Closing Chapter with Cal 2B
July 8, 2025
Day 11: July 5th – Today we woke up and got ready for rock climbing. We enjoyed a quick breakfast before enjoying our scenic car ride in the Tuolumne Meadows. We met our guides Carlyn and Mark and headed to our climbing spot! We went to DAFF Dome to learn about climbing cracks. We enjoyed three different climbs, and the students were able to complete all three. Blair and Ellie continued with their belay and climbing duo. Roey, Jude, and Pearson were climbing non-stop. After a great day of climbing, we headed back to Oh Ridge Campground. We stopped in the town of June Lake once more to explore. We got ice cream, root beer floats, and snacks before heading back to camp. For dinner, we had quesadillas and guacamole. Pearson and Liza did an amazing job with the cooking crew! They made the guacamole for the group to enjoy. We then had a surprise dessert and played another round of Shark Tank. Tommy invested in Pearson and Ellie’s “American Boom,” a Fourth of July celebratory invention. It was another great day in Yosemite!
Day 12: July 6th – Today we woke and enjoyed breakfast before packing up camp. We had warm oatmeal and apples on our chilly morning. We took down our tents and said farewell to Camp Oh Ridge, especially all of the chipmunks and deer. We loaded up the van for our travel day back to the Bay Area. In the car, we enjoyed many games and singing. We played wavelength and jeopardy. We enjoyed a gas station stop where everyone loaded up on candy and snacks. It was a beautiful drive to the Sweetwood campsite! When we arrived we ran into Cal A. It was fun to see the other group and catch up on our adventures. The kids walked down to see the beach and share stories. After they set up tents in record time! It was a beautiful evening to catch glimpses of the sunset. For dinner we enjoyed pasta with chicken Caesar salad for dinner. Elizabeth was a great help in cleaning up. We ended with a big bonfire and s’mores. It was nice to have another night by the fire. Marley and Liza roasted their perfect smores. We closed out with a Moonup led my Roey and Pearson and discussed how we wanted to take on our last day.
Day 13: July 7th – Today we woke up in Sweetwood Campground. We enjoyed a large breakfast of Eggs in a Nest, fruit, sausage, donuts, and orange juice! What a great way to start our last day. We hung around camp and got ready to head into San Francisco! We drove to the Salvation Army to get our banquet outfits. We enjoyed many laughs in the thrift store and Stephie and Blair got some cat print clothes. Hodges wore a sports coat and Roey found a neon yellow jacket. We approached the Golden Gate Bridge and drove across to the lookout point. The group was in awe of the bridge. We enjoyed lunch with the beautiful view and walked around to capture the moment. Afterward, we headed to Captain Kirk’s Sailing to meet Captain Rod. We enjoyed driving along the coasts of San Francisco and seeing the water we would soon sail on. We sailed around the bay and under the bridge. It was a beautiful day on the water. We loaded the car and headed back to Half Moon Bay for our banquet dinner! We went to Tres Amigos for our banquet and enjoyed Mexican food. Tommy got the biggest burrito we had ever seen. We had great outfits on and had so much fun. We went back to camp and surprised Marley with a slice of cake for an early birthday celebration. We all sang happy birthday as he blew out the candles. We enjoyed surprise ice cream and loved celebrating him. We packed up some and got ready for our last Moonup. Before Moonup, we did superlatives, and everyone enjoyed their “most likely to.” We ended with a group hug and got ready for our early morning.
Day 14: July 8th – We woke up bright and early to head to the airport! We packed up our tents and our duffels. We enjoyed our favorite songs one last time in the car, Elizabeth and Myers added Please Don’t Go to the que, and gathered our airport snacks. We got to the airport and reunited with all of our CAL friends. We said our goodbyes and made sure to exchange numbers! Afterwards we went through security to go on our ways. We will miss Cal 2B so much and are so grateful for the memories we made these two weeks! Thank you to our students for giving Moondance their all!
