Red, White, and Blue in the Rapids!
July 7, 2026
Hello from the SFO airport!
It’s so hard to believe that our two weeks together have already come to a close. It’s been incredible to watch each and every kid explore California, push themselves out of their comfort zones, and forge close friendships that will last far beyond this trip. Since our last update from Tahoe, we have been whitewater rafting on the South Fork of the American River and surfing once again in Pacifica. We’ve been soaking up every last second together, so without further ado, let me tell you what we’ve been up to!
We got some extra rest and had a relaxing wake up on our last day in Tahoe. We took down our tents and packed up all of our duffels in the U-Haul and had another delicious oatmeal breakfast. Seriously the kids can’t get enough of it, Who would have thought? Henry and Liza especially enjoyed this last oatmeal breakfast. All the girls kept braiding their friendship bracelets, gifting some to each other and trading among themselves. Lennox has an astonishing array of eight bracelets and two anklets! Soon, we headed out for our short drive from Lake Tahoe to Camp Lotus on the American River. It was almost 15 degrees warmer there (which Mitchell was super stoked about!), so we immediately jumped into the cooling river! A bunch of them scooted down with the natural flow of the river current, hopped out of the beach, ran back up, and did it again. Nura even swam completely against the current all the way back! We were greeted by another California group and shared the campsite with them. Everyone enjoyed seeing some new faces and sharing tidbits about each others’ trips. We collaborated and played some fun dancing games with them, like “I Love London” and “Shake n’ Pop.” Hudson had probably the best dance moves of anyone! Lexi was also getting super into it and having a blast. After all our dancing, we ate a delicious cookout dinner to get us ready for the fourth. Burgers, hot dogs, chips, and watermelon – it was absolutely incredible! Henry and Griffin couldn’t get enough and were coming back for thirds. Then, we had Moonup led by ours LODs Alice and Mitchell and headed to sleep.
As soon as we woke up, we were greeted by another California group’s leader’s American flag waving in the wind. Happy Fourth of July! We got ready for the day in our red, white, and blue swimsuits, and dressed up in various festive beaded necklaces. Lennox kindly french braided a bunch of people’s hair for rafting. In celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we had 250 pancakes! (Just kidding, only in our dreams!). We got out strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and bananas, and made some of the largest fruit-stuffed pancakes imaginable. It was scrumptious! Henry did in fact help us finish up the batter and came back for fifths. After we fueled up for the day, we set out to raft! We started off with some class one and two rapids, and everyone was getting super splashed. Sam, Henry, Nura, Lexi, and Hudson even swam (safely) through a mini rapid! Then we stopped at a little cove and enjoyed a lunch prepared by our rafting guides. We played imposter, and Alice was so good as the imposter that she fooled us all! Once we ate lunch, we headed back on the river and encountered our first class three rapids, which were a little more exciting and definitely more wet! Alice and Lexi got drenched! We were having so much fun. After we ended our rafting, we headed back to camp and showered. We enjoyed a bit of down time before dinner– reading, hacky-sacking, friendship bracelet-making, and hanging out. Cam and Henry received some silly hairdos from the girls to match their wacky Fourth of July outfits. Our rafting guides cooked us an amazing marinara pasta, pesto pasta, peppers, chicken and steak dinner. Everyone was enjoying eating off a real plate instead of our bowls for once! Our guides treated us to one of the richest brownies we’ve ever had. With a random burst of energy, we ran around the campsite with our American flag and sang the pledge of allegiance! As soon as the sun disappeared, we brought out our red, white, and blue glowsticks and decorated ourselves with them. Sam and Hudson led us in a Moonup together, and it was a perfect end to a perfect day.
We woke up to a delicious breakfast cooked once again by our raft guides. Each meal from them just keeps getting better! It was tough competition against our Fourth of July pancake breakfast. Then we headed back out onto the river for our final day of rafting. We started off the day with some thrilling class three rapids. We certainly got soaked! A bunch of us got into the refreshing water for a swim, and Indira ended up swimming down a mini rapid without any fear! Lennox and Liza went against each other in a game of who could last the longest standing on each end of the boat as we spun before falling in, and it was pretty close, but Lennox took home the gold. Her balancing skills from gymnastics must have come in handy! Our guide taught Griffin and Cam how to steer the boat, so they both did some phenomenal guiding for all of us through some small rapids. After we got splashed and turned around from our hardest rapid, the Trouble Maker, we parked the boat on the side of the river and had another delicious lunch prepared by the rafting guides. Nura was soaking up the sun while eating her sandwich. Finally we coasted back through our final stretch of rafting. Hudson and Cam swam down part of the river like little fishes! Finally we took showers and loaded up in the car for our final long car ride back to where it all began in Half Moon Bay!
