Ryan prides himself on his skill of packing perfectly. His Mom is sure he gets that skill from her, and we are just happy he has the perfect packer gene. 3 younger cuties + 2 older cuties + 1 little hybrid vehicle + 1 cargo box + supplies for a long weekend camping trip = 5 happy campers! Our destination? Picacho State Recreational Area.
The path from the main road out to this off gird haven is a long one. It takes at least 45 minutes to drive this 18 mile gravel road stretch. I am learning that the drive is a part of the process, a part of letting go of the go, go and more go and easing toward the slow, slow and more slow.
When initially approaching the Colorado River Friday afternoon, a time of rekindling the flame took place. A long moment to really cherish the silence, and then a listening in transpired. What do you hear? ...a swarm of bees, the quiet rustling of the trees, water whispering, gravel shifting with each scarce footstep. We began to hear LIFE again.
...wanting to capture the purity of the moment together.
Now off to choose the perfect campsite. What a fun process! This was our second time at Picacho, and this site looks completely different from the site we enjoyed last time, which billowed with gorgeous greenery. The mosquito activity was high, so we opted for a dry site, with less foliage away from the water. We just adored this site, which boasted a beautiful hill and ruins. It was neat to walk around with the kids guessing which slab held each different room. The small rectangle on the lower right, was a shower.
After getting our camp set up, Ryan went to the river with Merrick and the girls relaxed, while I opted to enjoy a glorious and serene hilltop yoga at sunset. I turned to the right and this was my view of our campsite!
A silly family game of Apples to Apples really got us chuckling and thoroughly enjoying quality time.
A quick Saturday morning hike lead Ryan and the girls up a steep cliff. I spy with my little eye...
Later in the day, the girls enticed me to climb that same cliff, and "Wowee...whoa this is steep, steep! Is this safe?" and "What was Ryan thinking?" are a few of the thoughts that ran through my head while climbing this crumbly mass. "Just get to the top girls, and then I will breathe." Look at the wide array of gifts waiting at the top. Two gorgeously smiling faces, a bird's eye view of this amazing territory and...
...peace in every breath.
The main reason for our trip to Picacho was to participate in a trail cleanup. We worked hard and fast in the morning before it got too hot. My cousin Lorie (pictured on the right) helped coordinate this pre-Earth Day cleanup. Lorie and her partner Steph (not pictured) have a huge heart for Picacho. They have been supporting the recreational area for years. They also provided a beautiful lunch spread for all of the volunteers. We are looking forward to the next trail clean up day, which will be held in the fall. But I have a feeling we won't be able to stay away that long.
It was awesome to see everyone pull together to help preserve this gorgeous place.
...especially the kids. Yes! They are up really high!!!
About an hour before trail work came to a close, Rowan got "attacked by a cactus" and had to be driven back to the lunch area by the ranger. Kierce and Steph's niece Ashlyn, kindly walked back to check up on the victim. This "cactus attack" ended up being quite the adventure for Rowan. The ranger came up with the idea to cover her hands in tacky glue. Then allowing the glue to dry, the glue peeled away the small cactus needles. It ended up being a fun mess for Rowan (and she has always enjoyed getting messy) :-) The best part about the entire ordeal was observing the wonder in Rowan's eyes while telling me about the adventures she encountered on the way back to camp. The ranger filled her with several different history, social studies and geology lessons along the way. Apparently they even drove the truck on a set of old railroad tracks! This homeschool mom absolutely loved hearing all about her adventures!
So Merrick's "silly" has really blossomed over the past several months. One morning about a week after beginning our homeschool adventure, Merrick smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face. That smile has only gotten bigger and even more goofy. He even enlists his dad in this silly face making process. I just had to capture this crazy and insanely happy moment!
See the short rock wall the kids are sitting on? That was Ryan's favorite characteristic about our campsite. The one thing we couldn't fit in the car with us were chairs :-) Ashlyn, tagged along with Lorie and Steph, and the kids were thrilled that she did, they all had a blast together!
Yay, Ryan caught a fish!!! We all were so happy with him in this moment!
Merrick was stoked to become finally become a Junior Ranger. Rowan and Kierce excitedly earned their badges the last time we were at Picacho.
The river was calling our name the afternoon of our last day at Picacho. Lorie has a boat, and was giving rides all day. The kids took a ride together first, then our family eventually just had to enjoy the beauty of the river with the best tour guide around!
Lorie pulled the boat over on the Arizona side of the river to show us a great place for gem hunting, as well as some special ancient writing left behind by the Indians. This month and the last, the kids and I have been focusing on a science unit in the area of geology. We are all genuinely passionate about crystals, gems and the earth in general, so this unit is a great fit! Plus, this entire trip was the perfect place to learn all about a unit of this type. Lorie was full of a wealth of knowledge, and our entire family had fun hunting for beauties. The look on Ryan's face when bringing his finds back to show us was priceless.
...one of Rowan's finds.
Could it get any better than this?
Maybe.
