Saturday, March 17, 2007
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today was the trip home. Tri-Guy and I woke up before the kids and started packing. Supergirl was up next and was ready to go. Then J-man woke up. "Where are we going today?" he asked. "Home," was the response. "I want to go to Disneyland. I want to stay at the hotel." J-man sobbed back...and sobbed...and sobbed...and sobbed. Soon the car was packed. We needed to get breakfast before we left, but J-man was still crying. "Do you know why we have to get home?" I asked him. He continued to cry. "We need to get home because the Easter Bunny is coming in a couple of weeks." That did the trick. All tears ceased and J-man was on board with the trip home.
The trip took us about 11 hours. There isn't much to say. The kids were exhausted. J-man took a nap and Supergirl read a book and watched the iPod. Tri-Guy and I enjoyed watching the temperatures rise from about 57 degrees when we started to 100 degrees in Phoenix and then down into the 70s when we arrived in El Paso.
Back at home, Supergirl was carried straight from the car into her bed. J-man followed soon after. Tri-Guy and I sorted the mail and are about to go to bed.
Thanks for following us on our journey this year! It was an amazing trip! We still are on a high from the Grand Canyon. And Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth. It is fun to see the kids growing up right before our eyes. We hope you will join us next year or whenever our next adventure occurs....
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Please Could You Kiss My Page?
Friday, March 16, 2007
Today was the day we went to California Adventure. The park opens an hour later than Disneyland, so we enjoyed a morning to sleep in. Refreshed, we headed to the park. We thought we would start slow again and went to the Monsters, Inc ride first. J-man gave this ride 2 thumbs up and since there was no line, we rode the ride again. Then we rode on some other favorite rides, like California Soarin' and Mulholland Madness. J-man didn't want to ride the "fast" rides, so we walked around and ran into Lightening McQueen and Mater from Cars. J-man was very excited to meet them. J-man said that he didn't like the "Hot Chili Pepper" rides. That was his name for both Space Mountain and California Screamin' because they both play Red Hot Chili Pepper music during the ride. In the meantime, Supergirl had built her courage and up and declared that she wanted to ride California Screamin' - not just a big roller coaster, but one with a loop! Supergirl wanted to go with me first because she said Daddy "screams too loud on the roller coasters." Her heart was racing as we waiting in line. I had my doubts in letting her go on the ride. It was a BIG roller coaster. She was brave and walked right onto the ride. She was doing good until the loop. After the loop, I saw some tears starting to form and was talking to her for the rest of the ride. When she got off, I was sure that she had been ruined forever for the roller coasters, but to my surprise she said hesitantly, "I think I need to ride it more to get used to it." So she rode it 2 more times!!!! She now has the roller-coaster bug and all of the other rides are too boring for her. But being a good big sister, she patiently took J-man into Bug's Land and rode all of the kiddie rides with him.
After lunch we walked to the other side of the park where we ran into the "Big 3" of Princesses - Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. Supergirl did not want to wait to see them, saying that she had already seen them. J-man on the other hand couldn't wait to see the princesses. He saw Snow White first. "Please could you kiss my page?" he asked. Snow White stopped for a second and then she figured out that he wanted her to sign his autograph book. She thought he was cute. One princess wrapped around his finger. He asked the same question to Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella with the same result. What can he say - he is a natural charmer. Supergirl ended up enjoying the experience as well.
At this point we had done most of the park. Tri-Guy went to do the Tower of Terror and the kids and I went to the Muppet 3-D show. We stayed for the parade and then the kids said they wanted to go back to the hotel and get in the hot tub. What a great idea! We let the kids swim for an hour and then went to bed.
Please click the picture below for more photos:
Today was the day we went to California Adventure. The park opens an hour later than Disneyland, so we enjoyed a morning to sleep in. Refreshed, we headed to the park. We thought we would start slow again and went to the Monsters, Inc ride first. J-man gave this ride 2 thumbs up and since there was no line, we rode the ride again. Then we rode on some other favorite rides, like California Soarin' and Mulholland Madness. J-man didn't want to ride the "fast" rides, so we walked around and ran into Lightening McQueen and Mater from Cars. J-man was very excited to meet them. J-man said that he didn't like the "Hot Chili Pepper" rides. That was his name for both Space Mountain and California Screamin' because they both play Red Hot Chili Pepper music during the ride. In the meantime, Supergirl had built her courage and up and declared that she wanted to ride California Screamin' - not just a big roller coaster, but one with a loop! Supergirl wanted to go with me first because she said Daddy "screams too loud on the roller coasters." Her heart was racing as we waiting in line. I had my doubts in letting her go on the ride. It was a BIG roller coaster. She was brave and walked right onto the ride. She was doing good until the loop. After the loop, I saw some tears starting to form and was talking to her for the rest of the ride. When she got off, I was sure that she had been ruined forever for the roller coasters, but to my surprise she said hesitantly, "I think I need to ride it more to get used to it." So she rode it 2 more times!!!! She now has the roller-coaster bug and all of the other rides are too boring for her. But being a good big sister, she patiently took J-man into Bug's Land and rode all of the kiddie rides with him.
After lunch we walked to the other side of the park where we ran into the "Big 3" of Princesses - Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. Supergirl did not want to wait to see them, saying that she had already seen them. J-man on the other hand couldn't wait to see the princesses. He saw Snow White first. "Please could you kiss my page?" he asked. Snow White stopped for a second and then she figured out that he wanted her to sign his autograph book. She thought he was cute. One princess wrapped around his finger. He asked the same question to Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella with the same result. What can he say - he is a natural charmer. Supergirl ended up enjoying the experience as well.
