Tuesday, May 25, 2010

"Daddy Drives Upsidedown!"

We've been back from our Moab Vacation for a few days now, but we've been having computer issues with trying to get all the pictures and videos uploaded.  So I apologize for the delay, and thought I would let you know how the trip went, and try and get the pictures and videos up later. 

We had an Awesome time!!!  Everyone had a blast!!  Cam got the Jeep all fixed up in time (literally putting in new drive shafts the night before we left!!) and it performed GREAT!!!  (with the exception of one radiator hose that caused us to lose all of our coolant the first day).  Aliy took a TON of pictures and video (her favorite part) and even got over some of her fears of "going down" in the Jeep - some - not all!!!  Riley had fun just playing in the Jeep, and seeing all the other ones!  We got him a little toy Jeep (red like Daddy's) that he played with ALL THE TIME!!!  One of our favorite quotes of his from the trip was one afternoon he fell asleep in the Jeep, and woke up right as we were going down a steep hill.  We were nearly vertical (which happens often in Moab), and he says "Daddy Driving Upsidedown!!"  It was hilarious!!  We laughed the rest of the trip about that one!  I wish we could have gotten it on video! 

We spent Wednesday driving to Moab.  It took us a good 9 1/2 - 10 hours, with all the potty breaks we had to take for toddlers and pregnant Mommies!!  Set up camp late that night and went to sleep!  The next day we met a bunch of the other Jeepers there for the trip and decided to take a family drive on the La Sal Mountain Loop.  The La Sal's are a small Mountain range just east of Moab - and very pretty.  But while on this drive that darn radiator hose decided to blow, and we lost all of the coolant just as Cam stopped to let me take a few pictures.  We were able to let it cool and fill it back up with water from our nalgenes and cooler to make it back to camp.  Got everything fixed up and headed out to finish the other half off the loop! 

Friday was the first "official" day of the trip for everyone, so all the Jeepers got together and did the trail called Hell's Revenge.  We did this trail in 2005 when we went with some friends from Indy, but skipped a lot of the obstacles that time around.  So Cam wanted to do as many as possible, mostly Hell's Gate and Tip Over Challenge, now that the Jeep was "geared up" to handle it - and it did!!!  He discovered an issue with the power steering during Hell's Gate, but that was remedied later that night with all the tools and experienced Jeep mechanics in the campground!!  It was so fabulous to see the Jeep perform so easily over these tougher challenges!!

Saturday was our last day there, and Cam was itching to do the Tri-fecta.  A group of 3 trails that make a long loop and a Full Day of Jeeping!  We started REALLY early with a small group (only 7 instead of the 17 from the previous day), so that we wouldn't be on the trail into the dark.  First is the Poison Spider Trail.  This is just the first section of trails, but houses many obstacles (that aren't always optional) like the Launch Pad, The Waterfalls, and one called Wedgie!  Look for all of these in the pictures when I get them finished!  Next is the Golden Spike trail.  This section of the trail is the hardest with the most concentration of obstacles, like the Golden Crack, Commando Hill, And Double Whammy just to name a few.  The last section of trail is the Gold Bar Rim trail, an easier section with a few obstacles, most of which we skipped.  Cam had quite an experience right before this trail on the Double Whammy, so he took it easy most of the rest of the way!  (thankfully ;)  Then we drove home Sunday, and spent all day Monday catching up on stuff at home (like mowing and laundry) and trying to upload pictures and videos!

Overall it was a great trip!  We made some good friends, and good memories.  And Everyone (including the big red metal monster) survived!!!  We did learn that this may be our last trip to Moab for a while at least.  It was a tight fit for 3 of us with camping gear and tools for wheelin'.  So with the new one on the way our next trip will most likely have to be in two vehicles if Daddy still wants to take the Jeep!!  I'll try to get the pictures and video links up in the next couple of days, so keep checking back in!!  Next up: Riley's Birthday!!!  (And a special THANK YOU to Unkie Rodgie and Auntie Kathie for helping us get the decorations - Heaven forbid Colorado have anything race related in May!!!) 

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