This week we escaped from the heat of the desert for a few days and headed up to the White Montains and visited the small town of Greer, AZ. This itty bitty town has little to do except be among nature and the great outdoors- which sounds just fabulous for a few days! It’s about a 5 hour ride from here so we packed up the peas and the dog, and following some of my road trips with kids ideas, arrived in one piece. As you can see above, our cabin was truly a cabin in the woods with no neighbors and just the trees to keep us company. The kids loved it!
This was the view from our cabin- pretty gorgeous right? It was so quiet and relaxing! We did a lot of walking and hiking (and I use that word loosely, since we had three kids with us) and the kids did a lot of collecting of nature stuff.
Hannah and her bag of goodies.
Jacob and his cool lava rock.
We even saw a deer on our first walk! If you look real close on this picture, you can see him staring at us. The kids thought this was amazing!
One day we drove to the near by fishing lakes and explored some. It was so pretty and the perfect temperature to be out enjoying the fresh air.
The peas
The dog was SO excited too! This was the first trip we took her on and she did remarkably well. Abby just loved being able to walk her around and explore some.
As we explored the lakes more, we walked over a ridge and saw more deer! A whole family of them- you can see about 5 in this picture, but there were at least double that. Mr. Pea dubbed me the “deer whisperer” because I was the one they kept spotting them first. I guess the deer and I have a mutual love for one another.
One of my tips for staying with kids in a cabin was to bring LOTS for them to do. I found three different scavenger hunts for the kids, one being a collecting kind. It really helped keep the kids busy as we walked and definitely extended our hike time. They loved finding all of the different items and wanted to find more.
In the cabin, we tried to pass the time with “non-elctronic” items. Mr. Pea found this huge 500 piece puzzle there and we tried to put it together while we were there. We got close but ran out of time- and he and I couldn’t work on it at night because to our old eyes, all the water and sky pieces looked the same (you win this time, puzzle!) We decided that we want to get a big one and work on it at home. I think that will truly make us old farts, but oh well. Also, besides the puzzle, we (and by “we” I mean Mr. Pea) spent our time killing spiders in bathtubs (disgusting!!) and shooing a mouse outside too (also disgusting). I guess that’s what happens when you are in the woods though.
The kids also had fun exploring right around the cabin. It was such nice weather and we were very lucky.
My nature boy had fun collecting sticks and turning them into “diamond swords”. I was just glad to see them playing outside!
One of the things I miss most about being here and not on the east coast is actual “fall” so I was glad to be surrounded by these beautiful trees for a few days. It was a much needed family only time getaway. Jam-packed vacas are fun, but sometimes these kinds are just what is needed to relax and reconnect with one another.
I am missing my scarf and sweatshirts, and am hoping and praying the fall weather comes here soon- we probably have another month though at least.
So, what are your favorite kind of vacations- the ones spent running from place to place doing as much as possible or these quiet kinds? I personally like both.
Don’t forget to check out my ten tips for staying in a cabin with kids– especially if you plan on heading to one like this soon!
I had no idea there was a town named Greer.. that’s my maiden name. Too funny! If your kids ever want to watch deer, they can just pull up a chair on my patio… the deer parade through here every day, eating everything I try to plant – argh! Looks like a great vacation, though, and a real “break” from the fast/technological pace of life.
Ha! I bet they’d love that, I’m sure you don’t!! Thanks for stopping by!