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A Killer Time in the Orcas with a Little Emerald City Thrown in for Good Measure

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Ferry Boat to the Corner of America

Sadly we left the Portland area for a drive up north. The day was sunny so the drive up was amazing. We were treated to views of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker, the Olympic Peninsula, and Mt. Rainier. We got to Seattle and kept on going. Our destination was farther North and West, Orcas Island. To get to the island you need to take a car ferry from the mainland. The trip takes a little over an hour and offers some of the most idyllic scenes of the Northwest one could ever hope to see. Mist rolled across the islands and water as we went.  The mist lifted to the heavens as the first rays of the sun slowly fought their way through. It’s an awesome scene to behold grey horizons give way to blue sky and craggy lush pine covered islands. We had been to the island once before for a wedding but it did not afford us an opportunity to really explore.

The ferry docked and we drove off down narrow two-lane roads through pastoral farmland to our home for the week on the bayside in the town of Eastsound.

Exploring the Northwest Paradise, Hiking Mountains, and Traversing Lakes

This island is very quaint and laid back. The town opens a little later and closes a little early. The island is filled with farmers, artists, fisherman, and when the season is high tourists. We had incredible sunny weather for our stay. This gave us the opportunity to take many trips around the island to discover it’s many hidden treasures.

Our first trip was a hike up Turtleback Mountain. This was a strenuous 3 mile hike up an 800 ft peak through a vanilla pine-scented forest and moss-covered granite outcroppings. It was awesome! All the kids grumbled a little as we made our way up, but we got to the top and were rewarded with stunning vistas of the surrounding islands and the Canadian Rockies off in the distance. My little guy Lennox likes to complain on these harder hikes, but we’ve found that a conversation about superheroes is a great distraction to get him to the top.

The next trip we decided to go to Obstruction Pass State Park. The trail was short and took us through the forest down to the cobble beach. The goal was a little tide pooling. When we arrived at the beach we saw a beautiful Heron fishing the low tide. We love to see animals in nature, although Sienna and Lennox sometimes get a bit too excited and run right at them causing them to flee. You can’t fault the excitement and wonder of being a kid seeing some of this stuff for the first time up close and personal. We had a wonderful time searching the tide pools and basking in the afternoon sun.

Another hike we went on took us to Cascade Lake and Cascade Falls.  The Cascade Lake trail is an easy three-mile hike around the entire lake with great views of Mt Constitution reflected on its surface. Halfway around the lake is a bridge. This bridge is famous with the locals as a rite of passage as people walk to its center and jump off. The bridge is about 20ft above the water. Colette, Sienna and I could not summon the will to do the jump, so Katie took the challenge. Amazingly our little guy Lennox decided to jump the bridge as well! It was so cool to watch mom and son brave the fear of the jump and plunge into the chilly mountain lake. I do have to mention that although she didn’t jump, Sienna braved the cold water for a swim. So proud of them both. After the hike, we drove to the top of Mt Constitution for views of the other islands from 2,000+ feet above. An amazing day for sure.

The cascade falls trail is actually the trailhead for 4 other waterfalls. the hike is super short but the access they provide to the falls is awesome and leads to some beautiful scenery.

Whale Watching

The only other time we went whale watching was off Cape Cod in the late fall. We had great success then and hoped that same luck would come with us to the other coast. One thing we really wanted to see were the Orca whales. Pods of killer whales frequent these waters, but we were very early in the season so it was a 50/50 chance to see these great creatures. We showed up early to the boat, found our spots on board, and were ready to explore. The boat was much smaller than the huge whaling ship we took on the cape. We like the more intimate setting as we wouldn’t have to worry so much about trying to get around people for a picture. We motored out of the harbor and into the greater sound and the Strait of Georgia. We actually passed into Canadian waters which was awesome. Alas, this was not our day to find the Orcas, however, we did get very lucky and were able to view a number of Humpback whales. Our driver was great and got us very close for some great pics. We had a great day and all the kids had fun seeing the whales and running around the boat. On the way back we saw sea lions. This particular species is the largest in North America and they also bark the loudest! The sun was out all day and almost gave us the sense we were in the Carribean islands. The water was turquoise blue and the only giveaway was that the islands were covered with Pine instead of Palm. We loved our day on the water and didn’t want it to end.

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Random Island Thoughts

Along with all the other activities, we did find a couple other distractions. Located on the west side of the island is Orcas Island Pottery. This is a super cool studio with really unique pottery and glazings. There’s a swing and treehouse to distract the kids! This brought our breakage anxiety way down. We found some great pieces at this studio and highly recommend checking it out if you’re on the island.

Nestled in a little cove on the East side of the island is the town of Olga. Here sits an unassuming house that hides an incredible seafood store. We saw hand-painted signs along the road and decided to stop. We were so glad we did. The owner’s farm clams right in the cove in front of their house. Local fishermen bring fresh salmon, Dungeness crabs, and shrimp as well. We grabbed a bunch of fresh seafood treats and had a great feast that evening. You could taste the salty sea in every bite. We loved it. Search out Buck Bay Shellfish Farms if you want the freshest seafood on the island.

