On our 2016 Glacier vacation, we ran into a paraplegic doctor biking one of the trails.  This particular trail was very sunny, and our kids were complaining like crazy.  After we ran into this inspiring guy, we didn’t have one more complaint, and we were all excited about the new trail he had told us about – the Hiawatha Trail.  The Hiawatha is a 15 mile rail-to-trail conversion, especially for bikers.  The trail gradually falls 1000 feet over the 15 miles, going through 9 tunnels and 7 trestle bridges through both Idaho and Montana.  The tunnels were as long as 2 miles, and the trestles over 200 feet!  We were able to camp out for free right at Lookout Pass ski area after a long day of driving so we were fully prepared to pick up our rental bikes at opening time the next morning.

This was definitely not the cheapest part of our trip, as adult permits are $10, and children over 5 are $6 each.  The bike rentals were $32/adult (luckily we had one bike with us already), and child bikes were $22.  All bikes come with helmets and much-needed lights.  Thankfully, we were able to squeeze both girls into one rental Burley ($24).  Yikes!  In addition to this, many bikers take the shuttle back to the trailhead to avoid the gradual incline- tickets for that cost $9 and $6.  We decided  to take the trail back to get more use out of our rental bikes, making it a 30 mile ride, something we had never done as a family!

We were anxious to hit the trail early, with highs in the 90s this week in sunny Idaho.  The start of the trail was well equipped with knowledgeable staff, checking for permits, lights, and answering questions.

We had been warned ahead of time that the tunnel temps were in the 40s despite the high temps along the trail.  We carried sweatshirts, especially for the 2 mile Taft Tunnel.

The kids were super comfortable riding through the dark, while Chuck ended up with vertigo and I rode slowly to avoid the troughs of water on each side.  We were again reminded just how resilient kids are!

Along the whole trail are signs explaining the history of the old rail system and trail conversion.  Our kids were so excited to ride the awesome mountain bikes, we barely got to read the signs.  Luckily, we took pictures of all of them so we could read them in entirety later!

The boys do not own bikes with gears, so when they hopped on these nice Trek bikes, they were instantly in love.  They wanted to ride all day, so our decision to ride both directions was definitely not an issue for them!

We made it to the Pearson trailhead in no time, watched every other biker load up on the shuttle, and ate lunch before our ride back.

The girls had no complaints about riding in the Burley, and enjoyed eating the many snacks we packed for the day.  We did pack lots of water, but were pleasantly surprised by all the water stops along the way.

While you couldn’t really see the 1-2% incline on the way back, Chuck definitely felt it with the girls in tow.  Every biker we passed pumped up his ego with praises for pulling them along.

The boys zipped ahead of us, and it took everything I had to catch them 😉  It’s amazing how speedy three little boys can be on nice bikes!

It was a blast to go back through all the tunnels and trestle bridges again, as we hadn’t really had enough of them on the way down.

By the time Chuck caught back up to the boys and me, you could see one of the trestle bridges we had crossed in the distance, and it was apparent that we had definitely been climbing!

Even though we had not biked all summer, the kids were completely unfazed by the 30 mile ride, a promising fact for trips to come!

The cold tunnels were a welcome break from the gradual increase in heat as the day went on.

We never really know what is going to be the family favorite on each trip, but I think it was safe to say the Hiawatha Trail topped the boys’ list!  We look forward to riding the Hiawatha again someday! (travel dates 7/22-7/23/17)

Our vacations usually revolve around staying as remote as possible, so it’s no surprise that when we venture into the city, we just don’t fit in.  We find ourselves simply watching the masses as they stand in line for the ferris wheel or wait outside popular restaurants amidst a cloud of smoke.  It’s one of those times when we just don’t think we are anything like the rest of America.  Perhaps we are strangers to the majority.  Maybe it’s the fact that there are 7 of us, and we just can’t justify most of these expenses on a 2 month vacation, but as hard as we try, we just can’t seem to find our place amongst the hustle and bustle.  Alas, you just can’t travel all the way to Washington state, and skip going to Seattle.  So… as we left the Cascades, we headed back to the coast to spend one night at one of our busiest stops (travel dates 7/21-7/22/17).

We found an RV park on the outskirts of Seattle called Lake Pleasant RV Park, which served our needs well, complete with laundry, showers, grocery stores, and even a Starbucks with the best wifi we had seen all summer.

As soon as we got set up and ate a quick lunch, we headed into the city.  We left our car near Olympic Park, and headed up along the waterfront.

Braden was excited to get some pictures with popular Seattle destinations like the Space Needle, and one of the highlights was getting to see the giant ferry terminal.  What a fun way to get around!

Of course, we had to bring everyone over to Pike’s Market to see the infamous fish throwing.

We decided to enjoy our last fish and chips of the trip here, but were kind of disappointed with the lack of spots to sit and eat.

We ventured down below the market to check out the gum wall.  I think our kids were thoroughly disgusted, but cooperated with a few questionable photo shots.

The last time we had been to Seattle was in 2001, and the Starbucks pig was still there this time.  While we are not frequent Starbucks visitors, it was neat to see the original shop that started it all.

On the way back, we headed over to the Space Needle only to discover that admission was once again out of our price range.

However, the Artists at Play Playground kept our kids entertained for quite awhile!  We love to take advantage of free spots like this!  It reminded us of Millennium Park back home.

Heading back to the car, we ran into the creepy clown car once again… we are still not sure what they were up to, but several Hoffs have a fear of clowns like these guys!

On the way back, we checked out the Fremont Troll, which may have been our favorite Seattle attraction.  Who decides to build a giant troll under a bridge, anyway?!

The small patches of grass back at the RV park were a welcomed sight, and we couldn’t wait to head off to one of the most anticipated parts of our trip next!

During every trip, there are places we look forward to seeing more than others.  The North Cascades National Park was one of those spots we didn’t know much about, but had to cross it off the national park checklist, and we would be close enough to make it an easy stop (travel dates 7/19-7/21/2017).  We hadn’t researched it much, so we didn’t really know what to expect, aside from the mysterious, misty rainforested lakes and creeks.  Sometimes, the new places bring the most excitement, but this time, I think we were just looking for a couple days of peace before we headed into the busy city of Seattle and the long drive east.

We were pleasantly surprised by the most amazing campsite we had every seen.  Newhalem Campground was our pick because the North Cascades Visitor Center was nearby.  Our giant, secluded site was right along the river, covered in moss, with so much to enjoy for everyone.  We could have just stayed in the campsite for the two nights we had here, except that we did really want to know all that the Cascades had to offer.  We were so surprised that this amazing campground was one of the first we had seen all summer that was not filled to capacity.

As if this campsite was not enough, the kids thought they went to heaven when they discovered more banana slugs to play with!

Us adults took advantage of our happy kids by relaxing in the hammock and getting in a few games of “set.”  Of course, Braden kicked our butts every time he stepped into the game.  Eventually, we played a team of everyone versus Braden.  I think the little squirt still won!

We learned back in Oregon not to pick up any more banana slugs after the girls were officially slimed and glued, but they were quite pleased with the little caterpillars here too.

At the Newhalem Visitor Center, the kids were sworn in as North Cascades junior rangers, and we learned that one of our first rains was in the forecast.  The rangers told us that the west side of the park was expecting rain, but not the drier east side.

(yes, this is a giant banana slug from the visitor center)

We spent our first day here visiting the Trail of the Cedars, the town of Newhalem, and the dam by Ladder Creek Falls.  The dam actually lights up the waterfall and trail each night for visitors to enjoy.

The next morning, we headed off to blue skies at the recommended hike on the east side of the Cascades.  Indeed, it rained on the west side, but we managed to stay dry once again.  The Blue Lake trail was beautiful, yet so different from the moist west side of the park.

The boys loved exploring the area around blue lake, so I took a little detour for them to show me their newly discovered side pond.

