The Saguaro National Park outside of Tucson, AZ, is a majestic place to hike around. The tall – and very old – Sagauro cacti reach for the sky and you feel so very small – and young – in comparison! So many outdoor activities are available to do: hiking, biking, camping, birding, horseback riding, and wild flower seeking ( in the spring ). Grandpa Ron and I really enjoyed the park.
Saguaro National Park
April 29, 2009
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Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: biking, birding, camping, child, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, Green Hour, hiking, hiking trails, horseback riding, kids, nature, Places to Go, Saguaros, Saguauro National Park, Tucson, wild flowers | 
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Posted by mygrandmasue
Activities in the Sierra Nevada
April 28, 2009There are all sorts of activities to do in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Virtual Sierra Nevada website is quite exhaustive: gold panning, hiking, skiing, biking, horseback riding, backpacking, kayaking, river rafting and more. Then there is lots of sightseeing as well – Yes, there are LOTS of little towns: Reno (biggest little), Truckee, Virginia City, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth, Bishop, … and beautiful parks like Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, oh, I’ll get myself in trouble by trying to list them all and forgetting some so I’ll stop while I’m ahead…..check out the linked websites!!
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Posted by mygrandmasue
Verde Valley near Sedona, AZ
April 27, 2009Montezuma Castle — many years ago I passed the road sign several times before I knew Grandpa Ron but I never took the road to find out what it was. Then one weekend Grandpa Ron took me to Sedona, AZ, for my birthday so we could explore the luring area. We did follow the sign to Montezuma Castle and began a whole new journey of Native American Indian studies. It wasn’t a castle. It wasn’t built by Montezuma. We explored the Sinaqua ruins that had been abandoned in the early 1300s that afternoon and talked about our impressions all night long.
The next day we explored the nearby Tuzigoot Monument and added to our newfound interest. Since then we have explored many Southwest Indian National Monuments but there are still a lot left to see.
We also enjoyed the Verde Canyon Railroad trip. The station isn’t far from Tuzigoot. The scenery is fantastic. We pointed out many cliffs and caves where the Sinaqua may have lived so many years before us. It was a very spiritual experience.
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Posted by mygrandmasue
Plumas-Eureka (CA) State Park
April 27, 2009Lots of summer activities go on in the Plumas-Eureka State Park besides the usual hiking and fishing and exploring. This year is the 50th anniversary of the park’s opening so there will be special events including “Gold Discovery Days” (July 18-19) planned for visitors this summer. It is part of the California State Park system. Last summer Grandpa Ron and I caught the Living History Day
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Posted by mygrandmasue
Columbia River Gorge
April 26, 2009The Columbia River Gorge is beautiful any time that you visit! Multnomah Falls is probably the most famous of all the waterfalls on the route and the second highest (620 ft) year-round running waterfall in the US, but Grandpa Ron and I enjoyed finding them all. I took lots of pictures. We even brought Gigi, Cyndi, Bella and Austin to see some of them. It is well worth doing!
Quoted from www.bestgorge.com:
“The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular river canyon cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountain Range. The Gorge is 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep with the north canyon walls in Washington State and the south canyon walls in Oregon State.”
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The Reno Astros
April 26, 2009A fun day at the baseball park can be had by all. You don’t have to go to a big stadium and spend lots of money either! Kids can be closer to the players in a smaller stadium or playing field. Check out the Reno Astros as an example! The Reno Astros have had many players go to the big show. For the Reno feel of baseball, check out the Reno Astros’ dugout shows.
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Earth Day Trees Planted
April 25, 2009Grandpa Ron and I just finished planting 4 trees – to replace ones that died this winter and for Earth Day. Boy, are we tired!!! They are all different sizes. I’ll again try to get some pictures!
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Oregon Garden
April 24, 2009Austin, Bella and Madison enjoyed looking at the birds, insects, koi, frogs and squirrels at the Oregon Garden in Silverton, OR. There are several themed gardens to wander through. So, maybe kids would do fine at the Hortense Miller Garden or other garden spots if mom and dad, or grandma and grandpa, would point out creatures of interest while they enjoy looking at all the plants in the gardens. The Oregon Garden has a special Children’s Garden to play in. Trees are shaped like dinosaurs. There’s a troll house to visit. The kids can also do an adventure hunt for a prize at the end of their visit. Doing the hunt kept them very busy and they learned some new things, too!
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Hortense Miller Garden & Oregon Garden
April 24, 2009Following up on my interest in her article on Miriam Johnson’s garden, Lori Basheda sent me another story about a special person, Hortense Miller, in Laguna Beach, CA. She started her garden in 1959 and you can take two hour guided tours by reservation for free. Hortense, who passed away at the age of 99, gave the land to the city in 1976.
Austin, Bella and Madison enjoyed looking at the birds, insects and squirrels at the Oregon Garden in Silverton, OR (This is well worth a visit as well – I gave it its own note!!), so maybe kids would do fine here if mom and dad, or grandma and grandpa, would point out creatures of interest while they enjoy looking at all the native plants in the gardens.
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Tahoe Rim Trail: Biking, Hiking and Horseback Riding!
April 17, 2009Grandpa Ron and I are members of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association which maintains and enhances the trail around all of Lake Tahoe! As of April 17, 2009, the trail is still snowed in! See the Tahoe Rim Trail website for lots more interesting information about hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding on the trail.
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Posted by mygrandmasue
MyGrandmaSue 