Monday- traveled to get to Cortez, CO. From Central City, CO. Started off 41 degree in mountains at 7am, Emmett was so cute and said Thank you for taking him to the beautiful mountains. Entered Utah at 11:45am 75 degrees and Moab at 1:41 for a quick fuel up. It was nice seeing where we would be coming back to later on the trip too. Arrived to Cortez at 4pm and the hit up the town visitor Center and Walmart, of course the pool was the next hot stop for the kids.
Tuesday- it was 46 degrees waking up and we decided to get to park earlyish at 8:30. Started off at park visitor center and we're happy to hear that Emmett could probably do the tours we were told he couldn't the day before. They tested the ladders and tunnel and we were set for two tours. Sammie picked up junior ranger packet and started working on getting her badge. Stopped at high point overlook Park Point for great views. On the way to the first tour saw a wild horse in the park. Sammie was ecstatic to see a beautiful creature roaming in the park. At 10:30a was our tour of Balacony House cliff dwellings. It was a huge 30 foot ladder to get in and kids loved the tunnel had to go through also. Foot holes were used on side of cliff too. This was our favorite of the day with very good park ranger guide with Sammie has a junior ranger helper.
The next tour for the Cliff Palace one that we rushed to at 12:30 and had quick sandwiches in the car before. The artwork in the tower was amazing. Also saw they now use clothes and slinkys to keep birds out of the dwellings. Then we did the mueseum and Spruce Tree house and got to go down into a Kiva and Sammie got her junior ranger badge. Stopped at some ruins on the top of the quesa also and overlook of? Then the kids got tired in the way out of the park and passed out. Got back to site and Sammie made rock sculptures, they swam some more and we packed up for the next day of travel to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon!