Just like that, the summer is OVER! WHAT?! All these back to school photos really seals the deal.

Don't worry, just because summer is over, doesn't mean you can't have amazing weekend or after school adventures. This last weekend, we planned a last minute camping trip. We went up early on Friday and then the working folk drove up after work.

It was a weekend of firsts for sure. For Stephanie, it was her first time camping in Utah with her kids, for us, it was the second time we've been camping with the #ohniceandchubbybabies, but first time with little Orion.

Before having babies, my husband, dog, siblings and I would go camping ALL the time. It was easy. Throw in a couple kids and all that ease is GONE! Well, it's mainly the nights. Trying to get babies to sleep in a tent is an art for sure. An art I know nothing about. But I'll write about that tomorrow.

For today, we are writing about our first time using SUPs. For those of you who don't know what that is (like me, I had no idea.) SUP stands for "Stand Up Paddle." Pretty sure that SUP is the coolest acronym.

Actually, it was also our first time renting from Green Adventure Sports Rentals! They loaded The Salt Project up with boards and boats and ALL the GOODS you need for an awesome adventure! Denny and Danny are brothers who design for Lifetime Company (a local Utah company) by day and rent adventure by night. In fact you probably own a table, basketball hoop or kayak from Lifetime. They started their business last year and it's just taking off! Their rental prices are unbeatable too. You can tell these two love the water business. They've been kayaking before kayaking became cool.  In fact, they've created a type of "Kayak Rugby." We'll have to have them write a post about it, it sounds awesome.

When we rolled into Pineview, we paid our $16 fee and then immediately saw a sign that said "No Trailers beyond this point." I was kind of stunned. We had a whole trailer full of boats and we couldn't take it past that POINT?!

We had invited a bunch friends to come up and use the boats and I was a little worried about taking 14 boats, paddles, life jackets and 5 kids across the sandy beach. Logistic nightmare. Luckily, when we pulled into the boat parking area, a nice old man gave us the hints. He told us to pull up as far south east as possible in the parking lot, back up the boats and then take them down the sand cliff next to it. He said it was really where we wanted to be. When I say cliff, it was just a very steep-sandy incline that had recently eroded away. ;)

When in fact, he was absolutely correct. While the beach was a bit rockier than just east of it, the fact that we had our own shady spot made it all worth it. Our small grove of trees was 100 yards from our truck and boards and about 50 yards from the water. We could even hang out Hobo Hammock up on the trees. It was the perfect everything.

When you have a ginger friend (cough, Stephanie) and a very pale husband (Derek, Harmony's husband)...

Shade = LIFE

(Above 2-3 Person Sport Fisher Tandem 10ft)

It was perfect weather too. It was kind of breezy and slightly overcast. I didn't even hear complaints about it being too hot. (Again, usually, from my pale husband who pretty much is vampire. He also avoids sun and heat. No, his skin doesn't glitter.)

The kids had tons of fun trying out all the different boats. We loved the Sport Fish Tandem boat. It could seat up to 3 people and was very stable. (Above 2-3 Person Sport Fisher Tandem 10ft)

I'm not sure which paddle board this was, other than it was Blue. It was my personal favorite.

I felt absolutely stable on it. The only time I fell is because two little sharks where trying to bring me down. Locke and Breckyn loved the kid kayaks (Wave Youth 6ft.) Steph's (Freestyle Adult 10ft SUP) and my first time on the paddle boards and these two little stinkers were ramming into us!

Luckily, my balance happened to be amazing that day.

($25 per day for a paddle board, can't beat that!)

My husband on the other hand, fell into the water multiple times. If you are looking for an excellent date night...rent some of these babies and then watch your loved one fall into the water. I dunno, I just enjoy watching people fall. Heartless, I know.
(Above Freestyle Adult 10ft SUP)

You can also rent life jackets in all sizes from Green's Adventure.

Stephanie tried the Freestyle Adult 10ft SUP (above) and loved it! Maybe she was just drawn to the orange or something.

(Above 2-3 Person Sport Fisher Tandem 10ft)

My husband and I have had kayaks our whole marriage. All ten years of it. In fact, before we were dating, he ran off with my kayak and took it to Mexico. Without me. After we got married, we quickly bought him a kayak, but it was some cheap one and quickly cracked. Pretty sure these Lifetime Kayaks would have to take a pretty good beating to crack. Plus, we loved how this kayak could hold Orion on his lap. Our personal kayaks are made for just one person and are not very stable on the water, they tip quite easily.

I love how safe they looked and felt.

(Eddy Adult 11ft above)

Sometimes, photo taking is not glamorous work.

Let's talk about swimsuits. My swimsuit top above is literally ten years old. Yes, I've been told multiple times that it looks like I don't have a top on. It used to be a lovely dark brown...but that's what 10 years of sun will do to you. I get a headache when I have to tie the straps on my neck. But this swimsuit had 4 straps, so I have crisscrossed it in the back so it doesn't sit on my neck. I need help. What's a good swimsuit that you guys use? I need support too. The company I purchased this from no longer makes this style. I'm not into patterns either, plain color is the way I roll.

The surroundings to Pineview is surreal. I love how you can feel like you are at the beach but still look out and see mountains and green.

Aiko lovingly rubbed sand all over her brother's back. Because, obviously, he wanted it there.

Be sure to bring lots of buckets and shovels.

Our husbands don't always make the blog, but when they do.

We had so many boats, we really didn't know what to do with them, especially when all our friends ended up not coming. Sometimes, life get crazy and you don't have friends. Luckily, there was a giant church group from Ogden that shared our shady grove and happened to bring like 30 teenagers! We invited anyone and everyone around us to take the boats out and give em a try. Kind of a Pay it Forward moment.

*Side Story : Just a few weeks ago, I was at Pineview for girls camp. (I know, we were roughing it.) Our neighbors on the beach had rented a blow up slide/blob thing and no one was really using it. So, I thought...I'll just ask and see if we can use it. Luckily, they let us and our girls had a crazy fun time.

I did too.

So we were really happy when we could do our own Pay it Forward moment with our neighbors on the beach! All the kids loved playing on all the boats and SUPs. Actually, it was also really hilarious to watch all of them too.

They brought down ALL the boats and SUPs and were having a mad time down there in the water. I didn't really explain that the kid kayaks were not for adults... so when a man tried sitting in the kid kayak and sinking immediately, I was just dying of laughter.

So, don't think that just because Summer is over and school has started, it means you can't have adventures anymore. You could rent some SUPs and run up to Pineview, Causey Reservoir, Bountiful, The Great Salt Lake, Farmington Pond, or really anywhere with enough water for a few hours! You don't even have to get wet.

****GIVEAWAY****

In fact, we want you to have your own mini adventure with some SUPs or Kayaks! We've teamed up with Green Adventure Sports Rentals to giveaway 2- 1 Day Rentals of any Kayak or SUP! One lucky person will win both rentals!

To enter:

1. Follow Green Adventure Sports Rentals Instagram Account
2. Follow The Salt Project Instagram Account
3. Leave a comment below about where you would take your SUPs.

Ends Saturday September 5th 2015 at Midnight.

Coupon for Green Adventure Sport Rentals

Plus we've got a coupon code for each of you! Mention #thesaltproject when calling and scheduling your adventure to receive $10 off $40 or more. (Total price of any Kayak, Canoe, or SUP Rental)

Coupon for Hobo Hammocks

Use promo code "hobofanatic" at checkout to get a hammock for $40 instead of $55!