Overview of Day 10 and the whole experience!

Hello followers! Now that I am back at my trusty desktop, I would like to overview the last day and wrap up the whole trip experience for you :)

Day 10 was a long haul home. We got up in Sacramento, and headed out at the noon checkout. We grabbed gas and beverages since it was already HOT, and headed north. After about a 2 and 1/2 hour drive, we stopped at the last In-n-Out Burger in Redding, CA and got our grub on! Man, I love that place! We kept pressing on....

It was hot. Kept getting hotter. Hit 103 degrees around Weed, and were thrilled to get into southern Oregon where it finally got into the 90's! We stopped in Roseburg, OR for gas and Applebee's and kept making the drive. At that point, we had been on the road for 9 hours. With our transmission stuff and inner tie rod, we were taking it low and slow to make sure we got home ok... can't push it when you have your cubs in the car!

Stopped for coffee late, and kept going. At least traffic was light traveling at the time of night. We put the top up in Oregon when the temp hit 76 degrees because the cubs get cold at that temp at freeway speeds, but we were shocked to be sticky at 63 degrees at 2 am in Tacoma... it was 84% humidity! Despite being 40 degrees cooler than earlier in the day, at least that was 15-30% humidity... man, that makes a difference!!!

We pulled in at 3-ish a.m. and were ready to sleeeeeeeeep!!! Whew! What a haul. The cubs did great, especially considering it was the last day. We ended the trip 2 states short in the license plate game... we got Hawaii on day 8 or so, leaving us missing New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Oh well, there is always next trip!!! ;)

Lessons we learned as a whole:
1. All of the tips from Day 1! Re-read those... lol...
2. Top down in the full sun is TOUGH on the peeps in the backseat.... When trip planning, do a day trip trial run in similar conditions to what you will be doing on your trip. We learned that a convertible is NOT fun for the people in the backseat at more than 65 mph... and it takes away the best part of a road trip... the chatter that goes on in the car along the way. This lead to having to let the cubs plug in more than I would have liked. That was bad pre-planning on the part of the Bears.
3. Don't discount small, locally owned hotels... two of the best rooms were the small, local motor lodges. The big hotels may have been "newer" but in general, the "older" but clean hotels had the best amenities and service. And a 10% increase in what you spend can make a HUGE difference... definitely check out all the options before you book.
4. The places that had pools? Great. But we never got to use one because of our itinerary. Think your mileage through and add in time for gas and food stops. If you are going to get back to the hotel for the night after 9, basically count out the pool... and find a property that is cheaper because it doesn't have one.
5. The car got better gas mileage than we thought... I haven't added the final total yet, but I am pretty sure we came in under budget. I'll post final numbers in a few days after I get things settled...
6. Plan in your budget for water if you are going somewhere warm! We planned for drink stops, but we didn't plan to carry a cooler to carry enough water cold, and it gets warm fast at 100+ degrees, and you go through A LOT when it's that hot. We had an episode of dehydration with Youngest Cub, and after that had to build in cooler travel temps and more cold drink stops. This added time and money to the plan.
7. All in all, the first few days were hard because we were getting used to the routine of a road trip, since it was our first. The middle 2 days were rough because we logged high mileage in the heat without a lot of activities, and everyone got a little cranky from mis-communication. By Day 6, we had the routine down and the needs for stuff to do and see worked out, and those last days were the best. We figured out the differences in the cubs personalities and expectations, and better knew how to roll with both. :)
8. No matter how prepared you think you have your car, have a plan for what to do when something happens. Thankfully we didn't have to use our AAA coverage, but it was nice to know we had it, and if it wasn't for Google, it would have been much harder to take care of what we needed to. But we met some great folks along the way, so as per a road trip, it all led to some great experiences. Another kudos to Rimrock Express Lube in Billings, MT and Leo at Discount Tires in Gallup, NM for taking such great care of us. If you are near them, please give them your business... they are totally worth it!

We definitely worked out the bugs and are much better prepared for our next adventure! When we go, you will too.... this blog will go live again with our next trip (other than the promised budget post!)

Until next time,
Mama Bear... happy and HOME!

A totally stellar DAY 8!

What a day! It had it's ups and downs, but all in all, it was pretty rad! (I started to write this last night, but kept dozing off, so finishing this morning!)

