Tag: Adventure

Tusher Tunnel 4×4 trail, Moab, Utah

One of the trails we explored in our Polaris RZR on our recent Moab trip was Tusher Tunnel, a jaw-droppingly cool cave through 100 feet of sandstone. The sandy 4×4 trail to get there takes only an hour or so, but the destination was amazing.

Tusher Tunnel reminded me of Lava Tubes in Hawaii – dark, cavernous tunnels through rock tall enough to walk through. The difference here was that the other side of this tunnel opened up to a beautiful desert vista with striated sandstone and juniper trees decorating the landscape.
Charles A. Wells’ book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails gave detailed trail information, and I highly suggest anyone off-roading in the area pick up a copy. The five minute hike from the parking area to the tunnel was a little bit of a scramble, but the tunnel itself is flat and sandy. And dark and cool – and I’m not just talking about the temperature.
Tusher Tunnel Info:
Getting there: Take Highway 191 North from Moab about 14 miles. Turn left on Mill Canyon Road just after mile marker 141.
Difficulty: Easy, but sandy. The dirt bikes that came with us had some trouble on the sandy terrain.
Time: 1.5 hours
Tips: I wish I had brought a flashlight for better Tusher Tunnel exploration.

Moab Utah with Adventure Tykes

Moab, Utah is an adventure paradise. Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are nearby, and 4 wheel drive, hiking and biking trails abound. Our recent trip there was primarily focused on finding some fun UTV trails to explore, but I was able to squeeze in some time to meet another great outdoor family blogger – Melissa Edge with www.adventuretykes.com.
For the last eight years Melissa and her family has lived in Moab, exploring the area for the best family adventures. They currently own Edge Photography, a gallery of amazing outdoor photographs taken by Melissa’s husband, Bret. 

In 2009 Melissa started the Adventure Tykes, first as an online store for parents to find quality outdoor gear for their kids. Now, although the blog maintains a gear rental section where visitors to Moab can get anything from a jogging stroller to a portable high chair, its main focus is to encourage big adventures with little ones.
“One reason I started the blog was to prove to parents that it is possible to have kids and be in the outdoors. Although you move at a slower pace with kids, they open your eyes to the world and the things you would otherwise pass by,” Melissa said. 
I have to agree. On this trip to Moab my tots loved finding wildflowers, climbing rocks, and hiking to hidden alcoves. Big E’s favorite find was a “crystal rock” that may or may not have held magical properties in their imaginative play.

Enjoying the outdoors with tots is the reason I blog as well. I love to re-experience the joy of discovery with my kids, and I was glad to find that with Melissa, I’m in good company.

Motherhood Moments: Acceptable Risk in the Outdoors

I recently read this fascinating article from Psychology Today on why children need risky play. In it author Peter Grey reviews research by Ellen Sandester that says that children seek out risky play in the following six categories.
  1. Great Heights – perhaps this is why little g and Big E try to rock climb up the fireplace
  2. Rapid Speeds – sledding, snowboarding, skiing, bikes
  3. Dangerous Tools – Big E asks to help cut vegetables, use the drill or hammer anything, anywhere
  4. Dangerous Elements – Fire and deep bodies of water
  5. Rough and Tumble – My favorite game growing up was tickle monster, now it’s my kids’ as well
  6. Getting Lost/Disappearing – Hide and Seek, kids only play spaces

The article explains that kids crave play in this way to test their limits, learn how to handle fear and to feel thrill by combining the joy of freedom with a dose of danger. Risky play can help with emotional regulation of children, teaching them how to keep a level head when they feel scared or how to manage anger when rough and tumble play gets out of hand.

If free play involving some element of danger is so important to kids development, why is it so hard as a parent to let them do it? In general I allow my tots as much freedom as I can, at times resulting in being too lenient compared to other parents.

On a recent adventure to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon, Utah I was fine with my five year old son climbing this rocky slope, while my brother and sister in law stopped their four year old daughter halfway up. They were both being safe, and nobody got hurt.

Later, Big E decided to explore the back side of the fish pond, which was only accessible via a path on a steep section of mountain that could’ve easily resulted in sliding into the water. Since the water was only a foot or two deep (although it was frigid) I was fine with E exploring there, but again my niece was not allowed to go. In that moment I felt pressure to stop Big E from his risky play, since that’s what the other adults expected, but another part of me wanted to stop the adults from being so uptight.

