7-29-17

We had a late start this morning because we were less than 30 minutes from Little River Canyon National Preserve and they didn't open until 10:00 so the kids enjoyed sleeping in. We drove to the park and stopped at a couple overlooks. It would be a great place to come camp and play if we were a little closer. 

We went in to the visitor center and watched the movie, Lorelei did a her junior ranger and then we went to the demonstration area where they were letting people make arrowheads the way the native Americans used to make them. Lorelei spent a lot of time making one while the rest of us watched. It was pretty cool and great to see her so proud. 

Then we grabbed some food from the trunk for lunch and hit the road. We are expecting to be home between 6 and 7 tonight. 

Things I learned from 7 weeks on the road:

-Camping was surprisingly easy. We got really good at setting up and taking down but my 2year old $50 Coleman tent was not meant for the kind of travel and abuse that we put it through. It's meant to camp in the same spot for one week once every year. Doing it in a small camper van would be even better. 

-I love waking up to the sun and going to sleep to the darkening sky every night. It really is the way we were meant to live. 

-I like being outside everyday. Despite the varying heat and cold, I would prefer to spend a little bit of everyday outside dealing with it. 

-I need very little to be extremely happy. The more you can simplify your life the greater the return.

-seven weeks did nothing to quell my desire for a hobo existence hopping from place to place as it suits me. In fact, it likely made it stronger. 

-Everything happens when it is supposed to happen so there's not a lot of point in worrying. I always make pretty rigid plans but being open to possibility enhances every experience. 

7-28-17

We left Hope, Arkansas around 8:00 after a stop at Walmart for some lunch meat for the next two days and hopefully the last bag of ice for the cooler. It was overcast and humid which could only mean we would have to see rain today. 

We drove three hours to Arkansas Post National Memorial. It's out in the middle of nowhere by today's standards but back in the 1600-1700's it was a happening place. Men from deSoto's expedition travelled here. It was a trading post maintained by French, Spanish, French and eventually American people after the Louisiana purchase. It was the site of a civil war battle (the Fort is now underwater) and today houses a herd of deer and an alligator, both of which we saw. Pretty neat to be in a place that is more interior America and holds history that doesn't follow strictly English story lines. 

We made sandwiches and began our long drive for today. It started raining near Helena, Arkansas just before we crossed the Mississippi River into Mississippi.   And when I say rain I mean torrential downpours where your wipers are going as fast as they can and it doesn't help you see at all. It rained like that for 90 minutes of driving. Of course the downpour also reflected my feelings of sadness that the adventure has to end, returning to driving kids back and forth to school and activities instead of on to the next adventure is weighing heavily on my mind. But I guess I have accepted it because in the long drive across Mississippi and through Alabama to Fort Payne, I laid out the busy end of summer schedule and start of school schedules and started to look forward to adventures I might have close to home. 

We arrived at our hotel around 8:00 and Luke went to the lobby to do homework while the rest of us watched a movie. 

7-27-17

Going to bed early resulted in me waking up at 4:30 but I was able to go back to sleep and wake again before my 6:30 alarm. I'm feeling much better today despite a croaky voice and after showering and eating, we were on our way into Little Rock to see the Capitol building. We explored but the galleries are only open to tours and we preferred not to wait until 9:00 for the tour and explored on our own. A lot of white and cream colors and marble but not as pretty as Utah or Kansas. 

We drove a mile over to the Central High school national park site and were able to join a tour that goes into the high school. The school was the all white school in Little Rock and as built to attract businesses to Little Rock as the new Capitol of the south instead of Atlanta. All of that changed with the desegregation of Little Rock schools and the integration of Central High in particular because businesses didn't want to come to a town where the racial violence was so bad the National Guard was there. The high school is still a working school and has 2500+ students. It is a beautifully built school and the auditorium is nicer than anything Cabarrus County has. The park ranger gave an incredibly thorough tour and her father had been one of the guardsmen that helped get the Little Rock nine into the school everyday. One does wonder how those normal everyday white citizens could have been spitting in the face of these kids who just wanted a better school opportunity. We are fighting the same states rights vs federal rights battles today  concerning education and I guess I just don't see why every child in America doesn't deserve to be educated the same way regardless of their socioeconomic situation. 

We finished our tour and then headed towards Hot Springs. It's so humid in Arkansas, I couldn't fathom wanting to get into a hot spring. 

7-26-17

I woke up this morning with a headache, a stuffy nose, watery eyes and a cough. Damn allergies. I don't want to go home and every day we are closer but o guess reality had to set in some time. I've learned that I enjoy sleeping in a tent, I miss hearing the birds in the morning and waking up with the light. I miss the simplicity. But I like the controllable temperatures of the inside world. But reality had to return eventually. We drove from our hotel to Pea Ridge Military park. 

Pea Ridge is the last civil war Battlefield in the NPS for us to visit. I don't know all of Scott's family history but it is possible that some of his union ancestors fought here. We watched the park film and then drove the battlefield. 

After Pea Ridge we drove a couple hours to the Buffalo River, the first National River and on of the few remaining undammed rivers in Arkansas. We went down and skimmed rocks in the river but to fully explore it, we would need canoes or kayaks. We stopped at a little town called Harrison for lunch at Wendy's. I noticed a League of the South billboard on the way in to town with #secede on it. When we sat down to eat, I also noticed that there were no people of color in the town so like most of the small towns we have been in, I Wikipedia investigated it. .3% of the population of 12,000+ is black which amounted to less than 40 people of African American ancestry. In 1904 and 1907, the town was famous for running its unemployed workers and black residents out of town. It has since tried to change its image but their is a KKK leader who lives nearby to this day. Segregation still exists. 

I slept most of the way to North Little Rock and our hotel. We ate dinner and watched TV while Luke did more French homework and I was asleep by 9:00 with Scott and the kids following around10:00. 

7-25-17

We stepped out of the hotel to a humid morning in Oklahoma about 7:55. Scott and the kids wondered if it was this humid at home. I imagine it is. I already miss the bright blue skies of California and Arizona. I miss the clear air at 5000 feet in elevation. I even miss the dry furnace of the heat at 108 degrees. It doesn't help that as the day progressed I developed a sore throat and cough. I think the humidity of the crappy hotel room coupled with the return of lower elevation pines and oaks is causing some kind of allergy reaction. I took a Claritan and the day progressed. 

We drove about 30 minutes and were early to the visitor center at Chickasaw National Recreation area so we played in the spring fed creel with the clear, cold waters. When I say we, I mean Lorelei and I. The water was too cold for the boys. We did the visitor center and hiked up to the springs. Scott and I drank from it because it is said to have healing properties. My experience is not so much. I feel crappy the day after. 

