Car Notes

A fun video we made while in the car.

And how the kids looked the next morning after sleeping all night while Steve and I drove!

Day #16 – The Last Hurrah

Even though we ended yesterday late, as I have noted before, teenagers will move if food is involved. I told everyone they had to be downstairs by 9 in order to get the buffet breakfast…and we were! Peter had his bath (getting him up is never a problem) and the two older kids, while sleepy, did make it in time.

After breakfast, we headed outside to see what our “adventure package” that came with the hotel room was all about. This resort is predominately a ski lodge. But in the summer they use their ski lifts to get people up in order to ride zip lines and alpine slides back down the mountain. What fun!

We turned in our passes, and got wrist bands attached for the day. We could then use any of the facilities they offered. The first thing we did (because it was right there) was the bungee trampoline. Steve passed, and, since there were four trampolines, Andy, Emily, Peter and I all got to go at the same time. I was able to flip pretty easily, both backwards (the easier way) and forwards. Andy’s flips were not pretty, and Emily just couldn’t make it around. Peter was so little that he pretty much just floated when he bounced! You can check out the video at the end of this post for actual footage of our attempts!

After the trampolines, we rode the lift chair to the alpine slide. Peter went with me, and Steve, Andy and Emily all had their own carts. It’s a pretty fun ride down, and you can control how fast you go with a brake at the front. Steve and Peter went a second time, and he let Peter control it. Pete did a good job!

Meanwhile, Andy, Emily and I got into a very long line for the zip line. I think we waited more than an hour. The zip line was fun, and I’m glad we did it, but I’m not sure it was worth that wait.

While Pete and Steve waited for us, Peter tried out the other things for little kids. There were inflatable bouncing things, and a rock climbing wall. Pete had a blast. After a quick snack at the main Snowbird center we were off ready to try the next thing.

We decided to take the Peruvian chair lift up the side of the mountain. The views were breathtaking. There is a tunnel at the “almost top” to get you around to the other side of the mountain. There you can take a chair lift down into the other valley to horseback ride. We didn’t do that, but it would be fun to come back and do sometime! We hiked around a bit, and we were so high up (almost 11,000 feet) that there was still snow.(which the kids definitely enjoyed).

There was a 50K run going on that day (the Speedgoat, they called it), so there were marathoners everywhere on the side of the mountain running up and down. Good for them! I haven’t exercised in two weeks. Perhaps some of their efforts will rub off on me.

We took the Peruvian Chair back down which was even worse for Steve as he is not a fan of heights. I’m afraid I had a bit of a laugh at his expense. What a bad wife I am! Peter kept moving around in the chair and I thought Steve was going to explode. I believe the white knuckles on the handrail gave him away. Poor guy. The views were wonderful, though.

Once back safely on land, we headed over to the obstacle course. You are harnessed in, so if you fall, you don’t really fall. But still, it is nervewracking to go across ropes and rope bridges with nothing to hold onto (except the rope attached to your harness). I really don’t have photos as we were all up there at the same time and no one thought to take a photo…we were trying to stay alive!

Once off, I was starting to feel a bit sore, mostly from flipping on the trampoline, I think. Peter really wanted to do the Alpine Slide one more time, as did Emily and Steve, but the line had become really long (over an hour) and the pool was looking pretty nice.

So, we ditched the activities and headed back to the lodge to swim. The pool was warm, and the hot tub was even warmer! We had a nice afternoon swim, and Steve even splurged on some nachos for all of us.

We were dressed and ready for dinner by 6. We had chosen to go to the Steak Pit up in Snowbird, which was voted the best Steak House in Utah. It was good, but it really wasn’t that fabulous. I’m thinking Utah has room for improvement when it comes to steak (and they are so close to Wyoming…there should be better!) After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and played some cards in our huge room and prepared to head back home tomorrow.

I can’t believe the vacation is over. What a fun trip it’s been (actually three vacations in one, Steve says). Tomorrow will just be in the car, so I probably won’t post anything, unless it’s notable. Otherwise, thanks for staying with us. It’s been a blast, as usual!

Day #15 – Just Drive, She Said

Today we awoke, again, bright and early with the sun. It was a nice morning, and everyone was quick to get going as we were all feeling very dirty. Pete, to top off the dirty feeling, ran down the dirt hill near our campsite one too many times (after mom told him over and over for two days to stop doing that) and wiped out. He was covered from head to toe in dirt, and even had it in his mouth! Showers truly can’t come fast enough.

