Florence Oregon

We arrived in Florence today after a drive up the coast of California and Oregon. We stopped at a redwoods forest again to walk through the trees. It was very foggy for most of the trip but we made fairly good time.

When we got to Florence, we decided to have one more seafood dinner and ate at Mo's, a famous restaurant in Oregon. The food was good. After dinner, we drove to the ocean so that we could walk in the sand and get our feet wet. It was a little chilly but we didn't need sweatshirts. We're planning on leaving around 8:00 tomorrow so we can get back to Spokane at a decent hour. We're all looking forward to being home. We've stayed mostly at Holiday Inn Expresses on this vacation and they all have the same types of breakfast food. We're pretty tired of the same old food but we're going to have to deal with it one more day.

Here are a few pics.

And a video of the roots of a fallen redwood.

For a description from the kids, click below.

Day 15

On to the Redwoods

We left San Francisco and headed to the Redwoods today. On our way out of town, we drove down the crooked street in San Francisco and went over the Golden Gate bridge. We decided to travel up Highway 1 along the coast. After about 45 minutes of slow, very curvy roads, we decided to head inland to go up Highway 101. We made better headway and eventually got to the redwoods. It's amazing how massive those trees are and how old they are.

We went to the place where you can drive through the tree, we had to pull the mirrors in to get through and although I was a little worried, we made it. Further down the road, we stopped a couple times to walk into the forest and see the trees up close.

We arrived in Fortuna CA around 6:00 PM and the kids are in the pool as I am writing this. Tomorrow we head to Florence OR and then the next day we'll be home. I think we're all a little tired of traveling and are looking forward to a couple of home cooked meals.

Here are a few pics.

And here is the description of the day from the kids.

Day 14

San Francisco

We left Disneyland and headed to San Francisco during rush hour. Not the best thing but we needed to sleep in after last night. It took quite a while to get through Los Angeles but we weren't in a hurry.

We arrived in San Francisco around 5:00 and decided to get some dinner before walking around. Our hotel is only a few blocks from Fisherman's Wharf. We had a good seafood dinner, except for Rylee who had grilled cheese. After dinner we walked to Ghirardelli Square to check out the chocolate shop. We got a free sample. We headed back to the hotel after getting a couple of souvenirs. I'm not that impressed with this part of San Francisco. We'll see how things look tomorrow.

Here is the description from the kids.

Day 13

Last Day at Disneyland

We started our day by going to Finding Nemo. It is a really neat ride that combines underwater effects with animated effects. The wait was fairly long but we had seen that it gets even longer during the day. We decided to get this one out of the way first. After that, we rode on Buzz Lightyear, Pirates, the Haunted Mansion and Indiana Jones. We also caught the Indiana Jones show. It was a show with actors and lasted about 15 minutes. It was designed for littler kids but it was nice to sit in the shade for a while.

We headed over to California Adventure to see if we could ride Toy Story but the line was way too long. This was disappointing because we all would have liked to have riddent his ride again. We headed back to the hotel to rest a little bit because we knew it was going to be a long day.

We headed back to California Adventure so the kids could ride the Grizzly River Run. It's a raft ride that spins them around and gets them wet. After this, we went to catch the parade in Disneyland. There are some amazing floats and we were in an area where they stopped a couple times to perform a little show. After the parade, I had to get in line to get our reserved seats for Fantasmic and everyone else hit a couple of rides.

The seats for Fantasmic were great and we got a dessert box with cheese, chocolates, cheesecake and a bunch of other stuff that shouldn't be eaten at 9:00 at night. We hated to leave anything but there was just too much. When we got our dessert boxes, Rylee found a little Shrek character in hers....at little gift from her Grandpa. (You'll need to ask either one for an explanation). The Fantasmic show is pretty elaborate with floats in the water, music, lights, lasers and of course Mickey Mouse. After the show, we were able to watch the fireworks from our seats.

We were able to catch a few more rides after the show. The last ride we did was the Indiana Jones ride which Rylee and Jarret thought was both their favorite. We headed back to the hotel late that night just beat. We were hot, tired, full of sugar and having had a blast the whole day. The kids were too tired to argue that night and fell asleep right away.

Here are a few pics.

And the description from the kids

Day 12

Back to Anaheim

We made it back to Anaheim on Tuesday but since the hotel charges $10 per day for internet, I'm updating everything now. We left San Diego and surprised the kids with a detour to The Grove mall near Beverly Hills. The Grove has an American Girl store and Rylee was able to look around and purchase a couple things. After that, Jarret had to get into the buying game and came away with an iPod Shuffle from the Apple store.

After that, we just drove around the Beverly Hills area looking at the houses. There are some that are really big. We came across a couple of really cool cars, Maserati's, Ferrari's and a Lotus. We also ended up on Rodeo Drive.

When we got to the hotel, we ate a little dinner, and then took a stroll down to Downtown Disney to see that area and make a couple of purchases. We then got back to the hotel to get a good rest for the next day at Disneyland.

For the description.

