At one point on the trail, we started thinking about turning back. We had been out there with no end in sight and the last shuttle bus left our trail area in 3 hours. CM wanted to continue on for 45 minutes and if we didn’t see a sign he thought we should turn around. At this point trail curved steeply upward and Widget decided that he wanted to turn around. I couldn’t breathe after carrying Midget for ten paces, so I wanted to turn around. I think that when we finally saw some other hikers. They told us we only had a mile and a half to go. I was happy and PO’d at the same time. I thought this thing was only a mile and a half to begin with!

When we finally reached the road we were all so excited. We had this feeling of “We did it and not only did we do it, but we did it as a family!” I don’t think even Midget will forget that day. When I was writing that post the other day I had to go through photos to find one to post. As soon as she saw the pics she said, “Mommy, I don’t want to go to the forest.” CM & I both laughed.

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.

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.