MY ROADTREK ADVENTURE

We've never been camping before but we bought an RV! This should be a fun adventure. Come along with us to experience our journey on a 6-week cross-country RV trip from NH to CA and back (and as many national parks as we can cram in)!

Here's what we bought... a 2018 ROADTREK ADVENTUROUS RS XL built on the 2017 Mercedes Benz Sprinter chassis. This model seems to the same as the "E-Trek".

We researched and reviewed the heck out of all the Class B units we could find and settled on Roadtrek for its reputation, 6 year warranty, and fierce loyalty from its customers. The CEO of the company even shows up on the message boards to give advice and guidance to existing and prospective customers. Additionally, they offered a completely propane-free experience with 400 watts of lithium ion battery power and solar panels to keep them charged. When needed, there's also the "volt start" system which engages the diesel engine to top off the batteries up to 5 times for 30 minutes each. There's a lot of technology on board and we decided to buy it a year before our trip so we could get familiar with its operation and make sure we understood what we were going to experience on the road.

The purchase process took some time - we kicked tires and researched on the Internet for months. We ordered our unit at the Hershey Park RV Show in September, 2017 - with a promised delivery date of December, 2017. We thought December would be great - usually before lots of snow in our parts. We made a plan to drive it to Washington D.C. during the February school break. Production was slower than expected, and when it hadn't been delivered by the end of December, we decided to see Frozen Niagara Falls in January (without the RV) instead of our D.C. trip. We drove through a crazy snowstorm - but that's largely irrelevant. It was while we were driving to Niagara that we were informed that the RV would be delivered to the dealer in PA by the end of the month - and they wanted their money ASAP. They wanted us to pay in full before we took delivery. We were steadfast that that was not going to happen and they agreed they could wait until we picked the unit up in March - after we'd had a chance to clean up several feet of snow and make a space for the van. Attempts at getting it delivered to a dealer closer to us or delivered directly to our house were unsuccessful.

In mid-March we picked up the RV after it had been "thoroughly inspected and prepped for delivery". Quoting coach Labue "there's no way in a month of Mondays" that the dealer performed any of the checks they claimed to have done. Suffice it to say, we had some initial delivery quality issues. The dealer was 100% ineffective in helping with these issues, even reiterating how they had checked all the systems before delivery.

No problem - we have a full warranty and a certified Roadtrek dealer less than an hour from our house so we'll drive it home and get it in to the dealer for some quick remediation. Long story short, that didn't work out - RVs aren't like cars, and dealers completely deprioritize you (or refuse to work with you at all) if you didn't buy the unit from them. Ultimately we opted to have the unit delivered on a flat-bed back to the factory in Canada.

Roadtrek was awesome in this regard - they happily paid to have it transported and gave us the option to flat-bed it back to our house or to pick up the travel expenses for us to fly to the factory and drive it home.

Truth be told this process took some time - several weeks of anxiety, in fact. We began to question our choice. But in the end they stood behind their word and took care of the issues (mostly) and reimbursed us for all expenses. They even extended the warranty for 3 months.

We drove the unit back home on a Thursday night and Saturday morning we packed it up and spent a weekend in Augusta, ME. Everything worked properly and fun was had by all. The batteries lasted all night with the TV, overhead fan, and refrigerator running.

Over the spring and summer of 2018 we went to Mt. Ascutney State Park in VT, Acadia National Park in ME, Long Lake in ME and Cape Cod, MA. As luck would have it, we cracked the windshield in Acadia which led to another whole fiasco resulting from a leak after the glass was replaced. This kept the RV out of commission for another couple of weeks as we dealt with that situation, effectively ending our 2018 camping season.

We also discovered while in Acadia that 4 nights in the RV was about the limit before we started getting on each others' nerves. Honestly, we probably should have opted for a B+ van for our family of four, but none of them were as sturdy as the Roadtrek or had the features we wanted. It was very important to us that we have no slideouts, and we did not want a fiberglass body. Also, Roadtrek offered the best tech and, by far, the best warranty.

Another discovery in Acadia, and then confirmed while on the Cape, that our bike rack (while awesome and sturdy) is kind of a pain in the neck. We started looking at better storage and sleeping options. The bike rack is serviceable, if inconvenient, and a small tent for one of the kids works OK, but we wanted something a little more rugged and secure to solve both problems. Lo and behold we stumbled upon the Hitch Hotel. It's a locking storage box that holds 3 full-sized bikes and other gear, but it also opens up and has a large fold-up mattress inside.

Perfect! Like it was made for us! We got in on the ground floor with Hitch Hotel - investing in their Kickstarter campaign. We are one of their first 30 investors. They have customized our hitch to not interfere with the Sprinter doors, and there are some other upgrades we're excited about.

Clark W. Griswold's got nothin' on us - we're loadin' up the van and heading to a cross-country Road Trek adventure. Stay tuned for more details, pictures, videos, and commentary on how the Roadtrek Adventurous holds up.

Oh, and here's what we have on the agenda:

Here's the Road Trek Adventure Map

Due to circumstances beyond my control the original blog functionality was removed - see galleries of all the pictures here:

We are full-on into the planning stages of our trip. Since we are traveling on a super tight schedule, in the summer, to some of the most popular National Parks, we are reserving campsites ahead of time. There are pros and cons to this approach - Pro - You know where you are going to be on any given day. Con - There's not a lot of wiggle room. Given our situation, it seems like the way to go.

We're also reevaluating our sleeping arrangements - as in the RV couch/bed is kind of a nightmare on the back - so we're adding memory foam mattress toppers to make it more tolerable. And now that we've lived with it for a while, we're spending some time reorganizing the van for maximum efficiency.

You make some plans for a trip. That trip is a dream - it's theoretical at best! It's a puzzle and fun to map out. You're having so much fun! You have a plan. And then the company that made your RV and its amazing warranty goes out of business and a spectacular blaze of misery. But your RV has been triple checked and all systems are in working order. Point of annoyance, but you work through it and keep planning.

And then suddenly, the trip is three weeks away, and then two, and then 11 days, and it's real. So, so real. Your sleeping solution has no ETA and your van suddenly no longer has a warranty.The pieces you placed on the theoretical map have been jiggled around like Monopoly houses, and you realize that this is it! Two choices: Dig in or Bail.

We decided to dig-in. As explained in the last post, our sleeping solution/extra storage for the boys has fallen through. Plan B - an inflatable bed is in the works - but there may be a shipping issue. If we can't get it in time - Plan C will be figured out. No matter what- we're off on June 20th (or the 21st).

Our checklist has been checked - with only a few items left to put in the van.

We got a smaller cooler to account for the loss of the Hitch Hotel and found a storage solution for the boys' RC cars, so we're back on track.

Last minute details include closing out my classroom, Steve handing over his projects to a co-worker, getting the oil changed in the van, hoping the ipad I ordered arrives on time, creating an epic playlist, and grocery shopping (being careful not to buy anything that can't cross into Canada).

Nerves abound. We cannot believe this trip is actually about to happen!!!

We managed to successfully make it out of New Hampshire, leaving the house with freshly-made beds, no dirty laundry, and clean dishes.

It was a rainy drive and the original plan was to go as far as about Albany, but we decided to go further and made it as far Green Lakes State Park in Fayettville, NY. And not for nothing, the Empire State does state park camping right! We walked in with no reservation, got a paved spot with full hook-ups and the facilities are pristine. After some mac & cheese, and driving Simon's RC truck around just enough to make the dogs bark, we're all settled in for the night. And while getting out the pj's, my suspicion was confirmed - I packed way too much clothing for everyone and it will be a challenge to manage that. Oh well, better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it.

It's 10:45pm and all of a sudden we hear water running - lots of water. It's not raining. I wake Steven up to ask what the noise is - but it's A LOT of water. I pull my laptop off of the sink cover - and it is overflowing!!! Somehow when we closed the lid the water got turned on and it had finally filled up the tank. A few minutes of panic, soaking wet towels, and a quick trip to the dump lines and problem solved. Good news, we heard it quickly, no one peed the bed - and we were able to drain the tank easily.

Well, it was a long drive, but we made it to Niagara Falls. We spent a bit of time at the State Park - which has been significantly built up since we were last here in 2005. Our campground is in Canada - Niagara Falls KOA. It is a KOA Holiday, which means it's a little nicer than a regular KOA. There is a bounce pad, a heated pool, and tractor rides. In the land of SMALL WORLDS - we saw a family from Portsmouth - one of the kids in the boys' Scout Troop and his family is on their way to Montana for a wedding. We may see them again.…

It was a long day on the road, but we drove from Niagara Falls, Ontario west to Michigan and re-entered the U.S. there. The customs agent was very nice and actually almost giggled when we said we were - all 4 of us - sleeping in the van all the way to California. We drove through Michigan - with a strategic stop in Kalamazoo - then into Indiana and finally Illinois.

We saw 4 of the Great Lakes - Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan, and made it to Chicago, parking in the McCormick Place truck marshaling yard. It's no-frills, but it is downtown and secure and Uber is just an app away. It was a beautiful night in the city. Chicago is a great walking city. We got there Saturday night and walked around Grant Park and Millenium Park and saw the Bean and Buckingham Fountain. We ate at the Weber Grill restaurant because when you're in Chicago, you eat beef. (Unless you're Simon and then you eat Mac and Cheese.) Here's hoping the weather holds for the Cubbies tomorrow!

Wrigley Field!!!!!! We got up early Sunday, cleaned up as best we could in the Marshaling Yard and made our way to Wrigleyville. It is amazing what a World Series win can do for a neighborhood. The last time we were here (in 2005), the ballpark was a little worn down - but lovable - and the neighborhood matched. It had charm like your favorite old baseball glove - a little frayed around the edges but it fits just right and it's just comfortable. Now they've torn down some of the old surrounding buildings and put up a new hotel and a little yard outside for pre-game fun. They've updated the concourse, and while I totally understand that you've got to update with the times, it's just not the same. That being said, we were TOTALLY psyched to be there!!

