Daycare Camping 2013

There are many things that we enjoy about Arizona, one of which is the fact that you can drive two hours and leave the 100 degree desert for 70 degrees and this:

This weekend we went camping in northern Arizona to an area called Blue Ridge Reservoir in the Coconino Mountains. 

We went with three other families: Dawn and Natalie; Wren, Tim, Niah, and Grae; and Sarah, Bart, and Aubrey. Our connection is that we all have used Dawn for daycare. Last time we camped with Dawn, Wren, and the gang was in 2010. Looking back on those pictures just shows how time does fly.

The Bearded Man (as dubbed by Owen) and his lovely bride. It felt good to be temporarily out of the heat and have to wear long sleeves again. 

We went on a short hike to the reservoir. Short is the key word when traveling with young kids, but it was worth it to dip our feet in the water and skip rocks.

Roland is turning into a nice little camper. He enjoys exploring, remains fairly calm (unless we encounter a dude hiking with a parrot, which we did), and curls up right next to us when we're sleeping.

We camped with a great group of people. We had never met Sarah and Bart before, and they turned out to be the nicest people. Since Owen and Niah have known each other since they were one, they play together very naturally. We are hoping to make this group camping trip an annual tradition.