When we initially planned this trip months ago, it started out as just a little family road trip, but then more and more fun things came up that got added on. I usually like to come up with a story to share or a thread to follow when talking about our adventures, but there is so much I want to share about the last two weeks. Forgive me for this being a little bit journal-y. I’ve highlighted each day with just one…
It’s been a long dreary winter and now that everyone is feeling better we took an opportunity to get outside. We’ve been itching to get to the beach for a while now. Since there is no ocean of reasonable proximity camping at Great Sand Dunes seemed to be a worthy substitute. After playing an intense game of 3 dimensional Tetris, we got all our camping gear in the car and headed south and away from civilization. Great Sand Dunes Great Sand…
Screeeeech! Crash! I was torn from a restful sleep instantly. Whatever that was, it sounded heavy. It wasn’t someone tripping over a lantern on the way to the bathroom. Beep! Honk! Beep! Honk! Beep! Honk! Audrey stirred next to me looking a bit annoyed at the ruckus. We lay frozen in our sleeping bags listening to car horns blaring throughout the campground. After a few moments the car horns stopped and it was eerily silent. Outside the tent I could…
Being outdoorsy gets sort of complicated when you have kids. Long hikes tend to turn parents into pack animals, backpacking is impossible, and even car camping becomes increasingly difficult with all the paraphernalia kids seem to require. But, because we don’t want to take a 10-15 year hiatus from the things we love, we absolutely refuse to give up just because things get more difficult. With Noel’s sister, Danielle, in town this past weekend we decided it was the perfect…
We decided it was about time we escaped the urban scene once again, so Thursday night we drove up to the National Forest just outside Rocky Mountain National Park and snagged the last campsite. (I always feel a little bad when we do that; I hate seeing people driving around with cars full of gear looking disheartened.) We didn’t do anything terribly hardcore, but managed to squeeze in some hikes, s’mores, dutch oven goodness, star-gazing, and some general chillaxing. We…
Back in January we pretty much planned all our family vacations for the month of June – a vacation to Alaska to see Noel’s parents and a camping trip to Southern Utah to rendezvous with my family. The hard thing about planning trips in January (other than not being able to foresee that you will buy a house the same month you plan your vacations) is that heat sounds like a good idea. Well, last Friday when we were packing…
Some of you know and others of you might have guessed, but we haven’t been in Colorado for the past month. We’ve been in DC while Noel worked on a month-long assignment for one of the parent organizations of his company. For a month we’ve been posing as a young, hip couple living in a happening apartment in Georgetown. We’ve adapted the local ways of scoffing at escalefters and avoiding the Smithsonian Metro station on weekends. We’ve waited in more…
My parents and my two brothers sacrificed their Fall Break to come and visit. We loved having them (especially Cooper, who never had to complain for lack of attention). Their visit started with a giant birthday bash for my now 17-year-old brother, Spencer. We were unable to find him a suitable girlfriend online, maybe next year. We took everyone on the famous brewery tour. We were part of the 5% of people that listened to all of the audio guide’s…
The days of summer are waning and we decided it was time to test Cooper and see if he really belongs in our family. We crammed gear into every spare inch of our little Honda and headed into the Rockies. (For a brief second we wished for a minivan, but quickly chased that unseemly thought away.) Cooper immediately began to display his love for the outdoors by giggling up a storm the second we set his stroller next to the…
Two weekends ago we were privileged to attend what I like to call M.O.S.S. or the McConkie Outdoor Survival School. The destination for this test of endurance was the Grand Canyon. This wasn’t the typical camping trip I am used to from my youth. (Drive up to overlook. “Look, there it is.” Drive away.) Over the weekend we hiked a total of 27 miles. Sunday (the day of “rest”) we hiked along the North Rim five miles out to Wildfross…