Surfer Vibes and Hiking Hype
July 5, 2025
Day 6: June 30th – Today, we woke up in Tahoe! After a delicious breakfast, we slipped into our bathing suits, put on sunscreen, and hopped into our kayaks for a fantastic day on the water. We paddled along the west shore of Tahoe, enjoying a scenic ride before stopping at a beautiful beach for lunch. We fueled up with sandwiches and GORP (good old raisins and peanuts), and everyone had fun skipping rocks.
After reapplying sunscreen, we got back on the water, with everyone doing a great job paddling! Blair and Stephie won our first paddle race, and Grady triumphed in the second. As we paddled, we heard fascinating stories about Lake Tahoe’s history. After kayaking, we thanked our guides and were surprised with a well-deserved ice cream treat! We savored every bite before heading to Cascade Falls for a quick hike. It was a beautiful waterfall with little pockets to play in the creek. We then headed back to camp for showers and dinner, enjoying a beautiful sunset and pita pizzas. Hodges and Liza did a great job on the cleaning crew. We ended the day with a relaxing moonup and got ready for bed.
Day 7: July 1st – Today, we woke up eager for stand-up paddleboarding! We were surprised with fresh fruit at breakfast, which was absolutely perfect. We arrived at Tahoe Adventure Company and quickly hit the water. Everyone excelled at paddleboarding! We kicked off with a race, and Ellie came in first after a close match.
Next, we played “Infection,” a tag-like game, with Marley and Jude being the last ones standing before we finally got them in the water. Blair then won a round of Simon Says! We finished our time on the water playing “Star” and enjoyed another beautiful day on the lake. Afterward, we enjoyed lunch and GORP. We then loaded up the van for another surprise: a town day! We drove along the east side of the lake down to South Lake Tahoe. We loved shopping around and picking up Lake Tahoe merch. Hodges found some fun socks, and everyone enjoyed exploring the candy store. Liza and Pearson even found a Dino stuffed animal along the way!
After shopping, we had another delightful surprise: our local food stop! We enjoyed delicious burgers and fries before heading back to camp. Once there, we wrote postcards and prepared for a game of Shark Tank. There were three teams: Team Cabbage (Blair, Jude, and Myers), Team Blueberry (Hodges, Stephie, Pearson), and Team Lizard (Roey, Marley, Liza, and Elizabeth). Grady, Tommy, and Ellie were our “sharks.” Each team was given five items and fifteen minutes to come up with their pitch. In the end, Tommy invested in the “T grip stick,” and Ellie invested in the BJM. We closed with a great moonup, enjoying our last night at Tahoe SRA.
Day 8: July 2nd – Today, we woke up to the incredible smells of bacon and pancakes! We enjoyed our breakfast and packed up camp before heading to Yosemite. We got in the van and enjoyed a beautiful ride outside of Lake Tahoe. After about an hour, we reached our lunch stop-In-N-Out! We enjoyed burgers and fries and made sure to get our hats.
We got back on the road, continuing to sing and have fun. We arrived at Camp Oh Ridge and were greeted by stunning views. We quickly set up camp and enjoyed spaghetti for dinner. We had a great moonup and rested up for our big hike to Nevada Falls!
Day 9: July 3rd – Today, we woke up extra early and headed into Yosemite to hike Nevada Falls via Mist Trail. We enjoyed breakfast and loaded the van, taking in the scenic drive through tunnels that opened up to breathtaking views of the national park. We parked the van, filled up our water bottles, and made our way to the trailhead. Before starting, we did a hype-up huddle and began our ascent.
The trail was absolutely beautiful! We passed Vernal Falls, experiencing all of its mist and even spotting a double rainbow. We continued up the mountain and enjoyed lunch right before the final stretch. We reached the top and spent time soaking in the incredible overlook. Hodges and Blair captured some awesome shots of the view! After resting and hydrating, we began our trek down, experiencing more mist and seeing beautiful wildflowers along the small streams. Our hike down flew by as we engaged in great conversations and laughs.
