Happy Halloween!!

After we made it through the rest of our trip, including the never-ending state, and seeing a few more sites from the road, we made it to Panama City for Halloween festivities. Bucky decided to be Luigi this year...saved me money since I had purchased it for $2 the prior year after Halloween. We went to the mall for him to go store to store. He really enjoyed it and then he got to ride some ride and play in the balloons. I carved him a jack-o-lantern since it was so much fun last year (not really) but I knew he would like it.

Grand Canyon

Our next touristy stop was the Grand Canyon. A very good friend of mine had suggested that we go to sunrise at the canyon. We didn't get to a hotel until late the night before and there are not many things I will get up early for but I thought this might be worth it. It was about 35 degrees the next morning when we headed out but still we went ahead with it. When we got there, we were quickly reminded of the stereotypical vacation when you are surrounded by Asian folks talking 90mph and clicking away. We both started laughing when we turned around and saw nothing but that because three or four tour buses had just pulled up. We waited it out and let me tell you it was definitely a wonderfully splendid view! I didn't think we were going to make it the whole time because the kiddo was very cold and almost miserable but he hung in there like a champ. We even got to see some deer on the pathway right in front of us as we headed back to the car.

After sunrise we went back to the hotel for breakfast and some more sleep before viewing the canyon during the day and heading out for another day of travel.

Four Corners

On October 26, we headed out from Colorado towards Georgia during the day of the first snow and boy was it a rough day of travelling! We only had a couple of hours behind us from the first day of travelling because we left late but decided that we did want to start the trip no matter what. When we woke up the following morning, our car was covered with snow. We knew snow was expected but had no idea that it was going to be that crazy. Buck did a great job driving up and down and around the mountains but I think I held my breath the whole time.

That afternoon we arrived at our first touristy stopping point, Four Corners. This is a very unique area in that Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona all meet at this one location and join together at the same spot. You can actually jump from one state to another to another to another without taking any steps in between. It is quite amazing!

Denver Aquarium

One of the things on our "Before we leave Colorado bucket list" was to visit the Denver Aquarium. Since we love all things water, we thought this was a must-do. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit even though we noticed we were constantly comparing it to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta (which, by the way, is soooo much better). We all had a good time in the aquarium and even sprung for the 4D roller coaster simulation. It was great watching Bucky enjoy it since we are still uncertain about what he'll like and won't like as far as adventurous activities go. So, check that one off the list.

Last Day of Dragons

Even though Bucky earned his yellow belt a couple of weeks prior, his last class was on 5 Oct. After class, we took some pictures at home before he took his uniform off for the last time...until we find a place in GA for him to continue martial arts.

Venetucci Farms

On Oct 3, Bucky's KKP class went to Venetucci Farms to pick a pumpkin again. After picking up and putting back several pumpkins, he finally decided on a smaller one. Then the class went to look at all the animals on the farm, including the world's biggest pig again. Bucky was tired most of the trip so he wasn't too into it but that's ok...he made it through anyway.

Fall Colors

I realize I have not blogged in, well, a while so here is yet another effort on my part to catch up and keep up. Here goes...

Before we left Colorado, Buck and I took Bucky down the same route I took with a friend last year...except we diverted a little into Cripple Creek. We were able to see lots of fall colors scattered throughout the forest and hills. At first it was "oohhh - look at the yellow leaves" and ended up being "wow, that was beautiful!" It was definitely worth another trip this year.