We made it back safe and sound...
Home Sweet Home!!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
the twentieth day
Drove from New Orleans to Atlanta. Rented an in-hotel movie and just hung out. As much as we all said we didn't want this trip to end, we are all a little anxious to get home.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
the nineteenth day
Today we are in New Orleans and this morning we walked from the hotel down Canal St. to the riverfront where we went to the Aquarium of the Americas (just recently re-opened after Katrina) and through the Riverwalk (which is like a long, long strip mall) and had a quick lunch.
To continue with the theme, it started raining during lunch, and us without umbrellas, again ... we quickly walked back to the hotel, only about a mile from where we were, to change our drenched shirts before we headed out to our swamp tour.
We drove out to a remote area for the start of the swamp tour, and along the way we saw a lot of Katrina damage still around, pretty incredible. The bayou we spent most of our time on was 18 feet higher during Katrina. All the houses which are being rebuilt near the canals, bayous and rivers now have to be built up on stilts, at least 12 feet off the ground. Anyway, the swamp tour was fun, we saw lots of alligators, including a pretty young one, and a bunch of BIG spiders.
After the swamp tour we headed back to New Orleans and a stroll down Bourbon Street to find some dinner and see the sights. After noticing the expression on my son's face after walking by some of the "adult" establishments I had to put my hand in front of his eyes !! Definitely not a place for kids, but it was good to see that area rebuilt quickly. Other areas in the French Quarter are still works in progress, especially the ground floors of most of the hotels, including ours.
Tomorrow we head to Atlanta, and then the next day we head home ... its hard to believe this long trip is already almost over. 5900 miles so far and only 3 more states to find on license plates: North Dakota, Vermont and Rhode Island. Hopefully we'll get those in the last 2 days, personally I am betting we won't find ND -- but you never know, we thought Hawaii (once) and Alaska (3 times) were going to be the hardest ...
To continue with the theme, it started raining during lunch, and us without umbrellas, again ... we quickly walked back to the hotel, only about a mile from where we were, to change our drenched shirts before we headed out to our swamp tour.
We drove out to a remote area for the start of the swamp tour, and along the way we saw a lot of Katrina damage still around, pretty incredible. The bayou we spent most of our time on was 18 feet higher during Katrina. All the houses which are being rebuilt near the canals, bayous and rivers now have to be built up on stilts, at least 12 feet off the ground. Anyway, the swamp tour was fun, we saw lots of alligators, including a pretty young one, and a bunch of BIG spiders.
After the swamp tour we headed back to New Orleans and a stroll down Bourbon Street to find some dinner and see the sights. After noticing the expression on my son's face after walking by some of the "adult" establishments I had to put my hand in front of his eyes !! Definitely not a place for kids, but it was good to see that area rebuilt quickly. Other areas in the French Quarter are still works in progress, especially the ground floors of most of the hotels, including ours.
Tomorrow we head to Atlanta, and then the next day we head home ... its hard to believe this long trip is already almost over. 5900 miles so far and only 3 more states to find on license plates: North Dakota, Vermont and Rhode Island. Hopefully we'll get those in the last 2 days, personally I am betting we won't find ND -- but you never know, we thought Hawaii (once) and Alaska (3 times) were going to be the hardest ...
the eighteenth day
Not much happened today. We spent most of the day driving from San Antonio, Tx, to New Orleans, La. The highlight of the day was having dinner with Mindy's long time friend Jackie who lives in N.O. and finally meeting her beautiful family (forgot to bring the camera along).
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
the seventeenth day
Well, we all seem to be back on track today. We spent the day at the San Antonio Riverwalk including taking a boat tour...
visiting the Alamo...
Luckily we were close enough to walk to these places. Unfortunately it rained about once an hour, with a complete downpour while we were at the Alamo. Needless to say we looked like drowned rats after a while.
But we didn't let that get us down. We just walked back to the hotel, changed into dry clothes, and headed back out to the Tower of the America's with umbrella's and rain coats...
then back to the Riverwalk for dinner.
visiting the Alamo...
Luckily we were close enough to walk to these places. Unfortunately it rained about once an hour, with a complete downpour while we were at the Alamo. Needless to say we looked like drowned rats after a while.
But we didn't let that get us down. We just walked back to the hotel, changed into dry clothes, and headed back out to the Tower of the America's with umbrella's and rain coats...
then back to the Riverwalk for dinner.
Monday, July 16, 2007
the sixteenth day
Well, we were supposed to be on the road by 9am this morning for an 8 hour drive (and a timezone change) to San Antonio ... however, as of 11:45am we haven't been able to leave our hotel room yet. I am not sure "authentic Mexican" food for dinner last night was such a good idea. :-(
We finally made it to San Antonio at 9:30pm local time (CST), after leaving El Paso at 12:20pm MST ... and yes, we had to make several unplanned stops. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, it couldn't be much worse.
