Hey didn’t c this afore---
Sent email to regular email add
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Welcome to the journal of our trip to California in photos. Feel free to comment on photos send us messages here.
Our video is a bit long but the rewoods are so amazing.
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d546b314d6a49314e6a6b3d0d0a&blogview=true
Jason asked me yesterday why he was still reciving messages about changes on this site now that we are back. Well I am slowly loading photos into the albums so that we have a back up of our photos as well as adding titles to the photos, in preperation for priting them .
I am in the process of updating our family blog also, so you can keep up on our news if you would like.
I thought you might like to know that we travelled 4,366 miles and 10,245 Km on our trip. Looks like it cost us aobut 169.00 a day, and gas was an average of 93 cents a liter at 15 miles per gallon with the van and trailer.
We arrived home safely today after two long days of driving. We stayed in Beseker on the way through. Their campground is a true campground, with a train running right on the other side of the fence. The boys and I were playing a game at 11 pm when a train rummbled up beside the campground and we all jumped when he started bowing his horn! Three trains during the night made for an intersting last night of our trip.
We had such a good trip that we were a little sad at it being over. Life will be busy while we catch up on everything this week.
Thanks for following our trip. I'm going to load more photos onto the site in the next while so that I can order photos through Shutterfly.
We are visiting Gord's brother Bruce and his wife Pat in Lumby, BC tonight. We have been enjoying some visiting the last couple days. Yesterday we were at Morgan and Linda's in Kelowna, and the night before in Fort Langley with our friends Daivd and Janine.
Driving through Seattle and into Ft Langly was a long traffic congested drive, but we followed David's advice and took a less busy and scenic route out of FT Langley. It is such pretty country.
We have enjoyed our visiting with friends and family. Its great to see the new home my brother in law is barely moved into. It is a beautiful home with lots of great features. Morgan and Linda have lived in their home a little while now, but this was the first time we have seen it. Her gardens and trees are beautiful. David and Janine live in a different home since we have visited them last also, and it was nice to camp in their backyard with Daid's parents Jack and Muriel. That was another treat, seeing them.
Driving up the Okanagan today brought back memories of when our family would com here to camp when I was young. It is hot here, and the lake is so inviting.
August 12th
Last night we stayed in an RV park near Astoria, so this morning we crossed over the and into Washington. The first part was tall and green and was were ships would pass under, the middle is a causeway and the end was a smaller bridge that they were working on.
Gord decided that we had time for one more stop at the ocean so we went out to Long Beach Washington which claims to have the longest open beach. You can go down onto the beach and drive along it even. But we ddint take that chance with the vanand trailer. We park close to the sand and walked the boardwalk to the end and then Gord walked back on the boardwalk and the boys and I ran down with our bare toes and walked along the waters edge. As always by the ocean the water lapped up over our toes at times and up t o our knees at times. The sand here is different than that in or Califonia, but is still so very nice. Miles and miles of beach going both ways. Our last chance to feel the sand in our toes and the salty ocean water splash us.
All along the coast line we have seen signs that tell us we are in a Tsunami Hazard area each time we got close to the water. We saw signs telling us the evacuation routes in each place in the event of a Tsunami. In where we made a brief bathroom stop we saw the last of these after 3 days of driving the coast.
We are staying the night at a nice RV park on the edge of Seattle. Driving through was a huge job today and took a long time. Gord was very weary of driving after a long day and then through the traffic.
Tomorrow we have a tour of the in the World; The Boeing Plant . There are strict rules at the plant and you cant take cameras, bags, cell phones or other personal items in with you, so looks like no photos.
August 10
This morning I got up, grabbed my camera and headed down to the beach. It’s a short pathway through some tall grasses to the huge open beach at this campground, and I wanted to spend some time there. The sound of the ocean waves always constant and so strong, much like God is for me. I feel His presence here in a way that kind of surprised me at first, but I love it.
At first I sat on a large piece of drift log at the top of the beach and took off my sandals The tide had just gone out and there were pools of water everywhere. I was not the only one out there enjoying the beach, other people were walking or jogging along, but there were also a lot of shore birds in the sky and on the sand. Some of the birds were poking around in the pools of water left on shore after the tide went out. I suppose finding some easily reached and trapped morsels of food. The coolness of the morning sand on my toes and the ocean air feels so fresh. The sand here never seems to compact whether wet or dry and it feels so clean.
I walked down to the water and walked along the edge, snapping a few photos, but mostly just walking and thinking. Sometimes the waves would come up and cover my feet or even ankles and wash away the barefoot footprints I made in the sand. It’s hard to explain but I love walking by the ocean.
The little lighthouse that is at our campground has large flat rocks from the beach around it, and people who visit the campground have painted them with their names and dates they visited. So I collected a rock and used the two markers we had to leave our names there also.
We drove only a little ways from our campsite () to another beach area and went exploring. There was a large area of sand and rocks that made a huge hill. The boys climbed the rocks to the top and walked along it, almost to the end. I climbed up a ways and gave them the camera to take some photos from that vantage point. I could have climbed up too, but the thought of coming down the steep rocky edge in my sandals wasn’t something I wanted to hazard. We watched a whale just off shore, explored the rocky and sandy shore and watched the water coming through a large tunnel. We could see his shot of water and air go into the sky and then his tail. Amazing to see!
We stopped in Bandon for a few groceries and then headed out to look for a place to eat lunch. Of course there seemed to be a lot of picnic areas until we wanted one. Finally we stopped at Umpqua Lighthouse view point and enjoyed the view while we ate lunch. You could see where they were raising mussels and clams, and there was a salmon bed there also. Boats were coming and going.
State campgrounds were full tonight so we ended up staying at . The campground was near a harbour with fishing boats coming and going all the time.
After supper I walked along the boardwalk by the . The bridge opened in 1936 and stands tall at its highest point. It spans .
Along the boardwalk families were fishing and setting traps to catch all kinds of sea foods. A man and his daughter talked with me about catching crabs and they had one that was at least across, as well as several smaller ones. He told me about how they set traps for them using fish meat or chicken for bait.
I watched the people and the birds for a while, and thought about how different the life style here was. Children were catching shrimp in nets and running along the sandy shore enjoying the freedom. Fishermen were bring in their fish and two
men stopped to clean several large halibut at the station close by, and I could hear the sounds of the seal lions at the aquarium close by.
It is cool and a bit misty here, but a great place for a walk.
Found out this evening that a friend, Randy Graham passed away, we will be praying for his family.
So far we have travelled or . Gas here is about 3.19 and sometimes you see it cheaper, about 3.09. Costco that was beside our campground in had a sale on for 2.99 and there were line up there.
Aug 11
We all thought we were going south so we would see warm wather all the time, but we have been in some bay areas and they tend to be cool and foggy. We are camped in a campground tonght near Astoria Or and we are cool. We went for a walk this eveing, and the area is full of mist.
Today we continue to drive up the coast and it is foggy this morning. We stopped at a place called Devil’s Punchbowl, where the ocean came into a small round area and splashed about. At high tide, it would have been even more spectacular to see.
The boys and I enjoyed looking through a little touristy shop there also.
We stopped in Tillamook Country Creamery Association Factory, Home of Tillamook Cheese. We enjoyed a self tour. You can see in the windows as the blocks of cheese starting out large, run through the system of conveyor belts getting cut, measured, inspected, wrapped, heat shrunk and sent off to market all in one room. We were able to taste cheese curds as well as 8 other kinds of cheese. Cheese curds, or squeaky cheese are fresh not aged cheese. When you pop them in your mouth they make a squeeky sound against your teeth, and we found them very delicious. We bought some cheese and few gifts in the gift store and enjoyed a yummy feast of fresh ice cream. We couldn’t believe how many thousands of people were there! People everywhere. They sell a lot of ice cream as well as cheese, and many other gifts
We are off to explore the Avenue of Giant today. We are in the giant red wood forest of northern California. Tonight we plan to leave California and to be just in the bottom of Oregon.
Have a good day!
PS cell service and interent is spotty here. Should be better soon.
Updated:
We travelled in to the Red wood forest today. So beautiful and amazing!
The Red wood forest is a group of protected groves of Giant Redwood trees. Redwoods are amazing trees that grow tall quickly and are so strong and hardy that they keep growing. The oldest tree in the forest is about 2200 yrs old. Imagine that those trees lived when Christ did! The tallest tree in the forest fell in 1991 and we saw it lying on the ground. The tree is called the Dyersville Giant and it stood in the forest about 1600 yrs.
Before it fell it was at least 260 feet tall. That is taller than Niagara Falls , and about the height of a 30 story building! Trees in the forest are more likely to fall in the spring and rainy season.. The trees do not put down deep roots, but they spread far and wide and grab onto other trees in the area, supporting each other. So when the soil become wet and soft during the rainy season, the trees have less to support them.
We travelled along through the Redwoods for many miles. The road is twisty and narrow, and goes around the giants in many places. The forest under the trees is so beautiful. The sun filters in past the tree tops and barely reaches the forest floor, but the plants thriving there are used to the shady and damp air. Up high in the trees the environment is more dry and windy, and some animals never see the ground, but live up high in on the canopy.
We stopped and walked through the forest in various places. I wonder what it would be like to hear a tree fall…or even see one fall. We watched a video in the vistor center and the forest ranger told us that you can hear a tree fall for miles. It kicks up dust and debris and makes quite the mess. When giant trees fall they leave a place that soon is the food for the next generation of trees. These trees are often over tall so when they fall, they cover a lot of ground. As we explored we could see how the new trees started on the old ones.
As our photos are loaded on Shutterfly from this day you will also notice photos of us inside giant holes in the trees. These holes are mostly from surviving yrs of fires . Redwood trees are very hardy but when the fire finds a small weak spot in the tree’s bark it will burn into it. The tough bark that can be even a foot wide will not burn as easily, but the inner heart wood is dead and it will burn. This hollows out a tunnel in the trees. In the early days, farmers and natives of the area would cover these with a fence and put their animals such as chickens or geese inside them. We walked into several and they are blackened and burned inside.
The Redwoods were so interesting we hated to move on, there is so much to see.
After 20 days in we crossed over into around . We intended to stay at a campground in Brookings OR but there was no room there so we stayed in at a nice campground with beach access. We went down to the beach after supper, took a few pictures and saw a pretty sunset.
Hello we arrived near Garberville Cal this evening. We had a good day mostly of travelling.
We stopped in Santa Rosa and met with a friend form my gardening online group for lunch. We meet at a restaurant he suggested and had an amazing meal and a great visit!
We drove north to the redwood area and are staying a a campground own by the Church of God. Very nice campsite with lots of trees and no bugs!
Interent is limited here so update you more soon.
Going to see the redwoods tomorrow.
Today we are leaving San Francisco. We have enjoyed out time here. It is a very different place, full of history. I have loved the bridges, each one has very unique characteristics. Yesterday at the end of the day we crossed the San Mateo Bridge that has a tall part, we assume for shipping and then a part that floats on the water.
The bay street bridge was all lit up with lights when crossed last night. It is a bridge in more than one part and part of it runs trhough an island...literally through the island as you go through a tunnel.
Our day off yesterday was spent lazily in the morning and then we went to Malibu castle and did some go carting, bumper boats, games, mini golf. It was a fun time as a family.
Good Bye San Francisco.
August 6th
Cruise of and
We left the campsite at so that we could get through traffic to the pier and were able to get a parking spot. If you get there before 9 you only pay 12.00 for the day, otherwise you pay 25.00 for the day. Either is cheaper than taking the bus f rom our campsite though as we had once thought we might do.
was covered in a rich fog this morning so our drive in was a bit of an adventure, and we missed a turn, but we figured that out quickly and were back on track soon, arriving at the pier early.
We boarded a little ferry that took us past for some photo OPs, but didn’t land there..and then headed off for . The had been used during several wars since it is situated in the harbour, and we travelled around the to see the historical sights as well as to see the amazing views from the , on a trolley.
