Taking the Kids: To Moab on an outdoors-oriented vaxication

Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on May 27, 2021

Guests come from Moab and Salt Lake City — about a four-hour drive — from Colorado and across the country, including a lot from the East Coast, flying into Moab, Grand Junction, Colorado, or Salt Lake City. (We’ve driven from Denver, about six hours.)

These aren’t like any cabins I’ve stayed in. Not only are they equipped with modern amenities but decorated (by Shumway) with eclectic touches from her visits to secondhand and antique stores around the country. Proudly, she points out one $5 find she refinished, and a poker table in Cedar Bend she built.

The six of us (and the two pooches) are happily ensconced in the four-bedroom Lonebranch cabin, with everything we could possibly need. There’s everything from fluffy towels to an Instapot, pizza slicer, grill, even some spices and sugar, and a big hot tub outside.

There was good Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, comfy couches but also old-fashioned games (remember Bingo when the numbers were in a roller?) porch chairs rescued from an old movie theater, and yellow kitchen appliances that look vintage but are totally modern.

One day we head out to hike in Mill Creek Canyon, crossing the creek several times, clamoring up and down rocks surrounded by red rock formations – caves, arches, and well-preserved pictographs. I was certainly out of my comfort zone, but the pooches were loving the water.

The next day we opted to raft — unfortunately in the rain — with Moab Adventure Center, which offers everything from rafting trips on the Colorado to back-country Hummer tours, private national parks tours, canyoneering, mountain biking and more. We were freezing by the time we got off the river. “At least you won’t forget this trip,” joked one of our guides.

Another day we babysat the dogs while one couple went off hiking and the other mountain biked, heading to lower altitude as we enjoyed unexpected spring snow at the cabin. (In summer, the high altitude offers a pleasant respite from the heat.)

Did I mention that Whispering Oaks is not only pet-friendly but doesn’t charge guests a cleaning fee like many vacation rentals?

“I wanted these to be places I’d want to stay,” Shumway explained, adding that guests often tell her they wished they had not planned so many excursions because they would have wanted more time at the cabins.

Me too. Next time, Kelly.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia, the 13th in the kid’s guide series, was published in 2020, with The Kid’s Guide to Camping coming in 2021.)