The "Man Trip"

This past Friday night Jake called me at 5:30 and said that Chris and Cory had just called and said they were 18 miles away. We were both pretty surprised but so excited!

They got there just in time for dinner and explained to us they were on a Man Trip and they didn't know where they were going or when they were going to go home. We offered to let them stay in the apartment next door and so we played games that night and hung out.

I hadn't been over to the other apartment in a while so I didn't know the conditions over there so being the female that I am, I tried to get them to take some clean towels over there - I offered to wash their clothes (they didn't bring extra) but they insisted that they were on a Man Trip. Apparently Man Trip = being gross. I don't understand.

The next day they said they were going to go to Blanchett Park in the Uintahs. It's a place that Jake and his brothers had been multiple times with their dad. They invited us to go with them. All of us. For future reference, a man trip means just men. No women allowed - even if you're invited - I advise against it.

We start driving up, Chris and Cory in Cory's Ranger. Us in Jake's Dodge. We eventually get to snow packed roads where we are paving the way through the snow. There's places where there's fallen trees in the way of the road. And I think, "Oh I guess we'll have to turn around." OH NO! We're on a Man Trip and men just get out and move the trees or jump on them until they break and then move them. There was no stopping these men.

Putting chains on the Ranger

Cory jumping on a tree

As we get closer the road is getting more narrow, more rough and is going down hill. At one point Jake and I were going to turn around because we didn't think we would make it back up but unfortunately we weren't in a good place to turn around so we went down. (We should have listened to Jake's first instinct.)

We finally get to the park, it's taken us 3 hours. And it's gorgeous! So beautiful. And so cold! The wind was blowing so Kaylee and I got out of the truck for like 2 minutes to take a couple of pictures then we jumped back in the truck and stayed there. Chris made us some hot chocolate (it was delicious) and the boys went down to the lake and then we decided we better get going so we could make it home at a reasonable hour.

Kage loved it!

Kaylee didn't like her hat....

They tried to put chains on Jake's truck but they didn't fit, of course. So we're just hoping we can make it up. Well just a few minutes later Jake's truck gets stuck going up a hill. And I mean, STUCK. We were there for 2 hours in that one spot trying to get out. It was awful! (Coming from the person who sat in the truck the whole time... the boys worked their butts off in the freezing cold.) We did eventually get out and up that hill. At this point, it's getting dark. I'm freaking out because there's still a lot of road to go and Jake kept saying "The worst is over, we'll be fine." Which doesn't make me feel better.

Our next obstacle was of course, another hill and Jake slides into a tree. The Ranger has to pull us up. And then there was the mud hole. Jake decides to get in front of Cory and I immediately tell him "No, what if we get stuck and he can't pull us out?" Not even 5 seconds later we hit this mud hole where we again are stuck. They try to pull us backwards but we aren't budging. So Cory tries to get around us and thankfully does not get stuck and does get in front of us. He pulls out but every time he starts to go it jerks us in the truck - Kaylee starts crying every time it jerks, I'm super tense and Kage is barking at every little shadow out side because he thinks it's an animal. I was about to lose it!

We finally get out of the mud, followed immediately by another hill that we need help getting up. Fortunately, that was all of the obstacles that we had to get through. When we got back - it was like 9:00 (we left at 11 am) and the guys thought it was so much fun - now that we were home and kept saying it was an adventure. An adventure indeed. Fun... a little. The way home was not fun - up until then it had been though.

Blanchett Park was beautiful and I told Jake that he had to take us up there again in the summer so we could spend more time there to really enjoy it. It brought back a lot of memories for Jake being with his dad and that made the trip worth it.




The Lord really helped us out up there. I was praying like crazy inside the truck - I felt like it was the only thing I could do to help. Jake even said that there were times he was thinking that his truck should not be moving, yet it was moving. I know the Lord had his hands in us getting back safely and I'm so grateful.

I really am glad that we went, I wish it would have been not quite so scary but it was fun and it was beautiful! It was so much fun to have Cory and Chris come to visit! We loved having them.