Aloha!

June 8-17
First on our summer agenda was Hawaii. We got a free trip for going to a timeshare presentation and it was awesome. The free trip was only 3 days so we booked our own hotel and stayed for 7 more days. Before we left, we took Moxie to Iowa. She had so much fun chewing things up and terrorizing their dog and cats.Anyways....
We were so excited to arrive in Hawaii. We were staying on the Big Island in Kona. We finally landed about 7:30 Wednesday night. When we stepped off the plane it was dark. Probably the most disappointing thing was that it gets dark so much earlier there. We took a taxi to our hotel and then decided to walk around a bit. Of course we couldn't see but we couldn't just sit in our hotel room and watch tv.
Thursday
The next day we decided to explore the area. We didn't have a car and the taxis were super expensive so we walked. It was about 8 in the morning when we headed out and there was no one else out. We thought that people would be awake and starting their day but that was not the case. We had fun window shopping and getting acquainted with the area. Hawaii is still very similar to the mainland just much more expensive. Everything was atleast twice the price as here. Milk and eggs were the most expensive. We had fun comparing everything to the prices at home.
Once things opened up we got suckered into going to another timeshare presentation. This was the best one ever! There were not enough sales staff so we only stayed 20 minutes or so and we still got great discounts on all the activities we did. Awesome!! After that we went snorkeling. This is some of the best snorkeling in all of Hawaii. The fish were so colorful and even the coral was nice. We took a taxi after we got finished snorkeling and the taxi driver told us all about vana. They are like sea urchins and if you step on them it really hurts and you could have to go to the hospital. So the rest of the week we were so worried about stepping on things in the ocean that I almost hated stepping into the water. For the rest of the night we just hung out, watched the sunset, and enjoyed the beautiful Hawaii night air.
Friday

Here is Summer 2011

So I have done an awful job updating or even keeping this blog current. I had really good intentions but then life started and things just got away from me. I am going to try again and hopefully I can write about our summer and the things going on now. Thanks for reading!!

Dean and Rachel

The end of Summer 2010

Utah was the last state we stopped in. Now that I am finally finished writing about each state and our adventures there it is sad to see it end. Lucky for us our next adventures start on Saturday. School is over for the year and we are ready to get out of this heat and humidity. We hope that you have enjoyed reading about last summer and that you will continue to read as we post about this summer. Hopefully I will do a better job of posting them. Thanks for reading and keep praying for us as we travel. You never know what kind of crazy adventure Dean is going to take me on next.

Utah

After Idaho, we made a quick stop in Utah. We headed to Salt Lake City to see the Olympic sites and the Church of Latter Day Saints Mormon Tabernacle. Seeing all the pictures and time line from the Olympics was really cool. We stopped at the stadium where they held the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and then drove to Park City to see the luge and bobseld tracks. We got to Park City right after the park closed so we could only view from afar.
Visiting the Church of Latter Day Saints was very interesting. We learned a lot of history of the church and their journey to Utah. We also learned about many things that they do today. Their convention center has a garden on the roof. That is what we mainly went to see. It is very cool. On one side of the roof they have the plant life that grows in the eastern part of the state and on the other side they have the plant life that grows in the western part of the state. You could not go in the main church building. That is reserved for weddings and other life events. There was actually a couple taking their wedding photos while we were there. It was a very nice area and very interesting as well.
As we headed south we started looking for places to dirt bike. We got to ride our dirt bikes in almost every state we visited and knew there were some really good places in southern Utah to ride. We found an AWESOME place. The trails were in and around this rock canyon. We also had to ride up and over some rocks. It was so scary. I always follow Dean and I was so scared I was not going to make it up the rocks. I did and we had so much fun!! That spot in Utah is still the best place we have ridden our dirt bikes. It will be hard to find better trails than that.
We also stopped in Arches National Park. It has many natural rock formations that look like someone had to have put the rocks that way. There are also rock formations that have been wind formed. It was pretty cool. Dean hiked all the way to the most popular Arch formation but I was too scared so I stayed at the top and took photos. It was a fun little detour.
We also went to the Four Corners where Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nevada are all supposed to meet. It was sort of cool but mostly a tourist trap. It is run by an Indian reservation and you have to pay to get in. Thanks to Dean we got in for free. They have lots of booths set up where people are selling Indian jewelery and other handmade items. You just wait in line to stand on the spot, take your picture, and then leave. It was sort of out of the way but now we can say we have been there.

Idaho

Home of the potatoes! We didn't spend very much time in Idaho but we did get to view some potato fields and the potato museum.

Montana

We left Yellowstone and headed into Montana. We were excited to continue exploring the west. Our first stop was in Bozeman. It didn't quite have the Old West feel we were hoping for but it was a nice city. We were hoping to find some old wagon train trails and see the deep ruts made by the wagons but no one knew where they were. Next we stopped in a town called Gallatin Gateway. It was a really small town with very little in it. I read a series by Tracie Peterson called Brides of Gallatin County. It was a great series and I wanted to see the town that I had imagined in my mind. Unfortunately, the real town left alot to be desired. It was fun to go to a place that was in my books but not as exciting as I had hoped.
After that we went to Grant-Kohrs Ranch. It is a really working cattle ranch with an old farmhouse and outbuildings. They still cut hay with horses. It was a beautiful property and really interesting visit. We love learning about and seeing parts of the Old West so it was perfect.
We continued onward to Kalispell, MT. Our friend Shane lives there so we had to make a stop and visit. He took us hiking up this mountain. When we got to the top there was still snow. It was so cold. Dean had to throw some snowballs. I didn't expect snow on the ground in late July. It was a really fun hike and short stay with Shane. After stopping in Kalispell we headed to Glacier National Park. It was beautiful. Calm, pristene waters and magestic mountains. Definitely pictures that should be on a post card. There is a road called the Road to the Sun. It is the only road that goes through the whole park. Unfortunately, with the Explorer and dirt bike trailer we were too long to go all the way. We didn't get to see the whole park but what we saw was amazing. That was our last stop in Montana. We actually ran out of time so instead of finishing the west with Oregon and Washington we had to head south to make it back by the beginning of school. We loved spending time in the west.