Sequoia National Park- Day 1- July 8th 2011

Well that was the longest drive ever! It took us over 13 hours to get here when we only expected 10 hours. There were a few traffic delays through LA and other areas including a little fire in the brush in the median of the freeway. We also had to go off the map and GPS the last 2 hours because we had to take an alternate route because the normal and closer road is too curvy and narrow for trailers. So that added way more time and made the trip much more anxiety provoking. I am the navigator and Tim the driver and it is so scary to take us off the GPS when you "think" this is the right way. I had just about lost it at one point thinking we were definitely going the wrong way when all of a sudden the sign came up for the last freeway we needed to take. I breathed a sigh of relief and not 1 minute later, we were finally gaining elevation and the forest appeared before our eyes. At this time of anxiety I reached over to turn down the radio (noise makes me more anxious in high stress times) and I actually turned the radio tuner which changed the channel to KLOVE and my favorite band Casting Crowns was singing their song "Glorious Day"! It was so amazing! All within a minute the sign appeared, the song came on and the scenery totally changed. I was praising God over that one! I don't think Tim and I have ever sung that song so loud! The next song after that was "Take Me to the Beautiful" by Third Day which was great to listen to as we drove among these huge trees, lush forest and gorgeous scenery. We finally made it to the park! We gave them our entrance card and got the maps… Tim asked the ranger how much longer to drive to our campsite and he said one hour and I literally gasped! We had already done 12 and that was enough! Well, we made it to our campsite and then the worries began or I guess continued. The site seemed so tight for us. And of course it is dinner time, well past… it is 8:30 and everyone is sitting around their campsites watching us, shaking their heads. I gave Tim the rah, rah, we've done this before, even worse, you can do it speech but it was not working. I think he drove around the campsite 4 times to change his angle or the way he was coming in. He was about to give up (I guess we sleep in the parking lot of the visitors center?) when he gave it one last try and he did it! The neighbors around us were cheering and we were all happy to just be in our little spot! Then we unloaded, had a quick dinner, and off to bed. Tomorrow will be for exploring our campground and hiking…NO driving!

Getting Ready!

Well, tonight is my last night enjoying my time at home. The next 2 days will be a flurry of packing, cooking and preparing food and ordering my kids around with a long list of to do's. But I always remember that all of the planning and preparing the last few months will all be coming to fruition and that vacation brain will take over soon! This trip will include 4 days in Sequoia National Park, 7 days in Yosemite National Park and then 3 days at Lake Tahoe. All new territory for all of us so we are very excited. Time to get busy!

Grand Canyon Day 4- May 9th

Well, the weather took a turn last night. There was a lot of rain and hail and we woke up to snow flurries, more hail and totally cold! So we decided it was good to leave right away. We packed up quickly and off we went! We had a great time and really enjoyed this campground. It was a great mix of family time, nature, and relaxation… just what camping should be! We look forward to one day coming back and hiking the entire way down into the canyon!

Grand Canyon Day 3- May 8th

It's Mother's Day! I cannot think of a better thing to do than be camping in nature and seeing one of the 7 wonders of the world! We slept in and then had a great breakfast of French toast. Then it was off to our hike. We took a shuttle to the Bright Angel trail and then down we went. We went 1 ½ miles down into the canyon…going down was easy but coming up was harder! But we did it! Leah had the hardest time, every time I looked at her on the way up she was crying…poor thing. The things we make her do! After our hike we went to the Bright Angel Lodge restaurant for lunch. After that we got ice cream at the fountain. We walked around the rim trail for a little while. We then took the shuttle to Park Headquarters so Noah could get his Jr. Ranger badge. Then it was back to camp. Mommy needed a nap and I ended up sleeping for 2 hours! Only while camping right... that would never happen at home! After that it was dinner time and we started packing up some. Then it was time for bed!

Grand Canyon Day 2- May 7th

Today was all about Wildlife Day at the park. We slept in a bit and had a nice big breakfast after. Then we left early to go to Shrine of the Ages for the 10am ranger show on reptiles in the park. After that, the girls received their Jr. Ranger badges. They had a lot of booths for wildlife day… the girls got their face painted (Leah insisted on getting her entire face as a wolf while I begged her to get the delicate butterfly!), we saw live animals in 1 display like the owl, eagle and lots of other critters. Noah and Tim caught another show on mountain lions and then we went back to camp for lunch. Then it was back to Shrine of the ages to see Jack Hanna! Tim and I got in line while the kids took in a show on wacky wildlife. Then we all went inside for Jack Hanna's presentation. It was a lot of fun! He had some interesting animals and had some good bear stories. After that it was back to the camp for dinner and hanging out (and a nap!). Tim and I went for a run along the rim of the Canyon that evening… what a view that was! Then it was time for campfire and smores again! Early to bed tonight… tomorrow we are hiking!

Grand Canyon Day 1- May 6th

We arrived at the Grand Canyon today at about 1:00. The only event on the drive was stopping in Flagstaff to have a picnic and we attempted to find a park and wound up driving around NAU campus. Not very fun with a huge RV towing behind and small roads and bikes everywhere…it was not fun and Tim was a little crabby over that one. So, we ended up skipping the picnic and just had lunch when we got to the campsite. We stayed at Mather Campground in site 64 and it was great! We spend the next hour unloading and setting up camp. Then Noah and I took off on our bikes to explore the bike trail and get our bearings. Right away we saw a heard of elk in the forest. We took a long ride and then went back to camp and reported what we found to the rest of the family. We decided to take the shuttle over to the visitor's center and go straight to seeing the canyon. So we got on the shuttle and stopped at the visitor's center and got the kids Jr. Ranger books. Then we went to the rim and saw the canyon. How beautiful it is! This was Leah's first time seeing it and she thought it was amazing! Right away we saw a condor down in the canyon which was so great! The sun was starting to set so we hopped back on the shuttle and went back to camp. We had dinner, worked on Jr. Ranger books, and then started the campfire. We had smores and had fun telling stories around the campfire. It was a great first day!

San Diego Day 5

Our last day…sniff, sniffL We hung around camp in the morning and then Tim and I got to take that bike ride to the beach while the DeWit's watched the kids. It was a great ride around the bay on a boardwalk which lead to the beach where the amusement park is located. It was about a 30 minute ride one way. We did the ride and then parked the bikes and walked along the boardwalk on the beach. We dreamed about all of the houses and people watched. Then it was time to head back. We made a quick lunch and then just hung out awhile. The girls and I did arts and crafts at 3:30 which was making beaded necklaces. After that we went out for dinner with the DeWit's. We went to the Old Town Mexican Café which was so delicious! Then to work off that food we went down to Seaport Village to walk around. Of course the first thing was a ride on the carousel which all the kids enjoyed. Then we took a nice walk to the Midway ship and just looked at it. We walked around a lot more and then it was time to go! We went back to camp and started packing up. Tomorrow it will be Friday and we will be leaving first thing. We will miss San Diego and Campland!