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?

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.

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.

We saw a lot of things along the way here which we will post about later. I just wanted to say I was greatful to be here.

Yesterday we finished our leg of the journey that took us on Route 66 and I thought I would reflect for a minute. I really enjoyed driving the road. It was much better than the interstate for me.

The part we took was from Albuquerque to Barstow. I know it was only a short part of it, but it felt like an experience all the same. Much of it followed I-40 as a frontage road or as I-40, but through towns and for other stretches it was a road all to itself.

To follow it we found a few sets of instructions on the internet and chose the one we thought was easiest to follow. Although it was only a few years old many of the landmarks it mentioned as being still open were closed. One hotel had a sign outside proudly proclaiming 70 years of service while it’s windows were boarded up.

For most of the road we were the only car on Route 66. When we were going through towns it was pretty empty, except for some of the bigger towns like Flagstaff. We could just stop in the middle of the road and not worry about any traffic. To me that was really nice. Very different than what I am used to.

Just being on the road made driving feel very different. Because of the isolation I was very observant. There were many little things to look at along the way: ma and pa hotels, farm animals, abandoned businesses, Route 66 memorabilia stores, the emptiness of the desert, and the list goes on. It was very easy to pass the time, and I was not just counting the miles until the next town; which is what I usually do on the interstate.

The bad part about that is I can understand why a state wouldn’t want to budget to keep the road up. If no one drives it why spend the money. If every one drove it there wouldn’t be the same experience of seeing different parts of America and being able to stop anytime you see something that peeks your interest.

I would definitely recommend driving a long stretch while it is still around. In California almost all of it not connected to the interstate, but judging from the condition of the road I don’t know for how much longer. Taking 66 has made me feel I will try and take smaller roads to get from one place to another. It does take a little longer, but it was much more pleasurable than the emptiness of the interstate.

No post for a few days. Sorry it has just been really busy. So here is a long update.

We went to the lower ninth ward and then on to the French quarter while in New Orleans. There was a very stark contrast between the two areas. I am sure this has been true throughout most of New Orleans history, but today it is extreme.

The lower ninth is in shambles. Overgrowth covers many streets, and there are not that many signs that it is inhabited. As you have probably seen on TV there is an x in spray paint telling the story of what the rescuers found in the house 3 years ago. There are a few people there getting on with their life. I think they are very resilient to get through a disaster like this and come back to live. Their condition is not the greatest, it seems a poor existence, but they should be proud for not giving up on a part of the city that many would like to forget.

From there we went to the French quarter. There where tourist, hipsters, and other people all milling around. It seems to have recovered well; business is open and the trolley whizzes by Canal street. I would not have known about the destruction in N.O. if I had only visited there.

From there it was a trip to Dallas. The night before we tried to boondock on the Texas Louisiana border. Not a great idea. The night was like spending a night in a sauna. The air was so thick with humidity that it was very difficult to get comfortable. As soon as we woke up we turned on the RV and the AC. I am so spoiled by AC and I can’t imagine what it was like for people in this part of the country to grow up with no AC only a generation ago. Another thing about the border; It is not nice to give miles on a sign post saying that there is a city in the same state that is 890 miles away if you stay on this road. Seeing that it seems as if it will take forever to get through Texas.

The kids got to see their grandparents in Dallas. That was great for them, they really enjoyed it and now they keep playing monster with the new monster teeth they acquired. . We had dinner there and talked. The next morning we got up early to continue our journey.

We made it to the desert yesterday. What a difference. The trees are gone and there is sand and small bushes everywhere. In some places you can see so far it looks like you can see the curve of the Earth. The desert takes a toll on everything made by man. Anything more than a year old is sun-bleached. Everything looks worn and old. There are new things of course, but anything more than a few years old shows it’s age. The desert is so quiet, all you hear is the wind. It is both spooky and spiritual at the same time. The desert here is more green than I have seen desert in the past. I guess that it must be the time of year for this part of the desert to get rain.