On our way in, we surprised the kids with a pizza night at a local pizza place! After we demolished those pizzas, we headed back to the ranch and said hello to their adorable dog Cyprus! We had an awesome Moonup led by Lexi and Griffin, and then we began our first night of cowboy camping under the stars!
We woke up for our final full day with an egg burrito breakfast! Brendan, our ranch host, kindly gave us some of his chicken’s fresh eggs for us! They were so yummy! Then we headed back out to Pacifica for our final activity: another day of surfing! Lennox and Henry were killing those waves! Sam was brave and went back out after disliking surfing the first day. She persevered and caught an amazing wave, we were so proud! Then we headed back out to see the Golden Gate bridge one last time. One last time, we played our trip’s song Food for the Soul on the bridge, and everyone was jamming out! We hiked down to a pretty beach with a beautiful view of the bridge from below. Hudson and Griffin climbed a tall rock to get an even better view. After we hiked back up, we headed to the thrift store and got some funky outfits for our banquet dinner. Alice looked like she could be a part of ABBA in her sparkly romper! After we were all dressed up in our silly outfits, we headed to In N’ Out for our dinner. People in the restaurant were definitely confused by our attire, but we had so much fun! Nura ended up auctioning off her thrifted heels for free to the entire In N’ Out, and someone actually ended up taking them! Finally we headed back to the ranch for our final Moonup. We got all packed up and cowboy camped one last time before waking up at the crack of dawn.
Everyone is now off safely on their flights, and we are missing all of our kids! They’ve challenged themselves, forged close friendships, and made memories that they will take with them forever. It’s been an incredible past two weeks, and we feel so lucky that we were able to have the chance to be a part of each of these kids’ lives for fourteen days.
Thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of their summer!
All the best,
Louisa, Robin, & Rob
Fun, Friends, And Friendship Bracelets!
July 4, 2026
Hello from the American River!
Since our last update, we finished up our time in Yosemite and had an amazing time in Tahoe. It started warming up on the West Coast after a small cold front, which we were really grateful for! We got up to some incredible activities and have gotten so close, so we’ll start with our time in Yosemite!
On our last full day in Yosemite, we had a delicious oatmeal breakfast which Henry stated was his favorite breakfast so far! We headed out to the National Park and began our hike to a stunning lake. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, gorgeous wildflowers, and incredible views from the top. We finally arrived at the peak and all of our hard work uphill was certainly worth it! Mitchell really enjoyed exploring and soaking in the incredible view. After heading back down, we jammed out to some tunes in the car, and then surprised the kids with our first local food stop: Mexican! We went to a restaurant near our campsite, and everyone was so excited. Cam and Griffin ordered churros for dessert which were a fan favorite. It was the perfect way to end our time in Yosemite! After our dinner, we headed back to our campsite. We were surprised with a little rain which soon cleared up and made for a beautiful sunset during Moonup. Our LODs, Liza and Mitchell, led us in a great Moonup, and Mitchell showed the other Moondance group at the campsite his best awooooga howl! Everyone was laughing and having a great time.
After a good night’s sleep, we woke up to some nice, warm weather (finally!) and made egg and sausage burritos. Henry and Griffin helped cook the eggs to perfection, and Nura stepped in to help load up the tortillas with cheese, sausage, and eggs. Hudson did a great job cutting up all the sausages! Alice and Lexi were super helpful cleaning up all our dishes without any complaints. This group has such a positive attitude, which we really appreciate! Next, we hopped in the car and headed off to our next beautiful destination. A few car games later, we arrived! We set up camp and walked to a nearby beach. The girls were brave and all jumped into the cold water together! Nothing like a good cold plunge after a long day in the car. We ran into the other California group and enjoyed making some new friends and chatting about their trips. Lennox used her gymnastics skills to coach everyone in a cheerleading stunt with Henry as the flyer! I’m sure CAL B was jealous of our impressive skills 🙂 ! Then, we ate another delicious pasta dinner before we had a Moonup under the stars, led by Nura and Griffin, and headed to bed.