We had lunch there and spend some time poking around, but then we boarded the ferry again for .
was very interesting. The was used for various uses over the yrs, but of course is best known for his use as the penitentiary. The Rock as it was called. Prisioners were sent there if they were unruley or had been a problem in another prision system and so the worse of the worst were sent there. They had little benefits there….other than they were fed well enough. “You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege” ( Number 5, Alcatraz Prison rules and regulations.) I found it very interesting to be inside the prison. The cells were very tiny, only tall and big enough only for a thin bed shelf toilet and sink. When the doors all closed on the men at night and they turned out the lights…what an eerie place it would be. We went into the dining hall which is huge and was the most dangerous place since the prisoners had utensils to eat with. Sometimes prisoners would try to take knives and succeed. The famous escape of Frank Morris and th Anglin brothers, supposedly happened because they stole spoons and used them as drills to make holes in the wall of the cells. Then escaped out the holes climbed up pipes up onto the roof and down the side of the wall. They were not noticed missing til morning since they made dummy heads for in their beds. It is expected they escaped with a lifeboat or gear made with rain jackets, but they were never seen again and no one knows if they lived. 14 attempts were made to escape….and it is believed none were successful. We also saw the shower room, one big room with many shower heads, the cells of some famous prisoners, the “hole” which was a dark room with nothing in it, used for those that didn’t behave, and the offices of the administration and guards. There are lots of interesting stories and some we heard on our audio tour were told by those that were there….as guards or as inmates. We were also told about the families of the staff that lived there. About 50 children lived there with their families and were shipped each day into San Fran. For school. They lived a quiet life there and they remember not really understanding about the prisoners. One lady that grew up there, tells o f how they wold go carolling each yr on Christmas Eve and they would stop at the edge of the prison and sing for them. They would yell out Merry Christmas to them and they would yell out form the windows the same back.
The island was also a place used as a fort that was built in the 1850s, a military prison and for a short time native Indians lived there in the 60s when they went there hoping to make a point. It became a State park and now millions visit each yr.
The park is also a place were birds are protected as well as the gardens and plants. There is also a lighthouse there..that was the first lighthouse on the pacific coast.
Just a quick not that we arrived here safely and found our campground. It is a mobile park and much like a parking lot, but we have a place. We are off to explore the world around the Golden Gate Bridge today.
UPDATE!
August 5
I loved the . It is an amazing structure, for many years it was the largest suspension bridge in the world. It really is quite a "romantic" place.
We drove across it first and parked on the north side. We walked across to the last great pillar and then back again. It is over a mile long so we probably walked close to . The San fran. Fog was low early in the day but lifted some so we could see the tall towers. The fog is always present it seems. When you are on the bridge they seem enormous.
The cables and the pipes that run the length of the bridge are also quite amazing.
We stopped lots and took lots of photos….and watched the activity below the bridge.
People are tempted to jump of the bridge so they have places all along the bridge for those who are in need of assistance with phones telling them to call, there is hope.
After a long walk on the bridge and many photos we were wind blown and cool, so we headed to the Marin Headlands area, which we had been told by a friend was interesting to visit. We had a tour of a Nike Missile base there, and it was very interesting. We and awesome tour guide who told us lots of cold war stories and gave us lots of facts about the time.
When we left there we went up the hill to see the left over buildings that were once barracks and places that held guns during the world wars, meant to keep the bay safe in attack. The bay was never attacked, but they were ready.
We walked over the old buildings and the boys and I walked around a cliff..( I faced a fear of heights there) and saw Point Benita where a lighthouse stands.
It was a fun day, with lots of adventure in it.
. The drive up to the castle was almost as interesting as the castle to me. The towns here are built into the sides of the mountains and the houses tend to be tal and thin and it appears many do not have basements. But then we are against the ocean so that makes sense doesn’t it?
The ocean view on the way to the castle was very foggy. I t is very common here to have a foggy morning. The mountains around our campsite virtually disappeared for the fog.
The cities and towns along the way are small and many of the houses have clay roofing, as is common here in . We also drove through the state park and on the way we stopped and checked it out a bit. The state park campgrounds here are full by the middle of summer as you can reserve sites then. So we stayed in a private campground. The campground is about a block big but the sites are neatly gravelled parking spots with a table and a nicely groomed tree.. After the spacious place in , this seemed like a parking lot. But the place was neat and tidy, had a nice laundry that had the fastest driers I have ever seen, and the pool was the best one the boys have swam in yet. They had a great time in the pool.
was built by William Randolph Hearst. It is located on land that Hearst’s father, George Heart, originally purchased in 1865. He had come to the area to find gold and found silver instead. Soon he and his partner were rich in mining and he bought up land, lots of it. Over 300 square miles of it! The younger Hearst went with his mother on a trips around the world and saw all the fascinating buildings that artists have built over the yrs. He was inspired even.
Hearst grew up to be a very successful man in the newspaper world, and in the movie world. He had his hand in many successful movies and the stars involved were his acquaintances and friends.
When he was 57 yrs old he decided that he wanted to complete a dream he had had for many yrs. He had grown fond of this particular spot on a rocky knoll of the when he was a child. His family would camp in the area and they called it Camp Hill.
Construction began in 1919 and continued through 1947, with the castle never being completed because of ill health. Most of the buildings were designed by architect Julia Morgan. Hearst would tell her what he wanted and she would draw it up and make plans to have it built. He was a inveterate tinkerer, and would teat down structures and rebuild them on a whim. Julia soon learned that the completion of the project was not the fun for Hearst but the creating and building of it was.
The estate was furnished with truckloads of art, antiques, and even whole ceilings that Hearst acquired en masse from the great houses of .
When construction ceased, the estate boasted 165 rooms, and of garden, terraces, two vast swimming pools, one outdoors and one indoors, walkways, and the worlds largest private zoo, with some exotic animals like the zebras that still roam the grounds and ranch.
To reach the estate we went to the visitor center and went up the mountain on a bus. The tours are run all day and they are strict about how you observe the area, so that Modern day castle will stay in good repair.
The pool is one of the sights to see. It is long and wide. It is on one end and at the other end. IT is heated by an oil burning system, but mostly it is simply heated by the sun. The staff are allowed to swim once a yr in the pool, in August at a staff party.