At this point we had done most of the park. Tri-Guy went to do the Tower of Terror and the kids and I went to the Muppet 3-D show. We stayed for the parade and then the kids said they wanted to go back to the hotel and get in the hot tub. What a great idea! We let the kids swim for an hour and then went to bed.
Please click the picture below for more photos:
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| Vacation Pics March 2007 Day 6 |
Friday, March 16, 2007
Look Mama, It's Nazareth!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Today we thought we would start out with a tamer beginning than yesterday. We started in Fantasyland and rode many of the "classic" Disney rides like Snow White, Pinocchio, Mr Toad's Wild Ride, the Teacups, and Alice In Wonderland. All rides earned two thumbs up from J-man. How can you not love those rides. Next the kids wanted to do the Storybook Boat ride, a ride we hadn't ever done before. After a lengthy wait, we boarded our boat and took a ride around miniature towns of Disney movies like Alice, Snow White, Ariel, etc. On our way back towards the dock, we saw Agraba (sp?) the town from Aladdin. "Look Mama, it's Nazareth!" J-man exclaimed as we passed by. While we were all laughing, the woman next to us said "Sounds like you are raising him right." Who knew Disney had gone religious??? After Fantasyland, we visited Toontown. J-man opted to skip the small roller coaster in that part of the park. Supergirl benefited because she got to ride twice, once with both Tri-Guy and then once with me. We saw some characters, including Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto and were able to get our family Minnie Mouse picture for the 3rd year in a row. It is fun to see the differences in the family over the years. You can look too if you want . Just click on the picture below:
After characters, we rode Roger Rabbit. This ride isn't too bad, not fast, but it does have some loud noises. This ride earned a "I didn't like it. It was too scary." from J-man. At this point, we stopped for some lunch. Supergirl wanted to ride Space Mountain again. J-man wanted to ride Buzz Lightyear. We did both rides and then ran into Mary Poppins and Bert, our two favorite characters in the park. Amazingly enough, it was the same Mary Poppins that sat and drew with us two years ago. She and Bert both added to the pictures they had drawn with the kids and even drew more pictures. We were all happy to see them again. Next we decided to finish Fantasyland and rode the two best rides there - Peter Pan and Dumbo. We ran into Woody on the way to Frontierland. We also stumbled upon Captain Jack Sparrow on his ship. He and J-man bonded. After that, we got in line for the Runaway Train Roller Coaster. J-man had struck a bargain with Tri-Guy for a pirate sword if he rode the train rollercoaster. J-man was brave and rode the ride. It also earned a "I didn't like it. It was too scary." rating from J-man when it was done. But we had to laugh when we went to ride Winnie the Pooh again and J-man declared it a "baby ride." Hmmm... The park was emptying out. We rode a few more rides, watched the parade, rode more rides, and then called it a night.
Click the picture below for more pictures:
Today we thought we would start out with a tamer beginning than yesterday. We started in Fantasyland and rode many of the "classic" Disney rides like Snow White, Pinocchio, Mr Toad's Wild Ride, the Teacups, and Alice In Wonderland. All rides earned two thumbs up from J-man. How can you not love those rides. Next the kids wanted to do the Storybook Boat ride, a ride we hadn't ever done before. After a lengthy wait, we boarded our boat and took a ride around miniature towns of Disney movies like Alice, Snow White, Ariel, etc. On our way back towards the dock, we saw Agraba (sp?) the town from Aladdin. "Look Mama, it's Nazareth!" J-man exclaimed as we passed by. While we were all laughing, the woman next to us said "Sounds like you are raising him right." Who knew Disney had gone religious??? After Fantasyland, we visited Toontown. J-man opted to skip the small roller coaster in that part of the park. Supergirl benefited because she got to ride twice, once with both Tri-Guy and then once with me. We saw some characters, including Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto and were able to get our family Minnie Mouse picture for the 3rd year in a row. It is fun to see the differences in the family over the years. You can look too if you want . Just click on the picture below:
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| Disneyland 3 years |
After characters, we rode Roger Rabbit. This ride isn't too bad, not fast, but it does have some loud noises. This ride earned a "I didn't like it. It was too scary." from J-man. At this point, we stopped for some lunch. Supergirl wanted to ride Space Mountain again. J-man wanted to ride Buzz Lightyear. We did both rides and then ran into Mary Poppins and Bert, our two favorite characters in the park. Amazingly enough, it was the same Mary Poppins that sat and drew with us two years ago. She and Bert both added to the pictures they had drawn with the kids and even drew more pictures. We were all happy to see them again. Next we decided to finish Fantasyland and rode the two best rides there - Peter Pan and Dumbo. We ran into Woody on the way to Frontierland. We also stumbled upon Captain Jack Sparrow on his ship. He and J-man bonded. After that, we got in line for the Runaway Train Roller Coaster. J-man had struck a bargain with Tri-Guy for a pirate sword if he rode the train rollercoaster. J-man was brave and rode the ride. It also earned a "I didn't like it. It was too scary." rating from J-man when it was done. But we had to laugh when we went to ride Winnie the Pooh again and J-man declared it a "baby ride." Hmmm... The park was emptying out. We rode a few more rides, watched the parade, rode more rides, and then called it a night.
Click the picture below for more pictures:
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| Vacation Pics March 2007 Day 5 |
Thursday, March 15, 2007
I Guess Sometimes Disneyland Isn't the Happiest Place on Earth!