I understand the play it safe mentality that parents use with kids. I do it myself as well. On most outdoor adventures I find myself issuing the same well used warnings to my kids that my brother and sister in law used with theirs. Be careful! Come down from there! You’re too far ahead, I have to see you! 

Saying these things helps me feel like I’m in control of my children’s behavior, even though I know I’m not. I may control their location, I may have told them my expectations, but in any given moment I cannot force them to act in a certain way. I believe this is the trust of parenthood, how much freedom can I feel comfortable giving my children? As they grow, that amount must increase as well.

After reading Risky Play: Why Children Need It and Love It I’ve decided to stop trying to control every move my children make. If they are exploring the woods I will only allow myself one “Be Careful.” If they want to throw rocks in water, I’ll join in with them. I hope being involved with their play will mitigate the dangers I see and they don’t, and hopefully we’ll all be better off for it.

30 Adventures for my 30th Birthday

Yesterday I turned thirty.  I know, I’m old.  (This is the point when everyone younger than thirty nods in agreement while everyone older than thirty rolls their eyes.)

I don’t feel like I’ve passed some great milestone, I feel basically the same way I did the day before, only sleepier.  It could be that thirty makes you more slumberous but my guess is that I’m sleepier because little g consistently screams for me in the middle of the night while Big E weasels his way into my bed.  Seriously, the one request I had for them was for them to sleep all night in their own beds.  Did this happen?  NO. Instead Big E and I got so mad at each other it ended in tears…for both of us.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a good day for your birthday.  In general people treat you kindly and you get a free pass on chores you hate (no dishes for me, YES!).  Apparently that concept does not matter to a three year old, however because when I asked Big E to stop playing on the computer and come eat lunch he screamed, yelled, cried, pushed his plate across the table, pouted and ended up in a 20 minute time out in his room.  I know it’s bad when I’m holding grudges against a 3 year old child.

An actual quote by me, “No, I will not make you nachos because you’re being so mean!”

While he was crying, yelling and pouting I put little g down for her nap and in the process she hit my face with a book breaking my glasses and once again making me cry.  Less from the emotional drama and more from the pain in my eyeball region.

Because of this I have declared BIRTHDAY WEEK! for the next seven days. Instead of doing all the celebrating on one day I’m spreading it out over a week.  This way I get all the things I want – a night out with Mountain Dad, a Ladies night with friends, a pampering pedicure, a nap – and I don’t have to try to squeeze it in to one day. As part of my BIRTHDAY WEEK! I am also giving you a gift, blog readers.  I have decided to list 30 adventures I’m planning to have in the coming year.  Thirty things to try with and without the tots in an effort of getting outdoors more.  Are you ready?  Here goes:

1. 360 on my snowboard
2. Front side board slide on a box
3. Teach Big E downhill skiing
4. Try cross country skiing with the tots

5. Snowshoe excursion up Provo Canyon
6. Snowmobiling trip to Island Park, Idaho
7. Hike to Stewart Falls with Big E walking the whole time (2 miles round trip, do you think he can make it?)
8. Visit a National Park
9. Have a neighborhood bonfire where we burn our dry Christmas tree (Fire = Awesome)
10. Try canoeing with the tots
11. Bike ride road trip
12. Hike to a mountain top
13. Explore something new
14. Go to the beach
15. Go camping
16. Watch a caterpillar change
17. Mountain bike down a mountain…without the tots
18. Grow a garden
19. Teach Big E to swim
20. Hike to a waterfall
21. Go fishing
22. Visit Italy with Mountain Dad (This has always been on my bucket list and since I turned 30 this year it seems like the right time to plan it.  Plus we have over 200,000 frequent flyer miles built up thanks to spending too much money with our Delta Skymiles card.  Curse you Home Depot!)
23. Explore Portland, Oregon
24. Go boating
25. Swim 200 meter freestyle without stopping
26. Yet to be determined
27. Um…
28. I’m not sure yet
29. Stop pressuring me people!
30. (sigh)

So maybe 30 is an ambitious goal, whatever.  If you have suggestions for a possible adventure that would be appropriate for Me, Mountain Dad or Big E and little g by all means let me know.  If not I hope you enjoy reading about the adventures we do plan on having.  Happy reading!