...And Then Scotty Happened. A Hawaiian Adventure (CHAPTER 32 Added 5/23--THE END)

[Poolrat]

Great wrap up. Last days are so sad but in Hawaii, well they are still sad but beautiful.

The flight scares me a little so glad the kids made it through mostly.

This was such a fantastic trip for the whole family and I enjoyed it too.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Nice updates there Nemesis. (it has been a while since I've commented)

Slacker...

Sorry to see this coming to an end. I've enjoyed reliving our Hawaiian escapades in my head through your retelling of yours.

Only 218 days until I'm back. (not that I'm counting)

You just said that to make me jealous, didn't you? Well, it worked.

Funny, I try to assign our seats throughout the plane (looking for a peaceful flight for myself) and somehow United always puts us together. I guess for some reason they won't subject my children to random strangers. Go figure.

Don't get me wrong, I would have been happy to sit separately and let Julie take care of the kids.

Great update, but sad your trip is over. Thanks so much for sharing. So much helpful info. I will go back to review the Aulani portion before our trip in November. I can't wait to hear about future family adventures! Also, totally understand your wife's ability to sleep anywhere...I consider that my special talent!

You will love Aulani! How long will you be in Hawaii?

It's almost like moms have some sort of reason to be tired all the time...

Great wrap up. Last days are so sad but in Hawaii, well they are still sad but beautiful.

Aren't you sick of palm trees yet?

The flight scares me a little so glad the kids made it through mostly.

It's long and tiring, but really that's the worst thing about it. I find I can sit just about anywhere and be a couch potato for 10 hours.

This was such a fantastic trip for the whole family and I enjoyed it too.

So did we! And it's a good thing, because it'll be decades before we get back!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well, my friends (and middlepat), we’ve come to the end of the road on this TR. Thank you to all of you who stuck with me and were willing to take the time to read (or skim) as I droned on and on through the longest TR I’ve ever done. As always, it’s a lot of fun to re-live the vacation, and to have good friends to share the adventure with (or trade sarcastic jabs back and forth).

A few final thoughts on Hawaii:

• Make every effort to get there at least once in your lifetime. Yes, it’s expensive. There’s no way around the cost, although I tried to point out where you could shave a few bucks off the price here and there. But it’s a special place. You have world-class resorts and beaches, mountains and sheer cliffs, varying ecosystems, exotic wildlife and plantlife, cultural history, and even active volcanoes crammed into a relatively few square miles of land. And you can get Dole Whips.

• As I continue to spend money you don’t have, I would suggest you make every effort to stay at Aulani as well. It’s an amazing resort, with something for everyone and an incredible level of detail. A must for Disney fans, and the best resort where I’ve ever had the privilege to stay.

• Julie and I felt O’ahu and Kaua’I were the two most beautiful islands. Not that the others were hideous by any means, but those two islands have the oldest mountains, giving them the advantage of weathering and erosion. These forces helped form the sheer cliff faces that look so dramatic in photographs. In retrospect, we wish we’d had a little more time to explore Kaua’i.

• Our least favorite island (and this is like picking the ugliest supermodel) was the Big Island. We were glad we went to see Volcanoes National Park—that was something we couldn’t miss. But we didn’t feel like there was anything else on the rest of the island that we would characterize as “must-do”. That and the long distances on remote roads made it a tough island to visit.

• Favorite meal of the trip: Monkeypod Kitchen. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Hilo Burger Joint and Kua A’ina Sanwich Shop, though.

• Most memorable destinations: how do you choose? Aulani, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, the Hana Highway, Volcanoes National Park, Waimea Canyon.

• Most memorable moments with the family: Playing at the Aulani waterslides. The kids’ surf lessons. Golfing at Kapalua with David. My 15th anniversary dinner/evening with Julie.

• Best item not available in the rest of the U.S.: deep-fried apple pies at McDonald’s.

• Best host ever: my Aunt Carol.

• Best airline we flew: Hawaiian. What, you thought I’d say United?

I might have gone through and posted our favorite pictures again, but there are just so many it’s impossible to choose. What a beautiful, unique, exotic locale. One of my favorite places I’ve ever visited.

