We have no real vacation planned this summer. We realized it was a three day weekend, so we decided to go for it. :) Camping at Cathedral Gorge it is.
I am NOT the best camper. I like to have nice things like running water, warmth, and protection. You know the things that every human being on Earth enjoys having. :) But my girl has wanted to go camping for a year so this was a perfect time to make it happen. My sugar checked the weather report - "Sunny, mid 80's, 20% chance of rain," told me what to pack - "Jeans, shorts, t-shirts, tennis shoes, maybe a jacket, but probably not," and helped me prepare myself to be a literal HAPPY camper. (The things we do for our children, and our Sugar.)
Look at Afton's face.
The Acadia all packed up and ready for fun.
(Yes, we did have to buy a new car to make sure we could fit ALL of our children. So far, Jocelyn is the most expensive child we have!)
This is the ominous sky we saw as we finally approached our destination.
No sign of "sunny."
"20%" my butt!
When we arrived at the campground it was full, so we were directed, by a rather terrible and mean State Park Customer Service worker to some BLM land up the street. This is what our tires looked like as we slid all over the road in our NOT AWD Acadia. It was pretty hilarious/frightening.
Serious discussion happening
"This is the place." Bryce quoting Brigham!
Jocelyn and I checking out our secluded camp site. This was determined after driving for almost an hour around this BLM land looking for the perfect spot.
Then it was time to set up.
Kids played.
Kitchen prepared.
A double rainbow
A dirty face
Climbing around
Since we spent so much time trying to find a camp site, we didn't get a chance to go and play at the actual Cathedral Gorge. The kids explored around our campsite though and found some sweet caves. We finished the night with yummy tin foil dinners, roasted marshmallows and fun with the Sanders and Bott family.
We were lucky to have survived the night with the freezing temperatures. (I am sure you are mocking me right now, but it was freaking cold.) My girl was bundled up nicely with cushions, blankets, and her warm jammies as she slept snug in a large Tupperware container. (Bummed I didn't get a picture of it.)
Jocelyn loved camping. She actually was really quite good!
Can you find Jack?
They found these sweet rocks right around our campsite.
It was good practice for Cathedral Gorge!
When we arrived there, Afton and Jack took off up these rocks. Daddy was going to throw the trash bag away so I was left to scale these rocks after my children to ensure they didn't die.
UMMMMMM! I was terrified.
They were not.
I climbed even higher after I took this picture.
Way higher than the y Lover's Beach climb in Cabo. :)
When we got tired of climbing, we went exploring through the rock formations. Pretty amazing.
Cathedral Gorge was a fun adventure. Glad we brought lots of water!
Later that day we ventured off to another state park, Kershaw-Ryan.
This one was much cooler, temperature wise. The bummer of this park was that we were that white trash family that just lets there kids go into the pool wearing real clothes instead of swimsuits. (Daddy didn't tell me to pack those!)
This park was like a little green oasis in the center of a mountain. We opted to hang out here for awhile, since it was much prettier and cooler.
Our trip was short and sweet, and it was time to pack up. Jocelyn hung out while I cleaned up inside of the tent. She is freaking adorable.
Daddy worked hard to do ALL of the rest of the packing up. So thankful for him. Our family would be lost without him.
Oh yeah, what is camping if you don't have to poop in the wilderness. This was as we were heading home however. Glad Daddy was doing this, because I would have fallen over with laughter.
We had a lot of fun. We are looking forward to the next time we can go somewhere fun as a family. When we asked Afton if she wanted to go camping again, her response was, "Absolutely not. It was the worst." Remember I started off this post stating, "I am NOT the best camper. I like to have nice things like running water, warmth, and protection." I guess my girl feels the same way. She could have fooled all of us though.
Ahhh, the memories.