Woke up eeeeearly in Vegas to get out of town before the heat (it was 86 degrees at 6 am!) and to get closer to Marine Bear. Since Jiffy Lube didn't open until 8, we decided we would just stop on the way to Pendleton. Tried to find someplace to add fluid in Baker,., the only guy who could was really nice, but his garage just flooded last week and he was just there repairing. He tried to find the tools to do it, but no luck. We pressed on to Barstow. We saw NO LESS THAN 12 repair places... All closed on Sunday, including a Midas and the car dealerships! We finally found a place at a gas station, but it would have been an hour wait and the guy was rude. So we went on to Apple Valley/ Victorville area,.. Jiffy Lube!!! NOPE, they "couldn't do it without a transmission service"... And neither could the other one in town owned by the same guy!! ARGH! So we went across the street to Goodyear, who charged $70 to do it, but we had no choice. And it was now 100 degrees :/ The same service that was free in Billings, $11 in Colorado Springs, $17 with a suspension inspection in Gallup was $70 and not even filled all the way and they broke our door panel they were specifically told not to touch. Awesome... That area of CA can... Well... You know. Oh well, it got done I guess. 

Hopped back on the interstate and started to make our way through the awful traffic. We were starting to think we weren't going to hear from the boy, but at 2:15, we finally heard from Marine Bear on liberty and we were still 1 hour away!! Or so we thougggghhht... 

He said Camp Pendleton North. We routed our way there. Marine Bear was no help with directions, and we ended up driving through the Navy side of the base, and taking forever to find our way to the bear. CAMP PENDLETON IS HUUUUUGE! After our unintentional tour of the base, we finally got to see Marine Bear...

We spent a few hours there, chatting it up, then when his liberty was up we drove north to Anaheim. (The much closer route off of I-5!!) This sealed the deal... I think I may be an Orange County and on down to San Diego kinda girl. It was a pleasant 81 degrees!!

We found our hotel about 7:15, and it has been interesting.... Lol. Old but clean and great service from the owners. AND 5 miles to Disney and 5 miles to the beach...

Headed out to Downtown Disney, scored seeing the fireworks from the plaza between the parks! It was even free parking until closing because we went late :) The hardest part for Padre Bear and the Cubs was being there without going in the parks- Disneyland is their favorite place. Just kept trying to focus on the positive: a taste of Disney for free! We got churros (they have flavored ones outside the park!!) and shopped World of Disney. When we were there in December, they had NO regular Disney coffee, and no Frozen merchandise!!!! I got an Olaf ornament for my Disney tree, a small stuffed Olaf, and a can of Disney coffee this time. Yay!!

A late dinner at Earl of Sandwich rounded out a great day. Outside on the patio at night... 

I could get used to this... 

Well, a hard LONG day that turned out great! Totally worth it. Now it's Santa Monica Pier and we turn north toward home.... 

I feel like I'm already home here in the OC..... :)

Until later today, lol...

Mama Bear

Day 7 already!

I'm not gonna lie... I almost skipped blogging tonight. It is Too. Damn. Hot. 

But, it was such a great vacation day that I just can't skip :)

Got up this morning about 6 am in Williams, AZ. I made a cup of Javita coffee, took a shower, and rounded up the laundry. Then I walked the 7 blocks down Route 66 to the only laundry in town. The town was soooooo peaceful and quiet... Just like you think a small "frontier" town should be! While the clothes were washing, I dropped some postcards in the mail and wandered up and down the main street, reading historical markers and taking pics, before the shops even opened.

It was perfection. I got a local newspaper, and read that while I waited for the washer to finish, then walked down to get coffees for myself and Padre Bear at a little cafe while the clothes dried. I woke  up the Bear and the cubs, got them going, and put the top down in the car to cruise down to pick up the clothes. We loaded up the car and headed for the Grand Canyon a little after 10 am. It was 75 degrees. 

By the time we made the hour drive to the GC, it was 88 degrees. Still not miserable, but warm indeed. THAT was a lot of fun (and we found a Hawaii plate! Only 2 to go!!)... 

And at the Rim....

It almost seems like a backdrop! We visitor centered and gift shopped, and has lunch by the car just outside the park.... Then had ice cream in McD's and enjoyed the A/C ;)

Off to Hoover Dam! Thank goodness we dawdled, because it was 100 by the time we hit Kingman for gas a few hours later, and was a horrid 106 by the dam at 7:15 pm. We made the damn dam a quick stop... 

Because we wanted to be sure we made it to the Pawn Stars shop before 9... And had a beautiful sunset drive on the drop into Vegas. 

