It tasted like prickly pear margaritas and tomahawk steaks. It smelled like freshly bloomed cactus flowers and… at one point… a whole bunch of horse poo. It felt like sun kissed skin and looked like perfect mountain views. It sounded like giggling children getting tossed in the pool and the pop of champagne corks just before noontime.
Spring Break 2022 was exactly right.
This year we traveled to Cave Creek, Arizona with our friends and neighbors the Van Vels Family. All planning credit goes to Emily who orchestrated the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation. The direct flights, incredible vacation home and perfect weather sure were nice, but the company was even better. It is a pleasure to create such fun memories together with our families.
We captured lots of great moments on camera but some of my favorites don’t have a pic. Those include: actual real life sun salutations during morning yoga, finally finishing ‘that book’ I’ve been reading for way too long (Jeff no longer has to hear me whine about how sad it is), sleeping in (which never happens) while the kids helped themselves to cereal for breakfast, and late night chats around the fire. As for the ones we did capture, here are some of the highlights…
Arizona is great for hiking and we took full advantage. The whole crew climbed to the top of Black Mountain followed by greasy burgers and shakes for lunch at Big Earls. The kids were champions on the hike and the VIP award goes to Violet Van Vels for (no joke) falling asleep on her dads shoulders/head while he carried her back down the mountain. All it took was that ice cream shake and she was back in action.
Our afternoons were filled with pool time and sunbathing. I was reminded how annoying (and how very important) putting sun screen on our fare skinned bods is. We made good use of the Margaritaville Machine at the house - the kids were treated to pineapple smoothies most afternoons and living their very best lives. The girls played ‘mermaids’ in the pool and Jeff found his match in Yahtzee after Ford crushed him in a six game series.
We took the kids to Mac Donalds Ranch for some good ole’ fashioned horse back trail riding followed by a cowboy cookout. The baked beans were SO good and the kids had a riot roasting s’mores after dinner. The ranch also had a petting zoo which the kids loved.
We checked out Frontier Town located in downtown Cave Creek and it was a hoot - I’m a sucker for a tourist trap. It’s outdoor bar/restaurant/event area is super cute and perfect for grabbing a beverage and doing some shopping before dinner.
While Jeff and Josh caught early tee times a few of the mornings, Emily and I had some fun together with the kids. One of the mornings we hiked the Blue Wash Trail. We packed a picnic lunch that we ate by the waterfall at the halfway point - Lunchables for the win! The kiddos were rewarded with ice cream back in town after the 2.5 hour adventure. They earned it!
We also planned a ‘moms morning’ where Emily and I hiked just over 5 miles around the Spur Cross Loop. We worked hard for our brunch and bubbles that followed at Ravens View - the cutest little spot just outside of town. The morning was awesome - I hit a hiking record on my Apple Watch and I’ll be dreaming about that divine Brussel Sprout Salad for weeks.
Our day trip to Sedona was a fun one too. It’s an hour drive there and back with the most gorgeous views. The mountains are so much different there despite how close the locations are - they are red in color (sort of like the U.P. dirt) and much more aggressive looking vs. the rolling hills found in Cave Creek. The crew hiked to the arch off the Fay Canyon Trailhead where the older kids and the Dads took it to the very top! After lunch downtown we found our way to Slide Rock… which… was crazy-fun. We took turns dipping into the ice cold water and sliding through the natural water slides. Memories!!
We are back in action at home in Grand Rapids and feeling fresh! We’re looking forward to all the Spring activities including our Spring birthdays, sports and the beginning of the countdown until the last day of school - 6 more weeks! Welcome back everyone.
