Desert Survivor's Get-Out-And-Camp Challenge

 I've mentioned before that I didn't camp much as a kid, just at Girl Scout Camp. But that was enough to entice me to camp more, and over the years I've spent many nights out on the ground. Last year I decided to set a little challenge for myself: Could the kids and I camp out ten nights? We didn't have any grand plan, but starting at spring break and running through the summer and into the autumn, we managed to camp out thirteen times. The kids absolutely loved it.

Desert Boy declared last week that we should do a Get-Out-And-Camp Challenge again, but this year up our nights to twelve.

Will you join us?

Choose how many nights you want to camp out this year, write it down or tell someone (a comment here or on Facebook is fine!), and then see if you can meet your goal.

 Last year we camped in all sorts of places, from structured campgrounds to campsites out in the boonies. We even slept in our backyard a couple nights, just because it's fun.

Why camp out?
Here are a few reasons.

1. Camping out gives you time to unwind. We live in such a hectic world, rushing from one thing to the next, that slowing down to listen to the birds sing in the morning or watching the stars move overhead can recharge our batteries.

2. Camping lets you concentrate on your relationships. Camp in a place without Internet or cell service, and you can stop texting and checking Facebook and Twitter and really focus on the people who are with you. Camping is a super way to deepen relationships.

3. Camping is cheap. Want to take a vacation but not spend much money? Camping can be the way to do it! Last fall we stayed a couple nights in Zion Canyon--right in the heart of the national park, with outstanding views. It was less than $20 a night, but oh, so beautiful. Many camping spots are a real deal--you get the fantastic location for just a few bucks.

 4. Camp food can be awesome. When do you eat a s'more? That's usually a treat reserved for camping! Camping often means special foods, whether simple or complicated. Dutch oven recipes, hot dogs roasting over a fire, or even ramen noodles all taste extra good when eaten outside.

5. Kids (and adults) learn how to deal with different situations. What's that strange noise outside the tent at night? What do you do during a huge downpour? What happens if the wind blows your tent over? Is it a good idea to play flashlight tag?


6. Camping is a time to learn more about the natural world around us. It really wasn't so long ago that we humans didn't have much shelter and camped all the time. There's something still imprinted in our DNA that calls us to live that way. Ever been in a group of people and suddenly there's a lull in all the conversations? Predator check. That's right, our DNA is imprinted to have us be quiet every once in awhile to become more aware of what's around us. 

So I hope you'll join us in the Get-Out-And-Camp Challenge! You decide how many nights you want to camp out (and it doesn't have to be in a tent--right under the stars or in an RV are totally fine!), and challenge yourself to do it. Happy camping!

It's the Last Day of Winter! So Here are Some Skiing Photos

Isn't it great that it's the last day of winter?! Actually, I like winter more and more as it provides a little more down time to relax and enjoy life. Nevertheless, I can't help but get excited as spring flowers emerge, migrating birds appear, and the weather warms.

Last weekend we went high up in the mountains to Eagle Point Resort to go skiing before all the snow melts. Desert Boy's friend Ava took a lesson with him, while we parents went off on our own to give our ski legs a test. Last winter I went skiing a lot, but this was the first time this winter, despite having bought some skis. It took me a run to start feeling comfortable, but soon it felt great and I was very happy with how I was doing. 

At the end of the day we went to spy on the kids. We had left them alone all day, as the instructors said they would do better if they weren't distracted by parents. 

 We followed them down on their last run, and they did quite well.

 Then ski school ended, and the kids were turned loose.

 We still had one hour to ski with them, and Desert Boy informed us he wanted to ski on the blue slopes (intermediate). I was hesitant, but he said that they had already skied on one. The instructor said they actually skied on two. So we went over and went on a run that had some little jumps. The kids weren't hesitant at all!

We had time for another run that had lots of rolling hills, and if you were going fast enough you caught some air. It was actually my favorite run of the day, and the kids also loved it. We would have kept going, but we ran out of time. What a fun way to spend the day! We're already looking forward to downhill skiing next winter.