Our drive back across Tioga Road was just as pretty as yesterday. Once past the Sierras, we headed into Nevada. We really wanted to go to In N Out Burger one more time, so we took a 20 minute diversion towards Reno. Timing was good, and we ended up having lunch there around 1.

After that, it was pretty much movies and video games in the car, while mom and dad took turns driving. Nevada is WIDE on the north end of the state! We did pass a few thunderstorms (got some cool lightening on video - see below). Dinner was at an Arby’s in Cheyenne, WY. I had hoped we would have something a bit more exotic, but what can you do when you’re in a hurry?

I had really hoped to see the salt flats of northwestern Utah, but by the time we got there the sun was setting, and I only really got a glimpse of them. There were no rest stops and no gas for almost 100 miles! I was so glad we had gotten gas in Cheyenne. We missed seeing the Great Salt Lake because it was dark, and we didn’t get to Snowbird until 11pm Utah time. Peter had passed out, and we had to carry him to our room.

Speaking of our room, OH WOW! Talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous!! I really outdid myself on this place, but I knew we were going to want something nice after a few days in the woods. My photos don’t do the room(s) justice, but I did take plenty. The kids had their own add on room, and so everyone got a bed! (well, Pete got the couch, but he didn’t care).

Steve and I felt like we were in a palace. And what’s the first thing we did, even though it was closing in on midnight? SHOWERED! Wahoo! Everyone bathed except Pete who was passed out (and the dirtiest). He would have a bath in the morning. We all went to bed pretty late, but we were comfy and CLEAN!

Day #14 – Yosemite Low and High

As with any camping experience, you tend to awake with the sun. While most of us (except the boys) awoke at some point in the night to the sounds of the wilderness around us (and a crying baby – ugh), we all were pretty much awake and ready to go by 8am. Not the crack of dawn, but still pretty early given the pace of our vacation earlier.

I made sandwiches for lunch, and put snacks together for our day and fed the kids organic pop tarts (not quite the same, but when you’re hungry, you’ll eat anything!) We changed clothes, added mounds of deodorant (since there was no shower in our near future) and headed into Yosemite Valley. Our first stop was Bridalveil Falls. It was beautiful, and very easy to access. Pete was already beginning to protest hiking (uh oh) and I began to think that perhaps he did not get as good a night’s sleep as I had thought. We took a few photos, and then headed on into the heart of the valley.

They had a place where they wanted people to park and take the shuttle, so we found a spot, missed the shuttle and decided to just walk the 10 minutes to the visitor’s center. We discussed hikes with a ranger (a close quick loop to see Yosemite Falls, and then a longer hike to see other falls across the valley were suggested), and then decided to see the 15 minute movie they offer “Spirit of Yosemite.”

After the movie, we had our sandwiches and took the hike to Yosemite Falls. It was a very easy hike, all on paved trails, and was very crowded with hikers and bikers alike. These falls are the tallest in North America, and, I think, the most crowded. When we reached the falls, there were people EVERYWHERE. They were like ants! They were crawling over the rocks and wading in the river. So, what did we do? Andy climbed on the rocks, and Em, Pete and I waded in the river! When in Rome…

After a few more photos, we started the hike back and that is when the realization hit me. It’s HOT and way too crowded. At one point, Peter just stopped in his tracks and refused to walk any more. Bumbas don’t do hot very well. I looked at Steve and said “We’re going up into the mountains to finish this day!” We were able to make it back to our car where the thermometer read 93 degrees. Steve and Emily walked over to the camp store to get ice, and I wished I had stopped in there with them, but we had become so focused on getting out of the heat, that it was a quick stop (and nowhere to park at the store anyway).

Really, we couldn’t leave the valley fast enough. I took a few photos (the ones that everyone takes), but other than that, we were GONE and headed up to Tuolumne Meadows. The ride on Tioga Road (which is closed in winter) across the Sierra’s was wonderful. We stopped along the way and got a backside view of Half Dome (one of the more popular and photographed mountains in the valley), as well as lovely views of the high sierra meadows and mountains.

