We took our first flight since coming back last year from Nicaragua and traveled to Arizona. Michael’s family lives in Arizona. The last time we visited Arizona was in June and it was 110+ degrees. The weather is much nicer this time around – 80s during the day and 50s and 60s at night.
The first week we were in Arizona we went up to Heber, AZ with Michael’s sister Melissa and her husband, Mike and their two kids. The weather in Heber is even cooler; 50s during the day and 30s at night. Heber is three hours northeast of Phoenix, AZ.
We stayed in a cabin owned by one of Melissa and Mike’s friends. They have two UTVs and Melissa brought her UTV. We spent two days driving UTVs through beautiful forest areas. There are a lot of UTV trails in and around Heber.
On our first day on the UTVs, all four kids fell asleep. We are not sure how that is possible because it is a bumpy ride. It is probably because they had been staying up late playing and talking every night. They are thick as thieves when they get together.
We did not get too muddy on the first day. The second day was a different story. Mike took the boys through several puddles. I took a turn driving Michael, Melissa and her daughter Violet. I am a pretty cautious person and at first I was driving slow and avoiding puddles, but the puddles were too tempting, so I followed Mike.
It was fun being outside for hours driving around, seeing beautiful scenery. The kids even got to drive the UTVs. Henry likes to take turns at high speeds. It was a little nerve wracking, but we came out of it ok. Lucas is a more cautious driver. Violet is a pro. Our nephew Barrett doesn’t always pay attention, but he was sitting on an adult’s lap steering the UTV, so he was adequately supervised.
Driving the UTVs was a blast. They came back covered in mud. The kids had fun cleaning them and having water and soap fights. I discovered that I like pressure washing. There is something about watching something dirty become clean.
We capped off our visiting to Heber with a tutorial in how to use BB guns. Lucas and Henry were both aces hitting the targets often.
Driving UTVs and shooting BB guns are not two things we do often. We enjoy experiencing new things and trying things that are out of our comfort zone. It helps to know people who know how to do those things. We appreciate the people in our lives and the people we meet who take the time to teach us and who show us great hospitality.
