WOW Moments while Whale Watching!

July 11, 2022

Greetings one last time from BCO 2B family!

If you are reading this, you have safely made it home & can use these words to reminisce on the amazing time we had together.

For our first day of sea kayaking, we hopped in the van to Roche harbor to meet our outfitters! The kids packed their dry bags and got their kayak partners to head out on the ocean to our island destination. After the kids sped through our route, we set up our camp spot, ate a yummy lunch, and played TONS of games. We played capture the flag, birdie on a perch, don’t touch my rock, ships & sailors, and more. For a game break, we took a hike around the island and caught crabs! After we got back, we continued an intense game of capture the flag and had a blast! For dinner, we ate tacos prepared by our outfitters and sat around the campfire together. A day full of running around got us ready for an awesome moonup. Our fearless LOD’s Harry and Maggie facilitated a great conversation around the fire with s’mores and we said goodnight!

We woke up to an oatmeal breakfast spread with fresh berries, peanut butter, granola, and hot chocolate. We had the kids pack up their things and they were a huge help packing the kayaks to return to mainland. We set on our way and while we were paddling, we saw a harbor seal! Maggie, Elizabeth, Ella, Alison, Ford, Charlotte, and Ryan all tried bull kelp too. Once we got back to the harbor, we ate chicken Caesar wraps and packed up the u haul. We checked out the clothing store before we left, too! After leaving the harbor, we made our way to our next harbor, got an ice cream surprise, and walked around before our whale watch tour. For dinner, we had a San Juan Island favorite: fish and chips! The whale watch tour was a once in a lifetime experience. We saw orcas swim right under our boat then next to us! It was incredible. After seeing the whales, we got a sunset cruise back and had the kids figure out riddles and hangout. When we got back, we saw a beautiful rainbow! Everyone jumped for a photo, and we kept the good times going by singing in the van. We got back to the campsite and set up tents, but Harry had the idea of a cowboy camp. Everyone hopped on board to sleep under the stars! We did moonup in our sleeping bags led by LOD’s Ella and Tyson and got sentimental about our feelings heading into airport day soon. After moonup, the kids hung out around a little lantern and fell asleep.

In the morning, we got ready with a needed shower. For breakfast we had oatmeal with Nutella and peanut butter! Once we cleaned up camp, we set off for Friday Harbor to wait for our ferry. There, we shopped around while we waited. Everyone loved the local clothing shops and got gifts to share with friends and family. Once we got to our campsite, we did some needed organizational chores and then we were off to the thrift store! We had a Hawaiian themed banquet dinner picked by our birthday boy Harry! Everyone picked out outfits for someone else there and we ended up with some funny looks. We compared Frances to Cyndi Lauper. When it came time for dessert, we got the whole room to sing happy birthday to Harry while we brought out the cake. It was the best time celebrating him and our awe-inspiring trip all in one over our final dinner together! Back at camp we set up a late night final moonup (😭) and giggled about what fictional character each of us resemble. Our last LOD’s of the trip, Charlotte, and Bishop, closed us out in a perfect way asking us what we have learned from our trip. After the final closing, the kids talked about their favorite memories from the past two weeks and started to begin their goodbyes. It has been a wonderful journey and we couldn’t have been more thrilled about the turnout and the way these incredible kids chose to make the most of every moment!

Harry, Bishop, Ford, Tyson, Ryan, Elizabeth, Corinne, Maggie, Alison, Frances, Ella, and Charlotte: we love you guys and we’re going to miss you so SO much! Here’s to a great trip and new best friends!

With lots of love, BCO 2B is out!

Lizzy, Davis, + Sierra

Farewell British Columbia!!

July 9, 2022

Greetings one last time from BCO 2B family!

For our first day of sea kayaking, we hopped in the van to Roche harbor to meet our outfitters! The kids packed their dry bags and got their kayak partners to head out on the ocean to our island destination. After the kids sped through our route, we set up our camp spot, ate a yummy lunch, and played TONS of games. We played capture the flag, birdie on a perch, don’t touch my rock, ships, and sailors, and more. For a game break, we took a hike around the island and caught crabs! After we got back, we continued an intense game of capture the flag and had a blast! For dinner, we ate tacos prepared by our outfitters and sat around the campfire together. A day full of running around got us ready for an awesome Moonup. Our fearless LOD’s Harry and Maggie facilitated a great conversation around the fire with s’mores and we said goodnight!

We woke up to an oatmeal breakfast spread with fresh berries, peanut butter, granola, and hot chocolate. We had the kids pack up their things and they were a huge help packing the kayaks to return back to mainland. We set on our way and while we were paddling, we saw a harbor seal! Maggie, Elizabeth, Ella, Alison, Ford, Charlotte, and Ryan all tried bull kelp too. Once we got back to the harbor, we ate chicken Caesar wraps and packed up the u haul. We checked out the clothing store before we left, too! After leaving the harbor, we made our way to our next harbor, got an ice cream surprise, and walked around before our whale watch tour. For dinner, we had a San Juan Island favorite: fish and chips! The whale watch tour was a once in a lifetime experience. We saw orcas swim right under our boat then next to us! It was incredible. After seeing the whales, we got a sunset cruise back and had the kids figure out riddles (Corinne was the quickest!) and hangout.

