Escalante Day 2

We woke up in a beautiful yurt and found the kids already stirring by 7 o'clock. Breakfast was sausage burritos we found in the fridge with some apple juice and fruit cups. After showers and a little exploring we hit the road. Before we got even a mile Mom decided to turn back for her contacts. Dad and the boys played on a slickrock hill just outside the yurt property. There was a grooved slide someone had built, and we had fun sliding down it.

The boys love climbing up the slick rock.  

Dad snapped a cute picture of them at the top. They were nice to wait for Mom.

It was fun to watch them scoot down the hill.

Our first adventure of the day was Anasazi State Park all the way over in Boulder. We arrived after nine and checked it out, even though we'd seen it before. The boys were excited to see an ancient atlatl as they had studied that particular item in Knowledge Bowl.

Mark loved popping in and out of the rooms.

Seth was great at grinding corn.

We love the ruins at Anasazi State Park.

After about an hour at the park we took a scenic drive out the Burr Trail. This is an old cattle road that runs between Boulder and Capitol Reef National Park. The road runs through Long Canyon, which is beautiful. Tall, sheer walls towered over us, and we argued about whether it reminded us more of Capitol Reef or Zion.

Looks like Capitol Reef!

Or does it look like Zion?

At one amazing stop, we entered Singing Canyon. This very short slot canyon provides and perfect echo. The boys were shouting and screaming like wild monkeys all the way to the end. They even tried singing a few old rock and roll sings, but mostly hooting produced their favorite echo. After the canyon, we drove the road all the way to the end of the pavement where it enters Capitol Reef. It was much too muddy to go farther.

Singing Canyon was a lot of fun.

The boys were excited to say they went to Capitol Reef on this trip, too!

The scenic drive was great, and we took a ton of pictures, including some along the hogsback and million dollar road along Highway 12. We were gearing up for the longest hike of the boys lives. It's three miles to Lower Calf Creek Falls, which means six miles roundtrip, and we'd never pushed them that far. We stopped for lunch right in the parking lot, so we'd have plenty of fuel for hiking. As we were finishing up our sandwiches, the ranger came over and gave the boys Junior Ranger badges for Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument. He said they hadn't earned them yet, but they would by the time they got back to the van!

There were some great overlooks on Highway 12. 

Mom trying to take an Instagram worthy picture. She failed!

Mom told the boys that they looked like they were peeing off the overlook. 

Dax and Mom had a great moment on the drive.

The day was partly cloudy, so the sun would come out and overheat us, and then the clouds would take over and we'd get a little chilly. Mostly it was perfect weather, and we were surprised that thousands of people make this unshaded hike in July. Even though it's still March, we passed dozens of people along the trail. I guess I should say most of them passed us, because we took it quite slowly. The climb was very gentle, and the trail wasn't muddy, so we managed to stay clean and dry. The hike seemed really long, though, and Dad had to tell stories to get Seth all the way to the waterfall.

The trail started by this little bridge and we spotted a few fish.

Seth said he was ready to take someone's order.

Dax was going for an Alex Cora dugout impression.

There wasn't much shade, but we did find one shady spot to rest along the trail. 

We all took a breather on the bench they provided.

Mark loves looking for animals no matter where we hike.

Mom made him take this picture, but Mark was a great guide as he read us the information at each marker.

Lower Calf Creek Falls is totally worth it! There is a sandy beach with a huge pool of water. Had it been warmer we would have dived right in, and as it was, Seth splashed around the edges a bit. But the wind was really cold coming off the cliffs, so most of us went back to wearing jackets. We took a bunch of pictures in front of the 126 foot waterfall. Because it is Spring, the water was really crashing down. It definitely made our list of Most Beautiful Waterfalls in Utah.

The waterfall was amazing, and freezing! 

Dax and Seth especially wished it was warmer. They would have gone right in! 

Mom and Dad by Lower Calf Creek Falls. 

I think this one might be a book cover. Right, Dad?

The walk back wasn't so bad because Mom and Dad took turns telling stories about growing up, and the boys' feet just sort of glide along without them noticing when stories are told. Before we knew it, we were back at the van. We'd spent four hours along the trail, and every minute was enjoyable!

Back at our favorite resting spot.

This is what happens when Mom ends up wearing Seth's hat.

For dinner we checked out a new restaurant called Circle D Eatery. This was more of an adult restaurant than the kids really wanted, but they did fine with the food. Mom and Dad enjoyed their hamburgers, too.

Seth needs practice on eating spaghetti. 

We got back to the yurt a little after six o'clock. We might have played on the swings, or lit a fire and tried some s'mores, but instead, we sat on the couch in front of the fireplace and rested our aching feet. It was the longest hike we'd ever done, but one of the most satisfying as well.

It was a long, but wonderful, day!