William Hearst loved having guests and invited many famous and interesting people to the parties he had. He would however invite a mix of people so that each time a group was there, it would be interesting for the people to see who was there with them. Charlie Chaplin, Amelia Erhert, Charles Lindbergh, many famous movie stars of the time, as well as friends of the family, someone he invited form the newspapers he worked on, or just anyone he met. He would mix the people of different races and religions, unheard of at the time.
The people stayed in the beautiful guest rooms that he housed on the property. Rooms decorated with all the art work he had collected over the yrs. More than one guest asked the maids if they were allowed to sleep on the beds! They would come out on to the balconies and terraces to see the pool, or the tennis courts. They would see gardens and walkways, and outdoor activities of all kinds. Hearst loved the outdoor activities and was more likely to be outside than indoors. The pool was originally planned to be a “garden pool”. But Julia Morgan received a letter from Hearst telling her that his sons and wife “were anxious to have a pool at the castle to swim in.” The pool as it stands now is the third version.
As a guest you would be flown to the landing strip at the bottom of the mountain and driven up the winding road to the castle. Then you would enjoy the area by day…and meet dressed for dinner in the Assembly Hall with all the other guests. The hall is full of antiques and special artefacts, but you would most likely be checking out all the other famous guests there. Then Hearst would magically appear with his hostess, and the side walls would suddenly open into the dining area. This area just as beautiful and amazing as the first.
Following dinner he would lead them to a billard room and games room, and then eventually take them to a movie theatre to show them a movie he had had a hand in no doubt.
The castle was an interesting place to visit. The information we received, filled me with more questions. About his family, his life, and the Hearst family now. They still own a lot of things, and most likely touch your life….but they also still own the ranch and area around the castle. The castle itself was donated to the state to be used as a museum.
After the castle we poked around on the pier his father built on the ocean. It is huge and we walked out and took some photos. People were at the beaches and seal lions were playing in the water.
August 2
( Here I go writing this one again…the wonders of internet…I wrote it once and lost it in the blink of a disconnection!)
First Happy First Birthday to my little friends Sarah and Emily! Its hard to believe the twins are already one yr old!
Today we are travelling out of the are and going north to the area close to the .
We left the campground that had been our home for a week and Gord left friend he had made from . Gilbert and his family were in visiting family as well as enjoying the sites. The first morning they were beside us, Gord was sitting in the van going over the plans for our day form his red binder, and he looks over and sees this guy with his red binder doing the same! They were so alike in many ways. Both so planned out and both morning people. Each day they connected in the early morning, sharing ideas about their travels and giving each other tips. In fact the res of us didn’t meet until the last day. His family was often sleeping when we left for our day, or they left for the day’s adventure when we were having our day off and sleeping in a bit ourselves. BTW sleeping in is about .
Travelling through the city takes us about two hours. This means driving on a freeway with 5 lanes going each way, exits going here and there off the freeway, some going off and over us on huge bridges and some going underneath us, freeways crossing over us going over and under, all the traffic, cars trucks and all kinds of automobiles, all going 60, . There are walkways, signs of all kinds, walls, and all kinds of flowering plants along the way to also keep your attention. Gord has been driving us around all week in this traffic, and he gets us safely to our destination each day. Even if sometimes we do some inventive manuvering...lol…we always get there safely thanks to Gord.
The city is in a valley and on the edge of the ocean, and so we travel along in the lowlands until we start to leave the city and then we start to climb the mountains. Very interesting scenery, with mountains so different from those we have seen before. Some places are so dry and there are cactus everywhere, and some places are irrigated and fruit trees and neat lines of plants in the vineyards cover the land. There are also ranches with cows and horses wandering the dry land.
During the times we are driving close to the ocean, we also see a lot of fog. Some high on the mountains but some low by the water also. There is some space between cities here, but not a lot. You never truly feel you are out in the country, with signs for the ranches and vineyards, free wine tasting places, fruit stands, etc. When we are by the ocean there is a beautiful view. The beaches here are not expansive and a lot of the shoreline is rocky or mountain.
July 30th
Today is our day off and we all needed it after a busy day yesterday. We all slept in and then did some reading and lazed about. Gregory is working on a chapter in the book he is writing. He got some ideas yesterday as we travelled into LA and he kept saying all day that he wished he had his notebook with him. If you didn’t know he was working on a book, well he is. He was encouraged by teachers this year to follow that dream.
We are now outside a grocery store using the internet and then we will get some groceries and relax the rest of the day.
If you are intersted so far we have travelled 3200 miles so far..that is 5150 km. Gass here is 3.09 a gallon. Today the weather is mild..the same as at home it seems at about 24 but here the sun is out and no chances of rain.
BY THE WAY: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA!
I called her today and we had just a few min to say all the important stuff. Love you girl! Enjoy your day!
Thanks to everyone who is praying for Scott and I, we have colds...maybe partly allergies. But we are doing well and it hasnt been a problem for our trip.
Tomorrow is California Science Center day, another day into the city. We most likely will not be online tomorow. But my phone is usually on for texts.
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July 29th
Universal Studios
Universal Studios is downtown in and wow what a trip to get there. It took us 2 hours to go in the morning, with 5 lanes of traffic going each way and bridges going over you and tunnels and exits. Gord has quite the job to drive through the traffic to get us to our destination. We arrived a bit later than we hoped to arrive and it took us a while to get tickets and get inside, but soon we were off on another theme park adventure. We enjoyed seeing Shrek 4D, Terminator 2 4D, Special Effects Stage, Waterworld show, Universals animal actors with the actual animals from common movies, Jurassic Park water ride and the 45 min tour of the Universal Studio. The tour was in those cars you often see in movies on tv, and they take you down through the studios that they make movies on. We drove through that is the set for Desperate Housewives now. We went passed the old Bates motel and as we did a guy came out carrying a body in a bag….and put it in his car truck. The guide told us to be quiet so he wouldn’t see us….in a huge bus…ha ha. The guy looked at us and started running towards us with a knife he pulled form his pocket….of course the bus pulled away just as he reached us at the end of the open trolley. He watched us as we pulled away…it was funny. Thy also took the whole 4 cars of the trolley bus into a huge tunnel theatre and we watched a King Kong 3D movie that surrounded us, and we went into an earthquake set and the trolly started to shake and a gasoline truck appeared to be falling on us…then the water main broke and the water splashed all over us…. We saw where a lot of movies were made, and some some cool effects they used. It was a long wait to go, but we thought it was worth the wait.
