Del Valle

 David works most Saturdays so when he gets off early, we try to get as much out of it as possible.  Though, that thinking got me in trouble today as I was determined to get us on a hike.  Waiting till the middle of the day to go on a hike isn't very smart, heat wise :(

But look how beautiful this hike was!  Well, that is what I keep telling myself, even now as I suffer from the pain of dehydration and a sinus infection.

Del Valle Regional Park is about 40 minutes from Tracy.  I always love these trips that we take, as we see more and more new stuff.  We are surrounded by so many different crops (mainly nuts and fruit) which makes for pretty scenery, especially when in bloom.

We parked a little ways back from the lake so we didn't have to pay for parking.  Wonderful idea at the time (David, Levi, and Brigham still think so because the hike was great for them) but Bitty and I really struggled. Going down to the lake wasn't that hard but there were still lots of going up hill just to go back down.  But it was nothing compared to coming back after leaving the lake.

We had plenty of water and food with us, but I just sweat all that water out.  I put on sunblock twice and still got burned on my face because of me sweating it off so quickly.  

Have I mentioned how much I HATE BEING HOT?!?!  All together it was just a 5 mile hike, but trust me, for Bitty and I, it felt sooooo much longer with the heat and all that climbing.

But at least the other boys really enjoyed it.  I kept my dislike of this hike to myself (and yes, this hike was my idea) because I didn't want the boys to dread hot hikes in the future but David knew how much of a struggle it was for me.  He was so sweet the whole time reminding me over and over to drink more and pace myself better.  I just wanted to keep up with the older boys.  

Oh well.  It was still memorable and I always LOVE getting the boys out of the house and away from all those darn electronic devices!