We miss all of you already!

June 22, 2023

Cal 1B friends and family,

We are so sad to see our amazing crew depart. We have had the most special two weeks and couldn’t imagine a better first session. But, as we all reflected during our final Moonup last night, Tipton reminded us all: “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened”. We agree wholeheartedly. These last two days have been some of the most meaningful days of our journey. Our last day of surfing was full of triumphs as a majority of the kids got past the wave break to go to line up! The winds were pretty strong and our guides kept telling us that we had such a tough crew for pushing past the huge waves! Rosie continued to crush surfing and was a pro at getting up on the board by the end of the day. Guy stayed in the water longer than anyone else – he couldn’t get enough! After everyone got back in from the waves, Fletcher showed everyone how to catch the little crabs that were buried everywhere in the sand – it was a huge hit! We finished up at the beach and headed straight to the car wash where we blasted music and danced while washing the car. It was honestly a blast. Dawson got super stoked to hose down Moto Moto (what he named our van)! We then surprised the crew with a trip to the thrift store to get silly outfits before our final banquet dinner. We paired the group up and had the groups pick out each other’s fits. The whole group was running around Goodwill like madmen trying to pick out the craziest items for our partners! Kate found Tipton the funniest pink Elmo PJ pants. Quinn and Riley definitely won with their outfits though and everyone was laughing with them all night. After Goodwill, we loaded up the van to head to our final me together. It was a bitter-sweet moment, but the small Mexican restaurant that we ate at was the perfect last hurrah. We reminisced on our favorite moments from our time together while eating some amazing food. Our restaurant luckily happened to be right next to a Cold Stone Creamery and we decided to treat ourselves to some ice cream for our last night. We then headed back to camp, but our van ride was one of the most fun rides yet. We had a dance party and everyone was singing along to the music! Lizzy got especially into it and couldn’t stop laughing. Our last Moonup was incredibly sentimental as we were all sad to leave each other, and then Caroline helped lead the charge down to the beach for one last dance party before heading to bed. We are sitting in the airport, overcome with gratitude, after saying our goodbyes to each and every student on Cal 1B, and can’t wait to see the amazing people they all become.

All the love, Dan, Elizabeth, and Bess

P.S., here are some thank you’s to the best parents!

“Thank you guys!!! Had a blast” – Lizzy

“I love you!! I had the best time. I am so grateful and thank you!!” – Kate

“Thank you so much! The trip was awesome.” – Caroline

“Thanks you so much for the opportunity!! I had the best two weeks of my life!!!” – Rosie

“Thank you mom and dad” – Quinn

“Hey Mom and Dad! I had the best time on Moondance and actives were very fun and so were the people!! Thank you from Tippy” – Tipton

“Hi Mom and Dad! Love ya!” – Dawson

“Hi Mom! Hi Dad! See you soon!” – Guy

“Hi Mom and Dad! Thanks for letting me come on Moondance.” – Fletcher

“Thanks for the best two weeks! Love you!” – Riley

Checking in From Cal!!

June 20, 2023

What’s up family and friends! Cal B here again!! We are back with some more awesome adventures!

We have started the last leg of our trip right outside of San Francisco in Half Moon Bay. After our last check-in, we spent the day exploring Point Reyes National Seashore. We have never seen so much wildlife! At the start of our hike, we saw the biggest elephant seals, followed by a ton of whales, and finally a mysterious Guinea pig-looking creature that Caroline and Lizzy discovered! They spent about 30 minutes watching it poke its head in and out of its little home! We spent the rest of the day exploring and then got on our way to the San Francisco area! On our first night at camp, we set right up and made one of our best meals yet. We had loads of pasta, bacon, and broccoli.

The next morning, we had our sailing adventure! We hopped on a racing sailboat with Captain Rod and sailed around the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. It was one of the most stunning views. Kate was obsessed with Alcatraz and wanted to hear all about it! Rosie spent the afternoon soaking up all the sun and kept saying how much she loved being on the water! After sailing, we headed to Pier 39 for our town day. They stocked up on all the sweets and cool San Fran merch! We then drove back to camp for some much-needed R&R on the beach. Riley ran straight into the water and didn’t want to ever get out! As everyone was hopping out of the water, we saw a seal swimming past into the sunset. We closed out the day with an awesome Moonup and went to bed to prepare for our first day of surfing!

