Goblin Valley Awesomeness

Going to Goblin Valley has been on my bucket list for the last couple of years.  I had heard that it was a great place to take little kids and that nobody was ever sad they went. Catch was, it's HOT, without a lick of shade, so you really need to time it right!  After we stayed in one of the East Canyon yurts last year, we knew that Yurting was the way to do Goblin Valley!

I was a bit worried on our way down that Goblin Valley wouldn't be all that it was touted to be.  It had been a stressful morning getting ready to go (Mike ended up having to work...man, how helpful he is to have around!), I was worried it would all be for nothing.

I couldn't have been more wrong. It was SO fabulous! We are going back, just as soon as I can reserve the yurt again. We LOVED it!!

We headed down on Thursday, early afternoon. It took just about exactly 4 hours from our front door.  We broke it up with a few stops (picking up Daddy at work, getting lunch, connecting with the Strongs, bathroom breaks), so it really didn't seem bad at all. 

(A little sidenote about our favorite Yurting buddies...sometimes I think Holly married Davis so that she would be in place when I got in the family. Man, I love that lady.  A more real, more hopeful, more dedicated, more understanding, more friendly, more obedient, a more faith-tried lady you won't find. What a great example.  She's been through a lot--their family has been through a lot. I hope someday to weather my own personal trials and struggles with as much grace and poise and 'realness' as she and Davis have.  Love them!)

Our Yurt.

We had a great one this time around--only downside was we were upwind from the bathrooms so we sometimes got a most pleasant aroma! ;)  Couldn't have found a cooler place to spend three days though--awesome!  This Yurt came with a BBQ grill, so we ate yummy food.  A picnic table, firepit, bunk bed, futon, dining table and heater were also included.  It was great!

We got a camping site as well.  We were over the body limit for the site, so Davis and Holly's two oldest slept in the the tent. If you are going to camp at Goblin, get campsite 19--it had the most shade of them all!  And, there are flushy toilets and showers! Whoop!

The great thing about Goblin Valley is that it is a little kids (and big kids) paradise.  There is climbing everywhere! And relatively safe/easy climbing at that.  I did it with a baby in my arms. Katelyn didn't have a problem. Joshy didn't even get nervous. Even Luke didn't have any big problems.  It was great!  And all this climbing was before we even went into the actual valley--just right at the yurt. It was perfect.  We could see the kids for miles, and hear them too.  Really, a very un-stressful parenting vacation.

These two crack me up! Watch for all the sass!

LOVE Benno in this picture! Ha!

Ady was probably the most climbing-est one of us!  She was nuts!

 

Our view, across the porch of the yurt.

After we got all settled in and unpacked, we headed into the actual valley of the Goblins. Awesome. Totally awesome.

The next morning we got up and did it all again.  We really spent hours just exploring the valley.  We had a slightly dramatic adventure when Holly and I took the littles back to the Yurt for lunch and naps (it was a LONG walk back from where we were!), but we made it and enjoyed happy quietness!

We went Geo-caching (and no, Davis is not doing what you may think he is...just chasing a little climber!)

After Holly and I headed back with the babies, Mike and Davis and the big kids kept going until they reach valley 2.  It was apparently awesome.

Thanks for my dear Friend, Elena, I discovered that there are Junior Ranger programs at all the state and nation parks. Super fun! We are well on our way to collecting many badges.  It was a good quiet time activity--and electronics, of course. What can I say, we're wimpy parents.

The bottom line--we'll be making this a tradition. Maybe not yearly, but probably bi or tri-yearly. I'm already working on convincing my parents to go down with us again over Spring Break.  It is fabulous!