The boys were sporting their brand-new Cubs t-shirts and we stopped off before the game to get Simon a new hat, Callum a Javy Baez t-shirt, and a sticker for the van.. We also saw the trophy - the woman guarding it was sure to let us know that it's named Tiffany, because it was made by Tiffany & Co.

It was a GREAT game! The Cubs came back from behind off of a HR by Baez - his 100th career homer! So fun! And the boys got to run the bases at the end of the game - and I got to walk out on the field at home plate.

The skies opened up after the game! We Ubered back to the van and were on our way to an Rock Cut State Park for the night.

We spent the day Monday, the 24th driving through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. And we have questions. What is with the midwest and GINORMOUS stores that sell everything from baby clothes to tractors to fresh veggies? It is mind-boggling and amazing and I want a Meier in New Hampshire. It was a long day, with several stops in search of a small cargo platform for the back of the van - of course, Steven being Steven, we couldn't just buy the first one we saw because it wasn't exactly what he wanted, so it was sort of a boondoggle - and we, of course, ended up with one that with be "fine" but isn't perfect. (Darn Hitch Hotel people! That's what we had planned to use to keep the clutter down, but this will work out fine.) We stayed the night in a sweet little KOA in Jackson, MN and at least we got to eat custard!

Tuesday was another long day driving from Minnesota to South Dakota. We made it a little longer by indulging in a few roadside attractions. First was the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota and then the "Dignity" statue at a rest stop in South Dakota. I gotta say, the rest stops out here are NO JOKE! They are immaculately clean, the one with the Dignity statue was also staffed with a person welcoming you to South Dakota, and a whole Lewis and Clark exhibit. They also cater to RV's and long-haul truck drivers, with some offering dump stations and a few had clean water to refill tanks. We finally hit our first National Park by late afternoon. And the boys got their first Jr. Park Rangers booklets. We weren't there long enough to get the activities done (and the visitors center was closing), but we were told you can now complete the booklet and mail it in and it will be mailed back to you with a badge. Who knew?Badlands is a crazy place. It comes out of nowhere! The landscape is pretty flat grasslands - with almost no people - just cows and horses occasionally - and then all of a sudden you see these giant craters and rock formations. We learned that it is all volcanic rock, but it feels like rough sand when you touch it. The boys had fun climbing a bit and scrambling around on the rocks. We also saw our first wildlife you don't see in NH. There were mountain goats up on one rock formation and a whole herd of buffalo (bison) was hanging out at the entrance. What a breathtaking place!

Finally, we made it to Mount Rushmore. And if we were impressed by Badlands, coming around the corner and seeing the 4 presidents looking down at you was also amazing!

We spent the night at the Mt. Rushmore KOA, which is basically the Disneyland of campgrounds, with trail rides, rental ATV's, horseback rides, a water slide, splash pad, restaurants, a pool, and a rodeo ring. Insanity!!!

June 26 -

We spent the day at the Mt. Rushmore Monument. The boys earned their Jr. Ranger badges, and we walked the trails to see the sculptor's studio and learned about the carver, Borglum and all the equipment he, and later his son, used to carve the mountain. We also saw a ranger talk by a park ranger, Daryl Redcloud who is Lakota. He told the story of how Borglum tried to help the Native Americans during the sculpting process, and that it was partly through his efforts that basic medicine, food aid, and education was brought to the reservation at Wounded Knee. His grandfather was a Chief who went with Borglum to lobby for the Native Americans in Washington. It was very educational and a good reminder of how the people who lived on that land before us were treated.

On a lighter note, we had some ice cream at lunchtime near the state flags. They use the original recipe Thomas Jefferson brought back from France for their vanilla. It was good, but Callum's mint chip was better. We bought a recipe card and will make “TJ's” ice cream at home.

The afternoon was some kid fun time at the pool and water slide. Then we grilled up some chicken, microwaved some Bob Evans mac & cheese and fresh green beans, and headed back over to Mt. Rushmore to see the carvings lit up. It is a lovely ceremony with a Ranger talk about what each of the presidents on the mountain stands for, a singing of the National Anthem, and a flag folding ceremony with veterans and active-duty military.

We left Mt. Rushmore early, and made a few stops on our way to Devil's Tower. First, we went to the National Presidential Wax Museum. It was actually pretty well done, with great sets and a nice self-guided tour. The boys did the scavenger hunt they have and got a pin at the end for doing it.

We then stopped at Crazy Horse to see that monument (still under construction). It is a privately-funded memorial being carved by the family of the original sculptor. Korczak Ziolkowski, a sculptor from Boston who worked on Mt. Rushmore as an apprentice, but then spoke to a Native American chief and decided that it would be important to acknowledge their great leaders as well. Our tour guide on the short bus tour to see the bottom of the mountain was a very personable retired coal miner. He explained that the plan is for the sculpture to be completed, a museum/education center to be built and a university to be established on the site as well to train Native Americans to be doctors. There is a large museum and education center there now, and a small college opened in 2014. They estimate it will be 70 years before the whole plan is complete.

Our next stop was at Jewel Cave National Monument. We were only there long enough to explore the museum and for the boys to see a ranger program and earn their Jr. Ranger badges. The 1000's of bats in the cave were enough to keep us from taking the guided tour.

Finally, we made it to Devil's Tower! That's another weird, out of nowhere monument. You see it off in the distance and it looks like it was just dropped there. We learned that the tower is made of magma that was pushed up and had it made it to the surface would have become a volcano. And it didn't get taller, the soil eroded around it to reveal the Tower and the rest of the Black Hills. As we drove in and out of the monument, we saw a whole field of prairie dogs. So cute! Callum wants one for a pet. We walked around most of the tower, and the boys earned another Jr. Ranger badge. Our campground was at the entrance of the park, and it being Devil's Tower, they show “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” every night. You know we had to do that! But it would be a little late for the boys and a little scary, so we let them stay in the van and watch Harry Potter.

Off to Yellowstone - 8 HOURS IN THE CAR!!
Well, that was a long day! We travelled through Wyoming in and out of small towns. We saw random oil derricks and snow-capped mountains. The landscape in Wyoming is unreal! We're not sure how high the elevation was at all the mountain passes, but when we finally got to Yellowstone, we were at 7,774, so WAY up there - the Grand Tetons make Mt. Washington look puny!

We entered the park through Cody (after a quick stop at a ginormous Walmart for bear spray) and still had 90 minutes to go. This place is immense! We saw a few bison in a field, and then we had the iconic Yellowstone experience of a bison meandering down the road, holding up traffic. When he finally moved to the grass, he was so close we could have touched him. Steve saw an elk on the side of the road, but by the time we got to him he'd gone back into the woods. The glacial lake is giant and so blue it looks like it's been photoshopped. We smelled and saw some hot springs and steam vents - right next to the lake and in small fields. It reminds you quickly that this place is over a giant volcano. The evidence of the 1988 fire is still clear in the charred remains of trees for miles after the entrance, making the lush forest seem even more green in contrast.

Grant Campground, our home for the next four nights, is fairly centrally located in the southern half of the park. Of course, since this is bear country - with signs everywhere reminding you of that fact, we let Simon sleep out in the tent. There are a bunch of other tents around us, so he will be fine - any bears would get them first.

There are no shuttle buses here (probably due to Yellowstone's immense size) so we will be driving the van around the park. This is the most primitive campground we've been in so far. There are no hookups or showers in the campground. There is a bathroom with running water, so that's a plus. The shower and laundry facility is about a mile up the road, so we figure we'll just drive up there in the morning and head out. They also have a gas station near the ranger station, so we should be all set!

Yellowstone! Smelly geysers, bison, bears, waterfalls, gorges, and driving. Lots of driving. The park has a big loop road, similar to other National Parks, but this one takes hours and hours to drive. Since we have dinner reservations for the boys' birthdays at Grant Village Lakeside Restaurant for Sunday and the Yellowstone Lodge on Monday, we decided to explore those areas on the days we would be there anyway. Today was to be about the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Roosevelt Tower Fall area and Mammoth Hot Springs. We had planned to take the loop road all the way around, but we got disoriented when the GPS took us on a road through the center of the park. We still got to those places, but it took us a few extra hours of driving.

Due to the detour we ended up at Mammoth Hot Springs... but the place was packed and there was no room to park. Even trying to get out of the parking lot took some patience: high traffic jam.

The scenery is spectacular, and I can honestly say that the hot springs are the most amazing thing I have ever seen. The colors and the formations that the minerals leave behind are incredible!>

The Upper Falls and Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone were gorgeous! They are so wild, compared to Niagara Falls. They're also much narrower, but definitely just as powerful. Tower Fall was also beautiful but there is no good place to see it in its entirety.

We saw many, many bison, a black bear or possibly two, and a grizzly bear and her cubs. Simon won the prize when he saw the first (and only) elk, a doe who was lazily hanging out on one of the green patches in Mammoth. According to the Ranger, she's a regular.

We made a stop at the Roosevelt Lodge for some photos and got back to the campsite around 6:30. Callum had been wearing his cranky pants for some time before then, and Simon graciously offered to cook him some mac & cheese and then make himself some too. Steven and I grilled up some South Dakota IGA rib eyes, and were sure to follow all bear protocols, leaving no trace of our food behind.

We're making plans for tomorrow, and then it is bedtime after another long day of exploring!

The van's performing well. We're getting between 14 and 17 MPG depending on terrain. It's also holding up well. We've had a few small issues, but nothing too serious. First there was the flooding incident then we discovered some antifreeze lingering under the bed… still not clear on exactly how/when that happened but appears to be just overflow from the heatring system reservoir. We “tested” the carbon monoxide detector when the grill accidentally got turned on. When we came out of the grocery store we could hear beeping. We just needed to let it air out a bit. Then we found some more water pooled up in a couple drawers left over from the flood. One of the handles on the front seat is cracked after getting stuck in cargo pants pocket. The biggest issue really has been the headboard is cracked. With Roadtrek's demise we might need some custom woodwork to resolve that one. Maybe we'll find someone picks up a bunch of inventory at a Roadtrek auction. Overall, though, it's been solid. Super easy to set up camp and we haven't run out of battery power overnight. We even left the auxiliary air conditioning running when we've been out of the van and came back to a cool environment.