My first concern once we got to Tuolumne Meadows was food, since I knew we would need to have a dinner plan (Steve and I had decided early on that we weren’t going to cook at the campsite on this trip, which was a good thing as I never made it to the camp store!). Tuolumne Meadows has a “Lodge” which is really a tent village with a main tent center. It reminded me of the TV Show MASH. Everything was wood framing with canvas over it. Steve stepped into the Lodge, where a sign said “Dinner Reservations are Required” and promptly got our name in for 6:15. It was 3:30, so we decided to keep the car parked at the Lodge and find a trail to hike nearby.

We didn’t have to go far! The John Muir Trail was right behind the lodge. We took that trail which crossed two forks of the Tuolumne River, and after awhile, we had no one nearby. We put our feet in the river, photographed flowers and dragonflies, and had an absolutely WONDERFUL time! Oh, and did I say that the temperature was 72 degrees? What a difference a mountain makes!

It was truly a wonderful afternoon. We headed back to the lodge, where we still had time before dinner, so we sat outside and played cards. It turns out that the tables for dinner in the lodge seat 10, so at dinnertime we were seated with two couples from the San Francisco area. They were wonderful to visit with (they said Yosemite is their playground and the come often – lucky!), and the food up there was really great. Steve had Salmon, Emily had a greek linguini dish and Andy and I had the steak. The atmosphere was wonderful as well, We were right alongside the creek we had crossed earlier, and part of the flap of the “lodge” was pulled back and you could see and hear the creek right there!

A ranger stopped by and asked if anyone was interested in a guided hike tomorrow, and the pained look on my face was obvious. We were leaving tomorrow! The ranger also said that the only reason we were able to be enjoying dinner up there was because the Lodge was established well before 1919 when the US Government put a ban on such things in the High Sierras. Tuolumne Meadows Lodge was grandfathered in as it had already been there for quite some time. So eating in the High Sierras was even more of a treat than I’d realized!

The couples we sat with touted us on coming back sometime and hiking from camp to camp in the high sierras. The camp at this lodge was one of the stops. There are eight miles between camps, and they say it is a wonderful experience. I’m putting it on my ‘to do’ list for the future!

After dinner, we said goodbye to our dinner companions and stepped outside where a fire had been built, and people were sitting around singing campfire songs. While we would have loved to stay, we knew it was another hour back along the Tioga Road to our campsite, and it was already 8pm! So we said goodbye to the best part of our day and headed back to camp. Sadly, I had to break the news to Pete that it was getting too late for another campfire, and that we’d just be going to bed when we got there. After a bit of protest, he relented, and was soon fast asleep in his sleeping bag.

Meanwhile, I’m just counting down the days until I get to a shower…

Day #13 - We’re off to see Yosemite!

Well, we could put it off no longer. It was time to leave our wonderful hotel and head off into the wilderness that is camping. The drive was lovely, taking us away from the pacific and through the valley between the coast and the Sierras. We stopped at a reservoir for a potty break, and ended up taking in the spectacular view of the lake. It is the water that mainly feeds San Francisco!

Anyway, once past the valley of amazing fruits and vegetables, we began our ascent towards Yosemite. It was at this time that I looked at the reservations I had made. Now, mind you, I made these in March when they first went on sale. That experience was a nightmare (kind of like trying to get a major rock concert ticket the day of sale) with all campsites selling out within a minute of them going on sale! At the time, I had been able to get a campsite only outside the valley at Hodgkins Meadow, but when I went back and attempted another try at the valley about twenty minutes later, I was able to get a spot on the valley floor. I had assumed someone had removed a campsite from their “cart” and I was able to pick it up! So, we were headed into Yosemite with me figuring I had TWO campsites booked…the one I really wanted, and the backup in Hodgkins Meadow. Well, as I reviewed my papers I realized that I had booked the valley for APRIL 27-29, not JULY 27-29. So, I looked at Steve and said, well, I hope we still have the Hodgkin Meadow campsite, because I just realized we DON’T have the valley one! I am so glad I kept the backup.

We arrived at the campsite around 3:30 and the ranger said that since we didn’t show up last night, he was going to give away our campsite by 4pm that day, so we made it just in time! We got the tent set up quickly and headed back to see the ranger about locations for dinner. Because we weren’t in the valley, we were not going to have easy access to showers, a camp store or restaurants. Ugh. This is roughing it! There was a sign about a night hike at our campground at 7pm, so I had wanted to get back in time for that.

