Okay get ready for picture overload. I really should have split this up into two posts!! Anyway, it's hard to pick between so many fun and cool pictures of our favorite camping spot!
We've discovered, living in Utah, that it's important to have a fun place to go camping where it's warm, since in Northern Utah it's only warm enough to go camping in like July and August.
We have found such a spot, where you can go camping in April and the weather is PERFECT. It also happens to be pretty much the most fun place ever for kids, because they can climb, climb, climb to their heart's content! If you live in Utah, this needs to be on your bucket list! Just don't go in June-August. :)
This time around we also managed to get the BEST spot, (#12 for future reference) it's in it's own little valley around the corner from the rest of the campground, so cool! Cool enough that here are several pictures of it.
The little trek to the van (and the bathroom) were well worth it!
We love campfires, and s'mores, and stars, and our giant tent! :)
Okay now here are the pictures from the kids scampering around our own private little valley by our campsite. Me and Owen with Whitney up on the left.
Where's Waldo- can you see the girls?? When they called down to me I was like "yikes! that's high!" but it's gradual. The girls are pretty responsible climbers, I trust them to not go too far or high. And Eric was always there to help them down if they needed it! I like to climb too, but obviously I didn't do much climbing this time haha.
a close up of them up there!
Me and my Owen
The next morning Eric helped Owen climb up to a different spot the girls had tackled.
Eric and Owen on the left and the girls in the light in the middle.
Katelyn and Whitney sliding down- two views! From my perspective and Eric's.
And now the pictures from the actual "Valley of the Goblins", about a 1/4 mile down the road from the campground. We went for a short hike there the first day and a longer one the second.
We like to find rocks that look like animals, so here's Katelyn riding a "dinosaur"
Whitney on the dinosaur
The "turtle"- also a helpful landmark because it leads to the cave- see below!
Whitney on the giant alligator head- she's on it's snout, the eyes are the bumps behind her.
Owen on the alligator head, but I was too afraid to back up any farther from him to take the picture! He's a little unsteady still. :)
Kate up on some rocks :)
Taking a water break.
Eric on one of the many perches I turned around to see him on. :) He loves jumping around on the rocks, it's cute. :)
Katelyn with her "slice of pizza" rock she found. The funny thing I just realized is that she doesn't even like pizza haha!
And here's one of our favorite parts of Goblin Valley: the cave!
In the entrance.
In the back of the cave.
"sand waterfall! sand waterfall!"
And the extra fun part- there's a little opening you can squeeze through and come out in a totally different spot!
Whitney made it out!
Then I went up top to pull Owen through, and here's Katelyn about to come up.
Going back out the main cave entrance.
On the second day Owen and I let Eric and the girls go explore for a while without us slowpokes holding them up- I got some pretty funny looks from people though, a largely pregnant girl and a toddler all alone in there??
The explorers setting off.
Isn't it just the coolest landscape?? So fun to play on.
A while later Owen and I heard yelling and looked up to find our family up on a high spot.
I guess after that they made it up to the ridge where you can look over the whole valley, cute:
and Eric took some sweet panoramic pics with his phone:
Meanwhile Owen and I had started back towards the car, expecting them to catch us on the way. Owen was quite the trooper and we had lots of fun just going our own pace for a while, but finally he started to get tired and I couldn't coax him to keep going- his energy totally gave out and he seriously just laid on the ground and wouldn't get up, he was spent! Just then I saw Eric and the girls at a distance, going right past us! They didn't hear me call to them, so I finally carried Owen for the first time until they got to the parking lot and looked down and spotted us and Eric came running back to help. Luckily it wasn't hot so we were totally fine, and Owen perked back up as soon as he saw Eric. He even walked the end himself. So cute. I love my little family, and I'm so glad we got to go camping before the baby comes! Eric goes camping every month with the scouts, and the kids are always jealous, so we finally had our chance to go. Now they can't wait for the Father/Son campout and the little backpacking trip Eric wants to take the girls on this summer. :) Oh and I should say camping at 35 weeks pregnant was totally do-able! I had been a little nervous but I just let Eric do all the hard stuff and it was fine. :)
