field trips – A Journey of Joy

Forney Transportation Museum ~ field trip

July 20, 2013Written by Joy

Our family loves looking at old cars, trucks and basically anything on wheels. We were so excited to go to the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, Colorado. When we first arrived at the museum, they told us a little about the history and where some of the cars came from. Then we were free to roam the huge warehouse that was loaded with some really unique, odd and old vehicles.

This field trip was several months ago and I am just now sharing it with you all. I chose some of the vehicles that stood out to me the most. They even had bicycles, motorcycles, carriages and stage coaches! I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Forney Museum sign

kids looking at a car

Steam Train

Amelia Earhart owned a car just like this one.

I think these were Ford cars.

Truck

Motorcycle and sidecar

bicycles

a covered wagon like the one Buffalo Bill used in his WIld West Shows

As you can tell, they really had a variety of trains, cars, trucks, bicycles and motorcycles. Basically, if it had wheels, they show it off in this amazing museum. We enjoyed this place a lot. The history that they have underneath one roof is truly amazing. The kids and I are wanting to go back and take their dad with us. We know he would enjoy it as much as we did. The transportation museum is a great field trip to go with the family. There is something there for the whole family.

Have you ever been to a Transportation Museum? What is your favorite old vehicle? Is it a truck? Car? I must say, I really enjoyed looking at the carriages and covered wagons!

2013, field trips, homeschooling bicycles, cars, field trips, Forney Transportation Museum, history, homeschooling, Model T Ford, motorcycles, trains, trucks

Rocky Mountain National Park ~ field trip

February 8, 2013Written by Joy

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Rocky Mountain National Park ~ field trip

One of our favorite things to do as a family is to do field trips and go riding around our area to look for new things to do. We love to have our own little adventures. Recently, we rode to Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park. Estes Park was having a winter festival with lots of games, chili and a mac-n-cheese cook-off’s and music. There were also a lot of vendors peddling their homemade wares. We truly had a wonderful time. It was quite cool though, the wind was blowing a lot. We decided that we would leave and ride around a bit before it got too dark.

Rocky Mountains National Park

Once we left the festival, we realized that a Rocky Mountain National Park entrance was right around the corner from where we were at. We decided to buy an annual pass to the park so that we can explore more of it later. I can’t wait until it warms up and we can go hiking on some of the trails.

Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

As we passed through the entrance, the scenery was just beautiful. We even spotted a herd of elk just off the road. Of course it was easy to see considering there were about 10 other vehicles pulled off and stopped in the road. We joined right in to watch the gorgeous creatures.

Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

The elk just stood there and continued to eat. Every now and then, one would look up and around to see if they were still being watched.

Herd of Elk

There were two elk that decided to start head butting each other. Those pictures didn’t turn out well. You could definitely tell one was an older elk putting a younger else in his place!

Elk running down the road

As we left the herd of elk and continued on down the road, we saw an elk running beside the road. God’s creatures are so amazing!

Sun setting on the Rocky Mountain National Park

As we continue on the small loop, the sun was starting to set. The clouds were just gorgeous. God sure does know how to paint the sky!

cool clouds over the Rocky Mountains

We were on just a small loop of the Rocky Mountain National Park. We decided to just take this small loop since it was getting dark.

beautiful sunset over the Rocky Mountains

Riding around on adventures like this is a favorite pastime for our family. It is time we get to explore God’s creations and a time we get to spend with one another.

I am linking up with Tonya over at The Traveling Praters for Best of the USA Blog Hop. I can’t wait to see all the places highlighted in this blog hop! I hope you will go visit the others who have link-up!

2013, family, homeschooling Best of the USA Blog Hop, family, field trips, homeschooling, Rocky Mountain National Park, traditions

White Ranch Park – field trip

September 13, 2012Written by Joy

The one thing I love about moving and living in a new place, is all of the wonderful field trip opportunities. There is so much to see and do in this area. I could choose a field trip once a week and be doing something every week for a whole year. This time, we took the younger kids to White Ranch Park. It is considered an Open Space Park. It has a lot of trails that you can ride horses on or you can just walk. We saw people taking their dogs with them, as well! White Ranch Park used to be a successful ranch back in the early 1900’s. Now, it is a successful park with many different types of wildlife running all over it. The park also has a couple of ares that you can camp in. We have talked about taking the kids camping and I am thinking this would be a wonderful place! The park has left a lot of farming and ranching equipment behind for visitors to look at. While they are old and rusty, they are still beautiful to look at and learn about. I am thankful for the signs the park has put up to explain what each piece of equipment is. It gave my kids a chance to read a little about the history of ranching and farming in the mountains.

Kids reading information about mountain lions.

Kids looking at a John Deere 383 Plow.

Claire reading about a ground leveling tool, while Sammy looked at it.

Their dad is explaining to them how the Seed Planter worked.

An old Hay Mower.

A Hay Raker.

A Manure Spreader.

Kids sitting on the rock, where a plaque is displayed for the dedication of the White Ranch Park.

Looking forward to heading back to the park. Do you have any historical parks in your area? What do you love most about them?