We drove from there for about 3.5 hours, stopping to get gas and make sandwiches. We arrived in Fort Smith, Akansas and had a nice visit to the fort. This was the same Fort that has been referenced in many western movies and in fact Hang'em High was on in our hotel last night. 

After the hot visit to the Fort, we stopped in Fort Smith for dinner and then drove an hour north to Fayetteville to check in about 6:00 at our hotel. We did a load of laundry to get us all home in clean clothes and Luke did his French homework while Lorelei and I lay in the bed watching TV. 

7-24-17

My alarm went off at 6:30 and we were out the door by 7:50. We stopped at Walmart for lunch and snack items for what was hopefully the last time before we get home then headed over to Cadillac Ranch to leave our spray painted mark. 

We then drove about 3 hours to Washita Battlefield. This was yet another site where peaceful native people were attacked at dawn by US Calvary soldiers, in this instance Custer. Many were killed but there were survivors who told the tale and Custer got what was coming to him at Little Bighorn 8-9 years later. 

After making sandwiches and stopping to fill up on gas and wash the windshield, we drove to Oklahoma City. Our first stop was the memorial. The kids never heard about this before and we explored the plaza but skipped the museum. The ranger on site was really great and answered some questions. Then we headed 2 miles over to the Capitol with 20 minutes left to see the building before it closed. It was actually quite plain and they are doing some renovations so a good bit of artwork was missing. 

We then stopped to eat dinner where my second pair of favorite flip flops broke. My first pair broke back on day 2 or 3 of the trip and I bought a $1 pair from Walmart but had Scott bring my second pair with him. They were both at least two years old but I found a Crocs store nearby and the kids and I stopped in while Scott handled some work calls. An hour south of OklahomaCity is a little town called Paul's Valley and we have stopped her for the night. It's a nice enough hotel but either the AC unit is faulty or the humidity in Oklahoma is really crazy because our room is just as humid as the outside air. It shall be an interesting night of sleeping. 

7-23-17

We were supposed to leave at 7:00 because we have a long driving day but I overslept my alarm which was set for weekdays only for the first time on this trip so we didn't get out of Chinle until 8:00. A short drive down to Hubbell Trading Post and we arrived at 8:25. The ranger was doing the morning chores of feeding the chickens and offered the kids to help. They gave hay to the horses and then took some to the sheep and llama. They asked her good questions and the llama even ate from Luke's hand. We then went into the visitor center and explored the exhibits. There is a loom that visitors can use to weave like the Navajo rug makers. Like loved it and the ranger taught him a good bit about it. We also got to tour the Hubbell home and learn a little about this family that was a friend of the Navajo people. The ranger also answered our questions about poverty, living on the reservation, how to get housing, what life was like. It was a very good conversation and while we look at some of their houses as being so poor they are happy which made me feel better.  We left there around 10:00 to head to Petrified Forest. 

We drove about an hour and had lunch in the shade at the visitor center. Lorelei completed her junior ranger and then we drove the 26 mile road, stopping at the overlooks, walking amongst the treerocks. It was pretty cool. Back out the same way we had come, I drove 45 minutes to the New Mexico rest area to pick up a map and make a bathroom stop. We aren't stopping to see anything in New Mexico on this trip but the map will come in handy later. Scott drove about 225 miles and we stopped for gas and a snack. I drive for the next two and a half hours while the kids watched a movie in the back seat and we arrived in Amarillo about 10:00. We lost two hours from the time at the Petrified Forest but we will be on Central time until next Saturday. New Mexico was pretty boring, empty field after empty field with the exception of Albuquerque. We only have tonight in Texas as we continue east into National park sites in Oklahoma. 

7-22-17

We stopped one last time at an overlook to see the Grand Canyon on our way out this morning and then drove northeast to Navajo National Monument. From the moment we left the Grand Canyon, we were in the Navajo nation. It actually goes up in to Utah and across to New Mexico as well. It seems barren but we passed cows and sheep and horses so the animals squeak some kind of food out of the dry grasses. 

Navajo National Monument has cliff dwellings but we didn't arrive in time for the 3-5 hour tour so we took the concrete path a half mile down to the overlook. It was another large dwelling and very intact. Amazing to see all of these places. A few things we observed as we were out at the overlook with many other guests. There are a lot of Europeans visiting these places and very few Americans (none at Navajo). They are all speaking German, French, Italian or other languages we can't make out. This was also true at the Grand Canyon although there were Americans too. It made me wonder why so few Americans were there. Why are Europeans valuing our National Parks when we don't seem to be. They are such amazing places and you understand the people of your own nation better when you explore these places. 

After Navajo, we drove northeast a little more. Right at the beginning of Monument Valley where most folks would turn north to go see the parks in Utah, we turned south. It made me so sad to turn away as there is still so much that I am curious to see. Another trip in the future. We arrived in Chinle at Canyon de Chelly. This is another place where Navajo ancestors and even present day people make their homes. It's a unique park because it is a National Parks site but it is cooperation with the Navajo nation. We drove up to the overlooks, only one trail is open to the public but with thunder clouds around, we decided not to take it. I'll be honest and say that I was appalled that there were Navajo people setup at the overlooks with there truck beds open, displaying jewelry and stones with painted Navajo art on them. Never in and of the 270 visits to national parks have I been asked if I want to buy stuff while out exploring the place. I would liken it to purse, painting and watch vendors on the streets of New York City. Of course my irritation and shock was very mixed with feeling guilty and sad because this is their land that I'm coming to gawk at and so why shouldn't they be trying to make a buck off of me. There is a lot of poverty on their lands. Houses that look like shacks and you wonder how anyone could live there. 8 horses living in a 30 foot round pen. I've felt this way on every native reservation we've ever been on. 

The Canyon was beautiful and it's a shame that we destroyed the lives of the people that lived here in our westward expansion. We stopped for dinner then headed to our hotel to do laundry and catch up on emails. 

7-21-17

My alarm was set for 5:00 but like most other days I was awake shortly before it went off. We packed backpacks the night before with water and snacks and we were on the rim trail walking towards the Bright Angel Trail by 5:30 AM.  It was a relatively cool morning. Temps in the high 50's, rising to about 65 by 7:30. Lorelei even took a jacket. We started our descent right as the sun was beginning to rise and seeing the color change along the Canyon walls was a great spectacle. We were in no hurry, stopping as often as we liked to take pictures or gaze at the sun. The boys walked ahead. Lorelei and I lingered and took our time on the steep slopes talking and enjoying the pleasant hike. Several people passed us on the way down but most of the time we had the trail to ourselves.  We made it to the mile and a half rest house and stopped. We felt good enough to keep going but knowing that our descent was 1131 feet over the course of that mile and a half and we would have to go back up, going down more didn't seem like it would be a good idea. We could have done it but we wanted to enjoy the rest of the day without being too tired so we turned around and headed back up the trail towards a real breakfast. 

