family travel

Coral Pink Sand Dunes–A Giant Sandbox

May 1, 2011 by Shelli

We have three young sons, ages 11, 9 and 4. As toddlers, they all loved playing in the custom-built corner sandbox their Pa-Grandpa built in our backyard for them. When we go on beach vacations, the boys relish playing in the sand.

So it was a highlight when we spent the final day of our recent weeklong camping adventure in southwestern Utah in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. It was a hoot, not to mention spectacularly unique and beautiful.

P4130452 — All of my guys, in Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

For several hours, we ran, barefooted, knee deep at times, in the sand, up and down the giant dunes. We made “sand angels” and jumped full blast off the “cornices” that formed and quickly re-formed along the tops of the dunes. The kids marveled at how the breeze (gale force winds) “erased” our footprints and all evidence of our (high impact) presence within seconds.

Hayden, our 9-year-old son, with the help of his brothers, spelled his name out in huge letters, only to see it erased in a blink of an eye.

Even my husband and I felt like little kids again as we frolicked in the fine, red-orange sand with our sons and puppy.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes is the only major sand dune field on the Colorado Plateau, and is a unique geologic feature. The dunes are old — estimated to be 10,000-15,000 years old. They are formed from the erosion of coral pink-colored Navajo Sandstone surrounding the area. High winds passing through the notch between the Moquith and Moccasin Mountains pick up loose sand particles and then drop them onto the dunes because of the Venturi effect.

P4130468 — It was a team effort for our sons to spell the name of our middle son, Hayden.

The state park is located between the towns of Mount Carmel Junction and Kanab, south and west of U.S. Highway 89, in southwestern Utah.

VIDEO:

Here are blog posts for other adventures we enjoyed during our southwestern Utah camping adventure:
Goblin Valley
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Kodachrome State Park

Utah’s Goblin Valley is a Hit for Families

April 18, 2011 by Shelli

We recently returned from a week-long camping trip in southwestern Utah for spring break. About every other year we head for southern Utah’s state parks and national parks to get dirty, hike, climb on big rocks, camp, play games, sit around a camp fire, star gaze and eat as many s’mores as possible.

P4090005 — Our boys had fun climbing the formations near our campsite in Goblin Valley.

For this trip, we headed to Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park, then to Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument to hike to Calf Creek Falls, then to Kodachrome State Park and finally, to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Normally we spend time at Zion and Arches national parks, but since we had our puppy in tow this time, we invested our time in the more pet-friendly areas of the state.

P4090039 — Jerry and our boys begin exploring Goblin Valley.

It was our second time to Goblin Valley. This is a magnificent place to visit, especially if you have young children. It is home to thousands of “hoodoos” — mushroom-shaped rock formations that range in size from a couple feet to several yards high. The uniquely shaped formations are formed of erosion-resistant rock that is on top of softer sandstone.

P4090046 — Hayden, 9 and Wolf, 11, check the GPS as they get close to a geocache.

Our three sons played hide-and-seek, and climbed up and over and lounged on top of weird formations while looking for any goblins that might be “fleeting” by in between the odd formations. We also enjoyed our first official “geocaching” adventure here. Members of geocaching.com, we researched geocaches for the area during our trip planning. The one we were looking for in Goblin Valley was reported to have “3 stretchy skeletons” and a recently-activated geocoin in it.

P4100114 — Lounging on hoodoos called 'goblins.'

We followed the hints that were provided and the GPS coordinates to find the area where the treasure was supposedly cached. According to our GPS, we were hot on the signal, but could find no cache. After lots of hunting but nothing to show for it we determined someone had probably taken the skeletons and the cache and left the geocoin behind. Despite our not finding the geocache, we had a blast during our four hours of hiking, climbing, and adventuring throughout the cool landscape of Goblin Valley.

We camped in Goblin Valley State Campground, which is a few minutes’ drive from the aforementioned hoodoo-filled area. The campground is situated wonderfully, right below a bunch of towering formations with narrow passages, providing yet more interesting terrain for our boys to explore.

P4090018 — The boys and I proclaiming victory on a formation above camp. 🙂

Here’s a short video of our almost-4-year-old son, Finis, leading us on a geocache adventure:

Stay tuned for upcoming posts, including photos and videos, for our adventures in Grand Staircase Escalante, Kodachrome State Park and Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Please check back soon, and thanks for reading my blog. 🙂

Hawaii’s Big Island Delivers Big

April 23, 2010 by Shelli

In early April we spent our spring break on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was our second time there. It is one of our favorite places in the world.

FinatTidepools — Finis, our 2-year-old, poses on a rock in the ocean tidepools. That's the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort in the background.

We had a magnificent time. We had seven days there, including the first three days in the Kona area, and the last four days in the Waikoloa region.

Our initial nights were spent at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, and it is fabulous. It’s located on the ocean and is literally a few steps from several tidepools. Our three young sons had a wonderful time starting and ending each of our days in exploring the pools, where they spotted sea urchin, sea turtles, crabs, and made other interesting discoveries.

