Upper San Juan River (Bluff to Mexican Hat)

On the San Juan River with my fam// watching the sun set and the moon rise in the canyon

1/2 the Allreds, 1/2 the Hays' at the Petraglyph panel

Day One: juggling babies and toddlers on the boat// big cliffs and our one stop at the rock art

Liesel playing with Dad, or is is Dad playing with Liesel? Either way, these two kids love the river. 

Wearing our PFDs in waist deep water. We're getting older yet I still demand self portraits. 

Look at those faces! These kids were in heaven.

Our system: moms and babies up front//oarsman// papa and toddlers in back. Worked like a well oiled machine. 

our besties// our toddlers. Liesel's smile! Seeing this makes me want to wake her up and give her a squeeze.  

Hey, baby. Okay, that's not what I was thinking. But I look so relaxed! Scroll down a few for a more accurate version. 

Brian navigating one of the class II rapids on the river. Just enough to add a little thrill!

BIGHORN sightings! 8 sheep all together and two babies. Major wildlife score. 

We all took a dip through the narrows. Notice the two carseats upfront-- so necessary. 

SO this is more accurate. What happened to my limbs in that one photo? 

River family in action. Hannah crawling out of her carseat, me and Liesel and Brian pushing the boat off a rock.

A brief sprinkle of rain had us searching for the umbrella. Little did we know it would be the last time it would do it's job. See tiny Mexican Hat in the distance? I love that rock formation. 

See Liesel on the right and me in the background changing Hannah's diaper? It took these gals .3 seconds to fall asleep in the car. Liesel was actually snoring. 

When Brian comes home with that smile on his face, I can tell he's talked to Clay and they've got a plan. Last week, Brian told me there was a last-minute permit available on the San Juan and he snagged it for quick overnight trip down the river. Usually water flows this time of year are too low, but with all the rain recently it was just high enough to float. With that said, it was waist deep at the deepest and ankle deep at the shallowest point. I actually enjoyed that since it helped me relax with a baby on board.  

The next two days I spent getting food together and packing. I have always wanted to explore Bluff, Utah. I'm pretty sure that anyone who drives through it is like, What is this beautiful desert town and where are all the people?! It is incredible. It's also where the Hole in the Rock Mormon San Juan mission pioneers (LDS) settled on their trek. We woke up at 6am to drive to the river and start our adventure. As soon as we showed up we realized that our bag with all our diapers, wipes, kids' swimsuits, our camera and my sunglasses was left at home. No big deal. Only the most essential things for a RIVER trip. Thank goodness the Allreds had brought an extra boys swimsuit. 

Day 1 was great. We stopped once to check out an ancestral puebloan rock art panel, but mostly floated, dipped in the river and took in the scenery. By late afternoon we found the perfect campsite. A big flat beach with a zero entry for the kids. It was perfect. We all ran around like giddy toddlers. I think that is what I love most about being on the river. Occasionally (ok. . . . often) I long for that carefree feeling of summer, and when I'm on the river I feel that. The days are unstructured, our kids are contained, our bellies full and we're far away from everything (since I live so close to everything, it's essential to get away ya know). 

So we played. 

I also loved that after the kids went down, Brian and I got to lie out on the mat and look up at the sky. I love just talking to him. That's such a girl thing to say. 

Day 2 we paddled through a few class II rapids, swam the narrows of the canyon, saw multiple bighorn sheep and tried to rendezvous with Brian's dad near Mexican Hat rock (we ended up catching up with him at the boat ramp). Anyone with a baby who is considering going down the river should bring a carseat. That was totally the ticket. I love weekends like this! 

Sometimes my life (and I'm sure the life of many moms) feels a little like groundhog day. Trips like this are so golden; family, friends and the great outdoors. 

**Liesel just woke up crying from her nap. It hurt me! she said through sobs. What did? 

The car!

Did a car hit you in your dream?

Yeeeeessssss!

Her first bad dream! I was wondering when that would happen. Makes me want to hold her, but she rolled over and fell back asleep. ****