We woke up with another oatmeal breakfast which was truly a fan favorite, especially for Liza and Henry! We headed to our first activity –– kayaking! Our group was so strong that our guide took us to a special location, farther than any other California Moondance group this year! Lexi and Henry accidentally flipped into the water, getting perfectly refreshed under the hot sun. We then had lunch at a beach, all relaxing in the sand. Finally, we kayaked back to shore and decided the group needed some much needed rest back at the campsite. Alice kindly brought out her friendship bracelet string for everyone to use, and everyone was weaving away! Some took some naps in their hammocks and read their books. Then we surprised them with a town day! Everyone was so excited to get some souvenirs and shop. We found a lot of great stores, but the one that caught everyone’s eye the most was a local ice cream shop, and we couldn’t say no! A couple ice cream cones later, we walked back to our campsite and began preparing a Mexican bowl dinner. The girls were busy again making friendship bracelets, all thanks to Alice and her string! Even the boys were getting curious. Indira and Cam led Moonup, and we took some much needed rest after a big day on the water!
We fueled up with some English muffins and cream cheese before setting out for another day on the water. We got ready for S.U.P. (Stand-up Paddle boarding), and went out into the crystal blue water. We took it very chill and leisurely as we made our way out. Indira and Alice were having a lot of fun knocking people into the water. We then all relaxed under the sun taking mini naps on our paddle boards. Liza was enjoying relaxing on the board and catching some rays. After, we headed to this small cove beach. It looked like it could have been out of a Mamma Mia scene! We all jumped in the cold water and soaked up the sun. We found a great cliff jumping spot, and Nura was obsessed! She jumped about 6 times! Griffin, Lennox, Indira, and Sam also enjoyed jumping in. They were so brave! Sam faced her fear and was so proud of herself. We loved watching her excitement! Finally, we went back to the campsite and had mac n cheese for dinner. This was certainly another fan favorite. Hudson and Mitchell couldn’t get enough! The boys kept asking for friendship bracelets, so Indira helped teach them how to make them themselves! Cam was really enjoying his newfound hobby. Friendship bracelets galore! Lennox and Henry led our Moonup, and we headed off to sleep.
We are currently on our way to start rafting! It’s been an incredible group so far, and we have loved watching everyone get so close and forming friendships that will last far beyond the trip. All these friendship bracelets are a testament to our bonding. We can hardly believe it is day 9!
Until next our next update in the airport!
– Louisa, Robin, & Rob
Alice: Hey Mom and Pop! Thank you so much for this opportunity! I am so glad EA and Sarah recommended this to me. I am so grateful for this trip and already have a painting idea! Love y’all lots, Alice
Lexi: Hi Mom and Dad! Thank you so so much for letting me come on this trip. I’m having the best time, and I’m making so many new friends. Thank you for making this possible for me to come. Love y’all and see you guys soon!
Lennox: Hi Mom and Dad. Thank you for recommending me to do this and making it possible. I am having so much fun, learning a lot, and making friends. Thank you so much for letting me do Moondance! I am so grateful for this trip! I love you guys!!! Love, Lennox
Sam: Hello Mom, Dad, Sophie, and Hudson! Thanks a bunch for letting me go to CALIFORNIA and always being so supportive. I wouldn’t be who I am without all of you believing in and loving me. I am forever grateful for what you do for me and am so, so, SO proud to have the best family ever! Love, Sam
Indira: Hi guys!! Thank you so much for telling me to go here, and I definitely want to go again next year! I hope you’re having fun! Love, Indira
Nura: Hi!! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to go on this amazing adventure. I am having so much fun and I am so grateful for you guys giving me the chance to do this. I for sure want to do another trip next summer. Love Nura
Liza: Hi mom and dad! Thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to go on a Moondance. I am having the best time. I have made a lot of new friends and I have learned a lot of new skills and hobbies. I love you guys so much, and I can’t wait to see you guys. Love, Liza
Cam: Hi Mom and Dad. I’d just like to thank you guys for making this trip possible and for supporting me when I decided to do it. I’d also like to thank Madeline for really making me love the outside and Lauren for exposing me to Moondance in the first place. Be prepped for some presents. Love y’all, Cam
Hudson: Hi Mom and Dad! Thank you for letting me be able to take this trip and thank you Uncle Mark for giving me the opportunity to try this camp out and to have lots of fun. Love you, Hudson
Henry: Hello Mom and Dad! I just wanted to say thanks for all the things you guys do for me every single day, how hard you guys work to make opportunities like this possible, and how open you guys are for me to try new things like this. I appreciate all you guys do and how hard you work. I am having a ton of fun and can’t wait to see you when I get back!
