new blog. In truth, there is not a lot going on here on the home front. Nate has finished his ACT prep class so no more getting up at 6:30. He did very well and I am proud of his accomplishment.

The weather has been typical Wyoming spring time weather. Warm one day and snowy the next. Last Saturday, April 4th, Dad and I cleaned 6 inches of snow off the driveway. It has almost all melted away today. (Last check it was 55 here.)

I have been reading alot this spring, just like I usually do in the springtime. Dave and Summer sent me a book about Yellowstone that I enjoyed reading. As I read, it brought to mind so many of my trips to Yellowstone and surrounding areas. It also made me think of places I still would like to visit. I also read a biography on the life of Kit Carson and his role in settling the southwest and made me realize how much I would like to spend time exploring the Santa Fe, Taos, New Mexico area. (That's lucky because I would like to visit Albuquerque longer, too)

Summertime will surely be upon us, sooner that later, I hope and I have lots of fun plans for the warmer months. I have furniture that I want to refinish, but at the top of my list is going camping this summer. I really would like to travel south to New Mexico and do some camping with the New Mexico Turners and then travel North to do some camping with the Idaho Kimbers. The Orem Ellsworths would like to spend some time at Bear Lake, also, so you see I have lots to look forward to this summer.

Nate and I will spend next week in sunny Florida. I am looking forward to that and we have lots of things planned. I will post lots of pictures when I return.

Nate's junior prom was last weekend, so I thought I would post a picture of Nate and his date, Jackie. He looks like he is really enjoying himself, doesn't he.

It Looks Like Spring

The weather has turned warmer and the snow is almost all melted away. That means we should get another snow storm soon. That's just the way it is in Wyoming in the spring.
Dad (roy) has officially moved to Florida now. He drove his car loaded with his belongings last weekend. Nate and I are headed to the Tampa area for spring break. We leave on the 12th of April and return home on the 18th. We have lots of fun things planned.
In the meantime, Nate heads to Phoenix on Friday to meet up with Roy and David for a weekend of spring training baseball. Cheryl and Ben are coming down from Rigby on Friday and Michelle might be coming up for a weekend of fun. A shopping trip to Park City is scheduled for Saturday. (Carolyn, you need to move closer so you can have fun with us, too.)
Nate is amazing this year. He did really well in school last semester, but this semester, he is doing even better. He is taking an early morning ACT prep class and he has to be to school at 7 AM sharp. He can't miss more than 3 days or he fails the class. He has done remarkably well. There are only 7 more days of the early morning thing, but I have to give him credit for doing so well. He is so focused on doing well on the ACT. He did take the ACT on the 11th because it is required of all juinors in Wy to take it. He feels pretty good about it.
I am teaching math after school again this semester. In Jan. and Feb. I taught 3rd graders the module on "addition and subtraction." I really hate the material that we use. This quarter I am teaching 5th graders division. I am still using the same material and I still hate the material. I only work 1.5 hours a day M-TH. Not too bad. It doesn't interfer with my play time.
Copper and I need to start going for a walk every day, now. We are both carrying too much excess inches. It has been a long winter.
YEAH for spring.