2 Adults 2 Kids

So we eventually we had to leave Glacier National Park. A reader of our blog had suggested that we travel to Bozeman hot spring and Butte. I was pretty psyched about taking the advice of a complete stranger, and I was surprised that CM seemed to be going for it as well. About 200 miles later our RV broke down.
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We were at Glacier National Park for only 3 days, but so much happened. I just need to share a few more things and then I will move on to the calamity that struck us after we left.
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I had really been feeling like the trip was a bust. I had wanted to show the kids all of these different things and they really weren’t too interested. CM and I were feeling that we spent more time with our back on them (because we were driving) than we did when we had an apartment. Some days it seemed like the only time that we really talked to them was to tell them “Stop hitting” or “Share!” I really felt that the hike in Montana really changed that.
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Two words: Pure exhaustion. At the time of my last post, we were having terrible problems getting any kind of internet signal and we were headed to Glacier National Park in Montana. Well, when we got there what we thought was a 1.5 mile hike, turned out to be a 4.5 mile hike (thank you, CM).
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This trip never ceases to amaze me. CM had told me that Oregon has the only rain forest in America, so we decided to go and check them out. We looked a map and decided to spend a few days at Silver Falls State Park. Before we even got to the park I was amazed at how beautiful Oregon was. Who knew?
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We made it back to the mainland and it is time to start back towards NYC. We have until the end of the month to get there so we are not in a real hurry.

Our first plan is to see a glacier. Can you beleive they are still around? I know, so we are going to Montana to see one. Other than that we are struggling for places to go. We are taking a northerly route and niether of us know much about that part of the country.

We are also on a tight budget so we can get all the way to NY, and that limits the criss crossing we can do on our way back. Any suggestions on what to see?

I figured I would take a moment to talk about our trip to Hawaii. We spent a week in paradise, but all in all it was a mixed bag.

The island was beautiful, the weather was great, and the people were friendly. The problem was that the kids were scared of the ocean, and in Hawaii that is the main form of entertainment.

While we were there we swam with a dolphin, went to a coral reef with fish swimming at our feet, hung out at the beach, and went to a luau. It seems great except Widget was balling anytime we got near the water.

The luau was the most fun for all. The kids got up on stage and they were so cute. Widget is not shy at all and he loved it. Midget is more reserved, but to KJ and my surprise she ran up on stage to follow her brother. It was priceless.

Everything else felt like a failure. The kids have never really been to the ocean so I expected a little resistance. What we got was way more than I barganed for though. You would think the dolphin would have been the most scary since they are so big, but that was handled better than fish as small as a hand on the reef. After getting in the water with the dolphin everything calmed down and we all had fun. At the reef it only got worse with each new fish that swam by. I tried to explain that it was a once in a lifetime experience, but it is hard to reason with sheer terror.

After all that they still say they loved it. Kids, sometimes I don’t understand. Something about a screaming 5 year old just didn’t make it that fun for me and KJ.

We couldn’t budget for the volcano which was too bad. Maybe next time. I love Hawaii and would love to go back sooner than later. Maybe next time everybody will handle the water better. Although it had it’s trying moments I would do it again. I would have planned more luaus though.

So how cheap am I? Well I have a really hard time paying $40 for a campground. We have yet to purchase any membership in any association, and we have not bought a book on free campgrounds. I still have trouble with full price campgrounds.

We are now in northern California and the first campground we stopped at wanted $40. I just don’t understand it. I am bringing the room with me so why do I have to pay the same price as a hotel?

All I need is a place to park. I can park cheaper in the city than some people want at these places. After searching we found a place for $25. It got horrible reviews on a website, but it had what we needed.

We don’t have a $300,000 rig and we are not rich. I just can’t fathom paying the price of a nice apartment in Brooklyn for one night in the middle of nowhere.

KJ says it is supply and demand and I know she is right. I do feel there should be something more reasonable.

So, Hawaii was … interesting. On our first day at the beach we learned that Widget was deathly afraid of the ocean. I mean, Midget wasn’t too happy about getting in the water either, but at least she tried and she didn’t cry. The first time we walked Widget to the water he started screaming bloody murder! This instantly upset CM. He sat Widget down and began talking to him about not letting fear dominate you. I , of course, felt that he was being to hard on him, but he (CM) made a good point. He said if we don’t teach him courage now, when will he learn?

We ended up leaving the beach after that thinking that Widget would want to go back later and try swimming. He didn’t. The next day CM was sunburned and decided he was going to stay in the cabin. The kids and I built sand castles for hours when I finally decided it was time to get in the water. Widget screamed his head off again. This time it was me who was upset and we headed back in.

Widget’s refusal to get in the water made things a little tense because we had a ton of water activities planned for the trip. It wasn’t all bad though. We made a few food runs and we really got to see how beautiful the island is. Our cabins were on the other side of the island, far away from Waikiki, so there weren’t a lot of chain restaurants and stores.

We stayed in a cabin that was about 30 feet from the beach. It was awesome being able to watch the sunrise over the ocean in the morning. The only bad thing: ants. I remembered when I registered for the cabin there was a clause in the paperwork that said ants weren’t a justification for a refund because all beaches have ants. I didn’t think anything of it. Then we went to the cabin. They were tiny little buggers, but there were so many of them. Now that I think about it, I can’t for the life of me figure out why I didn’t take any video of them.

And that was how our first few days in Hawaii went.

Just a quick post to say that we’re back in California. Now that I’ve got a good internet signal I can fill you in on everything that happened! Be sure to check back tomorrow.