Trip to Moab

We finally started our summer- we went camping! I have been itching to go on a road trip or go camping for months now. We finally got it together and organized a weekend away with the kids.



We decided to go to Moab since it's not too far for the kids - about 3.5 hours drive. We planned for 3 days/2 nights. On Wednesday night, we set out all the camping gear and got everything ready. Thursday morning we slept in and got everything packed into the car by about 9:30. Off we went. The kids were SOOOO excited. Can you tell?



They played their Leapsters the whole way down, with a little 'I Spy' in between. The most memorable round of 'I Spy' was when Jared was describing something starting with 'R' and Austin & Olivia had named all they could think of. Suddenly, 2 yr old Ashley pipes up with "RIVER!" and she was right! We teased Austin and Olivia that their baby sister figured it out before them. Austin had to make excuses like "I couldn't see the river" to save face. After that, Ashley did some reading (see Barbie Island Princess) then fell asleep shortly thereafter. We stopped for lunch halfway and made it to Moab by early afternoon.





We set up camp then went for a swim! It felt great to jump into the cool water and escape the desert heat. Ashley couldn't get enough of it. After 1,000 jumps into the pool followed with "Do it again!" every time. She is such a fish. Austin and Olivia are great swimmers so they could navigate the pool by themselves for the most part. We cleaned up after swimming then went out for some dinner. We ate at an Italian place and walked around Main street a bit.

The next morning we were ready to hit Arches. We entered the park just after 9 and headed to Delicate Arch. Ashley was in the backpack and she was happy to ride. Austin and Olivia really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun spotting small lizards and following the piles of stones along the trail.





Once we reached the top, we rested, had some snacks, took some photos, talked to a fellow Aussie, then headed down. It was blazing hot, so we used some of our water bottles to cool ourselves off by pouring them on our heads and down our backs.



We got back to the car and had some more drinks, made some sandwiches, and had lunch in the car, then went to Sand Dune Arch. We had heard this one was great for kids and it didn't disappoint. It was a quick walk through some huge stone walls to get to the arch.



It was small enough for Austin to climb up with Jared (see small specks in photo). It also provided some shade and a lot of sand to play. The kids could have stayed there for hours... actually, I think we were there for hours. We just relaxed and watched Ashley roll in the sand (she loves the beach). I love this photo we took of Austin and Olivia on the way out- see them flexing their muscles?



After that we left for home and no surprise, both girls fell asleep on the way. We let Ashley sleep a little longer, but Austin and Olivia couldn't wait to swim, and neither could I! Jared met us at the pool a little later with Ashley and we all melted in the water. It felt great. The sky got overcast and the weather cooled off and a breeze picked up (little did we know what this would bring later...)

We went out to dinner at the Moab Brewery which turned out to be very good. It was packed the night before and we figured that was a good sign. It was a difficult choice, but I had a Hummus Wrap filled with spinach, cucumbers, red pepper and Black Bean soup on the side. Yum. Jared had grilled salmon with mango salsa. Kids had fish/chips and corn dog (whose kids are these?!) Austin loved their fresh brewed Root Beer. For dessert we had an Apple Dumpling with ice cream and Cheesecake with Raspberry sauce. It was delicious and I figured we'd burned it all off on our hike so we deserved it.

That night there was the most horrible sand storm. That nice breeze picked up and showered us with nice, fine red dust. We ended up having to close up every single opening in the tent. Good thing we put the rain cover on, so we had good coverage. We rolled in sandy grit all night long on our beds. I think it was even in my teeth by morning. Too bad b/c I really like camping, but this put a damper on that night for sure! Thank goodness the kids slept through it all, only Jared and I had the bags under our eyes the next day.

Saturday was still overcast and therefore much cooler. It was a great day to hike. We had breakfast, cleaned up camp, and played mini golf with the kids. We joked that this will probably be the one thing they remember most about the trip, but I hope not. After we finished, we headed up to the Colorado River and did the Negro Bill hike. It's a great hike that crosses back and forth over a tributary of the river. We got to climb over big rocks, cross the water on stepping stones, forage through trees, etc. The kids loved taking their shoes off and wading in the deep parts of the creek. Here they are on the side of the creek having a rest.



Ashley did great in the backpack. She was happy to climb in both days and was very content. Jared was a champ for taking the added weight. At one point, at the end of the Negro Bill hike, he even had both Ashley on his back AND Olivia on his shoulders. I told him this is good training for his Mt.Whitney hike next month (which he has yet to train for!).



The hike was pretty strenuous, so I tried to stop feeling guilty for missing my 6 mile run that day. The hike was 7 kms (about 4.5 miles) so I was impressed that Austin did the whole thing without complaint. Matter of fact, he was pretty impressed with himself too. Note: teach son to be humble.

After the hike, it was time to get in the car and head back home. And by that I mean the real home (Olivia was a little confused. She kept saying, "No, I mean not camp, the place where we have our beds...) We rewarded the kids with some chips and treats for their hard work (the whole trip was really a blur of processed, packaged food from which I am still recovering). They did so well and we had such a good time, it made me want to plan another trip right away. We left Moab as they chatted, playing their Leapsters (Austin hardly put it down the whole trip) and Ashley dozed off. We stopped for lunch/dinner in Green River which I will spare the details...then arrived home about 6:30. We had the car empty, vacuumed and cleaned, and a load of laundry going by 7:15. Record time.

Over all it was a great trip and we made some fun memories. I love this photo we took at the Delicate Arch trailhead.