San Diego and Arizona

San Diego was really fun because we got to go to a lot of places, like the Zoo. I liked the Zoo because there was this giant reptile house with all sorts of snakes and lizards. I also liked the hippo trail because you got to up close to the crocodiles. We also went to Legoland. In Legoland there were lots of cool things made entirely out of legos, like entire scenes from Star Wars. There was a giant Hagrid and Indiana Jones made out of legos too. We got to go on cool rides like Pharoah’s Quest, Revenge of the Pharoah, the Dragon, a pirate ride and the water park.  We went on a cool castle jungle gym too.

Anna and me at the zoo

The crocodiles were really cool.

I took this one of the alligator.

Lego Darth Vader

Anna and I were trying to squirt my mom and grandma.

Lego Hagrid

We went to the beach with Nana, my grandma. We went swimming at the beach in the giant waves that chased me and Anna around the beach. We went on a cruise with Nana too. We saw all sorts of Navy ships, planes, helicopters and submarines. The captain of the cruise told us that the Navy trains dolphins to help seek out mines under the water.

The Pacific Ocean was really cold.

Anna, Nana and me

Me in front of the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier.

On the USS Midway

The last thing we did was Sea World. We saw sharks, fish, dolphins and whales. I got to feed and pet a dolphin. The dolphins felt a little leathery. I got to go on a couple of rides. They were called Atlantis and Shipwreck. On Shipwreck we got soaked. We went to a couple of shows like Shamu. It was fun in San Diego.

Petting the dolphin at Sea World

Shamu

Holding this alligator was awesome!

In Arizona we went to the Petrified Forest, the Painted Desert, and a 50,000 year old meteor crater. The Petrified Forest was in the Painted Desert. It’s basically petrified wood all scattered around in the desert. It’s illegal to take any out of the National Park. The smallest fine for stealing rock is $250. You could also go to jail. That’s why I bought some at the gift shop instead.

This croc from the Triassic was found in the area of the Petrified Forest.

Petrified Forest

The rock was really colorful from all the minerals.

We went to my mom’s friend, Susi’s. We swam the whole time. It was fun in Arizona. 

I got to ride this bike on a tightrope at the Arizona Science Center.

Never hug a cactus!

Mesa Verde and Moab, UT

When we went to Mesa Verde we saw a lot of cool cliff dwellings and artifacts. Mesa Verde means “green table” in Spanish. The Ancient Pueblo Indians lived there in  1200 A.D.  They had all different kinds of temples. We saw the Sun Temple and the Fire Temple. Where they had their religious ceremonies is called a kiva. A kiva is a big hole in the cliff dwelling that has an air vent with a big stone in front of it to keep air drafts out. They also had a firepit that had a smoke hole in the top, which is also how they got in and out of the kiva.

There was also a museum there that had artifacts. We got to go into one of the cliff dwellings called Balcony House. We climbed up a big ladder to get inside. We had to crawl through tunnels and use the footholds in the rock. Everything was original, even the wood. My favorite part was going through Balcony House because it was really adventurous. I had a really fun time.

The big ladder leading us up into Balcony House

Dad and me standing inside Balcony House

This is a view of Balcony House from across the canyon

Dad standing next to the grinding stones where they made cornmeal.

The kiva where they had their religious ceremonies.

The ladder on the way out

A cool tunnel they had to crawl through.

This is Cliff House, the largest cliff dwelling. Over 100 people lived here.

This is a dwelling called the Sun Temple.

In Moab, we got to stay in a really cool campground with teepees and a really big see saw. But my favorite part was when me, Anna, Mom and Dad went to Arches National Park. We saw all kinds of cool arches and petrified dunes. Arches are formed by wind leaving big holes in the rock. My favorite arch is Delicate Arch and it’s one of the most famous arches. We went climbing and me and Anna played on the rocks. We drew our own petroglyphs on the rock. The difference between a petroglyph and a hieroglyph is that hieroglyphs are like sentences with symbols and petroglyphs are telling a story with drawings.

It was really fun being in Moab because there was really cool sandstone and lots of lizards. The lizards are really fast and I tried to catch them. There was one really big one. Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me because they keep saying to keep my hands out of the holes and places where lizards hide. They say the snakes are poisonous here and we’re not in Vermont anymore. In Vermont I catch snakes all the time.

I would like to go back there some day and spend more time. I want to catch the lizards with better gear. 

Climbing up to Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch

Me and Delicate Arch

Having a rest after our hike up to Delicate Arch

Me and Anna getting fossilized

Those are petrified sand dunes behind me.

Petroglyphs

Double Arch

Exploring the canyon

There was this cool tee pee at our campsite.

Disney

The first day in Florida was Easter. We had our Easter morning looking for chocolate. I got 2 Lego sets. I got a Tie Fighter and a monster truck. Thanks to my Grammy we got to stay in a hotel and it felt like a meat locker which was cool because it was sweating hot outside. We went swimming at the hotel pool called River Island.

Easter morning and Legos.

The slide at River Island.

We got to spend 4 days at Disney. We went to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and Hollywood Studios. My favorite rides were Mount Everest, Tower of Terror and the Rockin’ Rollercoaster. I like those things because they’re really big rides and you go fast and twisty and upside down. My favorite water park ride was a 120 foot drop called the Summit Plunge. When I went down it was so steep and fast I couldn’t breathe. You had to cross your feet because your bathing suit went really far up you know where. The ride was awesome.

My favorite show was the Indiana Jones stunt show. I liked it because there wre all kinds of explosions and they showed how they fake fight in the movies and make it look real. We also saw a 4D bug show that had giant spiders and scorpions. At the end of the show they  made the seat move so it felt like bugs were crawling on you.

When we went to the Animal Kingdom we saw lots of cool animals like Nile crocodiles, lions, hippos, tigers, and giant bats. I also like the shooting gallery and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I had a really fun time at Disney. Now we have a long drive through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico to get to Mesa Verde where the Pueblo Indians lived.

Dad, Anna and me in front of the castle.

Uh-oh, they got me!

I felt bad for this alligator. I wanted to call Animal Control because I thought the water looked polluted. It made me really mad. But Mom and Dad said they thought he was fine. 

Gettin' bit!

The bats were really big. My dad said he saw bats like that in Katmandu.

Nile crocodiles, my favorite.

Star Wars stuff was cool!

This was outside the Dinosaur ride. The ride was really fun, but my sister didn't like it because the dinosaurs were kind of scary.

Me trying to pull the sword out of the stone. Guess I won't be king.