By the end of the day we were tired and also tired of people, and we headed back towards the van, stopping for a bite to eat at taco bell.
It too about an hour to drive back, faster than the morning rush we were in.
July 27th
Good morning. Well we are off to Disney this morning. Our neighbours in the campground are from Sask too. . They spent the day at Disney yesterday and had a few tips for us. Its cool this morning…but it is foggy so I expect that will lift and the sun will come out. Our campground is an interesting place. The washrooms are what makes it most interesting. They are institutional, with metal toilets and no seats, showers each in a cement room. We figure we will have to take some pictures…we haven’t been in a campground with washrooms like these.
July 28th
Well our day was very fun and very full. We opted to buy a park hopper pass so that we could take in both and California Adventure land and Disneyland in one day. Disneyland is the old park and California Adventure is the newer one. Between them is a huge open area with lockers, restrooms, shops, and the Giant letters spelling California, but mostly, people...everywhere.
We enjoyed Adventureland in the morning, and then in the afternoon went into Disneyland .
The specific things we saw in California Adventure, other than those things that are on the street
Muppet 3D movie
Soarin over
Mulholland Madness- a fun roller coaster that is like driving through LA’s famous .
Grizzly River Run- white water rafting
Golden Zephyr- a ride where you get into bullet like spaceships that hang from chains and they fly up higher and higher and you go around. A mild ride.
We had a lot of fun stuff to do and it brought back memories of the things we did when we were in Florida .
The boys loved Tomorrowland and we did a lot of great stuff there. Gregory was so disappointed that Star Tours was closed for renovations. He is a Star Wars fan and he was looking forward to that.
Things we did:
Autopia- a go cart kind of thing.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride- We rode this last thing in the day, late at night , because Gregory and I were the only two who rode this ride back when we went to Disney World. The older kids and Gord went to Space Mountain....but Gregory was too short to ride it. So this time he got to do both and Scott and Gordon got a chance to see what we had enjoyed. You get to ride in a little spaceship with a blaster in your hands and shoot at the targets on the bad guys. It’s a blast. And wow, Gord was good. He beat the boys by far!
(More disneyland journal to come)
We had a great day yesterday. My journal isnt finished yet for the day, and I had this chance to have interent when we stopped at a Borders Book store. Gregory is loving it here. He LOVES books and could spend so much in a store like this.
More soon...going to add a few pics before we are ready to leave the store.
So here we sit in a parking lot picking up internet from a grocery store!
Its been so long since we updated you..and so this will be a long long post. I keep a journal in word so I will just post everything since Vegas in here in a couple posts.
July 20th
Went shopping at target a bit this morning before the opened this morning. An informative museum that helped us understand the nuclear history. It helped us remember the way we felt back in the days when the relationship between and the was strained and there was fear of one of them dropping “the bomb” and destroying the world.
Went shopping at Walmart and bought a few clothes and a couple gifts. Went to the Ethel M Chocolate factory and went on a short self guided tour. We could see the way they were making the chocolate through windows and at the end of the hallway there was a guide who answered our questions. She gave us some chocolate samples and the best chocolate pecan brittle ever. So delicious. The walls were covered with quotes about chocolate and the history of chocolate. The chocolate in the gift shop was very expensive, but the company also owns the M and M company and they had a shop here too. It had lots of fun stuff in it. I enjoyed a walk through the cactus garden outside the shop. SO many great samples of cactus, but a hot walk around.
We went back to the hotel for a while and rested, everyone was tired and hot, but Gord was very worn out.
Went to the late in the afternoon to see the Car Collection they have there. We had an adventure in parking in a parkade there, as the height of the ceiling was barely taller than the van roof! The cars there were quite amazing and it was unlike any other car collection. Some were for sale and some were just on display. We looked around for a long time and took lots of photos. The boys loved looking around and Gregory was excited to take a lot of photos. They all said after that it was the kind of show you would not see any place else as a lot of them are very expensive cars or one of a kind cars, but that they enjoyed seeing the cars at the Red Deer show last yr more.
After a bit of a rest at the hotel we headed to Denny’s for supper and then just crashed in the cool room. They tell us that there is a heat wave going through here…and that isn’t abnormal for them at this time of yr. It was but they said on the strip it was .
July 21
We had a good time in Vegas and some things we would see any place else but we were glad to leave the heat behind today as we travelled to . The closer we get it is cooler but still in the 80s when we arrive. Settled into a campground- resort. A nice place with three little lakes the guys can fish and release at.
Its built on the side of a mountain with several levels and was a long uphill walk o the washrooms and laundry, and the only internet was costly.
Relaxed and played hearts before bed.
July 22
Our Day Off.
Thankfully a day off..spent the morning tidying things, doing some reading and Gord did some planning he next part of the trip.
Headed into for groceries and ended up in as they have a Wal-Mart. Stopped at the beach on the way and ended up playing in the surf. The boys had so much fun in the waves. They don’t really remember playing the ocean before and it was very fun for them. Gord took a bunch of photos of us playing! We had to sit on our raincoats in the van we were so wet!
At Wal-Mart Scott and I were too wet to go in but Gregory had a change of shirt and so he went in with Gord and bought a new watch, as his had broken a couple days before.
Back at our campsite we did some laundry, went for a swim, and playing cards after supper.
The weather here is very nice….in the 70s and 80 mostly and quite comfortable. No mosquitoes or flies! Can you imagine? There are some ants here though so we have sprayed for them.
