2 Adults 2 Kids » Us

Unintended Consequences

KJ — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:42:21 +0000

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.

We really bonded as a family on that mountain. They tell you to make noise when you’re hiking so that you don’t surprise the bears. So, the kids and I were singing as loud as we could. At times I had to motivate Widget to keep walking because he was too big too carry. Sometimes Widget had to motivate me because I was too big to carry.

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.

Where To Next?

CM — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:15:45 +0000

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?

First Few Days In Hawaii

KJ — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:19:25 +0000

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.

Our Last Day in New Mexico

KJ — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:52:55 +0000

As I type this we are on our way to the Grand Canyon. Did you know that it costs $25 PER VEHICLE to go into the Grand Canyon?? That’s crazy to me. Yesterday we visited the Petrified Forest and they charged $10 to get in! What they do to make it look cheaper is tell you that your ticket is good for 7 days. Yeah right, I couldn’t spend 7 hours at the petrified forest, let alone 7 days.

I had somewhat of a bad day yesterday. It was really hot outside, we weren’t getting any internet because we were in the middle of nowhere and Widget was being really negative. At one point I told CM that I just wanted to go home!

Overall, the Petrified Forest was alright. We were nearly out the door before we saw our first glimpse of petrified wood. You could see where the trees had fallen, but when you touched them the were stone. The kids really enjoyed running along the hiking trails.

At night we looked for a place to camp. Everywhere was pretty much too expensive. Either the site was expensive, but really nice, or expensive and really creepy. The pic at the top is of an RV campground we checked out last night. They wrote the price on the door and gave instructions to put the money in an envelope and slide it under the door. They didn’t ask for license plate numbers or give you any kind of receipt.

As we drove through the camp to check it out a guy kept staring at us and we were creeped out so we ended up boondocking for free at a Flying J gas station.

Gallup, New Mexico

KJ — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:01:04 +0000

We are STILL in New Mexico. We can’t seem to escape this place!! Honestly, there’s so much to do and see that we keep pulling over and end up not doing too much driving.

Yesterday, we drove along Route 66. We followed parallel to I-40 most of the time. It was very interesting being able to see how I-40 really cut through the mountains and Route 66 just went around them. The sad thing is that the short detour around the mountains probably only added 2 or 3 minutes to the trip.

We took some really great video and some really great pics. (One of these days I’m going to upload a new video.) CM and I really enjoyed the drive. Midget and Widget — not so much. Early on they fell asleep. Midget woke up first and she did look out the window for a bit, but mostly she seemed to be staring at the back wall of the RV.

When Widget woke up he asked if we were there yet and if he could go back to bed. He said there was nothing to look at out the window and that it wasn’t exciting. I tried to get him excited by telling him that Route 66 was the road that Lightning McQueen took in “Cars”. The funny thing is, once he got into it and started playing along, I was frustrated that we had to talk about the landscape in terms of cartoons and not just enjoy it for its beauty. Maybe I’m expecting too much from a 5 year-old.

Today we are headed to the Petrified Forest and a giant meteor crater! We are really going to try to get the kids involved today. I’ll let you know how it goes.