Where Did We Go Wednesday? Mount Rushmore

From our house to Mount Rushmore it is probably about A 7 hour drive straight through. Although we didn't drive straight through, we stayed over in Sioux Falls South Dakota on the first night and then made our way to Rapid City South Dakota.

Being one state over you would think we may have visited this prior to this but there is a lot of nothing to look at during that 7 hour drive the really interesting part of South Dakota doesn't happen until you are in the 60 miles on the western side of the state.

It seems that thanks to Facebook a lot of people are visiting Mount Rushmore. I am not sure if there is that many more visitors or I am just made more aware of it because people are posting their vacations on that social media outlet.

My kids had 3 days off from school before the weekend for a fall vacation and we were going to take advantage of five days in a row when it was pretty nice weather to make this road trip.

Usually the one complaint I have heard from people who make this road trip in the summer is that it is really hot and really busy, I guess that's two complaints. My Hope Was That by going in the fall we would be past the hot weather and it would not be very busy. Both of my assumptions were correct and we were very happy that we went during the fall. Although going during the fall there are some things that are not open that are only open during the summer but everything we wanted to see including Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Devil's Tower, and Custer State Park were all open. Plus there were several other things we saw as well.

Trying our best to get a family picture at Mount Rushmore. Someone did offer to take our picture but it seems every time someone does they can't seem to figure to get all of us in the picture and keep it in focus.

Below are some pictures that I zoomed in so that we could see greater detail on each of the president's faces.

Where Did We Go Wednesday? Death Valley, California

This was our unexpected find on our trip 2 Nevada, California, and Arizona. We knew we were going there but our expectations were a little low. Going to the known hottest place on Earth doesn't give you too high of expectations. But because we were so close I wasn't going to miss this opportunity to check it out and see what see what Death Valley look like.

Upon first driving into this National Park my husband commented that it looked like scenes from Star Wars where we were. Once we got to the ranger station we learned that in fact there were several scenes from Star Wars actually filmed in this National Park.

The top picture of me in it was one of the first places we stopped and we're just amazed. It was hard to take it all in. The immense beauty of it all was enormous. The picture right below it is of badwater basin where the lowest recorded temperature on Earth is.

Here is our attempt at getting some family photos at Death Valley. We went as early in the morning as we could get up and drive there from Las Vegas. The temperature hadn't risen too hot and we happen to be going on a day that was actually lower than normal. As we were leaving at lunch time it was just reaching 100 degrees which is not typical normally it has already reached that temperature much earlier in the day.

In the pictures above one is called artist palette and that is one location that Star Wars was filmed at. The other spot is called Devil's Golf Course. One look at that location we knew that if anyone fell trying to walk out there they would be ripped up a lot.

Upon entering the ranger station there is a sign that warns you of extreme heat Danger after 10am. The rental car had a hard time keeping up the AC and we made sure to have our CamelBaks full as well as a lot bottles of water in the car. Two of the pictures are of badwater Basin, including the one of my husband sitting on the ground looking like he is dehydrated. The other one is of the kids at one of our first stops upon entering Death Valley.

Where Did We Go Wednesday? RIU Emerald Bay in Mazatlan, Mexico

Just look at these pictures. It's no wonder that we are heading back there again this winter. This is RIU Emerald Bay in Mazatlan.

Yes we are aware of the Travel warnings to Mexico and to this state in Mexico in particular. They are the same warnings as when we went last year and when we had booked last year's trip six months prior to taking it.

We wanted to go to this Resort one more time and enjoy the relaxation that an all-inclusive place affords. There was a ton of food choices and we never got bored of our choices plus there were options for sit down restaurants with reservations.

It is an absolutely gorgeous all-inclusive resort. There were a handful of pools to choose from and a kids club so the kids could go do some crafts or play some games with other kids and not have to just be supervised by Mom and Dad. The kids even participated in a show one of the nights that was put on buy kids going to the kids club. They had a couple of different rehearsal times through the day in order to prepare.

Of course there was also the beach and part of the beach is roped off so that local vendors are not allowed to cross and harass any guests. They are very persistent but it also makes it convenient to have a service or buy something there when you just have to walk down to the beach. My daughter had braids put in her hair on half her head and we just had to walk down to the beach.