Nights in Yellowstone are relaxing - no TV coverage, no wi-fi, spotty cellular coverage, and no data service. The Roadtrek on-board battery system is great though, as we look around at other folks who have no electricity without their generators, we have all the comforts of home: lights, running hot and cold water, and heat if we want it. Overnight temperatures are in the mid-40s so it's pretty comfortable overall.

June 30 - Sunday
It's Simon's Birthday! Yay 10! We went to a Ranger program at the West Thumb Geyser Basin, where our Ranger was named Jane Clark, The boys completed their Jr. Ranger requirements and got their patches at the Fishing Bridge Ranger Station. The boys and I explored the area and went down to the beach at Yosemite Lake, where the sand is black and volcanic. I have only ever seen black sand in pictures of beaches in Hawaii, so this was very unique. Then Callum and Steven wanted to rest for a while, so Simon and I went to the General Store at Fishing Bridge so he could pick out his birthday present. We then went back to Grant Village and took an early day to do laundry and get organized. Good thing too, because the skies opened up while we were at the laundry building. All of the facilities at Yellowstone are fantastic. The campgrounds are primitive, with no hookups, but there are bathrooms strategically placed within each loop and a great, friendly-staffed shower and laundry building. (Which also still had snow drifts outside!) Camping at Yellowstone is much more convenient than I imagined it would be. We had a birthday dinner at the Lake House restaurant, where after mentioning that it was his birthday, our amazing waiter brought out Simon's dessert with birthday candles. Then Steven and Callum watched the Lego Batman Movie in the van while Simon and I went to the 9:30 Ranger program on the night sky. We walked down to the amphitheater and were greeted by a very friendly Ranger who pointed out a doe elk in the woods by the lake. She posed for a few pictures. Then the Ranger asked if Simon could help build and tend the fire, and since he had earned his fire building badge in Webelos this year, he was very prepared for the job. The Ranger introduced him to the group, and they applauded him. It was a great 10th birthday for Simon.

July 1 - Monday
Callum's birthday! And our last full-day in the park. We started off at the General Store Grill for some morning flapjacks with a birthday candle and one of the nice Grandmas who staffs the grill announced Callum's birthday. We then crossed the Continental Divide on our way to Old Faithful. We went into the Education Center and watched the film about the geothermal features in Yellowstone (50% of the world's geothermal features are within the Park). And then we watched Old Faithful erupt. It was much quieter than you would expect for such a great force of water. We drove up to Fairy Falls and Grand Prismatic Pool and its surrounding geysers. The traffic was CRAZY!! This is definitely the most popular area of the park, but it is obvious why. The Geyser Basin is spectacular with hundreds of pools and fumeroles (steam vents) and geysers that erupt at different times of the day. We walked around the basin and saw Grand Prismatic Pool, which is the pool you see in all the postcards. Then we hiked up to Fairy Falls to see it from above. The view was great, and we didn't worry much about bear attacks because there were so many people around. We then went back to Old Faithful and saw it erupt again Callum did the Jr. Ranger Olympics, and then we took a break for some ice cream at the General Store (with every other person in the park) - it even came in little plastic Ranger Hats, like you get at ballparks. Outside, Steven made friends with a family in an adventure van, and then Simon and I saw them later on our hike around the Old Faithful geyser area. We hiked 3 ½ miles up to the other geysers - and got to see Daisy Geyser erupt. We didn't know it was Daisy geyser, but the Ranger at the Education Center helped us figure it out, based on its location and our description of the eruption. While we hiked, Callum and Steve took another break in the van. Callum rested, and Steve swept and vacuumed. We met them at the Old Faithful Inn for dinner. We had reservations at 7:45, but got there early, and thank goodness we did! That building is SPECTACULAR, built out of all logs with a tremendous stone fireplace in the middle. We climbed up to some of the balconies to look around and it was even better. After dinner in the grand dining room, we saw Old Faithful erupt again, only this time almost no one was around. And when we looked to the left, another two geysers were erupting at the same time. SO amazing! We headed back over the Continental Divide for our last evening in Yellowstone, and were lucky enough to see our first male Elk with a full rack of horns on our way.

July 2 - Tuesday
Hey! It's Simon here! Today we left Yellowstone N.P. and we arrived in Craters of the Moon. We drove forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, an- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Whoops! Almost fell asleep thinking about it. Halfway through our drive we stopped at a roadside museum called the EBR-1 atomic museum, the first building where they got a nuclear reactor to work. It was right next to a restricted area of the Idaho National Lan. So yeah. Warm and fuzzy vibes. Anywho, when we got to Craters of the Moon we walked around a ½ mile loop trail and earned our Junior Ranger badges, but instead of saying junior ranger, they said Lunar Ranger. When we got to the KOA (Kampground of America) we put our bathing suits on we jumped right in to the pool. We got out after 30 minutes and ate and had ice cream and then jumped right back in for another 45 minutes. I write this from my inflatable mattress in my sleeping bag. Bye!

July 3 - Wednesday
We drove and drove and drove. We left Craters of the Moon in Idaho around 9:30 AM (free waffles started at 9:00). We have two days to get to Redwood National Park (and State Park) so the goal was to get as far as possible to minimize driving on the 4th and maximize our time in the park. We stopped in Boise for lunch and to replace a pair of broken Birkenstocks (grrr…) and then we stopped again at dinner time in Burns, Oregon for pizza - which is not like east coast pizza. We were surprised at the landscape of Oregon. We expected tall pine trees and lush forests, and what we saw was a lot of volcanic tundra and high desert. It was pretty, just not in the way we imagined. The boys fell asleep in their seats, and then around 11:00 local time we decided to get gas and, not knowing how rural the roads ahead would be, we stayed the night in a Walmart parking lot in Klamath Falls, which wasn't bad except for the guys in the RV next to us screaming at each other in the middle of the night.

July 4 - Thursday
Hi. It's me Simon again. We are officially 2 weeks into our trip! We stocked up on milk and other necessities at the Walmart and headed out early. We drove again for a not so long time (thank god) and we got to our campsite at around noon. We stopped to get our Junior Ranger booklets but (luckily enough) we saw a ranger led walk starting to go as soon as we got there. We grabbed our booklets quick and did the walk. That got us about ¾ of the way to Big Tree (they call it that because it's ginormous silly). The hike was beautiful except for the fact that Callum had to go to the bathroom and he had to get back to the van very quickly.

July 5 - Friday
We got up early today and went to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove to explore around that area. It was beautiful, with lots of trees with fire damage that you could walk into and climb around. The trees were spectacular and it was very easy to see how this forest was used as Endor and imagine Ewoks climbing all around. (NERRRDDD Alert!!) The boys really loved climbing up and down around the forest. We had sandwiches in the van and headed a little bit North to the beach in Klamath to look for whales. We didn't see any whales or sea lions, but we did dip our toes in the Pacific. The sand was black and white (volcanic) and it was super warm even on a cool day. But the water was super cold! But that didn't stop the boys from playing in the surf for an hour! We hosed them off with the outside shower and headed back to the campsite for some frisbee, a pick-up game of soccer with some other camp kids and looking for elk that never appeared. We cooked dinner, waited in line for showers and settled in for a little bit of Harry Potter on DVD.

July 6 - Saturday
We left Redwoods - Elk Prairie State Park campground and we almost didn't see any elk. But then on our way our Steven eagle-eyed some little baby elk across the street. We looked at them for a while and then headed down the scenic drive to the 101 freeway. We were surprised how rural the coast of California is, and how the “freeway” is often a 2-lane mountain road. We stopped for lunch at a Jack in the Box (yuck!) and made it across the Golden Gate Bridge after about 4 ½ hours. The RV park is actually in Pacifica, right on the water but without ocean access. It's little more than a parking lot with hook-ups, but it will definitely get the job done. The Piers were just an Uber ride away. We headed down to the waterfront and discovered that the Giants were in town. We walked back up to the stadium - and saw a sea lion on the way. A stop at the ticket window later, and we were at a baseball game - rooting for the Giants because they were playing St. Louis. It's a late night, but a fun one!

July 7 - Sunday
Thank you to everyone who has been commenting on the blog! We love hearing from you, and as soon as I can figure out how to respond, I will! In the meantime, thanks again and keep 'em coming! :-) San Francisco here we come! On recommendation from a friend (Al Mag), we checked out the Exploratorium at the Piers. It is sincerely the coolest hands-on science museum we have been to. It is a huge space (a whole pier). The piers here are giant warehouses right on the bay. One is for the NPS to go to Alcatraz (which we decided to skip, but the boys will do the Jr. Ranger program online), and several house giant parking lots or businesses. It's pretty amazing. The only thing I can compare them to is an airplane hangar. Anyway - there are a million hands-on activities split into sections like light and sound, animals, tinker space, physics, water, tides, camera obscura, and art. The boys ran around like maniacs doing as many activities as they could, including making a drawing robot. It is a very cool place! Once we were done there we wandered down toward Ghiradelli square to see the streetcars and WWII ships and Tall Ships. We intended to walk up to Chinatown for dinner, but WOAH - San Francisco is just as hilly as legend tells. Callum said his feet were tired and none of us really had the energy to keep climbing. So after checking out the menus for 5 or 6 Chinese restaurants, the boys asked if we could head back down to Ghiradelli Square, so we did. We ate dinner, got some ice cream at the Ghiradelli store, and Ubered back to the RV park. Our Uber driver generously agreed to take us down Lombard Street which was lovely of him and made Simon's day. We got back to the RV and the boys watched the rest of the Harry Potter as I did some necessary reorganizing! It is hard to believe that we are 2 ½ weeks into the trip and how much we've done. We're definitely tired, but still having fun. (And I am down to only 50% of the time wishing the RV was bigger.) ;-)

July 8 - Monday
We left San Francisco for Yosemite after stopping for provisions at the local Safeway. Conveniently, there was a Starbucks inside, so Steven could get his Venti Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino with extra-extra caramel for the road (so, a giant cup of sugar and caffeine). It was about five hours of driving to get to Yosemite and thank goodness for that bathroom in the van, because there were not too many places to stop when one of the cherubs had to go to the bathroom immediately if not sooner.