After our hike, we enjoyed cold water and rested in the van. We then headed back to Camp Oh Ridge for a surprise-ice cream! We enjoyed our treat in June Lake. Afterward, we headed back to camp to shower before dinner! We enjoyed our meal and had a great Moonup after a long and rewarding day.
Day 10: July 4th – Today, we woke up extra excited because it was the Fourth of July! We were greeted by “Born in the USA” playing, and the van was decorated in red, white, and blue. We ate breakfast and loaded up the van for rock climbing! We headed to Tuolumne Meadows and met our guides at Yosemite Mountaineering School.
We enjoyed a day full of climbing, with everyone learning how to belay and tie a figure-8 knot. Liza, Pearson, Blair, and Marley impressively climbed all three walls, and Stephie did a great job belaying everyone. Everyone climbed for the whole session, which was awesome! We packed up our gear and headed back to the van to return to Camp Oh Ridge. At camp, we enjoyed watermelon and buffalo chicken dip for a snack. We then dressed up in our Fourth of July gear for festive photos before heading down to June Lake. We enjoyed sunbathing, cold plunges, and passing the beach ball.
Afterward, we headed back to camp and got ready for burgers! We had a great dinner followed by a bonfire, s’mores, and glow sticks. We closed out with a fantastic moonup, ending our favorite Fourth of July yet!
Shoutouts:
Elizabeth: Thank you mom and dad for being my biggest supporters, thank you anne for always making me laugh. Thank you to CAL 2B for making this experience something I will never forget. I will cherish these friendships for life.
Jude: Thank you so much Mom and Dad for sending me here. The things I have done are unforgettable, and I can’t wait to come back next year. Thank you CAL 2B for being there when I needed it and meeting many new friends. Lastly thank you Tommy, Grady, and Ellie for making this such an awesome trip.
Roey: Thank you so much to Moondance and my wonderful parents for giving me this opportunity to do the unforgettable activities. Thank you to Tommy, Ellie, and Grady for being the best counselors ever. Thanks to Cal 2B for being there for each other. Thank you!
Hodges: Thank you Mom and Dad for letting me go on this amazing trip. Thank you to Moondance for giving me these unforgettable memories. Thank you Grady, Tommy, and Ellie for being the best counselors in the world. Thank you!
Pearson: Thank you mom and dad for letting me come and experience moondance and making memories that I will never forget. Thank you CAL 2B for always making everyone laugh and make so many memories. Thank you Alle and Russel for helping me prepare for this trip and being the best and so supportive.
Myers: Thank you mom and dad for being the best parents ever! Thank you moondance for this awesome trip. Thank you to my best friends for being the funniest and nicest people ever! Lastly thank you CAL 2B for making this an unforgettable trip!
Liza: Thank you mom and dad for being so amazing! Thank you Walker and Ellie for being the best siblings in the whole world! Thank you Grady, Ellie, and Tommy for being the best leaders! Thank you Elizabeth, Caroline, Milly, and Coco for being the best friends in the whole world! Thank you Lew and Parker for being best cousins ever!
Blair: Thank you Mom, Dad, and Sammy for being so supportive always and giving me a very fortunate life, I really am so grateful. Thanks Aunt Olga, Jay, and the rest of my family for being there always no matter what. Thank you Stephie for being an amazing friend! Thank you to our counselors Ellie, Tommy, and Grady for being so great this trip! I love you all!
Marley: Thank you Mom and Dad for letting me come to moondance and have fun. I have made a lot of friends and have done a lot of fun things. Thank you Hodges for becoming such a good friend that I call you a brother. Thank you Grady for always making me laugh and being there for me. Thank you Tommy for being a good doctor and being funny. Thank you Ellie for being the best cook and very funny. I will cherish these memories forever. Last of all thank you Moondance for making this amazing camp!