Just made it on time! It was cool to see the store in person! Here I am at the Pawn Stars pawn shop... And the car in their side lot with the sign...

After that we made the cruise down the strip to our hotel off Tropicana. Giant Cub's commentary on the drive was hilarious... 2 quotes of the day.... Upon seeing the marquee type sign for McDonalds, he exclaimed "that McDonald's is FABulooooous" with a tone usually reserved for drag queens!!! Then, somewhere around Treasure Island, he said "If the internet was a real place, this is what it would look like." Hahahaha!! He's right!!

Got to the Americas Best Value Inn to blessed air conditioning at about 9:30 pm, then walked to the strip to find food. Too Hot. (104) and too crowded with a fight tonight at the MGM. Ugh. Settled for 24 hour food court food, and lots of drinks for our dehydrated bodies. Did I mention it's HOT?! 

I should not be eating in this heat, just drinking beverages, since with my stomach surgery I can't eat and drink at the same time, and I should have opted to hydrate. Now I'm trying to put down water before bed, since everyone is asleep with the A/C turned to "meat locker".... Lol! 

Tomorrow is early so we can drive to SoCal to visit Marine Cub... And this family can't get away from this heat fast enough!!!! 

Well, time for more water ;) adios!!!

Mama Bear

Day 6 in the books...

Ahhhhh... 9 hours of sleep makes a HAPPY Mama Bear!! 

In Gallup this morning, Padre Bear took the car to a local shop to have the suspension looked at. Broken inner tie rod, but the nice owner Leo (Discount Tire on Route 66!) said it would be fine until we got home. They topped off the tranny fluid since it was up in the air- total? $17. :) Padre Bear had a great chat with him for about 45 minutes, and we left with a great idea of "retiring" owning a restored Route 66 motor lodge. It's always been a dream of mine, and now Padre Bear is on board. Super excited!!!

After breakfast in the room (no espresso ANYWHERE in Gallup!!!), we headed west to the meteor crater. It was pretty cool.... I wasn't super excited about going to see a big hole in the ground, but it was pretty awesome. A nice tourist offered to take a pic of us.... 

That thing is masssssssive! Well, we got back on the road with the plan to go to the Grand Canyon. We found out the visitor center closed at 5, so we opted to go to Williams, AZ and check into our hotel and have an early dinner. We found a RAD place online, and called and made reservations for 5:15... Let me explain why...

The restaurant is called The Singing Pig... It's a BBQ joint owned by a husband and wife who slow roast everything, they serve everything, and when the food is gone, they close!!! Usually they sell out!!! So, we got a bunch of BBQ... Hands down the best BBQ I've ever had, and Padre Bear agrees. The cubs made quick work of almost a rack of baby backs, a half chicken, and a POUND of fries! We shared a pulled pork sammy that had been roasted for 14 HOURS. Simply amazing food and service, and a really groovy place! 

We saw the cowboy gang shoot out show in the street, the boys had I've cream from a shop and we bought some fudge. Then they headed back to the room and I did a little wander shopping ;)

Got my kicks on Route 66!!! I love this little town. :) I even bought a small dreamcatcher from a real Navajo... Can't wait to hang it up at home!

Finished the night with a walk a block over to the grocery store, got a night snack for the boys and lunch tomorrow, and a couple Lime-a-Rita's for sitting outside and writing postcards. It's a beautiful night.... This is the beetle hanging out with me... 

Tomorrow,  going to get up early and do laundry and have coffee, so we can head to the Grand Canyon about 9-ish, then roll on to Hoover Dam and the bright lights of Vegas! 

Catch y'all tomorrow!!

Mama Bear

Day 5 check in :)

Not a super exciting vacation day, but fun times nonetheless :)

Started the morning looking for a Starbucks in my app. None near me, so I searched for a Dunkin Donuts on the off chance... SCORE! 3 miles away! I drove and got coffee with cream and sugar for Padre Bear and I, and a donut for each of us. Yum! I always complain that there is no Dunkin by me, but as a recovering Doughnut-aholic, it's probably a good thing... Lol... 

Did some laundry and showered while Padre Bear took the car to get more tranny fluid and a car bath. We talked to the cubs and made a command decision to skip Four Corners and drive the interstate to Gallup instead. Needed a night of more sleep for the next half of the trip. It was a good thing too, because the weather around here is NUTTY. It started out H. O. T. in Colorado Springs through northern NM. Lunch in the shade at a NM rest stop just after coming into the state. I took a quick selfie for you-

Too hot to be glamorous... I think it was 95 degrees. After awhile, the sky grew dark and it RAINED. HARD. (And that is saying a lot as a Washingtonian!!)

