Goblin Valley

The first year we had the trailer, we kept finding places that we wanted to go that booked out months in advance.  So over Christmas break, Christopher asked me to schedule a camping trip for each month that next summer.  A few of them we even booked with friends.  We found out the hard way that scheduling that far in advance has a downside, however.  Those weekends ended up being lightning rods for important events at home or conflicting trips.  We went on two of them, and had to cancel the other two.

In the case of Goblin Valley, we were able to go, but the friends we were going to camp with weren't able to make it.  We were sad about the empty camping spot next to us, but it really was a fun trip.

Windy, though!  It was SO windy.  The gusts were up to 40 or 50 mph.  We were very glad that we weren't camping in a tent.

We just snuggled into our trailer in the evenings, and listened to the wind howling outside.

The great thing about Goblin Valley is that they haven't blocked it all off.  I don't know how long this will last, but for now, it is a kid's paradise.  Instead of being told to stay on the trail, everyone is just let free in a valley of hoodoos to climb on.  The kids took off, clambering over everything and exploring nooks and caves.  "Mom!  Look where I am! Take a picture!"

The wind kept blowing our hair in our faces, so we tried to keep hats on to help a little.

The next day, we took a hike nearby.

The best part was the slot canyon at the end.

The Monday after we got back, we ran a 5K with Kaitlyn's old school.  She learned to love running from her beloved 1st grade teacher, so she was excited to run with her again.  The theme was superheros, and everyone was encouraged to run with capes and superhero outfits.

Unfortunately for me, my husband got me a Wonder Woman swimsuit a month before that, and the whole family decided I should wear it.

When one of our friends saw my outfit, he asked if I had lost a bet.  I told him it kinda felt like that.  It sure made my husband happy, though.

Moab

A couple of Christpher's friends love Moab so much that the occasionally drive down, bike a trail or two, and then drive back in one day.  Christopher wanted to bike with them, but we decided it was a lot more fun to make a long family trip out of it.  Thankfully it was the last weekend of Spring Break, so we didn't even have to take the kids out of school.

 He was very disappointed when we got there, however, because the RV place he had always gone to stopped allowing campfires.  Since all of our meals were planned around cooking over the fire, that was an inconvenience as well as just not as fun.  The kids still loved the (freezing cold) pool and hot tubs, though.

We spent a night or two there, but shortened our stay when Christopher found out about the firepit removal and moved our trailer to a campground up on the hill.  I was really nervous about this, because there are only a few prized spots that are first come, first grab, but thankfully we pulled in right as someone was pulling out.  He told me people are always clearing out at that time of the morning, so I guess I shouldn't have doubted him.  The new spot was much cheaper, and though it lacked the pool, it backed up to sandstone hills the kids loved to roam on.

Not to mention the fun sand itself.

The day before his friends arrived, we hiked around Arches as a family.  We had a mishap finding each other at Delicate Arch, which wasn't fun.  Christopher parked the car after dropping the kids and I off at the entrance, and managed to come by in the two minutes we were all in the bathrooms.  He assumed we started without him and headed up, and I assumed he had to park far away and waited at the bottom.  We were both pretty cranky by the time we found each other, but it was still a great hike.

I was nervous that Jasmine wouldn't make it all the way, but she did a great job.  She only got tired halfway on the return, downhill part, and this is listed as a moderate to strenuous hike.  In fact, I think Kaitlyn complained a lot more about being tired.

While Christopher went biking with his friends, I took the kids to the park and we biked from there into town for lunch and a banana split again.  Last year, it felt like an obstacle course to Tyler and Kaitlyn, since they were not good at inclines or declines and there were plenty of bridges and tunnels.  I felt like that ride took forever.  This year I was nervous because the big kids were only a little better, and Jasmine had ridden a bike for the first time ever 4 days before we left.

I missed my little buddy in my green seat.  She was so excited about riding by herself, though, so her bike came along.

We enjoyed the park for a while.  I do really like that park.

When we headed out on the bike ride though, Jasmine put those big kids to shame!  She did much, much better going up and down the hills than they had the year before.  I was so impressed.  We made it to the diner in record time.

That night we finally got to enjoy a meal around the fire.

I bought a jiffy pop on a whim, and Christopher told me it was the only time he had seen it work properly.  Yum!

We weren't the only fans of popcorn, though.  Jasmine spilled a lot of it in the sand, and once it was dark this little guy kept running in to snag all that he could.