All of the kids crushed it on our first day in the waves!! Fletcher said surfing was the coolest thing ever. We all left the water with the biggest smiles. Everyone was able to catch some waves too!! We then had surprise Baja-Blasts from the most scenic Taco Bell in the world and drove back to camp for some more beach time! The boys created a slip-and-slide that they couldn’t stop going down and the girls started practicing for our California-wide talent show! Riley spearheaded our dance and got everyone hyped to perform! We hung out for the rest of the day before surprising the crew with one of our favorite activities yet – IRON CHEF!! We split the kids up into two groups and challenged them to be creative and come up with a meal using only ingredients we had left in our stash. Tipton and Guy treated the leaders to some five-star service as “Waiter Guy” and “Host/Chef Tipton.” They brought out some of the biggest laughs yet! Somehow, Quinn created a delicious Oreo cake on our Coleman stove with Dawson as his awesome sous-chef! We had the best meal complete with red-sauce pasta, French toast, bacon-wrapped chicken, chicken fried rice, and a chocolate and fruit appetizer. It was a truly special night! We are getting so sad that the end of our trip is coming up but feeling so grateful for all these kids!! This is truly an awesome bunch.

See you in a few days!

-Bess, Elizabeth, and Dan

Hey Hey Friends and Family!

June 17, 2023

Hey hey friends and family of Cal B!

We are continuing to have the best time here in California. Yosemite was one of the most breathtaking places – the pictures definitely do not do it justice. We passed through a “Narnia tunnel” driving into Yosemite every day and as we exited the tunnel, we were met with the most beautiful tall rock faces and rushing waterfalls. Our first day in Yosemite was a fan favorite. We hiked Nevada Falls and got soaked by the waterfall! There were rainbows everywhere we looked. Quinn was so soaked – he was laughing the whole time saying he should have just showered in the waterfall! We then sat and sunbathed on top of the waterfall for a bit.

While the rest of the crew rested, Kate and Lizzy sat and laughed about everything under the sun while admiring the mountains in front of them. Fletcher said the hike was one of the coolest things he’s ever done. After our hike, we headed back to our camp site and got ready for some time at Bass Lake! A crew decided to bring Dr. Bronner’s in the water to “shower” and said they had never felt so clean! The next day was our first day rock climbing.

Once we got to our site in Yosemite, we set up to start hitting the rocks. Guy started out on the hardest route, and we were all shocked at how fast he made it up! Riley had a little trouble finding her footing at first, but after some failed attempts full of laughter, she made it all the way to the top! After a great first day climbing, we went back to camp for dinner and then watched the sunset and had Moonup at the lake. It was such a special night.

The next day was back to the rock walls! Dawson was an awesome support to the group during climbing and loved rappelling! Rosie was super curious about the climbing community and had so many awesome and thoughtful questions for the guides. Tipton tried to vlog his climbing experience but couldn’t figure out the GoPro – we all laughed about it for so long! We then headed back for more lake time – they could not get enough of it! We had the most special campfire dinner and game night by the water. Caroline got hold of a water gun and was secretly squirting people in the dark. Everyone was so confused why it was raining when the sky was completely clear!

The next morning, we had a surprise group birthday party even though no one in our group had a birthday on the trip. We had a big pancake breakfast, followed by a hike and lots of sugar to celebrate our special day! We ended with a surprise birthday dinner at a local pizza place. It was an awesome day! We are now on to the last leg of our trip – check back in later for more of our adventures! And to all the awesome dads – happy Father’s Day! Our crew is so thankful for each one of you!

Sending our love,

Bess, Dan, + Elizabeth

Climbing in Cali!

June 13, 2023

Cal B here! Hello friends and family!!

We are currently traveling from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite to start our climbing journey! The past few days have been breathtaking! As we drove into Tahoe and got our first glimpse of the lake, Tipton screamed out, “Yo, this is SICK!!!” We really can’t think of a better way to describe that view.

