In May we took a road trip - our first in a very long time. Three years ago we drove to Yellowstone, and the kids and I drove to Denver a couple of times when Jeff & Rachel lived there, but it had been a long time since we'd had a really good drive. The kids look happy in the picture above, but they were not excited about the prospect of a four hour drive. We passed the time by listening to a lof of Radio Disney (Bradon's request) and Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading (Ethan & Tanner's request). Have I ever mentioned that Bradon loves Radio Disney? The kid is obsessed. He know most of the songs and a lot of the artists. It kind of scares me. What's even worse is that I can now sing-a-long to such gems as "Holla at the DJ" by Coco Jones and "Beauty and the Beat" by Justin Bieber. If that doesn't send chills down your spine than I don't know what will.
We stopped for a late lunch in Price and then continued our drive to Goblin Valley. I was so excited to get there because I've been dying to take my kids here. I have many happy memories of camping here with my family, my parents and my cousins. We loved this place. I wanted my kids to have those same memories. They were skeptical.
But not for long. They were in love pretty much the instant we pulled into the campground.
I did have a fairly big fear of my children tumbling off the tops of these rocks. I tried not to look and repeated over and over that they should be cautious.
Jeff & Rachel provided us with dinner that night. We all took a turn with a meal and I thought that worked out pretty great. That meant we only had to cook once while we were there.
I love all these happy faces!
Ethan was a little overly cautious at first. He wasn't too sure about hiking around. Then my brother Jeff took him on a climb up to the top of the formations near our campground and he was hooked. He couldn't get enough of it.
This is what I wanted my kids to experience - camping in a beautiful place and having a great time with their cousins, aunts & uncles and grandparents. Priceless.
Yummy s'mores. That night Jenny & Karl took the kids on a night hike. Tanner came back terrified because he saw a bat that kind of flew out towards him. Welcome to the wilderness my friend. :)
The next morning we provided breakfast at our yurt. It was a beautiful morning. And yes, I booked a yurt. I really don't love camping, so the yurt was a good compromise between a hotel and a tent. We don't even own a tent big enough for our family. I would stay in the yurt again in a heartbeat. We didn't need it, but the yurt had a swamp cooler and a fireplace.
Anders enjoyed the Nutella that morning.
After breakfast we headed over the the Valley of the Goblins. Poor Anders got some sunscreen in his eyes and was kind of miserable. Brian carried him throughout the duration of the hike.
The kids just loved this.
Jeff led the hike over to a geode hill where we would look for cool rocks when we were kids.
The kids had a great time looking at the rocks and finding what they considered to be "gems."
Then they found this cool area where they could slip into a hole in the rock. . .
. . . and emerge in a tunnel below. They passed through this over and over again.
Rachel had some treats and the kids were swarming her.
I love this picture of Isaac and Bradon as they headed back to the car.
We went back to the campground for a late lunch, and then took the kids on a drive in an attempt to get them to take a nap. Bradon cried the entire ride to Hanksville. He only perked up when we stopped and got gas and an ice cream treat. What a stinker. Too bad he couldn't just enjoy what a beautiful state we live in. Back at the campground, the kids played and the adults tried to take refuge from the wind as Jenny & Karl made dinner. Ethan, my dad and Brian went back to Goblin Valley for another hike.
Jenny & Karl took Tanner back with them for some more hiking that night too. He loved it. Brian, Bradon, & Ethan went on a hike high above the campground with Jeff & Isaac. Ethan seriously could not get enough of the place. Sadly, the winds kicked up that night and there were some pretty fierce gusts. We ate dinner in our yurt that night because the winds were so bad. The wind managed to blow down a couple of tents, including Jenny's & Karl's so they packed up and headed towards home that evening. But we woke up to another beautiful morning.
My parents cooked breakfast and then it was time to pack up and head home. The kids didn't want to leave because they were having such a great time.
We were persuaded to take one more hike in the Valley of the Goblins before heading home. We told the kids half an hour, but it ended up being more like an hour and a half. It was pretty rough to get them to leave.
Ethan and Tanner wanted to explore every hill, canyon and crevice. They were running all over the place. It was great.
They've already mapped out where they want to hike when we return.
And Anders FINALLY decided that Goblin Valley was great and that it was FUN to run around on his own. Brian's back was so glad.
We were sad to say goodbye, but we had so much fun. Maybe the kids will trust me the next time I tell them that I want to take them to a really great place. Maybe. We left at a perfect time because it rained on us pretty much the whole way home. The kids did really great. We only got out of the car once for a quick bathroom break in Nephi. The kids have been asking to go back ever since we got home. Hopefully we'll return again soon. Great memories.
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