A Sunday Ramble in the Burbank Hills

 A recent Sunday took us to a random road in the Burbank Hills, a set of hills that "only" gains about 2,700 feet elevation, topping out about 7,700 feet. Out here, that means the moniker of hills rather than mountains. (As a comparison, the tallest peak east of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. is Harney Peak in South Dakota, at 7.242 feet.)

We drove until the road (a barely discernible two track, but one that had been already traveled this year) ended. Then we got out and hiked. The kids weren't super thrilled, but we promised them great views.

 When we reached the top of a ridge, we sure did get great views.

 The Burbank Hills aren't really known for any main attraction. They consist of limestones and dolomites, so the rain that falls on them seeps in and there aren't any streams or even any springs. In recent years, a number of roads have been designated as ATV trails (map here). With 98 miles of trails, it's a considerable network, but due to the remoteness and lack of a charismatic attraction, it is seldom visited.

It's nice to have places like that, where the plants and animals can be the dominant creatures. I was quite excited to see this early bloomer:

 Spiny phlox, Phlox hoodii

Then Desert Boy and I started finding some hints that these flowers hadn't been around all that long (at least geologically speaking).

 We found some fossils.

 The fossils were small, but good reminders that this area used to be part of a shallow sea.

 Desert Girl started enjoying the hike more and more. That's fairly common--we may have crabby kids at the beginning of a hike, but once something catches their attention, they forget about their previous attitude.

Then we reached something that made both kids very happy.

 A patch of snow!

 Our dog Henry really liked it too.

 Eating some snow made the kids so happy that even when Desert Boy fell and sprawled across some sagebrush, he smiled.

 The hillside had a number of stumps, and we found some burn signs on some of them. At one point a forest fire must have burned this section of Burbank Hills, but today, unless you know what to look for, you wouldn't know it.

We took a different way back to the truck and I was happy to find a mini-cave. No one wanted to pose for a photo except me. I guess it was time to go! There are still so many other places to explore in this one little mountain range. Hopefully we'll get back before too long.

A Little Greenery for St. Patrick's Day

 In honor of St. Patrick's Day and the traditional green worn on this day, here are two ways to add a little more greenery to your house. First, did you know you can grow your own pineapple? Simply slice off the top of a store-bought one and plant it. In about nine months to a year, it will look like the photo above. If you wait another year or two, you might actually get a fruit! Although we'd love to get a fruit, just the plant itself is quite beautiful. Pineapples are bromeliads and give us a flavor of a warmer climate. They don't need much water (about 20 inches a year), so my once a week watering schedule works quite well.

If you don't want to wait 2-3 years to get something edible from a plant, here's one that will work in less than a week:

Green onions! Green onions (also called scallions) are even more nutritious than regular onions, so we've been trying to eat them more. They also have the added benefit that if you put the roots in water, they resprout. This should work 4 or 5 times before the taste becomes too bland. Plus it keeps them from getting all slimy in the refrigerator, and they are right there on the kitchen window so we eat them more frequently.

Do you have favorite edible greenery in your house?

Desert Survivor's Backyard Bird Challenge--Mid-March Check-in

Have you seen any new birds in your backyard lately? We've added killdeer (two just outside the yard that we hear every few days), Canada geese (that flew over the yard early one morning), and Western meadowlark (flying across the yard and landing in a tree). The Western meadowlark are really singing a lot now. We've also been practicing the more common birds in the yard.


A pair of red-tailed hawks have been in the yard the last three days, and they've been fun to watch. The coloring on red-tailed hawks varies so much, but fortunately, when they fly, they always do have a red tail (at least that I've seen!). Red-tailed hawks are the most common hawk in the area.

Here's another view. As you can see, the trees are leafing out, so it will soon be a little more difficult to see the birds!

Migration should be continuing, so we're hoping to see some interesting birds in the next month.

Geocaching with Kids - A Great Reason to Go Outside

The weather has been super and we've been trying to go outside more, but we keep battling with the kids' desires to be on electronics inside. How can we get them excited to go outside? I stumbled across the mention of geocaching and decided this was the perfect time to explore it more.

