Hello from SFO!!
June 20, 2024
Hi everyone! We are writing to you from the SFO airport with everyone safely en route home to you. It is so sad to think that there are now twelve empty seats in the van. While happy to send our kiddos back to you, we are in disbelief that this trip is already over. Words cannot express the love we have for this group of kids.
Our drive to Pacifica was one to remember! We played the license plate game, had dance parties, and took some awesome naps. After a long day in the car, we surprised the kids with In n Out after convincing them that the California trip does not go there anymore. Mac ordered an extra large strawberry milkshake and proved to everyone he could finish it. With heightened spirits, we made our way down to the beach to set up camp for the next couple of nights. After tents were pitched, our crew immediately headed down to the beach. We were greeted with the most amazing sunset and everyone decided to plunge into the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Jo led the group and everyone followed into the beautiful horizon. Malone wrote “live in the moment,” one of our mottos, out in the sand and everyone posed for photos around it.
Our first morning in Half Moon Bay was full of cinnamon roll pancakes and good attitudes before we headed over to Pacifica to surf! CAL B had left their belongings out so it only seemed right to initiate prank wars. Wood hopped on Ben’s shoulders to put some of their duffels in the trees and the rest atop their U-Haul. Don’t worry, we were promptly pranked back, which we found when we returned home from the day. After meeting our instructors and slipping into our wetsuits everyone was in the water! AB was quick to pop up on her board and show everyone how to hang 10. After an awesome surf lesson, we enjoyed lunch on the beach, tanned, and swam for the rest of the afternoon. Kaya let everyone bury him in the sand, with just his head sticking out! Once home, we found all of our tents stuffed in our sleeping backs as revenge for our morning activities, which required us to pitch our tents once more. For dinner we cooked up some chicken Alfredo, which everyone absolutely loved, and ended the night with some s’mores.
Day two of surfing began with a slow morning full of French toast, bacon, and some games before we loaded up to head back for our second surf lesson. Baylor headed out to the lineup, along with many other of our braves kids, and caught some big waves! The weather was a bit cooler today, which did not stop our adventure seekers in trying to get up on the biggest wave they could find. Once we finished surfing, we had a quick stop at the most scenic Taco Bell in the United States, which is right along the beach, for everyone to get a slushee. Back in the van, “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore began to play as we headed to Goodwill to pick out snazzy outfits for our banquet the following night. When we returned to camp, we hosted a draft where the LODs picked their teams for the next activity: The Great Moondance Pizza Cookoff. Each team prepared an Italian appetizer and entrée and served the judges (Kate, Cass and Sam) to earn points for a prize. Emerson shined as a leader keeping her team in check. After a few hours of fun, learning, and some burnt pizza, everyone was full and competitive spirits were high. We ended the night with a cookie dip before closing with Moonup and zipping into our sleeping bags.
Our final day together came and went quicker than we would’ve liked it to! We started the morning with pancakes and fruit before breaking camp to head to our new and final spot. We headed to Moon Crest Valley Ranch for our final night where the kids were greeted with baby goats and chickens. After spending some time with the animals we headed into the town of San Francisco to lay eyes on the Golden Gate Bridge once more. We enjoyed lunch on the beach before heading to Pier 39 to grab some merch for ourselves and for y’all! We then met our Captain and went for a sail to see the amazing views from the water! We all learned about Alcatraz and were in awe of the city line view.
We were then headed back into the van for banquet!! Everyone showed out in the outfits they had purchased the day before at the thrift shop. Abigail and Elena sported the most “frat” outfits they could find as we headed into a local spot to grub. Our last full meal together ensued, completed with plenty of laughs, memories, and French fries. Back at camp, we did a full sweep, cleaned the van, and did our final duffle shuffle before settling down for one last Moonup. The sweetest Moonup was full of thoughts on how these special two weeks have impacted us. Ines shared that this was the farthest she’s ever pushed herself outside of her comfort zone and that it was worth every moment. After passing the pulse through the circle one last time we headed up to the top of the hill for bed. Before they were ready to sleep, a quick game of kickball was necessary to completely empty their tanks of energy.
Only a few hours later, it was time to rise and shine in the wee hours of the morning for departure day:( Sleepwalking, we loaded the U-Haul one last time and headed for the San Francisco airport. As each student was escorted to their gates, the goodbyes got harder and harder, but we kept reminding one another that is it not goodbye its simply a see you later! Tears were shed, hugs were shared and numbers were exchanged. We cannot express how much each of your children are valued and loved by us and by the other eleven kids on this trip. We truly had the most special time getting to know one another and pushing each other to be the best versions of ourselves. It has been a true honor to lead these students through the past 14 days in California! Here’s to “see you laters” instead of “goodbyes”.
