Jantzen's girl scout troop recently spent 3 days camping together. As one of her leaders, I was able to accompany them. None of the girls but Jantzen had any camping experience, and I was a bit apprehensive when the girls asked if we could order pizza during our meal planning session...but it turned out great! We enjoyed hiking, ranger led activities teaching us about the Ute Indian culture, great camp food and a swim. The rangers warned us to keep all food and SMELLS out of our camp - as the bears were just coming out of hibernation and would be really hungry! GREAT! 8 young girls & 2 women in camp with no scented lotion! But we had no mishaps. We finished up our year with the camp-out and a horse ride across the mesas. It really was a blast!
CAMP #2 - MESA VERDE...
Jorin needed to have a couple of camping trips for his scouting activities, and his troop has been unable to go, so Devery, Jantzen and I became his temporary patrol and we took a 3 day camping trip to Mesa Verde. What a great experience! We learned so much about the ancient ancestral puebloans (anasazi), took incredible hikes into cliff dwelling and pit dwellings, ate large quantities of yummy food and enjoyed out time in the outdoors. It really is an amazing national park! And, once again, we were strongly warned about bears!
"About 1,400 years ago, long before Europeans explored North America, a group of people living in the 4 corners region chose Mesa Verde for their home. For more than 700 years they lived and flourished here, eventually building elaborate stone communities in the sheltered alcoves of canyon walls. They built their dwellings beneath the overhanging cliffs, hundreds of feet up from the canyon floor, using brick and mortar Then, in the late 1200's, in the span of 1 generation, they left their homes and all moved away."
You might wonder how we got into these cliff dwellings...well, to reach the Cliff Palace, the largest of the cliff dwellings, you climbed 5 10' ladders for a total of 100 foot vertical ascent The Balcony house was even more adventurous - It involved climbing a 32 foot ladder, a 12-foot long x 18" (inch - no kidding) wide tunnel crawled thru on hands and knees, and a 60 foot vertical climb along an open rock face using ladders. It was so cool!
This is a kiva - a spiritual center, and probably a family dwelling during the winter - a bit more protected from the wind and elements. 
This is NEWSPAPER ROCK - near Moab, Utah. Pretty cool! We stopped here on our way home. We spent quite a bit of time trying to interpret the symbols... the one at the top could be either a stretched out skin, a turtle or a flying squirrel, depending on which one of us you asked...CAMP #3....
Well, Jorin needed another camp out- so he and I went to Ridgway for a couple of days - and Dev and Jantzen did the sister thing at home. We had so much fun!
I'll go camping with Jorin anytime! He cooked some great meals - we had 7 layer dip & chips for lunch, dutch oven potato casserole & corn on the cob for dinner - and pancakes (with strawberry syrup) and hashbrowns for breakfast! We ate good!
Jorin made kindling, built the fires, cooked the meals and supervised the tent set up and general camping. We hiked, did service, went swimming, read, identified native plants and animals, and really enjoyed our time camping together!
/>We've seen some spectacular scenery in Colorado & Utah in the past 10 days, - we've enjoyed the great outdoors & learned so much. I would do it all again in a minute, but I AM excited to shower tonight with hot water and sleep in my own bed - without worrying about bears!
It looks like you guys have had alot of fun. We love the pictures from Mesa Verde. We want to go!! What an amazing thing to see. You guys have had a fun few weeks.
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