Huairou District, Beijing, China

This trip to the Great Wall was very interesting to plan.  We knew that Alex, his wife and two sons were coming.  I worked with Alex for 5 years but had never met his wife or kids.  As I started looking for accommodations for a night or two near the wall, another family decided to join us.  They are also from MN and Bobbi Jo worked in St. Paul, so I knew of her, but had never met her.  At this point, I was planning a trip for 12 people (6 adults and 6 kids) to stay for 2 nights near the Wall and I had only met 1 other person.

We all set out in a big van after a stop at the grocery store for snacks!  The ride was not long, and we made it to our lodge in the afternoon. The farmhouse where we were staying is located at the foot of Mutianyu Great Wall.  Like many farmhouses in the area, it was converted into private rooms.  The family that owns it were very friendly and helpful.
In true adventurer style, we set off walking up the road from the farmhouse to see where it would lead.  After getting past some horses, we followed the road as it made a steady incline.  We walked pretty far and had some amazing views and Ivy made a new friend near the top. We figured if we continued walking for another 20 minutes, we would have made it all the way to the Wall, but it was getting dark, so we made our way back to the farmhouse.
One of the best perks of the farmhouse was the restaurant.  We were able to order food for everyone and we shared it all in true Chinese family style.  After dinner, we played some games in the common area.  It was pretty unreal looking around at the bonds we already formed with people that had been strangers just a few days before.