P4040226 — Me, dog-piling with our three boys during sunset at the Outrigger, in Kona.

The view looking out to the ocean from the bar and eating areas was magnificent. The breakfast, which is included as part of your stay, was abundant and delicious. Each morning we stocked up plate fulls of fresh fruit, eggs, pastries, pancakes, coffee, juice, etc., while watching the ocean hit the shore.

P4040153 — All four of my guys on the beach next to the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort in Kona.

It was also nice to be located so close to many other restaurants and to the heart and pulse of the great town, Kona. Just a handful of miles away were many restaurants and bistros, as well as beaches and places from which to rent surf and boogie boards, snorkel equipment, etc. We loved Kona the first time we visited six years ago. We love it even more now.

While based at the Outrigger, one day we snorkeled and swam at the adjacent beach, Kahalu`u Bay, where water toys are available for rent, there is a beach shower and bathrooms, as well as a food truck complete with shaved ice, grilled lunches and other tasty snacks.

Another day we traveled a few miles north of the Outrigger to a beach called Keauhau Beach. I rented a stand up paddle-board and oar and gave standup paddling a try. It was a blast and I’m now hooked!

Here’s a video clip I captured while enjoying some stand up paddle-boarding. Watch toward the end and you’ll see a sea turtle:

As I sit here now in my hometown of Lander, WY, which is in the snowy mountains, I ponder how/where I can do stand up paddle-boarding in Wyoming. It was that much fun.

Mostly, stand up paddle-boarding provided a different way to “tour” the ocean. As I stood up and paddled out into the ocean, sea turtle would every now and then swim near me or right with my board. (See video for proof-it’s toward the end of the clip) Then, with a little more confidence, I tried catching a wave. That didn’t work out so well. :> But, it is a great sport that I will definitely look forward to doing again on a return trip to Hawaii.

In addition, the older boys and I went on an adventure where we got to swim in the wild with dolphins, and see humpback whales and a manta ray. This was an adventure of a lifetime we’ll never forget. (Provided by Barefoot’s Adventures and Sunlight On Water.)

Here’s a video clip of Wolf, our 9-year-old, during one of the swims:

Our Outrigger room was beautiful and clean, and after a day of adventuring, we could see and hear the ocean from our room’s balcony and its sliding doors.

Next stop: Luxurious Paradise
After a lot of adventuring in the Kona region, we headed north for luxury, what our boys later dubbed “as sort of a paradise” — the Hilton Waikoloa.

Take it from me, once here, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a reason to leave the Hilton Waikoloa — ever. (Except maybe to return to work to start saving for the return trip)

There is a natural lagoon area, complete with sandy beach, ocean access, a waterfall, sea turtles, eels and other ocean critters, and water toys like bike and pedal boats, kayaks and stand up paddleboards to rent and explore.

BeachLagoon — The lagoon at the Hilton Waikoloa is a magnificent place at which to spend time.

Or, just suntan on the lagoon’s beach while listening to the ocean slap against the shores behind you.

P4060283 — Our three sons loved riding the pedal boats in the lagoon while looking for turtles and other critters.

Here’s a video clip of us playing the lagoon:

Then, after exploring in the lagoon each day, our mission was to swim, swim and swim some more in the many pools on the property. (Our routine was pretty stringent at the Hilton Waikoloa.)

Here’s what swimming looked like for Fin and I:

It basically went like this: Eat a bunch of fruit, head to the Lagoon to swim, look for turtles and ride toys until noon.

AtPool — Wolf and Hayden pose in front of one of the main pools at the Hilton Waikoloa.

Then, move to the pools, but only after stopping for a great lunch at the grill in between the lagoon and pools. (Also worth mentioning, as we ate, we watched the dolphins swimming at the Dolphin Quest complex also located between the lagoon and the pools.)

A video of the “pool experience” at the Hilton Waikoloa:

Then, after re-fueling, we staked out chairs near the main pools. One pool is a baby pool that is sand-bottomed. Babies and young toddlers love it! The other pools are big and connected, eventually boasting a waterfall and a pretty good-sized slide, and a couple of hot tubs. There are bars everywhere, from which to treat your kids to a Green Gecko, or yourself to a Whale Watch, pina colada or Lava Flow. Take your pick. From my investigation into the matter, they are all more than satisfactory.

OnBeach-Waikoloa — Playing at Anaehoomalu Bay, near the Hilton.

Longing for a little more direct ocean and beach time, one afternoon we drove a few minutes to Anaehoomalu Bay (called “A Bay” for short), where we did some more snorkeling, sand castle-building and played with a few sea turtles that were near the shoreline.

The older boys and I departed for another guided adventure when we did a “deluxe” parasail over the ocean for 14 minutes. By deluxe, I mean we were about 50 stories over the ocean. UFO Parasailing provided the adventure, and it was a hoot! The boys did it for me, and they ended up loving it as much, or more, than I did!