Entering the park, we saw the devastation of the fires from last year all along the winding roads of the pass. The entrance we came through had just been reopened after snow a few weeks ago. And again, as much as I keep wanting more space in the van, I cannot imagine driving on those mountain roads in a huge RV.

It is super competitive to get a campsite at Yosemite and even though I tried on the day they opened up, I couldn't get in. And I tried repeatedly for days, at every campground, with no luck. So, we stayed in Half-Dome Village in a tent cabin - which is a canvas tent with a wooden frame. It had all the comforts of home: 3 beds, one outlet, and a single lightbulb for light. It also had a cool bear box outside for all of our toiletries and a super amount of privacy with our closest neighbor being 3 whole feet away. The bathrooms were fairly close, but also in dire need of refurbishment.

All those things aside, the location was central, and there was food and a park shuttle available close by. And the view was stunning. We were right below Half Dome in the Valley with views of at least three waterfalls. Amazing!!

Our first half day there we took the shuttle to the Happy Isles Nature Center and hiked up to a waterfall. We got most of the way up and saw the falls, but it was getting late and the boys did not feel up to the 660 steps to the top, so we turned around and went back for pizza.

July 9 - Tuesday
This was our first full day in the park. We got breakfast in the cafeteria and headed out the van for our camelbacks and snacks for the day. We drove out to the Mariposa Grove and went on a Ranger hike to see the Giant Sequoias. She talked about fire in the park and managing the grove, and the history of the protection of the Sequoia trees. We learned that is was a man named Galen Clark who came to California for the Gold Rush but got ill and moved to the mountains to die (he recovered) who first put value in the trees. They have no commercial value since they crumble when they fall. But he saw the beauty in the trees and eventually gathered support and got California's representatives to sponsor a bill that Lincoln signed in 1864 protecting the Giant Sequoias in Mariposa Grove. (Our theory is that Lincoln was happy to sign anything that was not war related - but YAY Trees!!) We left the grove and went out to Wawona to get the boys sworn in as Junior Rangers. Callum also got a fantastic Ranger hat to wear around the park. We had planned to do a hike in a meadow to see an old homesteader's cabin, but on recommendation of the Ranger who swore the boys in, we went up Glacier Road to hike Sentinel Dome. It was a 2-hour intermediate level hike. Steven took a nap in the van, but the boys and I were rewarded with a 360 degree view of the park. Spectacular!!! After that, it was time to get back to camp and eat dinner and celebrate our victory with ice cream!! Steven woke up to drive us back.

**More photos to come later when we get better wifi!**

July 10 - Wednesday
We had dinner reservations at the Yosemite Lodge beneath the Yosemite Falls, so we stayed in the Valley for the day, using the free shuttle for transportation and giving Steven a break from driving. We ate breakfast, stopped in the van to refill our water bottles and make sandwiches for lunch. After a few stops and a transfer to a different shuttle, our first stop was El Capitan. We did not climb it, nor did we see anyone climbing it. And I cannot believe people do climb it. The face is sheer granite. Insane!!! We hiked around a bit and Callum ate some of his lunch. Then we hopped back on the shuttle to Yosemite Village. We hiked up the Lower Falls and saw people climbing out on the slippery rocks. I wondered where their mothers were, and told the boys that no, they would not be doing that. We all ate lunch here and then headed over to the museum and theatre to watch a short film about the park. We wandered in to the Lodge complex to find the restaurant and happened upon a Starbucks so we got a drink and headed back out. We saw a ranger with animal hides on the river at the Swinging Bridge and talked to her for a bit and the boys dipped their feet in the river. We went back to the Village, and let the boys pick out some souvenirs and then it was time for dinner. The Lodge is very pretty, but not as stately as the lodge at Yellowstone. After dinner we took the shuttle over to the Majestic Yosemite Hotel to check that out for dessert. They didn't have ice cream, but that building is magnificent. It is on the historic registry and the club rooms and the great hall are amazing! The grounds are also beautiful. Clearly, this is for the fancy folk. We hopped back on the shuttle and got ice cream with the rest of the commoners.

July 11 - Thursday
Sequoia! We left Yosemite relatively early and headed down to Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park but before we left Yosemite, we did the half-mile hike to the base of Bridalveil Falls. It was beautiful and I'm so glad we got there before we left the park. After that it was down the windy roads to the Freeway and off towards Fresno. We saw a few strip malls and an In-n-Out Burger and then it was back to farmland. We stopped in Exeter, CA at A&W for some lunch. They serve the root beer in frosty mugs. It's fantastic! Then, it was more mountain roads and switchbacks into the mountains. Good times. We stopped right at the first ranger station to get the boys' Junior Ranger booklets. We had been warned that there were prescribed burns near our campground, but it was a surprising amount of fire they had going. There were firefighters all around so it was clearly under control, but it was still a lot of fire. The hot shots firefighters all look like rock climbers or surfers. They were all tall and thin and wiry and most of them had beards and long-ish hair. Very California. But they all also looked very competent. We stopped at the General Sherman tree trail and the smoke was pretty thick. Up at the trailhead there was a Ranger and a firefighter there to answer questions about the fire. It was very interesting. We walked down to see the General Sherman tree. It is tremendous and definitely very impressive, but the Grizzly Giant tree we saw in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite had way more personality. We all decided that the Grizzly Giant is our favorite. We took the shuttle back up to the van (it was super hot) and moved on up the mountains to Lodgepole campground, our home for the next two nights. We got set up fairly quickly. There are no hook-ups, so it was just a matter of finding our spot. Simon set up his tent and we set about the task of reorganizing the van. We did some laundry and as I was cleaning things up and Callum was sitting outside, a Ranger came by and invited us to her talk about the fires at 8:30. So we grabbed a quick bite and headed up there. We got there a few minutes early, so Simon, who had finished his 8 Jr. Ranger exercises, got to get sworn in as a Jr. Ranger. Callum still has to finish a few activities, but then he can get sworn in too. We will brave the crowded showers in the morning and take the hike that the Ranger recommended.

July 12 - Friday
Today we got up early, showered, and on our way back from the showers there were two young deer right in our campsite! We got a few photos before they went off into the woods and then we made a hearty breakfast in the van. Our bellies and our Camelbacks full, we hopped on the shuttle to go to the Giant Forest Museum. Callum got sworn in as a Junior Ranger in front of Sentinel Tree and the crowd cheered as he took his oath. We then took a smaller shuttle to Crescent Meadow and Tharp's Log. The Ranger from the night program had recommended this hike and one other. This one was relatively flat but there were several very impressive Sequoias along the way. We got to Tharp's Log - which is a little cottage made out of the trunk of one Sequoia. It was very tight quarters but also very clever. We ran into some people from Portsmouth, RI which was fun. As we continued along the trail and Steven and I heard something that was suspiciously growly, so we walked faster back to the trailhead. We had a snack and caught the shuttle back to the museum so that we could catch a different shuttle to Moro's Rock, which is a giant granite rock you can take 350+ stairs to climb to the top. On our way down from the Meadow, we were the only ones on the shuttle and the driver slowed down to show us a deer just hanging out sitting at the base of a Sequoia by the “Drive-Through Tree” smaller cars can drive through. He also drove really slowly so that we could look for a bear and her two cubs he'd seen on the way up, but we couldn't find them. We caught the next bus to Moro's Rock. Callum wanted nothing to do with climbing all those stairs, so he and I hung out and took pictures with his tiny deer finger puppet. It only took Steven and Simon about 45 minutes to go up and back. They said the view was spectacular and they worked up a good appetite, so we went in search of lunch.

On the way back up to the Museum and then on the bigger shuttle back up to Lodgepole, we could see the “prescribed burn” and the smoke jumpers and firefighters all hanging around and monitoring the fires. The Park Service has sea green fire trucks, and they are now my favorite fire trucks ever!!! They look very friendly and they are surprisingly clean. We asked in the information center back at Lodgepole about the best place to grab some lunch and we were guided up to the Wuksachi Lodge. We hadn't seen this part of the park yet, so why not? Their dining room wasn't open between lunch and dinner, so we opted for pizza on the deck. It was a beautiful setting and fun to see a different area of the park.

We got back to the campsite and showered and got ice cream while we threw in one last load of laundry before leaving tomorrow. The boys have been dying to have a campfire and we were lucky enough that the people in our campsite before us had left some wood in the bear box. Lucky us! So Simon built the fire and he made popcorn and roasted marshmallows. Steve helped him manage his fire and it was a good opportunity to talk about fire safety. And while we were roasting the mallows, another deer hopped right through the campsite! Overall, it was a successful day!

When we got in to the park: SO. MANY. PEOPLE! It's hot. It's crowded. People are unaware of their surroundings. All the Disney staff has been consistently great. Food has been fine but mediocre. Some things are pretty fairly priced, but some are outrageous - to the point of gouging: we went to a quick-serve pizza joint and they wanted $42 for a pizza!

We got to Disneyland mid-afternoon and went to check-in to the hotel. We were a little nervous about parking since we didn't know what they had for our size vehicle but being 24-26 feet does have its advantages. Rather than take the van to an oversized lot they had us leave it right out front for our whole stay. So nice!