The mule train bringing guests down the Canyon passed us on our way up. Perhaps next time we will try that. Lorelei and I agreed that we would like to take a rafting trip and I would love to hike rim to rim. There were a lot more people coming down as we went up and I was so happy that we started early because it would not have been nearly as enjoyable with all of those people. We arrived back at the rim at 7:45. The trail guides say to allow 2-4 hours to hike that section and we were pleased to be towards the lower end of that range and we still felt we took our time going both up and down. We went straight to the restaurant for pancakes and eggs then back to our room for showers and to lay down. Around 11:30 we decided it was time to get back outside.  It was a pleasant day with highs around 80 and clouds so the breeze was nice. Luke has had a sore throat and stuffy nose off and on for a week now so we stopped in to the clinic to be told that he has allergies. He doesn't have this at home so we figured perhaps the mesquite or ponderosa pine trees. Thankful that it wasn't something serious we grabbed some Claritin and sudafed then went over to the market to grab some groceries and then we went into Tusayan to get gas which is the town just before the South Entrance. The only gas station there was 3.49$ a gallon for 87 which was a complete rip off. That was more than I paid anywhere in California so we drove 20 more miles to Valle to save $5.40 in gas. You have to live by your principles I guess. 

We drove back into the park and hit the visitor center again so Lorelei could turn in her Night sky ranger book then headed to one of the lodges to get pizza for lunch. It was quite good. It was now about 4:00 and the kids were tired and content to watch TV while Scott and I went for a walk on the rim trail. We sat on the edge of the Canyon dangling our feet off, watching people on the trail below us. There was not really a sunset because of the clouds but we stayed out until about 7:45 the went back to the hotel and watched TV. Sometimes you just need to be lazy. 

7-20-17

We were up and out the door of the hotel by 8:00. We took a quick drive to Walnut Canyon. We were the second group of people to arrive and the storms from the previous night had abated some of the heat. Lorelei finished her junior ranger and then we had full range to enjoy the loop trail to see the homes built into the eves of over hanging rock all along the Canyon walls. These people from 1100-1450 AD were pretty amazingly resourceful. 

We finished our hike and headed north on 89 to Sunset Crater Volcano. We stopped in at the visitor center to pick up a junior ranger badge then hike one little trail out into the lava beds and another longer trail to the base of the cinder cone volcano. The boys enjoyed this as it was the first time they had really been in the lava flows. Lorelei and I have seen way too many volcanic parks on this trip. I wish there was a video that would show the formation of America because it must have been pretty interesting to be a bystander to it 1000, 5000 and 10,000 years ago. 

Sunset Crater and Watpuki Are connected by a road so we took that to reach the visitor center there. This is the site of a 100 room pueblo, the largest in Northern Arizona. These folks would also have had a first hand account of the eruptions that shaped the land. They were also living on the land when the government basically took it away from them. It has been so strange to be in these places where cultures existed and thrived before any white man stepped foot on this continent. I wish that the heritage of the native people in the east had been better preserved rather than running them west and killing them. We made sandwiches and ate lunch under the shelter because in the shade the heat isn't so bad and then walked out to the ruins. We drove to see a few more and got caught in a little rain. 

I normally plan about 2 hours for us to visit most national park sites. The bigger ones we spend more time in. For these three parks we did not need 2 hours in each and we were way ahead of schedule heading into the Grand Canyon. This worked well because we stopped at the first spot and climbed the watch tower to ooh and ah at the view. One thing you don't realize until you visit is the number of trees at the Grand Canyon.  Our expectation of the desert has been shattered. We expected nothing to be living on the colorful dirt but along the Canyon drive there were tall pines and other plants and grasses that hide the rim from view. We stopped at the Grandview overlook and walked about a half mile down on the Grandview Trail. There was no one on this trail as most of the visitors preferred to stay up at the rim taking pictures. We oohed and ahhhed some more and also enjoyed experimenting with the echoes of the Grand Canyon. Whatever we said came right back to us and we got some good laughs. 

We hit the visitor center next and watched the park film narrated by Peter Coyote then it was 5:00 and Lorelei got her junior ranger badge so we could go check in and eat dinner. We hiked about 4 miles today. We were staying in the Thunderbird Lodge and after dropping off our stuff, we headed out the back door to arrive right on the rim trail in the village. This is a paved, 10 mile trail that goes along the rim. A nice place for an early morning or evening run or walk. We ate dinner at the Bright Angel Restaurant then found a place along the rim to watch the sunset. Scott and the kids got to see mountain goats just over the rim wall while I was in a visitor center picking up a hiking guide. There were thunder clouds on the other side of the Canyon but we had a great sunset. We retired to our hotel room and we were in bed by 10:30 because we had plans for an early morning.  

7-19-17

We (meaning Scott and the kids) slept in. I was awake at 5:45. The kids didn't get up until 8:00. Scott and I answered emails and did a few work things before we were all packed and ready to go at 9:45. 

We drove about two hours to Tuzigoot National Monument. This was a 110 room village on top of a hill. It makes you wonder at what made these people move on when they seemed to have what they needed to make a great society. We made quick work of the visit and then headed over to Montezuma Castle. 

Now one wonders if the Montezuma here is the same that seeks revenge. The answer is no. Montezuma was a common name like John for the English and thinking that these buildings resembled Mexican villages, a Spaniard named it that. This village is very high up on the cliff and was deemed unsafe for people to climb years ago. Many people were paying the $10 per person entry fee and had I not had my National Park pass that has paid for itself three times over, I would have been disappointed with what I got for my money. There was a guy playing a wood flute on the walkway and that was pretty cool to hear the music and see the village, you did step back in time. 

Lorelei learned that she could get an extra junior ranger pin by going to Montezuma Well and we had plenty of time so we did. I liked this way more. It was a giant circle of water with a natural spring in the bottom that scientists have been unable to measure the depth of because anything that goes down gets pushed back up by the force of the water. The people built rooms in the cliff walls that bats are now inhabiting. The well water would have been heavy with arsenic and they dug a canal out to a nearby river that also has leeches in it but despite that creepy factor it was pretty. 

After a hot walk (the ranger said the humidity is the highest he had seen all summer and it is 95 degrees), we headed into Flagstaff and the hotel so Luke could do his homework for French for the next few days since we won't have Wifi in the Grand Canyon. I also was happy to lay around because the sore throat that Luke has been nursing seems to have made its way to me. Looking forward to two nights in the Grand Canyon. 