Geocaches are hidden little treasures, with the locations shown online for free at geocaching.com (or in an app, which you have to pay for). You simply put the coordinates into your GPS or smart phone, and then go search for the geocache. Once you find it, you can write your name on the list, and if it's big enough, leave a trinket and take one of equal or less value. You can also electronically log your visit on the website or app to keep track of which geocaches you've visited.

When we checked online, we found a few geocaches near us so we went and looked for one. It was so much fun, we invited some friends to go with us to go back to it.

 The kids ready to bike to the geocache. The older ones were raring to go and soon were way ahead.

 The younger ones were so cute on their training wheels. The road was just steep enough that it was a little hard for them, but we told them they were getting stronger.

 The older kids had already found the geocache when the moms and younger kids had arrived, but then we took the time to sign into the log and get a snack.

 Then the older kids raced off to the next adventure (the playground).

 The next day Desert Boy was eager to search for another nearby geocache.

 This one was hidden a little differently. Desert Boy is already getting better with the GPS--of course it's a small, electronic gadget, which means kids will be natural with them. You should have seen his face when he realized there were games on the GPS!

One added attraction of geocaching is that signing into the logs may help his penmanship!

Desert Boy is also keeping a log of the geocaches he has visited. He likes it well enough that he is very excited to go check out two geocaches today. The map shows that there are several on the way to towns in every direction, so as we start visiting those, I think it will make the trip to town shorter, as every time we pass one, the kids will remember visiting that geocache. And in the towns, there are so many geocaches that it will be hard to decide which one to visit first!

Have you tried geocaching? What's been your favorite geocache? And if you haven't, here's the link if you're interested.

Spring Clouds

The spring clouds have been really scenic. The mountains are still snowy, but the valleys are showing more signs of spring each day (I'm listening to robins chatter outside my window as I write this). It won't be long until this field greens up. What's your favorite sign of spring?

Winter Carnival

 The local schools hold a winter carnival to raise money, and this is definitely a win-win proposition. Somewhere to go on a winter night, delicious food, fun games, and lots of prizes. You can see how excited Desert Girl was to go (in her new flower hat).

 The theme was year of the horse, and I enjoyed seeing the horse drawings from the first and second graders.

 For the adults, one of the big events of the night is Bingo. There are some very competitive players (even though it's rather hard to be competitive in Bingo!).


Bingo draws out people I hadn't seen in awhile!

 The face painting booth was very popular. Somehow I didn't manage to get photos of my kids with their faces painted, but they looked great.


What a beautiful butterfly!

 The photography booth, where you choose your own costume, was also very popular. It was fun seeing some of the adults give it a try!

 I haven't been around that many people in awhile, and it sure felt chaotic! We were glad to be running a booth in the corner, where we could go hide once in awhile. Our winter evenings are usually quite calm--or I guess some people might call them boring, but with little kids around, I don't think it's ever boring! Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun to get out of the house. Plus the school raised over $2,000.

Sunday Hike in the Gully

 When I was a kid, I remember occasionally going on Sunday drives to go explore. We didn't know where we were going, we just went to go enjoy the views and spend time together as a family.

I still love that sense of just going for a wander, and being with my family makes it even more memorable. Last Sunday we went out for a family hike in a place we've wandered before, but that holds enough twists and turns to make it different every time: a gully made in Pleistocene times.

The rock and soil is highly eroded, creating wonderful formations.

 Desert Girl climbed up near one.

While I was photographing her, Desert Boy disappeared and then reappeared with a shout.

 He had found a way (up the backside) of this tall wall. We joined him and then meandered up and down side gullies, climbing, sliding, observing how water had carved out the landscape.

 Later we went back into the main gully and just goofed around.

 The kids love showing off their balancing skills, which are continually improving.

 Desert Boy made a "restaurant" and we enjoyed the "food" he created.

 Then we started hiking out, taking a different side gully, where we found some very long roots.

 It was time to practice leaping skills, too.

Desert boy of course had to give it a try (but where the walls were a little closer together!). The afternoon was so refreshing, as we all felt like kids out exploring and stretching our brains.

Here's to a little Sunday exploration!