The girls and Chuck got a head start and managed to get some great shots with this mountain goat.  Unfortunately, the boys and I missed it and caught up to them just as the goat headed up the mountain.

We couldn’t pass up the Happy Creek Forest Walk on the way back.

The kids got the biggest kick out of another side hike, one dubbed the last ‘dam’ hike.  As we hiked down to the Ross Dam, we enjoyed seeing the walk in cabin area and talking to the border patrol officers.  They informed us that the entire border had a line of trees cut to mark the border, and each time we crossed the border on the trip, this odd fact was confirmed.  It was kind of creepy to be hiking along, and then suddenly stumble on border patrol officers hiking with all their big guns.

On the way back, my little pick pocket mastered her skill of getting my cell phone out of my zipped pocket and filling it with pictures of her own.  Scary!

We stopped at the beautiful Diablo Lake on the way back, making a mental note that this area would need to be further explored the next time we come back.

One of the strangest parts about this park was the small towns right in the middle of the national park, and the town of Diablo was no exception.  Who names their town Diablo anyway?!  Once again, we were puzzled by the back of this pickup in the town campground.

Back at the campsite, the kids built the most intricate homes for their little animals.  The boys snapped a ton of pictures so we could remember this amazing feat forever!

It’s been awhile since we posted, and honestly, it’s been hard not only getting back into the swing of things back at home, but also to see the destruction running through many of the places we visited over the summer.  We feel fortunate to have been able to see so much shortly before the fires changed these landscapes forever.. and almost a little guilty.   If you know you want to do something, don’t want… that perfect time may never come.

As our big group headed back to the Midwest, our family continued north to Larrabee State Park, just south of Bellingham, Washington (travel dates 7/17-7/19/17).  It was actually rather comical the first day we arrived in our campsite.  The pull-through sites were nice, but not very private.  It wasn’t a big deal since we didn’t plan on spending much time in the site anyway.

We immediately wanted to explore more of the San Juan Island coast that we had driven along to get there.  We dropped our camper and travelled up and down the coast, only to discover it was mostly privately owned.  There is also always a bit of culture shock coming into a big town like Bellingham after being hunkered down in the woods for days with no service, as we gawk at restaurants at stores like REI or Costco.  Gavin loved picking up a nicer sleeping bag like his siblings since his old one was falling apart.

Eventually, back at our campsite, we discovered the perfect little beach.  Despite all the fabulous hiking in the state park, we couldn’t seem to rip our kids away from this picturesque place.

The kids had so much fun looking for creatures.  It was tough getting a picture of them, but the kids got a huge kick out of the clear jellyfish in the shallow waters.

Here’s Braden begging to spend the evening in this one spot.

Eventually, I had to call Chuck and Ethan back from the campsite with swim suits, as they had left to fit in a run.  As the sun set, the less anyone wanted to leave.  It was captivating.

The island the kids spent so much time on before the tide came in went completely under water right before ours eyes.

Skipping rocks became the night past time.

Crab season had just begun, and the kids got a kick out of checking out everyone’s buckets.

Gavin actually got pinched by one he couldn’t resist picking up.  A dad and his two kids had set up camp nearby, and Chuck immediately started asking questions.  The family invited us to stay for a taste of their crab catch… a once in a lifetime opportunity.   There is nothing like fresh Dungeness crab on the beach, right after it was caught.

Since we only had a couple days to explore this area, we thought it was the perfect place to set up camp and head north for a day trip into Vancouver, British Columbia.  The last time we had been here was 16 years ago when we took the Alaskan Marine Highway from Alaska to Bellingham.  We put our passports to good use once again.

Once again, we went into culture shock as we headed through Vancouver.  The electric bus system was really impressive.

Sixteen years ago, we had visions of one day bringing our kids to Stanley Island in Vancouver, a perfect park for kids and adults alike.  There is so much to do there!  The kids enjoyed studying and picking out their favorite totem poles.

There is no shortage of sightseeing here, and the giant freight boats were so impressive.

We thought the kids would love being at the splash pad there, but they surprised us by telling us it was too crowded.  I guess that shouldn’t surprise as since we had been out on our own for so long now.

They never cease to amaze us.  Here is the little bulldozer NONE of our kids could get enough of.  Really?!

Chuck’s inner kid was brought out by riding this little train through the rainforests of Stanley Island.

Bikes would have been a great addition to get around, but we enjoyed the slower pace of walking through the rose gardens and all the walking trails.

We didn’t make it into the aquarium (mainly due to cost), but we got a huge kick out of all the Chinese caricature artists bartering to draw all our kids near the entrance.

On the way out, we stumbled on the most amazing pool on the island.  It was less than $3 a person to stay here, and we kind of wish we had spent more of the day here, but there is always next time.  The water was much warmer than swimming in the ocean beaches of Stanley Island, but with the same view.  What an amazing place!

Back at Larrabee, we had to make one more trip over to the beach for sunset, but despite the persistent attempts of our kids, we quickly discovered that the tide was way up, and we couldn’t make it around to our favorite spot anymore.  Once again, we did not have enough time.  We will be back Larrabee!  Thanks for a great stay!

Ten years ago was our last visit to Olympic National Park, yet it was a different experience as we huddled baby Braden under mosquito net protection after finding out he had a rare skin disorder called mastocytosis.  Every mosquito bite he had from birth two months prior had turned into a harsh lesion on his newborn skin.  These lesions would not disappear, at least anytime soon.  We raced through the Olympic Peninsula, hoping to avoid more bug bites, and saddened by the amount of clear cutting in the national forests.  While our boy still has these lesions and mast cell disorder, he is thriving.  This was destined to be a different trip than our last.  As we said our goodbyes to Kimmy at the Olympia train station, we continued on from Mt Rainier to Olympic (travel dates 7/12-7/17/17).

As we made our first stop in the remote Quinalt Rainforest, Braden informed us that he had his annual case of poison ivy once again.  Thankfully, his pediatric dermatologist had sent us prepared this year with mometasone, an ointment that thankfully did the trick, along with hand washing much of this boy’s wardrobe as we pulled into yet another area with no laundromats.

While the kids were hoping for monkeys and colorful exotic birds, they were pleasantly surprised by the majestic North American rain forest as we power hiked a quick 4 mile loop in the Quinalt.

The younger three enjoyed driving with Jill to our first campsite in Olympic at Kalaloch, a coveted campground stay on the cliffs of the Pacific.  We were so grateful for the opportunity to stay here, and immediately wish we had reserved more than two nights upon our arrival.  Thankfully, we had 3 sites for Jill, the Hamiltons, and us because it was the first of two occasions that we had to do some site swapping to accommodate the Hamilton camper (which ironically was better accommodated in Jill’s tent site two times in a row)!

But wow, was this place magical or what?!  Jill’s iPhone 7 plus captured some pretty amazing pictures on this stretch of the trip.

After dinner our first night here, we quickly raced off to the beach below to catch the sunset.  Lucky for us, we were even able to find some whales!

Laney was crushed when Ellie received the first full sand dollar, but more were to follow.

This famous tree amazed us with its “un-rooted” roots.

The next morning, we drove up through the Twilight based town of Forks to explore Rialto Beach at low tide, the only time you can walk out to the amazing Hole-in-the-Wall.

The kids raced down the beach to explore.

Gavin was thrilled when he realized we were back in tide pool territory once again!

Hole-in-the-Wall was an amazing experience for all of us!

This is where Gav thrives… he loves being able to explore, especially near water.

All the kids loved finding critters in the water and out.  Different than many other beaches, we were able to find so many baby starfish here!

Best of all, we were able to do it together, with family and friends!

On the way out, we found a huge downed tree that we had to take a “family tree” pic on of course.

We had a busy day ahead of us, and our next stop was one of our favorites, the Hoh Rainforest.

The Hall of Mosses hike is one that we will never get used to, and never forget.  It’s amazing that so many things can grow in this amazing corner of the country.

The Hamilton girls are such good friends to our boys, and so sweet with our girls.  Laney had gotten something in her eye, and Katelin was the first to care for her.

