The Move, Part 4: Great Sand Dunes National Park

Loads of fun at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

The Move, Part 3: The Durango / Silverton Train

Life on the road. The girls got out of bed finally, after I started folding them the rest of the way into the couch. Incidentally, the two-room suites at the Residence Inn are TOTALLY the way to go when road tripping with the fam.

When Steph and I took the Silverton Train a few years back, we got seats inside an enclosed car, and regretted not being able to be out in the open air. So this time we took one of these "outdoor" cars. The only problem: IT'S COLD THERE IN OCTOBER and the trip is about 3.5hrs each way.

Fortunately, they had refillable hot chocolate mugs and we were right next to the chow car. These things kept us from turning into icicles on the way up to Silverton.

Johnathan LOVES trains and was thoroughly entranced with the entire experience.

The Move, Part 2: Megalithic Ruins and Spruce Tree House (Mesa Verde)

Very cool stuff at Mesa Verde. At one time a thriving area with thousands of dwellings clustered in tribe-like communities, inhabited for centuries, abandoned over a few decades.

Emily coquettishly showing us a sunburst pattern.

Entrance to the keva.

Johnathan discovering the ray of sunshine inside the Spruce House keva.

Emily showing she can be cute anywhere

These kevas are a constant temp of about 58 F, nice and dark, naturally sound-proof... run some wiring and you've got a perfect media room!

Joseph confused by the signs. Which is it, no food or drink, or bring drinking water?

The Move, Part 1: Four Corners and Balcony House (Mesa Verde)

This one is actually before we moved. It shows that poor Johnathan has two sisters who are convinced that he (a) is a dress-up doll, and (b) would be cuter as a girl.

Four Corners. Two of these states have been our home.

Balcony House at Mesa Verde. Gotta watch the kids, as there are no handrails or other guards to keep you from taking a jolly good plunge off the cliffside.

Entrance to the Balcony House via an authentic reconstruction of the original means. Sturdy ladder, though, even if a bit unnerving to climb.

Someone's former living room?

The only other way into / out of Balcony House is this little tunnel. Either this was intended to be an impediment, or these people were all Johnathan's size.

"No way to design an entrance hall."

After another ladder, you climb up a rather perilous seeming rock face on your way back to the trail head.

We made it!