The Emerald City and a Birthday

After our relaxing time on the Orcas we wanted a couple days to hang in Seattle. We also wanted to give Lennox his Birthday experience at Chuck E Cheeses! (his choice). We did a lot of touristy things like visit the Pike Street Market, ride the Seattle Wheel, and visit the Space Needle. One major highlight of our short trip to the Emerald City was the Chihuly Museum. Such an incredible artist with the ability to manifest his visions into incredible, almost living, glass sculptures. Even the kids were in awe, which says a lot for an art based museum visit. Seattle is a fun town. We ate our way through the visit and had many laughs as we strolled the streets. Our next stop is a brief visit to some great cousins in Spokane with our final destination being Yellowstone National Park.

Walking Seattle

Chihuly Museum

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Lennox’s Cheesy Birthday!!

 

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Visiting San Francisco without actually visiting San Francisco…. What?!?!

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Truly Golden

Our “San Francisco” trip didn’t even take us to San Francisco.  The closest we got was crossing over this beauty on our way to our Airbnb.  Sometimes we choose to leave out things because we can’t do it all and our life on the road is just that life, not a vacation.  We will come back for this sweet city another time but had an amazing time circling its surroundings.

Pleasant Hill

We drove from Yosemite to Pleasant Hill and we were so excited to see our friends Robin, Ryan, Lacey, and Josie.  I went to college with Robin and time available to see great friends when you live states apart is never enough.  We were happy to relax at their house after many nights in a cozy hotel eating at restaurants.  The kids ran around and were wild as usually but adored Lacey and Josie.  When we left the house they immediately asked for another play date.  The one thing about traveling is the kids are really solo, they have their siblings but no buddies to play with.  I think sometimes this is hard for them so it was great to see them making new friends on the road.

The next day we met up at Mt. Diablo State Park.  Wow!  I decided to drive that day and the road was insane, s-curves, blind corners, steep cliffs, and more curves,  winding up Mt. Diablo, no guardrails and lots of bikers!  The views were amazing, it seemed like you could see all the way to the ocean.  Once on top, we found “Rock City,” trails and rock formations which the kids had a blast climbing on.  The day was sunny and beautiful and we hiked to Sentinal Rock.  Ryan quickly ascended the steep steps with Josie the adventurer but it was a little much with the steep drop-offs for my comfort zone for our kids.  I made it to the top with some encouragement but didn’t stay long!  Robin and Lacey braved the climb as well, impressive.

It was great to see our friends and sad to say goodbye but I’m so happy to have these moments and to see our kids become friends as well.  From here we headed to Cupertino, a slight detour before getting to our next stay at Muir Beach.

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Cupertino – Apple HQ

You could call us Apple fanatics, especially Matt, but we both LOVE Apple.  The HQ made us fall in love even more.  When you first enter there is a 3-D model of the entire facility and you are given an iPad which transforms the model into an interactive virtual space.  You can enter the buildings and get a feeling of what it is like without moving.  Pretty amazing technology.  The kids were mesmerized by the computers, iPads, and phones and the employees were very knowledgeable showering us with interesting facts.  100% of all Apple facilities in the US and abroad are powered by renewal energy, an incredible dedication to more than just the products they produce.  Seeing an enormous company substantially reduce their carbon footprint and approach sustainability with creativity and innovation makes me want to strive to do better as an individual.

Muir Beach

We arrived at our Airbnb after winding down the mountain.  The curves almost make me car sick but at the same time, it is such a beautiful place I enjoy the swirling road and mountain views as well.  Our Airbnb was the perfect place to enjoy a quieter side of the San Francisco area.  We crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge but that’s about as close as we made it to the city.  Sometimes its good to settle in and live the local life.  We enjoyed the ocean every day even in chilly weather, tide pooling and sea glass searching.  We visited friends and family, the kids reconnected with their cousin Lily while searching for anemones and we had a great dinner with our cousins Daryl, Cassidy, Lily and Aunt Beth.  It is great to connect with family we don’t see very often. We also spent time catching up on school, playing games, relaxing and enjoying our little beach house.

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Muir Woods

We just came from seeing some Sequoias in Yosemite but this place has so many enormous trees it gives you an entirely different feeling.  Large ferns are coming to life again with spring and everything is green and lush.  Looking up is as incredible and the trees reach so far it almost makes you dizzy.  We had a great hike through the towering trees, and it is amazing to see this natural wonder preserved on the edge of an enormous city.

A double dose of Pizza with the Pisaturo’s

I met Sabine and Mimmo while studying in Italy and although that was a long time ago everytime we see each other its as if not a moment has passed.  A few more kids, and laugh lines but all the love is always there.  We were lucky to have the World Famous Pizza Napolitano made by the Pisaturos, they should probably open a restaurant so you can try it.  Soooo yummy!  The kids made new friends and we enjoyed a few nights laughing together.  We’re hoping next time we meet up is sooner than later!