July 23rd
Sea World Day
Its about 40 min to sea world from here, but we got there about 10 today. We enjoyed the shows they have first thing and then did some walking about to see other things. The first show was a dolphin show..and it was about a girl that wanted to join the world of water and the dolphins. They had dolphins doing tricks and divers/acrobats interacting with the dolphins. They also let the male dolphins go through the show and they were so much bigger than any dolphins I have seen in shows. Mostly they use female dolphins in shows. The Shamu show had a story of a little boy that dreamed of training killer whales and now he does. They also had a boy form the audience who wanted to train whales come forward and he got his photo taken with Shamu and got to touch the whale.
We enjoyed the sea lion/otter show the best as it was funny.
They had a guy “biff” dressed as the stage hand, and he was very funny. Before the show started he came out and interacted with the audience, making us laugh and enjoy. He turns on the TV and starts flipping the channels and finds all kinds of popular shows and then dressed or acted like someone form the show…..very funny. He was very good.
He was also in the show along with other people interacting with the sea lions and the otter. A fun show that made us laugh and enjoy the talents of the animals and people.
The last show we saw was an acrobat and diver show. They pulled a man form the audience and he was part of the show. That made the show funny as he ended up inside a huge clear ball that was on the water and then the clowns on the jet ski took him to the island stage. They promised him the best show in the house….well he sure got that!
We also went to a 4D show that featured the Sesame Street Characters. It was fun and well done. Takes the boys back to their childhood.
We went for three rides. One was the tower ride where you sit inside a glass platform and then it rises high above the park. The platform turns around so you get a great view of the whole park. We also went on the river raft ride! What a blast. On the way in we met a couple with a little girl and we visited a bit with them. We ended up together in the raft and that was fun. The raft tosses and turn and everyone got quite wet..but just in case you didn’t get wet enough, they have a water fall at the end that you cant escape! A fun ride! We also went on a gondola ride across the park, and then went to the Atlantis ride. It is a lot like ….and was soo much fun! It is different form in that you have a part of the ride outside and on a rollercoaster……and the fast part when you splash downwards a long way, is at the beginning of the ride! It surprised us! But the adventure wasn’t over yet…we were soon being taken up inside the mountain on an elevator that tipped sideways and then opened to the sky and you twisted and turned through the rollercoaster ride, only to splash down again into the water. What fun! A great way to end the day!
We all got very sun kissed today! Although there were clouds overhead a lot and it was only in the 80s all day, we all ended up with read noses, arms and Gord’s head is looking pretty red!
July 24th
A nice day today..high 70s and foggy in the morning.
The boys and I went to the zoo today and had a great time. Gord’s not a zoo person so he went to do some errands and checked out a bit.
The first thing we did there was go on a shuttle ride that was about 35 min long and took us around the zoo. We were in behind the cages and sometimes saw things that you couldn’t see form the front. It was a worthwhile ride.
We enjoyed the elephants a lot as we ended up being there to hear a lady telling that they were going to be having an “Elephant pool party” at 1230. We looked at our watches and realized if we just took a bit of time to eat our lunch there..we would be there for the pool party. So we found a shaded bench and enjoyed lunch and then stood out against the fence to watch. We had the perfect view and got to see Debbie the elephant come deep into the pool splash around. She went right underneath the water several times and looked like she was enjoying the relief form the heat. They had two other elephants there…and they didn’t get in very far. One of them was a real chicken and only came in a little ways, and one stood under the running water and had a shower. The keepers were feeding them celery, apples, lettuce and cucumbers. They had three wheelbarrows full of food that they were giving them during the pool party, but Debbie got lots more because she was showing off for us! I took some great videos and photos. I asked the keeper how their trucks feel…and she told us it was hard and muscular, but that she could manipulate a tic tac with it. WOW.
The Pandas were also a highlight. We had to stand in a line a little while to see them but it was well worth the wait. One was sitting high the trunk of a huge tree eating a huge piece of bamboo and really showing off for us. One also was sleeping and digesting the bamboos she already ate, but she woke up when we came by and watched us as we passed making for good photos too. The baby one is still very small and was sleeping high in a tree in the shade.
We enjoyed the apes and giraffes, a lazy camel that was stretched out on the floor of his enclosure with one hump falling down….his photo is aching for a funny caption! The meerkat, who is like Timon on Lion King, was such a show off. There were many of them digging around and looking busy, but this one was on a rock , standing on his back feet, showing off all his sides like he was posing for photos. DO you suppose it was Timon? Sure acted like him!
The zebra were eating close to us so we could see them close up..and the flamingos were so pretty and delicate standing on one leg. Monkeys, hippos, little crocodiles, birds, and so many more animals made the zoo interesting. The boys thought the wombat was a highlight as it was showing off for us and digging a hole. They look like a gopher on steroids!
The highlight for me though was the Koala bears. The boys told me I was like a little kid, but I just loved watching them. We stopped twice to see them as the first time we stopped Scott saw something he wanted in the gift shop. So we returned at the end of the day to buy his didgeridoo. Its beautiful and he loves it!
Koalas have been my favourite animal all my life..and I have thought that I would never see one if I didn’t go to some day. My friends in send me photos and koala stuff and I loved it. But it was so great to see them! They are just so fastinating to me. Some were sleeping when we were there and some babies were sleeping on their mothers. Others were eating and checking out the crowds around them. I took lots of photos and watched them as long as the boys would put up with me.
We went for a gondola ride at the zoo also and were amazed how there was trees over the zoo so heavy that you could hardly see that there was a zoo below you. The gardens and trees of the zoo were amazing. I loved looking at all the flowers and plants, but it was also cool to know that the zoo grows a lot of its own food for animals right there. All the pandas bamboo is grown right there…as well as the eucalyptus that the koalas eat.
By we were all tired out and headed to meet Gord at the gate. We stopped for a few groceries at Walmart and then back to the campground for a swim and supper.
A good day.
