Friday, September 26th--
I got the van packed and the kids ready to go and was on the road to pick up Casey from work by about 12:30. I stopped at the store to buy some French bread then at the gas station to fill the car up with gas. during this time both boys fell asleep.
I picked up Casey from work around 1:30. We stopped at Hogi Yogi for lunch on the go and then we were on the road for our 2.5 hour drive to Capitol Reef. I was a little worried about how Tanner would do in the car, since when we went to St. George he pretty much cried the entire time. Tanner actually did great in the car. Mason got a little fussy towards the end, but I'd call it a successful drive when Casey doesn't have to use his sound proof ear protection (that he uses when he shoots his guns) because the kids are crying.
We drove straight through, not stopping once, and we arrived in Capitol Reef around 4:30. We got all checked in to our cabin, unloaded our gear, then walked around the camp ground waiting for my family to return from their day filled with adventure (some of the family drove down the day before). While we were walking around the camp ground we made some friends from Arizona. They had a motorcycle windmill outside which caught Mason's eye. They were from Arizona, but every summer, for the past 11 years, they have driven to Capitol Reef in their large motor home and spend the summer there. They were very kind and friendly and we ended up chatting with them for about 2 hours until my family returned back to the camp ground.
After my family had returned we started making a delicious dinner of Spaghetti. Everything always tastes better while camping. By the time dinner was ready, everyone had made it safely to Capitol Reef. We spent that night eating dinner, sitting by the camp fire, and making delicious s'mores.
When 10:00 rolled around we decided it was time to take Mason and Tanner back to our cabin to get them ready for bed. Our cabin was super nice. It had 2 queen size beds, a fridge, TV, and microwave (which was super nice to be able to heat up bottles so quickly in the night). Casey and I aren't much of the adventurous type, so this kind of camping was pretty much roughing it for us.
By about 11:00 Mason was still having a hard time falling asleep. Casey ended up taking Mason out on the front porch of our cabin and watched and listened to the rain. Mason and Tanner were finally both asleep by about 12:00. Casey laid by Mason in one of the beds and I laid by Tanner in the other. We had a pretty successful night (compared to the other family members first night: mom and dad's bed broke and Parker fell through the sides of the tent trailer landing outside on the ground), Tanner only woke up about 3 times and if Mason hadn't almost fallen off the bed, he would have slept all night!!
Saturday, September 27th--
Both boys were up and going around 7:30, so Casey and I had no choice but to get up and start getting our cabin packed up and our family ready for the day. After getting everything ready for the day, we checked out of our cabin and headed over to the "compound" where the rest of the family was staying. Mom and dad planned a delicious breakfast of pancakes and peaches, bacon, and sausage. Everything tasted so good.
Our first stop was the fruit farm. We did this last year and had so much fun that we wanted those family members that didn't go last year to get a chance to pick the fruit. Everyone had a great time picking the fruit and eating it. On our way back Casey, Mason, Tanner, and I stopped at the river to let Mason throw rocks in. This was probably bar far Mason's favorite part of the trip. He loves throwing rocks in rivers.
After our little hike, we drove through Capitol Reef and found some waterfalls. By this time is was raining pretty hard so the rain would form waterfalls off the tall red rock cliffs. We were so worried about the other family members, but little did we know they were having the time of their lives in the rainstorm.
After looking at the waterfalls, we drove to the Capitol Reef Visitor's Center to take shelter from the pouring rain. We looked around inside for a while, bought a few souvenirs, and watched a movie about the history of Capitol Reef.
By about 4:30 the other family members had made it safely off their hike. By this time everyone was STARVING, so we headed to Slackers for a late lunch/early dinner.
The rain continued to pour while we ate lunch at Slackers. Slackers was just as good as I remember it being last year. After Slackers, we started our 3 hour drive home. Mason wanted to ride in my parents van with Lydia. He ended up sleeping pretty much the entire time as did Tanner in our car.
Everyone safely returned home around 9:30 that night. We had such a fun time in Capitol Reef. We are already looking forward to our Capitol Reef trip next year and hope we can go for more then just one night.
Ok, that is so funny that Casey will wear his shooting ear protection so he doesn't have to hear the kids.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to capital reef in years, I was way younger. I think we might have to go next year. And I know who to call to help me plan the trip!