Blogger I am not. Map boy I am.
As JZ mentioned Hidden Oaks is 40 miles out of Moab. 24 miles South on HWY 191 and 16 miles East on HWY 46, that is. It is just north of Old La Sal, Utah. Basically look for mile post 16 and just past it, take a left on CR 125 at the old cow. Go 1/4 mile north and take the 1st left after all the squawking ravens sitting on fence posts through the gate marked no trespassing. Then, smell for the aroma of hops and their relations.
Hidden Oaks Lodge Website Directions/Map
Travel times to Moab (per Google):
Denver International Airport 5 hours 41 minutes
Durango 2:42
Laramie WY 6:55
St Louis MO (driving) 17:08
Salt Lake Intl. Airport 3:47
Washington DC (includes tolls) 30:00
Except for coming from Durango, going through Moab is the most expedient route.
The setting is very similar to our Hesperus house: amongst the gamble oak, looking at mountains. Also as JZ mentioned, it could be cold, snow blowing, teeth chattering...whiskey drinking weather. Having said that, lower down in the desert hiking, biking, sight seeing may be much nicer. While I'd love to say that fishing and rafting are on, its just not clear what season will be in. Floating the San Miguel or Dolores may be more convenient and sporty than the Colorado out of Moab. (This is typed with a mischievious he, he, he)
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo/recreation/san_miguel_river.html
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo/recreation/dolores_river_information.html
So, stay tuned, RSVP and let me know what I can do to help.
B
Monday, November 18, 2013
Lodging Has Been Established!
The Long Version:
Ten years ago, when we were planning our wedding we knew two things: we wanted to get married in Moab, UT and we wanted to get married in April.
So I looked at Moab's event calendar and realized that of the four April weekends, three of them were filled with preplanned touristy events.
And because we did not want to compete with tourists, our wedding date was selected for us, April 17th.
Ten years later, Moab's April event calendar is booked on all four weekends.
And that has translated into a relentless task of trying to find lodging that is big enough to accommodate 40-60 people as well as be budget friendly enough for all.
The Short Version:
We found lodging!
It's not exactly in Moab, in fact it's 40 miles from Moab, but it's big and spacious and beautiful and I think we'll have a great time at this lodge.
PSA: they have removed the pond in front of the house
PSA: they have removed the pond in front of the house
Check out the website:
It fits 40 plus.
There is a big kitchen where we can prepare our meals.
There are lots of bedrooms, lots of bathrooms (!!), a game room, a couple of living rooms, a giant deck with a big grill and a fire pit for s'mores!!!!
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| the game room has foosball and air hockey |
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| the kitchen has a double oven! |
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| the dining room has these two tables and two tables that are pushed against the wall |
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| a big deck! |
Nearby there is fishing (yes, Ziercher boys, Tod & Jason!), climbing (yes JLo!), hiking and rafting (yes, Durango crowd!) available.
If you want to make it into Moab to explore Canyonlands, you'll have a bit of a drive but it will be worth it!
So as you can see, this place rocks.
Except for one thing.
The bedroom situation is...friendly.
There are three private bedrooms. Four if you count a very very nice utility closet where we can put a blow up mattress.
The rest of the bedrooms feature one queen bed and eight bunk beds.
Which means that there will likely not be a whole lot of ummm, (cough), ummm, "intimate" times for the guests.
There was a child conceived at our wedding. I'm guessing that will not be the case for our anniversary party!
But there will be fun. Yes, there will be fun!
We have one family that will have a one month old and one family that will have a six month old. They get a private room. It's just better for every single person in the house.
And BZ and I are taking a room. It's our party.
So that means that many of you will be in a bunk situation.
And so I hope you take this opportunity to find this situation amusing.
Because we can't do a whole lot about it.
The house is situated on a lot of land. Which means that there is amply opportunities for people to camp in tents or bring their pop-ups/campers.
If you decide to camp, know that it may snow. That time of year is really iffy.
If you are in a camper, you can use all the hot water you want in the house and you will of course be able to join us for all meals, drinking, merriment.
If you are from out of town but want a tent, we can hook you up with supplies.
We are not sure of cost for lodging + food. If we can fill the house, we're looking at about $66 per person for a THREE NIGHT STAY!
If we can not fill the house, the price will be more but I think it will be really reasonable as compared to staying in a hotel for three nights.
Food will be bought in bulk and communal so we are again unsure of exact numbers but I'm thinking it will be really resonable.
We don't want cost to keep anyone from coming. After we get the final price numbers to you, please talk to us if you are having a hard time making the numbers work for you and your family. We will work something out!
We want to book the house from Friday April 18th-Monday April 21st.
Except for one thing.
The bedroom situation is...friendly.
There are three private bedrooms. Four if you count a very very nice utility closet where we can put a blow up mattress.
The rest of the bedrooms feature one queen bed and eight bunk beds.
Which means that there will likely not be a whole lot of ummm, (cough), ummm, "intimate" times for the guests.
There was a child conceived at our wedding. I'm guessing that will not be the case for our anniversary party!