We did take a bus into the city of Mazatlan which was an interesting experience. It only cost $0.50 a person but there were so many stops along the way that it seemed to take forever. On the way back we paid a "taxi", which is really just a local with a souped-up golf cart, to take us back to the resort. It was only $10 and well worth it since we were leaving at a time many people were getting off of work and the streets were very crowded and they knew all the back roads to take to get around the city traffic. But also gave us a chance to see some of the houses in Mazatlan. 

Where Did We Go Wednesday? Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a place I have wanted to go visit and see for a long time. I am sure it is One place that is on many people's travel bucket list. Even though I have captured these awesome images on my camera and some on video as well it is hard to really grasp the hand massiveness of the Grand Canyon. Once you are there you are overwhelmed with how expansive it is. We had only done the southern rim and went to the stops on the southern rim. Someday we may get there and tour the northern rim and do some hiking in the canyon. When we were there in June it was quite hot and even though we had our hydration packs doing a lot of hiking was not on our agenda.

We took full advantage of The Trolley system that they have that runs through this National Park. I was very impressed with all of the signage and busing that were in place at this National Park. They were very sure to make sure that people were aware where the trolley stops were, bathrooms that were available, and water Outlets. It seemed there was enough places to fill up water as needed along the Route. Again we wore our hydration packs and throughout the strip we learned that my daughter drinks a lot of water and had to continually refill her hydration pack or she would drink out of hours because she consumed so much water. 

We arrived early enough that it didn't take too long to get into The National Park and find parking. I had read the tips about getting on the bus transfer outside of the park and we had attempted to do that but didn't make it quite in time and didn't want to wait for the next one to show up so we took our chances had to getting there and finding parking for ourselves. By 10 a.m. there We're many buses of tour groups that had been showing up. We had gotten there before them so we didn't have to wait as long and places because we started on our trolley stops before they got there.

We didn't just do the trolley stops we did do some hiking in between a few of the stops because we wanted to be able to see some of it from the trail perspective rather than just from the stops.

Getting in was really quick and easy because we had our national parks pass. We bought one when we went to Death Valley National Park. After our Fall Road Trip to the Badlands National Park we will probably be breaking even on the cost of the national parks pass. We were also able to use our national parks pass when we were touring the different rock formations in Sedona, as they accept that pass for payment.

Where Did We Go Wednesday? Sedona Red Rocks Jeep Tour

I have to tell you that taking a Red Rocks Jeep tour in Sedona Arizona was one of the best way to see a bunch of the formations and learn about the area and the Red Rocks. It was our family of four and another pair of adults that were on our tour. We did our tour through a day in the west. Our tour was called the Lil Rattler and it is a more mild tour meaning that you aren't bouncing around as much as you are in some of the other tours. It was a two-hour tour and we taken out among the rocks and given information about the history of the area, the Rocks, the plants, and some of the people that live and have lived there. The two were partly goes into Coconino National Forest.

We wore our hydration packs and also had cool it bandanas. We happen to be on our vacation in Arizona in June this past year when the flights were getting cancelled out of Phoenix, ours was one that got cancelled on the first day but we managed to get out a day later. I found that by wearing a hydration backpack it was easy to take a drink while we were riding and not worry about holding onto a water bottle. The cool-its work amazing as long as they are wet. We stopped once on the tour and when we stopped we rehydrated hour bandanas because they had dried out.

We would probably not have seen all of these formations had we not done the Jeep tour. It doesn't bring you to all of the formations that you might find listed on TripAdvisor that you need to go see, it takes you out and about to lesser-known places. We did make it to most of the other formations that we're highly rated on TripAdvisor but not on this tour. Those are easy enough to drive to yourself and have parking lots whereas we were on trails that required you to have 4-wheel drive in order to navigate them when on this tour.

Prepare to get dusty from all of the dry dirt and if you have a phone or camera out while on the tour make sure you have something along to keep it covered when not taking pictures because the finder can get into small areas.