Stinson Beach

We ventured over to Stinson Beach to visit Aunt Beth and her dog Gracy.  It was much colder than we anticipated but this didn’t stop the kids from getting wet.  The beach is beautiful, a gorgeous sandy beach which stretches for what seems miles.  The cool thing is we found quite a few sand dollars.  I’ve always looked for sand dollars but generally only come across pieces.  I think we either had a lucky day or this is the beach to come for sand dollars.  We will remember this beautiful, flat sandy beach and hopefully come back when it’s a bit warmer someday.

Bay Area Discovery Museum

The kids always have a blast at museums and this is a great one with so many hands-on activities.  They built 3-D objects with cardboard. (no photos unfortunately) Made safety gear headbands and built a pod racer of some sort.  It was also a gorgeous day which made the open air museum and playground extra enjoyable.

 

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The Mighty Yosemite Valley

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“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” – John Muir

 

Five Days in the Yosemite Valley

Much like in Joshua Tree, words fail me when trying to describe our experience here in Yosemite. Yosemite National Park is an incredible place. We came into the park through the South entrance, which is a beautiful drive. The road in is very curvy and slow but somehow driving high in the mountains at sunset makes it all worthwhile. The most spectacular part of this drive is exiting the tunnel into the Yosemite Valley. You are greeted by a humbling vista of the whole valley, El Capitan standing regally, guarding over the valley floor, Bridalveil falls flowing unending into the forest below and the Merced River winding like a silver snake towards the towering edifice of Half Dome in the distance. The might Yosemite Falls showering the valley floor from thousands of feet above. And this was just what we could see from the very first pull out after the tunnel exit. We spent the next week learning about the history of this park, hiking into nature to get up close and personal with these majestic landmarks, and just being happy to be alive and able to enjoy this paradise on earth. Sienna got to spend her birthday in Yosemite. (Lucky for anyone let alone an 8 year old!) She is so full of life and has no fear. The raw beauty of Yosemite matched her soul’s intensity perfectly. Lennox, Sienna, and Colette got to be sworn in as Junior Rangers and Katie and I both hope a little of the magic of this place carries with them as they grow. We hope that the images we captured share a tiny bit of the majesty of the Yosemite Valley and serve to inspire any who see them continue to support and steward these national treasures.

Winter in the Valley

Yosemite Falls and Bobcats!

From the Valley Floor with a Birthday Girl

Mirror Lake

Ranger Hike, Junior Ranger, and More Bobcat!

Bridalveil Falls

Sunsetting on our Trip to the Valley

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Santa Monica to Carona Del Mar…and Everything in Between

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Griffith Observatory

Cool place with great views.  It was super windy when we went up and Colette is pretty sure she almost blew away.  We had a picnic on the lawn, enjoyed the sunshine, views, and were mesmerized by the Foucault Pendulum which we watched until we saw a peg knocked over.

 

Glasses and Earrings at Fashion Mall

We had a little snafu which left Colette with broken glasses.  The great thing is we weren’t in Joshua Tree or somewhere remote, we were in LA. (at least the LA area)  It was a blessing in disguise as her prescription had changed.  We ended up with same day glasses and she loves them!  Killing two birds with one stone is our style so while getting the glasses we stopped by Claires and Sienna had her ears pierced.  We told her she could get them when she turned 8 so she was pretty excited.  After the first hole, she almost forfeited the second but she was a trooper and the earrings look beautiful on our not so little, little girl.

 

Crystal Cove State Park

Crystal Cove is a beautiful place which has been preserved from the housing takeover along the oceanside in this area of California.  What an amazing place to protect, its natural beauty is spectacular.  It is a little hike down to the ocean from the parking lot and the ranger told us a rattler snake lives along the way.  This was true excitement for the kids even though we didn’t end up seeing it which I was pretty happy about.  The ocean is always a peaceful place for Matt and I and a place of discovery for the kids.  Sienna and Lennox especially love finding creatures among the rocks.  Their little eyes seem to be able to spot even the most disguised creatures which is amazing, ocean time is always our favorite.

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Sienna’s Birthday Bash!!! – Knottsberry Farm

Sienna’s birthday was April 17th and we knew we were going to be in Yosemite.  We told the kids this year for their birthday they can choose a big day of their choosing.  Sienna had lots of options, Disney, 6 Flags, Universal Studios, but she landed on Knottsberry Farm.  The day we went it was 85 degrees and I won’t say the park was empty but there were virtually no waits which pretty much never happens nowadays.  The park turned out to be the perfect mix for our family, lots of fun rides for smaller kids along with some giant rollercoasters for the more adventurous.  I think the overall favorite was Camp Snoopy.  I ventured on the Silver Bullet with Colette, the only kid who was tall enough to ride, she almost backed out at the top, which I was encouraging her to do, but we went through with the dangle feet style, multi-loop winding coaster.  It was super crazy and fun but I also was so dizzy after I’m not sure I’ll be able to go on many more of those.  Matt went solo and we enjoyed watching him on the crazy ride doing loop-de-doos.  Sienna enjoyed her special birthday at Knottsberry Farm and there was more celebrating to come at dinner.