Stephie: Thank you Mom and Dad for being so giving, kind, and caring and giving me the opportunity to do moondance! Y’all are the best. Thank you Sammy for being the prettiest and most stylish sister ever! Thank you Mikey for being the funniest, coolest, and most athletic brother ever. I really look up to you. Thank you Jamey for being the sweetest and silliest brother ever! Also thanks Daisy for being so cute! Thank you Ellie for being such a great cook and being so fun! Thank you Grady for being so chill, nice, and funny. Thank you Tommy for being such a great doctor and always strongly looking out for us. Thank you to all my friends back in CLT for being so supportive, helpful, funny and kind. Thank you Blair for always being there for me by my side and making me laugh. Lastly, thank you to my amazing CAL 2B group for being so funny, motivated, and nice and making this experience so amazing! Love y’all!
Made it to Tahoe!
June 30, 2025
Day 1, June 25th – Today, we went to the airport and picked up the kids! We played Pictionary and cards in the airport with Hodges and Liza. We had Jersey Mike’s sandwiches for lunch and loaded up the van for Half Moon Bay. We are staying at Francis Beach. When we arrived, we did introductions and talked about Moondance! We learned about Leave No Trace, expedition behavior, and LITMO. Grady taught us how to set up tents. Tommy surprised us with pizza for dinner, and Ellie and Jude built a fire for s’mores. We enjoyed great food and played spikeball and hacky sack. We went down to the beach for our first Moonup. Our first LODs are Stephie and Roey. We all bundled up and got ready for bed! We can’t wait for tomorrow!
Day 2, June 26th – Today, we woke up and had M&M pancakes with eggs. What a great first breakfast! We played spikeball and The Rock Game. We loaded up in the van for surfing. Stephie and Roey led our first morning huddle and got us excited for the day. We ate lunch by the beach and saw the group Cal C! The guides got us suited up in our wetsuits. We learned about the tide, how to body surf, and how to pop up. The water was pretty rough, but we gave it our best shot. Blair and Jude were able to catch some good waves. We came back and had Caprisun and started a spikeball tournament. We made guacamole with tacos for dinner. Afterward, we grabbed some Oreos and headed to the beach for beach soccer and spikeball. We played in the World Cup, and Hodges and Grady were a great team. Blair and Stephie were great competitors. We sang “Riptide” with Ellie on the beach and had a great Moonup.
Day 3, June 27th – Today, we woke up and packed up camp. We had eggs in a nest with bacon for breakfast. Hodges and Jude couldn’t help but come back for seconds. Elizabeth and Myers were on the cleaning crew and did such a great job. Jude and Marley were super helpful on the cooking crew too! After packing up camp, we headed to Pacifica Beach for our second day of surfing. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day. Roey and Liza caught great waves. At the end of the session, we ran into the ocean for a swim. We then went to change. We took a quick stop at Taco Bell before hitting the road to Camp Lotus! We played games, sang music, and had fun in the car. We got to Camp Lotus and set up camp. We had chicken skewers and ramen for dinner. It was delicious! We went to bed ready for a day of rafting.
Day 4, June 28th – Today, we woke up and had yogurt, bananas, and muffins for breakfast. We got lots of fuel before our day on the river. We met our guides, Sophie and Rownan. We rafted the lower section of the river, The Gorge. It was full of Class II and III rapids. Stephie and Blair were great paddle leaders. We enjoyed the rapids and pulled over for lunch. We had wraps, sandwiches, and strawberry wafers. We got back on the river and headed for the Class III rapids. Both boats did a great job paddling. Roey and Jude attempted to pull Ellie into the water. Ellie then tried to take Tommy in and failed. We shared lots of laughs playing in the water and on the rafts. Afterward, we got off the river and enjoyed sparkling water. We headed back to camp to get showered up and ready for dinner. We played a spikeball tournament, cornhole, and Blaze O. Grady and Liza were great at Blaze O. Pearson and Jude won the first tournament, and Hodges and Grady won the second one. We had an amazing dinner with All Outdoors. We even got brownies with sprinkles for dessert. We sang “Wagon Wheel” with the guitar and had a great Moonup.