I can’t stress enough how good the kids did on this trip. We thought the long flights would be really difficult, and they couldn’t have handled them any better. I think kids by and large are more resilient then we give them credit for. Sometimes they even put us to shame when it comes to handling inconveniences or things that don’t go according to plan. There’s always some fear about pushing them beyond their limits on an experience like this, but I have yet to find a time when it hasn’t been worth it to try.

Of course, now we have to take an infant along with us. We’ll see if I change my tune. Anyway, here’s the plan for our next adventure, coming to a Trip Report message board near you sometime this summer:

The Oblivious Family Takes on the American Southwest

Saturday, Day 1: Fly 4.5 hours from BWI to Las Vegas, nonstop. Try not to be That Guy With The Screaming Baby on the flight. Upon landing, pick up rental car and provisions for road trip snacks and gourmet PB&J sandwiches.
Possible Dinner location: Bachi Burger (as seen on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives)

Sunday, Day 2: Visit Hoover Dam for tour in the morning. Drive to Cedar City, Utah in the afternoon.
Driving distance: 197 miles (3 hours, 17 minutes)
Possible Dinner Location: Centro Wood-Fired Pizza

Monday, Day 3: Visit Cedar Breaks National Monument and then spend the rest of the day at Bryce Canyon National Park. Try and maneuver among crowds as best as we can, maybe find a short hike or nice sunset spot. We’re hoping to take advantage of a Ranger astronomy program at night that highlights the unusually clear night skies here.
Driving distance: 77.5 miles (1 hour, 32 minutes)
Possible Dinner Location: Uh…not much to choose from here. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Tuesday, Day 4: Visit Zion National Park. Spend all day exploring/hiking. Hit the hotel pool in the evening.
Driving distance: 72.4 miles (1 hour, 21 minutes)
Possible Dinner Location: Oscar’s Café, Springdale, Utah

Wednesday, Day 5: Hardest driving day of the trip. Drive to South Rim of Grand Canyon (we really, really, really wanted to try to get to the North Rim as well, but it’s just too much to do with a baby). Once we reach the South Rim, enjoy the views!
Driving distance: 236 miles (4 hours, 29 minutes of mostly barren desert)
Possible Dinner Location: Limited to restaurants/cafeterias in the park

Thursday, Day 6: Spend all day exploring Grand Canyon National Park. Hopefully catch a nice sunset. Maybe sunrise too, if we’re still on East Coast time.
Driving distance: Nada.
Possible Dinner Location: same as above.

Friday, Day 7: Drive south to Sedona, AZ to see red rock formations. Then continue south, stopping at Montezuma Castle National Monument. Continue south to Phoenix, to the resort where Julie and I stayed on our honeymoon way back when.
Driving distance: 219 miles (3 hours, 49 minutes)
Possible Dinner Location: Claim Jumper (yes, it’s a chain, but they have something called cheese potatocakes, which are like deep-fried mashed potatoes and I discovered them on our last trip out there)

Saturday, Day 8: Stay in Phoenix. Enjoy the pools at the resort. Play desert golf. Maybe a tour of the Arizona Diamondbacks stadium? We might ax that just to rest.
Driving distance: minimal.
Possible Dinner Location: Pizzeria Bianco, supposedly one of the finest in the country. Or Thee Pitts Again, a bbq joint seen on DDD. Or a really good Mexican place, since this is a Southwestern trip. Any suggestions?

