Final Rides and Golden Moments
June 21, 2025
14 days later and CAL 1C has seen so much growth. We end the trip where we started: in San Francisco. It is crazy how the trip can seem so quick yet we look back and realize just how much we have accomplished: whitewater rafting, hiking, surfing, swimming, cooking, laughing, singing, kayaking, paddleboarding, driving hours on hours, eating motts gummies, drinking capri suns, and so much more. Since our last trip update, we have shredded some serious waves in Pacifica and explored San Francisco.
After a long drive through Yosemite to our campsite in the Portola Redwoods and a much needed stop at a convenience store for lots of snacks, we began day 12 with a quick breakfast and an arrival at the beautiful Pacifica State Beach. We met our guides, David, Travis, Jeff, and Alice who were absolutely amazing with the kids. After a short lesson on standing up on the board, we quickly got into shredding some cheese. Rhodes and Riley were the first ones up on the board, clearly naturals. George and Thompson also took some big waves to the face but kept pushing. The kids loved learning to surf, but they especially loved our surprise stop afterward at the Taco Bell Cantina conveniently placed on the beach :). Everyone enjoyed slushees and baja blasts as a midday snack. After our taco bell on the beach experience, we drove over to Sausalito so that we could sail on the San Francisco Bay. The kids were entranced with the amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the water. We also got a pretty close view of Alcatraz from the boat! The captain of the ship even made things more interesting by tightening the sail and maneuvering the boat onto its side. It was riveting and added even more excitement to the ride! On the way back, the captain let some of the kids steer the large wheel that controlled the boat. All of the kids loved being the temporary captain of the ship, especially Jack! After we were done sailing, we drove back to our campsite and made a fan-favorite dinner, which consisted of buffalo chicken dip to start, caesar salad, and mac and cheese. We were able to even camp out next to another California Moondance group! The next day we woke up and went back to Pacifica for some more surfing because we couldn’t get enough. After zipping up our wetsuits, we started up right where we left off the day before. The wind picked up a bit today, but that did not put a hamper in our attitudes. Everyone ran out to the waves and took them on with no hesitation. In the meantime, after surfing, Lulu and Parker made small sand drip castles and Piper found hundreds of teeny tiny crabs in the sand! We all wiped the sand off our feet and got back in the van to explore more of San Francisco. But first, a much needed cleaning was necessary for the beloved van. We took one final drive to the Golden Gate Bridge, and stumbled upon an abandoned military base at the lookout. The wind was forcing us forward at an intense speed, but the gorgeous blues of the water and the red of the bridge was too stunning to miss. Afterwards, we took a pit stop in Golden Gate park to chill and finish some work before heading to the airport in the morning. Looking at the kids running around in the park and laughing with each other, it was hard to believe this would be our last time with the group! Maggie and Liles led some of the group in chicken fights while Sadie was honing her ninja skills! Throughout the past 2 weeks, they had begged for In n Out, so of course, we had to make it our final banquet dinner. Beforehand, we stopped at Goodwill and bought some crazy, silly fits to wear and put them on before going inside the restaurant. Many of the girls went for a “grandpa on vacation” look with their outfits while some went for an Adam Sandler inspired look. Many of the guys got robes, pj pants, and funny hats! The looks of strangers as we strolled in with confidence was irreplaceable. I will never forget the smiles on the kids’ faces as we ordered our burgers, fries, and shakes and practiced Tik Tok dances in line. It was the perfect end to an unforgettable trip!
Party rock on forever Cal 1C!
Mimi, Gray, and Kent
The Fun Continues!
June 18, 2025
The fun continues in California! After we posted our last update, we went whitewater rafting on the American River on the South Fork. We were taught by our energetic guides, Liam and Devin. On the first morning, we started with class 1 and class 2 rapids to get our rhythm as a cohesive team in the rafts. In between rapids, we all hopped in the water to cool off and float lazy river style next to the rafts. We also learned a game called rodeo where someone stands up on the front of the boat and everyone paddles in different directions to shake them off into the water. Thompson was the only person who didn’t fall! Soon after, the guides made us lunch, which was sandwiches with all the fixings, including homemade hummus, homemade pickled onions, and a whole bunch of fresh ingredients! Sadie made a wrap and said it was one of the best of her life! After lunch, we took on some more class 2 rapids and eventually braved some class 3s! Everyone loved the challenge and the exhilaration that the harder rapids brought. The outfitter also cooked us dinner that night, steak being the main feature.
