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Driving across the USA

April 2018 - April 2024
An open-ended adventure by Elisa Read more
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  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    Day 20

    Bryce Canyon

    April 23, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    This is an amazing place and should be on the must see for everyone at some point. The day itself was struggle and one of the hardest days with the kids.

    It took us forever to get into the park,get a junior ranger booklet, get a shuttle and then finally to point 2, where Brandon had to listen to a geology talk to get his ranger badge.

    Bryce is different than the rest of the Colorado platue, as an ordinary process,the tectonic plates moving, 15 million years ago made extraordinary results due to the altitude of the canyon and leaving the hoodoos rock formations. It is no longer really a canyon anymore either.

    Bryce is small compared to some of the other national parks and it is able to be seen in a half day. We decided to hike the canyon, and took the sunset trail to sunrise trail along with Navajo trail. It was about 3 miles and it was down hill into the canyon and then back up.

    If it wasn't for kids (or Brandon), it would have been a fairly nice hike but it was a struggle for brandon. There was tears, tantrums and lots of complaining. No bribing worked this time. He made it though and we saw the beautiful national park.

    Brandon completed his ranger book and got his 3rd ranger badge. He also had 10 stickers on his rewards chart from various rewards for helping out and such so he was able to get a walking stick for future walks.

    That night we had a nice home cooked chicken dinner and even saw some deer at dinner time. We had an early fire and smores.    Read more

  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    Day 22

    To Salt Lake city, Utah

    April 25, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Today we left Bryce Canyon area and made our way to Salt Lake City.

    Before we headed off we stopped at moss cave trail outside of the Bryce Canyon National Park.

    We had a small walk to a waterfall. Brandon had a bit of a fall and scraped his leg and arm but he was a strong boy and kept going. We did not go and see to cave and brandon wanted to clean up his scratches.

    We had a 4 hour drive. We stopped in a little run down town called Scipio where we were lucky enough to find a picnic table. The drive into the city is beautiful. Just mountains and more mountains with snow caps that are slowly disolving as the sun beats down on them.

    While we are in Salt Lake we are staying with a old highschool friend Carla and her family.

    Carla made us a lovely Puerto Rican dinner that the kids loved and had second and third helpings.    Read more

  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    Day 23

    Antelope Island park and The Salt Lake

    April 26, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We had a lovely nights sleep in Carla and Wallys apartment. Brandon slept in the big kids room on his blow up bed.

    Isla and Raffie got a day off of school and the whole gang of us went to see Antelope Island State Park.
    Antelope Island is the largest of the Salt Lake islands and is surrounded by the Great Salt Lake. The Salt Lake is the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River.

    It was as warm day and visiting the island and seeing the lake was great, minus the biting gnats which just hatched. We saw pronghorn Antelope and 11 wild Bison that roam the island. We spent time walking out to the lake and feeling the hard rock\sand. We had lunch at the small grill on the island.

    Back at the apartment the kids soaked in the sun with water balloons and scootering. That night we also had smores at the cute public bbq\park area that the complex provides.

    Later that night Carla and elisa had free time and went to a local bar that had live reggae music. The bartender explained that in Utah, the draft beer can only have 3.2% alcohol while the canned\bottled beer can be any percentage. The state also recently moved the driving limit to .05 from .08 as well. You also can only buy liquor and wine in a liquor store. The wine also is very expensive here.    Read more

  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    Day 24

    Wheelers heritage farm, hiking & fun

    April 27, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today was pretty relaxing. Josh and elisa took the kids to a heritage farm which was only a few minutes from the apartment. They got to see farm animals, ride on the moo train, and played on the playground.

    Once the kids got home from school Carla took us all to a hike up in Little Cottonwood Canyon, checking out Lisa Falls. The drive there was only 20 minutes but the view of the Mountains waa amazing. Salt Lake City is a in the plateau of numerous mountain ranges. Some of the peaks still have snow on top and is just breathtaking. The day was a high 80\25 degrees so the waterfall was very fast and high due to all the snow melting.

    The hike was quick and steep and came right to the falls. As it was higher than usual, getting across to the center area meant to take shoes off and walk across the very cold water, or step on the rocks very carefully.
    Inara and brandon loved climbing all over.

    After the hike we went straight to dinner, which was at Classic Fun Center. This massive play place was overwhelming. The kids had a choice of skating\scootering, jumping on bouncy castles, jungle\climbing area that was the whole venue, Arcade games, a laser tag area and more. It was nuts. Brandon choose the scooter and bouncy area. He was in heaven. We had pizza and Inara just watched the kids scooting and skating. We didn't leave till 9pm.

    The night didn't finish there, as when we got back to the apartment, Wallys had his large family over to watch the Utah Jazz basketball team play in a play off game. Player number 2 is Australian too. It was a loud night with lots of Spanish being shouted from Wallys and his Puerto Rican family.

    Carla and Elisa left the apartment again and got a drink at the Wasatch brewery in the sugarhouse area of the city.

    Salt Lake is much smaller than we realized. We think that the name sounds like a big city, but the greater area is only over a million and is the same size as buffalo, New York. It is also warmer in the summer than expected, having summer days higher than 100. Cold is below freezing but they don't get tons of snow.    Read more

  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    Day 25

    Salt Lake City

    April 28, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today we went into the city. Our family, Carla, kids and neice all went on the Utah traxx, which is the public transport system. It is like a tram as it is on the main roads and has frequent stops.

