The state park offered us everything that we needed for the adventures that we had planned for the region and gave our family room to move and explore in the mornings and evenings before we left for those adventures. We had room to spread out, we spent quality time in nature, and we got to see some spectacular unobstructed sunsets as a bonus.
Summer Vacation 2020 – The “Are We There Yet Chronicles?” Until I started planning for a Colorado vacation, I had never heard of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Once our vacation route was calculated and our reservations made, I saw pictures and posts about the lesser known national park everywhere I looked. It … Continue reading Out of Nowhere – Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Leaving to head home is always a little bittersweet. The laundry pile was out of control, our kids were tired, and Jeff and I knew we had to get back to work. But then our tired, tearful son admitted that he was going to miss the family time once we got home, because he knew … Continue reading We Head Home – Campsmas 2019
The danger of planning a family vacation during the week following Christmas is that we will inevitably all be together on Jeff and my wedding anniversary. For two years in a row, as we planned vacations to the Big Bend region, we’ve had to resign ourselves to the knowledge that a celebratory date night was … Continue reading Incomplete Trails and Ghost Towns – Campsmas 2019
The last time we visited Big Bend, the western region wasn’t even on our radar. Because of the government shutdown, the first road leading down to Santa Elena Canyon was closed and with less than a full day to explore, it just didn’t seem like a responsible use of time. This time we weren’t going … Continue reading Canyons, Rocks, and History – Campsmas 2019