Griffin: Hi Mom and Dad. I’d just like to say thank you for allowing me to come on this trip. It has been a really great experience and on top of boundary waters the day I get back, it means a lot. I am having a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see you guys. Also tell Willie that I said hi and that I am sorry for not knowing that I would be gone when he got back.
Mitchell: Hey Mom and Dad! I am having so much fun and can’t wait to see you. I would just like to thank you for letting me go on this trip and packing me. I am having lots of fun with all the activities. I am also super happy that Nelson found Moondance so I could go on this trip.
Surfing and Sailing Under the Sun!
June 30, 2026
Hello from Yosemite National Park!
We are happy to share that everyone made it safely and has officially hit the ground running! We have an awesome group, and we can tell everyone’s getting so close already!
We headed to our first campsite in Half Moon Bay after saying goodbye to the other California Moondance groups in the airport. We set up our tents and jumped into a fun game of whiffle ball. We enjoyed some pizza and Caesar salad, and had our first Moonup!
On our first official day, we woke up and had some yogurt and fruit before a big day of surfing! We got our wet suits on and jumped into the freezing cold water. Lennox and Hudson were tearing up the waves, looking like some real pros! We drove north to the Golden Gate Bridge, where we ate our lunch at a scenic viewpoint while enjoying the awesome views.
Then, we headed to go sailing! We said hello to the super cute Harbor Seals and set sail into the bay! Alice bravely sat on the front of the boat and got splashed by a huge wave! Sam and Liza bundled up to keep warm from the cold wind. Mitchell loved riding on the sailboat and getting to chat with everyone. We got back to camp where Griffin led the way in cooking our pasta dinner. He’s an amazing chef! Our LODs Alice and Cameron led our amazing Moonup while we looked out over the gorgeous view of the valley.
After a good night’s sleep, we ate a yummy sausage and egg burrito breakfast before we hit the road for Yosemite! In the car, we enjoyed many games of Wavelength and Contact and jammed out a little! We made a stop for lunch at Rodeo Burger and eventually made our way to our campsite in Yosemite. We set up our tents and then began cooking dinner: burrito bowls! Everyone jumped right in to help cook, and, once again, Cam and Griffin showed off their amazing chef skills. It was so delicious, and we loved that every single person pitched in to make dinner. We finished the night with a Moonup led by our LODs Lexi and Griffin, admiring the gorgeous background of the mountains at sunset.
After breakfast, we headed out for our first day of rock climbing! Sam began with the hardest route first, and she absolutely crushed it! Hudson also said he had a fear of heights, but he tried climbing anyway, and loved it so much that he couldn’t get enough of it! Henry was simply a monkey, climbing up every single route multiple times. Everyone was killing it, and we couldn’t have been prouder. Indira was so supportive, belaying her group, providing words of encouragement and helping them with each step. Once we finished rock climbing, we explored the Tuolumne meadows and walked through the greenery, finding a nice rock by the river to relax by. Mitchell was especially enjoying our exploration in the meadow, leading the way for everyone. We headed back to our campsite and the whole group engaged in a big card game, before we had a pita pizza dinner. Lennox and Henry led a very thoughtful Moonup, and then we headed to sleep.