Day 11

Anaheim again -No posts for next couple of days since hotel charges $10 / day for Internet

Sea World San Diego

We had a great day in San Diego today although it started off a little rocky the night before. We needed to do a little laundry and I was doing some in the bathroom sink. I was almost done and trying to push the water out of the clothes by pushing them against the sink. Needless to say, they don't make sinks the way they used to. I pushed hard enough to loosen the clips that attach the sink to the countertop and the sink fell through the bottom of the countertop. I have a picture that Rylee took at the moment I was swearing under my breath. After this happened, I never saw Jill and Rylee laugh so hard. Jarret slept through the whole thing. We had to make the call to the front desk this morning before we left. It was fixed by the time we got back....but I don't know if they are going to charge me for it. At least I now know how a rock star feels when they trash a room...

We headed to Sea World and saw the Manatees, Sharks, and got soaked by Shamu. It didn't seem as hot and we were in and out of different exhibits and buildings all day. It was alot of fun.

After we were done at Sea World, we went to dinner at Croutons in La Jolla. We had a great meal. The food was excellent and we got a chance to talk to Jay Wesley, who is Rylee's teacher's son. Thank you for everything Jay, we had a really great time and really appreciate it. Whenever you bring one to Spokane, count us in as some of your first customers...

We came back to the hotel to find the sink in working order, although everyone has orders not to touch it..... We saw another sunset on the beach and walked around in the sand and surf.

Here is the description from the kids.

Day 10

Here are a couple videos.

San Diego Zoo

We visited the San Diego Zoo today. It's very large with almost every type of animal imaginable. The exhibits are really nice but you need to do a lot of walking up and down hills. I think I expected something even bigger and better however. I kind of left with a bad taste in my mouth after having purchased 2 bottled waters for over $8.00. I decided they wouldn't get any more money.

After visiting the zoo, we had to move to a new hotel that is on Mission Beach. We're right on the ocean and we took a little stroll on the beach after dinner and watched the sun go down. I'm glad we decided to stay here since the beach is so accessible. Hopefully we'll get to spend a little more time at the beach tomorrow. We are going to Sea World as well tomorrow so I'm not sure how much time we'll get at the beach.

I think we're all feeling a little tired of traveling and eating out. Jill and I both came to the conclusion that two weeks is a long time for a vacation. The kids have been pretty good despite the normal brother/sister needling.


Here is their description of the day.


Day 9



Here are a couple pics.

Here's a short video of a sea lion show.

On the road to San Diego

Not much to report today. We traveled from the Grand Canyon to San Diego, about a 9 hour drive. There wasn't much to look at along the way, it's pretty much flat and boring. When we got into San Diego, it was overcast and humid. We're on our way to the San Diego zoo tomorrow and are moving to a hotel on the beach. I'm not sure if they have internet access or not. If you don't see this updated for the next couple of days, that's why.

Here is the description from the kids.

Day 8

Grand Canyon

We made it to the Grand Canyon yesterday. From the trip from Flagstaff to the enterance to the Grand Canyon National Park, we saw an old volcano, lava flows and some ancient ruins. When we went to the ruins, it was about a mile off the road and we were the only ones there. It was really erie to be out in the middle of nowhere and it was so quiet. No birds, wind, cars, etc. It was almost spooky. It's amazing how people lived at that time and the way they were able to build their houses. It was quite a site.

Then we got to the Grand Canyon. It's amazing how big it is. We stopped at a place called the Watchtower and at a couple of different view points along the way. In one of the books we had, they recommended a place called Shoshone Point. It's on an unmarked trail about a mile from the road. We parked the car and took a walk. You walk through the trees and then all of a sudden there it is. It was an amazing view and we were there all by ourselves. We enjoyed the view for a while and then all of a sudden the wind started picking up and we could hear thunder in the distance. We decided to hurry back to the car.

We then got to our hotel room which was right on the ridge of the Grand Canyon. We had a view from our window. After walking the rim, eating dinner, and visiting the other famous hotel, we decided to turn in. Again we heard a storm coming. About 10:00 the thunder and lightning started and it continued on past 12;30. We dozed on an off but around midnight it really got going. There was lighting that was immediately followed by thunder...like it was right at the hotel. At various points through the night, there was lightning flashing every 5 seconds or so. It was the longest and most active thunderstorm I've ever seen. I wonder how the people that had hiked down to the bottom of the canyon felt about it.

I'll try and get a few picture of the Grand Canyon up in the next day or two.

Here is the view from Rylee and Jarret.

Day 7

Here are a few pics:

Flagstaff

We made it to Flagstaff today. Not much to tell other than it's a 7-8 hour drive with not much to look at. There were areas that were pretty cool, bare rock hills that looked like it would make a good martian landscape. We did have a casualty however. One of our suitcases didn't make it through the trip. It decided that it had enough when the zipper broke. We adopted a new one at a Wal-Mart in Flagstaff. We had a nice meal at the Cracker Barrel in Flagstaff. The service was fast and the food was really good.

I'm not sure if we'll be able to post anything tomorrow. We'll be staying at the Grand Canyon...(can't wait to see it)... so I don't know if they have internet access or not. If not, we'll get things updated the next day when we end the day in San Diego. This will involve a 10 drive through Phoenix. By the way, we've traveled over 1800 miles and the gas has been cheaper, for the most part, than it was in Spokane. The most we've paid was 4.23 a gallon and most of the time it's been less than 4.00.