Wednesday, march 14
We awoke around 7am on Wednesday. Everyone needed that good night's sleep. The crew was anxious to get going, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed straight to Disneyland. Since this was our 3rd year at Disneyland, we pretty much knew the park and had a rough plan. Our first stop was Indiana Jones. We were hoping J-man would be tall enough to ride, but he was still about 3 inches too short. We had to split up. J-man and Tri-Guy checked out some stores while Supergirl and I headed into the ride. We lucked out and were put in the spot to be in the first row of the ride. We were about to get on, when the ride broke down. A few minutes turned into about 10 and Supergirl turned to me and said "I guess sometimes Disneyland isn't the happiest place on earth." I had to agree she was right. Ten minutes turned into 20 and they finally decided the ride needed to be closed indefinitely. We left the ride bummed. Maybe Pirates of the Caribbean would be more successful. We had not been on the ride during our past 2 years because it was closed for renovation. We all headed onto the ride. If you have never been on the ride, it is a boat ride with two small hills at the beginning of it. I was riding with J-man and I noticed that after the first hill he had scooted closer to me. After the second hill, he was clinging to my arm. Then the pirate scenery started. I thought J-man would be all excited, but instead, he was holding my arm even closer. As we finished the ride, he declared, "That ride was too scary." Little did I know that we would hear that phrase over and over again.
We thought we would go to a ride J-man knew, so we tried Haunted Mansion. I am aware that as you read this, you can already tell that if you have a child that did not like Pirates, then Haunted Mansion would not be the best ride to follow. But it was right next door, and we weren't thinking... J-man didn't really care for Haunted Mansion. He didn't declare it a scary ride, but he also didn't rave about it when it was done. We finally started to catch on and headed for Winnie the Pooh. While Supergirl, Tri-Guy, and I were all rolling our eyes a little on this elementary ride, J-man was in his happy place. He was smiling, laughing, singing, and pointing to everything on the ride. The next stop was Big Thunder Mountain (another roller coaster) and we figured J-man had had enough for the morning. Supergirl and Tri-Guy headed off to the roller coaster and J-man and I stayed at Winnie the Pooh for another ride. While Supergirl and Tri-Guy were screaming in delight during one of their favorite rides, J-man and I were lucky enough to run into Winnie-the-Pooh outside of the ride and took a picture and had Pooh sign Jack's autograph book.
We linked up and made our way to Space Mountain. We figured it wouldn't be so crowded since it was still early - and we were right. J-man told us that he did want to ride this ride. Though we had doubts, we went ahead and let him ride it. Again, a mistake, as the poor child was hiding his head and was in tears at the end of the ride. I guess we didn't read our own past blogs to know that J-man and Space Mountain just don't mix. To make up for the trauma, we next went to J-man's favorite ride - Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. It was here that Tri-Guy kicked all of our tushies and scored an impressive amount of points during the ride. (On this ride you have a blaster and shoot at targets for points throughout the ride.)
We made our way through the park, riding lots of our favorite rides. As we walked, J-man pointed out stroller after stroller. "That stroller looks like mine," he would say longingly. You see, since he proved he could hike the Grand Canyon we decided he didn't need a stroller in Disneyland. It seems some relationships are hard to break.
Another interesting transformation was happening this year. Supergirl was noticing that all the rides that she used to think had loud sounds in them (like gunshots or explosions) didn't really have loud sounds at all. In fact, she decided they were pretty small sounds. And all of the allure of the princesses and other such Disney magic, wasn't as magical as it used to be. She was a good sport for J-man, but it was kinda sad and exciting at the same time to see her growing up in front of our eyes. We also noticed that she wanted to do all of the bigger rides over and over again. I would say she is definitely a tween now.
We thought we should call it a night early, so we left the park around 5:30pm and grabbed dinner at The Rainforest Cafe. With our bellies full, we had no trouble falling asleep.
Click the picture below for more pictures:
We awoke around 7am on Wednesday. Everyone needed that good night's sleep. The crew was anxious to get going, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed straight to Disneyland. Since this was our 3rd year at Disneyland, we pretty much knew the park and had a rough plan. Our first stop was Indiana Jones. We were hoping J-man would be tall enough to ride, but he was still about 3 inches too short. We had to split up. J-man and Tri-Guy checked out some stores while Supergirl and I headed into the ride. We lucked out and were put in the spot to be in the first row of the ride. We were about to get on, when the ride broke down. A few minutes turned into about 10 and Supergirl turned to me and said "I guess sometimes Disneyland isn't the happiest place on earth." I had to agree she was right. Ten minutes turned into 20 and they finally decided the ride needed to be closed indefinitely. We left the ride bummed. Maybe Pirates of the Caribbean would be more successful. We had not been on the ride during our past 2 years because it was closed for renovation. We all headed onto the ride. If you have never been on the ride, it is a boat ride with two small hills at the beginning of it. I was riding with J-man and I noticed that after the first hill he had scooted closer to me. After the second hill, he was clinging to my arm. Then the pirate scenery started. I thought J-man would be all excited, but instead, he was holding my arm even closer. As we finished the ride, he declared, "That ride was too scary." Little did I know that we would hear that phrase over and over again.
We thought we would go to a ride J-man knew, so we tried Haunted Mansion. I am aware that as you read this, you can already tell that if you have a child that did not like Pirates, then Haunted Mansion would not be the best ride to follow. But it was right next door, and we weren't thinking... J-man didn't really care for Haunted Mansion. He didn't declare it a scary ride, but he also didn't rave about it when it was done. We finally started to catch on and headed for Winnie the Pooh. While Supergirl, Tri-Guy, and I were all rolling our eyes a little on this elementary ride, J-man was in his happy place. He was smiling, laughing, singing, and pointing to everything on the ride. The next stop was Big Thunder Mountain (another roller coaster) and we figured J-man had had enough for the morning. Supergirl and Tri-Guy headed off to the roller coaster and J-man and I stayed at Winnie the Pooh for another ride. While Supergirl and Tri-Guy were screaming in delight during one of their favorite rides, J-man and I were lucky enough to run into Winnie-the-Pooh outside of the ride and took a picture and had Pooh sign Jack's autograph book.