We set out for our second day of climbing, and everyone seemed to know the ropes, literally! We went to a new site called Puppy dome, and everyone was back on the rocks showing off their skills. Nura was climbing so many ropes, it was hard to keep track! Cam overcame his fear of climbing too and was also super helpful belaying people at least 9 times. After climbing, we surprised everyone with some soft serve ice cream! Then, we did a hike on top of Lembert Dome and saw an incredible 360 view of Yosemite! Lennox and Lexi showed us some cool handstands at the top. Nura and Liza took a much needed nap on top of the dome. We had an awesome time and enjoyed our walk down and then our car ride back to our campsite. Everyone helped cook a delicious mediterranean bowl meal. Mitchell especially loved the feta cheese. After our big day, our LODs, Sam and Hudson, led us in a very meaningful Moonup to end our day.
We are excited for our next adventures in Tahoe, and we can’t wait to tell you all about it!
Talk to you soon!
Louisa, Robin, & Rob
Samantha: Hi Mom & Dad! Thanks for letting me go on this trip and always believing in me. Mom: the birds are pretty 🙁 Bye and I will see you real, real soon!!!
Indira: Hi! I’m having so much fun and I only kind of miss you. I hope you are having fun in the Berkshires and get Nabil a good present for his birthday! Byeeee<3 Also can u get me chick fil a when u pick me up from the airport ty
Nura: Hi! I’m having so much fun at camp and so far my favorite was surfing it was sooo fun and funny enough there was a guy at the surfing thing named Stone.haha I hope you guys are doing fun things and don’t miss me too much. Love Nura
Lennox: Hi mom and dad! I’m having so much fun and my group is amazing. Thank you for giving me this opportunity!! Surfing and rock climbing was so fun; I summited 4 times, and got up surfing 3 times on my feet! We have also been cooking a lot and I have learned basic skills. I miss yall and happy birthday to dad and Bennett. Have fun at sea island! Love Lennox
Alice: Hey everyone is nice. I am having so much fun! I found out I am really good at belaying. I’ve slept well. Surfing was fun. It was just really rocky. I didn’t get up but we are going surfing again sometime. I climbed up one and it was hard but it was a good challenge. We have been cooking a lot and it has been so good. I learned how to play contact it’s fun. Hope yall are having fun at the beach! Love y’all bye
Lexi: Hi mom and dad I miss yall but I’m having so much fun and have fun at the lake. We went surfing and rock climbing. We were in a 6 hour car ride and we went in a freezing cold lake. Love yall byeeee.
Cameron: Hi mom and dad and Lauren and Madeline. Don’t worry about me too much . I’m having a lot of fun right now. Please just don’t let Lauren take over my room or the attic. Also tell Monty that he has a crazy aura. Love yall and have fun on the fourth. Ps I miss Monty the most. Everyone is real chill and the leaders are too. Also by chance could you please send some SPF 70 Waterproof spray
Griffin: Hi mom, dad, and Willie. I am having so much fun and I have made so many friends. So far we have done 2 days of rock climbing, surfing, and 2 small hikes. We are now going to a longer full day of hiking. We also went on a sail boat. Tell chef I said hi. And also now I know 3 of the 4 places we are going. We are in Yosemite right now and we were just at a dudes ranch and we are going to Lake Tahoe next. I don’t know what’s after.
Henry: hi Winston, mom, dad, annie, and barclay. I am having lots of fun. We did rock climbing, surfing, and hiking. All my group members are super funny and nice, especially the boys. One of my counselors goes to Wake forest like you dad. There is a boy named cam like you mom. When you guys pick me up from the airport please bring the big Winston because he is so cute. Also if we ever come to California we shouldn’t because the gas prices are high.
Hudson:Hi mom and dad I’m having lots of fun and yesterday we did rock climbing and it was actually really fun and was amazing to see the view.Don’t worry about me I’m having the best time and I am making friends.Tell Chester that I miss him and can’t wait to see him when I get back.
Mitchell: Hi mom and dad I am having fun and have made friends it’s chili and sometimes really cold. We have done rock climbing and sailing and surfing when I get back I want a bunch of fast food but maybe shake shack. Tell Lucy I can’t wait to see her and that. She is awesome. Apparently I am the funny kid out of the boys. I miss you guys soooooo much and I can’t wait for Wednesday when I get to see you mom when you pick me up.
Liza: Hi mom and dad! I am having a lot of fun in California. We went rock climbing yesterday and the day before. We went surfing the day after I got here and we will go again next week. I love you guys so much and I can’t wait to see you guys in a few weeks.
Safe Arrival in California!
June 24, 2026
Hello California Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in California! 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 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
