We’re back!
Mileage: 105916 (Trip total: 4750 miles; about 92 hours of driving.)
It was a fantastic trip, but we’re happy to be back home. Some images from our first few days, with perfect summer weather:
It’s our first day of driving back to Minnesota. It’s been a hard push. We have fewer days to cover the miles this time, and we hope to rendezvous with friends at Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow night. After nine hours of driving, we finally pulled off for dinner in Wendover, at the Nevada/Utah border. Nestled between the casinos and gas stations was an awesome, old-school playground and picnic area. Not only does it have tons of cool playground equipment, but it has freight rail tracks right next to it. The kids had front row seats to a massive train roaring through. Some local kids were celebrating a piñata birthday party and welcomed Griffin and Maggie, playing with them while we got our food organized and then bringing over some cake to share. A glorious end to a long slog. (Technically, we’re still slogging to Salt Lake City as I tap this out, but the kids are asleep and the 100 degree daytime temperatures are behind us.)
If you find yourself in Wendover with kids in the car, skip the slots and chill out at Scobie Park.
At the end of our California trip we flew from SF to San Diego to spend a few glorious days with our dear friends, Liz and Kevin, and their son, Gabe. (Plus adorable Buddy.) We hung out at the beach, went on leisurely walks around the neighborhood, spent a day at the zoo, and played with Buddy in the yard. Below are photos from many of these adventures. (The zoo photos were hum-drum, so we’ve left them out. It’s a great zoo though; you should go there.)
Kevin, among many other things, is a brilliant photographer. We always treasure the shots he takes on his camera. All of the photos below that are marked “-KM” are Kevin’s. The rest were taken by Sarah or Andrew.
Remember that you can click on a photo to see the set in a full window slide show — they look best big!
We were fortunate enough to rent a house in Bodega Bay that would accommodate all of the Roy Boys and their families, and at a time when everyone could make it! It was a sweet time to reconnect with Anthony, Gena, Dave, Nancy, and their kids. The cousins were non-stop playing from the moment we arrived until the moment we left! Highlights included trips to the beach, meals together, and a carnival put on by the kids. We have a lot of photos in this set, mostly of the adorable children. I have a feeling our kids will be talking about this trip for a long time to come!
We made it to our Bucks Lake campsite on Friday and stayed through Sunday. We rendezvoused with a group of friends from the Bay Area. It was so great to catch up with old friends, make new friends, eat gourmet camp meals, and sit around the fire. It was a fitting culmination of the camping portion of our trip. Looking forward to a bed by the Pacific when we head to Bodega Bay next!
The trip has exceeded our expectations in every way, but lest it appear unrealistically idyllic, I provide this evidence of woe (due, I think, to a stubbed toe):
One dead battery and one poopy diaper later, and we’re off!
Mileage: 101166
Two generations of amazing mamas with their latest handiwork.
A lovely, warm, Saturday evening, clouds looming with impending rain, the chimes of the ice cream truck arrived at the perfect moment.
(Griffin notes that this wasn’t really the first ice cream truck of 2014; it was the first one where we bought ice cream. )
When Sarah told Griffin that she was eating a “Turtle Bar,” he frowned and asked,
“Is there really a turtle in there??”
(He’s convinced that we are bent on the destruction of turtles; see our recent post about Spicy Turtle Blood.)
Maggie’s birthday, just a few days after Griffin’s rescheduled party, was a lower key affair, but fun for all of us. It began with some presents in the morning before Andrew went to school. Then a pancake breakfast with Caroline and Griffin. Then, by Maggie’s request, an expedition to Adventure Peak. After Andrew got home, we all headed over to the Highland Grill for dinner. Finally, a cake perfectly sized for a two-year-old.
