Day 4: The Surprise and Negro Bill's Canyon

The morning of day 4, we were so excited. We got up and surprised our kids with a ride in a Hummer! It took us on a trail on an area outside of Moab. I was a little nervous to begin with, and then the Hummer showed up with no doors and kind of ghetto seat belts. We are all alive to tell about it, so my worry was for nothing. Here are the boys waiting for it to come.

Here it is!!!

It was a little chilly because there was no top  or doors, so our guide let us use these blakets. They were also nice for when the boys got scared! They just used them to cover their eyes!

Here is Nathan on our tour. He is standing next to a Dinosaur foot print. Apperently, southern Utah is a palenotologist's dream...and a dream for a 5 year old little boy who LOVES dinosaurs!

Not quite as big as a Utahraptor!

 On our way up Hell's Revenge! It was pretty steep!

 Up, up, up we go! Robbie started out sitting by the edge. The boys got braver as the morning went on and Carson took a turn sitting there.

 Happy baby! Everyone had fun...

 Including me!

Our Hummer ride crossed over a mountain biking trail. It was really neat to see those bikes go up that rock like nothing. Robbie had a little dreaming of the days when we can bring these boys and they can do things like that together. I think we are off to a good start though!

After the excitement of our morning, we ate a quick lunch, and then it was back to hiking again. Next stop was Negro Bill's Canyon. It was a beautiful hike. It was about 3 miles back in and then 3 miles out. I knew that this would be a stretch because these little boys were so tired. We had hiked their little legs right off! This canyon has a spring that runs all the way out to the Colorado river. It is a gradual climb, but it is so fun. It has greenery everywhere. We learnd on our Hummer drive that the rain falls and runs down into a crack and collects underground. Then at the back of this canyon, underneath Morning Glory Bride, the water springs out! Wow! A little water oasis in this vast desert!

 We all crossed the stream 10 times on our way to the sping. Robbie had Logan on his back and I had Luke on mine.

 What a good daddy helping these boys not get their feet wet. We were a little worried about Nate because he had a terrible blister and his socks were getting we. We kept Logan out of the water and gave Nathan his dry socks for the way out.

 It was just a gradual incline, but it had some places you had to climb. This was just a little tricky with a 40lb pack on my back. 

 Here is the bridge...amazing! I couldn't even get it all in one picture.

 We packed our water shoes so the boys could play in the pool a the end of the canyon.

We did it! YEA! 

 Lukey was so glad to finally get out of the pack. He was really good though! All he wanted to do was RUN, RUN, RUN...oh, and throw rocks! Funny baby!

 This is just beautiful. The oval in the upper middle of the picture is the spring.

 These little boys loved the cool refreshing dip in the water.

 This area is just breathtaking!

 Trying to catch a water skipper.

 Tired and enjoying watching my sweet boys having so much fun!

 Water skipper caught! The boys wanted to keep it for a pet...no thanks...good thing Logan dumped it out!

 Run, run, run again!

I just had the best time hiking into this place. I walked a lot with Nathan. He is my "stop and smell the roses" boy. We had to laugh when he said, "Hey mom! Look! Those cactuses are swordfighting!" There were swordfighting cactus about every two steps. He did not complain for a second about the enourmous blister he had on his big toe. He even took a turn being the leader. One of us tried to pass him and he quickly got mad and said that it was his turn! This is his special T-rex head rock. Gotta love this kid!

About one mile heading out, Logan started to cry. He was screaming this ugly yell right in Robbie's ear. Robbie was trying everything he could to get him to stop. I could see Robbie's fuse growing shorter and shorter. I love Logan and because I wanted him to live, I sent him and Robbie off as fast as they could go. Carson, Nate, Luke, and I just took our time coming out. We laughed and talked and just had fun. I commented on how quiet it was with out Logan crying. Then Luke mimmicked Logan's cry perfectly. We had a good laugh.

We headed to Pasta Jay's for another delicious dinner. Then we let the boys pick a souvenier to take  home. Carson picked a rubber band gun. Nate and Logan pick some desert toys that had scorpions in them them. This trip sparked a new fascination with scorpions that I will never understand. We then headed to the pool for one last swim. I stayed with the big boys for a while. Logan and Luke were so tired. Robbie put them to bed.

We got up early Saturday morning and headed out. It was sad to leave this beautiful land. It was General Conferenc. We listened to it the whole way home. It was really nice to have all the boys buckled down and so they HAD to either listed or sleep. We loved this.

When Monday morning came, Robbie left for work. Carson and Nate went to school. I was home with only Logan and Luke. I had a little hole in my heart. I was lonely. It was a realization that I love my family. I love being together. This was a trip we will never forget.

Day 3: Landscape Arch and Broadway

On day 3, again, we started out day with a delicious breakfast courtesy of Holiday Inn Express. The boys sure loved the rubbery eggs with processed cheese! We headed out for an adventure. We went to Landscape Arch. The walls of rock surrounding us were amazing. It is such a testament that places like this were deliberately created for our enjoyment by a being much more than us! I loved talking with the boys about this. We also had lengthy discussions about how these were created by erosion. I am so thankful that I payed attention, somewhat, in my earth science class in 9th grade!

 

There was a neat sand hill between 2 walls. The boys just had to run down it! Here is Nathan running as fast as he can!

In this picture, you can see the little fins rising up. Carson and Nate were more than willing to climb anything for a picture. They loved the climbing!

