The Anasazi Trail

Garrett is working with the 11 year-old boys in our ward here so he got to go on a hike with them a few weeks ago.  He told the kids all about it and we decided to go check it out on Sunday evening.  The woman who showed the boy scouts around wasn't there on Sunday unfortunately, so we didn't get to go inside the teepees and huts but we could see them pretty close up.  They were really cool.

 You can see the stick hut really well in this picture.  A little ways down there was a mud hut about the same size with a chimney sticking out of the top.  Garrett said that they got to go inside and it was amazing because the mud keeps the hut warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  Who would have thought a house made out of mud would have great insulation?

 We went about an hour before sunset so the whole hike up the trail the red rocks looked like they were on fire.  It was so beautiful!

 The kids found some really cool sticks and rocks along the trail but we didn't want to bring any of them home.  Well I should rephrase that, I didn't want to bring any of them home:) They kept begging!

 We couldn't resist taking lots of pictures with my Mom's awesome camera and with the light looking so beautiful.

 We had to have a goofy one!  I love how Carter is staring at me and Dallas is staring at him:)

 This little man was such a trooper all the way up the trail.  He got so paranoid that every hole in the dirt was a snake hole.  We have been talking a lot about snakes lately.  Carter is obsessed with them and got a book about them for Christmas.  It is kind of creepy that we live in a place that has rattle snakes!

 We had to take a picture by this little cactus.  This desert landscape is all very new to us but I have to say I find it really beautiful.

 These bush things looked so cool to me so I had to take a picture of them.  I wonder what they look like when they have leaves on them.

 We saw a hawk flying over the teepees.  It was all very Dances with Wolves.  

 Doesn't the sun on those rocks look amazing?  I couldn't get enough of it!

 This little guy was pretty cold at the top of the hill.  It was a beautiful day but it got a little windy at the top.  He was a bit of a snotty mess:)

 Here is a rare picture of me on my blog.  I loved the red rocks behind me.  Rylynn actually took this picture for me.  She is becoming quite the little photographer since she practices with her 3DS.  She has a million pictures of Dallas on there:)

 We didn't have a blanket for Dallas so Garrett zipped him in his jacket.  Rylynn thought it was pretty funny.  Garrett's jacket got slimed in record time!

 These bushes were so cool and I loved the little tiny leaves so I had to take some pictures up close.  At the top of the trail there is a little monument.  A few years ago BYU students came and excavated 9 rooms out of the dirt up there.  They were used for storing crops in the winter.  You can still see the outline of the storage rooms and pictures of some of the artifacts they found.  It was a perfect Sunday hike.  I love being in a place we can enjoy the beauty of the earth year round!

On the way home Garrett and I were commenting that there is something so great about getting our family away from the house and the DS and TV and just exploring the world together.  It really makes everyone so happy and magically no one seems to fight while we are together in nature.  Rylynn commented to me that night that she felt closer to Heavenly Father while we were on our hike.  I love that girl and I totally agree!