As we walked through the Hoh, the kids had fun searching for banana slugs, mushrooms, and more.  Of course, the dads once again turned it into a game, along with a point system for rare finds.

After the Hoh, we headed off to check out popular Ruby Beach.  We could have spent all day in any of these spots.

The kids enjoyed climbing on the above rock while the adults made up a fun little rock toss game.  We love that nature brings out this kind of creativity in us.

Laney found a great rock to use as a photo op, something I can see these girls doing more of as their love for getting their pictures taken rises.

On the hike back down Ruby Beach, this driftwood house was a great stop.

It was here that we found our third rainbow glass piece.  Even after stopping to ask the locals what they are, nobody seemed to know.  Please tell us if you have any ideas!  Strangely, they look like beach glass, but all have a flat bottom with a beautiful rainbow design inside.

The kids had been begging for a fire on the beach, and Kalaloch was the perfect spot for this.  While we were concerned about making dinner with all the sand, we do love indulging these sweet ideas whenever we can!  We headed down to the beach with our pie irons and pizza supplies.  It felt as is we were the only ones on this beautiful beach all night.  While the kids built forts and sand castles, the adults enjoyed a spectacular sunset alongside visiting whales.  All of us agreed that it was a night we will never forget.

This couple has become such a treasure to Chuck and I, and we finally captured a moment with them.  While we don’t live nearby, and often times, we don’t see them on a regular basis, we are intentional about finding times to make it happen, and couldn’t be happier with the directions we have gone together, or the things we have to look forward to with them.  Thank you Hamiltons for your amazing friendship!

We were sad to leave Kalaloch after our special fire on the beach, but Sol Duc was calling.  As we passed through Forks again, we made a stop to eat lunch and take care of any business before heading out of service once again.  That business tends to build up… for example, my mom had gone through our mail, only to discover some semi-urgent matters, our mailbox had been knocked down, etc.  I had to snap a pic of our ladies here, at the grocery store, totally absorbed with their phones, not ready to leave civilization just yet.  It’s amazing how disconnected we get on the road, and feels so odd yet necessary when we have the ability to connect in these fleeting moments.

Our next group of 3 sites at the national park Sol Duc Hot Springs Campground was even stranger than our last three.  Our campsite ended up being the bathroom parking lot, and the Hamiltons were supposed to park in the next few spots of the lot.  Thankfully, the tent side of those sites were very nice, so Jill made a switch, and the Hamiltons parked their camper in her site instead.

These sites were in the heart of the rainforest, and even though we had driven a couple hours from Kalaloch and the Hoh Rainforest, we were actually only 15 “walking” miles or so from the Hoh.  All the roads in Olympic go around the heart of the park.  This site was heaven on earth for us.  Since we would be here for three nights, the full setup went up, including all the hammocks and slackline.  I think the kids would have been happy to sit in this campsite the whole time, which is one of the reasons we revamped our plans a bit.  We had intended to shuttle up to Vancouver Island for a day, but like always on summer trips, flexibility is key.  All of us decided to tone it down a notch, avoid the rush, and enjoy life in the rainforest.  All of us were convinced we had the best site in the campground, a rainforest playground for kids and adults.

With Kelsey going into high school, and as the other kids are getting older, we were able to put her in charge and take nightly “adult” walks around the campground.  Believe it or not, there was truly only tea in those cups, despite the wildly happy looks on our faces.

We ran into this character on the walk one night when he needed to borrow Ethan’s swiss army knife for a corkscrew, so he could open his wine for his “woooman.”  It seemed that we ran into him wherever we went, maybe because it appeared his camp was set up along the road in the dump station.  Brian appeased us by sporting our favorite vest during a night of games… so many good laughs here!

The Sol Duc Hot Spring was not our favorite, but it was nice to get a couple soaks and showers in since none of the national parks had showers in the bathrooms.  We were able to get a 10 pack of tickets for a discount, and buy the rest of the kids tickets at the “child rate” thankfully.

In the middle of hot spring visits, we took a nice walk out to Sol Duc Falls, and back along a different route to the hot springs.

There were definitely lots of characters back in Sol Duc.  We had to snap a pic of this funny bus in the parking lot.

I think Braden would have liked to spend the whole day in the primitive springs.

On our last day together, we headed into Port Angeles for fish and chips/pizza in a parking lot,

and a trip up to Hurricane Ridge, another popular area in Olympic National Park.

The kids received their junior ranger badges

and we headed off for a high altitude hike.  We ran into lots of deer on the way up, and a mountain goat on top.

The views were very clouded over, which makes the breaks in the clouds that much sweeter.

Our last night as the h-pack was spent making Jiffy pop,

squeezing all the kids on the slackline,

and taking some silly pix in our playground.

Olympic National Park was so good to us.  Whether we walked on the beach, sat in the rainforest, or climbed one of the highest mountains, there was always something new to see and do.  Until next time, h-pack.  Coddiwomple.  Travel in a purposeful manner toward our vague destination. (travel dates 7/12-7/17/17)

The last time we had been at Mt Rainier was 10 years ago when Braden was just 3 months old.  This time, we were looking forward to a more intense, hands on experience at this amazing national park (travel dates 7/9-7/12/17).  Mt Rainier is visible from much of the surrounding areas, so we were excited to finally get nice and close to this huge mountain.

We hadn’t stayed in one place for three nights since back at Snow Mountain Ranch, so we enjoyed setting up camp and spreading out again this time.  There is a big difference between one, two, and three nights or more in regards to what comes out of the camper.  The slackline was the biggest hit, of course.

Lucky for us, Cougar Rock Campground was within a couple miles of several stunning waterfalls, so after lunch,

we raced off to see Christine Falls and hike to Comet Falls.

“We” entailed a semi-random group of friends and family who didn’t really know each other, including the Hamilton family, my cousin Jill, and Chuck’s sister Kimmy.  The group couldn’t have gotten along better.  It was a perfect day to wear our new “Coddiwomple” shirts, a phrase meaning “to travel in a purposeful manner toward a vague destination” chosen by the eldest Hamilton, Kelsey.  When we arrived at this waterfall, we assumed it was Comet Falls,

only to look beyond and see a huge towering fall beyond.  Of course, we had to get close enough to feel the powerful spray from the real Comet Falls.  What a great 4 mile hike, with 1300 feet of elevation gain!

Back at our awesome campsites, everyone enjoyed being able to relax,

eat dinner and even s’mores, and get ready for a full day up at Sunrise the next day.

We had an aggressive plan to hike Mt Fremont, and a loop including the Sunrise Rim, and Glacier Basin Trail, but when we arrived at the visitor center, they informed us that most of those trails were closed or advised against due to snowfall.  In fact, there had been rescues just the day before on these trails, so…. we opted to hike past Frozen Lake,

up the Fremont trail

through some intense clouds to the Fremont Lookout Tower.

We ate lunch in the tower,

ironically, had the first cell service we had had in days in the park,

and enjoyed looking through the clouds when Mt Rainier peaked through.

The sky cleared as we hiked back down,

so by the time we hit the snowfields, everyone was ready to play.

Snow angels,

and snow balls ensued.

We had a quick stop at Shadow Lake,

and then jumped our way back to Sunrise.

The girls enjoyed packing their cooling towels, although the weather didn’t warrant any necessary cool downs.

We were so proud of these two girls, getting their hiking legs in shape and ready to go.  At the end of the this hike, they were still jumping for joy 😉

We circled around by road to the White River Campground to cover another part of the Glacier Basin Trail that was still open (which we had originally planned for our loop).

As if these two hikes weren’t enough, we had to stop at the Grove of the Patriarchs.  No matter how many big trees we see, we never get enough!  The bridge over to the grove was a fun, wobbly suspension bridge that everyone enjoyed.

At the grove, we immediately had to snap a pic of the twins with the twin trees, and the whole group was in awe of the soaring giants.