But there will be fun. Yes, there will be fun!
We have one family that will have a one month old and one family that will have a six month old. They get a private room. It's just better for every single person in the house.
And BZ and I are taking a room. It's our party.
So that means that many of you will be in a bunk situation.
And so I hope you take this opportunity to find this situation amusing.
Because we can't do a whole lot about it.
The house is situated on a lot of land. Which means that there is amply opportunities for people to camp in tents or bring their pop-ups/campers.
If you decide to camp, know that it may snow. That time of year is really iffy.
If you are in a camper, you can use all the hot water you want in the house and you will of course be able to join us for all meals, drinking, merriment.
If you are from out of town but want a tent, we can hook you up with supplies.
We are not sure of cost for lodging + food. If we can fill the house, we're looking at about $66 per person for a THREE NIGHT STAY!
If we can not fill the house, the price will be more but I think it will be really reasonable as compared to staying in a hotel for three nights.
Food will be bought in bulk and communal so we are again unsure of exact numbers but I'm thinking it will be really resonable.
We don't want cost to keep anyone from coming. After we get the final price numbers to you, please talk to us if you are having a hard time making the numbers work for you and your family. We will work something out!
We want to book the house from Friday April 18th-Monday April 21st.
And so here's something else were weren't anticipating but we're excited about:
Sunday, April 20th is Easter.
We are hoping that people do not have to rush back to work on Monday because we thought a giant egg hunt on the property Sunday morning would be fun for the kids. We are also planning on having a big Easter meal at some point that day.
For those of you that want to make church/mass a part of your morning, there is an option in Moab:
St. Pius X
It looks like Mass is at 9a.
We will of course structure all egg hunting and feast eating for after Mass so that everyone gets what they need out of the day.
For those of you coming, there will be additional future blog posts on how to get Moab and the house as well as tentative adventure plans and what to bring.
It looks like Mass is at 9a.
We will of course structure all egg hunting and feast eating for after Mass so that everyone gets what they need out of the day.
For those of you coming, there will be additional future blog posts on how to get Moab and the house as well as tentative adventure plans and what to bring.
Please pre-RSVP by Friday November 22nd!
If we can't fill even half of the house, we'll probably look for alternate lodging.
I sure hope this works for everyone. I think it sounds so fun!
If we can't fill even half of the house, we'll probably look for alternate lodging.
I sure hope this works for everyone. I think it sounds so fun!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Let's Get This Party Started!
Nine years ago, BZ and I invited a motley crew out into the desert to help us celebrate our wedding. It was a sweet and simple (read: very low budget) wedding with some of our nearest and dearest and it was a lot of fun.
So fun, we decided to have a giant party next year to celebrate our ten year anniversary.
Ok, so I know it's a whole year until the actual celebration but there's a lot to coordinate these days with kids and jobs and school and life. Brett and I understand there are also family budgets and vacation time to consider so we're giving all of this extremely valuable information to you as early as we can so that if you're interested in coming, you have as much time as possible to plan.
There are still many details to coordinate but I wanted to let you know what we're thinking because we would really really love for you to be there with us.
When: April 18th-20th 2014
Where: Moab, UT; where all the magic happened ten years ago
Lodging: We are planning on picking a large established campground as a base of activities. There will be RV hook-ups, camping spots (with camping gear to rent for you out-of-townies) and cabins with fully functioning bathrooms and electricity. We are anticipating hot showers for campers, a pool/hot tub, picnic tables for meals and a playground for the kiddos. I'm guessing prices for camping will be around $20-30 a night and the cabins will be around $50-70 a night. In addition to this campground there are a lot of lodging options (think nice linens in big hotels) in Moab that will allow you to be close to the party base but will still get you a few steps above "roughing" it.
Meals: We are hoping to have group meals at the camp site on Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday night and Sunday morning. There will likely be a small fee to help with the groceries ($5-10 a family per meal sort of thing) and all of you non-rafters will get the opportunity to see the sweet sweet camping kitchen skills we whip out on our river trips. Prepare to be amazed!
This is a kid-friendly party weekend and there will be excursions planned each day that you and your kiddos can participate in or you can brave the Wild West and do things on your own.
We will let you know as soon as we've established the camping situation and we'll update you a little later on more of the essentials: what to pack, what we'll be doing during the day, how to get your liver in the best possible shape before stepping foot onto Mormon soil...you know, all the important stuff.
Speaking of drinking and livers...
"Old Whiskey River!" Anyone?
Whether you are a member of our family or our friend-family, we are very blessed and grateful for each of you.
Thank you for making our lives these past ten year so lovely!
We will let you know as soon as we've established the camping situation and we'll update you a little later on more of the essentials: what to pack, what we'll be doing during the day, how to get your liver in the best possible shape before stepping foot onto Mormon soil...you know, all the important stuff.
Speaking of drinking and livers...
"Old Whiskey River!" Anyone?
Whether you are a member of our family or our friend-family, we are very blessed and grateful for each of you.
Thank you for making our lives these past ten year so lovely!
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