The ranger pointed us in the direction of a resort off property which took about 15 minutes to get to. The food there was very good, and as I looked at the resort, I was wondering why this hadn’t popped up on my radar before! Oh well, it’s a tent, right? It’s good for us. Build’s character!

We ate and got some s’mores ingredients at their little camp store, plus some firewood (they didn’t sell it, but they told us we could pick up whatever we could find on the ground!) and we headed back to camp. It was 6:57…we were going to make it in time for the hike! At the ranger station we asked where the hike was going to begin, and he looked at the sign and said “Oh, that was last night. Did they forget to take that down? You don’t want to do it anyway, the mosquitoes are horrible!”

Great. So, we went back to the campsite, and I grabbed a flashlight and told everyone I was going to go on my own hike. They all got their hiking shoes on and followed me to a beautiful meadow. It really wasn’t far, and the mosquitoes really weren’t that bad. We walked through a bit of the meadow, and with all the signs warning about bears and mountain lions, Steve felt a bit like a sitting duck (we were the only ones in the meadow). So, we headed back to the campsite to start up a fire and cook our marshmallows.

It was a nice evening, and soon we were in the tent ready to sleep. Tomorrow is our big sightseeing day, so we need our rest!

Day #12 - Monterey Bay!

This morning was so much easier than yesterday! We were actually able to sleep in a bit. We got up around 9, got ourselves showered and dressed and made our way to the front desk area where they had a small offering of breakfast. After a bite, we straightened up the room a bit and headed off to Monterey Bay Aquarium. This is one of the nicest aquariums in the United States. It is located in an old Sardine packaging plant on Cannery Row (made famous by the John Steinbeck novel). One side of the building explores the coastal areas, and the other side explores the Outer Bay.

They have a tank in the Coastal side which is three stories tall and holds an amazing array of fish and marine life. There was a hands-on area where Peter got to touch a manta ray, as well as a sea urchin, stiffish and sea cucumber (feels like a giant squishy pillow). We could also look out across the bay and see sea otters swimming in the kelp and watch seals sunning themselves on the rocks.

After a brief lunch, we took a backstage tour of the aquarium. It was fascinating. We got to see the kitchen where they prepare meals (the sea otters eat 25 lbs of fish a day!) and hear about how octopus can be quite troublesome if they don't have the proper edging around their tanks. If they get out, they've been known to get into trouble, like turning on a water valve and flooding the offices of an aquarium elsewhere in California! We were also given some food for the sardines. They had stand at the top of the tank (which is on the roof of the building) and throw the food on the count of 3. Then we ran inside to watch the sardines eat it. It only took them a minute to devour all of it. Amazing!

After our backstage tour, we continued enjoying the aquarium with the masses (and there were a LOT of people there today!) We headed over to the Outer Bay side where we saw their other HUGE tank. This tank had no kelp or rocks. It was just a big empty tank to simulate the big open ocean. This tank was teeming with HUGE fish! There was a tuna swimming around which could easily have fed an entire African nation!

We also saw a special exhibit on seahorses and went to another exhibit where we read about the fish which are in danger of being overfished. Looks like we won't be eating Sushi again for a long time (almost all sushi fish are on the endangered list.)

Once we were finished at the aquarium, we walked back to our car and headed back to the Inn. We got into our suits and walked across to

the beach. It was a chilly day (every day on the coast has been between 58 and 62 degrees!) and so we mostly explored the sea life on the rocks. It was like an extension of the aquarium! We saw a starfish, crabs and sea anemone. Peter really wanted to swim, but the only swimmers I saw were surfers, and they were wearing wetsuits!

We convinced him to come back to the hotel and enjoy the hot tub instead. What a wonderful alternative! After some snacks at the front desk (they were serving lemonade, wine and cheese from 5-7), we had a short dip into the hot tub, and then a quick dress to go to dinner.

Tonight we tried Vito's, a little italian restaurant recommended to us by the front desk lady, and it was as wonderful as Peppers was last night! We all had pasta, which meant we were all stuffed by the end of the evening. He finished the meal by giving us fresh california strawberries. They were amazing! I have to find some tomorrow as we head for Yosemite.