7-18-17

I woke early again and we were out the door if the hotel by 8:15. We stopped at Walmart to replenish water and a few other things and right across the Main Street was the Casa Grande Ruins. This was the first Pueblo style ruins we have  seen thus far and it was interesting. We spent about an hour there and then drove northeast about 90 minutes to Tonto National Monument. On the way we actually saw a road runner run across the road. They have been having trouble with people having medical emergencies because of the heat at Tonto so they have limited walking up to the ruins at noon. If you are on the trail up before noon, you are ok. We started walking up at 11:45. We were able to actually be in the foot prints of those native people that were here between 1000 and 1450. Pretty amazing how they lived and their industriousness. We hiked back down and enjoyed the AC in the visitor center while Lorelei completed her junior ranger. 

We drove in from the east but the route that looked shorter on the map was to the west. I'll have to write Rand McNally a letter of complaint because their map indicated about 8-10 miles was dirt. It turned out about 20+ miles of this road was dirt. It's called the Apache Trail and I later found out that is was originally a stage coach route that was based on the trail the Apaches used. It was a winding bumpy road and it took an hour to go 20 miles from the visitor center to somewhere near the end. Since we were trying to stay hydrated on our hike, we drank a lot of water so the pit toilets and the overlook at almost the end was extremely welcome. We enjoyed the views and it was pretty amazing to make it on some of the curvy, steep and narrow parts. 

Once we were through this road we were quickly in Phoenix for a stop into the Capitol. Unfortunately the buildings closed at 4:00 and we arrived at 4:15 but we got our 43rd State picture and then enjoyed the drive up to Scottsdale and our hotel. There was a Krispy Kreme near the hotel and we tried to get donuts but at6:30 they were completely out of donuts. How does that happen???

7-17-17

I woke at 6 like most days and Luke got up at 6:30 to grab breakfast before attending his online class from 7:00 - 8:00. We were all done getting ready by 9:00 and rolled east to Chiricahua National Monument. 

I had a feeling that the park would be special when as soon as we crossed the boundary, there were 4-5 deer hanging out along the road. We talked to the ranger at the visitor center and headed up the Canyon road to hike the half mile trail out to the Grottoes. We played in the Echo Canyon rocks for a long time and we were fortunate not to have anyone around. We photographed the lizards in the rocks, yelled to hear our echo, climbed up the walls and had a fun time. We worried about rain because it was sprinkling when we started but we never saw more than that. After playing, we stopped in at the visitor center to finish a junior ranger badge. Our original plan included Fort Bowie but somehow I missed that the visitor center is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so we decided to skip it but the ranger here told us that they installed a stamp on the front porch at the visitor center so you could go even though the rangers weren't there. 

We drove about 20 miles while eating lunches of salad, sandwiches and chips and then turned on to the 8 mile long dirt road from highway 181 that takes you to Fort Bowie's parking area. The drive in was full of potholes and dips. There were several washes where when it rains the road floods. We discussed the fact that there were ominous clouds all around the area and I had no hope that we would make it out of this adventure without being wet but we knew what to do if it poured and to stay out of the washes so we charged on. We saw a herd of mule deer ahead, 9 in total. One went under the barbed wire fence which was kind of funny to see. A quarter mile later there were three more and this time one jumped the fence. We kept going and didn't pass any people. 

This is an unusual park site in the fact that you have to hike in a mile and a half to get to the visitor center. We arrived at the parking area which thankfully had a bathroom and then we loaded up with water and umbrellas and hiked out to the visitor center. There are a lot of ants in Arizona. I believe they are Harvester ants but the sheer number can be unnerving. I don't think there was a single step I took that didn't have an ant under foot. The trail also crossed several washes and I hoped there was no rain because I didn't want to get stuck. We saw lots of plant species and red mites that feed on the dead plants in the area. It was a nice hike. Temperature in the mid 80's and cloudy. We arrived at the Fort Ruins. And they are literally ruins. It's no wonder that they don't pave the road or make it easier to get to because the ruins are not much to see of what was once an impressive Fort. It was last used around 1894 and essentially crumbled with no one there to take care of it. We got our stamps, drank gatorades on the front porch, signed the guest register (one other family had been there today) and then hiked back out to our car because the clouds still looked ominous. Luke and Lorelei heard rustling in the bushes as they walked ahead of Scott and I and looked up to see a deer. We lucked up and never saw rain. We also never saw another human soul in the park. We took the same 8 mile dirt road out and headed toward I-10 West. 

We stopped for dinner near Tucson at a Texas Roadhouse where Lorelei and I ate salads and rolls and the boys enjoyed steaks. We drove another hour to Casa Grande and arrived in our hotel around 8:30 to take showers and go to bed. 

7-16-17

I was up by 6:30, the family followed and we were out the door by 8:00. We stopped for gas and then jumped on I-10 and headed east, then south on I-19. I-19 in Arizona runs from Tucson to Nogales and was finished in the 1970's. At that time there was a push for America to convert to metric units and all of the signs were put up with those units on them. Everything was in Kilometers or meters except for the speed limit. There were plans in the decade between 2000 and 2010 to change all of the signs but cost and complaints from businesses that would have to change their directions put an end to that plan. As far as we know, this is the only interstate in America in metric units. 

We arrived 10 minutes before the opening of Tumacacori National Historic site and watched the numerous ants on the sidewalk. This site marks the highlights the Jesuit and Franciscan missions that spread Christianity across the southwest and was built in the 1750's. Crazy to think that we have something in America so much older than our Revolutionary sites.  Father Kino was the missionary that was here and is still revered by people of both native and Spanish heritage in the US and Mexico today. The grounds were lovely and we walked around visiting every wayside because the weather was actually nice. A breezy and cool 81 degrees. 

Afterward, we drove to Tombstone. While the town and buildings are historic, it has also taken on a tourist trap kind of feel so I have mixed feelings about our visit. The acting in the reenactment was AWFUL. That mixed with the fruity drink that was spilt on my butt by the idiot lady behind me left me feeling disappointed in Tombstone. However, balancing the great lunch we had at Big Nose Kate's Saloon and the live music made it an overall good experience. While we were eating lunch it poured rain and left the streets running like rivers so it was nice to be dry and still get the rain. It was the first time Lorelei and I have seen rain in nearly two months. Apparently it is monsoon season in Arizona and rain here is an interesting experience. You have to watch where you are, especially near washes and in Canyons as evidenced by the terrible tragedy of 9 people dying at a swimming spot north of where we are. It's not something we are used to having to pay attention to. 