After we got our package and our paperwork the room wasn't quite ready, so we headed off to the park! We figured we could do a preview and then decide on a plan for the next 3 days. You have to walk through Downtown Disney to get to the parks. Downtown Disney is a bunch of restaurants and shops, some Disney themed and some not. And this is where you get your bag checked. The security people here are very serious about their job and they actually look in the back and ask people to open little pouches and every pocket in backpacks. It was interesting, but it did make us feel pretty safe. Getting checked here also makes it faster when you finally do get to the gates of the park. Upon your first entry they take your photo to make sure it's you using your ticket each time you enter the park.

We walked in on Main Street and saw the Lincoln exhibit and the 1900's street and Walt's apartment over the fire station. There are still horse-drawn carriages and fire truck rides and a steam train around the park. It's very nostalgic. We headed towards Tomorrowland for some rides. A lot of the Star Wars stuff is there. They have rebranded “Space Mountain” as “Hyperspace Mountain” and the inside video is now a Star Wars battle. There is a ride called “Star Tours” on which you travel in the Star Wars universe and there is a place to meet Darth Vader and see a lot of set pieces - kind of like a museum. This is NOT Galaxy's Edge. We didn't even make it there day 1.

We rode a few rides, had a Mickey pretzel, and walked over toward Frontierland - riding the Matterhorn on the way. Once there we rode on the Thunder Mountain Railroad and wandered around some. It is a pretty overwhelming place.

It was recommended that we make our way back to Main Street for the fireworks. We were iffy, thinking we could get some rides in while the lines were short, but we listened and went to Main Street. So worth it! The fireworks are amazing! We actually made it to midnight and closed out the park. Exhausted, we hoofed it back to the hotel and prepared for the next day.

July 14 - Sunday
We went to California Adventure. This is where Cars Land and the Pixar Pier are. We had early Magic Hour to the park, but we didn't quite make it at 7 since we had booked a character breakfast at the hotel. We saw Donald, Minnie, and all their friends and the boys were sung to for their birthdays - complete with a cupcake and candle at 8:00 AM. We went straight to Cars Land and it was insane! We were IN Radiator Springs. The cars appeared occasionally on the street and you could get pictures with Mater and Lightning McQueen. We rode the Radiator Racers and all the Cars rides and then we headed over to Pixar Pier. Simon and I rode the Incredicoaster - which is a super smooth roller coaster and has a cute storyline from “Incredibles 2”. Edna loses Jack-Jack and everyone is trying to catch him for the ride. Fun! I think I rode it 4 times and Simon got on at least 6. We bought the Maxpass for the day so we could get on rides faster, but we also took advantage of the single-rider option and were able to ride a lot of rides faster. We were all hot and exhausted by this point, so after riding all the rides on Pixar Pier and Cars Land, we headed over to Grizzly Peak for the rafting ride. It was a nice way to cool off! We rode once, and the boys probably rode it 10 times!

California Adventure has a water show at night instead of fireworks. It was a pretty impressive show - choreographed to scenes from all of the movies with water in them. Nemo, Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, etc… very cool! And since this park closes at 10:00, a relatively early night, so that was great!

July 15 - Monday
Back to Disneyland and off to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. We ran over to Star Wars Land as soon as we got in the doors. This place is INSANE!!!! It looks like the movie set. It's a Jakuu outpost. We got in the 80-minute line (no Fast Pass here) to fly the Millennium Falcon. The line did move surprisingly fast and we were on the ride way sooner than expected. When we got to the front of the line, (finally) we were handed white “job credentials” and we walked to a room that looked like the main room in the Millennium Falcon. There were three jobs on the credentials. My dad and I got gunner, my mom and Callum got pilot, and two other people got engineer. After that we looked around for something to drink/eat. We got chocolate milks at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo. Then we saw what other attractions were around and we saw that you could build your own lightsabers at Savi's workshop for the low low price of 200 dollars! So no. but right next to it was Droid Depot where you build your own droid for 100 dollars. So we built our own RC droids and sent them back to the hotel room. Then we got funny looking Cokes, walked around for a bit and went to Tommorowland. We went on Astro Blasters. We rode more rides, watched the fireworks and went back to the hotel.

July 16 - Tuesday
We had Magic Hour early admission to Disneyland so we booked it over there as early as we could (but since the children are pokey, not as early as we wanted). The idea was to get on the Millennium Falcon before the line got too long, but of course 3,000 of our closest friends had the same idea. They corral you in to one spot and then there is only one way to get into that section of the park so that they can keep the line orderly. Of course as soon as they allowed people into the area grown adults ran like maniacs to get in early. Simon ran ahead and got in line and then Callum tried to catch up. We got there and Simon was way close to the front of the line and Callum was snaking his way up to his brother. We told the cast member at the entrance that we had been separated from our kids and they she let us go up the single rider line to meet the boys. Meanwhile we were calling and texting the boys on their watches. We were on the ride within 20 minutes! We explored the area a bit more and saw more cool details and then let the boys go back on the single rider line and they got to ride again before we went to other areas of the park. Fantasyland was fun just for nostalgia with Mr. Toad and Alice in Wonderland and It's a Small World, but I think that the boys' favorite ride areas were Tomorrowland and Frontierland. Overall it was an exhausting but fun stop!
Off to Vegas!

July 17 - Wednesday

Vegas, Baby! Of course, we got a later start than we wanted because everyone was exhausted. We indulged in the breakfast buffet and headed out of Cali. At first we were on the freeways. We made the obligatory stop at In-n-Out Burger for Steven to get a double-double. (The boys ate from the Chipotle next door.) We were near Barstow so we made a detour to Route 66 and then took a smaller road (Cal 40) through the Mojave Reserve. We stopped at the Ranger Station at Kelso Depot to get the boys some Junior Ranger booklets, but it's closed Tuesday and Wednesday so we will download it and mail it in. Kelso Depot is in the middle of nowhere! There are 5 train lines and a visitor center and that's pretty much it. And it's the Mojave, so it's fire hot. We kept going and eventually passed the NPS Tortoise Research Center - which is surrounded by razor wire fencing - so I wonder what those tortoises are up to! Eventually we made it to the random outpost casinos and the Vegas strip. Checking in to Circus Circus was mayhem! The line was crazy long. The desk clerks were all busy and polite, but it took a while. We had promised the boys water slide time and we squeeked in just under the wire with 15 minutes before it closed. They got one run down the slide and then an hour in the pool. After that we found our room (which was a whole other thing since this place is tremendous). We couldn't gamble with the kids around, so we went to a place called Peppermill for dinner. It was like a 50's diner with huge portions and great service. Then it was bedtime! We'll drive the Strip in the morning and then brave the 104 degree heat - it's a dry heat - to go see Hoover Dam.

July 18 - Thursday

Well, we are 4 weeks into the trip and the boys are starting to talk about locking themselves in their rooms when we get home for some alone time. And it has been a lot of togetherness, but also fabulous.

We left Las Vegas this morning to visit the Hoover Dam. You have to go through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area to get there, so we stopped in a cute little town and picked up Junior Ranger booklets at the Visitors Center. Once we got to Hoover Dam there were a lot of dam dad jokes all day. Like, “it's too dam hot to visit the dam”. “Take as many dam photos as you would like”, and “I can do this all dam day”. And it was SUPER hot. Like 109 degrees hot. Like, all the employees keep telling you to drink water hot. And we had to park way up and then walk ½ a mile to the tour area. So, that was fun. The dam itself is pretty impressive, but more impressive than the dam are the cool Art Deco details all along the dam. There is a ticket booth on the dam for tours and it's all surrounded by brass. And the doors to the restrooms along the dam are brass, with brass signs outside the restrooms. There are sculptures to the men who worked on the dam decorating the plaza at the top and more brass details when you enter the visitors center. You don't see that kind of workmanship much anymore. We took the power plant tour which was interesting, and cooler - a constant 70 degrees below the mountain.

The boys had a snack and finished their Junior Ranger activities and they were off to be sworn in! The volunteer Ranger held them to task and made sure the boys actually knew what they were talking about before swearing them in. After that, we had to backtrack through Vegas to get to Zion. We stopped for groceries at an Albertson's and we were on our way.

The scenery is crazy! The red rocks and jagged cliffs and mini canyons come out of nowhere and the Joshua Trees were very cool to see in real life. We drove through the desert in Nevada, cut the corner of Arizona, and finally made it to Utah and the Zion Valley area. The dam Dam tour took longer than expected, so we didn't get to see the park today which is actually OK since this is an extra day we hadn't planned on having in the park. We had a late dinner and then went about organizing the van which took a while. Getting out of the hotels at Disney and Vegas was like coming home after vacation with laundry and accumulated stuff. Only home is less than 100 square feet, and you still have to get everything washed and put away. It has certainly been a challenge to stay organized, but that's just part of the experience.

July 19 - Friday -

Well, it's still freakin' hot. Like fry an egg on the sidewalk hot. It's 105 in the shade and our new campground has no showers. The Watchman Campground is right next to the entrance to the park and actually has the nicest and most spacious sites we've had in a National Park campground. There is electric which is necessary to run the A/C all day - and you have to do that, otherwise the fridge can't keep up with the heat. We can shower in the van if we are strategic about it, and there is a water and dump station right around the corner if we need to use it. We do also have some shade at our site. And, we're right next to the Virgin River. There is swimming and tubing allowed in the river, so the boys can rinse the sweat off there.

We pulled in at 10:30 and were lucky enough that the people in our spot before us were leaving, so we were able to pull in right away. We plugged in, got our gallons of water and snacks together and headed up to the Visitors Center to get Jr. Ranger booklets and catch the shuttle to the Lower Emerald Pool trail, which is a 1.2 mile trail up to see one of the only continuously flowing waterfalls in the park. It's not a rushing waterfall like in Yosemite, but rather more like a continuous shower. It was the kind of hike that would have been no problem at all at 20 degrees cooler, but we went much more slowly than we normally would have.