Escalante Day 1

We love driving through these tunnels!

Our website is 9 years old this year. In 2018, we had to claim it on our taxes for the first time. Claiming a profit on it means we made money after we wrote off all our miles, expenses, entry fees, and other incidentals, which we felt pretty happy about, even though it has been a nice tax write-off in previous years! We often have people contact us and ask us to write about their event, and in return we get free access to whatever it is they are doing. But a few months ago someone asked us if they could comp a trip for us. Basically, they'd provide lodging, an itinerary, and a per diem, and we'd write about it on our website and share our experience on our social media. Of course, all we heard was FREE TRIP!

Best of all, we got a peek at the website for our accommodations, and we were staying in a glamping yurt. If you're unfamiliar with these terms, glamping is a portmanteau of glamour and camping. It's sort of like camping for people who don't want to see any dirt. A yurt is a round canvas tent-like structure, which generally has a floor. In short, it looked amazing. So Dad get all set to take a day off of school, and we left on Friday at 4 o'clock.

This is the yurt we stayed in. It was so nice inside!

The drive was long (4 hours) but not so exciting. We saw some wildlife around dusk including deer, elk, pronghorn, an owl in flight, a rabbit, and two crazy girls taking pictures in the middle of the road. When we finally arrived at the yurt around 9 o'clock, we were amazed at how nice it was. There was a fire crackling in the stove, a beautifl bathroom and with a shower, two bedrooms and an upstairs loft with three single beds. The boys staked out their territory in the loft, of course. There was also a beautiful couch, a TV, a dishwasher and refrigerator, a table for six, and a solid wood floor. Outside was a large deck with a barbecue. We couldn't believe how great it was!

The nice girls took our family picture!

All of the boys loved sitting by the fireplace.  

Dax was pretty excited about sleeping in the loft!

February Fun

It's time for our February Fun post. Since the weather was snowy and cold, we had a calmer February. We were also busy with basketball and Knowledge Bowl, but we still managed to squeeze in some good family time. Here are some silly and fun memories from February.

To celebrate the end of January, we got cookies and cake from the Chocolate. 

We went to a Utah Gymnastics meet. We definitely felt out of place, but Seth still had fun dancing!

On the 100th Day of School, Seth dressed up like he was 100 years old. He has the best facial expressions. 

His outfit was awesome!

We made heart Valentine boxes from Home Depot.

Dad took Mom to Tepanyaki for Valentine's Day.
It was fun and delicious despite the crazy lady sitting next to us who could only eat fish.

Mom matched Mrs. Duvall at the Valentine's Day party. 

 Mark and Dax competed in Federation and both earned superiors. They are doing so well at the piano. 

We went to Doc Brundy's which has over 50 pinball games. The boys loved it, especially this AC/DC one. 

They were also fans of the race car arcade game. 

And of course, this baseball game was calling their name! 

Dad was the most excited to find a room fill of pinball machines. 

We went as a family to see Newsies at the Hale. It was amazing despite our corner seats! 

Grandma and Grandpa stopped by and took us to lunch one school day.
Mom even checked the older boys out of school. 

We love when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit.

Mark 6th Grade Basketball

Mark's basketball games are the real deal now. We have weekly practice and most of the players have enough skills that we can focus on scrimmage, seeing lanes, and working on plays. This year he got together a group of friends that he plays with at school every day, so it was extra fun for him to be on the court. The competition in the rec league wasn't really that strong, but Mark led his team to double-digit wins, averaging around sixteen points per game.

Mark loved playing with his friends. 

Mark's team was really good at defense this year. In fact, there were two games in which they held the other team to zero field goals in the first half. The score in each of those was twenty or thirty to zero or one (there was a made foul shot), which actually was a little sad. Still, Mark knew when to stop pushing the ball and shooting threes, and to quietly execute the offense. Mark would want it mentioned that he hit at least one, and generally three or four three-pointers per game, though.

Mark is a great shooter!

It was fun to watch Mark lead his team. 

Dad had a great time coaching Mark's games and genuinely looked forward to them. The boys have grown up so much over the years and they really are good listeners willing to learn. Parents were pleased with the way things went, and even though no one really ever competed with them, the boys were always all smiles. There was only one time Dad had to teach a lesson and call time out to sit a kid down for celebrating after making a basket. Thankfully, it wasn't Mark!

Mark was great at the fast break. 

Mark had tons of steals, too!

Mark is great at every aspect of the game. Dax would often keep a stat sheet on Mark, and he'd always have nearly twenty points, half a dozen assists, at least eight steals, and double digit rebounds. A few times he even authoritatively blocked some poor little soul's shot into the first row. We always liked watching Mark play, though, because he knows to celebrate his teammates and not himself. He's  a really great kid!

Mark was a great free throw shooter, as well.