Since we were early to finish at Tombstone, we drove down to Coronado National Memorial. We planned to go on Monday morning but we got there with time to finish a junior ranger, have a very informative conversation with the park ranger and we got to survey the border with Mexico from the park. It was weird to see a wall - it's a really tall fence with some kind of cloth covering over the top few feet. We then headed to the hotel to relax and hang out. 

7-15-17

8 hours of sleep appears to be what my body needs because at 6:00 I was awake.  The rest of the family was up by 7:30 and we were on the road around 8:30. A two hour drive put us in Organ Pipe Cactus. We explored the museum and watched the film but this is really a wilderness park on the border of Mexico. We overheard a law enforcement ranger talking with the park ranger about a border issue that happened the night before. We also saw a sign that addressed the importance of safety in the park and not to hike at night. I guess that's because you could be mistaken for someone crossing illegally. I was also struck by the sheer number of border patrol agents between the park and Tucson.  We must have passed 15-20 trucks, some with four wheelers or dirt bikes in the back to chase people down I assume. We passed one border crossing checkpoint about 50 miles from the park on the way in, checking cars that had come from the direction of Mexico and we passed another about 30 miles from the interstate on the east side of the Tohono O'odham Nation lands. Since we are using real maps, I found it very interesting to look at the border. Unless there is a major city at the border, it is generally owned by government entities (air combat fields, national parks, national recreation areas, etc) but I wondered how could our government patrol in Indian lands, and if we already own so much land and patrol so much of it, why do we need a wall? But I'll leave the politics alone for now. 

After driving across the desert, we arrived at the western part of Saguaro National Park. We spent about 3 hours exploring the exhibits, watching the park film, listening to a ranger talk on the giant cacti and hiking a short trail to see Hohokam petroglyphs on the rocks. It was only about 108 degrees today and we are in an area that receives more rain. Thunderstorms were building all around us as we hiked but they seem to move slowly here and more than an hour later we were in Tucson eating dinner and the rain had still not come. 

We checked in to our hotel and did a load of laundry while finishing the Twilight series of movies. About 9:00 we could hear thunder and see lightning and hear the rain but Lorelei and I said we weren't counting it as a real rain because we were not out in it. She and I haven't had a real rain storm since before June 10th. She misses it but even though I love water, I don't.

7-14-17

Since we stayed up so late last night we slept in until almost 7:30 this morning. When I say we, I of course mean everyone but me because my eyes popped open at 6:30 and there was no going back to sleep. 

We stopped to grab a quick breakfast and then headed west. Our original plan was to hit Lake Mead Recreation area first and then do the Hoover dam but we decided to reverse that because of crowds and heat. We enjoyed the power plant tour. It was really ingenious to build flood and river control and use the power generation to finance it all. We couldn't take the dam tour and lots of dam jokes were made but it was all in good fun. 

Scott and I have hiked the rail road trail and done a boat tour of Lake Mead and the kids had zero interest in going in the lake or even spending time outside in the 111 degree heat so we decided to go ahead and get our drive in towards Phoenix, AZ. 

We stopped in Kingman to eat at a Cracker Barrel - ah, good sweet tea!!  Then we hit the grocery store to replace our lunch food. We drove through the desert and watched as we went from scrubby bushes to Joshua Trees and Saguaro Cacti. There was a storm off in the distance and we could see lightening and even tell that it had just missed us because the streets were wet and the temps were cooler. But no rain is still to be found. Lorelei and I haven't had anything other than two sprinkles in 5 weeks. She misses it but I love the sunshine and could adjust to the dry heat of the west. 

We hit 10,000 road miles since leaving Kannapolis 5 weeks ago. I love having the boys with us but I miss waking to the sounds of birds and going to bed when it gets dark. It's lovely to have the air conditioning but I enjoyed the more natural rhythm of the sun and stars. Of course if I was sleeping outside when it's 95 degrees I'm sure I would be wishing for a hotel room. We arrived in our room right around 7:00 so Luke could do homework and Scott and I could answer emails before bed. 

7-13-17

Luke went to bed feeling ill and woke up with a small temperature this morning so I made the decision for him not to run. We are headed into Mojave and Death Valley today and I did not want him getting close to dehydration and making whatever little cold he has worse. We ate breakfast and showered and left the hotel by 8:00. 

Our drive to Mojave on I-40 paralleled Route 66, sometimes within about 20 feet. We also got to see the start of I-40 and the 2554 miles to Wilmington, NC sign which was another indicator that we are heading towards home, albeit slowly. For 30 miles we didn't pass a soul on 66.  We turned north after 78 miles and headed into Mojave Preserve. We stopped in to the Kelso visitor center but decided to save all of our outdoor activities for Death Valley. Another 35 miles and we were in Baker, CA. This is the home of the 'Worlds tallest thermometer'. This was not nearly as cool as the ball of twine. We were expecting a giant thermometer with the red stuff that raises up to the temperature. Instead we got a digital scale. Disappointing. We grabbed some extra water and then continued north to Death Valley. 

It was a pretty drive if you can call the scrubby brush and lava covered mountains that. We stopped once to take a few pictures of the road in the middle of nowhere and make sandwiches to eat as we drove. Scott held the umbrella over me as I made sandwiches from the trunk because it was already a scorching 108 degrees according to our car. We entered the park and stopped at Zabriskie Point to catch the view. The walk up the hill was so hot and dry. When I stopped, I could feel the black rubber on my croc flip flops softening. We took some pictures then went back down to the car. I harped on everyone to drink lots of water today, so much that we've all been visiting the bathroom every time we stopped. 

We drove another few miles to the visitor center and ogled at the thermometer that said 121-123 degrees.  Our car had only gotten up to 115. After junior rangering, watching the park film and enjoying the AC, we headed south on the park road to see the Devils golf course and the Badwater Basin. This is the lowest point in North America,282 feet below sea level, there's actually a sign on the mountain next to it that marks sea level. This is also the hottest spot in Death Valley. It's a salt flat and I would have said it was around 130 based on our car temp of 122 degrees. We took pictures, walked out on to the flats (I tasted the salt) and then got back in the car. It was hot. You could feel your skin burning from the sun and heat. My phone overheated and went into emergency mode. Back in the car we drove through the Artists Palette loop and took a few more pictures before heading out. I would love to come back in the winter to explore when it is only 88 degrees in the flats. 

We stopped in the town of Pahrump for dinner then headed in to Las Vegas. We of course stopped at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign for pictures then checked in to our hotel. We walked the strip, exploring the casinos and hotels, watching the shows from the volcano at Treasure Island and the fountains at the Bellagio.  We walked about 2.5 miles and it was still around 95 -100 degrees outside. We went back to our hotel and we were all in bed around midnight. 

