The Green Team: 2014

Like a month ago, we went with the whole Dearden family to Canyonlands National Park for a campout. It was aing to make lot of fun, and too short, I decided. We all left at different times, but enjoyed two full days together. We spent the first day on the trail in 4x4 cars. It was scary! I'd forgotten how crazy it is sometimes on those trails down in southern Utah. Malcolm was awfully scared, and kept asking Ryan "Don't drive off! Don't fly off, Daddy!" We drove on a road out to a spot for lunch, and then to see the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers. We got back pretty late, and had a little campfire time before bed.

The next day we went out on what Dad said was going to be a 4 mile hike. It ended up much longer, and we walked and walked and walked. The kids ended up asleep and carried most of the way. It was a really beautiful and fun hike though. We ended up on top of some petrified sand dunes and the kids slid all the way down on their bums putting big ol' holes in their pants. We were SO beat and tired at the end.

I got awfully annoyed at the piles and piles of pictures and trying to put them in order. So I just left them where they loaded and you can get a smattering of the trip. The whole trip kind of cycles three times between my camera, my phone, and pictures I got from Laura. Enjoy!

The view from the top of a very scary drive.

There was a sand tunnel in the campground area we stopped in to have lunch. Malcolm loved going in and out, in and out.

She's smiling, but don't let her fool you, she's close to panic in that tiny space. :)

Cheese anyone?

Twinnies

We drove down between those two sone peaks over there.

we stopped by newspaper rock on our way back home.

Laura, holding the water bottle someone randomly handed her that she then drank out of and then realized she had no idea where the water bottle had come from.

This was Malcolm on the scary parts of the drive. He'd have me hold his leg from the front seat and then he'd feel better.

Yup, we drove through there.

Walking to the confluence.

*Whistle--Whiiiiistle!*

Climbing on the rocks around camp with grandpa in the morning.

The tiny gas station/store in the park.

The start of our long hike.

The spot where the kids all slid down on their bums. It looks like a slide!

Holey bums!

Sunset in the tent.

Pastel skies on the way back from the 4x4 drive.

Grandpa, Quinn, and Denali left earliest to get us all a spot to camp.

Our campsites all in a line. We ended up not camped in the campground in the park we had planned on. But I think this one worked out better, even if it was outside the park a ways. We were all together. Every morning we got Mal dressed and then sent him on his way to walk to Grandpa's camp by himself because we were really the only ones around and it was just a few sites down.