After we were done with our second day of rafting, we drove up to our campsite near Yosemite. Before we settled down in our new campsite, we surprised the kids with a local food stop at a food truck that featured amazing tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. George and Rhodes got Jarritos soda to drink along with their food and gave raving reviews. The next day, we drove into the park to go rock climbing. Garrett and Glen, our guides, led us through how to properly belay and attach our harnesses so that we could safely climb. Parker conquered her fear of heights and got a good way up! We also rappelled down, which was Sadie’s favorite part by far. Our second day of climbing featured crack climbing, which included jamming our hands and feet into cracks in the rock to pull ourselves up. Maggie and Jack both got to the top of all three climbs and even helped remove some gear from the rock for the outfitters afterward.
Each day after our climbs, we visited the beautiful Tenaya Lake just down the road from our outfitters for lunch. We all ate as a group and tanned on the beach with views of snow capped mountains all around us. Sadie and Parker buried our feet and turned us into mermaids on the beach while Lulu and Liles played on a makeshift see-saw made from old logs. Everyone took a much needed nap in the car on the way back to the campsite both days.
Our third day in Yosemite featured an early wake-up for a hike that was quite uphill at times, but the views made it all worth it! On the drive there, we saw and admired El Capitan, which is the mountain that Alex Honnold free climbed (as seen in the Free Solo documentary). We hiked up the side of two gorgeous waterfalls, Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. When we walked up the steps to Vernal Falls, we were sprayed with the mist coming up from the waterfall, and we all ended up soaked. We were then surrounded by a huge, vibrant rainbow right beside the trail, which made it well worth getting wet! After 3 miles straight uphill, we all took a much-needed break at the top of Nevada Falls, played with some squirrels, and sunbathed in front of breathtaking views. When we got too hot, Riley led us in a cold plunge in the river! We fueled up with some snacks and merch at the Yosemite Gift Shop after a quick hike down.
When we got back, Kent cheffed up some personal pizzas for everyone on the Coleman stove. Everyone got to personalize their own pizzas. Parker made hers with extra cheese so that she could get a massive cheese pull, and Piper made the most perfect cartoon-looking pizza we have ever seen! In our free time between activities, the kids have been loving playing card games, as well as playing tons of spike ball. This morning, we all took a much-needed slower morning and made banana pancakes for breakfast while listening to the song Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson. We are having a blast and can’t wait for surfing at Pacifica Beach over the next few days!
Here’s to wet socks and climbing rocks!
Kent, Gray, and Mimi
Thank you’s
George – Thank you for sending me on Moondance, it was really fun and we got to go rafting paddle boarding rock climbing and surfing it was so much fun and am very great full for you guys sending me
Lulu – Thank you so much for sending me to Moondance. I have had so much fun here doing all the stuff that we are doing like white water rafting, kayaking, paddle boarding, rock climbing, and crack climbing. I am so happy that you let me come.
Riley – Thank you mom and dad for sending me on Moondance. I have had the best time here. White water rafting, rock climbing, kayaking and paddle boarding was so much fun and I am so thankful for being able to go to Moondance. I want to go again next year because it has been one of the best 2 weeks of my life. I’ve made so many new friends and it has been a great experience. Thank you for sending me to Moondance!
Rhodes- thank you so much mom for signing me to Moondance. I’ve had so much fun and love it and I want to do it next year. We have gone white water rafting, paddle boarding, kayaking, and rock climbing, and so far rock climbing and and white water rafting has been my favorite and I’ve had so much fun and met so many new people and I’m so thankful for you signing me up to go to Moondance.
Jack – Thank you so much mom and dad for signing me up for Moondance. I have had such a blast so far. Out of all of our activities so far rock climbing, surfing, and white water rafting has been my favorite but all of the activities have been so much fun. I would love to do Moondance again next year. And I am so grateful for both of you signing me up for Moondance.
Thompson- Hello mother and father. I wanted to say thank you for paying for me to go on this awesome trip called Moondance. It has been one of the most fun things that I have ever done in my whole 12 years of my life. I have enjoyed it so much and I have made a lot of friends here. All of the activities have been fun.
Sadie- Hi Dad. Thank you. Thank you for this trip and experience. Thank you for giving me money to spend. Thank you for filling out the paperwork. Thank you for booking my flight. Thank you for taking me through the airport. Thank you for waking up early and getting everything done. And most of all thank you for going through all of the long days on the computer and the money that you spent, not because you had to but because you wanted to do something special for me (and will). I’ve changed in so many ways, met so many new people and had a great experience. And all in all had a great time. Thank you Dad sooooooooo much !!!!!!!!!!!!! Miss you and I can’t wait to see you.
Liles- Thank you mom and dad for signing me up for this amazing trip and experience. I have had such a fun time and met lots of new friends and got out of my comfort zone. This has been one of the best 2 weeks of my life. White water rafting was my favorite activity so far but looking forward to surfing. Thanks so much and so grateful to be on this trip!