7-12-17

Luke and I got up at 6:30 so that he could keep up with his running for cross country after a few days off. Summer vacations are getting tougher because the kids have commitments all summer for school. Luckily we were at the beach and there was a running path right along the shore. I walked while he ran and it was a nice trip out to the point past feral cats hidden in the rocks. 

After running we woke Scott and Lorelei and everyone went down to breakfast. We then drove north to the Channel Islands visitor center near In Ventura. We decided not to go out to the actual islands but after watching the park film I want to come back and island hop because it is such a remote place. This was the last most western spot of the trip and we headed east to Barstow, CA. 

We jumped on Route 66 in Victorville and took it all the way to our hotel. They don't have signs along the road (I'm guessing because people steal them) but it was newly paved, thanks Lightning McQueen, and the actual Route 66 symbol is painted on the road. We stopped to take a picture and I actually stood in the middle of the road which should tell you about the traffic. Honestly it wasn't much different than a lot of the roads Lorelei and I took to get to Washington. 

We arrived at the hotel around 3:00. Too late to head on to Mojave and too early to eat dinner. So we played in the pool, did a load of laundry and Luke did his homework for the online French class he has been taking this summer. Around 6:30, we went to the Black Bear Diner.  It's a chain that Lorelei and I found in Oregon. Scott likened it to the Cracker Barrel of the west and that is pretty accurate. After dinner we went back to the hotel and watched a movie before going to bed. 

7-11-17

We left Disney behind about 8:40 and drove to CalTech in Pasadena. Lorelei has expressed interest in astrophysics as a major and so we setup a college tour. We got to see the houses(they don't use the term dorms), some classrooms and gear a student talk about the school. Then the admissions guy gave his presentation. Of course, Lorelei loved the school. 

Afterwards, we stopped for lunch and the drive through Burbank to replace some food items at the grocery store. 

We stopped in to the visitor center for Santa Monica National Recreation Area to complete a junior ranger badge and get some advice on things to do that did not involve walking for miles on the hot sun and the ranger recommended a beach north of Malibu. Malibu is actually part of the NRA and the entire park is another great collaboration between NPS, state parks and the cities in the area. California has the collaboration thing down as far as recreation areas go. We stopped at The beach and spent about three hours climbing the rocks, tide pooling and watching the surfers. We spent the night in Port Hueneme (pronounced we-nee-me) with pizza and a movie for dinner. 

7-10-17

Today was a Disney day. We had breakfast at the Plaza Inn (similar to Crystal Palace for the Disneyworld people). Then we hit Disneyland and stayed there until about 2:00. This nice thing about Disneyland is you walk out of one park, cross the street and your in The next one. We stayed in California Adventure until about 6:00. The heat and the 6 miles of walking got the better of us and we were happy to relax in the AC of our hotel room and watch a movie. 

7-9-17

We got up early and headed south to Manzanar historic site. The air war very thick and smoggy. The result of wildfires in Sequoia National Forest. Manzanar was so remote and really inhospitable. At 9:00 AM it was already 80 degrees. It seems so beautiful with the mountains in the background but I can imagine having been interned here because of the fear that people had after Pearl Harbor. It had some really great exhibits and the fact that some of the buildings remain gives you a sense of how people lived. We took the auto tour and you get a real sense of the size of this 10,000 person encampment. 

Next we headed south and west to the home of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers organization. It's nice to see that we are preserving more recent history as well. We ate a picnic lunch in the shade before touring the home which had a great pictorial exhibit showing the movement for farm workers rights. 

On to Anaheim where we faced the LA area traffic to make it to our hotel 2 blocks from Disneyland. This was our third time at the parks and we had a good sense of where to go. We headed in to downtown Disney to check out the shops and people watch. We headed back to the hotel so we could rest up for a day in the parks on Monday. 

7-8-17

I woke up just around 6:00 and we were all up by 7:00 for breakfast.  We drove south to the east side of Pinnacles National Park and by 9:30 it was already in the 90's. We took a short hike of about 2 miles because of the heat and then returned to the visitor center for junior ranger and to make an early lunch. 

We then headed east towards Yosemite. It was over 100 degrees in the valleys between the coastal mountains and the Sierras. It was a long drive but nice to see some of the same terrain we covered in 2008 without the snow we had back then. Unfortunately for the rest of the family, I didn't get to show them the Mariposa Grove which is closed for restoration. I saw it last time I was in California and I know we will return eventually and they will get to be awed by the trees like I was. We drove towards the valley stopping at the iconic overlook of half dome and El Capitan but took the Tioga Road across the park. In 2008, this road was closed for the winter so we were really awed and amazed to see the sites. Our original plan had been to take this road through to go to Devils Postpile on the other side but due to the heavy snow and some washouts on the road, that park is closed until they figure out how to make the road safe. So we took our time going across, stopping to marvel at the smooth tops of the mountains, the flooded creeks, the fields of boulders, the deer munching in the meadows and to play in the snow. 

Out of the park, we headed south to Bishop for a burger at a local brewery and relaxing in the hotel. 

7-7-17

We had an appointment at 7:45 to have my 20k mile service done on the Camry. The appointment didn't keep us from sitting in the waiting room until about 10:00 but the maintenance had to be done. 

Afterwards, we headed over to the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Homefront museum. This is located across the bay in Richmond and it was really cool to visit a place honoring the women who went to work for WWII. They had two Rosie's, women who worked there during the war, as speakers and I enjoyed hearing them talk about their experience. I hope when I'm 90+ I have their zeal. It was quite emotional for me as the first phase of our trip was ending. I have loved having Lorelei as a travel partner and I will miss it being the two of us and the little bubble we have created. 

We spent a couple hours there and then headed backwards inland to the Eugene ONeill house in Danville. I don't ever remember hearing of him but learned that he was essentially the modern day Shakespeare of America. He was an interesting man and now I have new things to read. The other people on the 2:00 tour bailed so we had the ranger all to ourselves and he mostly let us ask questions. Because it was just the three of us, we were done by 3:00 and heading towards Marin County and Muir Woods. 

This was my third time being in Muir Woods and I can't really say what happens to me in those woods. My emotions became raw and I felt incredibly grateful to be among those giants. I have that same reaction every time I walk there and I know it's not true but I hear the trees speaking and my heart is lightened. We walked to the end and then took the higher trail back to the visitor center, stopping as it pleased us for Lorelei to identify trees and me to marvel at them. 

We left Muir about 7:30 and headed across the Golden Gate Bridge to pick up Scott and Luke at the airport. Luke and Lorelei were really happy to see each other. An hours drive from the airport and we stopped for the night in Morgan Hill. Its quite an adjustment to be back with the four of us but we are having good laughs. 

