Moab 2025!

I'm finally catching up on our summer blogposts!  I've had a very difficult pregnancy this go round, so I've been in absolute survival mode.  I'm now three weeks away from my due date and finally feeling a little capable of getting things done 😅.

In June, we went on the best trip to Moab!  A few months prior, my best friend from high school (Allison Munse!!!!) called me out of the blue.  She said they were planning a trip to Moab in June and asked if we wanted to join.  I don't think we'd seen each other since her wedding...maybe ten years ago?!  

Of course we said yes!  I wondered what it would be like to see her after all this time, given that our lives had just naturally diverged over the years.

I'm happy to report that it was absolutely wonderful!  Seeing her was just like old times...we cried happy tears when we saw each other, we laughed endlessly, got along seamlessly and understood each other without words.  It was also so great to meet her family, and for Don to spend time with one of the people that shaped me early on in life.

Friendsies till the endsies!

Now for the trip!  We packed in a lot of adventure in a few short days!

{Landscape Arch}

Allison's kids, Preston and Abby, got along so well with Auggie and Owen.  By the end of the week, they had a "kids hiking group" established, with rules and signals to follow and everything.  It was fun to see them make new friends.

Don convinced the kids to hike an extra mile or two to see the Double Arch.  He and Scott took off with the littles while Allison and I hung back.  This was peak pregnancy illness for me, so I was worried about making the long trek in the heat.  The kids all happily reported that the Double Arch was "way worth it!".

{Jeep Tour}

So...this was wild.  Our Jeep tour included two vehicles.  The big blue one was nicknamed "The Beast", and the little green one was "Shrek".  I was grateful we had professional drivers because some of the trails were unbelievable.  Like, we didn't believe the jeep could possibly drive that straight up or down without tumbling backwards or forwards, but somehow it did.  

The most intense trail we did is called Hell's Revenge.  It's like a fifty meter climb, almost straight up.  Apparently, there are multiple Youtube compilations of the many rollovers, flips, falls, and epic fails of Jeeps attempting Hell's Revenge.  I'm grateful we made it out unscathed!

{Red Cliffs Lodge, Moab}

We exhausted these little adventure kids!

We stayed at a beautiful resort right next to Colorado River.  It was so picturesque, and there was a herd of horses corralled in a field right outside our room.  Every morning we woke up and said hi to the horses while we ate breakfast.  The kids loved it!

{Delicate Arch}

This was as impressive as it looks!  Amazing!

{Adventure Boat Tour}

This particular tour took some convincing to get our kids on board.  It was a speedboat tour along the Colorado River, but it is known for getting the passengers extremely soaked.  The boat drivers do a gazillion 360's that churn water over the boat.  On the phone, the employee described it as "getting a five gallon bucket of water dumped on your head every few minutes".  She was not wrong.

The kids were extremely nervous, but they did it!  It was probably too much for Owen, who kept politely requesting no more spins, but he never cried!  In the end, it was a memory for all of us!  

Every night, we went swimming and played card games by the pool.  

This trip was 10/10!