We pulled over and put the top up when we felt the first sprinkles, thank goodness!! It dropped the temp to 56 degrees in the squall, and afterwards, we could watch the thermometer tick back up. CRAAAAAAAZY! We left the top up for the rest of the day because it kept doing it! Thank goodness our 80's Rock station on Pandora got us through. :) 

I have given in and given the boys free use of electronics... It's worked out ok. Lots of miles of nothing is boring... I get it. They are hanging in there... Now the "fun" miles of the trip begin!

Rush hour traffic in Albuquerque and then pushed on through to Gallup. We arrived to our super-cheap-but-suitable Motel 6, and went to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner. Authentic and good... And right on Route 66 :)

On the way to dinner, Padre Bear drove, and noticed something going on with the suspension. We had hit an unmarked bump on I-40 REALLY hard, so he thinks it may have something to do with that. We saw a little repair shop by the restaurant, so I think we're going to go there to have it looked at in the morning. 

Happy to have an early night... This mama bear needs some sleeeeeeep! Halfway done and more than half the mileage... Tomorrow is Meteor Crater and Grand Canyon :) No state plates today... Still 5 to go. 

Goodnight world!

Zzzzzzzz....

Mama Bear

Day 1 Wrap up :)

  WELL.... Let me start with a tip...

TIP #1- always practice pack before the morning you're leaving!! 

We got a late start because we got everything down to the car and, in the words of Padre Bear, "grossly overestimated the amount of space in the car." Oh, I have a correction from the first post on that subject- it's a convertible COUPE not sedan as stated. That should help explain our dilemma this AM... So it was critical decision time. Leave the food basket or the cooler, because they both wouldn't fit. Even without BAGS in there, they wouldn't both fit! So after some thought, we surrendered the cooler and opted for a soft-sided thermal grocery bag. We played some Tetris with the stuff, and departed about an hour and a half later than planned. THEN got gas and coffees.... 

TIP #2- gas up the night before so it's coffees and freeway ;)

Finally on the road, with the starting seating arrangement... Bears in front, cubs in back. 

Traffic was good, there was the normal rest stop and the gas stop.., which we extended a bit to enjoy the air conditioning in the grocery store. Itwas HOT. It was 92 degrees at this time of day. After our cool down, we had lunch in the shade at a rest area, and let Giant Cub have a turn in the front seat. This is where I learned how windy it is at 70 mph on the interstate in the back seat of a convertible!!! Not unbareable, but windy and loud. Much cooler back there with the wind though. Headphones are a blessing in this situation :)

TIP #3- if you have a child who can be a little overstimulated with too much sensory action going on, bust out the noise canceling headphones! This kept the wind out of Youngest Cub's ears and calmed him significantly. 

TIP #4- be prepared for the bitchiness that accompanies the kids being unplugged from their game machines. We allowed headphones and music, but no screens. This made for a rough first half of the day, but they adjust. And it's good for them... Just keep reminding yourself of that during the cranky spells!!!

After a few more hours of driving, we rearranged again and gave Youngest Cub his turn in the front seat. Equipped with new gas station sunglasses since his first ones broke and headphones AND less wind, he was a calmer camper :) We made it through the Idaho passes, and entered Montana to cooler weather (only 88 and shade!!) for a pleasant and beautiful evening drive. Even sang a family version of Bohemian Rhapsody, started by Giant Cub! 

Since today is my birthday, I got to pick the dinner spot in Missoula. We had the made the time zone change we had sorta forgotten about, so it was 9:20.... I chose Fuddruckers for burgers. Yum! Giant Cub was starving, so he ordered the ONE POUND BURGER... Holy moley!! Check it out... And he has HUGE hands! 

Yes... Big! But yummy dinner. Cool place. So, we left the top up since it was dark now for the last leg of the day to Butte... Rearranged again for my turn driving. Oh, yeah... CRAZY AMOUNT OF BUGS AT DUSK. I totally should have cleaned the windshield... Bummer and hard to see. 

We finally arrived at our hotel in Butte about midnight. Nothing fancy, but it had ice to put in our cooler bag, beds and showers, and isn't scary! Right off the freeway too. 