We came back down the trail and hung out on the lawn of the Zion Lodge in the shade of a huge Cottonwood tree. There is also a little restaurant and ice cream stand there, so we had some ice cream to cool down. After that we took the shuttle around the rest of its circle and went to their museum. It has some cool fossils and exhibits about the pioneers and the Native American use of the land over time. It is also where they show their orientation video. Callum and Steven left before the movie to go back to the campsite. Simon and I stayed for the film. He wanted to walk back but I convinced him that the shuttle was a much better idea.

Once we all got back to the van and had another snack, the boys got their suits on and we headed to the river. The water was refreshingly cool but not freezing cold. They played for an hour or two while we watched and dipped our feet. We also got to watch the fish and tadpoles and little lizards around the river.

After that it was time for homemade pizza on the grill. We'd gotten premade dough at Albertson's, and after so many burgers and dogs it was good to eat something different. It was a pretty typical dinner until a doe Mule Deer decided to wander over and hang out next to our campsite. She was chomping away on leaves and all but we were pretty sure she smelled our food, so after a few minutes we got up to start cleaning up our dinner. She didn't even run away. She just wandered into the brush next to the campsite behind us.

We went to the evening Ranger program to complete the boys' Junior Ranger requirements and get them sworn in. There was another deer at the amphitheater! We got there a little early and the Ranger told us all about her postings at the different parks around the country and how to become a full-time Park Ranger. She also told us about a few different distance learning programs that the Park Service runs which might be useful to me at school or fun for the boys to do. After the evening program it was bedtime! We have one more day to explore Zion. We hope to get an earlier start tomorrow to beat the heat and see more.

July 20 - Saturday

We managed to get up a little earlier, and since there are no showers here, only I showered in the van. The boys had been in the river and Steven doesn't think he stinks. We had some breakfast and headed up to the shuttle bus. We were later than we had hoped and had to wat for a few shuttles to go by. Once we got a spot on the shuttle, we went all the way to the end of the shuttle run and got out to walk the Riverside Walk in the “Temple of Sinawava” which leads to the “Narrows Trail”. It was an easy walk along the river with lots of shade and some hanging gardens. It was super crowded, probably mostly due to people hoping to enter the Narrows which is a hike through the river upstream and in the caverns. It is chest deep at points, so it was not an option for us. It took almost two hours - mostly because it was crowded, and the boys had to stop and play in the water. We rode the shuttle back to the “Grotto Trail”. This is a half-mile trail that leads back to the lodge. We got to the lodge and had some ice cream to cool off. Then it was back on the shuttle bus to the campsite for the boys to swim in the river some more.

We took some time after the swimming to get the van reorganized and vacuumed out and then it was dinner time. We grilled some fresh corn on the cob and pork chops. We didn't have any apple sauce, so we sliced and grilled some apple rounds too. We also had some Bob Evans mac and cheese. Once the dinner dishes were cleaned up and we finished getting the van organized, Simon and I went back up to the shuttle to ride to a couple more easy trails. First was a quick 150 foot climb to a scenic overlook to see the Sentinel Towers. Then we hurried down to catch a shuttle back one stop so we could do the Pa'Yu Trail back to our campsite. The idea was to catch the sunset reflection on the rocks. We saw some turkeys and some mule deer bucks with antlers on our way back. Then it was bedtime for sure! Off to Canyonlands tomorrow!

July 21 - Sunday
We left Zion for Bryce Canyon early-ish with a stop for breakfast sandwiches in Springdale at a place called Hoodoos. We had stopped there the first morning and the sandwiches were surprisingly good! The place was seriously about 100 yards away from the park entrance. Then it was back through the park on the scenic highway to Bryce Canyon. Google maps had us circumventing the parks, but I had read driving through them was the better choice as far as scenery goes. And boy was that true! We saw parts of Zion that were not on the shuttle route and got to travel through the tunnel, completed in 1930. There is a Ranger standing on each side of the tunnel to make sure the vehicles will fit. We were all set, but tour buses and bigger RV's need to get an escort. They make the tunnel one-way and the larger vehicles travel down the center of the tunnel. If you're too big to make it, the fee is $!5 and there are other restrictions. Thank goodness we didn't have to deal with that. After leaving the park the landscape changed dramatically to farmland and open fields. It is so strange how quick the transition is. And then an hour or so later, Bryce Canyon opens up and you see the brightly colored layers of rock and skinny hoodoos and everything has a red-ish glow. We checked into the RV park. Ruby's - with 500 of our closest friends. They definitely have the run of the town and are its chief vendors. They own everything from an old West town full of shops and snack shacks to the only hotel in town to the helicopter tours to the horse stable. Quite the little monopoly Ruby's got going here! We found our spot and walked over to the shuttle station. They check your parks pass at the shuttle station to make sure everyone has paid the park fees. She also had Junior Ranger booklets for the boys. We rode in to the Visitors Center to get our Parks Passport stamped and to make a plan. We read over the list of hikes and chose Sunset Point and the Rim Trail. We made it to Sunset Point and had an amazing view down into the canyon (which, technically is not a canyon because there is no other side - it just evens out). The colors of the rocks are amazing! We left that trail and joined up with the Rim Trail which can be anywhere from 1 - 11 miles. Our goal was to make it 2 miles and back so that the boys could earn the bonus prize in the Junior Ranger book for hiking 3 or more miles in the park. Simon and I made it. Steven and Callum peeled off at the General Store to get a snack. We continued on and then came back to meet them there. Even though Bryce Canyon was a full 25 degrees cooler than Zion, at 84, it was still hot and dry. And the 8000 ft.+ altitude definitely made hiking more challenging. At the General Store we sat and the boys ate their snacks while they worked on their Junior Ranger booklets. We realized we needed some information only found at the Visitors Center/Museum, so we took the shuttle back there. They finished their activities and were sworn in as Junior Rangers. It was almost dinner time by this point and the shuttle ended at 7:00, so we rode back into town. We went to “Ruby's Diner”, which turned out to be more like fast food and pizza - but it got the job done - and then we went back to the RV park so that the boys could swim in the pool and we could get some laundry done. Laundry was a challenge since it was just before 7:00 and they close the laundry room at 8:00 and all the machines were full, but we made it happen. Then the boys had a much-needed shower and it was back to the RV for some stargazing. The night skies here are so much darker than at home. It makes it much easier to see the constellations and planets and shooting stars. Amazing! It's a longer drive tomorrow as we head to Arches! And back to 109 in the shade!

July 22 - Monday

We got up as early as we could because we needed to go back into Bryce Canyon to see a Ranger. Simon and I had hiked over 3 miles along the Rim Trail so that he could earn a bonus at his Junior Ranger swearing in, but then he forgot to mention it. We went back into the Visitors Center and Simon explained to the nice Ranger what had happened. She asked him where we hiked and we found out that we went the hard way! L But, he got his prize - a sticker saying that he had hiked the canyon. And I got one too! J We got on the road to Moab, but first stopped for breakfast at a place with great reviews on the way out of town - Not Ruby's.

The drive to Moab is spectacular, but it's also a little schizophrenic. One minute it's cow pasture, then it's red rocks, then a random canyon, then a little river, then snow-capped mountains in the distance, and then red rocks, lots of red rocks. We took a ride through Arches and stopped at a few scenic overlooks and walked a little distance, but it was 107 degrees, so we didn't do much hiking. It was more of a preview for later. When we left the park and got into town and tried to pick up the Jeep we'd reserved for our time here, but we were about an hour early. So we asked the staff at the store where they would recommend for pizza. They suggested a place called “Jax” which has a wood-fired oven and was only 2 blocks away. It was decent pizza, for the West. Then it was time to go pick up the Jeep! We got a dark grey 4-door Wrangler with a lift kit and biggish tires. The guy at the rental place recommended a few trails in Arches and one in Canyonlands. We're not looking to go rock climbing, so a bit of a dirt road with a tiny challenge will be good for us. Plus - you can see dinosaur tracks!

I drove the Jeep with Callum and Steven and Simon followed us to our KOA a mile or so out of town. We got checked in to our spot and then took the Jeep back to the park for sunset and some stargazing. We missed sunset by about half an hour, but the stargazing was fantastic. We will pack gallons of water and salty snacks and head back out to the parks tomorrow.

July 23 - Tuesday

It was 107 degrees again today. So, before we went anywhere, we stocked up the cooler in the back of the Jeep with gallons and gallons of water and we stopped at a grocery store for salty snacks.

Then, yeah, we went out on the trail that the guy from the Jeep rental place recommended. We said we wanted a mellow trail and he said it was mostly dirt road. So, not so much with the dirt road. Sure, it started out with a dirt road but then it was pretty quickly into some sandy stretches and some pretty crooked climbing. We only had a couple times when there were only 3 wheels on the ground, but it definitely happened. The trail is called the “Klondike Bluffs Trail”. It's off a BLM road and then it eventually leads into Arches National Park. We got the impression from the rental guy that it was a pretty straightforward path and that the not-so-detailed map we had in the guidebook would be all we needed. Well, as it turns out, thank goodness we had phone service, google maps worked, and we ran into a local who sent us in the right direction.

Once we got out there, we ran into rocky terrain, thin paths, and a barely marked trail. At one point we were following white lines on the rocks meant for mountain bikers. We were supposed to see dinosaur footprints in the middle of the trail - and they were there, but we didn't realize until after we left that they were surrounded by rocks to mark them, so we looked but we didn't see any. L Steven drove for a while and then I drove over the big rocks and did some of the technical driving. We thought we had a solid plan based on our maps - but then the trail ended at the base of a mountain at an abandoned copper mine. So, good times. We backtracked and found another way down. The trail was called “Baby Steps” which seems appropriate since you needed to do it very slowly and carefully. Steven walked it first to find a line and then we descended. When we got to the washboard BLM road at the bottom it was a big relief! That road led to another dirt road which lead to a back entrance to the park and then its main road.

