Camping in September *sigh*

One of the things we love about Colorado is its proximity to Utah.  The landscape of this barren land makes for amazing trips, but who would want to live there?   We look forward to annual trips to explore Arches, Dinosaur, or Zion National parks...trips that are planned six months in advance to obtain coveted camp sites.  

The excitement of making reservations online from the cozy comfort of the sofa in March turns into the reality of the trip, in this case delaying our departure for a non-negotiable work meeting, only to delay again to obtain a pediatric strep test (which thankfully came back negative).  

Our reality continued to be “memorable” (code for so terrible we’ll remember this the rest of our lives!).  Four hours of mountain driving with two sniffling kids took a turn for the worse when our particularly dramatic third-born launched into frantic screaming over a tummy ache. 

Care to guess which child has a future in drama?  In this case, he was SO HOT!

We viewed our stop for the night as an oasis of air-conditioned, soft-bed goodness before two nights of tent camping.  The disappointment of an alternate reality nearly broke me.  John (the drama king) was up throughout the night, transporting me to the days of having a new-born.  Let’s take a minute to appreciate newborns, because while they may be up a lot in the night, they do not get out of their bed!  

The same can not be said for John, who managed to mistake the door to the hall for the bathroom door.  I awakened to crying from some distant location.  He was wandering up and down the hotel hall, knocking on doors and crying to be let in😳.  We managed to awaken with our family intact, and erased memories of the painful night with breakfast and swimming.  

With renewed excitement for adventure, we stocked up on gas, ice and firewood and pointed our Chevy west, chanting “Utah or bust!”

Sigh of relief—we made it!  (A little part of me thought we might bust!)

The views of barren dessert were quickly replaced by amazing rock formations as we wound our way through Arches National Park.  The Canyon Wren group campsite inside the Devil’s Garden campground made us feel like VIPs as we skipped the day use crowds.  The site was filled with sand and rock formations that made for incredible sunrise/sunset viewings and a dream playground for the kids. 

The excitement increased with each family’s arrival until we were 10 kids and 8 adults strong.  The adults set up camp and dig through coolers for happy hour refreshment while the kids out their imaginations to work.  They quickly developed a “mine” and established multiple levels of jobs.  

We feasted in all things Mexican for dinner and set out for an evening hike to Landscape Arch.  Our group of 18 was a meandering train, with the 8 kids pulling us along like a powerful steam engine.  I found myself towards the back and laughing as a millennial couple passed by wondering out loud “what the deal was with all of those kids!”   
Landscape Arch just after dark—with a bunch of kids not in the mood for a picture 🤪

Our adventure continued on day 2 with a hike to Delicate Arch.  We passed by an 1800’s homestead and wondered who would be crazy enough to live in the Utah desert before the advent of air conditioning.  We laughed and joked with the Buckeye in the group when we read the family had moved from Ohio😂.  

Upon arriving at the Arch, our group informally broke into two parties, the brave and the not-so-brave.  There was a flat, rock wall and beyond it a steep, sloping slab of rock.  The brave managed to convince the not-so-brave that life is short and their’s would be incomplete without tackling their fears!  There was all manner of crawling and kissing the ground, but we did it!

Our brave and fearless group!

We returned to camp for lunch and shade before having fire roasted pizzas and hiking to Broken Arch.  
Our group hike turned into a date night after Darin tripped, lost his sandal and stepped on a cactus😫.  Being the loving wife that I am, I hung back with him to pick needles out of his toes.  And I have a new appreciation for the washing of feet that takes place throughout the New Testament.  We ended up traversing the desert in the dark, trying our best to discern the trail with our headlamps.  It was equal parts scary and romantic.

Day 3 arrived too soon!  We all wished for one more night, but school and work were waiting.  We shook off sand, packed up vehicles, and checked out Turret Arch on our way out of the park.  

The drive home was spent napping and remembering favorite things about the weekend.  We stopped at Wendy’s for a late lunch.  And may I just add the very best taco salad and frosty I have ever tasted!!

So I guess my husband was right again.  I went into the weekend thinking a new family rule needed to be “no weekend trips after the kids are back in school”.  Now I’m wondering when we can sneak away again.  We may be tired, and I am sure to spend the next week cleaning sand out of every nook and cranny, but the memories we made and the friendships we fed will be around long after the sand has been cleaned up.  

The passing of time and seasons...

Two years?  How can that be?  Inches and pounds have been gained (on behalf of our three boys, not Darin and I—whew!) And the VERY long days of preschool is a distant memory.  It all proves the saying, “the days are long but the years are short” truer than I ever imagined.  

This blog served as an outlet for a pent-up mama during naptime.  It was a tool for survival when I felt cornered by life. Now I’m the only one taking naps and the kid-free daytime hours fly by.  This change of season has taken some getting used to.  I’ve remodeled, organized, exercised, and studied but am still left wondering.  What am I supposed to do with the 1-2 hours of unscheduled time during my day?  

Life has come full-circle and I’m back to writing—something that brings me joy and taps into the small trickle of creativity that flows through me.  It’s good to be back!