All the love,
Kate, Cass and Sam
Hello from the Big Walls of Yosemite!
June 17, 2024
Hi everyone and Happy Father’s Day! It’s CAL C again, writing you from a van of sleepy kids with our amazing time in Yosemite in the rear view. We have had the absolute best time exploring this national park and have been growing closer by the minute! We’ve made countless memories that we will remember forever!
After we checked in with you last time, we completed the beautiful drive from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite and settled into our campsite at June Lake. We all agreed that we needed to stretch our legs so we hopped on over to another lake and hiked the perimeter which made for the best afternoon! The view was incredible! About halfway we found a beach spot where the girls took a dip while the boys played frisbee. After our hike we returned to camp and had pasta night which was a fan favorite. The LODs decided to have Moonup at the lake, where we all grew closer through their thoughtful question. After some dessert and a howl at the moon, everyone was fast asleep dreaming of our first day of rock climbing.
A chilly first morning in Yosemite called for warm oatmeal before we headed out on our adventure. Mac is always quick to offer to help clean up and even clean other people’s bowls for them. The drive into the national park was breathtaking and the kids had their eyes glued to the windows watching the mountains and waterfalls as we passed. We met our guides Chase and Thomas and headed up to our first spot after getting all of our gear. Baylor kept everyone laughing all day, which did require a peaceful power nap on a tree trunk. Everyone successfully rappelled the big rock before learning how to belay one another. Elena was so brave and tried all of the ways up, even when it looked a little intimidating. After scarfing down some lunch we were back to it! Abigail successfully made it to the top of all three ropes and showed everyone how quickly she could rappel down! AB learned how to belay on the most difficult route up and helped belay all of her friends up. Once we were finished with a full day of rock climbing we stopped at a local grocery store to pick up some things for dinner. Ines helped us in the grocery to make sure we grabbed everything on our list. We returned home to our campsite and headed down to the lake to cool down after a long day in the sun. Jo encouraged everyone to dunk into the water to which all of the girls were quick to jump in behind her. Once we were “clean” from the day we started on dinner and the boys decided they wanted to cook. Kaya took care of the beans and corn and Wood cooked the taco meat and chicken for the crew. We enjoyed Mexican night and were stuffed by the end of it! Thanks to Malone’s leadership cleaning up dinner was a speedy and enjoyable process! Ben, our fire master, helped Sam make a fire for us to enjoy Moonup around. We shared another impactful Moonup where we talked about our role models before calming down for bed by looking for shooting stars.
Day two of rock climbing was another early morning, but the kids always have the best attitudes in the morning and are ready to conquer whatever the day has in store for them. We learned more about climbing techniques and learned how to crack climb, where the routes are a little trickier and the climber uses the crevices at footholds. We also had a few climb barefoot today! Everyone rocked their climbs today before we bid our guides farewell as we were off to our next adventure! A quick stop for milkshakes seemed right before heading back to our campsite. Once home, we made friendship bracelets, hung out in hammocks, and played frisbee before we started on dinner and packing up. A few brave souls tried peanut butter pad Thai while the rest were content with chicken noodle soup and veggies. As the sun began to set, we had a dance party and made s’mores and jiffy pop for dessert. Another clear night sky allowed everyone to “oooooh and ahhhhh” at the stars. After Moonup everyone headed to their tents where they sang a few songs from tent to tent before clocking out for the night.
Today was a super early morning to get into Yosemite Valley for an incredible hike! Emerson stepped up and made sure her tent group was packed and everything was cleaned up so that we could leave on time. After catching the end of the sunrise we were headed back into our new favorite national park! A couple more hours of sleep in the car and our crew was ready to roll! We had the best day ever hiking Mist Trail which led us to the top of an insane waterfall! Everyone was so excited to make it to the top and embraced the mist from the water. The girls acted as a hype crew on the way down complimenting and encouraging every person we saw. They even wished the dads they saw a Happy Father’s Day! Feeling rewarded, we loaded back into the van before waving goodbye to Yosemite!
We are off to Pacifica to surf and already feeling sad about this trip coming to a close in just a few short days. This group of kids is incredible and we are so thankful to be able to share this experience with them! It’s hard to believe there will only be one more trip update after this one. Until next time!!
With love,
Kate, Cass and Sam
Greetings from Lake Tahoe!