7-6-17

It was a real struggle to get up but we dressed quickly and since our hotel didn't have free breakfast we ate from the stash in the car on the hour long drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park. 

We arrived just in time for the visitor center to open on the northwest side of the park. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't complete the drive through the park because like Crater Lake, the snow had the road open only 9 miles in to the park. We attended a junior ranger program and walked the short trail at the devastated area. This volcano erupted in 1916 and a guy actually caught it on film. It was really interesting to see before and after pictures and to see how the places look 100 years later. It was also interesting to be able to piece together all of the different volcanic sites we have seen and see how they really are in a ring or chain. Lassen is closely monitored and they do expect it to erupt again, they just don't know when. 

We are finding that since hitting California, we have been unable to stay on the schedule we set and today was no exception. We arrived to John Muir's home later than expected and hope to drop back in tomorrow if we can. We also passed an 80 acre wildfire on the way there and expect to see more as we make our way through California. I have been to John Muir before so Lorelei and I now have the same number of parks. I'm roughly estimating we are around 250 parks. I need to look at the list to get a good count. 

We headed to the hotel for an early arrival at 5:30 and after dropping our stuff in the room and using the ice machine to refill our cooler, we walked next door to Chick Fil A for dinner. We relaxed with a movie and catching up on emails. The boys come tomorrow night and then the second half of the trip begins. 

7-5-17

We woke to an alarm but took our time getting motivated. We arrived at the Redwoods Visitor center a little after 9:00. We watched the park movie, and then went on a walk in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove. We felt oddly under dressed because it was about 55 degrees and we had on shorts and sweatshirts and everyone else was wearing long pants, shirts and rain jackets. Our hands were cool but I found the temp and the moist air refreshing. We were early enough to the grove that no human sounds were happening and you could hear the moisture from the ever present fog dripping off the leaves and needles of the trees onto the ferns and other plants on the forest floor. The sound of our feet on the earth and the quiet was so peaceful and we left there feeling happy and positive. Back in the visitor center to complete another junior ranger badge and then we were on our way. 

We are still using paper maps but every once in a while, we check maps on the phone to see if the route we have chosen is the quickest or if a road is closed. Maps indicated our drive to Whiskeytown National Recreation Area was going to be 4 hours but it also has us going through dirt forest service roads to avoid three one lane road delays on Hwy 299 where they were making repairs from landslides. I stuck with the road and the drive was beautiful. Curvy roads along three different rivers that all eventually fed into Whiskeytown. It took us over the coastal mountain range of California back into the valley before the Cascade range. I would definitely recommend this route as a fun drive. 

We pulled in to the visitor center at 3:30 and they were scheduled to close 4:00. We got our information and a junior ranger badge and then headed in to Redding. I already need another oil change and service but the dealership here could not fit us in. We bought groceries and sent home a package of sleeping bags, pillows, blankets and cold weather clothes. The temperature was 100 degrees in Redding and we had already changed our last camping reservation to a hotel. Despite the cold sleeping we have experienced, we both will miss the cooler temperatures of the elevations of the Pacific Northwest. We ate dinner and then went back up to the lake to explore the area including the dam and head over to the marina for a moonlight kayak tour. The water was nice and we had a good time exploring the coves. As we were walking from the lake shore to our car after stowing our kayak, Lorelei noticed a deer munching the grass in the parking lot about 10 feet from us. I never would have seen him as he was in total darkness and shadow.  He walked towards the lake and we quickly deck changed in to dry clothes to go to the hotel. We arrived about 10:30 and I stayed up until 12:15 doing laundry and other things. 

7-4-17

Once again, I was up before my 6:00 alarm. It was so nice to sleep in a real bed and have a warm shower 5 feet from the bed. We dressed and ate breakfast and got on the road towards Oregon Caves.  It was a nice drive through national forests and we arrived about 10:00. 

We managed to get 11:00 cave tour tickets and Lorelei finished her junior ranger by 10:30. We had a great chat with a ranger who is helping out for the summer but regularly in DC. We compared Parks, our 240+ to his 178 and had a really lovely conversation all the way up until time for our tour. Another ranger gave the tour and he was from the Ozarks which was the first cave tour we did on the trip. He was really great. I cannot say enough for most of the people who work for the parks service, 99% top notch people. 

Our cave tour ended and we were right on schedule for leaving at 1:00. We made sandwiches and ate those on the drive to Redwoods National Park. Unfortunately, about 3 miles from the visitor center we came to a complete stop. I didn't walk all the way to the wreck but I heard it was an RV and several cars or a semi. This was the only two lane road through the national forest so all we could do was wait. If I had known we were so close, I would have had Lorelei walk and just picked her up when I finally got through. We sat there for just shy of 3 hours while they cleared the wreckage and after about the first hour we got out my computer and watched a movie. 

Once we were through, the visitor center was closed so we grabbed a park map from the kiosk and went exploring along the state and national parks. We had a hotel room in Eureka so we drove there and we will back track about an hour tomorrow morning to get our stamps and junior ranger. We did manage to find movie entertainment on tv and I was able to get caught up in some work while people lit off fireworks nearby. Hoping for no traffic issues tomorrow. 

7-3-17

The sun was up long before my 6:30 alarm. We were cozy warm in our sleeping bags and the temperature was around 44 degrees. The showers were supposed to open at 7 so we took our time getting up and gathering our clothes for the day. We drove up to the campground entrance to find that because of a water shortage, there were no showers available. I was a little disappointed but we must adjust so we dressed and walked over to the restaurant for a breakfast of pancakes and eggs. We learned at breakfast that because of the hard winter and the snow Crater Lake has had, the boats on the lake were not scheduled to open until 7-7 which means we are too early. 1/3 of the rim drive isn't open and most of the trails are still snowed over. We had to readjust our plans for the day. 

After breakfast we drove up to the Steel Visitor center. We arrived at 8:10 and it didn't open until 9:00 so we killed time by taking the Lady in the Woods Trail. This is a short Trail highlighting the building and how they integrate into the park as well as to a rock that a guy carved into a lady relaxing. We took a picture and then went back to the car to grab our extra jackets because it was still cold. 

Finally in the visitor center we watched the park film, Lorelei finished her junior ranger and we got some advice on things to do. We haven't had a day in the last 25 where we didn't have a jam packed schedule so the idea of just sitting around and relaxing while appealing is very foreign. We finished up there and drove up to the Rim visitor center so Lorelei could attend a ranger program and we could see the views. 

