In the past I've went on numerous family vacations with my family. There are six of us, so it takes a suburban to make six people with long legs comfortable. I remember going to the Grand Canyon, to Mount Rushmore, to Estes Park (Colorado), Yellowstone, even to Disney World (twice, technically three times). Sure, I don't remember everything about every trip, but I do remember a few key things from each trip.
When we went to the Grand Canyon, I remember looking over the edge into that great big hole and wondering if I could nine climb all the way down to the barely visible Colorado river. The view was breathtaking and I would recommend going there if you haven't before. I hope someday to take my own family there when I'm married with kids.
When I went to Mount Rushmore we stayed at a KOA campground, and that was where I met my very own penpal. She lives in Minnesota, I live in Nebraska. At a time in my life where texting took forever due to my phone being a flip phone, I reveled in the idea of sending letters back and forth (I still have all of our letters, but nowadays she doesn't really reply and I don't really have time to completely attack her with letters, although maybe I should.). When we actually saw Mount Rushmore on this trip, my favorite part was watching the side of George Washington's head as we drove to the area we could see the whole thing. For a while, that's all I could see and my siblings and I joked about how big his nose was. Truth be told, I preferred the side of George's face to the whole thing. It's more unique. This vacation is definitely a bucket list must-do if you haven't done it, and if you have kids, the KOA campground near the monument is definitely worth staying at.
(The above photo is my favorite from Mount Rushmore. It perfectly describes my siblings and I.)
In Estes Park, Colorado, I went to a family reunion. I remember camping, and even remember going horseback riding. I was so disappointed when they tied us all together for horseback riding, I just wanted to let my horse run free. I loved Estes Park, and the area was gorgeous but I wouldn't recommend this for a kid dominated group. For us we had mostly grown ups, but I think with a lot of kids they would get bored easily.
Yellowstone has some goofy memories accompanied with it. I don't remember much about anything before the actual park, but I do remember my brother and uncle walking past the pools (like pools of sulfer I think, but I don't really remember what the science behind the beauty is) and pinching their noses closed. (It really did smell terrible but when you get past that it's super pretty.). I remember being so excited about Old Faithful but I hardly remember watching it, I think I was taking pictures or something. This part of that vacation (I think there was more but I have a terrible memory) was definitely pretty cool, and a lot of fun for kids.
My first trip to Disney World was a total surprise. No, I don't have the faintest idea how old I was. All I know was I was still old enough to take the schedule as it came because I knew my parents would get me where I needed to be. That morning my mom made pancakes, and she made them shaped like Mickey Mouse heads. Logically that should tip us off, but I was 13, my sisters were 9 and my brother was 7 so we were just happy to have these cool pancakes made for us. Then my dad went upstairs, and we were confused when my mom suddenly said we should go upstairs so we could see something. When we got upstairs my dad had HUGE suitcases with him (along with something else but I don't really recall what it was. Five years is an easy amount of time to forget things) and he told us we were going to Disney World, our flight left the next morning, and we'd better get packing. So, we left the next morning on the first flight we had ever been on. I had this crazy haircut at the time and let's just say it was an in-between hairstyle, so don't laugh to hard at the picture. When we were in Disney we rode rides, ate good food, and generally had fun in the most magical place on earth. I mean, I'm 18 and I still love Disney, so it really is a family place.
Our second expedition to Disney World was right after I turned 15. This time, though, we drove all the way there. I remember sleeping (if you can call short little naps sleeping) all the way there, but anout 30 minutes away from our hotel, we pulled into a parking lot and snoozed for a couple of hours. My parents were so amazing to drive us there. We stayed in a super fancy hotel because my parents bought a Disney share after our first trip. All I can say about that trip other than the hotel was I remember watching the fireworks vividly, and if you are to ever go it is always worth it to stay up for the fireworks.
The only other vacation I can remember is a cruise. It was only last year, in fact. We went on a cruise for a few days (yep, only a year and I don't remember how many days). It was a Disney cruise, and it really was magical. There were kids and teen rooms that you had to have your card to get into, and there were pools and an extremely long slide. All in all it was beautiful and a lot of fun. A definite recommendation for anyone young or old.
All right, so now it's your turn and this time I'm actually hoping for a comment or two. What was your favorite vacation that you want to recommend to the world? Write it in the comments and see who agrees or disagrees.
I'm headed off to Valentine, Nebraska this morning and I will update you all on the trip in my Wednesday posting.
Until then! Ciao!
~Blondie~
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