Sunday, Day 9: Longest driving day for distance/time. Get up early, drive 3 hours or so to Joshua Tree National Park in California. Break up the drive by exploring the park. Then continue west to Anaheim to get ready to explore some crappy tourist trap there.
Possible Dinner Location: Tortilla Jo’s, which my daughter loved when she was out there a couple of years ago.
Driving distance: 405 miles (7 hours)

Monday, Day 10: Disneyland! Cram in as much as possible in one day. Visit DCA first to try and ride Radiator Springs Racers and get FP’s for World of Color. Spend most of the day in Disneyland park trying to see things that are different from Florida. Eat Monte Cristo at Café Orleans. See World of Color in the evening. Understand that there’s no way we can possibly see everything in one day. Enjoy it anyway. Hopefully the kids will be surprised.
Driving distance: 0.
Possible Dining Locations: Café Orleans (don’t you pay attention?), Flo’s V-8 Café (mostly because the kids would think it was cool)

Tuesday, Day 11: Last day. Hang around Downtown Disney and the Grand Californian as long as possible in the morning, postponing the inevitable. Then drive to Las Vegas.
Driving distance: 260 miles (3 hours, 49 minutes)
Possible Dining Location: Slater’s 50/50 (burger joint in CA featuring patties that are 50% ground beef, 50% ground bacon)

Wednesday, Day 12: Fly home, nonstop LAS to BWI. Too exhausted to care if I’m That Guy this time.

Total driving distance: 1493.3 miles.

In the desert. In the summer.

Hopefully the air-conditioning will work.

We tried to do the best we could in planning a trip that would take us to some new states the kids hadn’t seen yet while being manageable with a baby. Most of the driving legs are either short, or broken up with something to see halfway through. A couple of those legs are aggressive, though, so hopefully the couple of rest days we have built in will do some good. We’re also hoping we can stay on East Coast time a bit in order to get some early starts. Baby Drew might actually help in that regard!

In the end, I’m sure we’ll be exhausted. But that’s part of the experience!

I’m mostly excited for the kids. The Grand Canyon is one of those places that everyone should try to see. You can’t fully capture its scope in pictures, and I think it’ll be a memorable experience for the family.

In the end, that’s what we want to achieve. Long after the toys have broken, the Xbox has its last red ring of death, and the comic books have fallen apart, the kids will not remember the stuff they had. They’ll remember the things we did together. Vacations are some of the most vivid memories, because that’s one of the few times in your life when you have your parents’ complete attention. It’s true family time, with no distractions. I guess that’s why we look forward to it so much. Time marches on, and soon we won’t all be together to have that time. It gets more and more valuable the older we get. And it seems to slip away faster and faster.

So, let’s get out there and do the best we can with it. Let’s explore and see something new. As I keep telling my kids (and myself), don’t be afraid to try something new. You either find something you love, or you end up with a great story.

Thanks to all of you for reading along.

 

[jedijill]

Great wrap up to a great trip!

The SW roadtrip sounds like quite the adventure! Hopefully Baby Drew does well. Can't wait to read that TR!

Jill in CO

 

[glennbo123]

Great ending to your TR Captain! Thanks for all of the great stories, pictures, and laughs. I hope your trip out West goes well for you, and more fantastic memories are made.

You either find something you love, or you end up with a great story.

And sometimes, you even get both.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

.

 

[cmaee]

I have been reading along, but never commented. Well, I couldn't let it end without telling you how much I enjoyed reading about your family and your travels. I think perhaps what you wrote below is my favorite thing you wrote in your whole trip report. Such a wonderful way to end your families story of Hawaii.

Long after the toys have broken, the Xbox has its last red ring of death, and the comic books have fallen apart, the kids will not remember the stuff they had. They’ll remember the things we did together. Vacations are some of the most vivid memories, because that’s one of the few times in your life when you have your parents’ complete attention. It’s true family time, with no distractions. I guess that’s why we look forward to it so much. Time marches on, and soon we won’t all be together to have that time. It gets more and more valuable the older we get. And it seems to slip away faster and faster.

So, let’s get out there and do the best we can with it. Let’s explore and see something new. As I keep telling my kids (and myself), don’t be afraid to try something new. You either find something you love, or you end up with a great story.

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

Real pretty words, Mark, real pretty!

 

[KatMark]

Mark, a truly wonderful wrap up. We are going to Phoenix and Disneyland too...but not until next year. But I am going to Vegas in August...but I'll be staying there.

My family never did vacations...didn't have the money and my parents should have divorced when my youngest brother was 2 (that's a whole other story). I'm so glad you do these with your kids and you are right...they will always have those memories.

You are missing one important picture. Where's a picture of all of you with Drew?