Maggie- Thank you dad and mom for signing me up for Moondance! I have had the best time and I am so grateful for this experience. I have met so many new friends. The activities have all been so great but my favorites have been white water rafting and paddle boarding. Thank you so much for this trip, it has been so amazing.
Piper- Thank you mom and dad for signing me up for this awesome adventure! I am having so much fun and have made many friends. My favorite activities have been white water rafting and Lake Tahoe. I am so great full I am able to be at an amazing camp like Moondance! Tell Hunter and Bear I said hi! I am so excited to see u guys!
Parker- Thank you mommy and daddy so much for signing me up for Moondance! It has been that greatest adventure of my life. I have made so many friends that I can’t wait to tell you about! We have done so many wonderful activities but my favorite so far are paddle boarding and whitewater rafting! I am so great full for this experience and can’t wait to see you guys and THANK YOU!!!
Cali is Having Fun and Soaking Up Sun!
June 12, 2025
What a blast we have had so far! After we picked up the kids from the airport, we had a little drive to the Olema Campground. We got to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge! It was so much bigger than we all anticipated. We drove through San Francisco on the way to Olema. We picked up pizza on the way and spent the night getting to know each other and introducing concepts of Moondance. One special moment that happens each night is something called ‘Moonup.’ During this time, the Leaders of the Day (LODs) lead the group in conversation, including funny memories from the day (Nug jug), a silly and deeper question, and introduce the next day’s LODs. In the morning, we got up and drove to a lighthouse outside of San Francisco on the coast. It was super foggy, but that just made the experience even cooler. We walked down 313 steps to get to the lighthouse. Even with the fog, there was still an amazing view of the water. George even spotted some seals down on the water! In addition to that, he also spotted an elk! After the lighthouse, we went to a beach on the coast. Parker and Sadie practiced their hackey sack skills while we were hanging out on the sand. We kept on driving over to Lake Tahoe after the beach stop. The views of the lake made the kids super excited to be able to get into the water! Once we got to the campsite, we made a ton of nachos. Liles (one of our LODs) and the rest of the cook crew led the charge on crafting up the nachos! The next day we headed out on the water to kayak! Zack, our guide, led the kids on the kayaking route and we stopped to do a relay race. The kids also sat with people that they didn’t know as well and Zack challenged them to find out new facts about their kayaking partner. We made it a competition, and the winning group listed off around 15 new facts that they learned about their kayaking partner. During the activity, we also stopped at a park/beach to eat lunch and hang out. We found a volleyball court and Piper rounded up the group for many rounds of volleyball with the whole crew! After kayaking, we made a stop at a local bakery for the kids to get a well-deserved treat. We drove to a hike at Maggie’s Peaks. This hike was a bit of an uphill challenge, but Riley, Lulu, and Maggie lead the charge up the trail. We stopped at the lookouts and enjoyed the vast and gorgeous views of Lake Tahoe. Once we got back to camp, Kent grilled up some hotdogs while the kids all played spike ball tournaments. The next day, after eating some breakfast sammies, we went back to the lake to paddle board. This was a more laid-back activity that everyone loved. The brisk water of Lake Tahoe definitely woke everyone up instantly. Jack, Thompson, and Rhodes cannot seem to get enough of the football- throwing it while paddling, at the beach, and during lunchtime! Of course, we had to go back for round 2 at the volleyball court. This day we also spent a couple of hours exploring Tahoe city! The boys splurged and each got silly sunglasses, while Maggie, Lulu, Riley, and Liles got matching ‘bear feet’ slippers. I am honestly obsessed, maybe I need to purchase. A quick ice cream stop at Poppy’s in town was a hit! The dole whip and cherry sorbet were a popular pick. Sadie, Parker, and Mimi were huge fans of the boba and mochi toppings, even asking for individual cups of just the topping! The rest of the day was full of spikeball and rock skipping. Lots of people beat their rock skipping PR! Pesto pasta with chicken was our dinner for the night, which was a big hit! Lots of kids found out that pesto is actually really good! While Gray was helping lead the cook team, we all had a pre-dinner dance party. This was such a blast and truly a special moment of bonding. Right now, we headed to our rafting section of the trip. It already feels like the trip is flying by! With many more activities, meals, and moonups- we are so excited to continue connecting throughout the trip and inspiring the kids to live in the moment.
Here’s to California Dreaming!
Mimi, Kent, and Gray
The Adventure Begins!
June 8, 2025
Hello California Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in San Francisco! The trip is off to a great start, and we are so excited to hear more stories as they begin their adventure.
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! 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