Day 5, June 29th – Today, we woke up to the smell of delicious breakfast cooked for us by All Outdoors. We had eggs, sausage, potatoes, fruit, and hot chocolate! We ate well and packed up camp before heading back to the river. We loaded up in the boat to drive to the put-in for the upper section of the river, Chili Bar. We got in our rafts with Sophia and Rownan and headed into the Class III rapids. Our favorites were the Triple Threat and Troublemaker. Roey and Jude had fun acting like news reporters on the river. After rafting, we enjoyed lunch with our guides. Rownan surprised us with Fudge Stripes cookies! We thanked our guides, changed out of our bathing suits, and loaded the van to head to Lake Tahoe! Everyone took a cat nap in the van. We woke up to the beautiful view of Tahoe. We got to our campsite, Tahoe SRA, and ran into Cal C! We set up camp and went down to Common Lake for a swim. There was a free concert going on, so we got to dance and swim! We headed back to camp and were surprised by snacks from Tommy. We enjoyed hummus and veggies while Ellie and Grady prepared Hibachi! It was a great evening with wonderful food. We finished with a Moonup and looking at the stars. What a great first evening in Tahoe!
Shoutouts-
Hodges: Hey Mom, Dad, AB, and Isabel. I am having a great time surfing, rafting, and much more. I love y’all.
Pearson: Hey Mom, Dad, Parker, and Jackson. I am having such a fun time! We have been surfing, rafting, and have done a lot of fun stuff. I love and miss yall!
Elizabeth: Hi Mom, Dad, and Anne! I am missing you guys so much, but you were right I am having the best time so far surfing and rafting and more! Love you all! xoxo Lizzie
Myers: Hey Mom, Dad, and MB! I miss yall so much! But I’m having soo much fun!! We went rafting today and I have a bunch of stories to tell. I love yall soooo much!!! I also miss my friends so much tell them I said hey! Xoxo mymy
Marley: This trip had been amazing and so fun we went surfing and white water rafting. Hi Mom, Dad, Ryder. And Rnxo I miss you guys. Shout out to whoever the Memphis Grizzlies got.
Liza: Hey Mom, Dad, Walker, and Ellie I miss yall a lot but it is so fun here. Make sure you love on purdy, rader, and I can’t spell the cats name. We play spikeball and other games. I’m going to miss you Ellie because I want to see you. Love y’all. Tell elizabeth, Caroline, and Coco I love them. Xoxo Liza
Stephie: Hello Mom, Dad, Sammy, Miley, and Jamey! I hope everything is going well in Charlotte! I miss you guys sooo much but I am really having a great time. We’ve done surfing, whitewater rafting and a ton of spikeball. It was all so fun! My group is great and surprisingly I have been loving the food, I really love and miss yall so much! Also pls tell all my friends I say hi! Okay bye si love yall and miss yall so much and I can’t wait to see yall! Love, Stephie
Blair- Hey Mom and Dad. I miss you guys so much! I really love it here ( including the food) and also really like my group. We have finished surfing and white water rafting which were both so fun. I hope yall are having fun in Switzerland. I love and miss you guys bye! Love Blair
Jude: Hi Mom, Dad, Sadie I hope everyone is doing well camp is good I miss y’all. I am having fun and have the best counselors. I love y’all!
Roey: Hello Mom, Dad, and Ella I am doing great and hope yall are too. So far we have surfed and white water rafted for 2 days. In our free time we play a LOT of spikeball, including 2 tournaments. Today we just arrived in Lake Tahoe. It’s so pretty. Things have been good and I hope y’all are doing well. Love you guys!
Ellie: Hey Mom, Dad, and Lee! I am having a blast with CAL 2B. We have played music and spikeball almost everyday. I am so lucky to be with these students, Tommy, and Grady. I love and miss you!
Grady: I’m so excited for the Fourth of July
Tommy: Hey Mom and Dad! I am loving this session so far. We have had so much fun rafting and surfing and I am so lucky to have this amazing group of people around me. I love and miss yall!
Safe Arrival in San Fran!
June 25, 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
