Big sur

Turns out California is a pretty big state...did you know that?  There is so, so, so much to see in this one single state we live in.  Memorial day weekend we went down to Big Sur to see the forest and mountains meet the ocean.

We drove down Friday afternoon, getting a much later start than we hoped (like, we wanted to leave at noon and actually left at 4:00 pm...).  Of course, going anywhere in California on the first day of a long weekend means traffic.

Horrible, unmovable traffic.

So, the anticipated 3 hour drive actually took 5 hours.  We drove through for dinner (healthy and smart) and had to stop for a potty break.  By the time we got to Big Sur it was dark and getting cold.  Did I mention we were camping?

Setting up a tent is always fun, add the darkness of night and five cranky children and you are in for some super fun.  The good news, Colter was so exhausted by the time we got the tent set up he conked right out.



We made it through the first night pretty easily.  It was kind of cold (freezing actually) but we brought enough warm gear to keep us all happy.  We all got up early and had cold croissants and nutella for breakfast while Daddy stoked up a fire so we could warm up.


Our kids love camping so much!  I cannot figure it out.  I like camping too but our kids rank camping right up there with Christmas and Birthdays.  Cold, smoke, dirt...they love it all.  Even Colter had a great time.  I think he ate more dirt than actual food.


We did not pack any real entertainment for the kids.  The big kids brought a book to read and there was a couple of toy cars but that was it.  Adell found fun in building things in the dirt--mostly birthday cakes with sticks for candles.  Clare started collecting bottle caps, made new friends.  Colter just ran around eating dirt and falling over.  We went camping with a large group of church friends--there were lots of other kids to run around with.  The kids kind of had the run of the place.





On the morning of the first day--I took a nap--and Will took all five kids on a hike.  Our family does a fair bit of hiking but I think this was one of the more extreme hikes the kids have been on.  I wish I had a picture.  Apparently, there was a nearly vertical, rocky ravine right at the start of the hike.  Will had Colter in the baby back-pack and tossed Adell up on his shoulders for the climb up the ravine.

Nobody died.

In fact, the big kids got some cool points with their friends for having such a boss Dad.

After lunch we gave the beach a try.  We had heard our friends rave about the beach all morning and we couldn't wait to check it out.  Too bad for us--we went on the windiest day. ever.



Look at Clare's hair in the picture below.  Windy, yes!  It was kind of torture for Colter, Adell and Clare.  They did not appreciate being sand blasted.  We only stayed for a few minutes before retreating to the safety of the car.







Saturday night we shared a campfire with our friends, the Smiths.  Will was the only one who got burned grabbing a hot marshmallow skewer.  We ate s'mores until we were sick and enjoyed good company.

We headed home Sunday morning.  We left early to avoid traffic troubles.  It was a pretty cool weekend.  I hope we will get to go again next year.