We walked along the Lake and then sat on the wall overlooking it waiting on a special ranger program about how the volcano became a crater. Then we drove the rim and hiked a little on the trails that were available. Due to the heavy snow this year almost nothing was clear if snow. We ate lunch at an overlook about 1:00 and decided we didn't want to kill the rest of the day waiting around with nothing to do so we went back to our tent and packed up. When we took our tent down we found that the tent pole I mended with duct tape the night before was snapped in two. We headed towards Lava Beds National Monument and when we got cell service we booked a room for the next three nights. We are done tent camping. We did it for 23 days, putting it up and taking it down at least 21 times. It has two patches, two broken poles and we are heading into the heat of California. 

We got to Lava Beds with 45 minutes for Lorelei to do her junior ranger before they closed. We just squeaked it in and then went on two short Lava cave hikes afterward. We pulled in to the Big Bear Diner for a nice dinner and then laundry and a little bit of route adjusting for the next few days before going to bed around midnight. 

7-2-17

We slept in this morning if you count 7:30 as sleeping in. Of course sleeping in made us feel lazy and we took too long getting out of the campground. We hit the Lewis & Clark visitor center a 9:30, checked out the exhibits, walked out to the fort and watched a musket demonstration. We had clouds the night before but the sky was clearing and temps in the mid 50's felt good. 

We left there around 11:00 which was right on time for our busy schedule. We drove down to Vancouver to finish our last Washington park at Fort Vancouver. However we had a planning fail and the park wasn't open on Sundays. We made lunch and hit up Walmart for a few items so theoretically we were ahead of schedule. An hour drive to Salem, Oregon had us at our 42nd state Capitol. We finished up and were on the road by 4:00. 

Our next park was Crater Lake but this was a four hour drive. We stopped for dinner at KFC and then made the long trek through US Forest Service lands up to the park. We drove along part of the rim stopping to marvel at the beautiful lake but also worried about setting up our tent while daylight still persisted. So we drove to the campground and setup. You would not think that mosquitos could exist in a place where 3 feet of snow is in patches every where but they do. Thankful for deet. Our tent setup and a plan for the day in the park had us in bed by 10:30. Looking forward to exploring tomorrow. 

7-1-17

This morning we woke to foggy skies. We packed quickly because we had a full day ahead of us. We were on the road by about 7:15 heading towards Mt Ranier. We had a clear view of it yesterday but I was not hopeful for the day based on our morning drive. Around every turn we wondered where the mountain was. We arrived at the park gate a few minutes after 9:00 and stopped at the Longmire visitor center to get our stamp and pick up a junior ranger book. Then we headed for Paradise because the warming signs all said the parking lot could get really full. A beautiful drive in started when all of a sudden the sky opened and we had great views of the mountain, sometimes with a little cloud, sometimes without. We stopped a Narada Falls and took the short trek down to the water fall. Back in the car we stopped at nearly every overlook.  Finally we arrived at Paradise, found a place to park in the nearly full lot and headed in to the visitor center. The snow was still thick on all of the trails around Paradise. We walked a little ways up one but were not prepared with good shoes and hiking sticks. Neither of us slipped but I wasn't going to try the higher and deeper snow. I heard a ranger say that just last week there was snow still piled in the parking lot. Today was the 100th anniversary of the Paradise Inn and the park superintendent gave a speech and they had cake so we partook. All told we spent about 2 hours in Paradise. Like the rest of Washington, I could have used more time but back down the mountain we went. We were so lucky to get a beautiful clear day in the mid 50's. 

We had about a 2 hour drive to Olympia to visit the state Capitol. I haven't done much interstate driving, we've mostly been on two lane highways so it was nice to fly on the interstate a little. The senate and house chambers of the Capitol were closed which was a disappointment. The building itself was not much after the great impressions we had in Kansas and Utah. We didn't stay long but nice to get our 41st state out of the way. 

On the road south and east again heading towards Mt St Helen's. This has been declared a National Volcano Monument but is operated by the Forest Service instead of the park. We could see the mountain from the highway and were excited to get close. We stopped to see Bigfoot and an A frame house still filled with mud from the 1980 eruption then took the winding 504 up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. And guess what, a park stamp and a junior ranger badge program awaited us as we spent the last hour they were open exploring the movie, listening to a ranger and checking out the exhibits. 

They closed at 6:00 which meant we were driving until 9:00 to get to our campground in Astoria, OR. I'm writing this from the laundry room. Luckily we get to sleep in a little tomorrow before rolling towards Crater Lake for two nights. 

6-30-17

If you are reading this you are probably tired of reading about how we slept but last night we slept great. I forgot to set an alarm but I was awake by 6:15. We had a slow start to get moving but we're leaving the campground shortly before 8:00.  We were fogged/clouded in at the campground and most of the way to the Bainbridge Ferry to Seattle. Even the sound was foggy as we approached the city around 10:00 AM. But the closer we got the clearer it got and we had a great view of the city on the ferry. 

We drove to Klondike Gold Rush and found a parking lot that was charging $10 an hour. We explored the visitor center and Lorelei did her junior ranger and then we moved to the parking deck under Pacific Place for the rest of the day. 

We walked to Pike Place market and got both sweet and savory pastries at Piroshky Piroshky for lunch. Then stood in line at the original Starbucks for a hot chocolate (neither of us drinks coffee).  We walked among the vendors at the market and Lorelei got ice cream to go along with the hot chocolate. We then walked to the Olympic Sculpture Park and up to the space needle. I was surprised to find Seattle so hilly and we had a really warm day in the low 80's. It was sunny and clear. 

We bought passes to do everything near the Space Needle. Our passes let us in right away and we felt like VIP passing the long line. We went to the top and had a good view of Mt Ranier. We took pictures and signed the digital visitor log to be one of the 60 million visitors. Then we headed down and on to the Chihuly Garden and Glass. This was awesome and the glassworks remind me if the flowered ceiling in the Bellagio in Vegas. I would swear it was the same. We enjoyed the sculptures but were in need of something to drink. Luckily there was a McDonalds nearby and we loved having sweet tea. Next came the Pacific Science Center. This was Lorelei's favorite and I'm pretty sure she visited every exhibit. We then headed over to MoPOP which is the museum of popular culture. There was a great Jim Henson exhibit. And we enjoyed the Star Trek, sci-fi, fantasy and horror film exhibits. This was my favorite. By this time, it was after 6:00 and our feet hurt from the 5 miles we put in so we rode the monorail back to our parking area and headed out if Seattle. We loved our visit and I would like to spend more time in another occasion. 

We ate dinner out, quickly setup our tent to keep away from the mosquitos and then lay on our cots to rest our weary feet and watch a movie. Another super fine day.