We linked up and made our way to Space Mountain. We figured it wouldn't be so crowded since it was still early - and we were right. J-man told us that he did want to ride this ride. Though we had doubts, we went ahead and let him ride it. Again, a mistake, as the poor child was hiding his head and was in tears at the end of the ride. I guess we didn't read our own past blogs to know that J-man and Space Mountain just don't mix. To make up for the trauma, we next went to J-man's favorite ride - Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. It was here that Tri-Guy kicked all of our tushies and scored an impressive amount of points during the ride. (On this ride you have a blaster and shoot at targets for points throughout the ride.)
We made our way through the park, riding lots of our favorite rides. As we walked, J-man pointed out stroller after stroller. "That stroller looks like mine," he would say longingly. You see, since he proved he could hike the Grand Canyon we decided he didn't need a stroller in Disneyland. It seems some relationships are hard to break.
Another interesting transformation was happening this year. Supergirl was noticing that all the rides that she used to think had loud sounds in them (like gunshots or explosions) didn't really have loud sounds at all. In fact, she decided they were pretty small sounds. And all of the allure of the princesses and other such Disney magic, wasn't as magical as it used to be. She was a good sport for J-man, but it was kinda sad and exciting at the same time to see her growing up in front of our eyes. We also noticed that she wanted to do all of the bigger rides over and over again. I would say she is definitely a tween now.
We thought we should call it a night early, so we left the park around 5:30pm and grabbed dinner at The Rainforest Cafe. With our bellies full, we had no trouble falling asleep.
Click the picture below for more pictures:
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| Vacation Pics March 2007 Day 4 |
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Up, Up, and Away!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
This morning we had an early wakeup, but the kids didn't mind. They had a reason to get up. We were headed for one last view of the Grand Canyon before we left. We packed up the car and grabbed a bite to eat at McDonalds (still remembering mistake #1 from Sunday). After breakfast, we went to the local airport to await our HELICOPTER RIDE OVER THE GRAND CANYON. Now, I must say, I was not on board with this whole helicopter thing and frankly, when Tri-Guy first said he wanted to do it (long before we started our vacation) I was sure he was the only one in the family that would want to go. He mentioned it again when we got to the Grand Canyon. "Sign me up," Supergirl said. Great, I thought, well, at least I know J-man will back me up. "I really don't think we should pay all the money just to have J-man decide not to do it," I immediately countered. "I want to ride in the helicopter!" J-man replied. UGH!!!! So the whole family was now ready to go, leaving just me. I had to admit, after seeing how grand the Grand Canyon really was, it made sense to view it by helicopter. And to have all family members in agreement on something was always a feat. I gave in. So, there we were, getting briefed on helicopter safety. My palms were sweating and my heart was racing. As they lead us out on the tarmac, I really thought I wasn't going to be able to get into the helicopter. I hate that feeling of fear! And then, just to top it off, I was handed a card that said #1. That meant that my seat was the front seat beside the pilot! Seats are assigned by weight, so there are no options to switch. J-man and Supergirl joined Tri-Guy in the back of the helicopter. Minutes later we were off - gently soaring into the air. The helicopter was smooth, kinda of like riding on a cloud. At that moment, all fear turned to exhilaration. We flew over acres of pine trees and then we saw the canyon. It went from flat to canyon with no in-between. The views were breathtaking. The ride was over in 30 minutes and I wish we had had more time. Although I think it was enough time for the kids. Supergirl was busy on taking pictures on the flight. J-man wasn't so interested with the view outside. He spent the whole time fascinated by the fact that he had a cup holder.
After our flight, we practically floated to the car, we were so happy. What a great ending to a great visit.
We started our trip on a small portion of vintage Route 66. The kids knew it as the road in the Disney movie Cars. The strip was only about a mile long, which was long enough for the kids. Now, we had about 500 miles to travel to Disneyland. While we were eating breakfast that morning, we ran into some friends from El Paso. They told us that they were going to visit the Hoover Dam. Hmmmm, where is the Hoover Dam? We had no idea. So we fired up Homer (the Odyssey minivan) and checked the navigation system to see where it was. Wow, who knew it was on the Nevada/Arizona border? And it would only be 20 miles more to stop by on our way to CA. So we modified our plans and added the stop.
The Hoover Dam was impressive, but not as big as we had thought. I think that is only because we were just at the Grand Canyon. Everything looks small after the Grand Canyon. The kids weren't really excited about the stop, so we took some pictures and moved on. Hey, aren't we close to Las Vegas, we thought? It turns out, with only another 30 mile sidetrack, we could drive through Las Vegas. We had nothing better to do, since this was our travel day, so we drove to Las Vegas and down the Strip. After only a few provactive advertisements on the Strip, we realized that Supergirl could read and that Las Vegas really isn't a place for kids. It was fun to see, though.
We ended up making it to Disneyland around 8pm. Once again, we fell exhausted into our beds, this time dreaming of that big mouse we would see tomorrow.