We stopped in Midland Odessa Texas to camp. We stopped at a place with a pool so the kids could swim. They loved it; It was a great day for them. Swimming is great when it is over 100 degrees. It was a great time to rest for us while they played. They also enjoyed eating dinner outside. Us not so much because the flies attacked our food at every opportunity. I probably would do the same if food was as scarce as they have to deal with, but it was a lesson in why we will be eating inside while in the desert. I guess there is a trick to keep them at bay, but I don’t know it.

Next we are off to see White Sands New Mexico. I have never seen it and I think it will make for a great place to stop. The desert seems like an endless places to see. There is route 66, the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Monument Valley, and the list just goes on and on. There are just too many places for us to visit in a few months that we have before we have to be back in the city. What would you see?

Diesel is a good example because everyone talks about how diesel is so expensive compared to gas. For me, it is very different. Coming from NYC I am used to paying $4.30 for cheap gas; so to pay $4.70 for diesel (which has been the average down south) is not that bad considering the added fuel economy. Our RV gets 17mpg compared to the 8mpg RVs with regular gas. The only reason I don’t feel it is because of what I am used to.

Bugs are another good example. I never realized how loud they are. Rats, roaches, and ants (which are common to New York) don’t make much noise. Down here there are bugs at night that are really loud. I am not sure if it is locust, crickets, or some unknown, but they are loud. There is plenty of noise in the city, from trains, cars, and pedestrians, but I am used to all that and I don’t pay them much attention. Loud bugs I am not so used to and I notice them much more than I probably should. I am sure over time I will get used to them as well.

So what does this mean to me? Well I wonder how many things I or other people put up with just because they are used to it; some good, some bad. There are so many paths that could be taken in life. How many are taken not because of free will, but are taken because of complacency, or just being used to it?

On a lighter note, all is great and we leave the grandparents tomorrow on our world wind adventure tour. No real plans on where we are stopping first, but I am very excited and can’t wait. I hope this is a great experience for us and our children.

You would think that 30 days would be enough time to get out of an apartment right? Well for us it wasn’t. It was so much more complicated to get rid of enough stuff to fit in a RV than we expected. We are making progress though and we hope to be finished today. Then the trip really begins.

We have been living in the RV. It is a little cramped; mostly because of all the extra stuff in bins on the floor though. Every move throughout the RV has been like going through an obstacle course. If we need to cook everything has to move, then to eat move it agin, and if it’s time to sleep we move stuff again. The madness has to stop!

Overall it has not been bad though. Getting past the obstacle course, it is quite nice. Even though we are only a few hours from the city it is pretty much like being in the country to me. There are stars! It is the first time my kids have seen them, too many lights in the city. They are amazed at every little thing they see: bugs, frogs, pine cones, gravel, and even dirt. Over the last two days they have had lots of fun with dirt.

We have let them play since the kids are in such a new environment. They have had tons of fun. Being grown sometimes I have forgotten how much fun they can have with the simplest things. I’m glad they have enjoyed themselves. I hope to play with them more once we finish unpacking the RV to our travel size.

I also can’t wait for the rest of our trip. I know there are so many beautiful things to see in the next few months. I am very glad that we have this opportunity to take this trip and doing something completely out of our normal routine. There have been some sacrifices, but I believe it will have been well worth it when all is said and done.

On a brighter note we do live in Bed-Stuy, so if we want to look for needy people all we need to do is open our door. So that is what we did. You can see a picture on our Flickr of a few items on our “Bed-Stuy FreeCycle”. Our items were gone in less than 45 minutes. I hope people get good use out of those things.

Also today our cat “Gato-ichi” got a new home. The lady who took him seemed very nice and seemed as though she would be very loving towards him. Our children were sad, but I feel that it was for the best. I am happy he will be loved.

One last thing; I just want to say that my wife is doing a much better job than me about “steady posting” and I want to say thank you for keeping it up. I know we wouldn’t have any readers without her.