Click below to hear the day's events from the kids.

Day 6

Disneyland - Day 5

We spent today at Disneyland again. We went with Jeff, Kari, Ivy and Noah and spent the day with them. We went to Pirates, the Haunted Mansion, and Winnie the Pooh before heading over to California Adventure. The crowds in the morning were really light and we got on the rides without much of a wait. Once we headed over to California Adventure we were going to try and get on Toy Story Mania but there was a huge line there. So we headed over to Soaring over California while Jeff and Kari gave the kids a snack. After that we ended up getting lunch and going over to the Bugs Land to ride some kid rides.

We headed back to the hotel in the early afternoon to rest and swim. It was really humid here today and the rest was well worth it. In the evening we headed back to Disneyland to catch the electric parade at California Adventure and then the fireworks at Disneyland. Ivy and Noah stayed up the whole time, although they looked tired. We were able to catch both shows and end the day after having watched a spectacular fireworks show.

We're off to Flagstaff AZ today. For the kids take on things, click the link below.

Day 5

Universal Studios

We had a fun day at Universal Studios today. However, it started off an little unexpectedly. First, we had parked the car near an ants nest and when we went to get it, we found a bunch of California natives that we didn't care to meet. We spent the next 45 minutes going through our stuff in the van, shaking out all the loose things and killing as many ants that we could find. I looked in Jeff's van, which was parked close to ours, and saw ants in there as well. I let Jeff know since they were at Disneyland but I haven't heard how his extermination process went. Needless to say, I parked the van in the middle of the parking lot today so the ants can't get to it. After the ant episode, the trip to Universal Studios took over an hour and 15 minutes to go the 40 miles due to traffic.


Once at Universal Studios, we had a great time. We hit most of the attractions without much of a wait. We went on Jurassic Park first thing and got really wet. I knew that the ride had a huge drop but I didn't mention it to the kids. I figured what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them....


One nice thing about the park is that they did a really good job at keeping people cool. There were misters everywhere and shade in the lines and fans at other places. We really didn't feel as hot as we did yesterday at Disneyland. The other thing I discovered is that the park sits on a huge hill. You take 3 or 4 elevators down to part of the park where Jurassic Park ride was at. Anyway, below are some pictures and a video (if I can get that to work)

After the Jurassic Park ride

The flood on the Studio Tour

Rylee and Jarret overlooking the city

Waterworld show. The guy falling is on fire.

Below is a video I took with our camera. It may take a little for it to load.

To hear the days events from Rylee and Jarret, click below.

Day 4

First day at Disneyland

We had our first day at Disneyland! We started on the Dumbo ride with Jeff, Kari, Noah and Ivy. They did great and had fun. After that we hit every ride in the Fantasyland area with the kids. It was really slow the first hour and we were able to see a lot of different things. After that, we had a snack and then did the Buzz Lightyear ride where you shoot at different targets with a lazer gun. After that was a ride on the Jungle Cruise.

We ended up splitting up a little after that. The little kid took a nap in their stroller (by the way, I think the stroller made it the whole day). Rylee, Jarret, Jill and I went to Pirates and the Haunted Mansion. We then had lunch and went over to California Adventure to ride Toy Story Mania.

We went on a couple of other rides at California Adventure then came back to Disneyland to take advantage of our Fast Passes for Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones. The Fast Passes work great and we felt a little guilty passing up all those people that were waiting in line.

We ended up coming home around 9:00 after a full day. We're tired and our feet hurt but it was a great day. Rylee and Jarret will hopefully record something tomorrow morning before we head off to Universal Studios.

To hear the the kids explain their first day at Disneyland. Click the link below.

Day 3

Arrived in Disneyland

We made it into Anaheim today after about a 9 hour drive. It was a pretty uneventful drive although we stopped at a little town called Ketterman (?) city to get some gas and some food. We were going to have lunch at In-and-Out Burgers for the first time. However, it was packed like you wouldn't believe. There were actual tour buses that had dropped off groups of people. We'll decided to skip it and went down the road another 30 miles to pick up some food.





We had an issue with Jeff and Kari's stroller. Somehow the piece that holds on the back wheel fell off and so did the wheel. We found the piece and put it back on but it fell off again. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.



We ran across the Oscar Mayer hot dog mobile at another hotel by ours. The kids got their picture taken by it.




Here's a picture of the kids at dinner time.

For a description of the day from the kids, click the link below.

Day 2

Disneyland / Grand Canyon Adventure

Well we got off on our trip almost on time....we left about 5:10 AM and arrived in Corning CA about 6:00 PM. Not much happened today because we were in the car all day. We only made a couple of wrong turns and Lola, our GPS navagation copilot, only failed a couple of times. Once she tried to send us down a road that eventually would have gotten us where we wanted. The other time was when she got confused because of some new construction. All in all it went well. Both our kids and Ivy and Noah did well with the car ride. Click on the link below to hear the highlights of the first day.

Day 1