Click the picture below for more pictures from Day 3:
This morning we had an early wakeup, but the kids didn't mind. They had a reason to get up. We were headed for one last view of the Grand Canyon before we left. We packed up the car and grabbed a bite to eat at McDonalds (still remembering mistake #1 from Sunday). After breakfast, we went to the local airport to await our HELICOPTER RIDE OVER THE GRAND CANYON. Now, I must say, I was not on board with this whole helicopter thing and frankly, when Tri-Guy first said he wanted to do it (long before we started our vacation) I was sure he was the only one in the family that would want to go. He mentioned it again when we got to the Grand Canyon. "Sign me up," Supergirl said. Great, I thought, well, at least I know J-man will back me up. "I really don't think we should pay all the money just to have J-man decide not to do it," I immediately countered. "I want to ride in the helicopter!" J-man replied. UGH!!!! So the whole family was now ready to go, leaving just me. I had to admit, after seeing how grand the Grand Canyon really was, it made sense to view it by helicopter. And to have all family members in agreement on something was always a feat. I gave in. So, there we were, getting briefed on helicopter safety. My palms were sweating and my heart was racing. As they lead us out on the tarmac, I really thought I wasn't going to be able to get into the helicopter. I hate that feeling of fear! And then, just to top it off, I was handed a card that said #1. That meant that my seat was the front seat beside the pilot! Seats are assigned by weight, so there are no options to switch. J-man and Supergirl joined Tri-Guy in the back of the helicopter. Minutes later we were off - gently soaring into the air. The helicopter was smooth, kinda of like riding on a cloud. At that moment, all fear turned to exhilaration. We flew over acres of pine trees and then we saw the canyon. It went from flat to canyon with no in-between. The views were breathtaking. The ride was over in 30 minutes and I wish we had had more time. Although I think it was enough time for the kids. Supergirl was busy on taking pictures on the flight. J-man wasn't so interested with the view outside. He spent the whole time fascinated by the fact that he had a cup holder.
After our flight, we practically floated to the car, we were so happy. What a great ending to a great visit.
We started our trip on a small portion of vintage Route 66. The kids knew it as the road in the Disney movie Cars. The strip was only about a mile long, which was long enough for the kids. Now, we had about 500 miles to travel to Disneyland. While we were eating breakfast that morning, we ran into some friends from El Paso. They told us that they were going to visit the Hoover Dam. Hmmmm, where is the Hoover Dam? We had no idea. So we fired up Homer (the Odyssey minivan) and checked the navigation system to see where it was. Wow, who knew it was on the Nevada/Arizona border? And it would only be 20 miles more to stop by on our way to CA. So we modified our plans and added the stop.
The Hoover Dam was impressive, but not as big as we had thought. I think that is only because we were just at the Grand Canyon. Everything looks small after the Grand Canyon. The kids weren't really excited about the stop, so we took some pictures and moved on. Hey, aren't we close to Las Vegas, we thought? It turns out, with only another 30 mile sidetrack, we could drive through Las Vegas. We had nothing better to do, since this was our travel day, so we drove to Las Vegas and down the Strip. After only a few provactive advertisements on the Strip, we realized that Supergirl could read and that Las Vegas really isn't a place for kids. It was fun to see, though.
We ended up making it to Disneyland around 8pm. Once again, we fell exhausted into our beds, this time dreaming of that big mouse we would see tomorrow.
Click the picture below for more pictures from Day 3:
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| Vacation Pics March 2007 Day 3 |
My Balls Are Sore!
Monday, March 12, 2007
7:00am and the family is just waking up. We learned our lesson yesterday and knew another sunset would be asking for trouble. "My balls hurt," came a cry from the other bed. "My balls are sore!" What in the world???? Ohhhh, the balls of Supergirl's feet were hurting. Thank goodness for Ben-Gay. She coated her feet in the stuff - I think that is the best her feet have smelled in a long time. And the room smelled like menthol for days. After getting dressed, we headed directly to breakfast (another lesson learned). With the crew well-rested and full, we headed to the trailhead to start our next hike. On the shuttle to the trail, J-man asked, "Are there meawls on this trail?" "MULES, J-man." "Are there meawls-mules on this trail?" "I don't think so," I answered. "This trail has more mules than the Bright Angel trail," the bus driver piped in. Oh great! "Ewwwwwwww, more meawl poop," J-man yelled out. The passengers on the bus chuckled.
The first thing we noticed at the start of the trail, was that it was steeper than our first hike. In fact, it was just one switchback after another for the first mile. And did I mention the lack of guardrails at the Grand Canyon? On both of these hikes, on bad step would send you careening down into the canyon 1 mile! That makes a mom a little paranoid. The rule of the hike was that the kids had to stay on the canyon wall side of the trail and the adults had to on the cliff side. Of course, that worked well, except when dodging mule poop. Thankfully, there was less poop on this trail, than the first one. I have already typed the word "poop" way to much on this trip! The trail zigged and zagged steeply down into the canyon. The views were spectacular! The trail was made of a fine, soft light-brown sand and was forgiving on our tired feet. We made it to our turn-around point in about 45 minutes. The stop was called Ooh-Aah Point (I am not kidding) and it was the perfect rest stop. It was made up of several large smooth and flat boulders at the edge of the trail. J-man plopped down in a safe mini-cave in the rocks. His boots were off in a flash and he hung out in his spot eating snacks and drying his sweaty feet. Tri-Guy put a band-aid on a hotspot on his foot. I feared there would be a big blister on his foot by the time we returned to the top, but the band-aid did the trick.
We stayed at Ooh-Aah point for 20-30 minutes. We stayed long enough for the first round of hikers to disappear and for about 10 minutes had the entire spot to ourselves. We found solitude is a rarity in the Grand Canyon and we savored every minute.
When the next round of hikers came through, we decided it was time to head back up the trail. As I mentioned before, this trail was steeper than the first and I thought with tired legs and a sore foot, that J-man would be on Tri-Guys shoulders in minutes. Once again, the jellybeans came to the rescue and J-man made it to the top all by himself! Supergirl seemed to fly up the mountain, she walked so fast. That hike was our favorite of the trip.
