Our Almost Surprise Easter Gift…Family

We had the most special Easter almost surprise this year.  The kids were all planning a trip to come see us for Easter, but in their excitement, they almost forgot to tell us they were coming.  Imagine our excitement when we finally found out.

Our oldest daughter and her family arrived first, so we had a fun day with them and our grandson before our youngest and her fiancé arrived.  Our grandson has been wanting a scooter, so we had a scooter waiting when they arrived.  It was a total hit, but he quickly realized that scooter riding takes a lot more endurance than the bike riding that he is used to.  But we were happy to help him out when he got tired.

We enjoyed some music time and picnics.

The first night everyone was in town we invited  my parents over for dinner.  It was such a great time for everyone.

The rest of the weekend was all about family time.

This little guy is swimming already!

It’s hard to put into words how special this time together was.  We just don’t see each other enough!

Tonto National Monument, AZ

 

I Love Cliff Dwellings!  And there are some beautifully preserved ones right near Lake Roosevelt.  So on our way home from our fun week in Tonto Basin, we decided to stop and take a look.  The view from the parking lot was enough to get me excited, and it just kept getting better from there.

The visitors center is small, but has everything it needs.  And above it you can see the natural cave where the lower cliff dwellings were built.  We went in and talked to the ranger, thinking that we would be able to see both the lower and upper cliff dwellings, but to our dismay, the upper cliff dwellings are accessible by ranger guided tour only, and the tours fill up quickly, so we would only be able to see the lower dwellings today.

The hike to the lower dwellings is only a mile round trip, but there is a bit of a climb, so be prepared for that. The views are so beautiful that you stop often just to look around, so I never really noticed that we got out of breath at all.

I never realized how influential President Theodore Roosevelt was in this area, or in the national park system as a whole, but he is now one of my all time favorite presidents.  This sign along our trail says it all!

When we got to the cliff dwellings, there was a ranger that was able to fill us in on details and answer all of our questions about the area.

Then it was time to enjoy the views as we made our way back down.  Early April was the perfect time to visit this park, with all of the wild flowers in bloom.

We will definitely have to get a reservation and come back for the upper cliff dwellings!  The ranger told us reservations come available to sign up for in October. It is a 3-4 hour guided hike.  These tours are available November - April and is 3 miles round trip with a 600 foot elevation change.