Some helmet cam video of the parasail:

P4070387 — My guys on the walk between pools, etc.

P4070395 — Yummy. This was the famous chocolate soufflé at Roy's Bar and Grill, in Waikoloa.

P4040156 — Our son, Fin, shows how all of us felt about our Hawaii trip. It was awesome!

Other Hawaii blog posts:
Swimming with dolphins in the wild.
Parasailing

Parasailing Far Above the Ocean for 14 Minutes off Hawaii’s Big Island

April 17, 2010 by Shelli

We just returned from a week of blissful rest and relaxation on the Big Island of Hawaii. What a magnificent place!

Parasasail1 — Parasailing was an exhilarating experience.

While there, one of the exciting adventures we embarked upon was a parasail over the ocean. It was amazing.

I talked our two oldest sons, Wolf and Hayden, ages 9 and 8, to join me on a tandem parasail. They weren’t that excited about it, and actually a little nervous about it. But, being good sons, they did it for me. I wanted to share this experience with at least some of our family.

My husband, Jerry, is recovering from a spine fusion so he stayed at the beach and in the pools with our 2-year-old son, Fin, while we went “flying.”

Wolfparasail — Wolf, our 9-year-old, smiles from 1,200 feet above the ocean.

All told, we were up in the air — way up there, as in the equivalent of being 50 stories above sea level — for 14 minutes. It was thrilling and spectacular. The boys were yelling “woo hoo!” over and over again. They really got a kick out of it, as did I.

The view of the ocean was spectacular… turquoise in some areas and deep blue in others. As a bonus, we floated near a gigantic cruise ship that was docked in Kona.

Hayden parasail — Hayden, our 8-year-old, smiles from 1,200 feet above the ocean.

The “deluxe” adventure was provided by UFO Parasailing, who provides parasail experiences off the Big Island, as well as Maui.

About mid-way through our flight, the crew lowered us to right above the ocean for a short bit before jerking us up, up, up again. It was exhilarating. Then, right before reeling us back into the boat, they briefly dipped us in the ocean.

Here’s some helmet camera footage of part of the flight:

ThreesomeParasail — Hayden, Wolf and I, feeling a rush after our 14-minute flight over the ocean.

I would highly recommend this as an adventure for you or your family to consider. This was my second parasail. The other one I did was a few years back of Lake Tahoe. It’s an incredible experience that although it’s short-lived, provides yet another great vantage from which to view your surroundings — and a little bit of an adrenaline rush.

The boys were asking if we could do another parasail. I said, not until the next trip. But definitely count us in for another in the future.

(Another adventure we enjoyed during our trip to the Big Island was swimming with dolphins in the the wild.)

A Snowy Spring Break

April 5, 2009 by Shelli

Well, our grand plans for a “Spring” Spring Break vacation were dampened right from the start.

Our family’s plan was to go on a major road trip and camping adventure that would take us through 6 states in 7 days. Most of that would be in warmer, desert climes. Our destination was Grand Canyon, but this was a trip where truly the journey would be the trip.

But boy, was it ever not shaping up that way. It was looking like we may not even get on the road.

We barely got out of dodge (Lander, WY) on Friday late afternoon after Jerry, a teacher, and our boys got out of school. We left in a blizzard in hopes of covering at least half of our original Day 1 miles so that we might just make it to the yurt in Ridgway State Park on April 3, which would mark the official start of our adventure.

It took us 7 hours to travel 250 miles but finally we made it safe and sound to Craig, Colorado. Finally! Our ears were ringing with Are we there yet??

Needless to say we were all at wits end by the time we got there. It had been white knuckle winter driving conditions for Jerry, and we survived largely thanks to Apple (iPods) and a bottle. (No, not that kind of bottle, although it would have come in handy. : > I’m referring to a bottle of milk for our 2-year-old)

Arriving at the Best Western Deer Park Inn hit the spot. It’s a nice, clean hotel with a pool and free wireless. You can tell the owners take a lot of pride. Management was out helping people clear the snow off their cars in the morning.

We arose and traveled south to Ridgway State Park located about 28 miles south of Montrose, CO, where our first “yurt” experience awaited us.

It was awesome! Nestled in some pine trees and covered in snow was our warm, cozy and very affordable retreat from the winter conditions.

Inside was a gas stove, bunk beds and two king fold-out futon-type beds, a table and chairs, microwave and refrigerator. In addition, outside was our own picnic table, bench, fire pit and grill.

The boys had fun playing games and on the bunk beds, while Jerry cooked dinner outside in the falling snow and I curled up by the stove to start some leisure reading on the Kindle. (Pillars of the Earth, a 960-page treasure I was hoping to put a good dent in on the trip)

Night came and we all slept like babies as winter put a hush on our surroundings. We woke up to about 6 inches of fresh snow and headed south.

Here’s a clip of what the yurt looked like:

Next up: Mesa Verde National Park.