Schools out so let the traveling begin! I love the fun we have in the summer, and as the kids get older and can help more it gets easier. This summer I really worked with all of them on doing their own packing for all our trips. They packed their own clothes and helped with gear. They also had to think through what they would need to entertain themselves through our long drives and make sure they get into the car. This first trip was good practice for everyone (well except Amanda who was on another trip and is pretty good at packing at this point.)
Off to Moab we went for Memorial Day weekend.
Of course we brought bikes and made good use of them once we arrived. The kids were troppers on this hot challenging ride. And any shade was was quite welcome.
After recovering from that ride, Dave shuttled us for a ride down Shaffer road. This is a dirt road in Canyonlands national park that decends a ton of elevation way fast. Dave has memories of his dad shuttling he and his siblings as they rode down this. It was beautiful to see the canyon that way. Good bike brakes went a long way.
We met Doug and his crew later that evening as well as Paul and his kids the next day, and we enjoyed a fun weekend. We got campsites at horsetheif campground up near dead horse point. It is my new favorite place to camp as there is a fun mile long mountain bike loop within the campground for the kids (or adults!) to ride as much as they want to.
It was an adventure for Heather and her little ones for sure just camping. Trying to keep Ryan safe was a full time job, and just cooking for this crew of 15 was another. But it is worth it to have cousin and friend time in the beautiful desert of Moab.
We shared some of our favorite hikes in the island in the sky district of Canyonlands with Dougs family. Whale rock was a hit.
And we discovered a new one at Aztec bluff that we have never done before. The grainaries were cool to see.
As were the beautiful cactus blooms along our hikes.
As it is Moab at the end of May, it was pretty hot. We ventured into Moab to find some water, along with the rest of Moab. While is was super busy, it was awesome to cool down on this water hike from town. The kids loved hiking through the water...
And finding this less busy water hole to swim in after finding the waterfall to crowded to really enjoy.
This is one of my favorite memories from this trip. Maren was trying to lower herself through this small crack on one of our hikes. She totally got stuck. She tried for so long to shimmy herself through the hole, but to avail. She was bummed. It is fun to watch your grow and have to figure out their size over the years, I never would have tried to fit through this hole, and Maren is now pretty close to my size. Kuddo's to her for trying.
In between it all we fit in some fun adult bike rides. I found a fun new trail that had me whooping on the way down.
Amanda had her own adventure. Her academic team traveled to Atlanta for a national tournament in Quiz bowl. They had a blast and got further into the competition than they ever have. It was the last time this team would be together and it was bitter sweet for these kids. They have worked hard together, and despite lots of struggles they did so well.
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