June 13, 2024
Hi everyone!! Checking in after the best few days spent in the sun at beautiful Lake Tahoe! It’s hard to believe that our time here has come and gone so quickly!
After our drive up to Tahoe, we were greeted with the most breath taking sunset of the trip thus far. The LODs helped whip up some chicken noodle soup and veggies before the sun was completely gone and we were tucked into bed at our new favorite campsite! Our first full day in Tahoe was full of surprises! We started the morning with some oatmeal and fruit before we headed down to the lake. Ines was quick to encourage everyone to get ready and get their sunscreen on so we could begin our activity! We were greeted by our awesome guide Eric before we were fitted with life jackets and paired up into our tandem kayaks for the day. Kaya and AB worked together to paddle their boat at the front of the crew as we took in the most amazing views of the snow capped mountains! The kids couldn’t get over just how big Lake Tahoe really is and had fun guessing how the lake came to be. We stopped for lunch along the beach where Wood showed off his amazing rock skipping skills! Our record for the longest skip so far this trip is 17 times! After we fueled up and swam in the chilly lake we headed back along the lake to the beach where we began! The kids were worn out and in need of a boost. We stopped at a local ice cream shop where everyone enjoyed a cone and cooled off for a bit. Next we were off to the grocery with the LODs while everyone else tidied up camp. Malone was so helpful in the store and made sure to get everyone all of the snacks they requested.
All day, the kids thought the afternoon plan was to hike six miles and have chili for dinner, which they were not elated about. What they didn’t know is that we were having pizza for dinner and going swimming! We piled into the van to go to our fake trailhead with daypacks packed for the hike. When we pulled into the pizza shop they were over the moon to find out we were not having chili for dinner! The surprised looks warmed our hearts, but we still had one more in store! After parking the van, we surprised them by telling them that we weren’t hiking, but rather swimming, watching the sunset, and having Moonup under the stars. They also were so excited to find out that we were on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe! Mac led the group plunge into the water. Everyone was brave enough to jump into the clear blue lake. Abigail fearlessly climbed all over the rocks paving the way for everyone else to follow. Baylor shared funny stories with the boys on the rocks after we all warmed up in our sweatpants and hoodies. As the sun set over the mountains, we had the most special Moonup before we were back in the van to head back to camp!
Our second morning in Tahoe was most definitely a special one! We started the morning with eggs and bacon, which Emerson helped us cook up. After everyone had a bowl of eggs we surprised them with a birthday cake to celebrate the entire group’s birthday since we don’t have one on the trip. We sang happy birthday to one another and wore our party hats proudly around camp. After our birthday celebration, we headed back to the lake for a full day of paddle boarding. The group paddled out into the crystal clear water where we played games and relaxed on our boards. Elena had the biggest smile on her face the entire time both on her board and in the water. Before heading in for lunch, we had a competitive relay race, which the two teams were eager about. We enjoyed lunch on the beach before heading back out for a few more hours on the lake. Jo showed everyone how she could belly flop off of her paddle board. After an amazing day in the sun, we headed into town to walk around and buy some souvenirs! For dinner we had a feast of hamburgers, hotdogs, mac n cheese, and watermelon. We are happy to report there were absolutely no leftovers as we had 12 full stomachs and big smiles. After an all hands on deck clean crew to end the meal, we headed down to the beach to watch the sunset. Ben is always willing to lend a helping hand and carried everyone’s crazy creeks for them! We played more games and took in the beautiful sunset before our LODs led Moonup. We ended the night with s’mores before zipping into our sleeping bags for our last night under the Tahoe stars.
We truly cannot believe it is already day 7 of this trip. Time is flying with this group and we cannot thank you enough for sharing your children with us, they are an extraordinary group of kids!
With love,
Cass, Sam and Kate
Shoutouts:
Mac: “Hey Fam, I miss y’all so much but I am having an amazing time! Can’t wait to see y’all soon”
Kaya: “Hi guys, we went kayaking, paddle boarding and white water rafting! See you in a week, I’m having so much fun”
Elena: “Hi Mom and Dad, I love and miss you guys and I am having the best time. Mom, I hope you had the best birthday. I love the word oh shucks. I hope you’re having some relaxing time”
Jo: “Hi guys! I love and miss you so much! I am having so much fun here!! Say hi to everyone for me. Love you! Ps: tell Amelie Jojo says hi!
Baylor: “Hey dad, tell the boys that I miss y’all. I’m having so much fun! Tell everyone at home that I say hi”
AB: “Mom and Dad, miss you so much and love you!”