 

Closing out Sienna’s Birthday Bash at Medieval Times

I remember going here as a kid and I thought it was the coolest place ever.  Eating with your hands while watching Medieval Knights battle!  My dad ended up being called from the audience to play horseshoes with a toilet seat so that in itself was pretty spectacular.  While driving to Knottsberry Farm we happened to pass by the castle and quickly decided to see if we could spend Sienna’s birthday dinner here.  It all worked out and I don’t think we could’ve found a more perfect place for our 8-year-old horse lover’s birthday.  There were beautiful horses, knights jousting, a queen and messing eating which is Sienna’s forte.  It was a great end to a fantastic day.

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Santa Monica to Redondo Beach – the only place it takes 1.5 hours to go 16 miles!!!

Santa Monica, the pier, the beach, the people…. quintessential “California,” so we joined the tourist crowd for the experience.  The kids ate ice cream as we walked the pier and they tried to talk us into the boardwalk games but we passed.  We took advantage of a quick trip to the REI store to replace Sienna’s backpack which had been eaten by a squirrel!  haha… This is a totally different world from our camping stop a few weeks ago in Joshua Tree that’s for sure.  The best part of the day was meeting up with our cousins Hannah and Michael for a wonderful dinner.  We saw a “quieter” side of the LA area and enjoyed seeing family we don’t get a chance to spend time with very often.

 

The Hollywood Stars

The Hollywood stars!  When in LA you must see the stars so we did.  It is cool to walk down the street and read all the names, Sienna wanted lots of photos and was willing to lay down on for them.  Colette was after the Harry Potter crew and Lennox found Star Wars.  Following this we also experienced the full effect of LA traffic which is completely insane,  I’m lucky Matt drove or I’m pretty sure I would’ve given up on getting back to our house.  While driving in LA style we saw all lanes of the opposing traffic stopped, and an animal catcher chasing a small dog around in the middle of the highway, Crazy in California!

 

The Magic Castle

Entering The Magic Castle takes some magic in and of itself and we were lucky enough to have luck on our side and STB (soon to be) Aunt Taylor who hooked us up with a magician wielding tickets!  This is a club for magicians and requires a magician’s invite to enter.  We attended the brunch which is a bit more casual than typical suit coat attire.  I won’t say too much but the experience was indeed magical.  I have no clue how magicians practice their trade but I tell the kids I guarantee they spend most of their lives practicing to be that good.  The slight of hand is the most amazing to me and we really enjoyed the shows and atmosphere.  Thanks, Taylor for that special treat!

 

California Science Center

The California Science Center is an amazing place and entry is free which makes it even better.  We only scratched the surface here but did see the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the King Tut exhibits which were phenomenal.  We also timed the blossoming to the rose garden perfectly as you can see from the beautiful pictures taken in the park.

Space Shuttle Endeavour

We have officially seen the three remaining space shuttles on our trip!  All three were displayed in their unique way, and all were spectacular.  We love space exploration and teaching the kids about the history of space travel, very inspirational.  At the California Science Center, they have the solid rocket booster which is absolutely enormous.  A really cool site to see and not easy to get a picture of since it is so large.

King Tut – Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh

We were lucky to visit the California Science Center while they have the exhibit on King Tut.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen objects this old and the intricate beauty and details of each piece are awe-inspiring.  100 years ago they discovered King Tuts tomb and the history they uncovered at this time is amazing.  It is hard to believe he was only 18 when he died in 1323bc and had ruled since the age of 9.

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We Have Definitely Found What We’re Looking For!!

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BEHOLD!!!! Joshua Tree National Park

This place defies explanation. I’m going to give a brief synopsis of our visit, but I think the pictures that follow will tell the story much better. We camped for five days in this beautiful park. We knew we would have a special time when we got incredibly lucky and found an epic camping spot in the extremely coveted Hidden Valley campground. Rocks loomed all around our tent and they were formed in such a way that the kids could climb all around and really get hands-on with the rocks around us.  Hidden Valley is a rock climbers paradise and the kids were amazed to see all the climbers high overhead scrambling up the massive rock faces. We did a ton of hiking and saw many of the parks major sights. The weather was glorious!! 80+ during the day and mid 50’s at night. We explored, cooked our camp meals and had one of the best adventures of our lives. The kids also completed a wonderful junior ranger program. If you get a chance to visit this park, run!! don’t walk to your car and get at it. For a treat, before we headed to the LA area, we spent a night in Palm Springs. The temperature was in the mid 90’s, we played in the pool, got much needed showers, and walked the streets of this hip destination. Next stop…la la land.

Hidden Valley Campground

Cholla Garden

Skull Rock and other Rocky Fun

Mountain Tops, Old Mines, and Joshua Trees

Bushwackin!

Joshua Tree City and Palm Springs

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Staying Classy in San Diego

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The Desert on the Way to the Ocean

The long drive from Arizona to SoCal is not without some magnificent sites. Along with the desert and mountains rising and falling, you will come upon a beautiful sand desert just outside of Yuma. We stopped here for a short leg stretcher and ran up and down the dunes. So much fun!  The rest of the trip, we watched the landscape change from arid high desert to rugged coastline. We finally made it to the West Coast. It’s been a long and amazing journey so far and we are ready to make our turn north to experience new adventures.

