Star gazing

In Yosemite we did star gazing. The person running it told us stories about the constellations. I learned that the Big Dipper is actually an astralism not a constellation. But we heard stories of the eagle and the swan. We also heard about a bear Ursa Major. It was really cool and fun.  

Isabelle 

roller coaster of San Francisco

So yesterday we traveled on a cable car. It looks like a trolley but is powered differently. Traveling through San Francisco is like going on a very slow roller coaster. There are a bazillion hills. When walking over to get on a cable car we saw a Ghirardelli store.

 So, of course we had to stop and get some chocolate. Once, we finished our Ghirardelli shakes we got in the very long line to get on a cable car. Finally, we eventually got on the cable car and took it to the cable car museum. 

(this picture is of us on the cable car) 

 

After we went through the cable car museum we tried to get on a cable car again. We didn't succeed. The first car that came by didn't let us on. The was having so issues stopping the car and just drove on without saying a word. The next to cars were full. But, when stuck without travel in San Fracisco call an uber. So, we did. We took an uber back to were we started at Pier 39. We then went to find some lunch. We saw a Rain Forest Cafe and got so excited to go there but, the wait was too long. So, we crossed the street and got sandwiches at Boudin. It you don't know what Boudin is it is a place that has the best sour dough bread in the world. It was very yummy. We quickly ate lunch because we had to get over to a boat that would take us on the Alcatraz tour. 

We met up with some of my mom's friends on the boat. After, the boat tour we went to an arcade. But, this was not just any arcade this was a very old arcade. It was called Musée Mécanique.

After playing lots of games in the arcade we tried to go to the Palace of the Arts. It took us a very long time to get there. But, we found he right bus and got to the Palace. 

 

When we finished at the Palace of the Arts, we could not get a bus back to Pier 39. So, we called another uber to take us back to Pier 39. Once we got back we tried to go to the Rain Forest Cafe again. The wait was 45 minutes and our parking for our car expired in 1 hour. So, we couldn't go to the Rain Forest Cafe again. We then walked around the corner to find a Jonney Rocket which is where we ate dinner. Then, we got back to our car and went back to the campground.

- Mikayla

  

California - the first part

San Diego (July 29-August 1) - if Megan and I were ever to move to California (not likely, certainly not any time soon), we would likely move to San Diego. The climate seems perfect... mostly sunny, warm without being too hot, some hills, some beaches...lovely all around.

There's baseball, so we could get our sports fix...although, I'm not sure I see myself ever converting to the Padres. And there's some cheap amusement at Belmont Park. It was a lovely city to visit for a couple 3 days and felt like the first place we really started to relax on our mad dash West. 😀

Disneyland on my Birthday

Today we went to Disneyland for my birth day my favorite ride was California screaming and I liked when I met kilo Ren.

We went to both California Adventure and Disneyland on the same day. I also loved the cars ride it was really fun. 

the cars ride we did a race and our car won I was the driver. I really liked the ride  

where we we're on a Ferris wheel but we we're going side to side sliding it was really fun.

By:Sam
 

 

 
 

San Diego

Yesterday we went to Mission beach and Belmont park. It was really fun. At the beach we played in the waves for a while. Then we went to the park. (Amusement park to be exact). They we really fun rides like one ride where you sat in a car and you had a lever and you could control weather we got to flip forward or backward. It was SUPER fun. There was also a roller coaster. It was fun. There was something called Krazy Cars. It was where you could go in all directions and you had two levers on the side of your car and you could steer it that way. They had a tilt-a-whirl too. We went bike riding that day too and it was really pretty. We got henna tattoos and they're really pretty. I loved that day. 

-Isabelle

Monday

Today we drove from San Diego, California to Phoenix, Arizona. If, you want to know what that is like take your car and drive on a roller coaster. There were many narrow, twisted road. We also went through the rocky mountains. No I don't mean The Rocky Mountains. I mean these are a bunch of mountains we passed with rocks all over them. Like giant bolders just sitting on mountains waiting to roll down and crush our car. Plus, we passed what my mom will tell you was the scariest things on the trip. It was a bunch of windmill farms. My mom is terrified of windmills. 

Mikayla

Art work

Most of the family got some art work today while we were at Belmont Park in San Diego. It's just Henna, but the kids and Megan spent some time making their choices.

