As were left Grand Canyon as slowly made our way North the scenery changed a little

and I could see Rob get a little glimmer and spark in his eye

We were driving to his favorite place on earth

Rob has traveled the world and when I ask where he wants to visit the answer is always Lake Powell

It was such an awesome bucket list experience to get to share "this little piece of heaven" with our girls

We spent two nights in Page, AZ and a local hotel

Rob's cousin and wife were such gracious hosts, meeting us for dinner the first night

and taking us out on the water for the entire day 

By the end of the day we were spent, sunburned and gloriously happy

Lake Powell is an incredible place

Back home

Hitting the tubes first thing in the morning

A view of gunshot point

The afternoon was spent exploring some narrow canyons 

Gwen's favorite part of the day was riding the in boat with Annie

Brave cliff jumpers

M, A & J

Next morning we explored Horseshoe Bend and the Glen Canyon Dam

Then we sadly said goodbye until next time

Roll the Dice

Next stop...Las Vegas

We made a pit stop here for a number of reason...

to break up our drive between Fresno to Lake Powell

take in the craziness of Vegas, amazing how much it's grown in 13 years

 and to check out the town

After Brazil we hope to get back west and Vegas is 

one of the many landing spots we could go to

Stop on the way into town to admire the 7 Magic Mountains

We also did a lot of melting in the sun

Bellagio Hotel is amazing 

Beautiful flower display and the dancing fountains were incredible

One of Gwen's favorite singers in the whole world is Celine Dion

Sadly the one night we were in town she was on tour in Asia

That aside as we were pulling into the city there was a giant billboard with her picture on it

As it came into view Gwen with giant eyes said, "she's so beautiful"

It made us all laugh

Had to drive past the hotel that I used to stay at with my grandparents

We wouldn't even stay in the hotel, just used the motor home overnight parking

and enjoyed the buffet and carnival games

Whatever money Grandpa made off the quarter slots he would let us spend on games

Next morning Rob took the big girls to the Las Vegas temple and then we loaded up

This day was a long driving day and we added a few hours onto it

I just couldn't bring myself to be so close to the Grand Canyon and not stop for a look

This beauty did not disappoint

My little rock hoppers

Fres"yes" & Yosemite

After pulling away from the Monterey area we drove 3ish hours inland and landed in Fresno

Our family spent 3ish years in Fresno and welcomed Aubrey into our home here

It was fun to start spotting palm trees, grape vineyards, almond trees and 

all the ag land that makes the Fresno area thrive

Our next morning we woke bright and early to try and beat the crowds exploring Yosemite

So glad we made it into the park before 8am

We were able to knock out two hikes before lunch and the invasion of tour buses

The view of Half Dome

The girls were amazed that Rob had completed this hike when we lived here

I am a bit amazed myself

   

The view of Yosemite Falls

I angled the camera to avoid the crowds

There were SOOOO many people in the valley

Sunday we drove past the Fresno Temple before heading to church

Almost every morning after Aubrey was born Rob would load M&S who were 2 at the time into the bike trailer and bike to this temple

It left the house quiet for me to sleep and enabled Rob to exercise before leaving for work

Those were some exhausting years

Driving past our old house

So thankful for friends that were willing to host a dinner get-together

12 years away and we were chatting and having fun like it had just been yesterday

   

Almost a daily occurrence for my kiddos when you're driving FOREVER

Windmill valley outside of Fresno

a Beautiful day in Monterey

All packed up and ready to go

We were fearful of someone sneezing and the whole van popping 

We packed and un-packed this van more times than we could count

Exploring the beautiful coastline of Monterey and Big Sur

It was just as lovely as we remembered from years past

Pulling off the road to admire Bixby Bridge

   

The little one enjoying the sand at Pheffier Beach

That little speck in the middle of the photo is my brave Jo

Her and Aubrey swam, boogie boarded and played in the water which was FREEZING

I meanwhile sat in the sun with a jacket and blanket wrapped round my legs

The amazing purple sand at the beach

Jo and Rob sand jumping

Encountered this sign driving back from the beach

Needless to say we didn't find any pigs/warthogs along the road

My girlies getting their exercise in 

If they did a minimum of 90% exercise days at the end of our holiday they were able to purchase a new exercise outfit before coming home

It was a good motivator for all of us 

Returning to Dennis the Mennis park

we had visited here 13 years earlier

It was just as fun as we remembered

Before departing from Monterey we took a 3 hour whale watching tour

It was a beautiful sunny day and we are super glad to have paid the extra money for the above

deck seats

It probably prevented a few of us from loosing our cookies on the boat ride out

Taking in some nice fresh sea air

Spotting a whale fin in the distance

A pod of dolphins completed the tour