cassidy's and hickman's

This past weekend the kids and I, and our friends the Jones, headed south to visit my hometown and old stomping grounds. It was a fun fun weekend. We stayed in the new cabin my dad made and it was just perfect. He has done such an amazing job on it, he still amazes me after all these years.

On Saturday we headed down to Capitol Reef, despite the cold, rainy weather. We were greeted by snow/hail/slush at Capitol Reef. What a desert surprise! We waited for the sun to come out and then started a fun hike - the Cassidy's Arch hike.

The kids loved all the little pockets in the rock walls to climb up in and try to hide. My dad told me when I was little that these little holes were 'Mokie caves' and somewhere there was a little mokie (who knows what a mokie is?) waiting for me to get out of its cave. In the picture below is Kelsey, Thomas, William, Lydia, and Kendal. We left sweet little Emmitt home with Grandma - thank goodness!

Kendal is very distractable and she took nearly every opportunity she had to climb in a hole instead of walk up the trail.

Cassidy's Arch is a fun hike that climbs about 1500 feet in elevation and is about a 1 3/4 mile hike. I have alot of fun memories climbing this rock with high school girl friends, boyfriends, and my family.

About half way into the hike, you get to see what you are climbing to - Cassidy's Arch.

The hike takes you to the top of the arch and it is really scary for moms with distractable and daring children. Kelsey, Thomas, and Mark were there before the rest of us girls, and Kelsey told me she walked across the arch. I remember doing that when I was 19 or so and it scared the holy somethings out of me! I think the actual arch is only 8 or 10 feet wide or so - not very big! I must have blocked it out of my memory!

We had some snacks at the top and the kids were not allowed beyond this point without a mom or dad. The drop off makes my tummy twirl just thinking about it.

Kendal is pointing to the arch. She was so undisturbed by the drop off and hundreds of feet below that it made me very disturbed!

This is as close as we could go - do you see the death grip on my child? Mothers worry too much!

Saturday evening we took a little 4 wheeler ride back at my parents house. The weather was crazy the entire weekend, but luckily it held out for us. Sunday we took another hike - an easier one for the kids. Hickman Bridge is a great little hike for little feet. Lydia, Kendal, and William loved throwing rocks into this large rain storm puddle.

Kelsey and William - on the side of Hickman Bridge. This hike was a little too boring for Mark, so we headed out on our own little hike. My friend Brad once took me up a little canyon on the side of the bridge that was a fun, exciting little diversion. I remember we had to climb up a bunch of fallen rocks and have a little help along the way to get up to the top. So that is the route we took this time around too.

My Kelsey is just like a little mountain goat - she loves to climb up the rocks. She is a great little tree climber, and rock climber also. All the kids did great and loved the adventure of blazing a new trail and climbing up huge rocks. These two pictures show a little bit of the adventure, but pictures never do make it look accurate.

Once on top, we ate our Subway lunches and wished the large black rain clouds away. My friends, the Jones family.

Kelsey and Kendal were good little hikers. Wait, who am I kidding? Kendal was horrible. She whined and wanted to be carried, or else she was more interested playing with the dirt on the trail than hiking. She is 5 I tell myself. Thank goodness Amanda has more patience than I do or that sweet little one might still be up there!

Oh, here is me on the top of Hickey Rock - the place our diversion led us. This formation was recently named and it makes me giggle.

Thanks Jones family for a super fun time. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us stay with you and for taking care of my Emmitt while we were playing!

On a side note: Emmitt wore his first pair of Wranglers for the first time over the weekend. They were given to him when he was just a few weeks old. Here he is in the cabin on the horse my dad just finished making playing 'cowboy.' I named this horse Roxy over the weekend, hope that is okay Chappell Family! Roxy has a cousin at our house named Thunder. We love Thunder! Thunder and Roxy have another cousin at my sister's house. I can't remember his name. There is also a distant cousin at my brother's house. I think that horse is named Freckles. Roxy was the name of our old horse when I was young - she was great.