 

[franandaj]

Great wrap up! I can't wait to go back to Hawaii. I've been three times, but all were when I was very much younger. I was still actually wearing bikinis back when I went! I can't wait to try Aulani! Between you, Ellen and Cynthia's reports I am sooooo dying to go there! Right now it's only a Question Mark on my vacation spreadsheet.

I loved hearing about your adventures, but I think I'm going to enjoy this next one even more having just completed my own version. That being said, I can give you some feedback.

The Oblivious Family Takes on the American Southwest

Monday, Day 3: Visit Cedar Breaks National Monument and then spend the rest of the day at Bryce Canyon National Park. Try and maneuver among crowds as best as we can, maybe find a short hike or nice sunset spot. We’re hoping to take advantage of a Ranger astronomy program at night that highlights the unusually clear night skies here.
Driving distance: 77.5 miles (1 hour, 32 minutes)
Possible Dinner Location: Uh…not much to choose from here. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I don't know what Cedar Breaks National Monument is, but I can tell you that Bryce Canyon is really a first thing in the morning kind of experience. (Pictures to prove it in two more updates). The suggested tour is to drive to the far end of the park and stop at the 6-7 overlooks on the way back. There are 2-3 which require a bit of a hike and at 8000 ft and with an infant, you might do like we did and just do the ones which are a get out of the car and say ooooh and aaaaah.

I will suggest Foster's Family Steakhouse for dinner. It's really more of a coffee shop kinds of place and they had good homestyle food at lunchtime. (maybe 3-4 updates for the pictures). But you're right, there isn't a lot to choose from and from what I read Ruby's owns the entire town of Bryce Canyon and has a monopoly on the restaurants there.

Tuesday, Day 4: Visit Zion National Park. Spend all day exploring/hiking. Hit the hotel pool in the evening.
Driving distance: 72.4 miles (1 hour, 21 minutes)
Possible Dinner Location: Oscar’s Café, Springdale, Utah

I'm so glad that you guys are coming into Zion this way! I'm not sure if you know that most of the Canyon is only accessible via Tram/bus in the summertime. Sort of a hop on hop off kind of thing. However, if you don't choose to do that, you can always drive up to the Northwest end of the park (about 1/2 an hour up I15) and see the other section which doesn't require getting on and off a bus.

Springdale looks like a cutesy little artsy fartsy town with quite a few nice places to get some grub.

Wednesday, Day 5: Hardest driving day of the trip. Drive to South Rim of Grand Canyon (we really, really, really wanted to try to get to the North Rim as well, but it’s just too much to do with a baby). Once we reach the South Rim, enjoy the views!
Driving distance: 236 miles (4 hours, 29 minutes of mostly barren desert)
Possible Dinner Location: Limited to restaurants/cafeterias in the park

What is your route to get there? Are you going back through Zion or going through Vegas. Just being nosy.

Possible Dinner Location: Claim Jumper (yes, it’s a chain, but they have something called cheese potatocakes, which are like deep-fried mashed potatoes and I discovered them on our last trip out there)

Are there not Claim Jumpers on the East Coast?

Possible Dinner Location: Pizzeria Bianco, supposedly one of the finest in the country. Or Thee Pitts Again, a bbq joint seen on DDD. Or a really good Mexican place, since this is a Southwestern trip. Any suggestions?

I got nothing for you, only been to Phoenix once or twice, however, I do remember seeing a DDD place that was a Mexican Restaurant in a Gas Station that looked good.

Sunday, Day 9: Longest driving day for distance/time. Get up early, drive 3 hours or so to Joshua Tree National Park in California. Break up the drive by exploring the park. Then continue west to Anaheim to get ready to explore some crappy tourist trap there.
Possible Dinner Location: Tortilla Jo’s, which my daughter loved when she was out there a couple of years ago.
Driving distance: 405 miles (7 hours)

Yikes! All I can tell you is get an early start. The 10 out by Indio and Palm Springs can be brutal. Joshua Tree will be hot, Hot, HOT. I would start driving before the sun comes up. Seriously.