When we got back, we saw a beautiful rainbow! Everyone jumped for a photo, and we kept the good times going by singing in the van. We got back to the campsite and set up tents but Harry had the idea of a cowboy camp. Everyone hopped on board to sleep under the stars! We did Moonup in our sleeping bags led by LOD’s Ella and Tyson and got sentimental about our feelings heading into airport day soon. After Moonup, the kids hung out around a little lantern and fell asleep. In the morning, we got ready with a much needed shower. For breakfast we had oatmeal with Nutella and peanut butter! Once we cleaned up camp, we set off for Friday Harbor to wait for our ferry. There, we shopped around while we waited. Everyone loved the local clothing shops and got gifts to share with friends and family.

Once we got to our campsite, we did some needed organizational chores and then we were off to the thrift store! We had a Hawaiian themed banquet dinner picked by our birthday boy Harry! Everyone picked out outfits for someone else there and we ended up with some funny looks. We compared Frances to Cyndi Lauper. When it came time for dessert, we got the whole room to sing happy birthday to Harry while we brought out the cake. It was the best time celebrating him and our awe-inspiring trip all in one over our final dinner together! Back at camp we set up a late night final Moonup and giggled about what fictional character each of us resemble. Our last LOD’s of the trip, Charlotte and Bishop, closed us out in a perfect way asking us what we have learned from our trip. After the final closing, the kids talked about their favorite memories from the past two weeks and started to begin their goodbyes. It has been a wonderful journey and we couldn’t have been more thrilled about the turnout and the way these incredible kids chose to make the most of every moment!

Harry, Bishop, Ford, Tyson, Ryan, Elizabeth, Corinne, Maggie, Alison, Frances, Ella, and Charlotte: we love you guys and we are going to miss you so SO much! Here’s to a great trip and new best friends!

With lots of love, BCO 2B is out!

Davis, Lizzy, and Sierra

Surf's UP!

July 8, 2022

Hey BCO family, we finished up our time in Tofino!

We woke up stoked for our first days of paddle boarding and surfing. For breakfast, we had loaded oatmeal with peanut butter, granola, honey, and fresh fruit. We started our day on the water with paddle boarding! We had tons of fun with our British guide Albie, and Elena, and played lots of fun water games like bumper boats and freeze tag. We all tried paddle board yoga and Maggie did a headstand on her first try! We headed back to the campsite for lunch for a yummy variety of sandwiches and snacks. After lunch we headed to Cox Bay for our first chance at surfing. The guides gave us an important safety talk on the beach before leading us in hilarious surfing practice on our sand-drawn imaginary boards on the beach and then some warm-up yoga! Once everyone got in the water, there were smiles all around. The Taube boys were natural and glided on the water. Elizabeth, Corinne, and Charlotte quickly got the hang on it and were surfing like pros. By the end of the day everyone was catching waves! After surfing we did a surprise town day in Tofino. The kids explored different shops in the town and were able to look for souvenirs to remember their adventure. After, we surprised the kids for dinner with a local food stop! The kids loved their tacos, fish sandwiches, and burgers with fries. After our surprise dinner treat, we drove back to camp and got ready for moonup led by our LODs Elizabeth and Bishop. We did our moonup in the warm van to escape the rain for a bit and talked about what each other’s names would be if it wasn’t our actual ones. We laughed and talked for a while, then said goodnight!

The next morning, we said happy 4th of July! We were so excited to get ready for another big day of paddle boarding and surfing! We put on our wetsuits and had a to-go meal of blueberry, chocolate chip, and almond muffins in the van as we headed back to catch some waves! The van was decorated with red, white, and blue banners and American cowboy hats were on our LODs Allison and Ryan. Once we got to surfing, we started vlogging on the GoPro and got lots of hilarious videos. Bishop even got a video surfing a wave! The kids were experts after day two. Maggie, Ryan, Alison, and Ella were throwing shakas as they stood up like pros on their boards. Tyson and Frances were grinning ear to ear after catching their waves! Once we said goodbye to our surf guides, the kids got energized with lunch for paddle boarding. Once again, we played so many fun games and pushed each other off. Harry and Charlotte both started a war for the cowboy hats too! After drying off and getting situated in the van, we set on our way back towards the USA. For dinner we stopped for pizza! While enjoying pizza, LODs Allison and Ryan led us in moonup. After moonup, all the kiddos passed out in the car until we got to our campsite.