The next morning was the start of our Lake adventures. We drove to kayaking and on the way, we quizzed the group on Lake Tahoe trivia. Dawson was scarily good at it! We then hopped in our kayaks and headed out on the water. Our guides set up an intense game of capture the flag (kayak edition) where Caroline and Guy crushed it on offense. Sadly, they lost the game, but they were relentless in trying to get the other team’s flag. We then paddled around for a bit, and Rosie was amazing at reminding the group to look up and appreciate the beauty of the mountains behind us. As we pulled in our kayaks, a group decided to do a polar plunge. Quinn was the first to run in head first with no hesitation!

After kayaking, the rain started which obviously meant it was time for ICE CREAM!!! We enjoyed the ginormous cones while listening to ice cream themed music in the van. The rain couldn’t stop our fun because once we got back to our campsite, we had the best time playing Mafia and Poison Dart Frog. Riley had everyone laughing as the narrator in Mafia. After the games, a crew went exploring around our site, and Fletcher impressed everyone by guessing the age of some of the trees by counting their rings. Before bed, we had a great Moonup led by our LOD’s, Kate and Guy. Kate made it extra special by reading the greatest quote about how your legacy lives on through the way you make those around you feel.

The next morning, we went paddle boarding! The rain started once again, but it couldn’t have been more fun! We played more Poison Dart Frog on the lake and the group all agreed that the rain added to the adventure of the day. It was definitely one of the coolest days with some of the biggest smiles! Then, on our drive to Yosemite, we had a surprise stop at In-N-Out! Lizzy definitely won that stop with her chocolate and strawberry milkshake combination! We’re so excited for what’s to come and check back in after our rock climbing adventures!

– Elizabeth, Bess, and Dan

Greeting from California!

June 11, 2023

Hello from California!!!

We are STOKED to finally be here all together. We have had the greatest first three days getting to know each other and rafting! Airport day kicked off our trip on the best note and the kids were troopers on our drive from the airport to our first camp site. Riley certainly kept the crew entertained with her silly song recommendations! We picked up some delicious pizza on our final stretch to camp and DEVOURED it like it was nobody’s business. After dinner, Dawson brought out some belly laugh’s with his Leave No Trace teeth brushing skills – you need to check it out if given the chance!! We ended the night with a great first Moonup where everyone shared what they are hoping to get out of Moondance. Day 2 was INCREDIBLE! We had a leisurely morning and made a big eggs and bacon breakfast where Quinn coached us on how to make the perfect crispy bacon. We couldn’t get enough. Then we packed up camp to head out on the American River for our first day of rafting!! We started with some class two rapids and had some time for water games on our first stretch of the river. After a delicious lunch, we headed back out for class three rapids. As soon as we hit the first class 3 rapid, Guy cracked the biggest smile. The rest of the day was filled with more laughs, silly riddles, and smiles. Once we got back to camp, we immediately headed to the volleyball net where an intense game of boys vs. girls lasted for hours. Kate probably paid the least attention to the game but had the most fun of anyone dancing and singing. We ended the day with a steak, chicken, pasta meal prepped by the river guides. The whole group could not stop talking about how good the meal was. Our first student-led Moonup was spear-headed by our awesome first LOD’s (Leaders of the Day) Rosie and Tipton. Tipton shared an inspiring quote about how new experiences change you, and Rosie made Moonup truly special by bringing the group together in meaningful reflection.

Our second morning started with an awesome breakfast prepared for us by our rafting guides. The morning was on the chilly side, but we got the coolest wool sweaters to wear on the river and everyone was strutting in their stylish, warm fits. We had some crazy fun class 3 rapids in the morning, and then during the second half of our rafting day we got to “surf” a wave. Lizzy got drenched in the front of the boat but could not stop laughing and wanted to do it over and over again! After the river we hopped in the van to head to Lake Tahoe. The car ride was filled with Taylor Swift and incredible views. Once we got to camp, our LOD’s Fletcher and Caroline went to help Elizabeth with grocery shopping and CRUSHED it! They really took initiative in group decisions and their leadership skills and care for the group were truly impressive. We ended the day with a nice burrito bowl meal that everyone helped make. We shared our rose, buds, and thorns to help debrief the crazy and fun past few days. We are truly so lucky to have this group who already care so deeply for each other!!

Signing off for now,

Dan, Elizabeth, Bess

Safe Arrival in San Francisco!

June 8, 2023

Hello California Families!

We just heard from our leaders and the group has landed safely in San Francisco! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure.

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