On the way back for lunch, we stopped by the Visitor's Center to let the kids get their Ranger Badges. They had their ranger books in hand and gave them to Ranger James. Ranger James was hysterical and loved kids and actually read through the ranger books with the kids to see what activities they completed. Grand canyon bingo...fill in the blanks...draw a picture of your visit... "Supergirl, I like your picture of Indians," Ranger James said. "J-man, I like your picture of...wait just a minute. What is this a picture of?" "It's a meawl eating and then pooping!" J-man exclaimed. "Hang on just a second," Ranger James answered. He proceeded to take the book over to show his Ranger buddies and then took it in the back to make a copy of it. It is now hanging in a place of honor in the back room of the Visitor's Center. We need to make a note here that although the idea of the mule picture was J-man's, it was Supergirl's talent that brought the picture to life. Click on the picture, look closely, and you will see the mule in the last picture is blushing!
With ranger badges in hand, we went on a fossil hike. We found out that there were fossils all around us in the rocks that we hadn't even noticed before. When the hike was over, we jumped in the car and drove out to the Desert Watchtower for a view of the east side of the canyon. On the way, stopped at Indian ruins. The Desert Watchtower was cool. We could climb to the top for amazing views of the canyon. It was so pretty, we decided to stay for sunset.
After sunset, we were starving and at dinner and passed out again for the night.
Click for pictures:
7:00am and the family is just waking up. We learned our lesson yesterday and knew another sunset would be asking for trouble. "My balls hurt," came a cry from the other bed. "My balls are sore!" What in the world???? Ohhhh, the balls of Supergirl's feet were hurting. Thank goodness for Ben-Gay. She coated her feet in the stuff - I think that is the best her feet have smelled in a long time. And the room smelled like menthol for days. After getting dressed, we headed directly to breakfast (another lesson learned). With the crew well-rested and full, we headed to the trailhead to start our next hike. On the shuttle to the trail, J-man asked, "Are there meawls on this trail?" "MULES, J-man." "Are there meawls-mules on this trail?" "I don't think so," I answered. "This trail has more mules than the Bright Angel trail," the bus driver piped in. Oh great! "Ewwwwwwww, more meawl poop," J-man yelled out. The passengers on the bus chuckled.
The first thing we noticed at the start of the trail, was that it was steeper than our first hike. In fact, it was just one switchback after another for the first mile. And did I mention the lack of guardrails at the Grand Canyon? On both of these hikes, on bad step would send you careening down into the canyon 1 mile! That makes a mom a little paranoid. The rule of the hike was that the kids had to stay on the canyon wall side of the trail and the adults had to on the cliff side. Of course, that worked well, except when dodging mule poop. Thankfully, there was less poop on this trail, than the first one. I have already typed the word "poop" way to much on this trip! The trail zigged and zagged steeply down into the canyon. The views were spectacular! The trail was made of a fine, soft light-brown sand and was forgiving on our tired feet. We made it to our turn-around point in about 45 minutes. The stop was called Ooh-Aah Point (I am not kidding) and it was the perfect rest stop. It was made up of several large smooth and flat boulders at the edge of the trail. J-man plopped down in a safe mini-cave in the rocks. His boots were off in a flash and he hung out in his spot eating snacks and drying his sweaty feet. Tri-Guy put a band-aid on a hotspot on his foot. I feared there would be a big blister on his foot by the time we returned to the top, but the band-aid did the trick.
We stayed at Ooh-Aah point for 20-30 minutes. We stayed long enough for the first round of hikers to disappear and for about 10 minutes had the entire spot to ourselves. We found solitude is a rarity in the Grand Canyon and we savored every minute.
When the next round of hikers came through, we decided it was time to head back up the trail. As I mentioned before, this trail was steeper than the first and I thought with tired legs and a sore foot, that J-man would be on Tri-Guys shoulders in minutes. Once again, the jellybeans came to the rescue and J-man made it to the top all by himself! Supergirl seemed to fly up the mountain, she walked so fast. That hike was our favorite of the trip.
On the way back for lunch, we stopped by the Visitor's Center to let the kids get their Ranger Badges. They had their ranger books in hand and gave them to Ranger James. Ranger James was hysterical and loved kids and actually read through the ranger books with the kids to see what activities they completed. Grand canyon bingo...fill in the blanks...draw a picture of your visit... "Supergirl, I like your picture of Indians," Ranger James said. "J-man, I like your picture of...wait just a minute. What is this a picture of?" "It's a meawl eating and then pooping!" J-man exclaimed. "Hang on just a second," Ranger James answered. He proceeded to take the book over to show his Ranger buddies and then took it in the back to make a copy of it. It is now hanging in a place of honor in the back room of the Visitor's Center. We need to make a note here that although the idea of the mule picture was J-man's, it was Supergirl's talent that brought the picture to life. Click on the picture, look closely, and you will see the mule in the last picture is blushing!
With ranger badges in hand, we went on a fossil hike. We found out that there were fossils all around us in the rocks that we hadn't even noticed before. When the hike was over, we jumped in the car and drove out to the Desert Watchtower for a view of the east side of the canyon. On the way, stopped at Indian ruins. The Desert Watchtower was cool. We could climb to the top for amazing views of the canyon. It was so pretty, we decided to stay for sunset.
After sunset, we were starving and at dinner and passed out again for the night.
Click for pictures:
 |
| Vacation Pics March 2007 Day 2 |
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
I Don't Like Meawls
Sunday, March 11, 2007
5:30am and everyone is up to see the sunrise. We had the perfect plan - head down to an observation point 30 minutes before the sunrise and snuggle together and watch the beautiful sight. We didn't take into account the 22 degrees and the fact that waiting for a sunrise is EXTREMELY BORING for kids. About 1/2 hour into our wait, again we were left breathless as the sun made its way into the sky. The colors and shadows played on the canyon walls and the orange, red, pink, and brown colors of the canyon began to pop. As Tri-Guy and I sighed and soaked in the astounding beauty, we turned to see Supergirl and J-man hunkered down under some pine trees trying to avoid
the wind and stay warm. Bright idea #2 came just then...walking will warm us up! So we headed off to a different overlook to see a different view of the sunrise. Once again, we failed to comprehend how the kids would be bored silly just standing and looking at yet another view of some rocks. At this point, we all needed a quick potty stop. The whining and complaining was growing to a fevered pitch and then we realized, we hadn't eaten breakfast!!! Never underestimate the power of food with kids! We drove out of the park for an expensive breakfast (everything in the Grand Canyon costs an arm and a leg because it is in the middle of nowhere!) As we were driving back in the park, Supergirl commented, "I'm grumpy when I don't get food."