Monday, Day 10: Disneyland! Cram in as much as possible in one day. Visit DCA first to try and ride Radiator Springs Racers and get FP’s for World of Color. Spend most of the day in Disneyland park trying to see things that are different from Florida. Eat Monte Cristo at Café Orleans. See World of Color in the evening. Understand that there’s no way we can possibly see everything in one day. Enjoy it anyway. Hopefully the kids will be surprised.
Driving distance: 0.
Possible Dining Locations: Café Orleans (don’t you pay attention?), Flo’s V-8 Café (mostly because the kids would think it was cool)

This sounds like a good plan. I would make a reservation at Café Orleans, you can do it the day before, but since So Cal folks don't think about reservations, walk up waits can be a long time. Also unless you are the type of eater that could get the free steak at that steakhouse in Texas that boasts you get it free if you can eat ALL of it, split the Monte Cristo amongst 2-3 of you. I can only eat one of the four pieces they give you. That also leaves you room for Pomme Frites and Beignets!

Perhaps I could come out in the afternoon and meet you all in 3D!

Tuesday, Day 11: Last day. Hang around Downtown Disney and the Grand Californian as long as possible in the morning, postponing the inevitable. Then drive to Las Vegas.
Driving distance: 260 miles (3 hours, 49 minutes)
Possible Dining Location: Slater’s 50/50 (burger joint in CA featuring patties that are 50% ground beef, 50% ground bacon)

Wednesday, Day 12: Fly home, nonstop LAS to BWI. Too exhausted to care if I’m That Guy this time.

Total driving distance: 1493.3 miles.

In the desert. In the summer.

In the end, that’s what we want to achieve. Long after the toys have broken, the Xbox has its last red ring of death, and the comic books have fallen apart, the kids will not remember the stuff they had. They’ll remember the things we did together. Vacations are some of the most vivid memories, because that’s one of the few times in your life when you have your parents’ complete attention. It’s true family time, with no distractions. I guess that’s why we look forward to it so much. Time marches on, and soon we won’t all be together to have that time. It gets more and more valuable the older we get. And it seems to slip away faster and faster.

So, let’s get out there and do the best we can with it. Let’s explore and see something new. As I keep telling my kids (and myself), don’t be afraid to try something new. You either find something you love, or you end up with a great story.

Thanks to all of you for reading along.

Love this!

 

[nodnol]

I know, I didn't comment very much on your TR, but I enjoyed it tremendously! Thank you very much!!!

I hope you'll be able to manage the heat and the crowds and I'm looking forward to the report

 

[Dugette]

You will love Aulani! How long will you be in Hawaii?

I'm so excited for it. We'll be in Hawaii for 9 nights and will be in a (standard view) studio at Aulani the whole time. Yay for renting DVC points and getting a room for less than 1/2 the going rate! We'd love to hop to other islands someday, but that will have to be a future trip. Maybe when we're not toting a toddler around.

Long after the toys have broken, the Xbox has its last red ring of death, and the comic books have fallen apart, the kids will not remember the stuff they had. They’ll remember the things we did together. Vacations are some of the most vivid memories, because that’s one of the few times in your life when you have your parents’ complete attention. It’s true family time, with no distractions. I guess that’s why we look forward to it so much. Time marches on, and soon we won’t all be together to have that time. It gets more and more valuable the older we get. And it seems to slip away faster and faster.

Love love love this!! That sums up very nicely what I've felt about balancing travel with other priorities. And even though our daughter is still too young to have the specific memories of the travel, she is learning to love traveling and experiencing new things and having all that time with us. We are amazed how much she seems to "grow up" each time we take her on a trip and spend that time with her (we were to WDW in Dec., NYC in April, Oregon this month, and she and I are going back to WDW next month...crazy!) I hope that, as she gets older, she'll have lots of warm memories of our vacations to come.

Thanks for sharing yours and I look forward to hearing all about the epic road trip!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

great report and great wrap up and intro to the new report.

totally agree with you, thats why we camp and enjoy nature and the outdoors as much as possible.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Great wrap up to a great trip!