July 25th
Today we headed down to to tour the USS Midway. It was a great tour but more than we could do in one stop. The tour was a self guided tour where you use a set of head phones and follow the numbers around the ship, pressing the number on the hand held device to hear the information about each thing. There were 66 stops! We missed out on some upon the flight deck as we were starting to tire out. We also could have done two other tours of the flight deck and gone into the bridge, but it was another 90 min and all the tours were up and down the stairs and in tight spaces. We felt that the tour did a great job of showing us how life was onboard the ship.. The ship has so many tight spaces, crews sleeping in rooms that held 36 at time and on bunks three high, and officers on double beds. The spaces they worked In were often tight and hot areas. We decided that Laundry and engineering were the places we would not like to work because of the humid and hot conditions….and the tight spaces.
The ship was decommissioned after desert storm in 1992 and then was opened up as a museum in 2004 after 12 yrs of work getting it ready to been seen by the public.
On the shore close to where we parked there was huge statue of the navy officer kissing a nurse that is so famous and also a tribute in bronze statues to Bob Hope. We wandered about and took photos. Very interesting.
We left and went to Ocean side and went swimming in the ocean. What a fun time! We were wore out, and full of the sparkly sand of the beach after a couple hours there…but it felt very good and was so much fun jumping the waves. Gord watched us play in the waves. Everyone so tired we went to bed at 930.
July 26th
Today we are settled under a sycamore tree in campground in , and are here to stay for 7 days. Again we have no internet here..so we are now off to find someplace to update our site and check our mail.
Tomorrow is .
There is so much to do and see here...and we have just put a small bite into it.
We have been busy every day since we got here morning til night. We have done a bit of shopping, seen lots of inside and outsides of the hotels....but there is so much we didnt see. We enjoyed a Vegas style show last night (American Superstars) and enjoyed that a lot. Went to Hoover Dam, the Atomic Testing museum, and saw the amazing car museum in the Imperial Palace. We wander the halls of Caesars Palace in awe, and walked through many casinos. We saw prety girls selling cigarettes and cigars from flats they carried, saw lots of interesting people, and ate out three nights in a row! Can you imagine?
We also went through a chocolate factory and cactus garden, Gregory met some Star Wars friends, and all the guys drooled over cars in the museum.
Today we drove onto a parkade that was only 6 foot 8 and ther was only an inch or so above the roof vent when we stopped. A bit of a freaky ride, especailly for poor Gord..
We have been very hot in the over 100 weather and have enjoyed the motel and the AC a lot.
Tomorrow we head out to California.....here we come ready or not!
Yesterday morning we left our campsite and went to Zin Park. It is beautiful as you can see in photos. We took the shuttle around the park, as a lot of the canyon is not accessible by private vehicle. The two other canyons that we saw , we stood at the top and looked down...now we were deep in the bottom looking up in awe. A couple of Methodist Ministers had been in the area for years and lot of the peaks and flast ahv names they gave them. Like the Patriarchs which is a group of peaks named Abraham Noah and Joshua, ot the landing high up on the mountian named Angel Crossing.
One of the most amazing human feats in the park is the road through it built in the 1930s. It features a tunnel that is 1.1 mile long and has six windows cut into it.
We enjoyed the park, but there is so much to do there and we were on our way soon.
We are staying at the Super 8 in Vegas, about a black from the "Strip" and in the heat that was a long walk. The first hotel at this end is Ballys so we went in there and got out of the heat and after looking about for a while, ate at Nathans famous Burgers. Very good.
After supper we wandered about in the hotels. They are kinda connected, some outside and some inside walkways. ALong some of the walkways there are the most expensive shops. Like Armanti, Prada, etc....with store fronts and very little inside the stores. Just their wares around the edges. Interesting. SOme of the hotels are joined by bridges over the street and along them there are people selling ice water for a dollar. Which is actauly a good deal as it costs 4.00 in the hotel. We went into the Bellasio and Caesars Palace and looked around too. The boys were just in awe everwhere we went. but they loved Caesars Palace.
It is full of roman statues and paintings...lots of things that make it Caesars Palace.
Of course each hotel has lots of casino areas and we noticed how smokey those areas are. We also watched the fountains at the Bellasio...they are times to "dance" to music. The song we heard was SInging in the Rain. It is very well done and we enjoyed it.
The best thing for Gregory ever happened as we were making out way bc down the strip. We were enjoying the lights and sounds of the stip as we walked back slowly. Gord was really feeling the heat, so we took it sloww. Then Gord looked down off the walkeay we were on, and said Gregory looook at your friends. Down below us was R2D2 and a storm trooper form Star Wars. We watched him a few min and realized that the people he was taking pictures with were just giving him a donation of whatever. So Scott gave Gregory a dollar and said go for it man! We took the pictures that are on the site. They even had a little Lightsaber duel and Gregory was just smiling! It made his day!
Well I must run! More photos and notes later.......we are off on todays adventure!
into Bryce Canyon National Park.. Its hard to even explain how impressive it is. You will need to check out our photos. We had a taste of what it would look like when we drove into the park, and I posted 4 pics from there, but I took many more. We are staying Knab right now and, our cell service has been spotty in the park in case you were trying to connect with us.
We went to the Grand Canyon today The drive is an interesting drive. At first much of the drive waa like a rolling prairie with red soil and at first glance you might think good vegetation, but it is dry and hot here so the vegetation is like tumbleweeds and dry twisted trees.. The red dusty soil here gets into everything. Off in the distance, we see the buttes. As we get into the higher elevation there is a rest stop and look out point where we can see for miles and miles….the prairies and behind them the colourful and red buttes.
Entering the park we are in very very tall evergreen trees with long needles, mostly at the tops of the trees. In some areas there has been a fire (in 2000), and tall burnt poles stand. There are also areas of large dry but green meadows with cows grazing.
As we enter the park it is a forested area. All around the North rim are huge trees, some are tall red ones, and there are lots and lots of flowers.
We went to visit the visitor center first and then did some exploring along the ledges. There are pathways along the edge that lead to small points you cn go out onto and see the beautiful canyon from a different point of view. This canyon is different form in several ways, but the most obvious to us was that it was more humid there. This makes it a place where things grow and also makes the heat feel differently. Interestingly enough, we were on the North rim and our info tells us that the South rim that I visited as a teenager, is normal ly 10 degrees hotter than the North rim, partly because the elevation is about higher.
The Grand Canyon is a mile deep and across….and long with the running through it. It was warm, but we enjoyed walking around, enjoying the view, exploring, and taking photos.