With our new energy, we headed to the Bright Angel trailhead to hike down into the canyon. Here is the first time of the trip when I actually underestimated the kids. The hike was straight down into the canyon over many switchbacks. At the beginning of the trail, we had to watch our footing because the trail was covered in ice! As we descended deeper and deeper into the canyon, we were humbled by the sheer height of the canyon walls. Tri-Guy and J-man looked like ants in comparison to the canyon walls that rose straight up around then. We hiked deeper and deeper, all the time watching the dirt under our feet change colors from white to deep red. The walls of the canyon looked like they had been painted. And everytime we looked out into the canyon, it looked like a painted backdrop. At one point we looked up and were surprised to see a mountain goat passing us on the trail. We also were lucky enough to see California Condors circling above us in the sky. Admist all of this beauty, we listened to the tranquility of the canyon...wait...that is what I had imagined. What we really listened to went something like this "Ewwww...is that poop? That's meawl poop!" "No, J-man, that is MULE poop" "Ewww, that's gross. Look, it's green!" Yes, the whole hike was filled with lots of poop-talk. Even with the deep conversation, We made it to our halfway point in what seemed just a few minutes and paused for a snack break. I was getting nervous about the hike back - a hike that was 1 1/2 miles straight up to the top of the canyon ascending about 1100 feet. I was sure that J-man would be asking to be carried about 5 minutes into the hike. To my surprise, he starting hiking. As the switchbacks came, we offered him a Jelly Belly Sport Bean at every corner. It worked and he ended up hiking the ENTIRE route own his own two legs. There were adults that didn't even attempt that hike! It was 3 miles roundtrip that lasted about 3 1/2 hours. During this hike, Supergirl was just as impressive. Not only was she hiking at an amazing speed, but she stopped several times to scale the rock walls. She is quite the rockclimber. As we were walking back to our car, J-man starting singing a little song - "I love Daddy. I love Mommy. I love Supergirl. Someone needs to love me. (pause) I love myself." Typical J-man.
We decided to rest a little after our hike, so we checked out the IMAX theater in town. The Grand Canyon movie was a hit. Later that night, we hiked to the rim to watch the sunset. Again, the colors playing off the canyon walls were amazing. We attended a ranger program about the ranch at the bottom of the canyon. J-man passed out in the middle of the lecture. we headed back to our room around 8:30 and passed out.
5:30am and everyone is up to see the sunrise. We had the perfect plan - head down to an observation point 30 minutes before the sunrise and snuggle together and watch the beautiful sight. We didn't take into account the 22 degrees and the fact that waiting for a sunrise is EXTREMELY BORING for kids. About 1/2 hour into our wait, again we were left breathless as the sun made its way into the sky. The colors and shadows played on the canyon walls and the orange, red, pink, and brown colors of the canyon began to pop. As Tri-Guy and I sighed and soaked in the astounding beauty, we turned to see Supergirl and J-man hunkered down under some pine trees trying to avoid
the wind and stay warm. Bright idea #2 came just then...walking will warm us up! So we headed off to a different overlook to see a different view of the sunrise. Once again, we failed to comprehend how the kids would be bored silly just standing and looking at yet another view of some rocks. At this point, we all needed a quick potty stop. The whining and complaining was growing to a fevered pitch and then we realized, we hadn't eaten breakfast!!! Never underestimate the power of food with kids! We drove out of the park for an expensive breakfast (everything in the Grand Canyon costs an arm and a leg because it is in the middle of nowhere!) As we were driving back in the park, Supergirl commented, "I'm grumpy when I don't get food."
With our new energy, we headed to the Bright Angel trailhead to hike down into the canyon. Here is the first time of the trip when I actually underestimated the kids. The hike was straight down into the canyon over many switchbacks. At the beginning of the trail, we had to watch our footing because the trail was covered in ice! As we descended deeper and deeper into the canyon, we were humbled by the sheer height of the canyon walls. Tri-Guy and J-man looked like ants in comparison to the canyon walls that rose straight up around then. We hiked deeper and deeper, all the time watching the dirt under our feet change colors from white to deep red. The walls of the canyon looked like they had been painted. And everytime we looked out into the canyon, it looked like a painted backdrop. At one point we looked up and were surprised to see a mountain goat passing us on the trail. We also were lucky enough to see California Condors circling above us in the sky. Admist all of this beauty, we listened to the tranquility of the canyon...wait...that is what I had imagined. What we really listened to went something like this "Ewwww...is that poop? That's meawl poop!" "No, J-man, that is MULE poop" "Ewww, that's gross. Look, it's green!" Yes, the whole hike was filled with lots of poop-talk. Even with the deep conversation, We made it to our halfway point in what seemed just a few minutes and paused for a snack break. I was getting nervous about the hike back - a hike that was 1 1/2 miles straight up to the top of the canyon ascending about 1100 feet. I was sure that J-man would be asking to be carried about 5 minutes into the hike. To my surprise, he starting hiking. As the switchbacks came, we offered him a Jelly Belly Sport Bean at every corner. It worked and he ended up hiking the ENTIRE route own his own two legs. There were adults that didn't even attempt that hike! It was 3 miles roundtrip that lasted about 3 1/2 hours. During this hike, Supergirl was just as impressive. Not only was she hiking at an amazing speed, but she stopped several times to scale the rock walls. She is quite the rockclimber. As we were walking back to our car, J-man starting singing a little song - "I love Daddy. I love Mommy. I love Supergirl. Someone needs to love me. (pause) I love myself." Typical J-man.