The SW roadtrip sounds like quite the adventure! Hopefully Baby Drew does well. Can't wait to read that TR!

I have to admit, we're worried about Baby Drew. Lately he's been on a Sleep Strike.

Great ending to your TR Captain! Thanks for all of the great stories, pictures, and laughs. I hope your trip out West goes well for you, and more fantastic memories are made.

Thanks Glenn! One way or the other, it will most likely be memorable!

And sometimes, you even get both.

Holy cow, that guy needs a haircut.

I have been reading along, but never commented. Well, I couldn't let it end without telling you how much I enjoyed reading about your family and your travels. I think perhaps what you wrote below is my favorite thing you wrote in your whole trip report. Such a wonderful way to end your families story of Hawaii.

Well, then

Thanks for reading along! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Real pretty words, Mark, real pretty!

Thanks, Randall. That's the best I can offer. I have a face made for a text-only message board.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Mark, a truly wonderful wrap up. We are going to Phoenix and Disneyland too...but not until next year. But I am going to Vegas in August...but I'll be staying there.

That would have been cool if we could have synced up those trips together. We'll just have to try again!

My family never did vacations...didn't have the money and my parents should have divorced when my youngest brother was 2 (that's a whole other story). I'm so glad you do these with your kids and you are right...they will always have those memories.

You're right, a lot of people just don't have the means or the opportunity to do this. Sometimes it feels like we're doing more than we should based on our budget, but I'm very thankful that we can.

You are missing one important picture. Where's a picture of all of you with Drew?

Not too many of those pictures exist yet. We had one from Easter, I think. And I don't know if we have scanned that in. It's hard to get all 6 of us in one place while we're all awake. Can I at least give you a cute sleeping baby?

 

[jedijill]

That would have been cool if we could have synced up those trips together. We'll just have to try again!



You're right, a lot of people just don't have the means or the opportunity to do this. Sometimes it feels like we're doing more than we should based on our budget, but I'm very thankful that we can.



Not too many of those pictures exist yet. We had one from Easter, I think. And I don't know if we have scanned that in. It's hard to get all 6 of us in one place while we're all awake. Can I at least give you a cute sleeping baby?

Awwww! And I thought you said he was on a sleep strike! I think you are fibbing!

Jill in CO

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Great wrap up! I can't wait to go back to Hawaii. I've been three times, but all were when I was very much younger. I was still actually wearing bikinis back when I went! I can't wait to try Aulani! Between you, Ellen and Cynthia's reports I am sooooo dying to go there! Right now it's only a Question Mark on my vacation spreadsheet.

Whenever and however you get there, it will be worth the effort!

I loved hearing about your adventures, but I think I'm going to enjoy this next one even more having just completed my own version. That being said, I can give you some feedback.

Sounds good to me!

I don't know what Cedar Breaks National Monument is, but I can tell you that Bryce Canyon is really a first thing in the morning kind of experience. (Pictures to prove it in two more updates). The suggested tour is to drive to the far end of the park and stop at the 6-7 overlooks on the way back. There are 2-3 which require a bit of a hike and at 8000 ft and with an infant, you might do like we did and just do the ones which are a get out of the car and say ooooh and aaaaah.

Cedar Breaks is a very short side trip on the way from our hotel to Bryce in the morning. We were hoping to leave fairly early and get a visit in quickly while still getting to Bryce in the morning. Mostly it's a cheap way to get another National Park passport stamp.

I will suggest Foster's Family Steakhouse for dinner. It's really more of a coffee shop kinds of place and they had good homestyle food at lunchtime. (maybe 3-4 updates for the pictures). But you're right, there isn't a lot to choose from and from what I read Ruby's owns the entire town of Bryce Canyon and has a monopoly on the restaurants there.

Thanks! Foster's was one place I was looking at. Another was Bryce Canyon Pines. Both look like little mom-and-pop shops, but they got better ratings on Trip Advisor than Ruby's did.