Here is Landscape arch. It is enormous! You can't walk up to it anymore because in the early 1990's, a huge section of rock broke off. You can see it in the picture right above Nathan's head. Some hikers heard some loud cracking, so the ran away. Luckily they did. A thunderous boom sounded and all that rock fell. No one was hurt. It was a miracle. It was so beautiful.

After Landscape, we tried to hike up to another arch. We went quite a ways back into a canyon, only to find that you have to scramble and do some simple climbing to get to the trail. It was freaking me out with the little boys in backpacks. I vetoed that. We will save that for another trip...like when the boys are 15+.

 

Then we went to our favorite lunch spot. We spent a couple of hours eating and playing. Luke and Logan were sure glad to run and play. Then it was back in the pack to go down Broadway. Broadway is beautiful. I could not believe the towers. We started at the end of the hike and walked up it.

Carson took this picture of us. I love Logan peeking around Robbie's head.  

It was getting hot and the boys were getting tired. We knew that we would not make it the whole way. Poor Logie!

The boys loved this rock. They wanted to play here forever, but it was getting hotter by the second so we promised a stop on our way back.

 

A nice couple took our family picture. I can't believe all these cute boys belong to me! I am a lucky girl!

It was a neat path. It was like we were walking down a paved road.

We were all getting hot and tired. The boys were complaining. But, somehow, Nathan had enough energy to jump back and forth over this water. He was so funny!

We knew that this was our last day in Arches (tear sniffle), so we let the boys choose where we went last. They chose Sand Dune  Arch. They love climbing these fins!

 A little scary coming down!

 To keep a boy happy all you need is dirt and a stick!

 When we hiked back to Sand Dune Arch, Robbie took the older 2 boys climbing. They went so far back that I couldn't see them. He scared me to death! I was praying for the safety of my children and husband the whole time that they were gone! They went so high. When they got back, Robbie ensured me that they were completely safe. They were helping each other along. I still don't know if I believe him!

While they were gone, we dug a huge sand hole, ran down the little sand hill, and rested. We were all tired! When they came back be had a hole digging contest with another family. A non biased judge said that it was a tie! It was fun!

It was sad leaving Arches National Park behind. It was so amazing and beautiful. Robbie and I agreed that we want to go back again and again.

We headed to have dinner at a restaurant that came highly recommended. It was our fav. It is called Pasta Jay's. Delish! The boys ate everything they ordered. Then it was off for a swim and ice cream...again!  

Lunch, Sand Dune, Broken

After such a climatic morning, we all wondered, "Can this day get any better?" The answer was YES! We had a picnic lunch in a beautiful spot. Luke got out of the back pack and ran until he was ready to get back in the car.

I love how he runs. He has to put his arms behind him so that he can balance out his tummy!

After we ate, the boys climbed every fin in sight. Robbie was right along side them.

Lukey stayed down with me. With my new found fear of heights or maybe fear of falling, he was a good excuse for me to let Robbie do the climbing.

On top of the world!

My two little mountain goats. They climbed anything and everything that we'd let them...even some stuff that I wasn't too crazy about their dad letting them do!

Robbie climbed up into this cave thingy. Then later he and the big boys found another one that was a little hidden. Robbie had them take me to it...freaked me out! But they loved the thrill and loved hearing me be scared.

Up they go again! It was the secret passage way to the scary cave.

While we were exploring, we came across these neat fins that were really narrow. The boys walked back as far as they could. I was a little claustrophobic. It was a perfect place to rest and play.

This reminded me of when I was a little girl and my friend Janae Judy taught me to climb the hallway walls. I felt a glimmer of that 6 year old in me!

Perfect place for boys...rocks, dirt, and sticks. What more do you need?

SAND DUNE ARCH

This was probably the most fun arch we went to. The hike was short. There was shade and no wind. Plus the bonus was that there were tons of places to climb. There are no pictures of Robbie, Carson, and Nathan because there were off exploring. I was sick when then came back and told my what they had climbed. It was good for them though. They told me how they had to help each other out and not leave anyone behind. This was a good lesson. Logan, Luke, and I stayed behind and dug in the sand. We loved it! 

BROKEN ARCH

We had hiked our little legs off by this point in the day. Broken Arch was not too far off, or so it looked, so we decided to walk out there. I think the trail was a little over a mile one way. The boys were pretty tired by this point, but we needed one last adventure for the day! So, out we hiked. We didn't take our kid packs because it didn't look too far. We were sorry about that. We figured that the reason is was called "Broken Arch" was because if you forget your kid pack, you have "Broken" arms, neck, and back by the end of the hike from carrying little boys in your arms. It was worth it though.

I love this picture. I felt like a lot of the time in Moab our family was a spectacle. Everywhere people would ask, "Are all these kid yours?" or "You have four boys...sorry mom." My response was always the same...politely laugh and say "Ya...they are mine. I am a busy lady." Then I had a realization. I was so grateful to be here in Moab with these four boys. I was so glad that they aren't four girls and I wasn't stuck shopping all day. So, this is one of my favorite pictures of our trip. Me and my ...YES, count them...one, two, three, four...that is right...FOUR BOYS!!! 

I wish I could say that this was the end of Day one. This is just the end of the pictures. Next it was off to Mexican food, swimming (the boys were rejuvenated enough for that...not us...Robbie and I just gritted our teeth and went), and ice cream. The Scooper-hero was a hit! Yum! That night we all crashed so hard. It was and epic day none of us will ever forget!