We decided to rest a little after our hike, so we checked out the IMAX theater in town. The Grand Canyon movie was a hit. Later that night, we hiked to the rim to watch the sunset. Again, the colors playing off the canyon walls were amazing. We attended a ranger program about the ranch at the bottom of the canyon. J-man passed out in the middle of the lecture. we headed back to our room around 8:30 and passed out.
"You're Starting To Annoy Me!"
Saturday, March 10, 2007
The trip began with an early wakeup from Supergirl. "Guys get up - we need to get going! Mom, can you please dress J-man so we can get out of here???" We rolled out of bed and were on the road by 7:15am. We had our sites set on Tucson. We crossed the vast plains with views of nothing by shrubs and occasional trains. At the sight of each train, Tri-Guy would call out "Look J-man, a train!" At first J-man was interested, but about the 4th time, he answered, "Daddy, I seeeeeeee. You are starting to annoy me!" and went back to his important task - playing Barbie Fashion Show on the Pixter. As we neared Tucson, we disclosed to the kids that Tucson was only a temporary stop on our way to the Grand Canyon. Imagine the groans from the kids when they found out were were stopping only to visit one of our favorite stores - TriSports (a triathlon store) and a bike shop Tri-Guy had been drooling over on the internet. The kids did get a little more excited when they saw tents outside and realized they were giving away free stuff, like water bottles and stickers. Eight water bottles and 40 stickers later, we were back in the car. We stopped briefly at the bike store, wiped off Tri-Guy's drool, and started the 6 hour journey to the Grand Canyon.
We passed through mountains with little canyons. I started thinking to myself - will the Grand Canyon really be that "grand"? We were perplexed by the pine trees that started popping up on either side of us. Are we in Arizona or Colorado? And the pine trees kept getting denser and denser. "Where is the desert?" As we approached the park entrance, we were sure the desert would return. Nope. In fact, the pine trees stayed all the way to the edge of the canyon. It was twilight as we entered the park, but we really wanted to see the canyon. We stopped off at an observation point and ran to the edge. Even in the twilight, I have to admit that the first view of the canyon took my breath away. In fact, all of the ooowing and aaaahing by Tri-Guy and me scared the kids. They thought we were reacting to the fact that it was a mile-long drop off the side into the canyon. After some reassuring, they finally peeked over the edge. We headed off to find our room and dream of the views we would see in the morning.
The trip began with an early wakeup from Supergirl. "Guys get up - we need to get going! Mom, can you please dress J-man so we can get out of here???" We rolled out of bed and were on the road by 7:15am. We had our sites set on Tucson. We crossed the vast plains with views of nothing by shrubs and occasional trains. At the sight of each train, Tri-Guy would call out "Look J-man, a train!" At first J-man was interested, but about the 4th time, he answered, "Daddy, I seeeeeeee. You are starting to annoy me!" and went back to his important task - playing Barbie Fashion Show on the Pixter. As we neared Tucson, we disclosed to the kids that Tucson was only a temporary stop on our way to the Grand Canyon. Imagine the groans from the kids when they found out were were stopping only to visit one of our favorite stores - TriSports (a triathlon store) and a bike shop Tri-Guy had been drooling over on the internet. The kids did get a little more excited when they saw tents outside and realized they were giving away free stuff, like water bottles and stickers. Eight water bottles and 40 stickers later, we were back in the car. We stopped briefly at the bike store, wiped off Tri-Guy's drool, and started the 6 hour journey to the Grand Canyon.
We passed through mountains with little canyons. I started thinking to myself - will the Grand Canyon really be that "grand"? We were perplexed by the pine trees that started popping up on either side of us. Are we in Arizona or Colorado? And the pine trees kept getting denser and denser. "Where is the desert?" As we approached the park entrance, we were sure the desert would return. Nope. In fact, the pine trees stayed all the way to the edge of the canyon. It was twilight as we entered the park, but we really wanted to see the canyon. We stopped off at an observation point and ran to the edge. Even in the twilight, I have to admit that the first view of the canyon took my breath away. In fact, all of the ooowing and aaaahing by Tri-Guy and me scared the kids. They thought we were reacting to the fact that it was a mile-long drop off the side into the canyon. After some reassuring, they finally peeked over the edge. We headed off to find our room and dream of the views we would see in the morning.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Unplugged!!!!
Brief update - we have arrived at the Grand Canyon, but there is no cell phone coverage, so we are pretty much offline. It is kinda nice to be unplugged. I did have to implement a no-ipods rule for our hike today. More to follow as I find places to connect to the internet. Right now, I am typing in a Pizza Hut....
Friday, March 9, 2007
Princesses Wear Lipstick!
"Are you guys excited to leave for vacation?" Tri-Guy enthusiastically asked. "I can't wait to kiss the princesses," J-man yelled back. "What did you say?" "The princesses wear lipstick and they kiss me," was J-man's response. He is his father's son!
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
The adventure begins...
"I am just going to pack some skorts," Supergirl declared. "But you are going to want to bring some pants too - you can't hike in skorts," I replied. "What???? We're HIKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" was the response. "Ummmmm....yes....that's what you do in the Grand Canyon." And so another family vacation begins. This year we have decided that we need to spend more quality family time in the car, so we are heading from El Paso to the Grand Canyon and then to Disneyland and then home...in one week....yes, we're crazy! Stay tuned for daily updates of our 2007 adventures starting this Saturday, March 10th.
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