Mission Beach

We had an unexpected surprise for the start of our San Diego stay. Uncle Jim and STBA (Soon To Be Aunt) Taylor, who happened to be in LA, decided to come down and spend a couple days with us. Such a welcome change to spend some fun times with family. Our Mission Beach location was great. Two blocks to the beach, boardwalk, and a small amusement park. Jim and Taylor took the kids to the boardwalk and park for the afternoon and they all had a blast. Katie and I spent our free time walking the beach and basking in the sunny SD weather.

San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo is world renowned, and after visiting this awesome place the accolades are more than earned. The park is laid out into a number of immersive habitats. The habitats are very well made, clean and open for the animals and broad walkways for the humans. The zoo has a deep valley running through the middle, an ariel tram that can take you from one side to the other, and Colette’s favorite animal; Pandas!! We only spent one day here but could have spent a couple easily. My words will not do justice to this excursion, so hopefully, the following images will give a small sense of the awe and wonder contained in this fabulous place.

Cruising Around Town

My great friend John lives in SD and he joined us for a couple days of fun. We went downtown for a nice seafood lunch and a visit to the USS Midway aircraft carrier. We found it very easy to get around SD and after a quick drive, we arrived at the pier.  We have visited a number of USS Navy ships on our journey, but the Midway was the biggest so far. We walked the narrow berths within the ship and had fun checking out the planes on the deck. We even got to talk with a couple old veteran naval aviators, that regaled us with stories from the past on this ship and others. We love our veterans and it was great to have the kids hear some stories of the service they gave the country. We didn’t get to some of the other sights downtown, but there are tall sail ships and submarines to explore on our next visit.

Easter at The Del

For a special treat, we signed up for a brunch and Easter egg hunt at the world famous Hotel Del Coronado. We invited John to join us for the feast as well. After an unbelievably quick Catholic mass, we headed to The Del. The egg hunt was great. Lennox, Sienna, and Colette loved dressing up and running for eggs under palm trees in 80-degree weather. We walked the beach, ate some incredible food and had a beautiful Easter day.

Tidepooling

Our final day in San Diego was spent visiting the Point Loma Tide Pools. We had a great time climbing the rocky coast and searching the pools for hidden sea treasures. In the afternoon we headed back to Mission beach and got our final splash in the Pacific. Our next stop is an epic one!!!…but that will have to wait until the next post.

 

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New Adventures in the Old Southwest – Bisbee, AZ

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For the most part, our Airbnb’s on this trip have been great.  We have stayed in a range of places from good to amazing and this was our first strike out!  I know, as much as we tried to like it, it just wasn’t happening.  The place was cave-like, not super clean and just really dingy.  It was livable and always good for all of us to experience the not so perfect side of the world so we stuck it out but it didn’t create the best atmosphere for enjoying this quirky Southern Arizona town of Bisbee.

A Glimpse of Bisbee

Copper Mines

Bisbee sits in the mountains surrounding the Queen Mine where massive amounts of copper were mined.  The mine is closed now but the pit remains and it is so enormous you can’t even see to the bottom from most vantage points.  The town is very eclectic and it’s hard to tell the hipsters from the people who have lived this fad their entire life.  Needless to say, it’s a cool place to visit despite being way off the beaten path.

Queen Mine Tour

A journey back in time and 2000 feet into the deep recesses of the earth. That’s how Matt and the girls spent their morning, exploring the old Queen mine. Lennox was too young to go so this was a daddy/daughter excursion. Colette and Sienna were both a bit nervous to go into the cave. After having watched Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom, I think they had a screwed up perspective of the “mine ride”. The actual tour was fantastic. Our guide played the tour like everyone was a new miner coming to work. He went over everything from safety, explosives, transportation, and ways to find the ore itself. They saw drilling tools, a mine elevator and even a bike modified to ride on the mine rails. A very fun way to spend a couple of hours and if you find yourself in this neck of the woods, definitely stop by. The kids really enjoyed riding the little train into the mine but I think for them the most fun part was picking out some dollar rocks from the gift shop!

 

Devil’s Claw Wash

We were lucky to visit Aunt Suzie and Uncle Jeff while in Arizona and even luckier to go on a great hike with our trekking guide Aunt Susie and her dog Bonita.  Bonita was not so lucky as 8 devil’s claws (the biggest, gnarliest burrs I’ve ever seen) stuck to her fur.  We hiked along a wash which was relatively dry and the kids loved the challenge of navigating through water and uncharted land.  It was a lot of fun.  Uncle Jeff didn’t join us because he was cooking a delicious meal which we all enjoyed following our hike.  It is always great to meet up with family on the road and we really enjoyed our time together.

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Tombstone

Just a half hour drive from Bisbee is what my kids have deemed the “OLD OLD WEST”  I guess it makes sense, if it was the Old West to me it must be the really old west to them.  Yes, Tombstone is a real town, and it was the center of cowboy fighting, saloon swinging ruckus for quite some time.  I never watched many old westerns but Matt did and he knows all the characters from Doc Holiday to Billy the Kid who roamed the streets of Tombstone.  It’s a tourist destination for sure but we bought into the stagecoaches, saloons, old time photos and ice cream shops creating our own Western adventure.

