Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (Jan 20)

Erick's birthday was also Martin Luther King Day, which meant that he had no work, and the kids had no school. We decided to take a drive over to Alabama to see Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. We enjoyed a nice nature walk around the bend. It was a beautiful day. I love winter in the South!

Here is a quick history of Horseshoe Bend from the National Park Service website.

In March 1814, General Jackson's army left Fort Williams on the Coosa, cut a 52-mile trail through the forest in three days, and on the 26th made camp six miles north of Horseshoe Bend. The next morning, Jackson sent General John Coffee and 700 mounted infantry and 600 Cherokee and Creek allies three miles down-stream to cross the Tallapoosa and surround the bend. He took the rest of the army - about 2000 men, consisting of East and West Tennessee militia and the Thirty-ninth U.S. Infantry - into the peninsula and at 10:30 a.m. began an ineffectual two-hour artillery bombardment of the Red Sticks' log barricade. At noon, Coffee's Cherokee allies crossed the river and assaulted the Red Sticks from the rear. Jackson quickly ordered a frontal bayonet charge, which poured over the barricade. Fighting ranged over the south end of the peninsula throughout the afternoon. By dark at least 800 of Chief Menawa's 1,000 Red Sticks were dead (557 slain on the field and 200-300 in the river). Menawa himself, although severely wounded, managed to escape. Jackson's losses in the battle were 49 killed and 154 wounded, many mortally.

Though the Red Sticks had been crushed at Tohopeka, remnants of the war party held out for several months. In August 1814, a treaty between the United States and the Creek Nation was signed at Fort Jackson near the present day city of Wetumpka, Alabama. The Treaty of Fort Jackson ended the conflict and required the Creeks to cede 23 million acres of land to the United States. The state of Alabama was carved out of this domain and admitted to the Union in 1819.

In 1828, partly as a result of his fame from the battles of Horseshoe Bend and New Orleans, Andrew Jackson was elected the seventh President of the United States.

***Please excuse the changes in watermark on my photos. I'm going to start distinguishing between photos from this blog and my Taken by Tera blog. I made this decision halfway through editing these photos. I've decided not to go back and change the watermark on the ones that were done. Sorry!***

Detour on the way home

On our way home from our Christmas vacation, we stopped by Lee's Summit to see some of our favorite people, Erick's brother Rick and his family. I loved catching up with Rick, Andee, and the boys. I can't believe how much the kids have grown. I hope we won't have to wait another five years to see them again. Miss you guys!

Zion National Park

On January 1st 2014, we left the cabin. Our Christmas vacation was coming to an end.  We drove from Southern Utah back up to Grandma B's house about four hours away. On the way, we took a large detour through Zion National Park. Grandma and Grandpa W joined us. It was so much fun!

I loved the unique landscape of Zion. I had heard this place called "Mother Nature's playground," and it describes this area perfectly. My kids climbed and climbed and climbed. Look closely. Can you find Bailey on top of the pointed mound?

While driving through the park, we saw a group of people stopped by the side of the road. Upon closer look, we figured out that they were looking at mountain goats. So naturally, we stopped to look as well. Can you see them?

The mountains and cliffs and rocks and rivers and trails and, and, and...., I loved it all so much. Everything about this place is amazing. We drove through a super long, super dark tunnel. If you look closely in the picture below, you can see a dark cave in the side of the cliff. IT is a window into the long tunnel through which we drove.

Oh Zion! I have fallen in love with you. We will be back. Someday.

Bryce Canyon

One afternoon while we were at the cabin, Erick and I joined my dad and a few of my siblings to go see Bryce Canyon. By the time we got there, we were almost out of light, but I was able to get one or two shots.

The next morning, Erick and I woke up super early and drove back over to Bryce Canyon. It was just the two of us together. Had it not been absolutely freezing cold, it would have been very romantic. We did our best to stay warm, and we watched the clouds turn pink. And then we watched the sun rise. It was magical.

And cold.

I really wanted to take a beautiful picture of Bryce Canyon while we were there. I tried my best and enjoyed every moment.