We stopped to hike up to an amazing double arch called “The Windows” and hung out there for a bit with our water bottles taking photos. Then it was time to check the boys' Jr. Ranger booklets and get them sworn in. Arches has the best badge so far. Some of them are made of plastic, but the Western parks are all wooden badges. SO cool! And the Arches badge it thicker than the other ones so far. The Ranger told us that all of the parks are phasing in wooden badges and that they are being made from reclaimed wood in Oregon. So cool!!

Once the boys were sworn in we headed into town to the Moab Brewery for an early dinner. Their dreams all came true when we told them they could play in the campground pool after dinner. It was early to bed as it finally cooled off a little with a breeze and we could see the monsoon clouds in the distance.

Side note: After actually reading the guidebook that came with the Jeep, the trail we took today was rated 3 Jeeps in difficulty - not recommended for beginners. Oh - and there were mile points in there with directions so we wouldn't get lost. Yeah, so, there's that. Point is - we did a cool Jeep trail and no one got hurt and it was fun! Tomorrow's trails at Canyonlands are rated one and two Jeeps, so those should be much more our speed.

July 24 - Wednesday

Hi! I'm back*. Today we got a surprisingly early start due to the fact that everyone was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. We got donuts at a grocery store but since that wasn't enough, we went to McDonald's to get something. It was a 30-minute drive to the Island in the Sky visitor center in Canyonlands National Park to get our Junior Ranger booklets and to talk trails with the rangers. Today we went to the Shafer trail which was a dirt road made of a series of steep switchbacks and roads that eventually flattened out at the bottom of the canyon. Because we didn't want to go 100 miles to end up someplace elsewhere we turned around at the Colorado River Lookout and headed back. We got back on the main road and did a hike to Mesa Arch. It was a 1-mile round trip to and from the arch back to the parking lot. The only thing is that it was HOT with a capital haw. Anywho, when we got to the Grand View Overlook (as it is so rightfully named) we stopped a minute and got back to the visitor center to get our Junior Ranger badges. Then we took the Long Valley Trail back to 279, had dinner, dropped off the Jeep, drove back to the campsite, jumped in the pool, took some showers, and hung out at the van.
(Judith here - side notes - Steven drove down the Shafer trail (1 Jeep difficulty rating). We did, however need to get a permit from the Ranger Station to drive this trail. Permits are free, and from what we can tall, they are either to limit the amount of traffic per day or to jeep track of people in case they get lost, or both. The trail was only challenging because of the switchbacks, but we got an outstanding view of the inside of the valley and the Colorado River. I drove back up. As opposed to yesterday, when we were the only Jeep anywhere on the trail, we saw lots of Jeeps today and lots of guided tours in Land Cruisers on the Shafer Trail. It was tricky at points when cars needed to pass, but overall, much less challenging than yesterday. And, there were a bunch of reasons we took the Long Valley Trail back towards Moab. Firstly, it took us through a part of the park we hadn't seen yet. Secondly, there are petroglyphs along the side of the road that were very cool to see. Thirdly, it was actually shorter to go that way than on the highway all around. And lastly, it had a couple cool challenging parts of the trail that went under a fallen rock and then led to a "jug handle" arch we hadn't seen before. We read the trail guide much more carefully today and we don't think we missed anything cool on the trails. Oh - and Steven was tired, so I drove that trail . I love my Honda, but I really want a Jeep again!)

*if you are reading this aloud, you are not back, it's Simon who is back

July 25 - Thursday

We managed to get out of bed and on the road by 7:30, but then our earliness was derailed by the desire to eat breakfast. We stopped at the Moab Diner one more time for some delicious breaky and we were on our way! We had a 4-41/2 hour drive and a train reservation in Silver Plume that we had to make by 1:30 so we were cutting it close at best. We crossed into Colorado much more quickly than we expected and we were greeted by a sign saying that there was a big delay on I-70 due to rock slide prevention work. We didn't think much of it until we stopped at the Welcome Center and the man there said that traffic was being held up for more than an hour each way. He gave us a state map and showed us an alternate route that would still take us an hour out of the way. This was going to make it very tight for us, but we thought we might try it. But, we were using Waze for our navigation and in looking at the whole route there were no delays reported, and pulling up the Colorado State Highway traffic cameras at the place described, traffic was moving normally. So we took our chances and there were no delays at all!

We made it to the Georgetown Loop Railroad with plenty of time to spare. We had time to grab some snacks and browse their little museum. Everybody was very friendly, and it was well put together. Our train ride consisted of riding the train for one stop and getting off for a mine tour. We toured the Everett Mine. It was very interesting to hear about the lives of the miners and how they put kids to work in the mines. Our boys were not thrilled with the idea of working down there. The mine is being restored to its early 1900's condition and they hope to open up more of the mine shaft for tours later. Right now they are re-digging the mine shaft that was caved in when I-70 was built in the 70's. After our tour we got to pan for gold (and keep the specks we found) and eat hot dogs and chips and lemonade next to Clear Creek. It was really cute. Then it was back on the train to finish out the loop. It is a pretty loop with great views and a harrowing crossing over a high bridge. Our engineer was a woman who is apparently one of only five women in the world certified to run that kind of steam train. And she looked super young! It was a really fun little adventure.

Then we drove through the first real rain we've had all trip - and it had cleared up by the time we got to our KOA in Central City. This place is nice. They are in the middle of a renovation, but the sites are all concrete pads which is very nice to cut down on dust! And we have a great view of the mountains. They also have a pizza and wings place and they deliver to your campsite. That's different and fun! We ordered some boneless wings and heated up some mac and cheese and dinner was done.

Side Note - It is 57 degrees here! We lost 50 degrees in a 4-hour drive. It's insane. Off to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow.

July 26 - Friday

We indulged in the “All-You-Can-Eat for $3.00” pancake deal at our KOA early this morning and then we got back in the van and left for Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. We took a swing through town first. Central City is an adorable little Western town that looks like it came out of a movie. They call is “The Richest Square Mile in the World.” I'm sure that's left over from the Gold Rush - but now almost every single adorable little 1890's building is a casino. It is unreal! After our swing through town, we were on our way.

It is only 60 miles from Central City to Estes Park, but it is all mountains and the drive took close to 2 hours. We drove through town and went straight to Rocky Mountain National Park. We knew there was a shuttle, but their shuttle system isn't nearly as expansive as Zion's or Sequoia's or even Acadia's and it only takes you to limited areas of the park. Most people drive and it's super busy. They are not prepared for traffic the way Yellowstone is, and parking lots fill up early for the trailheads and other attractions.
We went from the Estes Park entrance to their Junior Ranger headquarters at Hidden Valley. The boys picked up their books and since there was a Ranger program starting in a few minutes, we hung out there and worked on the books. We also spoke to a volunteer and a Ranger, both of whom gave us advice about places we should visit in the park.

The Ranger program was really cute. The Ranger dressed as a trapper from the 1890s and took the kids out into a field. They talked about tracking and trapping and then he sent them out to look for evidence that animals had been there. Callum found what looked like either deer or bear scat. Simon found some pelts - a coyote and a beaver. Other pelts were strategically placed around the field and the kids eventually found a winter snowshoe hare (white) and a summer snowshoe hare (brown), and a marmot pelt. They got to feel each one and he told them about why each one was valuable and about when the trappers would all get together and trade. He also taught them some of the sign language that the trappers used because there would be Indians, French, American, and sometimes Spanish traders. It was a great program. And once they finished that, the boys had had enough time to finish their activities in the books, so they were sworn in right away as Junior Rangers.

We left Hidden Valley and followed Trail Ridge Road up toward the Alpine Visitors center which is at 11,000 feet. The road was narrow, steep, and very crowded. We stopped at a few places of interest. At one we saw a whole gaggle of marmots hanging out in the rocks and pretty much posing for pictures. They are super cute! We were on a quest to see Bighorn Sheep - but they are elusive creatures and the closest we got was a herd of elk in a field.

We made it to the Alpine Visitors Center and it was insane! There is a one-way dirt road you can drive up from a different part of the park that ends there and the road we were on also ended there. So, lots of cars. We got lucky and landed the last RV spot and headed into the center to get our parks passport stamped and pick up our postcards and stickers. Across the way was a bigger gift shop and a café, so we fueled up before walking the last 300 feet up to the summit. You don't realize how much the altitude is affecting your breathing until you try to walk 300 feet straight up. We had to take several breaks on our way up, but once on the summit, it was so worth it! We looked around, took several photos, and started back down the trail. The Alpine Visitors Center is above the tree line and is tundra. You cannot walk on the tundra crust or it kills the plants and breaks up the crust. The trail is marked in several places, and there is a rope on both sides. It does not matter what language you speak; the message is very clear - Stay On The Path!!! On our way back down, we saw a woman posing bathing-beauty style lying on the tundra while her partner took photos. We yelled to them that you are supposed to stay on the path, but they ignored us. They appeared to be from Southeast Asia somewhere. Steven took pictures of them and we showed them to the Ranger in the parking lot. It was pretty upsetting seeing people being so blatantly disrespectful of the park and its landscape.

We went back down the Trail Ridge Road taking a different route back - still hoping to see a Bighorn Sheep. No such luck! We did meet a nice Ranger and some volunteers at Sheep Lakes who said they were around yesterday. There is a Ranger and volunteers stationed there all the time because if the sheep do show up, they have to stop traffic to let them cross. We did see a young mule deer doe and we heard a coyote howling in response to an ambulance siren.

We left the park exhausted and stopped in town at the Safeway to stock up on some food other than snacks. Then it was off to our KOA. Our site here came with a raised deck to view the mountains (across the road and the power lines) and a propane fire pit. We grilled some dinner and then the boys went to ride the little “train” (a golf cart towing some little seats cut to look like a train) and roast marshmallows while I cleaned up.