Chiricahua National Monument

On our last day in Arizona before heading west to California we debated if we should make the 2-hour drive to Chiricahua National Monument.  We decided to go for it and we’re so thankful we did.  After driving miles and miles through flat barren desert land we came upon some trees, wound through some mountains and were faced with enormous rock formations.  The rocks seem to be stacked and balanced on top of each other as far as the eye can see.  Looking out at the formations is spectacular but we were lucky to find a hike which wound us down through the rocks and ended at a grotto we could climb into and explore.  Climbing within the balanced rocks was even more thrilling than being surrounded by them.   We have found whenever a hike involves scaling giant rocks the kids love it, and we do too,  it was a great hike.  The day was extremely windy which made for some interesting moments but thankfully our only windblown loss was a Junior Ranger book.

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Under the Tucson Sun…

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Cactus Casita

Our week in Tucson started on a positive note with the arrival at our home. It was a beautiful casita tucked away from the residential neighborhoods with a stunning view of Mt Lemon in the backyard. Plenty of cacti and desert wildlife to keep us all happy. One nice thing about having a house with space is that we can fully unload the car and get ourselves resituated again. We unloaded, got settled and looked forward to our adventures in the week to come.

Museum of the Desert

We always love to see family and friends on our journey. While in Tucson we got to see Katie’s aunt and uncle, Holly and Steve. As an added bonus we got to see Aunt Phyllis and her friend. All of them were down visiting from the midwest, so it was fortuitous that we were all there at the same time. We decided to meet and go see the Sonoran Desert Museum. What an incredible place. The museum is mostly outdoors and is right smack dab in the middle of Saguaro-ville. We got to see and learn about plenty of cacti, animals of the desert and other flora. The highlight of the day was a live presentation on birds of prey. We saw owls, raptors, and hawks flying all around us. These birds flew so close to my head that I think a wing beat hit me! It’s an exhilarating experience to see and feel these amazing birds fly around you. The trainers and staff were great, showing extreme care for the animals and controlling the audience. After the show, we spent the rest of the morning wandering the grounds. This museum has a hummingbird exhibit that you walk inside of with over 30 hummingbirds flying around you. So cool to watch these birds hover inches in front of your face then go 0-100 in the blink of an eye. If you’re in the Tucson area, this is a great day trip.

Sabino Canyon

Close to our house was a popular attraction known as Sabino Canyon. This canyon snakes up the foothills of Mt. Lemon and offers stunning scenery and some fun water activities. We didn’t realize that this location was on national land under BLM control. So even though it was not a national park, it was covered under their umbrella so to speak. This means that the kids could become Junior Rangers! They have a great JR program that revolves around a nice half-mile nature trail with great exhibit signs and a wonderful booklet to follow. The whole things take about an hour and both the kids and Katie and I learned a ton about the desert flora and fauna. Once done we made our way to the canyon tour. The way Sabino canyon works is that you ride a tram up 9 stops over the course of almost 4 miles. The drive up parallels a stream for most of the way. The driver narrates on the way up giving little tidbits of knowledge about the canyon and area. You can get off at any stop and walk down or up. On the way up the driver pointed out a cool place on the river where people can swim and relax on some big rocks. This was our stop, so we got off the tram, hiked down into the canyon and found an awesome spot on the river with big flat rocks and a waterfall! We had a nice picnic lunch in the hot sun and splashed around. Afterward, we walked down several stops and took in the majestic sites of the canyon.

Bio-Dome err… Biosphere 2

Hahaha Biodome, a cult classic and not a very good one at that. That movie represents a time in the 80’s when Brendan Fraser and Pauly Shore were at their zenith for bad slapstick comedy. Right buu-uuu-uuu-dy. When I found out the inspiration for that film was Biosphere 2, I knew I had to jump at the chance to visit. It’s important to note that no part of the movie was filmed at this location. For a brief moment, I was sad that none of my prepackaged, stale 80’s jokes referencing the movie would be given life. Now that we have that out of the way, the actual biosphere is a really cool experience. Eight people, only two of which were scientists, spent two years locked in this place with only the sustenance they created themselves to survive. The biosphere is a representation of earth so there are several different habitats under the dome. The desert, the ocean, the rainforest, and savannah are just a few of the replicated habitats. The tour takes you through most of these areas and also gives you a bit of a, behind the scenes, look at the machinery that supports the experience. Oh, I forgot to mention that this is still a working experiment. Even though people aren’t locked inside anymore, tons of science is being undertaken to see how life reacts to various environments. This science will serve as the unpinning of our exploration of earth and into the stars. Such a powerful hands-on lab. Colette, Sienna, and even Lennox picked up some great knowledge from the visit. They asked lots of questions afterward and showed us that they picked up a glimpse of the bigger world around them. A win for mom and dad!