Megan got hers on the ankle (a good choice apparently, as each of the kids touched their tattoos before they'd fully dried...but without serious damage), while Sam got his on the outside of his arm. Mikayla and Izzy got theirs on the inside of their forearms. All look pretty good.

Our trip, by the numbers (so far)

It only took a week to get the blog set up on my (Justin's) phone so far. Ok, technically 8 days. In that time we've driven 3200 miles, give or take a few. When pulling the trailer, we average about 6.5-7.1 miles to the gallon. I really, really try not to think about how much gas we will use when it's all said and done....but I take comfort that gas is at least $1 a gallon cheaper then the last big trip 3 years ago.

We have seen 49 of the 50 state license plates (and Montana, we *shall* find thee), plus DC, 3 Canadian provinces (Quebec, Alberta, and Ontario), and a Mexican plate (at least so we think). We were stuck on 47 for a while, but saw both Hawaii and Delaware within 3 blocks of each other on Grand Ave in San Diego...go figure. We've also seen 2 native American plates...didn't know they issued their own!

More in a bit...

me and the waves

Me,Isabelle and Mikayla were jumping huge waves at pacific beach in San Diego. The water was a little cold but once u get there it is nice. Only the kids went in a lot of the time but some times the parents would.

By Sam 

 

Grand Canyon (aka the Big Hole in the ground)

Spent the day at Grans Canyon.  Thanks to Sam's fourth grade pass, all the parks are free for us! (https://www.everykidinapark.gov/).  They made a big deal at the park entrance and told Sam he was the most important person in the park! We took in the intoductory movie and then did the 2.1 mile walk around part of the South rim.  So gorgeous.

We had lunch in the more than 100-year old hotel, and Sam got his junior ranger badge (and was upset it was plastic not metal!) 

 We even saw some wildlife before heading to the desert-view watchtower.

The views from the watch-tower were amazing!

There are also great vistas on the way back from that drive.

Of course the sunset is not to be missed.

 We did go back in the evening to see the enormous expanse of stars!  Tomorrow.. To Phoneix!

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

This nation is not flat!

So maybe in the middle (Kansas, Nebraska) but the rest is NOT!  OK to NM was fine, but another long day.  We made a quick stop at an RV repair place to get a new battery, as the fridge was not running while we were driving.  Really nice place, they had a 5-cent Coke machine that really worked (and they even gave you the 5-cents!), and a nice AC-d lounge to wait in.  About 90 minutes and back on the road.

On the way through Texas we made a gas stop at a town that has the art-deco Conico sign from the movie cars!  It's asp part of old Rte 66! We had to stop in and get some photos.

 

What luck for a random stop!  We finally got to Albuquerque and spent the night, ready to leave the next morning for Grand Canyon!

 

 

Truckin' Along

We made it to New Mexico yesterday. Another glorious day on I-40!  Highlights:

*giant soda cup at Aonic outside OKC 

*5-cent soda bottle machine at great RV repay placed where we stopped to get a new battery for the trailer

*seeing parts of old Rte 66 and coming across the art-deco Conico building used in Pixar's Cars movie.

Landed in Albuquerque, and now onto Grand Canyon!
 

 

I-40....Zzzzzzzzz

We spent the entire day today on I-40.  It is not an exciting road.  And who knew that neither Arkansas or Oklahoma are flat? What happened to the plain and waving wheat?  We did see some wheat, but there were hills and such all around it. We have to stop for gas every 2 1/2 -3 hours.  

Coolest thing we saw was that in Oklahoma they apparently let each of the Native American nations issue their own license plates.  We saw Cherokee and Choctaw.  

No animal sighting today except for cows.  The nice people of OK dig little ponds for their cows and the cows wade in and get all comfy with the ducks.  Wish I got a picture...

Kids promise to start writing once there is  something interesting to say.
 

driving day #1 down!

We made it to Nashville. Plan to be here 12 hours and won't see a blessed thing.  Highlights of the day:

BFG on Audible

Bear sighting (roadkill in VA 😥)

38 state license plates already!

on the road again!

We are beginning out second big trip- this time cross-country!!  We are hoping to get to Grand Canyon in 3 1/2 days via Nashville, Oklahoma City and Albuquerque.  With probably 30 DVD, 7 audio books and some games, hopefully we will survive the first 3 days!