In the morning, we started our early travel day to the San Juan Islands! We took another British Columbia ferry from back to the Vancouver area. The kids were in awe of the ferry which had a full restaurant, dining area, shopping area, and tons of views. The kids were amazing during the travel day, so we stopped for a reward—donuts at a Canadian classic: Tim Hortons. Then we jammed out in the car for a little drive to songs from Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney’s “American Kids.” After crossing back through the US-Canada border, we got on a ferry to the San Juan Islands! Ella taught Bishop, Harry, Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Maggie how to play the card game “presidents” as the students took in the views from ferry ride. Everyone enjoyed playing card games and exploring. We got off the ferry to beautiful Friday Harbor and the kids got even more excited to go sea kayaking. After setting up camp, we went into town and got to shop around for souvenirs. We even played karaoke in the car. Charlotte, Harry, Maggie, and Elizabeth stole the show with the Taylor Swift classic “You Belong With Me.” For dinner we had a cookout! After, we had moonup led by LOD’s Frances and Ford. We laughed talking about each other’s first memories then headed to bed to get ready for our big day of sea kayaking!

A HUGE thank you from BCO B kids to all our parents! Its been the best time thanks to all of you!

Sincerely,

BCO B(est)

Lizzy, Sierra and Davis

Starting on the Squamish!

June 29, 2022

Hello from Canada, Moondance family!

We started our trip off running from the airport to our first campsite that had a beautiful beach view. Upon arrival, us leaders taught the group how to set up a tent. After learning, every group set up their own. We then continued the fun and made our way down to the beach! Frances, Harry, and Ella were the first people in the water before everyone followed suite and joined them!  Afterwards, we all sat in our crazy creeks and got to know each other better. After leaving the beach, our girls got together to make bracelets and Frances brought the group together with some slim shady karaoke! After sharing laughs, we sat around our picnic table and ate delicious pizza. Then, we headed back down to the beach to share our very first sunset moonup. We were excited to pass the torch to our first fearless LOD’s: Elizabeth and Ryan! Once we closed moonup, we got back to the campsite to practice our newly learned camp hygiene to get ready for bed. The sunset was stunning, so Lizzy, Elizabeth, Alison, Corinne, Charlotte, and Maggie watched intently as the sun went down behind the mountains. Frances came shortly after. Charlotte said it was her favorite sunset she has ever seen! After the sunset we said goodnight and got ready for our fun day of white-water rafting across the Squamish River!

We had a couple early risers to start our second day! To fuel up for our drive to cross the border, we ate scrumptious yogurt parfaits. Then we were off! We all sang along to car songs while Frances and Alison took pictures with the point and shoot (#photographersoftheday). Friendship bracelets were made and naps were taken.

Once we arrived at the rafting base camp, we ate sandwiches, played jenga, and got to see some furry friends! We learned the safety of life jackets and helmets and got to know our outfitters who were taking us on the water for the day/night. They gave us wetsuits and we pulled those things on and hit the road!

We got to our starting location and had our LOD’s draft their raft. The kids set off on their rafting trip. They described the rapids as exhilarating, exciting, and just like a roller coaster! The fun did not stop at the rapids, we got to stop at a clear water waterfall to drink the best water ever, straight from the mountain tops! After shredding the rapids, the kiddos had their jaws on the floor when they saw where they were staying for the night. It was their own private island! Our wonderful outfitters set up appetizers (including a charcuterie board) while we hung out and started learning a game called signs. They were quick learners and got good at the game quickly! Soon we had everyone playing. We took a break for our luxury dinner: steak, salmon, fries, salad, and garlic bread! Watching the kids at dinner all talking and laughing was incredible to see for us leaders on the second day. After munching down dinner, Ford, Harry, Bishop, Ryan, Charlotte, and Elizabeth played spike ball. Charlotte and Elizabeth won, then we got back into a big game of signs! Since we were already in our circle, we got straight into moon up. We shared nugs, our favorite foods, and got to appreciate our memorable experiences of the eventful past 30 hours! Elizabeth and Ryan selected our new LOD’s for their expedition behavior and overcoming fears: Corinne and Tyson. We said goodnight and fell asleep in our tents to the sound of the Squamish River.

Our outfitters said good morning to us with eggs, bacon, fruit, yogurt, and granola! We ate and packed up camp to get ready for our lazy river journey home. The views were breathtaking and the raft conversations were incredible. We even saw a waterfall! After docking, our awesome group of helpers packed up the rafts and dry bags into the bus. We said goodbye and gave thanks to our outfitters then set on our way to our next campsite in the green Canadian forest! We ate pita hummus wraps for lunch and got out spike ball for our next competition! The kids got into teams and we set up a tournament. We had to stretch first to prepare for our professional game, of course, so we circled up and started counting off. The dynamic duo, Charlotte and Harry, took the trophy after an intense final game against Elizabeth and Maggie. We played signs till it was time to make dinner. Then, we circled up, ate pasta in our crazy creeks, talked and chilled for a bit, then got into moon up led by Tyson and Corinne. After saying goodnight, we went to bed to get ready for the fun to come!

It’s been a blast already and its only day 3!

All the best,

Lizzy, Davis and Sierra

Safely in Seattle!

June 26, 2022

Hello British Columbia Families!

We just heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Seattle. The trip is off to a great start and headed to their first campsite, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventures.

Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips but we will be posting up to three trip updates throughout the next couple of weeks! This will allow you to follow along with the trip and the students will also give a special shout out mid-way through! You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to this summer!

-Moondance HQ