I'm so glad that you guys are coming into Zion this way! I'm not sure if you know that most of the Canyon is only accessible via Tram/bus in the summertime. Sort of a hop on hop off kind of thing. However, if you don't choose to do that, you can always drive up to the Northwest end of the park (about 1/2 an hour up I15) and see the other section which doesn't require getting on and off a bus.

Yes, I did know about the shuttle--I've been doing my homework! Entering through the tunnel should be pretty cool.

I think I forgot to mention it, but I was planning on stopping by the other section of the park on the way from Hoover Dam to Cedar City, since it's right off the interstate.

Springdale looks like a cutesy little artsy fartsy town with quite a few nice places to get some grub.

I saw a picture of a burger with a huge steak knife holding it together, and that was enough for me.

What is your route to get there? Are you going back through Zion or going through Vegas. Just being nosy.

Going through Zion, then down past the north rim entrance. Long drive, but there's no easy way to get there. I think going through Vegas would be longer.

Are there not Claim Jumpers on the East Coast?

Nope. No In-n-Out Burgers, either. And I know it's not an exciting choice, but those potato cakes were so good...

I got nothing for you, only been to Phoenix once or twice, however, I do remember seeing a DDD place that was a Mexican Restaurant in a Gas Station that looked good.

Hmmmm...I don't remember that, but it sounds fun.

Yikes! All I can tell you is get an early start. The 10 out by Indio and Palm Springs can be brutal. Joshua Tree will be hot, Hot, HOT. I would start driving before the sun comes up. Seriously.

Yeah, that's going to be a long day for sure. We'll try for an early start. I was thinking Joshua Tree would help break up the drive and give us some interesting sights.

This sounds like a good plan. I would make a reservation at Café Orleans, you can do it the day before, but since So Cal folks don't think about reservations, walk up waits can be a long time. Also unless you are the type of eater that could get the free steak at that steakhouse in Texas that boasts you get it free if you can eat ALL of it, split the Monte Cristo amongst 2-3 of you. I can only eat one of the four pieces they give you. That also leaves you room for Pomme Frites and Beignets!

Wow, how did you know exactly what we would order?! Oh, wait, we really are that predictable.

Perhaps I could come out in the afternoon and meet you all in 3D!

That would be awesome! I hope you can make it. And thanks again for all of your help so far.

Love this!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I know, I didn't comment very much on your TR, but I enjoyed it tremendously! Thank you very much!!!

Well, comment some more next time! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I hope you'll be able to manage the heat and the crowds and I'm looking forward to the report

Thanks! I'm sure between the heat, long stretches in the desert with no supplies available, and sleep-deprived baby, we'll have no problems whatsoever.

I'm so excited for it. We'll be in Hawaii for 9 nights and will be in a (standard view) studio at Aulani the whole time. Yay for renting DVC points and getting a room for less than 1/2 the going rate! We'd love to hop to other islands someday, but that will have to be a future trip. Maybe when we're not toting a toddler around.

You'll have to let us know how it goes! Have fun!

Love love love this!! That sums up very nicely what I've felt about balancing travel with other priorities. And even though our daughter is still too young to have the specific memories of the travel, she is learning to love traveling and experiencing new things and having all that time with us. We are amazed how much she seems to "grow up" each time we take her on a trip and spend that time with her (we were to WDW in Dec., NYC in April, Oregon this month, and she and I are going back to WDW next month...crazy!) I hope that, as she gets older, she'll have lots of warm memories of our vacations to come.

Thanks for sharing yours and I look forward to hearing all about the epic road trip!

I think there's an excitement that comes from exploring a new place that even affects young children, even if they don't quite know where they are. It's that universal feeling of discovery.

great report and great wrap up and intro to the new report.

totally agree with you, thats why we camp and enjoy nature and the outdoors as much as possible.

Welcome back Dan! I'm sure you and the family have some great plans lined up for the summer!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Awwww! And I thought you said he was on a sleep strike! I think you are fibbing!

Jill in CO

What time should I drop him off?

Seriously, if he looked like this at 4 a.m. we'd all be much happier.

 

[LindaBabe]

Pack WATER, Sunscreen and sun glasses. Hats. Joshua Tree is hotter than the hinges on the gates of hell in the summer time.