We finally made it to San Antonio at 9:30pm local time (CST), after leaving El Paso at 12:20pm MST ... and yes, we had to make several unplanned stops. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, it couldn't be much worse.
the fifteenth day
Today we spent the morning at the Sonora Desert Museum. We got their pretty early, but it was still really hot. We toured the outdoor exhibits, its more like a zoo than a museum, saw some animals and lizards. Then did a quick tour of the indoor exhibits so that we could get on the road. We had a 5 hour drive to El Paso ahead of us.
Once we landed in El Paso we checked into the hotel and then went to an authentic Mexican restaurant (recommended by the hotel), and it was really good. We are only a couple miles from the Mexican border, in fact during the drive on Rt. 10 we could see into Mexico at one point.
Once we landed in El Paso we checked into the hotel and then went to an authentic Mexican restaurant (recommended by the hotel), and it was really good. We are only a couple miles from the Mexican border, in fact during the drive on Rt. 10 we could see into Mexico at one point.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
the fourteenth day
Today we left La Jolla and drove to Tucson, Arizona. We drove through the first desert that actually was mostly sand and had the large cactus we are used to seeing in pictures of deserts.
Once we reached Tucson we went to Old Tucson, which is where they filmed some of the John Wayne movies, as well as the Little House on the Prairie series. We saw a mock gun fight, which was pretty good.
While we were there we saw a Can-Can show and dad got selected to ... well ... just look at the pictures. Everyone was laughing so hard these were best pictures we could get.
When the three men were done being completely humiliated, the main Can-Can dancer gave comments to each guy, and she said dad had great kicks and could join the show right away!!! Mom had tears rolling down her face!
We went back later in the evening to see a rodeo. We saw the finals of the bull and sheep (kids) riding competitions. They go a little slower than we were expecting, not to mention it was after 8:30pm and still over 100 degrees. Ugh.
Once we reached Tucson we went to Old Tucson, which is where they filmed some of the John Wayne movies, as well as the Little House on the Prairie series. We saw a mock gun fight, which was pretty good.
While we were there we saw a Can-Can show and dad got selected to ... well ... just look at the pictures. Everyone was laughing so hard these were best pictures we could get.
When the three men were done being completely humiliated, the main Can-Can dancer gave comments to each guy, and she said dad had great kicks and could join the show right away!!! Mom had tears rolling down her face!
We went back later in the evening to see a rodeo. We saw the finals of the bull and sheep (kids) riding competitions. They go a little slower than we were expecting, not to mention it was after 8:30pm and still over 100 degrees. Ugh.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
the thirteenth day
Happy Friday the Thirteenth! Today we went to the San Diego Zoo and it was awesome!!
We saw lots of different animals and reptiles ...
After a long day we headed back to the La Jolla cove for a delicious seafood dinner.
We saw lots of different animals and reptiles ...
After a long day we headed back to the La Jolla cove for a delicious seafood dinner.
the twelfth day
Today, we went to the cove in La Jolla, California. The cove is a pretty cool area, with lots of places to walk along the beach, including some interesting rock formations. There are also lots of shops and restaurants close by. We walked on the beach for a while and and then went and saw harbor seals baking themselves on the rocks.
Then, later in the day we went to another beach and went swimming in the Pacific Ocean and me (Brianne) and Josh got sunburned. BAD! But we had a lot of fun anyway.
Then, later in the day we went to another beach and went swimming in the Pacific Ocean and me (Brianne) and Josh got sunburned. BAD! But we had a lot of fun anyway.
Friday, July 13, 2007
the eleventh day
Ok, ok ... I know you guys want to know what we did while in Las Vegas. Well, after we drove the strip, and checked into the Venetian, took the 15 minute walk to our room including 2 elevator rides, and dumped off our bags. Then we toured the hotel, which is as big as a large in-door mall. We went through the casino (kinda quickly because we had the kids) and past all the shops and restaurants. We took a 15 minute gondola ride inside the hotel, there are "canals" inside and outside the hotel. Then we had dinner at a great Asian restaurant (Tao), then went out to walk the strip. It was about 8:30pm then and still really hot. We walked down to the Bellagio to see the fountains, which were spectacular! Went through a couple more hotels/casinos on the way back to our hotel. Dumped the kids off in the room then it was time for the parents to hit the casino !!! We stayed for a couple of hours, with mixed results, but we had a lot of fun.
So, the morning of the 11th day we walked the strip some more after a quick breakfast at a Starbuck's. Mindy took one more spin in the casino as we had a coupon for some free play. Needless to say Mindy left on a high note, she is still giddy about it!
Then we drove to San Diego/La Jolla (pronounced "La Hoy-a", yeah Mindy got it wrong the first time too). After a quick stop at the hotel, it was off to Sensei Gomez's dojo for 2 hours of karate training -- yeah !!!! Boy, were Brianne, Josh and I ready to get out on the floor. We had a great time, doing kihon, kata, and bo training. At the end of the session Sensei Gomez gave us all (including Mindy) shirts from their school. We really appreciated their hospitality.
So, the morning of the 11th day we walked the strip some more after a quick breakfast at a Starbuck's. Mindy took one more spin in the casino as we had a coupon for some free play. Needless to say Mindy left on a high note, she is still giddy about it!
