Go Together Life

Our very first family challenge took place in the vast, sandy heart of Death Valley National Park and as with most of our adventures, it began with great intentions but slightly questionable execution.

We were chasing a desert sunset and eager to try out our newly acquired sandboards, purchased at home, flown across the country, and now glinting with promise in the back of the car. Our destination: the iconic Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Our timing: not ideal. In a noble effort to avoid Death Valley’s charming 110°F afternoon “breeze,” we had pushed our arrival just a bit too close to sunset. Add in our rookie status and vague sense of direction, and we did what any overly confident group of GPS-trusting explorers would do: we pulled over at the first patch of sand and declared, “We’ve made it!”

Spoiler: we had not.

Earlier that morning, during a roadside breakfast stop in Pahrump (yes, that magical place again), we stumbled upon a gas station snack treasure: salt and vinegar–flavored crickets, courtesy of a brand called Crick-ettes. Equal parts giddy and horrified, we tossed them into our cart, and just like that, a new trip tradition was born: Do the dare, or be square. Family challenge #1 was officially underway.

We set off across the dunes with the essentials: water, sandboards, and a pocketful of seasoned insects. The sand dunes, while beautiful, were… modest. But we were determined. Cue the dads bravely flinging themselves down the slopes, sandboards barely cooperating, bums high in the air, limbs flailing like confused flamingos. If grace were a category, we would not have placed.

After several slow-motion crashes and a full mouthful of sand, it was time for the main event: The Cricket Challenge. Daniel, unfazed and forever bold, crunched down the first cricket like it was a Friday-night snack. The rest of us? A mix of squeals, shrieks, and slow-motion dramatics, but most eventually rose to the challenge. Most.

Challenge #1 Scorecard: Crickets Edition 🦗

Name	Result
Adam	✅ Crunched it like a champ
Ally	✅ Zero hesitation
Daniel	✅ Trailblazer, obviously
Jon	✅ Brave and sandy
Madison	❌ Hard pass
Mandy	✅ Questioned it, then crushed it
Patrick	✅ No fear
Quinn	✅ Even asked for seconds (almost)
Reese	🤨 There was… spitting involved

The next morning, en route to Darwin Falls, we casually drove past the actual and very majestic Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes about ten minutes further down the road from where we had so confidently claimed victory the night before.

But hey, the sunset was incredible, the crickets were crunchy, and we’ll absolutely be dining out on the image of the dads inch-worming down the dunes for years to come.