If we find ourselves in Sedona again I would not hesitate to do another Jeep tour but next time I would choose a different tour only because I want to see more areas I haven't seen before. And if you are looking to save some money on doing this tour or any other Red Rocks tour check out Groupon first. We saved about 35-40% off the regular price by buying a Groupon. You do have to pay the taxes once you get there which is in the fine print on Groupon so it is not quite the price you purchased on that website. There are other companies that also have Red Rocks tours in Sedona and they all seem to be highly rated. The pink Jeep tours that are there theme to cost a little more and I did not find any deals for that company. This company claims they are the oldest Red Rocks tour company in Sedona.

Where Did We Go Wednesday? Sandland Adventures Tour in Florence, OR

Sandland Adventure Tours

This was such a fun Excursion on our trip around Oregon and Northern California. I had read the reviews on Trip Advisor and they were all glowing and frankly I should have believed when everyone said They wish they had scheduled it for a longer tour. I wasn't sure if my children were going to be thrilled or scared on it so I went for the shorter sandrail tour. They do offer a tour in a huge giant dune buggy with a lot of other people but from what I read it is quite slow compared to this one and I really wanted to experience the thrill factor. And Thrill Factor it was

Before we even got there my husband was a little disappointed because he thought I was setting up the opportunity for him to drive us around on the dune buggies but after we did this to her he admitted that this was way more fun and he would not have done 75% of the things that ride guide did.

As a mom I was a little nervous having my kids be in the front seat and not be right next to me holding on to them but they were just fine and loved it. My son asked if we can come back again next year and do this. I know there are other tours like this in other parts of the country so when we travel to places that have them I think we will definitely have to check it out. I highly recommend this.

A couple pieces of advice is to bring along magic gloves because it is a lot chillier out there on the dunes then it is in land when you are going around so fast. Also if you have something that can cover your mouth and nose do that as well. The people we did the tour with had been prepared and brought bandanas to cover their faces with. If you don't just make sure you don't open your mouth even if you are screaming in Glee. You will end up with a mouth full of sand. And you will be blowing sand out of your nose for several days. But it is all fun and worth it.

Girls Weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday: Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center

Last week I told you about the retreat I took with She Is....., well here are more pictures of the facility,

Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center

#93 Go on a Camping Vacation

So, what's so green about camping? You need a lot of supplies (which means waste), you still need to drive somewhere and you create a lot of waste with all the packaging used for food & other supplies.

So, let's talk about some ways that you can green up your camping, while saving your some money. If you are really concerned about having to drive somewhere, then pitch that tent in your backyard or go somewhere within biking distance. We have done a lot of daytime backyard camping this year and my daughter loves it.

The issue about needing a lot of supplies is that if you plan to camp with regular frequency, you can get a lot of use out of the items you buy (tent, sleeping bags, grilling items, flashlights, coolers, chairs, etc.) Like I said, we've been using our tent & sleeping bags all summer, and the other items are all things we use while we are at home or go to concerts in the park; they aren't just reserved for camping.

Here are some ways to green up your camping:

* Put rechargeable batteries in your flashlights.
* Buy food in bulk & separate at home into resuable containers and pack those.
* Share camping supplies with a friend or buy them used, thus creating less packaging waste on new purchases.
* Look for recycling receptacles at your campground, or bring your recycables home with you.
* Bring along unbreakable dishes that you will wash there, avoid disposable dishes.
* Follow the rules of the park & campground, they are there to make sure everyone can have an enjoyable time and that the park/campground are around for years to come.
* Use dish soap that is non-toxic, biodegradable, phosphate-free
* Use electrical items that are powered by crank, shake or solar power,if possible.
* Don't burn chemically treated wood, plastic or metal in your fires.
* Use an LED flashlight.
* Stay on the trails providing so your don't disturb or crush vegetation.

For a green camping craft, you can try making this camping lantern at home before you go.

#83 Keep Those Hotel Toiletries

Many hotels throw them away if you leave them in the room, even if you didn't use them. They do this for sanitary reasons. So, if you don't use them or take them then not only will the packaging end up in a landfill, but the product too. If you want to be sure, just call the front desk and ask them.

These are great to have on hand to use when you go places that might not have these complimentary toiletry items, like camping. Or save them and put them out for your guests when they stay at your place. They may just feel like they are at a vacation destination when you include little things like that.