The kids can never resist taking pictures climbing on these huge playgrounds.

With our big group, we couldn’t resist wrapping around one of the biggest trees.  Here’s our failed attempt at taking a pano of our theatrics.

A late dinner at the campsite was just what we needed, and this competitive group loved learning how to play our new favorite game, SET.  These guys were so intense, I was afraid to play!

Ellie enjoyed the special girl treatment from the Hamiltons, and I’m not sure Gavin left his favorite rock near the site that evening, which he gave nightly tours for all.

Before heading into the Paradise visitor center, all the kids finished up their junior ranger books

before getting sworn in.

Once again, we discovered that our intended hike (Paradise Skyline Trail) was snowed in further up, so our plan shifted to getting a good view of the mountain… and having lots and lots of fun.  Our ultra-competitive group decided to have a photo contest throughout the day since we couldn’t hike most of the Skyline Trail or get to Panorama Point.  As we hiked towards Myrtle Falls, Chuck tried to sabotage Jill’s pic by jumping in to photobomb the perfect shot of the first cute marmot we came across.

The further we hiked,

the more silly the pictures got.

Ellie, the cartwheel queen started the tumbling streak,

so we had to take pictures of everyone doing headstands, more cartwheels,

and of course, we hiked with our hammocks to get the perfect mountain shot.

We headed down for lunch because a “special guest” was expected, which turned out to be the popular governor of Washington.

Chuck and Brian had to introduce themselves and get a picture of course.

The Alta Vista Trail came to a screeching halt for us when we found a particularly friendly marmot near this large boulder.

The view was stunning here in all directions,

Since the marmot had claimed the big boulder, our crew claimed this smaller one.  All of us had to jump off for our own photo shoots,

but it was Chuck that claimed “best jump” with this winning shot.

Probably one of the most fun times was documenting what was now “our spot” on Mt Rainier with what we coined the “selfie panorama,” where the cameraman gets swapped out to include all of us during the pano pic.  We’re pretty sure everyone that passed us at this spot surely thought we were crazy, but oh was it fun… definitely a highlight from the trip we won’t forget!

Just beyond the spot we had parked it was this nice waterfall, and nearby, a ranger who told us about the dangers of walking on snow, especially in areas like this, where the water runs below the questionable snowpack.  A climber had been missing for a few days now, and there was no way to find him after he fell through a crevasse.  When the snow melted more, he may be found…. a reminder to heed warning to the rangers words of advice and hike safely.

The dads offered ice cream to whoever made it safely down the steep, snow-covered trail first, so of course these bright kids finished arm in arm so they could all earn ice cream 😉

I thought we may never leave the comforts of the lodge once we entered,

and it was “Auntie” Jill who splurged for all the kids.  Spoiled.

Back at the campsite, there was one more waterfall within walking distance, so one group stayed back at the campsites with the dads, while the moms headed off to check out Carter Falls.

The lighting was perfect on this “golden hour” hike,

so after a few pix, we declared we must come back in the morning with the whole crew.

Back at camp, the dads did not set up our cooking fire, but instead rigged up the perfect hammock swinging setup.

We returned bright and early the next morning to what we thought would be the perfect photo op,

only to discover an old stump, one cloud in the sky hanging right in front of Mt Rainier, crabby, sleep-deprived kids, a dead camera battery, and a bunch of kids who had to use a non-existent restroom… quite the funny situation!

Us ladies would not cease to be teased about good-looking stumps for the remainder of our time with the H-pack.  Good times of course!

Leaving Oregon was one of the hardest parts of the trip for us.  It was unanimously decided that Oregon was one of our favorite states.  However, we were totally looking forward to being reunited with the Hamilton family, one of our favorite crews to meet up with each summer.  Last summer, we were not able to meet up when the Hamiltons headed east for a family reunion, and of course, the Hoffpack was out west in the Rockies.  I always love telling the story of the year we drove all the way out to California, thinking nobody would plan their vacation alongside us all the way out by the Pacific, yet Jeanne drove her camper all the way across the country with their three young daughters, picked Brian up in Phoenix (who had limited vacation time), and met us on the west coast.  Now, that’s a tough woman!

My cousin Jill, Chuck’s sister Kimmy, and our crew drove up to Seaquest State Park in Washington and met up with the Hamiltons for a quick trip up to Mt. St. Helens.

After quickly setting up camp in this beautiful state park, we headed off for the famous volcano.  It’s amazing that the campground was nearly an hour away, yet it was pretty much as close as we could get to the mountain.  There really isn’t much of anything around this national park, a precaution put in place for the next eruption?  I can’t imagine having that drive to work everyday! The girls have become very interested in mountains and volcanic activity, so they were especially excited to learn more about Mt. St. Helens. These little sponges quickly earned their junior ranger badges.  They were comforted to know that the next time she erupts, scientists will be able to predict when that may happen, so thankfully, they were more than willing to hike along the ridge for a better view.  The movie at the visitor center was one of the best national park videos we have seen, and even better when they lift the screen for a beautiful view of the mountain.

The kids could not have been happier to see each other.  Our kids don’t have any cousins their age, but the Hamiltons certainly fit the bill for pseudo cousins.

The adults were just as thrilled to be reunited.  Chuck and Brian went to college together, and when they get together, they revert to the good ‘ol college days and add to the kid count 😉

One of the things I will never forget about Mt. St. Helens is the beautiful array of wildflowers scattered everywhere, a reminder of the rebirth of life in an area that was once annihilated.  Jill now has the iPhone 7 plus, and the portrait setting sure can do amazing things!  I so want one!

One of the things we love most about having my super-positive, trooper of a cousin along with us is her willingness to go with the flow.  As we were trying to empty the fridge to fit in more food for the next segment with no grocery stores along the way, Jill was all about eating the leftover pickles and even drinking the pickle juice.  She also claims to “like” the burnt pie irons coming off the fire, which of course the kids won’t eat.  How cool is she?

With such a big crew, we struggled to come up with a way to share meals, something we commonly do with the Hamiltons.  Lucky for us, the super organized Jeanne had made lots of dinner meals and froze them before heading out to meet us.  We picked up the remainder of the breakfast and lunch meals, and Jill and Kimmy loaded up with fruits, snacks, and desserts.  It worked out perfectly.  The kids were loving all the berries they brought with!

We finished off our one night stay at Seaquest (travel dates 7/8-7/9) with a fun fire, and all our cross county kiddos did some strengthening exercises and a nice run.  That is one thing I regret not having more pictures of, but it is definitely noteworthy how hard these kids worked on vacation.  Even though we were pretty tired at the end of the day after hiking (especially our feet), these kids were so committed to heading out for their runs.  We love their commitment and hope they have some great cross county seasons!

Leaving the Pacific coast is always hard, especially when it was 70 and sunny, and upon arriving at Ainsworth State Park, it was nearly 90.  This would be our last stop with my mom before dropping her off in Portland, and Ainsworth was not really the campground we expected (a long campground with all pull through sites on a big hill, making it difficult to set up a tent, let alone two once Kimmy and Jill arrived for the next stretch).  However, the full hookups were a nice treat.

One of the luxuries of the big camper is eating ice cream, whenever we want it.  The kids couldn’t be happier about that.

The Columbia River Gorge is somewhere we have wanted to explore for years, but have never had the opportunity to do it.  Once we arrived, we weren’t sure where to go, so the campground host recommended checking out the Bonneville Lock and Dam (the first federal lock on the Columbia and Snake rivers), as well as the fish hatchery.  The lock and dam were placed on the National Historic Landmark Register in 1986Trail.  Upon arriving, we were surprised when they asked to search our car.  It was a quick check, but what a reminder it was of the damage that could be done by the wrong hands here.

