California Kids for Thanksgiving

We'll start with pictures from the week before Thanksgiving when we spent time in Visalia with Ben and Jodi and Adrian. Lots of projects got done including Jack finishing a table for Adrian (and future siblings) to enjoy. Mostly we enjoyed just spending time with Adrian (and Ben and Jodi).

Adrian "sitting" on his new chair

Adrian gives away smiles very freely now.

After our time in Visalia, Jodi and Adrian drove back with us to Rehoboth to spend the whole Thanksgiving week with us in Rehoboth (Ben joined us on Wednesday). Nick and Julie and girls arrived in Rehoboth about an hour before we did. We had a great time doing some of our favorite hikes and just hanging out.

Wednesday we did the Pyramid Trail Hike with the In't Hout's

Sofia even found some snow

Eva posing in front of one of the cairns that marked the trail.

 In't Hout family in front of Pyramid.

We made it to the top just before sunset.

Fia and Eva on the Rehoboth playground

Julie and Adrian

On Thanksgiving night we went over to the Ippels up the street to share pie and do our tradition of singing Christmas carols together. Everyone has a great time participating.

Noelle 

Julie, Nick Ben and Jodi

Jack is always at the piano, sometimes with some help (from Julie and Noelle here).

The piano playing and singing woke Adrian up. He didn't want to miss out on the fun.

Eva dancing along in husky costume.

Sofia accompanying Jack and Julie

Go Tell it on The Mountain with motions done by Eva and Sofia. 

Noelle accompanying the singing with one of the many instruments you can find at Bob and Mary's 

On Friday we went to Huizinga's and hiked with all of us to Milk Ranch Canyon. This has also become a tradition ( two years in a row).

The kids all hid in this crevice to scare the parents as we hiked the trail.

Fia and Eddie with their "snowball marshmallow" on a stick

Fia and Eddie in the canyon

Ben and Jodi and Adrian at the cliff of the canyon. (Adrian's first hike)

Everyone playing on and in (Huizinga's dog Hutch fell in) the pools in the canyon

Nick and Noelle on ledge above Eva

Everybody playing in the canyon

On Saturday the Housewards and In't Houts left but not before we got a few more picture of Adrian.
Adrian pre smile...wait for it...

almost there...

There it is!

What a fun week it was. These are traditions that we would welcome to continue.

Cross Canyon

We were asked to accompany a group of students on a hike at Cross Canyon, which is about an hour and a half drive into Arizona near Ganado. After driving down a 2-mile long driveway we arrived at a hogan where "Uncle Jimmy" lives. He took us through the sage brush on a trail that brings us to the canyon. We hadn't told the group anything about what the hike was like. They were amazed to see the canyon. Then we told them that we were going to hike down into the canyon. They were even more amazed. It was a wonderful day at Cross Canyon and the group thoroughly enjoyed their visit.

view of the canyon from on top

another view from the top

Jimmy and Jack leading the group down

view at the bottom

log that one of the group dared to walk across

on the hike along the canyon floor

rock formations along the trail

Jimmy told us that this rock wall had been used in fighting during the civil war.

Rock hideout that had been used by a desperado in the 1920's after he had killed the owner of the Cross Canyon Trading Post and made off with all his valuables. He was shot here and later died when a posse was organized to capture him. 

Some of Jimmy's nieces playing with the goats in his yard.

Mount Taylor

Something we've always wanted to do was to climb to the top of Mt. Taylor. Saturday the weather was perfect and we had the time so we set out in the morning to reach our goal. It's about 60 miles from Rehoboth, the last five miles being on a very rough and poorly maintained road. We hiked the Gooseberry Springs Trail (3.2 miles long) to reach the top. It took us three hours to get to the peak with lots of stops along the way to catch our breath. There had been signs at the bottom warning of cougars and what to do in case you were confronted by one on the trail. Cindy kept an eye out all along the way, but we only saw a couple of squirrels, cows and birds during the hike. We thought we were the only ones on the mountain that day but when we reached the top there was a guy who had taken another trail (only 30 minutes)...maybe we'll try that another time. After taking our picture he pointed out the different peaks that could be seen from the top. Mount Taylor is part of an extinct volcano. It is one of the four Navajo sacred mountains. It is thought to have been 25,000 feet high before it erupted. 

Views on the way up:

We made it!

Views from the top: 

Jack signing the log book.

 Views on the way down:

View of Mt.Taylor from 25 miles away on our way home: