This Guy Is 10!

How is it possible that Oskar is ten years old?! 

While it feels like just yesterday he was a baby, then toddler, then younger child, Oskar really is growing up and growing into his own.  

To celebrate his birthday, he wanted to cook his own birthday dinner: no help, no input, no support from the parents or Alva.  He flipped through our cookbooks and selected the dishes he wanted to cook: a unique take on bolognese with homemade pasta for dinner and a fruit tart for dessert.  He made the shopping list and created a plan to have everything ready for Wednesday’s dinner.  

With a full day of school on his actual birthday, I encouraged him to at least make the sauce in advance to limit the chaos on the actual day. We therefore prepped the sauce on Monday (Memorial Day) which included a trip to Chinatown to buy Doubanjiang sauce for the Chinese bolognese and a full afternoon of chopping, mixing, sautéing and simmering.  I was 100% supportive of letting him do everything but was also 100% happy that he asked me to help. 

We opened presents in typical Breuer fashion Wednesday morning and I worked from home that day to ensure I was on standby to support him once again in the kitchen.  Martin and Alva headed to gymnastics after school and Oskar and I had the afternoon to make his birthday feast. We made homemade pie crust for dessert and homemade pasta dough for the pasta, we prepped the cucumber salad and pie filling, we preheated the oven and reheated the sauce.  

Oskar and I enjoyed breaks in the cooking frenzy by playing Dr Mario and Cruisin America on our old school Nintendo all while rocking out to his Spotify playlist. It was pure mother son bonding. 

My parents arrived around six and Alva and Martin came home shortly afterwards. And we somehow timed everything perfectly.  The noodles were run through the pasta maker, the fruit tart was cooling on the counter and we were ready to enjoy Oskar’s feast. 

The overall evening and experience will definitely be a core memory for me.  And while I have loved each phase of Oskar’s childhood, this one might be my favorite so far.

A Mess on Memorial Day

 Oskar wanted to compete in a mountain bike race Memorial Day weekend (aka his birthday weekend) and Alva was down to join him, so this year we spent Memorial Day weekend in Nevada City. 

Martin thought it would be fun to camp for the weekend, but I wasn’t super excited about it (I was thinking about how cold it was last time we were in Nevada City in October) so I put myself in charge of the accommodations. Let’s just say, I failed both on the accommodations and the overall trip planning. 

Hotel and AirBnB accommodations were nearly impossible to find in a reasonable price range so I booked what looked like a decent hotel for Friday and Saturday night with the plans to drive home on Sunday after the race. 

We picked up the kids from school that Friday afternoon and started the long weekend… unfortunately, the start was a bit rocky. With the race on Sunday there was no need to drive up on Friday after school, in the middle of rush hour and long weekend traffic. Unfortunately we realized this three hours into our drive up Friday after school in the middle of rush hour and long weekend traffic. Six hours later, we made it to Nevada City.

From there things went downhill and fast. Our accommodations lived up to its reviews… unfortunately there were two distinct types of reviews and we got the worse end. Some reviews raved about the newly renovated rooms and friendly staff. Others included notes of disgust, pictures of holes in the walls, and mention of bed bugs. Our accommodations made the negative reviews look neutral at best. Our one-bedroom cabin supposedly slept four, but the pull out sofa whose mattress was merely a chain link fence wrapped in fabric (Oskar actually used that to describe the experience of trying to sleep on it) was not an option. The smell of stale cigarettes, years old mold and general sadness was overwhelming. The holes in the wall were only slightly worse than the patched holes with mismatched paint jobs.  And while we didn’t see any bugs, we did find a random wet spot on the threadbare carpet upon arrival. Alva refused to sleep on the pull out so Martin and Oskar were relegated to the front room while Alva and I had the bed. Martin lasted two hours before heading out to the car to attempt to sleep a few hours before daybreak. 

By morning, it actually seemed worse. And so we did what most would do. We packed up and checked out early. We weren’t the only ones ending our stay after one night. The lady behind us was also checking out after finding her room unclean and Chinese food in the fridge. While she was out of luck for any refund (she had booked through a third party) we had booked directly with the hotel and were thankfully able to get our money back for the second night and a $50 credit applied to our first night's stay.

From there things started to look up or at least less dirty. While every other hotel and every campsite within a 20 minute drive were all fully booked for Saturday night, we managed to snag a room at the Best Western in Grass Valley thanks to a no show cancellation and an incredibly helpful woman at the front desk. The hotel room at the Best Western was a heavenly change from the previous night's hellscape. 

We had a relaxed day at the lake (Martin snuck in a nap on the picnic blanket), we had a look at the race course for the next day (Alva enjoyed a nap in the car) and then a very early dinner at the brewery in Nevada City.  With two comfortable beds, clean sheets and an odorless room, Saturday night it felt like we were sleepy at the Ritz. 

The race on Sunday was intense on both extremes. Oskar placed first for his age group and had a better time than a handful of kids in the next age bracket. Alva and Martin on the other hand were the last to finish in her wave (and might have finished after a handful of riders from wave 2). Come to find out the trail was incredibly technical and it was amazing she was able to finish at all. While she might have been unhappy during the ride, she was so proud to have finished. 

We enjoyed lunch at the race and then made our way home for a relaxing Sunday night and day of chores and housework on Monday. 

Side Note: my commentary about the hotel is not to complain or be negative. In fact I wanted to write about it since I was so impressed by how well we, together as a family, handled the bad situation and the ability to pivot especially when, for a few hours Saturday morning, we didn’t know where we would sleep that night. Yes it was stressful, but we conquered the challenge together. Also side note: it is a good cautionary tale to book hotel reservations direct and to really check the reviews… Apparently the glowing five star reviews were all from local tour guides who most likely were paid or compensated for their reviews.

Bobsledding in May

Once again I have had the chance to do something completely new and unique compliments of a work offsite. This past week, I got to go bobsledding on the Olympic course in Utah (site of the 2002 and upcoming 2034 Olympics). 

Before I tell my story, here are a few bobsledding fun facts: 

• There are currently only 16 bobsled tracks in operations today, three of which are in the US and four are in Germany. This might explain Germany’s dominance of the sport every four years at the Winter Olympics
• An Olympic bobsled course is generally 1,200 to 1,500 meters long, must include a vertical drop of at least 100 meters and must have at least 15 curves, a straight section and a labyrinth. After that it is up to each location to design what they want. The one in Utah is 1 mile long with 15 turns. 
• Most people don’t start as bobsledders. Athletes from other sports like rugby, football and track and field typically transition over to bob sled after their first careers are over. As a result the average age of a bobsledder is 28 years old with top athletes still competing in their 40s.  This past Olympics, Elana Meyers Taylor (USA) won the gold medal at 41 years old.
• And finally, the gold medal run time for bobsledding in the 2002 Olympics was 46 seconds for men and 48.8 seconds for women 

And now on to my story. 

On Wednesday, our group of 40 headed up from Salt Lake City to the Utah Olympic Park where visitors can bobsled, mountain sled and slide down the ski jump on an inner tube. 

Without thinking about my motion sickness or general lack of love for rollercoaster-like things, I signed up for the bobsled. These limitations and concerns were only pointed out to me on the drive up the mountain. And at that point, there was no way I was backing out. 

Before actually going down the course we had a “training” which consisted of a veteran bobsledder giving us our pre-run briefing at the top of the hill. To set the stage, imagine every action movie out there that includes a preflight briefing of elite fighter pilots that will save the day. We were all seated in folding chairs arranged in five rows of 10 chairs on a concrete slab with the bobsled track and a decommissioned bobsled just behind our instructor. Our instructor completed the experience: he had all of the swagger from an officer from Top Gun, complete with a million dollar white teeth smile, tan face, buzz cut hair and fun commentary about g-force pressures on your body and how your neck will turn you into a bobble head if not properly positioned. From the briefing we then got into groups of three to run the course (I say three since it was three guests plus a driver for each run).  I got teamed up with the head of EMEA, Emma, and a Brit who now lives in New York, John M. 

While the groups lined up and the first bobsled got into position, I had the sudden urge to go pee.  A fact that everyone made fun of until it got closer to their turn and suddenly I didn’t look so foolish.  Back in line, my group was quickly reaching the front. Nerves and anxiety and a newly empty bladder that still needed to pee were set aside for logistics: the balaclavas that we wore under the helmets gave it the levity needed and the very close sitting situation once in the bobsled led to more than a few off-color jokes (gotta love the Brits) 

Buckled in, required position achieved and we were off.  As promised the first three turns were mellow and that of a state fair roller coaster.  Turn four heated things up and by turn five we were maxing out at 71 miles per hour.  

And after 58 seconds it was over. I got out a little woozy, with weak knees, a little punch drunk, and a strong desire to do it again.

At 59.7 seconds we were only 10 seconds off of the gold time. And at 45 years old, there may still be hope!

In case you are interested you can check out my run on their youtube channel here. Fast forward to minute 26, I am in the grey sweatshirt with a black vest.

A Tour of Friends

It seems like every year in the spring I come out of hibernation and go on a whirlwind tour of seeing all of my friends. This year was no exception: Dallas, Napa, Carmel, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, happy hours, and Valkyries Game with school. Once again, I think I might have overdone it.   Will I do it again next year… probably. 

Kris Kar #5 in Dallas

A Santa Rosa Run-In

Happy Hour with the OG

Carmel Valley with the SLO Girls

Healdsburg with my First Mom Friends

Moments of Fun, Joy and Gratitude

It is easy to get caught up in the daily grind. It is easy to miss the little moments of life that spark joy. It is easy to forget to be thankful each and every day (even if those days include lice, chaos at work and the aches and pains of getting older).  But after an amazing Spring Break with the family and a proper break from the routine, I am starting to find the beauty and delightful surprises in my everyday life. Below are a few of those moments:  

After two weeks in a cramped camper van, the kids missed each other too much back at home sleeping in their separate bedrooms. After a few nights, the kids decided to turn Oskar’s loft bed into a bunk bed and they now sleep in the same room and we now have a play room. I am very curious to see how long this lasts but they generally seem happier together.  Here I was thinking that they would want more space as they got older.   

With the newly installed “banana phone” (our wifi enabled “landline”) we are teaching the kids about the olden day phone calls to people’s houses.  This also means we are teaching the kids about prank phone calls. It started one night while trying to get Oskar’s mind off of his bad growing pains/cramps and talking about Martin’s bad dad jokes.  The only thing I could come up with was explaining the “is your refrigerator running” prank phone call joke.  And thus began the conversation about prank phone calls.  The kids subsequently placed prank phone calls to my parents, sister and brother giggling with each joke: including “is there a John at home” and “are there any Walls in the house” 

On May 5, Martin and I were able to sneak away for a date night. Fifteen years ago on May 5th we found out our offer was accepted for our home in North Beach. It is amazing to think we have already been here 15 years. Aside from my childhood home, no other home, apartment or place of residence has come close to this length of time.  We celebrated the milestone this year the same way we did back then: with dinner at a Greek restaurant.  And while we aren’t moving any time soon (we will never sell), I am thinking it is finally time to update the decor and swap out some of the artwork and fixtures that have been on the walls since we completed renovations. 

And finally, a little over a year ago I found out my dad had leukemia. And what followed was an intense period of doctors visits and treatment for him and a lot of research on my end. Fast forward to today and he is doing well; and the gut wrenching reality check gave me a good reminder to not take anything for granted. This photo of him recently taken at Pismo Beach with his new surfboard makes me so incredibly happy. 

Spring Break 2026

The past weekend we wrapped up our two week spring break adventure in Utah visiting the five national parks.  I know I say it every year and every trip, but this one was truly special. The idea started out thanks to the National Parks Mystery Book Series that Oskar read last fall.  After reading the book based in Zion, Oskar told me he wanted to hike the Narrows.  And from there we built out a two week adventure: we flew into Vegas Saturday, picked up our sprinter camper van Sunday afternoon, enjoyed four nights in Zion, two nights in Bryce, a night in Capitol Reef, two nights in Moab and built in three nights along the way to see where the winds would take us.  

These are the stories from the road, posted on the date of adventure, so read from the bottom up.

One More Note

Before we left for the trip, the kids and I put together a quick list of things we might want to see, do or accomplish plus a handful of silly “bingo” items.  Below is the list.  I say we did pretty well: 

Tasks Completed

• Slip and fall in water

• See a shooting star

• Make a s’more 

• Watch the sunset

• Watch the sunrise

• Hike the Narrows

• Take an evening walk 

• Make a new friend 

• Walk across a bridge 

• Go for a three hour hike 

• Get lost driving or hiking

Didn’t Complete

• See a scorpion 

• Draw or sketch an object (leaf or stick)

• Dance in the rain

• Tell a campfire story 

• Dance in the dark 

Ruminations on Van Life

After twelve plus days of living in the van, I can’t help but jot down a few parting thoughts of the experience. The first being that at least once a day, I quoted the notorious line from SNL “living in a van, down by the river”

• At less than 90 square feet, I am surprised at how well we were able to manage and navigate the limited space in the van.  We did need to teach the kids the concept of a bottleneck, and I think we would have been more cramped if the kids were a bit bigger, but we managed.  It might have also helped that the van wasn’t a big change in living space from our current 900 square foot apartment. 

• I really leaned into the #vanlife with my everyday appearance.  I bought birkenstocks to wear on the trip (to allow me to slip in and out of the shoes quickly while still wearing socks on cold mornings) and I might have gone more than a few days without a shower

• Between Las Vegas and Moab, we did not pass a single McDonald’s but did see a lot of Subways. 

• The stars are a lot brighter in Utah and the silence is so complete. 

• We had a winnebago and the kids brought their stuffed lion Clyde.  So our mascots quickly became Winnie and Clyde 

• Over the two weeks, we experienced new and different landscapes that changed each day, each of which were dramatic in their own way.  And yet by the end, they all seemed the same: red rocks, canyons, mountains, beauty.   

• The daily hike wasn’t complete until Martin told at least one bad dad joke. He averaged at least five a mile. So while I might make jokes about his lack of enthusiasm for certain parts of the trip, he really was all in for the experience.  

• We met a lot of amazing people along the way and everyone was incredibly friendly.  We met a young woman from Florida in Zion (and again in Bryce) who was living the van life for 3 months while working remotely.  I had a great chit chat with a mom from San Diego at Fruita where we compared notes about where we had been and the benefits of the van vs camping. And the kids had so much fun hanging out with Jack and Hailey in Moab. 

• Our trip was fueled by ham, salami and cheese sandwiches, Pringles and Fruit Loops. 

• I loved the convenience of having everything come with us everywhere we went. I was able to make sandwiches for the day in the parking lot of the visitors centers or gas station while the family was doing other things. There was no fear of leaving items behind in a hotel room. There was no hassle of having to pack up every two days and set up camp. 

• While we did a lot, there was still plenty we could have done.  Throughout the trip, we met a lot of different people and always asked for any recommendations outside of the National Parks.  We received a lot (including Petrified Forest and Escalante) but didn’t make it to most.  A few that we would have loved to see: Kanarra Falls, Dixie Rock and Turtle Canyon Wilderness. 

• And finally, this was the first trip that I can remember that I didn’t want to end. On most vacations, around two to three days before it ends, I start mentally packing and organizing and getting ready to head home.  This trip, I wasn’t ready. I could have enjoyed another two weeks of exploring and hiking and spending time with the family

x

Arches Day 2: A Final Day of Hiking

Our last full day of the trip started with a little less excitement than the day before.  So while we were aiming for a similar start time, we were a bit more sluggish in getting started.  We stopped at a bakery in Moab for fresh coffee and pastries to wake us up and then made our way back into Arches for our final hike of the trip.  After all of the sights and all of the hikes, we were going to hike out to Delicate Arch, probably the most famous image of the Utah National Parks and the symbol found on the Utah license plate.  

Even fully charged with coffee and pastries, the hike was a struggle… not physically due to difficulty, but mentally due to motivation. The kids and I were beat after so many days of go, go, go.  But as always, we found our stride and were able to make it without complaint. 

And like all previous hikes, we met some friendly people along the trail, including a 65 year old woman who had just celebrated her birthday and retirement and was hiking to commemorate it, a two year old who wanted to hike (not hitch a ride in his carrier) and gave us all high fives as he passed and the woman from Sud Tyrol who chatted with Martin for a bit in German.  Meeting these individuals and all of the other people throughout the trip reminded me of the community that can be found in the National Parks and hiking in general.  I am hopeful that I will continue to hike once we get home and possibly strike out on my own for a few. 

We enjoyed a final dinner out at Moab Brewery and the following morning we began the long drive back to Las Vegas and then home. 

Arches Day 1: Devils Garden

For the first time all trip, we actually got an early start to the day.  In part, it was because we were warned that the line of cars to get into Arches can take up to an hour to get through and the park, at times, will close to any new traffic if it gets too busy. In part, it was also because we were able to take everything with us, which meant the kids just had to wake up and go pee before we got on our way.   

Thankfully the line of cars wasn’t too long and we were able to make it to the visitor center for the Junior Ranger books, map and guidance before 9:30am (we did ensure the kids had at least put on clothes and had brushed their teeth before going inside.)  From the visitors center, we made our way to Devils Garden for our longest hike yet (recommended by the ranger and a random family I met in the bathroom at Fruita in Capitol Reef). 

Our first and biggest challenge of the day was finding parking at the trailhead.  It was complete madness. It took us at least twenty minutes to circle the one-way parking lot before giving up and parking off to the side in the dirt. Martin wasn’t sure but I didn’t care, I wanted out of the car (we were fine in the end). 

While the kids put on sunscreen and their hiking boots, I made our sandwiches in the “kitchen” and packed our snacks.  And Martin redistributed our water supply to ensure we had enough for the 6+ mile and 3+ hour hike on what was called “primitive trails”. 

Primitive might be an understatement.  The trail led straight up the mountain, across a narrow ledge (with sheer drop offs on both sides) and over boulders to get to the Double O Arches.  From there, you could either return the way you came or continue the loop clockwise through an even more primitive, unmaintained trail.  We continued on and it was awesome.  We were alone most of the second half and at times lost the trail all together (resulting in us attempting to make our way through a deep crevasse with two boulders before we turned around).  The kids slid down rock faces and we walked through sand and sun.  While more challenging and daunting than Cassidy’s Arch, this one felt way more manageable. This was by far the best hike of the trip for me and will most likely be the most memorable. 

That afternoon the kids spent time in the pool and running around with their new friends and we wrapped up the evening with an incredible astronomy session that included views of Jupiter (and four of its moons), the nebula of Orion, a double star in the handle of the Big Dipper and the seven sisters. The KOA hosted guides were incredibly knowledgeable and were able to answer most questions asked including why does the bear (Ursa Major) have a long tail and what is the story of Leo.  

Arches National Park

Founded in: 1971

Size of the Park: 76,519 acres

Topography: With over 2,000 documented arches, it has the highest concentration of natural stone arches on Earth

Number of Annual Visitors: 1.5 million

Popular Hikes: Delicate Arch,  Devils Garden/Landscape Arch, and the Windows Section 

Breuer Fun Facts: One of our favorite stories told to us by a random person on the trails was about a kid who had had enough of hiking and seeing the various arches.  When asked by his parents to take yet another photo in front of an arch he responded “I am done with arches.  The only arches I want to see are the golden arches”.  Our kids thought that was the funniest story ever.

A Bunny Day In Moab

Side note: for those not familiar, a “Bunny Day” is a Breuer term that came from a one-off scene from a movie we only saw once  (The Five Year Engagement) over a lifetime ago but it has stuck.  It typically refers to a day where you just want to lay around the house and do nothing. 

Second Side Note:  We ended up not finding a campsite in Canyonlands (although to be fair we didn’t look too hard).  We instead showed up a day early for our reservation at the Moab KOA and got a site upon arrival. 

After the meltdown on Monday, we decided to take a day off on Tuesday. We were going to lay low, do a little shopping, eat lunch in town, swim in the pool, read books and get caught up on laundry. 

First impressions: Moab is the hipster, desert, off-roading sister city of Bend, OR.  There were coffee shops on every block, there was a mini food truck lot and there were more outdoor apparel shops than needed. There were also countless 4x4 adventure tourism outposts, all with their own jeeps and rock crawlers on display. While in town we bought presents for Meike (belated birthday), I bought a mug for Timber Cove, Oskar bought a sticker (he was officially out of budget) and Alva bought a crochet kit to make a llama. We also enjoyed shaved ice and a decent lunch.  

Back at the KOA I had a little work to do, Martin did the laundry and the kids made a friend playing bocce ball, which led to more friends playing with the camp cat and even more friends playing at the pool.  

Things were starting to look up for Alva and excitement was high when they joined the tie-dye session later that evening at camp. Unfortunately the busy day in town and possibly a little bit too much sugar (shaved ice before lunch, lemonade at lunch, ice cream at the pool and smores with their new friends) might have been the cause of Alva’s second massive meltdown in two days.    

We went to bed mentally exhausted and prayed that she wouldn’t go for a hat trick of meltdowns the next day.

Canyonlands: A Quick Drive Through

From Capitol Reef to Canyonlands, it is less than a two and half hour drive.  And the signs of a potential Alva meltdown due to fatigue noted earlier in the day began to simmer somewhere along that drive. The bickering between Alva and Oskar began halfway through the drive and Alva really started to crack at the visitor center when we wouldn’t buy her the Junior Ranger vest (the vest was $30 and she had only $12 left from her original budget. Normally giving them control of their own budget is enough to prevent any issues, but clearly not this time).   She waited until we were back in the van and then fully broke into tears.  With little room to escape or have any privacy, she tucked herself under the back bed and spent a good fifteen minutes completing her Junior Ranger Activity book in silence to collect herself.  

During this time, I started to get frustrated. While I normally have a bit more patience, time was not on our side.  Canyonlands was a forty minute drive completely out of the way, I wanted to do at least one hike in the park and it was nearing five pm which meant things were going to get dark soon.  If we were going to see any of the park we had to get moving.  Thankfully Martin was a bit more level headed and used his strong negotiation and parenting skills to get Alva out from under the bed.  He leveraged a video of Rasmus on his phone and offered her a can of Pringles to get her out of the funk and into her seat so we could drive to hike the Mesa Arch loop.  

It might be due to the meltdown, or stress of trying to fit it all in (that laid back attitude I was trying to embrace was long gone), but that one hike was enough for me and I didn’t feel the need to explore anymore. We will save our canyons for the Grand Canyon.

Canyonlands National Park

Founded in: 1964

Size of the Park: 330,000  acres

Topography: deep canyons and sheer-walled mesas divided by the Colorado and Green rivers. The park is structured into three distinct districts—Island in the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze. We visited Island in the Sky. 

Number of Annual Visitors: 800,000 

Popular Hikes: Mesa Arch and Grand View Point 

Breuer Fun Facts: We spent less than 4 hours in total in this park.  It was a 40 minute drive off of the main road and after making the trek out there Monday afternoon, we had no desire to do it again.  It also seemed like this park would be better experienced in the canyon (four-wheeling and kayaking) rather than exploring from the top. 

Capitol Reef Day 2: Cohab Canyon in the Morning

Our final few hours in Capitol Reef were spent on the Cohab Canyon trail, which is a steep climb up to the top of the ridge and then a meandering trail through the mountains/canyon and a walk through the wash (the technical term for a dry, sandy, or rocky streambed that only flows with water during rainstorms, snowmelt, or flash flood events).  

The Cohab Canyon trail is an out and back trail that, at the end, connects with a handful of other trails that eventually lead you to other parts of the park, including Cassidy’s Arch. Doing any one of those additional trails was out of the question without a second car waiting for you on the other end (each hike is at least six miles one way), it did give me something to look forward to coming back and completing.  

While I was dreaming about doing more hikes and staying longer, Alva was starting to show signs of hiking fatigue (we had hiked every day for the past seven days). We were able to entice her to keep going with a promise of a croissant when we got to the end of the trail before heading back. She ended up eating three over the course of the hike and her mood never quite fully improved…It was a sign of things to come. 

But we had calmed the tempest and were able to enjoy the quiet and peacefulness of the trail. And the few people we passed all had encouraging words and awe for both Oskar and Alva.  

From Capitol Reef we technically had another night “to be determined” before our reservation at the KOA in Moab.  So we started in that direction with the aim of possibly camping in Canyonlands if we could get one of their first come first serve campsites. 

Capitol Reef Day 1: Easter Sunday and Cassidy’s Arch

We arrived Saturday night and the campsite was perfect.  Situated in a green valley, the campsite was clean, quiet and not overly crowded.  There were trees that offered shade during the day and grassy fields to enjoy the stars at night. We quickly made dinner, the kids went off exploring and Martin and I tried to figure out how the hell we were going to hide easter eggs in the van for the following morning. 

The kids awoke Sunday morning and both agreed to not look for eggs until both had come down from the top sleeping area.  It took them all of two minutes to find the eggs and open their Easter Bags (recently purchased to pack flat) where they found their new 35mm film cameras. Not to brag (but I will) the cameras were deemed the best presents ever!  The kids immediately wanted to understand how they worked and took pictures throughout the rest of the trip. 

We celebrated Easter with a proper Sunday brunch of scrambled eggs and croissants and then, similar to all previous parks, headed to the visitors center for the obligatory Junior Ranger Book and for guidance on what and where to hike.   While Oskar and Alva wanted to hike Cohab Canyon (they had discovered the trailhead just outside of our campsite the previous night) we opted for Cassidy’s Arch with a promise to hike Cohab Canyon before we left the following day.  

We made our way to the trailhead, parked the van, made a few trips between the van and trailhead (once again in need of hats, sunglasses, snacks and toilet paper for the outhouse) and finally started the hike. Within an hour, we all agreed that we really loved this park.  It had all of the scenery of the others, the red rocks, large boulders, dramatic cliffs and half the number of people.  And while I didn’t love the sheer drop offs from those dramatic cliffs (and my stress level was definitely the highest on this hike), I did love the general feeling of the place and would have loved to spend a few more time there.   For some reason everything just felt easier. 

We had a mellow afternoon reading at the campsite and Martin took the kids to play in the river before calling it a night.

Capitol Reef National Park

 Founded in: 1971

Size of the Park: 241,904  acres

Topography: a hidden gem known for the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long warp in the Earth's crust which formed 50 to 70 million years ago. 

Number of Annual Visitors: 1.4 Million 

Popular Hikes: Hickman Bridge, Grand Wash and Cassidy Arch 

Breuer Fun Facts: We had planned to spend only one night in the park since it seemed the least popular of the five.  We ended up spending two and it turned out to be one of our favorites, exactly because it felt the least crowded of the five.

Another Fun Fact: We forgot to take a picture in front of the sign.

Road Trip Adventures on Scenic Route 12

I had intentionally left a few nights open and without reservations so we could enjoy the freedom that the camper van offered us.  We could find a local camp site, we could pull off and disperse camp on national forest land or we could use our emergency card and stay at a hotel. The point was, I was trying to keep some spontaneity alive on the trip and the kids were all for it.  Martin, not so much.  

After Bryce the plan was to drive along the Scenic Route 12 on our way towards Capitol Reef and see what happened.  I will say, while Route 12 is 30 minutes longer, it is definitely worth taking the longer route: there are great views, a climb up through the mountains and descend into the canyons and you pass a lot of great Utah State Parks.  We opted to pull over and explore the Petrified Forest State Park for a break in the drive and a little hike. After the cold of Bryce Canyon, Petrified Forest offered a warm sunny afternoon with minimal crowds.  

After our hike, we stopped for coffee in Escalante (which is apparently known for their cute coffee shops and was recommended by both the Petrified Forest rangers and the lady at the front desk at Ruby’s) followed by our first attempt to camp off the grid at Calf Creek. Unfortunately (or thankfully) the campsites at Calf Creek were all full and in general, it didn’t look suited for our larger van.  So I casually suggested that we might want to keep looking and possibly go all the way to the next national park.  Both kids agreed and Martin took no convincing. 

As a side note: I was not 100% sold on the idea of camping in the wild (aka without some sort of toilet available) and more importantly, I wasn’t looking forward to a grumpy Martin who wasn’t sold on the idea of camping in the wild. So I had spent $25 earlier that morning to secure us a campsite at Capitol Reef for the night but I didn’t tell the kids. Again, trying to keep the adventure going. 

One hour later we were setting up camp at Fruita Campground and I was so thankful we made the decision to head directly to Capitol Reef.

Clyde

Petrified Forest State Park

Bryce Canyon Day 2: Queens Garden Trail / Navajo Loop via Wall Street

After a very cold and windy night, we were all a bit groggy and slow moving the following morning. It was another late start to the day and it took us a few trips between the shuttle stop and van to ensure we had everything we needed (hats, sunglasses, brushed teeth, and hiking boots). Once again, it was shortly before noon before we even got into the park.

Getting off the warm shuttle at the Sunrise Point bus stop took more effort than expected due to the gusty wind and frosty bite in the air.  But we were going to make the most of the day and enjoy a proper hike (and prove the grumpy ranger wrong). We opted for the popular Queens Garden Trail and Navajo Loop which took us down into the amphitheater, past countless hoodoos, through a few natural tunnels and arches and then straight back up the mountain via Wall Street.  Unlike Wall Street in the Narrows (which was named because you can reach out and touch both sides of the canyon walls), this Wall Street is a set of stairs and switchbacks that take you through very narrow paths in the limestone walls, straight up one of the gaps in the spires / hoodoos.  It was such a cool experience and I am glad we ended the hike on this section of the trail.  

The Navajo Trail ended at Sunset Point, which is just a quick walk away from Bryce Canyon Lodge where we headed for coffee and hot chocolate.  The restaurant at the Lodge was closed, but we were pointed to the Valhalla Deck just across the parking lot for coffee and drinks. Randomly enough we ended up sitting next to a couple from Switzerland and had a nice conversation with them about our time living there, switching between English and German without a thought.

We slowly made our way back towards the visitor center to collect the Junior Ranger Badges (the kids didn’t know I had them) and to see if there was an additional prize for finding at least three trail medallions on our hikes (there was, but we didn’t find out until the next day).  The visitor center unfortunately closed ten minutes before we got there and so the grumpy ranger’s plan of giving me the badges in advance actually turned out to be a positive move on his part.  

That evening was spent enduring the chaos of the indoor swimming pool (part of the overall hotel and resort) and the subsequent chaos at the buffet (the only restaurant available within walking distance of our campsite. 

Next stop: the visitor center one more time for the trail medallion prize and then: to be determined.