We came back to the van to sit around the fire pit and relax before bed. Tomorrow might be rainy - first time almost the entire trip - and we will be exploring the town of Estes Park - including the Stanley Hotel. We'll also be meeting up with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Joanna and her family. J

July 27 - Saturday

This was the first day that the weather prevented our original plans. When it was hot, we still did what we had planned, just carefully and sometimes on a smaller scale. But today there were thunderstorms so we couldn't do everything we had planned. Estes Park has a shuttle that stops right at the campground, so we took it into the Visitors Center - where you can either transfer to a different shuttle route or walk downtown. There is a fun little river walk with instruments along the way for kids to play and a tunnel with motion sensitive LED lights. It ends at a little playground, which is where we had planned to meet Joanna and the kids, so that worked out. We walked downtown and browsed some shops and the boys got some cute t-shirts while we waited to hear from her.

Joanna finally made it and found a place to park (a struggle) and we had a great time catching up at lunch. Callum and her daughter Kaylie were two peas in a pod. Super cute! Unfortunately, they had to continue their journey home right after lunch, but it was great to see them!

We had planned to ride an aerial tram and tour the Stanley Hotel in the afternoon, but the skies opened up and a thunderstorm with hail came over us. We took shelter at a shopping center and got some Rocky Mountain Chocolate. There were more storms forecast and the tram wasn't running, so we went to plan B. Steven had heard at the campground about the local Rec Center. They have a pool with a lazy river and water park toys and a slide. And visitors can visit for $8.00 for the day. We'd packed their bathing suits and little towels, so we took the shuttle bus up there and let them play for a couple of hours. The boys loved it! While there, we booked a tour at the Stanley Hotel for the morning. We'll check on the line at the aerial tram, but we will probably have to skip that. We have 2 days to get to St. Louis, so it left us with that flexibility.

We caught the shuttle back to the Visitors Center and then the KOA, did some laundry, took showers, had some popcorn and snacks and settled in for a movie while there was karaoke at the deck next to our site. Good thing our surround sound works! The boys also got the ride the little “train” again. They loved it! We'll be up early to wrap everything up here and head out to St. Louis. We hope to get pretty far tomorrow. We have no campground reserved, so we'll go as far as we can and then make Monday's drive shorter.

July 28 - Sunday

We got in to tour the Stanley Hotel at 9:00. Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and fun. The property is beautiful, and they definitely take advantage of the notoriety gained by being the inspiration for The Shining and their ghost stories. Also - apparently “Dumb and Dumber” was filmed there. And apparently, Jim Carrey had a very scary experience there and will not talk about it. After going through the topiary maze outside the hotel, we hit the road!

Our goal was to drive as far as possible, so we drove through Colorado and most of Kansas. We thought EZ Pass would work in Kansas, but that is apparently not the case. We entered the Kansas Turnpike in the tag lane and did not pick up a ticket. We will have to figure that out in the morning.

We stopped at a Flying J for dinner and drove a few more hours and then around 10:00 we stopped at a rest stop to sleep. It was great except for the fact that it was super hot and we couldn't run the A/C all night on battery.

July 29 - Monday

We woke up early - and sweaty. I took a quick shower in the van, we got some Dunkin' Donuts, and we were off to pay whatever we might owe on the Kansas Turnpike. Luckily, when we pulled into the cash lane leaving the Turnpike, the lady there was able to print our ticket and it only cost $3.50.

We pulled into the St. Louis RV Park around 12:30, Steve took a quick shower, and we Ubered over to the St. Louis Arch. They just re-did the park last year and there is a great museum below the arch detailing the pioneer history of the area. It is very well done.

We browsed the museum, watched the documentary movie on the building of the Arch and then took the tram up to the top of the arch. The tram is cute - it is very 60's futuristic. The door is tiny and only 5 people can ride in each car. Eight cars go up or down at a time. Once at the top the view is amazing, but the windows are tiny, and it is pretty crowded. We rode the tram back down and then took a ride on the Riverboat Tom Sawyer for a tour of the Mississippi coast of St. Louis. The Mississippi is currently about 20 feet above its normal levels for this time of year. St. Louis is OK because of sea-walls and other protective measures, but there has been some damage right along the shore.

After the cruise we walked over to Sugar Fire for some St. Louis BBQ. It was delicious - and way too much food! We looked for ice cream for dessert and we were a block away - but we didn't make it because the skies opened up! We hid out under an awning and called an Uber to go back to the RV park. It had cleared up by the time we got back so the boys got to go in the pool for a bit. Tomorrow we will go to the City Museum and see the Cubs play St. Louis.

July 30 - Tuesday

The Old Courthouse (part of the Gateway Arch N.P.) where Dred Scott and his wife sued for their freedom is across from the Arch and it opens at 8:00, so we went there first thing this morning. The building itself is spectacular with several different styles of columns and beautiful metal and plaster and woodwork. There are amazing paintings in the rotunda, and the original courtrooms have been preserved. It was like going back in time.

The museum portion of the Courthouse was well done and would have been great if the Gateway Arch museum hadn't just been re-done so well. That museum is state-of-the-art. There is a separate Junior Ranger program at the Courthouse, so the boys did that and were sworn in at the Courthouse. That Ranger recommended that we stop at Ulysses S. Grant's home on our way out of town, so we might do that in the morning.

Then we went over to the Arch to put the boys' names on the list to get their badges mailed to us, but when Steven and Callum went in, they had gotten more badges! So, the boys are all set! 15 Junior Ranger badges earned!

We grabbed a quick bite at Starbucks and took a cab (a real cab - not Uber) over to City Museum. What a crazy place! There is not a good way to describe what City Museum is. It is a maze of tunnels and Jonah and the whale, and slides and a circus school, and random pinball machines - and then real art and salvaged architectural pieces from all over the Midwest, and 3 full bars, and a million different climbing structures, and caves and a 7-story slide, and a rooftop Ferris Wheel. It is insanity!! And it was so much fun! We played all morning there, stopped at their brick-oven pizzeria for lunch, and played and climbed all afternoon until they closed at 5:00. Pictures and descriptions do not do this place justice. You have to go! Plan on losing your children at least 5 times, but don't panic, they always turn up. And there are staff members around with walkie-talkies to put out an APB and help you out. (We climbed with them and/or tracked the boys with their watches.)

When City Museum closed at 5:00 we started walking to Busch Stadium for the Cubs game. On the way there we passed “Insomnia Cookies” which is where we were trying to go last night when the skies opened up. We stopped in for some ice cream to cool off after all our climbing - and (St. Louis is the friendlies city ever) we caught the girl as she was getting her register set up, so she gave us the ice for free! It was unbelievable!! (We left her a really nice tip.)

We followed the crowd of baseball fans to the stadium - probably more Cubs fans than Cardinals fans. We waited a few minutes outside but when we got in, we were really impressed. This is a great stadium. The people were super friendly - even though we were wearing Cubs gear - and the food options were better than a lot of stadiums. Plus, the tickets were super cheap! It was $55 a piece for 5th row box seats right next to the 1st base foul pole! (We paid $55 a piece for bleacher seats at Wrigley and seats way further up in San Francisco.) It was a close game, but the Cubs' bats were dead, and they lost 2-1. Callum was totally into the game and asked me a million questions and then he cried when the Cubs lost. Simon liked it, but he was tired. Steven was just along for the ride.

We start on our way home tomorrow in earnest. We may stop at the Ulysses S. Grant house on our way out of town. And Simon really wants to visit the Columbus, OH Zoo. It is 6-7 hours away and directly on the way home, so we may stop but we'll see how it goes…

July 31 - Wednesday

We decided to take the Park Ranger's advice and go to the Ulysses S. Grant house. It is a lovely little historical site. It is Grant's wife's family home - a portion of their plantation. The original property was 80 acres and they at the highest point, owned 30 slaves which is a big number by Missouri standards. This was apparently a big conflict between Grant and his father-in-law who believed in the institution of slavery, where Grant was quite progressive on that front. Much of the property was sold off by the Grant family to a little organization called Anheuser-Busch and the Clydesdales live there now - right next door. The historical site consists of the house, stable, a visitors' center, the summer kitchen, ice house, a chicken coop, and a small piece of property. There is a very informative short film, and then you can tour the first floor of the house and its basement with a Ranger guide. The Rangers, as always, were very helpful and knowledgeable about the site. They also have a Junior Ranger program, so the boys did those activities and were excited to earn another badge.

We had the place almost entirely to ourselves, but when we left, we noticed that the Anheuser-Busch parking lot was very full. And we're all for a Clydesdale and a brewery tour, but it is a shame that more people don't stop in at the historical site.

Once we left the Grant House, we started driving East. We drove and drove and drove through Missouri, and Kansas (where we saw a kid on his way back to Oswego State J) and finally, Ohio! We had decided to have a last hurrah at the Columbus Zoo, so I found Alum Creek State Park 20 minutes from the zoo and booked us a site. It's a really nice state park with electric hook-ups and a shower house. There are even full hook-up sites, but they were all booked up. We got to the park around 9:30 PM and went right to sleep.

August 1 - Thursday

Happy Anniversary to us! We spent this glorious day at the Columbus Zoo. We got there just after it opened and got in line to buy tickets, but after some quick math we determined that it was cheaper to buy a family membership, so we went into the membership office and got into the zoo faster than we would have in the regular line.

Columbus is Jack Hanna's zoo, so we expected great things. They do have a large variety of animals, and they are definitely doing amazing work with endangered animals around the world, but we liked the National Zoo in D.C. and the Bronx Zoo better when we visited them. This is not to say that the Columbus Zoo wasn't worth seeing. The big cats, kangaroos, and gorillas alone made the stop worthwhile. And now, since we bought a membership, we need to try to get back here before August 31, 2020. (The membership also gives us discounted admission at several other zoos.)

We stopped on the way back to the campground at Culver's for some dinner and custard and made it an early night. The plan is to get up early, shower, and power through the 12-hour drive home so we can have the weekend before both of us have to go to work.