The End was Near – Titan II Missle Silo

Having grown up in the 80’s I did experience the cold war in a childish sort of way. Movies like Red Dawn, The Day After, Spies Like Us, and Firefox color my perspective of that time.  Just outside of Tucson is a very real reminder of the danger of that time. Buried deep in the desert earth protected by alarms, barbwire fences and armed guards sits a 100′ tall missile that could have leveled an area 17 miles in diameter. The Titan Missle Museum is a tour through the underground complex that housed the missile and the soldiers that held the fate of the world in their hands. The tour is about an hour and takes you to the control room and the silo itself. The decommissioned missile still sits in the silo so you can get a real feel for the size of this WMD. The girls got a lot out of this experience, more the wow factor I think. The history kinda bored them but they liked the old computers and the missile itself. I think their favorite part was a one minute ride down an old elevator into the silo. Lennox was crazy on this tour. Typical tired five-year-old laughing inappropriately and running around.  Bless Katie’s heart as she wrestled the mini beast through the tour. This site is not the greatest for kids but it is a wonderful history lesson.

Saguaro National Park

Our final day in Tucson was spent visiting the Saguaro National Park. A great day in 80-degree weather and a few new Junior Rangers to boot! The park is split into two big wildernesses and we chose the east side. A dirt road loop went through this part of the park with a number of stopping points for hiking. The park is breathtaking. Sooo many giant Saguaro standing like sentinels in the hot desert sun. It had rained the day before so the cacti were vivid green against the blue sunny sky. We stopped at a few hiking spots and walked through the unearthly landscape marveling at the scene unfolding around us. Sienna and Lennox love to run full speed down the trials regardless of the spiky dangers lurking to either side. Colette takes a more considered approach, but one of wonder and inquisition. All the kids worked on their junior ranger packets, identifying the different cacti and looking for desert animals. We had a picnic on some rocks and just took it all in. On one of the hikes we even got to see 1000-year-old petroglyphs, reminding us of the humanity sewn throughout the wilds of our country. We are very blessed to be able to see these great wonders of America. We headed back to the visitor center and the kids took their solemn oath of the junior ranger. This park was a spectacular end to a great stay in Tucson.

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Red Rocks, Vortexes, and Crystals…See-Dona ya want to be here?

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Splitting up the Long Journey

After our wonderful time in Santa Fe, it was time for us to move on. We had another long journey to Sedona, AZ but we decided to break it up with a stop at a National Park. On the Way to our destination is the Petrified Forest National Park. This also contains the painted desert as well which is an amazing site. The park is a 28-mile long road with a dozen or so stopping points throughout where you can see magnificent vistas or get hands-on with pieces of petrified wood that are millions of years old. We spent a few hours driving through the park and exploring the various attractions. It was pretty awesome and well worth the pit stop. The path we traveled ended us at the visitor center where some of the largest specimens of petrified wood exist.  The kids got to touch the petrified wood and climb all over some of the trees. They had a blast.  Along with all the fun, they learned a few things as well by doing the Junior Ranger Program, bonus for us! We hope they take some of these nuggets of knowledge along with them after this journey.

Switchback Down into Heaven…Waking Up to Nirvana

After the park, we only had a couples hours to Sedona. It was late and the sun was setting as we came, unexpectedly, to the switchbacks of Oak Creek Canyon. The drop in elevation from the top of the canyon to the bottom is about 3000 feet and this happens within a short span of miles. It was exhilarating to come down through the canyon with the sun setting and hundred foot drops along the roadside. We could just barely make out the huge red rock cliffs as we came into town. Even in the dim light Katie and I were blown away and knew we would be waking up to something incredible.

When the sun broke the horizon the next morning we were greeted by one of the most majestic scenes of my life. All around us, rising like red titans, were red stone cliffs and mesas. And not just red, but every color from orange, rust, copper, to sand. The sky was a vivid azure blue and the sparse plant life showed deep green against the landscape. My words will not do justice so I will let the pictures do the talking. Just a taste…more to come.

Bell Rock Hike

Our first hike in this awesome place was Bell Rock. This hike crawls over the face of a red rock mesa and has you scrambling up the stone dodging cacti. The views are amazing. The kids had a blast climbing the stone and sliding down. They also gave Katie and I fits as they ran full speed towards the edge of cliffs, only to stop at the last minute and laugh at us. Oh, the joys of kids! This is an easy hike and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was nice to get our hands dirty.

The Pink Jeeps

One thing you notice as you drive around Sedona is the massive amount of jeeps, and pink jeeps to be specific. There is a famous tour company in town that runs people up the back dirt roads (if you can call them that) for off-roading fun. We decided it would be fun to take the kids up into the mountains and also give them a bumpy, jerky jeep experience. We had a great guide named Sean who told us all about the area as we drove. He had just the right amount of funny, seriousness and jokester. We had a blast bouncing through the hills and the views were spectacular. If you can believe it, our youngest Lennox almost fell asleep going up as his body bounced to and fro. We are scared for the future and this one getting up for school during high school.

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Montezuma’s Castle

About a half hour from Sedona is the Montezuma Castle National Park containing the remains of the Sinagua people’s cliff dwellings. The dwellings are beautifully preserved and it’s really neat to see the structure embedded in the rock. As far as National parks go, this is a small one. You can experience the whole park in about a half hour. Sienna decided to do the Junior Ranger program, but Lennox and Colette passed. This was a nice quick side trip for the family. We also stopped by the Cliff Castle Casino. (which had a crazy game filled daycare center) for a couple hours. The kids didn’t want to leave, but Katie and I sure did after giving the casino ample operating funds.