Well, today's tally was 608 miles and 19 states for license plates! Tomorrow is Yellowstone :) I'm off to bed. 

Ciao....

Mama Bear

Overview of our EPIC ROAD TRIP!

Since I am sure at the end of each day I will NEED to recap the day, I figured it's a good opportunity to share the spirit of the Great American Road Trip with the internet world!

Most people think I am crazy when I tell them our plans, but I can assure you, I am not. :) Let me explain...

This was the same stuff I heard back in 2008 when I did a similar style road trip with Girl Cub, and it was an awesome experience! She was the age then that Youngest Cub is now, and I am sure he will be just as excited from the experience as she was. That trip was 8 states (Washington twice, Oregon twice, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California twice) in 10 days, and was done at the high point of gas prices in a small SUV (with bad brakes, by the way! Added to the adventure!). We did hotels on Priceline to plan our itinerary, and did the whole trip for under $2,500. Let's face it- for a 10 day vacation, $250 a day is pretty good when you factor in lodging, food, transportation and activities.

Well, our state tally is higher this time (13!), and our budget is lower... and it is happening in a convertible sedan with four people- Myself, Padre Bear, Giant Cub (who is 17) and Youngest Cub (who is 13). Boys instead of the one girl, and much more difficult to plan. You see, with Priceline you can bid and you get a room with only one bed. That was just fine with Girl Cub and myself, but not so much with the boys. This time I turned to Booking.com and found rooms that were within our budget but had 2 beds and preferably Wi-Fi... (most have a pool, and some have a hot tub, which Padre Bear and I will looooooove after a day in the car!) Let me tell you, this has made a difference in our hotel budget! Last trip was $500 and we were able to stay in mostly two-star chain hotels... this time, they are one-star chains and some local places. I guess this is the new version of the "adventure" word I used earlier! I set the planning budget at $600, and after all taxes it finalized at $658. We are planning about $500 for gas, since the prices get lower after we get out of our home state, and we are getting a National Parks Pass for $80, which we can also use for the rest of the year after we return. I chose hotels with breakfast if I could, and when we can't, it will be cereal and fruit in the room before we head out. We are only going to do one meal in a restaurant per day, the other will be things like chips and sandwiches (with bring-along snacks in the car), so I am setting a food goal of about $600 for the whole trip. There are some places we will have to pay entrance fees, and I am sure there will be some souvenirs, but I think we will still come in under the first trip with 2 additional people.

I have made a bound (cheap to have done at Staples!) tour book for Youngest Cub with a copy of the maps of the each days drive and details of the places we are stopping, in the hopes that will minimize the "Are We There Yet" questions and help him better appreciate the places we are visiting. Each Cub has a state list for marking off license plates they see, and electronics like game devices and phones are limited to only when the captain (aka ME) says electronic devices are OK. I want them to SEE the road trip, not just ride along!!

The point of this blog is to hopefully inspire others to plan their own epic road trip... it can still be done, albeit a lost art in our hectic and rushed world. This is Giant Cub's last summer before he runs off to college, and the gift of time and memories with the kids is priceless.

Now, without further ado, here is an overview of our itinerary... Home is Tacoma, Washington :)

DAY 1-  HOME TO BUTTE, MONTANA

DAY 2-  BUTTE, MT. TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK TO BILLINGS,

MONTANA

DAY 3-  BILLINGS, MT. TO CUSTER’S BATTLEFIELD THEN DEVILS

TOWER NATIONAL MONUMENT TO RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA

DAY 4-  RAPID CITY, SD. TO MOUNT RUSHMORE & CRAZY HORSE

MONUMENT TO COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

DAY 5-  COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. TO FOUR CORNERS MONUMENT TO

GALLUP, NEW MEXICO

DAY 6-  GALLUP, NM. TO METEOR CRATER & GRAND CANYON TO

WILLIAMS, ARIZONA

DAY 7-  WILLIAMS, AZ. TO HOOVER DAM TO LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

DAY 8-  LAS VEGAS, NV. TO CAMP PENDLETON TO ANAHEIM,

CALIFORNIA (Get to see Marine Cub that day!)

DAY 9-  ANAHEIM, CA. TO SANTA MONICA PIER TO SACRAMENTO,

CALIFORNIA

DAY 10-  SACRAMENTO, CA. TO HOME

The Great American Road Trip is alive and well....... 35 hours until departure...... See you at the end of DAY 1!!!

Until next time.... Mama Bear