Peace, Love, and Mangoes
June 30, 2025
What a blast we have had so far! On our first night we made the short drive to our first campground, Mooncrest Valley Ranch, where our host Brendan introduced us to his lovely home and farm animals. After quickly meeting his four Pigme goats and extremely sweet guard dog, Cypress, we all enjoyed playing kickball, sharing fun facts, and an intense 6 vs 6 soccer game! We then gathered around a campfire and had comforting pizza for dinner.
Our first full day included a slow morning, bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, and sailing in the San Francisco Bay. Before sailing, we did a nice and easy hike along the coast. This was a great opportunity for the kids to tell riddles and get to know each other. We stopped for a break and played some games (birdie on a perch was a favorite) that helped break the ice! The route our captain took sailed us right under the Golden Gate Bridge. For the entirety of the trip, Elle and Ruby bravely sat at the front of the boat, taking on the wind like champs! Our first night and first moon up introduced the group to the values of Moondance and what the session will hold. Our first Leaders of the Day (LODs), Whit and Finley were named to lead the group in activities and maintain positivity for the following day!
Located right next to an enticing Taco Bell in the sand, our surfing outfitter waited for us the next morning! We body surfed as a wake up in the cold pacific, then got on our boards and progressed to riding waves on our stomachs, and finally our feet. The swell was around 3-4 feet, and the kids bravely battled the waves as they treaded out to catch waves. They all impressed us all so much by working so hard to get up! We then hopped in our van to be surprised with a broken A/C unit :). Despite our minor setback, we rolled the windows down and hit the road to Tahoe, not letting it put a damper on our day. Practicing staying positive and persevering through the heat was a great lesson for the kids as well. They instead focused on song recommendations for a good aux the whole ride there. Ann Lanier especially loved when we played anything Megan Moroney. Do not worry, we quickly got it fixed and it is working now! We were extremely grateful for the brisk and cool weather when arriving at our Tahoe campsite. After setting up our tents, we tried out a new Caprese salad recipe and some of the kids loved it! Shoutout Monroe and Blakely!
The beautiful Lake Tahoe sits right next door to our campsite. Over the two days spent here, we have kayaked, paddle boarded, visited the town of Tahoe City, and hiked Maggies’ Peaks. During our kayaking section, Hunt and Lucy bravely took solo kayaks and pushed through sore arms on our 3 mile round trip! Halfway, we took a break on a rock beach for lunch where we caught crawfish in the water and skipped rocks. The kids also took turns painting designs on each other with sunscreen! Our guide Zach ended the day filling us in on some awesome facts about Tahoe and the surrounding land. The town day consisted of CVS stops (their favorite), shopping in local outfitters, and also getting delicious ice cream. The following day, we relaxed a bit more on the water, paddle boarding around the coastline. We played games in the water, but took no shortage of lounge time, laying on the boards in the sun and using the lake to cool off. The kids loved this relaxing activity, but in the back of their heads, they were prepping for our hike to Maggies’ Peaks near South Lake Tahoe. We were so proud of the group for pushing through the quick elevation gain and tough moments on the hike! We made sure to stop halfway for a swim in the crystal clear Granite lake conveniently placed halfway up the hike. While we found amazing views of Tahoe and a Granite lake from the peak, Whit also found some amazing sunglasses! With new shades and a worn out group, we celebrated their achievement with a build your own taco bowl night with homemade guacamole. We also celebrated with a surprise stop for gelato on the way back. The group has bonded immensely throughout these first 5 days! From talks in the van and at campsites, playing around with the guitar, belly laughing during moonup, skipping rocks, and chubby bunny challenges, we cannot wait to spend the rest of the session together!
Peace, love, and mangoes (their favorite)
Gray, Mimi, and Kent
Finley- Hey mom and dad! I’m have the best time. We’ve had great food and once we went to Taco Bell. Love yall bye!
Hunt- Hey mom and dad, I’m having a blast at Moondance. I really enjoyed surfing and just hanging out with new friends. I can’t wait to see yall, Love you both so much!
Lucy-hey mom and dad I’m having a lot of fun at camp. I love yall bye!
Elle- Hey mom and dad! Having a great time and the food is awesome! Tell Heaton I say hi! Love you.
Ruby- hiii mom and dad and siblings Just kidding I’m having a great time and sooo much fun, it’s truly incredible and an amazing experience. The food is actually really good and they have a guitar to. We are about to head over to Yosemite and have a crazy time Love u miss u – Ur favorite child Rubyyyyy
Blakley- Hi guys. I’m having a lot of fun. We’ve been to half moon bay then Lake Tahoe. Now we’re going to Yosemite. Yesterday we did a really long hike. We also got to go into town in Tahoe that was fun. We’ve done hiking, surfing, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Paddle boarding in Lake Tahoe was my favorite so far. Bye love yall.
Whit- Hey mom and dad, I am having an amazing time on this trip. We went surfing and it was awesome! I also caught a crawfish and fed it to the goose. One last thing is we found a dog named jose beef
Monroe- hey mom and dad, I just got back from the walk in clinic and everything is an easy fix!! I am having a lot of fun and can’t wait to go white water rafting. We went surfing and it was freezing but really fun and after I got a huge baja blast! And we just went hiking and dad would have loved it it had amazing views! Love yall
AL- hey mom and dad!! moondance is so much fun!! i got up in surfing and I got a large baja blast!! can’t wait to see yall, love yall bye!!
Safe Arrival!
June 27, 2025
Hello California Families!
The group landed safely, and the trip is off to a great start. We are thrilled to hear more stories as they embark on 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
