Spring Break 2022

 We always take SO many pictures at Goblin Valley-- we can't help it!  The orange rocks and blue sky, the smiling (although dirty) faces...it's just so picturesque. I managed to get us a campsite for just one night during Spring Break, and we hadn't been in a couple of years, so.... we went to Goblin Valley! It was perfect weather, and GV was as great as ever.  (Little Wild Horse Canyon on Day 2 however....note to self, do not hike slot canyons during Spring Break!  WAY too many people in narrow spaces!)

Anyway, here's Kate and Whit exploring a side canyon during a hike.  We hiked the first evening, and again in the morning, before going to Little Wild Horse and heading home.

And here's one of many portraits of the little girls haha!  Cute Maris.

LWH- here are a couple of the times when we were miraculously alone!  "Holding up" a big rock, and straddling the walls so people can walk under, were some favorite parts of the hike.

The super cool cave in GV!  I love that place. With me...

....and without me, so you can see how cool the light is in there.  After this picture, we all shimmied up through that hole! 

Family pic with the main valley in the background. One of the only times I've ever worn a hat!  Everyone else was wearing one, and I wanted to be cool too haha.  Also I bought the hat in Mexico so I wanted to try it out.

Whitney riding the turtle! And Maris wanted a picture here.

Around the campfire with Eric's laser light looking at the stars.

Climbing and exploring a couple of parts we hadn't been to before.

felfie- barely got Whitney in the top, and selfie.


Katelyn riding the turtle, and Eric helping Emma down from that selfie spot above.

Some of Whitney's many poses!

Back to Little Wild Horse- Owen making a tunnel for us, Owen in a cool formation, and us waiting during a slot canyon traffic jam!  hence the note to NOT go during Spring Break!  GV was fine, we had plenty of solitude. But LWH was crazy packed.

View from inside the cave looking at the kids who had already squeezed out. And Maris disappearing into the rocks! Great place for hide and seek I guess!

Spring Break side note- We fulfilled April for Kate's temple goal with a trip to the good old Provo Temple.

While the girls were inside the temple doing baptisms, I took the other 3 to Rock Canyon Park.  It was cold!  But they had fun rolling down the big hill repeatedly.

Back to GV and a view from outside the cave looking down into the hole!  You can just see Katelyn under Whitney. There is another entrance to this cave, but this is the more fun way to get out!

Eric photobombing Emma, and Maris I think? Way up on a rock formation.

More fun in LWH- I love the smooth wave patterns in the second picture!  from when the water comes pouring through there in storms. Thousands of times over centuries!

Better felfie of the valley, before I got Eric and Whitney to join. And another Maris portrait!

A cool spot in LWH where we took pictures last time too. 

Katelyn and Whitney making their way through a fun section in GV, and I love this picture of Maris on what we call the Throne!

Me trying to be artistic and capture the beautiful flowers- we were there at the right time to catch them blooming!  Our last couple of trips had been in the fall. And this was funny, I have a video of it, they were singing a marching song they made up as we hiked back to the car on the first day at sunset- Owen, Maris and Emma in a little line. They were very cute and very loud haha.

Cutie Emma portraits!

The 3 youngest navigating some terrain, and Eric sometimes decides to scale a formation on his own like this- he's still a kid inside sometimes, I love it!

Katelyn the almost- driver!  Taking us from our campsite the 1/2 mile to the valley haha. And another family pic with the view of the other half of GV.

Last but not least, Katelyn hanging from another turtle-like rock we found, and Emma and Eric on the back of the OG.  The neck was too scary to climb down on!

Aaaand we went home exhausted from another successful camping trip. :)