Mesa Verde day 1

The kids had a six day weekend for fall break, and we made arrangements to spend most of it at Mesa Verde with Grandma and Grandpa Kress. We made the 5.5 hour drive this morning and got to the campground just after noon. Kip and Naomi had arrived the day before and were out exploring when we arrived, so we set up camp in a spot just across the road from them. We got everything sorted just in time for a rain storm to blow through. We ate our lunch in the tent and examined the map for a bit. 

The rain only lasted about an hour and by 2:30 we were out on a lovely hike. It was pretty steep getting up the mesa, but we were rewarded with stunning views of the surrounding area.

All three boys took turns peeing off the edge of the cliff, which, even with Matthew holding on to the boys to keep them from accidentally slipping, freaked Mercy out to the point of tears. Despite their teasing and torment, she would be so absolutely devastated if anything ever happened to her brothers.

Grandma and Grandpa arrived back at camp not long after we did. The boys played chess while Mercy showed Grandma her junior ranger workbook. It was good we had brought the camp stove because the camping sites were tiny and the fire pit was too close to our tent to allow for a fire. We made pork and beans in a pot (Hyrum's favorite camping meal), then when it got cold and dark, we retired into our tent for a movie on Dad's tablet.