Bryce is in the new school buildings

After 1 week of confusion and temporary facilities for the 6th-9th grades the kids are now able to move to the new temporary buildings. So this morning I walked Bryce to class from the main campus. It is a small hike to the new buildings but nice that they are separated from the younger kids. This will enable them to move from class to class without disturbing the other grades. In 6th grade this year Bryce will be moving between 3 teachers to help teach them about learning different subjects with different teachers for Jr. High - High School. Their classroom is with their "homeroom teacher" where they will start and end their day. So while it may be the second week of school it is almost like starting the 1st day of school all over again!

Wild Weather-- Dust Storm or MIni Tornado

On the way to the valley for a day of shopping there were SEVERAL dust devils on the side of the road. So while Mark drove 70 miles an hour down the 347 I got a few shots of one of them that was super tight. I know how powerful wind can be therefore I can never imagine myself living anywhere near Tornado Alley! I think this one is the biggest one I would like to see...lol

Jennie's New Glasses

The whole family went in for eye exams before the new school year started. Kyle found out he still does not need glasses but the rest of us got to shop for new frames for the new year. Mark and I really did not have any changes to our prescription but we thought it was a good idea to get a back-up set of frames. While Mark was in getting his eyes checked by the doctor I shopped for my new frames. Which is really hard to do with your eyes dilated by the way. I found a cute pair of frames that were different but that I really liked. I was not sure what Mark would think so I picked out 2 other frames for him to look at. Once he was done with his exam I showed him the 2 pairs I had picked out that were similar to what I already had. He was not too impressed so I showed him the other pair that I liked. He agreed that they were different but he liked them as well. Sooooo here are my new glasses (not the greatest picture due to the sun reflection).

1st day of the new School Year

So today began the 1st day of the 2010-2011 school year. The boys woke up right away and headed downstairs right away. They had picked out their clothes the night before so they were ready to go in no time flat.

I had to get back into the routine of making sure the kids eat breakfast while I make lunch, pack backpacks, and make sure kids have water bottles for the day. We all made it out of the house and to school on time!The parking lot at the school was a ZOO but we found a place to park and were able to drop off the kids in the appropriate areas. I am sure the kids will have stories of their 1st day as soon as they get home.

Sedona and Flagstaff Fun Day

____________View from Parking lot on Schnebly Hill ___________

Today we took a drive to cooler weather and a day of adventure on the Rhino. We headed off to Sedona to drive the Rhino on a few trails and go exploring. We arrived about 9:30 am and headed up Schnebly Hill Trail. On the trail we saw great sites and SEVERAL of the jeep tours. The trail was not too long and I got to drive the Rhino on the trail back. I even found this awesome house and land in the middle of nowhere that I can dream about at night :)After we got off the trail we headed into Sedona to explore some shops and eat. After driving for a bit trying to find a spot to park the van/trailer/Rhino we finally located one and headed off to explore. We saw several shops selling the Original Dirt Shirts but the only thing we bought was a few items from Del Sol (I got some hair clips and the boys got some key chains) where all the items change color in the sunlight. The kids even got to eat HUGE ice cream cones.
Once we were done shopping in Sedona we decided to head up the road to Flagstaff. The drive through the valley was pretty and it was nice to get to get to even cooler weather. We were looking to go try out the Cinders OHV area but the road was blocked due to a flash flood so we had to take a detour through the Sunset Crater National Monument area. It was awesome to see the volcanic rock formations and marvel in the magnitude of natures fury.
Once we got to Cinders OHV area and unloaded the trailer and Mark was OFF! I could do nothing but hold on and tell mark to slow down, you cannot make that hill, is this a path, do you know where you are going, etc...
Mark did finally find the way back to the van (it did not take too long) and he took the boys out one by one to go play. He really only overheated once :)

Crown King 4x4 Run (Mark's Story)

After Jennie took off with the trailer the 4x4 run began. The 50 mile run started out easy for about the first 40 miles with little to no obstacles. The group of 4 jeeps and the Rhino were able to do the 1st part of the run cruising at about 20 miles per hour. We stopped in a few different spots to admire the views and the wildlife (cattle and even a donkey). It rained on and off for the entire drive but the closer we got to the clouds in the mountains, the harder it rained. At one point on the mountain we were actually up above the clouds looking down. There were a few spots where some of the Jeeps tried to do a few more challenging side trails and at least one time had to be winched out of a sticky spot.
As we continued on the trail the rain got heavier and water began to puddle and run over the trail making it slippery and wet. We came across a few creek crossings with the deepest of which was 10-12 inches. Once the rain started pouring down we had to remove the windshield and someone in the group pulled out a tarp to strap onto the Rhino to help keep the boys and I a bit drier. We even had to cut a window in the back so that I could see out the back (very red neck).
The last 5-6 miles of the trail definitely became more difficult and the rain just added to it. There were 4-5 spots where I knew I would have difficulty with. These were steeper rock ledges and steep climbs that were made slippery by the rain. I ended up having to be tow strapped 3 times and had to be winched once (as well as some of the jeeps). I am proud to say that every where I was not the only one to get stuck. The last major challenge on the trail involved a 6 ft hill down into the bottom of a creek bed followed by a 15 ft climb up a hill (about a 40 deg slope) with several large boulders (this was my winch spot). The first Jeep that tried to cross this area got hung up on the large boulders on the hill and had to make several attempt to make it to the top of the hill. Only 1 of the jeeps was able to make it thru this area with no assistance. When I tried to make the climb the Rhino did not have enough ground clearance and power to make it on it's own. The last mile and a half was pretty easy and had beautiful views as we made our way into Crown King.All in all this was definitely not a trail I could do on my own. But a great trip I would take again if I went with the right group.

Since I was not able to get a hold of Jen I was quite surprised to see her climbing the hill to the restaurant after we had finished our meals. Too bad she did not get there before we ate :) We all were able to explore the tiny town of Crown King and after we trailered up the Rhino and headed down the hill I was even more impressed with Jennie and her braving the drive into Crown King.

(bloggers note: These pictures were taken by several different people who went on the run with us. I was unable to take any photos as I was driving most of the time. Thank you to Emma, Jason and Vinnie for taking such great photos. )

Crown King 4x4 Run (Jennie's Story)

Mark and the boys went on a 4x4 Run from Lake Pleasant to Crown King with a group from Maricopa. We all met up in Maricopa at 7 am and took the drive out to Lake Pleasant where I dropped off the boys and Mark. The plan was for me to spend several hours shopping then to meet them in Bumble Bee to load the Rhino up on the empty trailer and head home. I was very nervous to drive the empty trailer as I have never driven a trailer before. I had no problems driving it on the roads and freeways and as long as I parked way out I was able to go shopping with no issues.
Once I drove out to Bumble Bee I decided it could not be that hard to drive out to Crown King! After all it is a dirt road but it is maintained (right?) so off I drove at 5-10 miles per hr up the hill. I could not drive any faster since the empty trailer would BUMP and BOUNCE on the washboarded and rutty roads. This road was a 1 car road for most of the way and had TONS of switchbacks. A real challange for a person who has never driven a trailer before. I tried turning around at one point since it seemed that I night possibly be lost. WOW that was a mistake! It is not easy to back up a trailer :)
I did finally make it up the hill after 2 hrs and finally found Mark and the group after looking in a few spots (Crown King is not that big). Mark had to help me back the trailer down a path I was about to go up, and I got to drive the Rhino down the same path.
The day ended up not being that bad and I did get to drive in the clouds....and I bought myself a shirt that says "I survived the drive to Crown King".