We are staying in Crazy Horse Campground. We are happy to have a pool in the park, and we have had some fun swimming. Sure cools you down on a hot day! We have enjoyed some fresh apricots, tiny ones, but delicious, off a tree that they do not pick from. A great treat! When we step out the trailer there is a beautiful red butte towing over us.
I will post more pics tonght , but now I am off to cool off in the pool.
Good morning from Bryce Canyon! This morning it is a cool morning and we are enjoying that because we know it will get hot. Most likley it will be in the nineties or higher. But the nice thing is that it cools down for sleeping and we could al rest well.
Yesterday morning we started the day off by going to the AFB museum near Salt Lake. It is full of planes and other aircraft of every shape and size and it was very intersting for Scott and Gregory.
Most of the rest of the day was full of travelling. A lot of Utah is dry and rather desolate looking, but there are ranches and lots of irrigation going on. It was hot but we stayed comforatabl enough in the van. We arrived in Bryce late in the afternoon, and drove through the red canyon (pics in album) Its sooo beautiful and awing!
When we were setting up the trailer Scott set his keys on the counter over the AC unit and I movd the laundry and they fell in the AC unit! I grab for them as they hit the opening but alas they fell inside. So we all sat in our hot trailer trying to retrieve them! What a job! They tried taking off the front of AC unit but it was not where they were. They had to take the counter apart, remove a shelving unit and tip the unit upside down! Scott learned that when his Dad builds something to stay he does a good job! It took them quite a while to get all the screws out and then to replace them. We were sure glad for a fan to help keep us cool while we worked.
We did laundry here in this campground, it has a very nice laundry facility as well as a store and a pool that wasnt availble today.
Good Morning from Salt Lake City. We said our goodbyes to Michele and her family this morning, and now we are getting ready for another day of mostly travelling.
Yesterday we had a busy day!
We visted the Temple Square in Salt Lake, which is the center of the Mormon faith. It was an intertesting place to vist...they are so zealous in their faith. There are beautiful buildings..some old and preserved well and some new and built with all the new technology available.
The grounds are beautiful...with well maintained gardens, and of course statues around.
Then we travelled out to the copper mine. Its an amazing place. "The richest hole on earth" they call it. The truks were amazing! so huge and it seemed like they never stopped going up and down the mine.
Then we went to the Utah State Captitol building. It is high in a hill in the city and is beautiful inside. A wedding couple were there for photos, as its a beautiful place to take photos.
After picking up some groceries we headed back to Michele's for a yummy dinner and a fun visit. It was hard to stop visiting , go to bed and say goodbye. Sierra and I went for a bike ride and she showed me her neighborhood and we had a great talk. She is a sweet and fun girl and I am so glad we got this chance to get to know each other. Michele and I had a fun time talking in her Craft room. She has a great room in what I would call a loft ,that looks over the rest of the living area. We are so glad we could stop here, and get to know Michele's family. Thanks so much for the hospitality Michele, Mike and Sierra!
Hello From my friend Michele's home!
We are having a nice visit with Michele, Mike and their daughter Sierra.
We arrived yesterday and enjoyed visiting together and had some yummy pizza. We spent a lot of yesterday taking it easy getting here form Idaho Falls. We stopped at the Potato Museum in Blackfoot, Idaho and learned more about potatoes.
Today we are headed into Salt Lake City to see the sites.
Hello again! Hooray for campgrounds with wireless.
So one thing I didnt tell you yesterday in the rush to get my messages and pics in here is that when we were in a small town yesterday, we went over a set of railway tracks that were kinda rough and our trailer popped off the hitch! Our safeties all saved us and we stopped quickly and got it hoooked back up again. We had a bit of damage to the Angle iron holding the propane tank on, but the guys are wonderful with that kind of stuff and they fixed it.
Today we left about 930 and headed out through the mountains. Scott not feeling so great this morning, nausea and bit of a headache.
Love this kind of drive; through the mountains. Double wide highway but deep in the mountains, up and down. By 11 am Scott feeling better and more himself.
Just before we stopped in . We stopped at the tourist info center and then went to the . When we were on our homenymoon 28 yrs ago, we visited the house. The house was built by W A in the 1800s. I wrote a bunch about it in our journal, but you can read about it and see photos if you go to http://www.thecopperkingmansion.com/
The temps outside are hot and very windy as we leave the mountains and enter and travel across the plains. We stopped in a little tiny town by an Opal mine and bought some ice cream in the afternoon. We are staying in Snake River Campground and we sure enjoyed the swimming pool this evening. Well we are off for a walk...catch up with ou all sooon.
Well today was the last Saturday before we leave. We were all busy working on things that help us get ready for the trip. I finally finished the pockets I have been making for the doors. They will be so handy. I also made one for Gregory. The boys cleaned the van inside and out....and its ready to go now. Thurs and Fri, GOrd and Jason worked inside the van. Jason has all the electrical stuff working now with tv, computers and even the Xbox. Gord worked on some changes to the trailer today. There is lots to do this week...but its so exciting! One more week!
Just looked at the counter I have and realized that its only 1 month and 6 days til we leave!
Gord too today off and did some work on the van and other various things he usually does on Saturdays, because his brother Morgan is here this weekend. We are excited to see him!
Well the calendar is started but I am sure there will be changes yet.
Gord and Gregory worked on the van today. They took out the seats and are working on the floor.
Scott worked all day, but he spent the evening working on his project truck and he got it running again.
As of today it is 2 months, 3 weeks, 3 days til we leave for California!
SO much has been happening to plan for this trip. Gord has been working each Saturday on our van and will soon be doing work on our trailer.
We also have a tenative plan for the trip mapped out, that Gord has worked hard on. Its exciting to see where we plan to go. You can see the tenative calendar below, we will change it as we make changes.
I started this site so that I can load up the photos form the trip, and then they will be ready for printing once we get home. I might even order some while we are away. It also makes it easier to share them with friends and family. Enjoy!
The photo at the top of this web page is a stock photo, I cant wait to add photos that we take to the header.
Benita