Day 16---Today was a travel day. We left the cramped quarters of our Anaheim stay and headed north towards Sequoia National Park. A was excited to be going through LA and the Hollywood Hills, but it was so dusty and gross we couldn't even make out the hills, much less the Hollywood sign. Everyone here has to have some sort of lung issue. The amount of dust and stuff in the air is disgusting. California has NOT impressed us so far. In fact, we can't wait to leave it and breathe fresh air. Travel day was only 4 hours, which is great, and the new KOA is fantastic. Maisy has a nice run that has actual grass, never thought that would be a plus, and the spaces are spread out. The weather is perfect and other than being down wind from a cow holding area, we really like this spot.
Day 17----Today we went to Sequoia National Park. The long winding switchback roads made me EXTREMELY nauseous. Flashbacks of a car sick childhood driving through the mountains to visit grandparents came screaming back at me. I had to have D pull over literally every 5 minutes. It was absolutely miserable. Luckily, we finally reached the top and we joined the other 1000 people on a hike to see General Sherman, the largest of the giant sequoia trees. It was amazing.... except for all the people. Afterwards, we hiked, maybe more accurate would be scaled, the trail to the top of Moro Rock. I have an extreme fear of heights, and the lack of railing in places did not help, but was determined to finish....or plummet to my death trying. D had enough and wanted to stop 3/4 of the way up, but we kept up the steep narrow, mostly without railing, path to the very top and were rewarded with breathtaking views and very wobbly knees. In fact, I was so scared dangling 6750 ft up that I almost couldn't walk around and enjoy the view. The trip down was treacherous to say the least and the other brave souls appeared to find my soul wrenching fear quite amusing and patiently waited as I slowly crawled my way back to safety. The drive back down the mountain was better and I did not have to stop.
 |
| Lovely fall pic |
 |
| Doesn't look as high as it is. |
 |
| These trees are enormous! |
 |
| Huge! |
 |
| This was a limb that fell off General Sherman....A LIMB! |
 |
| One of our many stops I had to have on the way up. |
 |
| Picnic area |
Day 18---We have realized two and a half weeks is long enough in a pop up. However, we still have a week to go. The kids want their own space and so do the parents! The youngest two are starting to fight frequently and everyone is testy. The weather is fabulous though. Mid 70's, dry air, light breeze; it is absolutely perfect weather. I see how people could love this...too bad CA is a dusty hole. Today was a laundry and game day. We have had an unusual amount of down time on this trip and it has really felt more like a vacation than a family trip.
 |
| Maisy gets some real grass. |
 |
| However, the kids get a sand pit. |
Day 19...Weather is great, again. Today is our last relax day before we start the journey back home. We played pool, moose farkle, walked the dog, watched a movie, and did anything else we wanted. It was nice. We have 6 days left on our trip and 4 of those are travel days so I know they will be long days. You know the saying," it is not the destination, but the journey there." Well, whoever said that didn't ride cross country with three kids and a dog in a pop up for a month. It is most definitely the destination that creates the good memories of fun times and the journey brings you just to the brink of insanity and almost give up. We are all ready to be home and NOT DRIVING anymore.
Day 20...Off to Calico Ghost Town in Yermo, CA. D doesn't appear to care much for the campsite, but I think it is great. We are the only ones here camping and it is beautiful in its own dusty way. Tomorrow we will go visit the ghost town. I can't wait to explore. We were able to have our first fire tonight and watch the stars come out. The kids even got to see some bats. Good day.
 |
| First fire...I guess sand doesn't need a burn ban. |
 |
| Still smiling, but barely. |
 |
| Just us! |
Day 21...We were able to explore the ghost town today. It was really fun. We found lots of cute shops and panned for gold. The train was not working, but we were able to walk through one of the old ore mines. The entire town was reconstructed to look exactly like it did in 1880. We had a blast here.
 |
| Waiting for lunch at the restaurant. |
 |
| The food was worth the wait! |
 |
| He could slip through the bars. |
 |
| In front of the school house |
 |
| Such a fun stop. |
Day22...We traveled to Phoenix today. Unfortunately, it is 150 miles south of the highway we take home and after arriving there we decided to cut our trip short and head home. Basically, we drove 300 extra miles for fun. YAY! L is sick again and we all just want to be home.
Day 23....We made it to Tucumcari yesterday and now we are on the last 450 miles of our trip. The Tucumcari KOA was awesome! We will come back when we actually want to stay. This seems to be the longest part. The almost being there, but not quite. We all look forward to NOT driving anymore.
 |
| This was a nice KOA and we plan to go back when we are not dead tired of traveling. |
Day 24...Hallelujah! We are home! too bad we can't relax. We have to spend all day driving to the storage center to finish moving our stuff. Definitely not what D and I want to do, but once we finish we are done moving! Now A is sick so she is home recuperating while we move. We only have unpacking left!
 |
| Kids managed to find something for Halloween. (in front of the well house) |
 |
| Hermoine, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Lone Ranger (my backyard) |
Comments
Post a Comment