Inside the Bradford Island Visitor Center, we were able to watch migrating fish move past lighted underwater viewing windows as they move up the fish ladders.  The lampreys were the first fish you see, sucking on to the glass of the viewing windows.  These scary looking, three-toothed “eel-like” sea creatures are also going up river to spawn.  While the Great Lakes fishery was nearly devastated by Atlantic lamprey several years ago (that were able to get around natural barriers with the construction of dams on the St Lawrence River) without natural predators, they are an important part of the Columbia River ecosystem.

It was shocking to see the force of the river, and the determination of the fish as they swam upstream through the ladder.

Millions of fish swim through every year, having been counted since 1938.  Yikes!

After an impressive trip to the lock and dam, we headed over to the fish hatchery.

Even more amazing than the number and size of these fish, was the beautiful grounds at the hatchery, a perfect place for a picnic had we thought to bring dinner.

Before we knew it, we found ourselves at the Bridge of the Gods, the gateway between Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.

The kids were thrilled when Grandma treated them to our last dinner out before she left us.  The Gorge is deceptive in that as your drive through it, you pass right by the beauty that is in the cliffs of the Gorge itself.  This evening, Chuck said, “we need to dig in and really get into this canyon, not just drive through it.”

That evening, we headed down the historic Columbia River Gorge Parkway to the impressive Multnomah Falls.  We always love it when the kids get along, and this night was no exception.  The boys enjoyed pretending the girls were their pets, and they carried them around  with superhuman strength, while treated them like gold… how lucky are these girls to have three awesome big brothers.

As Grandma was about to leave, Chuck picked up sister Kimmy at the Portland Airport at midnight our first night there.  Lucky for us, it was only 30 miles from Ainsworth Campground.  We were so fortunate that she was able to rejoin us after our recent visit in Colorado, before she returned to teaching in India later this month.  This expert traveler was able to find airfare for a mere $220, only one week before traveling!

The sights were amazing in the gorge, and one of the greatest things about having Kimmy along is her amazing ability to capture them on camera, as evidenced by many of her pictures posted here over the next week while she was with us.

After running and biking the gorge the next morning, we were so fortunate to be able to meet up with the McQueen family (who used to live in Illinois – I had worked with Adam at REI to get my outdoor fix before kids).  It had been years since we saw them, pre-kid era!  The McQueens met us at our campsite, and we drove a short mile down the road to the Horsetail Trailhead.  From there, we hiked a few miles and were able to see several spectacular waterfalls in that short time.

Probably the most impressive was our endpoint at the amazing Triple Falls. 

The moss on the trees was a quick reminder that we had finally arrived in the rainforest!

Of course Chuck had the brilliant idea to head out and take a picture atop these towering falls.

Never mind all the amazing sights on the trail, the kids were most impressed by the banana slugs we picked up along the way.

The girls carried them for the last couple miles back to the car, and their hands were officially slimed.  By the time they found the perfect place to release them, the waterfall nearby did not put a dent in the slime stuck to their hands.  Ugh!

We headed back to the campground for lunch, and waited for my cousin Jill to arrive (who would be with us for the next week and a half).  Adam’s next spot to take us was one of our favorites for the whole trip, Oneonta Canyon.  Again, this spot was only a mile and a half from our campground, between Horsetail and Multnomah Falls.  Despite how rugged it looks, it was relatively easy to access the canyon, aside from the dangerous log jam as we entered.

Once through the log jam, we were in pure amazement of the beautiful greenery in this canyon.  We were so fortunate to be able to explore this amazing spot, as a few days later on 7/12, the canyon was closed as wildfires burned near Oneonta Falls in the Gorge.  The Historic Columbia River Highway was closed from our campground at Ainsworth to Multnomah Falls due to the fire, knocking out access to all of the falls we visited on this day.

The water was cold in the canyon, and as proof that our kids don’t always love to hike, here’s a shot of Braden as he persistently told us he would have rather stayed at the campsite with Grandma.

The water got deeper the further we went, and the kids enjoyed walking on the downed logs

and climbing along the cliffs through the deep parts before finally succumbing to the water.   Chuck was not as kind as me, and pulled the girls right through the water instead of piggy backing them.

Poor Laney was terrified when it was her turn with Daddy.

The walk to the falls was not far, maybe 1/4-1/2 mile, but the canyon and falls were so very rewarding.  Thank you McQueen family for playing tour guide with us and showing us your amazing state!

We had been so eager to explore the canyon that it wasn’t until after that we saw the tunnels for the tiny cars, and the foreboding sign warning of the dangers of climbing in the log jam.  Whoops!

Two nights in the Gorge went by quickly, and we were sad to see our time coming to an end.  We returned to Multnomah Falls that night and hiked to the top.

We couldn’t have asked for a better stay here, and will definitely return!  Who would know all these amazing places exist only 30 miles from Portland.  Oregon, we love you like no other!

(travel dates 7/6-7/8)

On the 4th of July, we moved over to Fort Stevens State Park, along the northernmost shore of the Oregon coast.  We remembered the beautiful rocky beaches from the last time we were there on our cross country bike trip 14 years ago.  We were shocked to see the condition of the road along the way in some spots.

The jetty at Fort Stevens was set up to close the mouth of the Columbia River, allowing safer passage for ships.  We enjoyed looking for wildlife in the lookout shelter and tower.  The kids were amazed that it was built by train cars long ago, which dumped loads of rock.

We knew the highlight of this park would be the actual fort, built during the civil war to protect our waterway.  The kids could not have been more excited to explore the Fort.  They said it was soooo cool because it was a “huge army place” where they got to go in all the historical buildings.

This was a World War II battleship gun that was transported because it was similar to the actual guns used at Fort Stevens.  No battles actually occurred at the Fort, aside from a Japanese submarine fired at the Fort.  The soldiers were very disappointed that they did not get to return fire during that time, and some went AWOL and were sent to the fort prison.

The boys learned that there were other guns there that could shoot 15 miles.  Many of the soldiers were unhappy to be stationed at Fort Stevens because of the rainy, cold weather, so many became expert sharp shooters, which would allow them to get transferred to a nicer base down south in the sun.

Their main defense was a bunch of mines built around the Columbia River.

Back at the campground, we had to take advantage of the site to site firewood delivery.

That evening, we headed off to Astoria to watch the fireworks.  We found the perfect spot to see them, right on the Columbia, within view of Washington.

The next morning, Gavin was in heaven after a restock at the grocery store the day before, which included a box of donuts.

Laney, on the other hand, who had quickly adapted to Pacific time, had to be woken up almost every morning.

The boys were so intrigued by the Fort that we returned the next day to tour the museum more, and ride ‘the Beast,’ a Vietnam era truck used for transporting soldiers through the jungle.

It was quite a bumpy ride, which made it all that much more fun.  Braden said, “I can’t believe it had 5 wheels on each side to help it on rough terrain.  It could carry 6 tons (12,000 pounds).”

Everyone was all ears on the tour.  Even though the guide was a “sub,” she made the whole Fort come to life with her knowledge and story telling.

After our tour on the beast, we moved over to the Guard House.  Braden said it was for “army soldiers that were bad.  I learned that no prisoner ever escaped there.  There was a jail in the basement for soldiers who got in lots of fights.  We got to go in one of the cells too.”

We learned that the guards slept head to toe in order to decrease germ spreading when sleeping next to one another.

Braden also said, “I loved getting to pick out cool pencil sharpeners from the gift shop thanks to Grandma.  I chose one that looks like a furnace.  I totally enjoyed looking and learning about the history of the fort.  It is such a fun thing we do over the summer, and I will definitely want to come back here some day.  Even though I think they got treated badly here by working so hard and not getting paid much, I think they kind of got lucky to get to go in the whole Fort, which is something I want to do.  I hope to tour the underground next time.  Fort Stevens is a fun place to go and play now.”

After our last time at the Fort, we went out for fish and chips, and were so pleased with the recommendation of the volunteers at the guard house.  We will definitely be back to the Fishmonger!  Ethan said, “it was an amazing meal…. definitely the best fish and chips I’ve ever had.”

Chuck found a great beach along the Columbia to eat our lunch.  We enjoyed watching the big ships pass through.