Rainy Day Hiking

Although the weather has been extraordinary, rain was in our forecast. Before it hit we decided to take another hike up a short trail called Fay Canyon. This was a moderate hike that followed and arroyo up into a box canyon. Lots of scrubby trees and a nice little climb at the end to look back down the canyon. The cliff walls rose hundreds of feet on either side. Very different from our first hike but no less beautiful. I had read somewhere there was a secret arch along this trail. So on the way back, I kept looking for signs of the secondary trail that might lead us there. A couple of rock cairns on the path peaked my interest and we decided to venture off the trail up the less used path. The hike was steep, rock-strewn and full of cacti. However, we found our secret spot! Hiding next to a cliff face about twenty feet from the wall was our arch. We also found a rock structure resembling a native home at the top. It was obviously built by modern hands but the structure was still awesome. A super fun hike that we were able to get in just before a couple days of steady rain set in.

Misty Magic

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The Final Hike

For our last hike in Sedona we chose to go up Brin’s Mesa. For our little posse, it was a challenging hike. The trail is about 3 miles round trip and rises over 500ft. You start off meandering up a wide valley and then shoot steeply upward the rest of the way. Awesome vistas abounded on this hike, along with a lot of crying Lennox. When that kid is motivated he’s unstoppable, but when he’s not into something he’ll let you know! After about an hour we crested the top and were met with more stunning views. We really loved our time here. The beauty, the people, and the food all came together for a truly memorable visit. We will be back. (Most likely Katie and I alone next time!)

 

 

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750ft Below the Surface of the Earth…and Aliens

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San Antonio to Carlsbad

This section of the trip took us from civilization to no man’s land. Well, that’s not entirely true. There were an awful lot of oil men drilling for black gold. It was a beautiful drive until we hit the last hundred miles to Carlsbad.  This is where we turned on to a  two-lane road with posted speed limits of 75mph and potholes that could rip the tranny out of a monster truck. There were semi’s barreling by and an uncountable number of F150’s. All these trucks were there to service the oil derricks that dotted the landscape like toothpicks on a party tray. Oh, and did I mention that the winds where gusting 25-30+mph which is really fun in a big land yacht with a topper on it. We made it just as the sun was setting. We tucked into our hotel and got ready for a fun day deep underground.

The Caverns of Carlsbad

The caverns aren’t actually in Carlsbad. (FYI) You need to drive about 30 minutes. It is well worth the effort. After a beautiful drive through the park and up to the cavern entrance, you’re greeted by a breathtaking vista of the Chihuahuan desert.  On the way up we got to see a type of Bighorn sheep which was a cool surprise.

The visitor center is well staffed has an excellent museum to get you oriented. Once you’re ready to visit the caves you have two options. A quick 1 min elevator ride or a 45 min hike into the cave system from the mouth at the surface. We opted for the elevator on our first day as we had a guided tour we needed to meet. The next day we decided to hike in and it is AWESOME!

But I digress, day one we went to a cave system called the King’s Palace. This was a guided tour and was wonderful. The cave system was well lit and had thousands of stalagmites and stalactites, rock curtains, and impossibly thin rock tubes called soda straws. Truly an awe-inspiring experience. The guide also turned the lights out half way through so we could feel the intenseness of complete darkness. Colette and Sienna both loved the excursion into this hidden world. On day two we hiked into the cavern from the surface. This gives you a real sense of what it must have been like to first come upon these caverns and explore them. We highly recommend hiking in one of the days if you visit this place. Once at the bottom we went on the self-guided tour of what they call the “Big Room“. The Big Room tour is about two hours and takes you buy some of the most spectacular otherworldy structures you’ll ever see. Carlsbad Caverns is a remote location and we’d recommend tacking it on to a bigger exploration of the Southwest.

More of the Surreal

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Guadalupe Mountains National Park

The caverns aren’t the only thing to see when in Carlsbad. About 20 minutes past the caverns lies the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We are always in awe of the national park system and what they protect and this was no different. Beautiful mountains, pristine wilderness, and Jr. Ranger Program!!! We love these.

There are a few short hikes here, but it really caters to longer overnight hikes to experience the park. We opted to drive around and get some great shots after the kids became Junior Rangers at the museum.

Believe…….

We spent about three full days in the area exploring and found that to be a good window of time to experience a taste of the caverns and mountains. On the way to our next destination, we needed to make the pilgrimage to the town made famous by the alien spacecraft that crash landed there 72 years ago. Roswell, NM is a surprisingly big town, much bigger than Carlsbad. Our only focus for passing through was to visit the UFO Museum and have space lunch. The museum is a fun place to visit and does a great job recapping the history of the alien crash investigation. There’s are lots of fun and cool art and exhibits to enjoy as well. I love Aliens! So making the effort to land here definitely was a check off my bucket list. I’m not sure if Katie felt the same way, but the kids had a blast. A worthwhile place to spend an hour and get some lunch. Though space lunch was not found we did have a nice bite at a deli up the street.  Our next stop is Santa Fe for a couple weeks.

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