Camp Sonshine

Emmy went to Camp Sonshine again this year.

She’s attended the past few summers and always has a great time. This year, she went with her friend Audrey, and they ended up in the same group with Hannah as their counselor.

Camp Sonshine is a day camp that runs from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, keeping the kids busy all day. Emmy comes home hot, tired, and full of stories. It was the perfect week for her to go, since the boys and Abby were both working a lot—and otherwise, she would’ve been home and bored.

Each day is packed with fun activities like archery, axe throwing, slip ’n slide, gaga ball, slime tag, outdoor cooking, go-karts, swimming, and more. We're lucky to have such a great camp so close to home.

On Friday, the camp offers an overnight option, and both Emmy and Audrey decided to stay. It happened to be 105 degrees that day with strong winds, so the camp moved everyone indoors to sleep in the chapel for safety and comfort. I don’t think Emmy slept much—she came home exhausted but happy after a full week of fun.

Strawberries

We’ve had our strawberry patch for five years now. Last year, we had a huge harvest—and this year looks to be just as good. The plants keep getting bigger each season, and we’re finally starting to see some nice, large berries.

I’m usually the designated strawberry picker, and the rest of the family is happy to be the eaters! This year, I made a strawberry sauce that the girls loved—it was perfect on waffles and pancakes. For about 10 days straight, I was picking a large bowl of strawberries every other day. I froze some for later, the girls used them in smoothies and açaí bowls, and Robb probably ate his weight in fresh berries.

 

Time to come home

The ride home was pretty cozy—just like it was on the way there. I think everyone had a great time, but after a full week, we were all more than ready to get home. We had an 8+ hour drive ahead of us, but we made it back safely.

As soon as we got home, Robb and I turned around and drove to Norfolk to pick up the dogs. I had really been missing my pups, and since I needed to help Bryce with his college class sign-up meeting the next day, I knew I wouldn’t have time to make the trip then. We didn’t end up getting home until 2 a.m.—which was kind of insane—but it made us extra thankful to finally crawl into our own bed that night.

This is what it looked like at the front door of our Air BnB house. Just a few shoes there.

 

Day 5 ATV Day

Today was ATV Day.

It ended up being one of the most expensive days of our vacation—and definitely the one that required the most planning on Robb’s part. There are tons of rental companies to choose from, so Robb had done his research ahead of time to find the best one for us.

With the size of our group, we needed two 4-passenger ATVs. The company had trails available to ride on, but we were a week early in the season, so they weren’t yet delivering the ATVs directly to the trail. That meant I had to drive a vehicle towing a trailer—loaded with an ATV—through the mountains for an hour. Not exactly my comfort zone. My stomach was in knots all morning from the stress.

I kept telling myself, “I’m a capable adult. I can figure this out.” Robb gave me a heads-up to tell the rental company I’d towed a trailer before. Gulp. I just hoped I wouldn’t mess anything up—because a wrecked ATV would make this day a whole lot more expensive.

The morning got off to a rocky start. We were trying to get everyone out the door early, and the plan was to just pick up Bryce on the way. But when we got there, we found out everyone 18 and older had to be present to sign waivers. So, I had to turn around and go back for Bryce and Bree.

Of course, when we returned to the rental office, neither of them had brought their licenses. You’d think teens would automatically carry ID—but we’ve run into this with Brook too. I’ve learned: you must spell it out—if they’ll need ID, tell them. We ended up just telling the company they wouldn't be driving, which at that point felt like the easiest solution. We were ready to get going.

Bryce, Bree, and Emmy rode with me to the trail. I actually did fine towing the trailer—though the beat-up 2004 vehicle they gave me felt like it was about to fall apart climbing the hills. Still, we made it to the Switzerland Trail, unloaded the ATVs, and we were off.

Everyone was a bit nervous about riding with Caleb, who’s known for his need for speed. Bryce drove one ATV with Bree, Abby, and Emmy, while Caleb took the other with Robb and me. Caleb handled the ATV well but definitely drove too fast at times. The trail had a mix of other riders—Jeeps, motorcycles, even a guy on a bike—so he could’ve used a bit more caution, especially around blind corners.

We rotated drivers throughout the day. Bree, Abby, and Robb all took turns and had a blast. I didn’t drive—it just wasn’t that important to me, and there was already a constant scramble for more driving time.

The weather was perfect—not too hot, and the rain held off until we were done. We had the entire day to ride and explore different parts of the trail. By 4:00, it was time to return the ATVs, so we loaded them up and made the trip back. First-time trailer hauling: success.

To wrap up the day, the kids played pickleball that evening. This ongoing need to be the pickleball champ is cracking me up.

Can you tell which vehicle liked going through the mud at full speed?

Day 4 – Falls, Horses, and Golf

Day 4 – Falls, Horses, and Golf

Looking at the extended forecast before our trip, we were worried we’d be dealing with rain all week—but the weather has been absolutely beautiful!

This morning, we hiked the Alluvial Fan area. According to an informational sign, this rocky landscape was formed when a dam failed and sent a 40-foot wall of water crashing into Estes Park. The resulting flood created this unique area of sand and boulders, and it’s now a fun spot to explore.

Robb, Bryce, Bree, and Emmy—our more adventurous hikers—scrambled up to the top of the falls. Abby and I aren’t quite as daring, but we eventually made our way up one of the cliffs to get a good view. It was actually a lot of fun climbing over the rocks. Bryce ended up with soaking wet shoes and declared that he “almost died.” While I tend to be overly cautious, Bryce is fearless—he has absolutely no aversion to danger.

Caleb, still firmly convinced that hiking is a form of punishment, talked us into dropping him off at the golf course so he could putt and chip instead.