Afterwards, we continued on to the Lewis and Clark National Park, which is small but beautiful.  The kids made crafts and completed their junior ranger books there.

Outside, we were able to walk along the  end path of Lewis and Clark.  Ethan thinks it was a great way to honor Lewis and Clark.

The re-enactments allowed us to see how things were many years ago.

With only a few hours left at Fort Stevens, we opted to drive down the coast to return to Ecola State Park, a favorite beach from the bike trip many years ago.

Unfortunately, the erosion on the cliffs have forced the state park to close off the main part of the overlook, beautiful nontheless.

On the way out, we were greeted by several elk.

Canon Beach was also an amazing place to return to. This beach is just magical, as you can see from the happy faces on the kids faces.

We were baffled by all the dead birds on the beach, and of course we had to snap a pic of this one with a cigarette to send to our smoking relatives with a “smoking kills” message.

The houses along Canon Beach are gorgeous-we had to snap a pic of these gorgeous flowers on our way out!

While we didn’t like all the mosquitos up on this part of the coast, we love the shady sites at Fort Stevens State Park, as well as the many things this great park has to offer.

Before we left, Grandma spent the morning on  the beach by the shipwreck while Chuck and I packed up the camper for our next destination.  (The captain of this ship had been caught on a stormy night and crashed into the beach, but thankfully, everyone survived.  They simply waited for low tide to get off the boat).  There is so much history here…  but just never enough time at any of these places!

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Fourteen years ago, we discovered Belknap Hot Springs after a long day of riding on our cross country bike trip.   It offered just the right pampering relief from riding as it did this summer after three “single” nights of camping, something that we try to do only a few times, as it wears on us when traveling with a camper.  Belknap offers Lodge rooms and cabin/cottage rentals, and of course, a beautiful campground.

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It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since we’ve been at Crater Lake.  It is quite a magnificent sight, so we knew we had to bring all the kids here.  Upon arriving, we were surprised that it was covered in snow still!  Apparently, Crater Lake had 50 feet of snow this past winter.  Mazama Campground does not do reservations in June, so we were hoping we wouldn’t have trouble getting a site.  We had no reason to worry, as it appeared that the campground had just opened, with portapotties out in place of the closed bathrooms. Oy!

One of the best parts of vacation is watching the awe in our kids eyes as they see the most amazing parts of our country.  I just love how they retain information at this age, and often find myself asking them about facts or places we’ve learned about after I’ve forgotten.

Equally as exciting as Crater Lake, the snow banks and snow caves provided hours of entertainment.

It was great having Grandma along for this part of the trip too.  At first sight, she declared she would sleep in the camper, only to change her mind as we stepped out of the car to blue skies, 70 degrees, and mountain scented air.

While the adults enjoyed the beautiful lake view, the kids entertained themselves on this giant snow hill.

As almost every trail was still closed due to snow, our one might stay was plenty here.  It was exciting to walk around in shorts in the campsite, surrounded by snow.  Even our fire pit was not visible!

The kids were thrilled to have Grandma’s “walking tacos” for dinner finally!

The boys spent the evening working on emoji needlepoints.

Best buds Braden and Gavin decided to show off their “twin clothes”.

While the boys got some time to themselves with Grandma, we took the girls out for an evening scooter ride.

Before leaving the park the next day, the kids completed another junior ranger badge for Crater Lake National Park, a great way to supplement our summer bridge activities on the road!

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Leaving Snow Mountain is tough every year, but especially this year after our time at SMR really flew.  We knew we were heading into our longest drive, racing across Colorado, Utah, and Nevada to get to the California side of Lake Tahoe.  The highlights included the amazingly beautiful Park City, Utah,

Salt Lake City,

and the huge Great Salt Lake.

I’m not sure why it surprised me so much, but the salt factories and flats were so impressive.

It seemed that every exit going through Nevada had a casino, and the one we stopped at around dinner time happened to offer us “kids eat free” at their Iron Skillet for all 5 kiddos, a must stop of course.

We spent the night at Walmart in Elko, Nevada, which turned out to be the best Walmart stop we have made to date, positioned high on a bluff above town.

We treated the kids to ice cream after the long drive.

We noticed the Dickey’s as we drove through Carson City, and it just happened to be kids eat free Sunday.

Our campsite at Fallen Leaf Campground was a beautiful surprise, with perfect temperatures and huge towering trees in our site.

Fallen Leaf Lake was gorgeous, giving Lake Tahoe a run for its money.

After enjoying an afternoon of swimming, we headed up to Emerald Bay for the evening.  The road going up was a challenge even without a trailer, with drops off both sides of the road, but Emerald Bay was well worth the drive.

We brought one bike along this year, and have loved taking it out for a ride in the morning.  The bike trail along the lake was a highlight of Tahoe for both Chuck and me.

We spent the morning heading to Glen Alpine Falls on Fallen Leaf Lake, and were once again shocked by the narrow one-lane, two-way road to get there.  After feeling we were on the road to nowhere, we arrived at a town which even had a fire department.  The Falls were well worth the drive.

The Tallac Historic Site was a beautifully preserved lake community, and  we enjoyed riding scooters, eating our pizza lunch, and swimming at the beach there.  We were surprised to see all the signs warning of the plague here.

The kids had been dying to try out our inflatable kayak, and we thought Fallen Lake would offer the perfect opportunity.  The kids worked hard to get it ready, only to discover 30 mph winds there, unlike Lake Tahoe.  They braced the water anyway, as it was blowing right into the shore.

After braving the wind as long as we could, we headed over to Tallac on Tahoe for a late afternoon swim before dinner.  There was absolutely no wind three of course!

We spent the evening having a fire, playing at the campsite, and enjoying performances by the kids, who were loving having a nice site after lots of time in the car.  Nothing is more enjoyable than watching them enjoy each other so much.

There is so much more to see and do at Lake Tahoe (including several hikes I wish we would have been able to do), but that was all we had time for now.  Until next time Lake Tahoe!

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We’ve had a full week with friends at Snow Mountain Ranch.  This week flew by with all the activities we were able to share with the Beintums (friends from high school), Bloomquists (friends from home who have since move to Springfield), Doogans (friends from church), and Weavers (a family we have met through boy scouts over the years).  We love starting our journey here because it eases us all into roughing it in the national parks and other faraway places.  It’s easy to be here, with all the options for activities and proximity to Denver and big grocery stores.  The hardest part is always saying goodbye after all the fun was had.

We had an early start from home after a late night of getting everything in order back home. 

We find that it get harder and harder each year to find time to pack up amidst all the closing activities.

Our first night’s stop was the Walmart parking lot in Ogallala, Nebraska, which turned out to be a bust.  The huge pot holes in the gravel parking lot adjacent to Walmart were a minor problem compared to the windy dust bowl amongst the semis. 

It was so hot when we tried to stop at 7pm, we decided to drive on to Sterling, Colorado before breaking for the night.  Thankfully, that allowed us to take the drive up 70 the next morning before the heat rolled in again.   

The Beintums were with us for almost 3 weeks last summer, so camping together has become the norm for the kids, as well as us.  We were able to coordinate one week together this year before our paths separated.  Every year brings a different focus, and this year, aside from “hanging with the huskies,”

mini golf, rock climbing (first time for the girls, and despite the 30 MPH wind and shaking, Ellie made it to the top),

Kiva fun,

church,

cooking over the fire with the pie irons, tubing,

and craft center projects,

we were able to take the waterfall hike and trek up Snow Mountain before more guests arrived.  This was the first time we have taken the new trail on the short 2-3 mile waterfall hike. 

We were able to relocate many of the geocaches we planted last year also.

Snow Mountain was still very snowy this year, which compounded the difficulty. 

The 2000 foot climb is always hard with all the downed trees,

steep ascent,

and gravelly non-maintained trail, but this year was even trickier with the snow fields, forcing us to go further off trail.  The girls entertained themselves by talking to the big kids on the walkie talkies as we walked (and around camp). 

