Girls Gone Wild!

Yep, this is a Spring Break post.

Those who live in sunnier climes, or watch TV after certain hours, or who aren't my Mother, will have heard spring break stories.

If you're a college coed your spring break packing list would look like this:

Beer
Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil
Bikini
Tank top
Shorts
Super cute sandals
Beer
Make-up
hair care products
Bikini
Beer

If you're two middle age moms your Spring Break packing list would look like this:

Zanax
Jackets
Coats
Gloves
Shorts
Long pants
Pull-ups
Bottled Water
Pajamas
Bottled Water
Juice pouches
Groceries
SPF 100 Sun Screen
Children's Tylenol
Children's Motrin
Children's Allergy
Bottled water
Socks
Shoes
Underwear
Groceries
Tylenol
Allergy pills
Motrin
Gloves
Hats
Scarves
Super sturdy sandals
Groceries
Recipes
Shampoo
Hiking shoes
Back packs
Paper Plates
Paper cups
Batteries
Movies
Game Boys
Chargers
Games
DVD Player
Hair Brush
Pony tail thingies
Bottled Water
Groceries
Socks
Camera
Kids
Dog
Leash
Dog food
Dog Dish
Dog toy
Snacks
Dog Snacks
Zanax
Ice
Coolers
Shirts
Marshmallows
Wienie roasters

If you're a college coed, you cram in some guys, friends, brothers car, radio blasting the latest hits then it's good-bye, studies, classes, jobs, and hello beaches for several sunny fun filled days.

If you're two 40ish Moms it's gas up the Mini-van and Suburban, attach a trailer for all the stuff, cram in 10 kids, and the dog, double check to make sure you have everything, stop at Wall-mart one more time just to be sure, realize you'll never make it to your destination by dinner time, stop at Wendy's, realize you forgot sunglasses, go back home to get sunglasses then it's good-bye children, dog, meals, housework, and hello, children, dog, meals and...wait...!

Now I'm not complaining mind you, my best friend Suz and I had a wonderful trip and only had to break out the Zanax a couple times.

Here's a map I found of Garfield county where most of our adventures took place. This area of our state is so much fun.



Day 1 was the trip down.

We planned to leave at 12:00 PM giving me a few hours of sleep after seven Graveyard shifts in a row. When we arrived in Loa, Utah a 2 1/2 hour drive at a little after 7:00 PM, #2, my 18 year old, said, "You realize that you two have your own time zone?" We were just proud of ourselves for making it before dark.

Day 2 Little Wild Horse Canyon

Utah is famous for it's amazing geological formations, I like to call it God's sandbox. Here we are hiking through a set of slot canyons, if you're claustrophobic you might want to look away.

100 feet down the trail the boys were distracted by a tree that just begged to be climbed.


Wow! Mom! An old building!


Claustrophobic much?

Our little ones climbing the walls.




This is all of us after losing the 4 youngest children for about 1/2 an hour and going through the first slot canyon.
This is our Spring Break girls gone wild shot! We might have text-ed our husbands this picture and called it Sluts in a Slot...but I would never tell you that here because this is a family blog and you're good Christian people and my Mom might be reading, hi, Mom!

The awesomeness of these canyons is indescribable, wind and water, sandstone and sunshine and we're just getting started.


Goblin Valley

Later that day we stopped at Goblin Valley and fixed a windy lunch or should that read lunch in the wind? Any who, we were cold and tired but wandered down amongst the goblins with our goblins for a few more pictures.

Bear in mind we were with many teenage boys who didn't see goblins... they saw other things.




Suz and I were above such juvenile thoughts and let our minds be uplifted by the majesty of Gods creations. We text-ed a few more pictures to our husbands about, "missing you" and, "something made me think of you" We're really thoughtful that way.

Suddenly, amidst all the goblins we spotted something else...



I hadn't been to Goblin Valley before and WOW! To all my bloggy friends, in other parts of the country or world, come to Utah; we'd love to expose you to some of the natural wonders our state has to offer.



Here is the Girls Gone Wild shot from Goblin Valley. Yes we're on our backs...what? We were escaping the wind.
Awww! That's Suz and Lily, our only girl. Aren't they gorgeous?


And last here is #6 basking in the boy joy of jumping from rock to rock to rock.


Day 2, Calf Creek Falls

The next day we drove up 10,000 feet over the top of Boulder mountain, still covered in snow and down, down, down to Calf Creek Falls. At some points the road into the falls was a sheer 300-1000 foot drop off on both sides. The area is called Hells Backbone and gulp, this was a Zanax moment.

Calf Creek Falls is at the back of a box canyon. A box canyon is well...a box. Calf Creek flows into the canyon over the rocks and after 100's of years the water has eroded the rock until a valley has formed. Early pioneers would herd young cattle into box canyons then build a fence across the open end. There the cattle were safe and had abundant food and water. And, I may have read the trail guide too many times.

The hike was 6 miles round trip, our teenage boys eager to swim in the falls beat the moms and younger children there by something like 10 hours a little bit. It was windy, shady and the water was melted snow. #4 bravely dove in just to say he did it then quickly got dressed and hiked back out to the sunshine.

#7 carried his swimsuit determined to, "Swim in the water fall because I can swim now!" And, because he, "Didn't want people to see his bum when he swam in the waterfall!" When we got to the falls he stripped down naked in front of all the other hikers, put on his swim suit, took 8 steps through ankle deep water, ran out took his swimsuit off in front of all the other hikers, put his clothes back on and hiked out to the sunshine. Good thing he showed off those swimming skills and that no one saw his bum (or his goblin).

Here's our girls gone wild shot at Calf Creek Falls.


The hike out was slow and pleasant. I spent most of my time holding hands and chatting with #7. We stopped and talked about the sites at each trail marker. Eventually we caught up with Suz, Lily, Milo and #5. That's when we got this cute picture.


The next day we slept in.



Fixed a gourmet breakfast. These are our whole wheat, Greek Yogurt, blackberry pancakes, Yum! Strangely our kiddos just wanted syrup on their pancakes.



Then we went to Torrey a touristy little town just outside Capital Reef National park. We let everyone choose a souvenir at the trading post. Here are our rowdy teens making the word blocks say something it's probably better you can't read.

Then we went into Capital Reef Park, stopped at the country store for pie and ice cream, then went over to the park for soccer, ultimate Frisbee, wading in the creek, and sunshine.

My #6, #3, #2, and #4, Suz's Tommy, and a random tourist from England.


Suz and Tommy practicing soccer skills.




#5 and Lilly playing in the creek.



Another Creek picture with a cool wooden bridge.



Here's our sunburned, windblown, happy and relaxed GGW picture at the park.


Suz and I have made a trip similar to this nearly every year for the past 1o years. Our children have many fond memories of all the fun.

One memory #5 was determined to duplicate the moment we stopped within site of some rock formations was the, "holding up a huge rock picture" we have many of them of all our boys at different ages.

"Uhhh, #5" says I. "You may be missing the point."

"No! I love this picture, just take it Mom, it will look great."



And...yeah! Unless holding up the sky was the shot we were going for...

We may not have escaped children, meals, and housework but that may be missing the point. We began coming here together when this boy, #5, was the baby. I can remember making a sling out of a receiving blanket and taking nursing breaks on hikes.

Now these are our babies.

We have precious few years left to make memories with these precious kidletts of ours. And, thanks to the best friend a wild girl could ever have, and husbands willing to send us off into the wilderness with only the few things we could stuff into a Suburban, Mini-Van and trailer, and cute, amazing, rowdy boys and our darling Princess Lil, and the dog, we have enough memories to fill that big blue Spring Break Sky.