After our mid-morning hike, we came home for lunch and some downtime. Bryce had a headache and took a nap. Abby, Bree, and Emmy watched TV and snoozed, while I worked on my tan out on the deck.

At 2:00, we split into groups again. The girls were off on a two-hour horseback ride through the park, while Robb and Caleb played 18 holes of golf. Poor Bryce stayed back to nap and try to shake his headache.

We were all excited for the ride—especially Emmy, who hasn’t been able to do her usual riding lessons this year since her instructor quit. She’s been itching to get back in the saddle. It had also been a long time since Abby, Bree, or I had ridden.

Our guide Kaylynn led just the four of us on the ride. Emmy rode Chester (I teased her that she always ends up with the horse who has an old man name), Abby had Ventura, Bree was on Navajo, and I rode Iceman. Emmy and Bree’s horses were the snacky ones—grabbing grass at every opportunity.

The trail took us into the National Park and up 800 feet in elevation. Some areas were steep, narrow, and even a bit nerve-wracking—especially one stretch with a steep drop-off. I was silently praying that Iceman and the rest of the horses were feeling steady on their feet. But the views were stunning—we saw waterfalls, the area of the Five Peaks, and Deer Mountain. It was a gorgeous ride, but by the time we made it back to the barn, we all agreed: two hours was plenty. Our butts were done.

After the ride, we swung by the house to grab Bryce, who was finally feeling a bit better, and then picked up Robb and Caleb from the golf course. Caleb proudly announced that he won "by a landslide" and made sure everyone knew it.

Robb dropped us off in downtown Estes, where we wandered through the tourist shops and picked up some local gear before heading home.

Hard to believe we only have one day left.

Emmy’s rating: 10/10.

Day 3-Rafting, Pizza, and Pickleball Rivalries

 Day 3 – Rafting, Pizza, and Pickleball Rivalries

Today was an earlier start than we’re used to on vacation—we had to be out of the house by 8:30 to head to Idaho Springs. The drive was brutal. An hour and 45 minutes of winding mountain roads did a number on my stomach, and by the time we got there, I was feeling pretty awful. Thankfully, the nausea faded quickly once I was out of the car.

We dropped off Robb, Bryce, Bree and Caleb at Liquid Descent, the rafting outfitter. They suited up in their wetsuits and headed off for their whitewater adventure. Meanwhile, the girls and I explored the cute little town of Idaho Springs. We wandered through a bunch of small shops before stopping for lunch at Beau Jo’s Pizza, which had great reviews on the gluten-free app. Abby gave their GF pizza two thumbs up.

At 1:30, we picked up our river crew. They’d had a great time, and the rafting photos were super fun to look through—even if the water was freezing. Robb said that their guide had some strong feelings about people signing up for intermediate rafting trips who couldn’t swim. Apparently, he’s decided to stop asking that question altogether—it was just too frustrating for him. Yikes. All of our people could swim and are used to water so we didn't fall into the category of people that annoyed him.

Later in the day, the kids were eager to play pickleball again. Robb stayed back for a nap, and I headed to the courts to watch. It always cracks us up how competitive Bryce and Bree are with each other—especially since that dynamic is completely foreign in our marriage. I don’t have a competitive bone in my body!

Emmy rated today a solid 7/10.

Quick van update: the shop that we spoke with had already pulled the van over there and started working on it before we even called. Silver City doesn't have much to offer but the hospitality of the people there is pretty great. The alternator that Robb installed was working they thought that it just needed a full charge so that would have meant waiting another 3 + hours so probably a good decision to drive the Lutz's vehicle. Not to mention that it is really nice!

Day 2 An Eventful Start and a Scenic Finish

An Eventful Start and a Scenic Finish

The morning started off with a bit of unexpected excitement—especially for poor Bree. She woke up to shower water dripping on her head while still in bed. Not exactly the gentle wake-up call she was hoping for. Turns out Caleb’s legendary 45-minute shower was the culprit. We had to rush him out of the bathroom to figure out what was going on.

After some investigating, we discovered that the quirky shower nozzle had completely unscrewed itself, causing water to leak into the ceiling below. The old-school dome light in the room beneath had been slowly filling up with water and, once full, began dripping—right onto Bree. Classic.

The girls held a cooler up to catch the dripping water while Robb went full MacGyver and managed to stop the leak by rigging the nozzle back together. He then removed the dome light and emptied it, along with the water-filled light bulbs. Honestly, it's a miracle no one got electrocuted—definitely not how electricity and water are supposed to mix.

After washing the soaked bedding and cautiously putting the light fixture back up, we made the collective decision to retire that shower for the rest of the trip. With seven people now sharing one shower, things just got a little more... cozy.

Despite the chaotic morning, we finally got out the door for another day of hiking—although Caleb was seriously rethinking his vacation choices. Our goal was a hike to the falls. It started out cool but quickly warmed up. We all made it to the falls, though it took some time.

Caleb and Abby decided to hang back at the falls while the rest of us pushed on. I made it another mile before my old ankle injury flared up, so I found a sunny rock, stretched out, and listened to my audiobook while the others kept going.

Meanwhile, Caleb and Abby had a mini-adventure of their own before heading back to the car to watch a movie. Emmy was especially impressive—so determined to keep up with everyone. She’s got a hiker’s heart for sure. Robb, Emmy, Bryce, and Bree eventually made it to the lake and said it was beautiful, though the last stretch was steep. Honestly, I’m glad I stopped when I did.

Back at the house, everyone crashed for a well-deserved rest. I took some time in the hot tub and, while relaxing, spotted a huge elk in the yard. These elk just roam around like they own the place—completely unfazed by people. It's funny to see all the fancy landscaping fenced off like Fort Knox, just to keep the deer from munching on it.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of our non-hiking activities, and I think Caleb is finally starting to feel hopeful again!