Really?

Our weekend "getaway" literally started with a tire flying off our trailer. It didn't just go flat; it removed itself completely from the structure it was supposed to be supporting. Like, we don't know when it came off or where it ended up. We did retrace our route, so we do know that at least it didn't cause an accident.

Norah was such a good sport. Just waiting patiently for Dad to figure out what the heck.

New tire and a few hours later, we did get to Moab. Then we drove out of the camp ground and immediately ran out of gas. Here's me trying to make the best of it.

But look! No big deal. We made it on a trail Friday evening, but it was freezing cold and Nic's brother didn't have a top on his Bronco--so this was short lived.

So, so beautiful.

There goes Nic and Norah. She was a champion Jeeping baby.
Even though the whole day was exhausting.
I know that my parents took Josh camping when he was just a few months old. So at 10 months, Norah is pretty grown up. But our version of camping involves a truck-bed camper with a heater, sink, microwave, and toilet. I have no idea how anyone camps with a baby in a tent.

On Saturday we decided to go on a trail called Moab Rim (i.e. trail on the side of a cliff). Totally amazing and gorgeous during the day. Not as incredible when it took us four hours to get down in the dark.

I told Nic that I lost track of everything that went wrong. The things I remember: running out of gas again, broken power steering, something that caused a tire to have to be switched out, hardwiring a fan so an engine wouldn't over heat, and on and on. There were three vehicles in our group, so these problems weren't exclusively ours, but added up to us getting back to camp at nearly 11 p.m.

But did I mention that Norah was a trooper? You guys, she was so good. She only got upset toward the end, and at that point I think all of us wanted to cry, so can you blame her?

Oh, earlier that morning Nic also rolled his friend's Jeep. In the parking lot of the Motel 6. Not on a steep hill or gnarly obstacle. Just on flat ground. Messing around and then bam! Jeep on its side. Nic may be a little upset at my mentioning this, but really? How does that happen?

Again, Norah was so nice to us--even when we put her in baby prison because of all the dirt.


We were planning on going out again on Sunday, but after Saturday night, everyone was over it. So we went to Hole in the Rock and toured its bizarreness.

As we were leaving our house Friday morning a pelican flew over us on Pioneer Crossing. "Look," I told Nic. "That means we're going to have the best trip ever!"

So moral of this story: Pelicans are a bad omen.