Then we drove to San Diego/La Jolla (pronounced "La Hoy-a", yeah Mindy got it wrong the first time too). After a quick stop at the hotel, it was off to Sensei Gomez's dojo for 2 hours of karate training -- yeah !!!! Boy, were Brianne, Josh and I ready to get out on the floor. We had a great time, doing kihon, kata, and bo training. At the end of the session Sensei Gomez gave us all (including Mindy) shirts from their school. We really appreciated their hospitality.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
the tenth day
We drove from the Grand Canyon (well, Williams) to Las Vegas with a stop over at the Hoover Dam.
Have we mentioned it has finally gotten hot out here??? It has reached 110 degrees during the afternoons. Dry heat is still hot …
The Hoover Dam is really impressive, especially considering the era it was built during. We took a tour of the inside, which was pretty cool … literally, it was only like 73 degrees, and the stuff inside was pretty neat too.
There was a self-guided tour of the outside, which we did very quickly because, like I mentioned, it was HOT!!! It reached 111 degrees (broke the previous record for us) during our visit which was mild compared to the day before (according to the tour guide, who said it reached 130) --- ugh.
Then we drove the last 30 miles to Las Vegas. This was a hugely anticipated by mom, so to give us the best initial view dad drove us down the whole strip to our hotel (which took forever …), The Venetian. Once we got to the hotel … well, you know how the saying goes, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!" - sorry guys.
Have we mentioned it has finally gotten hot out here??? It has reached 110 degrees during the afternoons. Dry heat is still hot …
The Hoover Dam is really impressive, especially considering the era it was built during. We took a tour of the inside, which was pretty cool … literally, it was only like 73 degrees, and the stuff inside was pretty neat too.
There was a self-guided tour of the outside, which we did very quickly because, like I mentioned, it was HOT!!! It reached 111 degrees (broke the previous record for us) during our visit which was mild compared to the day before (according to the tour guide, who said it reached 130) --- ugh.
Then we drove the last 30 miles to Las Vegas. This was a hugely anticipated by mom, so to give us the best initial view dad drove us down the whole strip to our hotel (which took forever …), The Venetian. Once we got to the hotel … well, you know how the saying goes, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!" - sorry guys.
the ninth day
Sorry for the delay in posting, the last couple of places either didn’t offer internet connection in the room or wanted too much $$, so we waited.
Today we went to the Grand Canyon; Brianne said, "It was definitely not what I expected. I thought it was going to be just a big, empty hole in the ground; instead it had a lot of hills and valleys." The scenery was breath-taking, as you can see in the photos (but again these pics don’t do the canyon justice).
We hiked a mile and a half down into the canyon (avoiding donkey land-mines), with me (Brianne) leading the way. It took us an hour to get to our stopping point. When we finally reached our destination (the 1.5 mile marker), we said "it wasn't that bad" ... well, all of us except Josh.
If you look closely at this picture (after you click on it) you can see a couple different groups of people walking on the path at different points.
We started back up after a water and energy bar break (and restroom visit), and the first half wasn't that bad (except for Josh still), then with dad leading the way with Brianne close behind and mom and Josh brining up the rear, we finally ... FINALLY ... made it to the top. It seemed like it took us forever, with all the breaks we took along the way, but we did it in just 1.5 hours. So the round trip took us just the minimum time the guides told us it would take – we were surprised.
Mom and dad both said they were going to get Josh a shirt that said "I complained all the way down and up the Grand Canyon" ... so after 10 minutes in the gift shop this is what Josh ended up with:
Then, on the request of Josh, we took a 2 hour detour (just one way, it was another 2.5 hours back to the hotel) to the North side of the canyon to see the Colorado River, and walk across a suspension bridge. It was really cool to see and definitely worth the trip, but Brianne would have rather gone swimming.
Today we went to the Grand Canyon; Brianne said, "It was definitely not what I expected. I thought it was going to be just a big, empty hole in the ground; instead it had a lot of hills and valleys." The scenery was breath-taking, as you can see in the photos (but again these pics don’t do the canyon justice).
We hiked a mile and a half down into the canyon (avoiding donkey land-mines), with me (Brianne) leading the way. It took us an hour to get to our stopping point. When we finally reached our destination (the 1.5 mile marker), we said "it wasn't that bad" ... well, all of us except Josh.
If you look closely at this picture (after you click on it) you can see a couple different groups of people walking on the path at different points.
We started back up after a water and energy bar break (and restroom visit), and the first half wasn't that bad (except for Josh still), then with dad leading the way with Brianne close behind and mom and Josh brining up the rear, we finally ... FINALLY ... made it to the top. It seemed like it took us forever, with all the breaks we took along the way, but we did it in just 1.5 hours. So the round trip took us just the minimum time the guides told us it would take – we were surprised.
Mom and dad both said they were going to get Josh a shirt that said "I complained all the way down and up the Grand Canyon" ... so after 10 minutes in the gift shop this is what Josh ended up with:
Then, on the request of Josh, we took a 2 hour detour (just one way, it was another 2.5 hours back to the hotel) to the North side of the canyon to see the Colorado River, and walk across a suspension bridge. It was really cool to see and definitely worth the trip, but Brianne would have rather gone swimming.
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