It's been nice to pamper ourselves, but we must forge on now to camp. So, it was one last night of another load of laundry, games by the fireplace, and sleeping in a bed. We've organized our clothes for camping now and are ready to pack the car bright and early. Tomorrow we head into the 90 degree weather and sleeping in a tent. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

Day #11 - Route 1 Up the Coast

It is AMAZING what Pancakes can do! I told the kids that if they wanted amazing Dutch pancakes at Paula's Pancake House, they were going to have to HUSTLE and get up. Andy will pretty much do anything for food, and so that got him up! Actually, it got them ALL up! We were repacked and walking to the restaurant by 8:15. I was so proud of them. Solvang is a quaint Dutch town nestled in the mountainous countryside just north of Santa Barbara. We didn't have any time to shop, which was probably a good thing given what we've spent on this trip so far, but we did have time for their amazing pancakes, fresh squeezed orange juice and dutch sausage. Yumm…

Anyway, we were on the road by 9:15, and headed towards San Simeon to see the Hearst Castle. Because it was yet another cloudy day, when the Pacific Ocean came into view it wasn't the amazing "Oooh Ahhh" moment I had hoped for. Oh well, the coast is still beautiful, even on a cloudy day!

We made a quick pit stop in San Luis Obispo. And because we were making pretty good time, we took a moment to see their beautiful Mission. We walked the grounds and admired the sanctuary. It was built in 1772, and it is still beautiful. After our brief tour, we got back in the car and headed north again. We passed the beautiful coastal town of Morro Bay and then, shortly after, we hit San Simeon. It was perfect timing and we had an extra 15 minutes to spare! We checked in and waited for our bus to take us up to the "castle."

It is a 10 minute bus ride up to the castle, and then the tour of the grounds and the house was an hour and a half. The drive up to the castle goes past vast amounts of land that still house cattle, zebras and sheep. While the Hearst family gave the "Castle" to the State of California in the 1960s, the Hearst family still owns the land surrounding it. At one point, William Randolph Hearst had the largest privately owned zoo in America with many different exotic animals on the lands surrounding the house!

On the tour we learned that each of the rooms in his house had a different theme. Many of his decorations were taken from authentic locations. For example, he had an outdoor pool that he decorated in ancient greek columns and statues that he purchased from greek antique dealers. He also had choir stalls flown in to be used for paneling on the walls and he had acquired ancient tapestries to adorn his walls. They say that the castle is a living art museum and that they have 22,000 pieces to be put on display!

Once we were done with the tour, we decided to get back on the road and find some place to eat along Highway 1. THAT was a bad idea! There are very few places along Route 1, and the drive goes slowly as the route twists and turns around the bends of the mountains hugging the ocean. We did stop at one point at a small place where the hamburgers were $15, and bottled water costs $6!! After sitting for 15 minutes with no one willing to help u

s, we were on our way. We finally found a small mini-mart where I stopped and purchased enough food to make sandwiches. We had drinks and chips in the car, so we were able to carve out a meal for ourselves.

After eating, we stopped at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for a hike to see a beautiful waterfall which flows right into the ocean. Then it was back in the car again to drive up past Big Sur towards Carmel. We made it to Carmel around 5 and were able to take the 17-mile-drive before we got to our hotel. The 17-mile-drive takes you past Pebble Beach (where we stopped and Steve coveted a round of golf), the lone Cypress which is the symbol of that area, and up past a couple of other famous golf courses (Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay). Our hotel was just on the other side of the 17-mile-drive in Pacific Groves, on the Monterey peninsula.

Our hotel room is lovely with two queen beds, and a fireplace. But the thing that I am most excited about is the fact that they have a guest laundry! (isn't that sad?) My kids are excited about the hot tub. It is a quick walk across the street to the beach as well. We are supposed to stay one night here, but the kids are begging, and Steve and I are thinking that if they have the space, we could use a breather after the last 24 hours. We'll see.

Meanwhile, we have had dinner at a wonderful little Mexican place called Peppers in Pacific Groves (they had FABULOUS guacamole and very fresh entrees), and then back to the room to pop popcorn (yes, they have a little popcorn popper and popcorn in the room!) in front of the fire while I run downstairs to do laundry. I'm glad I don't have to sit in a laundromat tomorrow morning early! My guess is that we will stay here an extra day and skip one night of camping.