Red Rocks and stinky feet - Week 4

Week 4(and a bit..)

17- 23 August

A very early start awaited us again on Sunday morning(making a habit of this now....) . Our 3h long flight to Colorado departed Orlando at 10:15am....now getting 4 children plus one selves into day clothes, get car packed and then dropped off at airport by 8am...man that CAN be done!! We were flying over a time zone, so our Sunday was actually 25h long...fantastic- in my view- if you've got so many places to see and people to catch up with!!!

After landing in the futuristic Denver airport we were shuttled to the car rental company’s offices. Arno decided to go with the red suburban and the kids were absolutely over the moon with the internal multi-media system and ALL the other crazy fancy features of our transport for the next 22 days. Praise God for BIG discounts on upgrades!!

We made a brief lunch stop at the Cowies. Hannelize, my dad’s cousin, and her husband Wim, has been residents to the US for nearly 30 years. I last saw her when I was about…5 years old!!! We connected instantly at a deep spiritual level and packed soooo much into our 2h visit!!! How bizarre, mind bobbling can it be?? Wim’s parents resided in Riebeeck Castle, South Africa…this is the village we are planning to settle down in, next year!! They also planned to move back to SA this year, but unforeseen circumstances forced them to postpone this with another 3 to 5 years. Whoever knows…maybe we will even be next door neighbors in a couple of years…..

Onwards and west-wards…Carbondale here we come. We were stunned by the jaw dropping immense-ness of the high-walled river cliffs on both sides of the Colorado River. Glenwood Canyon has provided access routes for rail and highways through western Colorado and we were on the Interstate 70 on our way to Glenwood Springs. What a great introduction to all the beautiful scenery that awaits upon us!!

All in one day…..not done yet!! We were welcomed with loud squalls and warm embraces by Rienke and Michael Radler. Rienke and I know each other since birth – our dad’s used to be roomies at Stellenbosch University!! We had so much to catch up on…and all the babies to meet!! We were to be introduced to the sweet Grace (4) and exuberant Sybella(2). Nina and Philippa were so excited to meet them, but it was passed bedtime. Enough for one day!

We were so blessed that Michael could have taken some time out of his busy schedule to hang out with us. Especially Thomas enjoyed the little boy-hanging-out-wi-dad-and-Michael time!! Driving range, lunch out, loadsa chat about super cars, hunting and guns. Unfortunately for Michael, he was not successful in making Thomas change his favorite sport form soccer to golf.

Thanks to nannie, Amanda, we had the most awesome picnics out with the little girls…they even went exploring in the river, got mud covered, cleaned in the sprinklers and running around in their panties in the park!! The sweetness in the innocence of a little child. So precious!!

Thanks to the Radlers again, I had my introduction to Thai cuisine…..That Thai green curry in Carbondale was awesome!!! Can’t wait for some more Eastern delicacies!! AND do not forget the half-and-half. This half milk half cream morning coffee essential has also taken my taste requirements to new heights!! Finally thanks to Amanda for getting me hooked on the Carbondale ‘Sassy White’ late. This coffee is crafted with salt and caramel flavor, cream and a little chocolate sauce to round it all off with. You can just imagine…..

Rienke helped me to do all our camping shopping and preparation and before we knew it, it was time to say our goodbye’s. This precious family has been such a blessing to us. We can not wait to receive you guys in South Africa and learn some more wisdom from you and share some more of life’s experiences with you! You are a great inspiration to us and we love you so much!!

Arches National Park (Utah) was our first port of call. The sandstone rock formations has weathered in a peculiar way where the higher layers outdate the lower rock layers. This produce an array from arched shapes…little and VERY LARGE!! We visited quite a few: Landscape Arch, North and South Window, Tapestry Arch, Broken Arch and Double O, Delicate Arch…Our little hike took us along some narrow and very high small paths. The kids did well, but my nerves were a bit frayed at the end of that day. Our camp site was right beside some big rock and Alana just could not keep herself from climbing on it, swinging in the trees and chasing every lizard that came pass.

With all their friends back at school the kids were actually very keen to start with a bit of Math and English and Afrikaans. So we were now officially having school under a tree!!

Arches gave us also our introduction to washing our feet in a sink at night….with no showering facilities in the ablution blocks (I was actually pleasantly surprised to find running water and flush toilets there…and sun powered electricity!!!) my big supply of baby-wipes are starting to perform their duties. Unfortunately for our feet…only real water can help with the muck and whiff. Hence, acrobatic skills are needed to lift one’s foot into the sink.

Please note: we were NOT the only ones performing these balancing acts!!

Next stop: Bryce Canyon (Utah) What can I say?? This geological pink rock formations are just a photographers dream. I could not get enough of it. Strictly spoken it is not a real canyon, since the rock was not carved in this way by a river. The interesting landscape was formed by the extremes in temperature this region experience. 200 days out of every year temperatures dip below zero. Water soaks into the sandstone during a rainy spell, freezes overnight (so when water freeze it increases in volume) and this is the cause for the rock to ‘split’ open and erode in this fashion. Bridges from and when the bridge collapse only a rocky tower, called a hoodoo, remains.

I can tell you when the first sun rays hit these hoodoos in the mornings, it is like a magical world filled with age old stories coming alive in front of your eyes. I went for a run on the rim on morning…that was now what I call: a run with a view!!

The awesome Junior Ranger programs on offer helped us to take home schooling (or shall we call it ‘camp-schooling’?) to a new level!! The children collect a booklet from the visitor center. They need to perform 4 to 6 activities, ranging from picking up litter, word searches to attending a ranger led program. After completion they need to return it to the Visitor’s Center, raise their right hand to repeat the pledge and receive a Junior Ranger Badge for their effort! I attend a lesson on bats and their behavior with the children. Great interactive learning!! We also went to an evening geological session on how the landscape was formed and who were the first explorers of the area. Very informative since we drove through the Escalente (Big Staircase) National Park to get to Bryce. Once you know what to look out for in a landscape, it turns a road trip into a great exploration experience!! Every rock layer deposited over the years has a different color…as the elevation increases up to the Colorado Plato(center of the 4 states: Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico) the color changes. So interesting!!!

Arno enjoyed some time out cycling the amazing Red Canyon on the outskirts of the Bryce Valley. Time was not enough for him to push the limits, but when he returned home (…to our tent…) he had a glitter in his eyes…which only can be brought on by an challenging entertaining afternoon in a saddle!!

There is so much that I want to tell…. The lovely dark skies with the sparkling bright stars…. The quiet early mornings, waking up looking at the peacefull faces of our four precious children…. The late nights, staring into the embers of a dying camp fire….sitting beside the love of my life, enjoying each others company without saying a word….cold-cold feet and hard-pillow-sleepless nights. The sweet mixed in with the salty….living life to the full!

Now that’s what I am talking about…..

Psst - You’ll need to wait for me next posting to read more about our lovely thundery experience in the awesome Zion National Park.