While Chuck’s Garmin showed about 5.5 miles, Kristin and my fitbits showed 8.   We all agreed, whatever the mileage, this 6-8 mile high altitude hike is harder than the long 17 milers we put in during our stay in Glacier.  We all had to wear our “Beast Mode” shirts created for our trip to Disney earlier this year (will have to post on that soon too). 

We were so proud of the 8 kids for braving it up that mountain with few complaints.  The kids came up with a new hobby called “sheeing,” skiing down the snow fields in the shoes.

We even caught sight of an eagle near the reservoir.

Shortly after all the fun we squeezed in the first couple days at Snow Mountain, two other families joined us.  While I absolutely love sharing this magnificent place with other friends, I always worry about balancing everyone’s needs within such a big group, whether it is to be with or without us on their vacations.  Both families went their separate ways for some activities, including horseback riding, taking the chairlift up Granby Ranch, rafting, and the alpine slide at Winter Park, but we were able to coordinate more tubing, a hike up 9 Mile Mountain,

“Weird science,”

a trip to the cave,

free smore’s,

painting a pony (as well as feeding dandelions to the goats),

and a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park to Adam Falls and beyond,

with a visit to Grand Lake for ice cream and the beach.  Rich and Chuck spent an afternoon helping Steve (the chaplain at SMR) build a new fence for the sled dogs at his new home

while we played on the beach, ate ice cream,

 and took a trip over to the favorite Granby Park.

Every year, there is a new favorite activity, and this year’s winner was gaga ball by the program office. 

We played once along with one of the program leaders, and quickly realized our group was big enough to organize our own game.  It got everyone’s competitive juices going, and got everyone covered in dirt.  We established “dirt shirts” just for playing in the crazy dust pit, similar to a pig pen.  Once the Weavers arrived, the party was in full swing.  Evenings up by the fire and campground provided grills were filled with laughs. 

Everyone was always on the hunt for free wood,

and the kids continue to build animal houses for their favorite camping toys.

It was so fun to meet up with the Weavers here too, who were able to camp right next to us for their stay.  While they were busy with wedding festivities for their cousin and other family members, it was great to squeeze in some time with them around the fire, at the campsite, and more. 

Rich and Steve developed a special bond, and I think the Beintums may be abandoning camping with the Hoffpack for the Weavers 😉 

The last days for these families were spent squeezing in all the fun we could, down at the homestead,

hiking up Granby Ranch,

lollygagging with llamas Lightning, Luscious, and Linnemon,

and playing with our scooters and the trikes at the trike park. 

Aside from the one windy day when we huddled up for a movie and games in the camper,

the weather couldn’t have been better.

The kids loved squeezing into the Beintum van.

As the Bloomquists and Beintums left (after a short birthday celebration),

we squeezed in our last bits of friend fun with the Doogans and Weavers,

as well as a night with our favorite locals, the M family and neighbors. 

Today, we say goodbye to the Doogans and Weavers, ready for a whole new shift of family coming in today!

We woke early this morning thinking our biggest obstacle was going to be our trek up Snow Mountain, a 6 mile, 2000 foot climb up the landmark mountain at Snow Mountain Ranch.  However, the Beintum girls woke up, and quickly shared that they could not find their shoes.  Rich and Kristin said, “Where did you put your shoes?  Did you look under the car and the camper?  How did you lose your shoes?!”  They discovered their shoes were missing, but not in pairs.  Unfortunately, these were the gym shoes needed for the difficult hike we were about to take.  The girls quickly defended themselves, stating, “We didn’t lose them.  They were right here.  I know it!”  Megan said, “I was sad because I couldn’t go on the hike without my shoes.”

As the Beintums shared their problem, we immediately knew where they had gone.  Many years ago, we spent 3 weeks kayaking around Isle Royale National Park, an island in the middle of Lake Superior, when a fox stole our shoes, something we couldn’t live without on the island.  We were able to bait the fox and find that he was stealing our shoes, hiding them away from our tent, and then coming back to carry them the rest of the way to his den.  I’m not sure why he thought they would be such a great addition to his den, and since this experience 15 years ago, we have never heard of anything similar.  I’m pretty sure those we told didn’t really believe us.

While Chuck was out running before our hike this morning, he saw a fox, which made us immediately suspect a similar situation.  We started scouring the campground for any evidence, and quickly discovered one of the missing shoes.  As we continued searching, we found someone else’s shoe. Next, we found Megan’s shoe, making a pair for her. 

We didn’t even realize that Allie’s Keens were missing until she stumbled upon hers, and she said “I was surprised the fox would want them considering how smelly they were.” 

Finally, we found Jillian’s, who said “while it was funny, I felt sad since the fox stole my favorite shoe.” 

Everyone was loaded up, ready to go, but Chuck was nowhere to be seen.  The campground was basically empty, so we yelled for him to come back.  He called back, “I am standing one foot from the fox!” 

While they were becoming fast friends, the fox was frightened away by the herd of running children.  The Beintum ladies and all the Hoffs continued on our way to the base of Snow Mountain while Rich stayed back searching for the last missing shoe before the fox came back to take the shoe away to his den for good.

An hour later, the hikers received word that Rich found the missing shoe.  Unfortunately, both of Allie’s shoes did not fair well.  The first was chewed through, and the one Rich found was clearly marked by the fox.  The hikers were thoroughly disgusted.

The girls were relieved that it wasn’t their fault… and that the fox did not win today!

After all the running and racing the boys have done over the last year, it was only natural that they chose ‘boot camp’ for this year’s birthday party theme. It was a grand celebration of 45 kids and several teen and adult “helpers.” Our friends, the M family, were even able to make it in from Colorado with their camper for the big party. Ethan shared his post-party perspective:

The kids got whipped into shape as soon as everyone arrived. For the early arrivals, we climbed in the attic climbing wall, war-painted our faces, and decorated our battalion flags.

We started off with typical boot camp warm-ups with Drill Sergeant Hoff.

We did a battalion relay and obstacle course to collect rations of water, candy, and cliff bars and granola bars to last throughout the party.

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Our “helpers” did a great job of making for smooth transitions.

(we even had cousin John play “Reveille,” a military trumpet wakeup call into the megaphone for transitions)

Then Dad commanded us to break off into stations with a memory game and “keep in mind” activity,

an obstacle course including a rope climb,

balance beam,

slack line,

rope swing,

and climbing wall,

and we all had fun during our nerf war.

It was awesome because if you got shot, a medic (neighbor Thomas or Dad) would pick you up in the lawn mower cart and bring you back to the medic tent.

Next, everybody collected their dog tags and fished their “dogs” out of the creek.

A massive tug of war game ensued,

and then we broke off into groups to play hide and seek.

My friend and I brought ghille suits (best thing ever!), so the kids couldn’t find us.

Dad even extended the point value if we were found. (The kids have a blast looking for these two jokers). Many of the kids brought along their favorite nerf guns to use during a capture the flag/nerf battle. Then the adults hid, trying to snipe us in the forest. I was cornered by a rival nerf artimis, (the gun I want most. Hey mom, every kid has something they want)! Then we had a grenade water balloon toss.

We all got soaked, we hid in boxes, but that did not work. The biggest kid (and main target) got completely soaked during the water grenade war.

Lots of calories were burned, so these kids were more than ready by the time cupcake and snack time came around.

Overall, it was the best birthday party ever!

Half a million calls in one morning, 2000 in the first four seconds of opening time, everyone calling on the first of the month, 13 months in advance of the highly coveted June spots to hike down the Grand Canyon to Phantom Ranch. As popular as it is, Phantom Ranch is only able to give out 64 spots per night after allotting other spots for groups and professional tours. It’s hard to imagine a vacation destination infinitely more competitive than Disney, but this is it. Xanterra said “all hands are on deck” for the first of the month, meaning 150 employees (including maintenance workers) answer the many calls from desperate hikers, hoping for the slim chance to hike to the base of the Grand Canyon.