Malone: “Dear Mom and Dad, I love you guys so much! I am having so much fun! I miss you guys but I am having too much fun to be homesick!”
Ines: “Hi Mom, Dad and Leia! I miss you guys so much! I can’t wait to tell you guys everything! We have done so many awesome things. Miss you guys so much and see you in Dallas!”
Emerson: “Hey Mom, Dad, Tatom, Connor, and the dogs! Love and miss y’all! I hope Connor is feeling better”
Ben: “Hi Dad! I am having a great time and have made a bunch of friends. I hope you are having fun without me! Love you!”
Wood: “Hi guys! I miss all of you! It’s been super fun and I really enjoy it!”
Abigail: “Hey y’all! Love and miss y’all! I am having a lot of fun and I can’t wait to tell you more about it when I see you!”
Greetings from California!
June 10, 2024
Hello from CAL C!!! Sam, Kate and Cass reporting with the long awaited first trip update! Opening day ran smooth and we were SO excited to finally meet everyone. Although it was quite a long day spent in the San Francisco airport, the kids made the absolute most of it and became fast friends. Before we knew it, the boys were playing hacky sack and the girls bonded over a game of Mafia. Once everyone landed safely we were on the road with a filled U-haul of twelve duffels and enough snacks to last us a few months! The kids enjoyed the drive to our first campsite and were elated to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and see the bay for the first time. On our drive we stopped to grab some yummy pizza before pulling into our campsite near Point Reyes. Everyone learned how to properly pitch their tents and were excited to split into their first set of tent groups with their new friends. After we set up camp, we shared our first Moonup together as a group, which was so special. Sam opened up the “Nug Jug” and Kaya was quick to share a “nug” about how excited he was to meet everyone in the airport . The “Nug Jug” is a meaningful part of Moonup every night where we encourage the group to share compliments and positive things that have happened that day!
Our first morning together was full of chocolate chips pancakes and fresh strawberries before we packed up camp to head out on our first adventure! Our first leaders of the day (LODs) were Abigail and Mac and they started our day with an awesome morning huddle to explain what we were going to be doing. They also helped set up lunch so everyone could make and pack a sandwich for our hike. After saying goodbye to our first campsite we headed over to the trailhead for the Point Reyes lighthouse. The fog was so intense today that we felt like we were up in the clouds! After climbing down all 313 steps we were able to see Drake Bay and the Pacific Ocean, with the view from the lighthouse. We stopped to take a few photos and even ran into CAL B! Elena and Jo taught us some super fun games before we loaded back into our van, who we named Martha, and headed off to our next campsite along the American River.
We started our white water rafting section of the trip with a cold plunge in the American River because the Moondance rule is see a body of water, touch a body of water! The kids were so excited and Ben led the pack full force ahead into the cold river. After a yummy dinner of chicken and cheese quesadillas we enjoyed Moonup at our riverside camp spot! Anne Banks showed us her cooking skills by helping cook the chicken and cut up the cucumbers. A lazy morning started our rafting section with another day of chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes as requested. Once on the river, Wood stepped up as the captain of the boat, helping find a rhythm for everyone to follow. We rafted the southern section of the American River and stopped for lunch along the beach! Ines showed her leadership skills as the LOD by helping the raft guides carry and set up lunch for the rest of the group.
After a long, yet exciting day we headed back to Camp Lotus where our outfitters cooked us a delicious dinner of steak, chicken, pasta and even surprised us with brownies! Post dinner we began to pack up camp before we head up north to Lake Tahoe. Baylor was the first to pack all of his things up around camp, and helped out everyone else to speed the process up! We played games and made friendship bracelets as the sun began to set on our third day together. Emerson made a bracelet for Sam, so now we all have matching ones to commemorate our time during this part of the trip. Our Moonup revolved around what we’re thankful for and Malone shared with us how grateful she is to be on this trip with everyone! We were all tucked into bed before the sun was fully down and settled in for a well deserved night of dreaming under the stars!
Our second day of rafting was an early morning, but we woke up to a yummy breakfast before we hit the river one last time. Everyone was so excited for day two and to show off their paddling skills one last time! Overall, white water rafting was a great success and we are so excited for the next few days we get to spend together in Lake Tahoe!
Signing off for now!
Kate, Cass, and Sam
Safe Arrival in San Francisco!
June 8, 2024
Hello California Families!
We heard from our leaders last night that the group has landed safely in San Francisco and is headed to their first campsite! The group is excited to finally be together, and we are so excited to hear more about their adventures over the next couple weeks!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next two weeks! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
