Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 14….Witness To Sacrifice, The Long Way Home

With some early morning yawns and coffee for the HelmsMistress, we headed out to knock out the long drive home….down the grade on SR-89 through the rest of Arizona back to our Adventure Base.

As you head down the steep grade on SR-89 past Yarnell, Arizona you will come to a roadside stop that is a Memorial State Park, with storyboards explaining the tragic events leading to the deaths of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots as well as the trailhead for the steep and winding trail that leads to the actual place they perished.  Only by remembering tragedies like this will we be able to keep the memories of these men alive.  They were sons, fathers, husbands, veterans and Hotshots.

What I did not photograph but was the most poignant to me personally was the 19 picture boards with biographies of each of the woodland firefighters.  Who they were, where they had come from….

I’m a strong believer in rememberence to keep spirits alive, so I ask that you click the links to read about each and every one of these nineteen men:

Andrew S. Ashcraft, Robert Caldwell, Travis C. Carter, Dustin J. DeFord, Christopher Alan MacKenzie, Eric S. Marsh, Grant Q. McKee, Sean M. Misner, Scott Daniel Norris, Wade Scott Parker, John J. Percin Jr., Anthony M. Rose, Jess J. Steed, Joe B. Thurston, Travis Turbyfill, William H. Warneke, Clayton T. Whitted, Kevin J. Woyjek, Garret Zuppiger

Lost but never forgotten 

After getting down the mountains from Prescott, we made our way back to the 10 freeway and stopped for charging in Quartzsite.  After getting the Rivian to 90%, we headed out again…glad to be heading home after nearly two weeks on the road.  It was a good trip, we were able to see more of the US West…camp, hike, rodeo and spend time together as a family.  

We travel as a family.  Whether we’re traveling to Japan, Greece, Central America or road tripping through the US….we travel as a family and you can too.  

Need advice on major or minor travels with kids?  Reach out and ask, we’re not experts but we’re happy to help.

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Here’s the rest of the stories about this roadtrip….click on the links to check them out: 

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 1

Colorado Road Trip W/Kids 2025- Day 2 On The I-40

Colorado Road Trip W/Kids 2025- Day 3 Colorado or Bust!

Colorado Road Trip W/Kids 2025- Days 4-7….Donkey Hooves

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 8…..Colorado Dreamin

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 10….Mesa Verde National Park

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 11….Four Corners & Monument Valley

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 12….Across Arizona To Prescott

Colorado Road Trip W/ Kids 2025- Day 13….World’s Oldest Rodeo In Prescott, AZ

Still reading…this is the LAST post in this series.  But I’ll publish more on Monday!