We have been waiting for this day for the last year, planning our best plan of attack through groups, which entails faxing your request for your group of 10 or more at 12am Mountain Standard Time (in Arizona, with no daylight savings time), in other words 2am central time. After several of our parties were unsuccessful in earning a group reservation in the middle of the night, all of us called this morning to try getting an individual reservation of 9 or less. I am still shaking my head in disbelief, but I managed to snag 3 of the 4 4-person cabins at Phantom Ranch. When I told the operator I would take as many spots as I could get, knowing it was only possible to get 9, she managed to book 3 cabins for 2 nights, and explained that I would be able to call back once the phone lines cleared later this afternoon to switch our third cabin (which at the time only had one of our nine) to a different person’s name and fill the cabin with four people, allowing us and the original family that had dreamt up this plan to go on a once in a lifetime adventure. I can’t believe we are already booking our 2018 summer vacation before we take our 2017 trip!

Our other option to stay at the bottom of the Grand Canyon was to camp, but with only 2 group campsites available to groups over 6 (our family), our chances for this opportunity appeared to be slipping through our fingers. In addition, campsites are booked 4 months in advance, which would be after our entire 2018 trip would be booked next January, quite possibly forcing us to rearrange our entire summer of reservations due to the flexibility required for us to try getting a campsite any day next summer. Because the chances were so slim to get anything, we couldn’t even split our family because each family would likely get a different date. In addition, if a group is found to be travelling to separate campsites, their permit would get revoked. It seemed that roadblocks were popping up everywhere we turned.

Regardless, we are forever thankful for this new opportunity. Check in with us if you are heading to the Grand Canyon and looking for reservation tips. Let the 2018 planning begin!  Phantom Ranch, here we come!

Approximately one of two months is spent off the grid every summer, without cell phone coverage.  If we’ve been there before, we usually know whether we will have access, but often times, we don’t have any idea if we will be able to contact friends and relatives, or if we will be turned off to the cyber world around us.  In some ways, it is difficult, while in others, it’s a welcome mandated retreat.  When we crossed the country on bikes in 2003, we had no cell phones and sometimes lost contact with mom in her support vehicle.  Our method of contact was to call dad back home and the second person who called would be alerted about where the first was.  Inconvenient?  Definitely.  In so many ways though, it really was refreshing.  I’d like to think that living through that inconvenience only gave us a greater appreciation for the convenience of having such easy access now.  It’s amazing how much has changed since that time.  Now, the cell phone has become what a pager once was and more.  Our 11 year old (and even 9 year old) son is definitely in the minority… he does not yet have a cell phone.

“I had to buy one to keep my child safer,” is commonly a sentence I hear.  I struggle with this topic more than any other.  The cell phone is slowly creeping into our children’s lives.  We represent the 20% of families that didn’t allow our 11 year old to have a cell phone… yet.  There are times when he is hours away for a weekend campout with scouts or a cross country meet.  It has been hard to adjust to the distance with no way to contact him, and it is tempting at times to succumb to the pressure.   He is expected to text us to keep us updated or tell us when to pick him up.  In these instances, he has to use a teammate or coaches phone to get in touch with us. 

So, how did we decide to tackle this one?  Ethan will earn one after he reads the 100 books (of our choosing) on his list.  Already 50 books into this challenge, we are shocked to find one of the most intense and highly motivated efforts ever witnessed by such a young man.  We have started to observe and react to how much the cell phone is used, realizing just how close he may be to receiving a phone.  There are a few topics I react to, including phones being used as a personal diary, phones used to watch countless hours of YouTube and game playing, and phones that allow access into a dark world, whether intentions were innocent or not. 

First, I want to point out that phones are generally an amazingly awesome tool that leave me jealous.  I cannot believe children can walk around with a super complex Atari system.  I also have a hard time imagining life without a cell phone.  In addition, there is no judgment on other parents for the reasons they have or have not decided their child needs one. 

However, with my respect and admiration towards this cool tool comes the extreme caution I will take giving a device to my children.  At the age of 11, he does not have the self control to moderate.  We have strict rules in our home to earn iPad time on weekends.  Like many children his age, he can be quickly seduced to countless hours of playing games on his iPad.  His addiction causes him to lie about how much time he has spent on the device or his intentions with using the device.  Over the years, I have observed unprecedented mood swings in children when they use cell phones.  Like an alcoholic without a drink for a day, kids can become intolerable without their phones.  This leaves parents and children in an awkward position.  How much independence should parents give children?  Should children be allowed to treat their phones as their diary?  I am surprised to see kids become so private with a device that was originally granted to them to keep them safer. 

As parents of 5 children, we have recently started a policy that all cell phones stay on the kitchen counter when guests enter our home.  Even as adults, we have a hard time moderating, and have done our best to participate in our new rule.  Not only do I not trust my children from predators on the internet, I certainly do not trust the discretion teenagers have towards using their devices with my children near them.  As a teacher, I encourage groups of children to openly talk to one another without keeping secrets.  In an art classroom, this is a pretty reasonable expectation.  However, I have already observed phones that are kept privately, where kids are found with a dull glow of a cell screen texting…This is troubling to me.  The phrase “Carpe Diem” when applied can mean our children are taught to enjoy the moments they have with the people they are with.  I understand how quickly this device can be used as a crutch.  In line checking out groceries and the line is long and slow, maybe I will take the cell phone out to see if there are any hits on the most recent posted picture on Instagram.  This time can always be used to connect with other people. 

The cell phone allows unusual access into others lives and moments.  YouTube is one of the most powerful engines on the internet.  Like using Siri, a quick search on YouTube can help us build things, watch clips from our favorite shows, and gain perspectives on places we can visit.  These are incredible helpful reasons to use the internet.  On the other hand, YouTube can lead to crazy unrealistic expectations. 

Did you ever noticed how your favorite 1980s PG movie just became a PG-13 movie over night?  Several movies have countless material which would not be considered politically correct today.  Swear words and partial nudity are not uncommon.  I cringed watching Ghost Busters with my children years ago.  So I cringe now to think that a simple push of the touch screen can access much harsher material with ease.  Similar to cigarette ads reaching us in our youth, sexual content seemingly has no age limit today.  This should absolutely scare us.  It strikes me that we teach sex education to 10 year olds but also hand devices over to children capable of allowing unlimited access.  I’m confused… I’ve sat through countless talks and witnessed 80 to 100 boys uncomfortably sit through a 90 minute presentation.  They ask innocent questions and feel completely ashamed.  It only takes a few inappropriate images with a cell phone to cause irreversible damage and take innocence away.  I feel that parents should use every opportunity to monitor every bit of information used on our children’s cell phones. 

I know we will do everything in our power to protect our children.  Despite its many benefits, the cell phone is one of the single most dangerous tools our children can have.  If it is not monitored using extreme measures, it can lead to an end of innocence and worse.  During a paternity leave, I stood at the bus stop and counted the drivers using cell phones.  Countless drivers passed a bus stop looking at their phones as they drove by.   Car accidents due to texting has results in way too many injuries and fatalities.

Recently, some friends went out shopping for their oldest daughter to get a cell phone.  She couldn’t wait to see what they would bring home.  They arrived home with a Gizmo, a watch-like device that allows their daughter to call or text the few people on her short list.  This device serves the exact purpose we all NEED our children to have a phone.  Of course, she was devastated.  I can’t be certain what direction we go until we are there, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what we come home with too.

We realize that enforcing kids who have a phone to leave it on our counter is a harsh stance that may discourage some from visiting our home, but this was the best way we could stay on top of the issue for now.  After observing many teens and pre-teens engage in lots of unsupervised time on their devices (feeling powerless to know whether that was their parents wishes or not), and others actually breaking devices at our house, we feel this is the best solution for us.  While they may not have immediate access to others outside our home, we can assure everyone that there will be lots of fun, and REAL communication while you are with us.