    It was another warm and sunny day and the tulips in the temple of the Mormon church were gorgeous. We had a talk around the busy area and the kids were drawn to the numerous fountains in the complex. We didn't go into any of the buildings as a combination of 5 kids, a busy area and a nice day would have been stressful for us all.

    We then walked a few blocks to a developing retail area that has a splash pad. The splash pad was surrounded by fake grass and chairs for us to sit in. Around the area was cute little ponds surrounded by rocks to look like they natural environment.

    Brandon got soaked right through playing in the splash pad. Inara got undressed and ran around with her white body soaking in the sun but did not go into the water. She finally decided she liked the ponds but we were told by the security guards that they are not for kids to play in.

    We had our picnic lunch there and was there for an hour or so before we headed back to the apartment.

    We had an early dinner compared to the last few nights. Carla grilled hot dogs, chicken drums with BBQ sauce and chicken and vegetables skewers and we finished off with more s'mores. Carla has also introduced us to using peanut butter Reece's cups rather than Hershey's with the s'mores and we may never go back to original s'mores again.

    The stop here in Salt Lake visiting an old friend was great. It was nice to be in reality a bit, having conversation and the kids being able to play with other kids. Carla, whom Elisa has known since 7th grade or so and hasn't really seen her in for about 15 years or so, and at points haven't talked in years (but thanks to FB has reconnected) opened up her apartment, took off work and cooked us amazing dinners. Her kids were also accomodating. Isla slept in her brothers room Raffi and Franco, while Josh, Elisa and Inara used her room and brandon slept on the floor in the boys room as well. It was a perfect visit and we are very appreciated with the hospitality (and letting us so all our never ending laundry).

    Utah is a lovely state, has so much to offer and the people around the area are a bit friendlier than other places visited. We will definetly have Salt Lake on our visits again back to the States and maybe we can get a chance to snowboard on the majestic mountains that make Salt Lake City so unique.

    Tomorrow we are back on the road and more hiking to come.    Read more

  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    1
    Day 26

    Arches National Park

    April 29, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We left the apartment just after 9am, final destination Moab, Utah with a stop at Arches National Park.

    Moab was not originally on our itinerary but after hearing about it and the 2 national parks in the area, we decided to do 1 less night at Mesa Verde and have one night in Moab to be able to visit Arches National Park and Canyon lands National Park. Elisa really wanted to do a jet boat tour on the Colorado River but no tour company would take anyone under 4 years.

    The park was busy and even had it's own radio station. We were able to do a scenic drive through the national park but we also did 3 hikes.

    The hikes were relatively easy and less than a mile. Brandon did great. Sand dunes arch was our favourite as the sand was fun to walk in.

    Brandon received his junior ranger badge and to get this one he had to sit for 10 minutes and just listen to the environment, and he did it.

    That night we made it to the Moab KOA about 5pm, put up tent and blow up beds and was at the Moab brewery for dinner by 630. The brewery was busy and we had a nice dinner.    Read more

  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    Day 27

    Canyonlands National Park

    April 30, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Zion and Bryce were amazing but Canyonlands National Park was immense. It made you feel how small you are against these massive boulders, mountains and canyons.

    We left Moab KOA by 10am, even though Inara was up at 630am ready to chase wild jack rabbits. Elisa was able to pack up most of the inside of the tent while Brandon slept through it. This is starting to be a theme now.

    We headed South to the Needles area of Canyonlands National Park. Canyonlands is divided into 4 parts. Island in the Sky is the most traveled being closest to Moab, Needles is less traveled and more wild, while Maze District is the wildest area and one of the most remote areas in the nation. The 4th area is the Colorado and the Green river which divide the 3 land areas.

    Most of the day was driving throughout the park and getting on and off. The boulders or mountains before we actually got into the designates park area was impressive and we were on awe. We did a few small walks/trails which were great for the kids. The cave spring walk was awesome as it had 2 ladders we needed to climb and even showed wall art.

    Brandon got his 4th junior ranger badge, of course. The kids were good all day and in the car as well as we had another 2 hour drive or so to Mesa Verde National 2.

    After Canyonlands we made our way to our home for the next 3 nights, Mesa Verde National Park. We are camping in the park where we can see wild animals and be as much in the wild as you want with 2 kids.

    We made it for check in and dinner made at the campsite. The camp ground just opened up a few weeks ago as the weather is cold. It is also bear and mountain lion country. The pamphlets advise to keep all food, drinks (including water) , soaps and lotions in the car so the animals aren't drawn to the tent site. We also need to collect any food off the ground from eating , which happens a lot with a 2 year old, and wash our dishes in dump areas and the dirty flushed in the toilet. The toilet blocks are flushing toilets and t r showers are up the registration area with the small grocery store.

    This may be the coldest tenting of our trip and we dressed the kids in 2 layers of PJs along with sleeping bags. Tonight is the warmest of the 3 nights so we hope we can handle it.    Read more

  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    Day 28

    Mesa Verde National Park

    May 1, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Today we woke up in a National Park, so it was nice to be able to start our day trip without an hour or so drive to the destination. We let Brandon sleep in, and the rest of us saw deer hanging around 2 campsite away.

    It was a cold night, but it would have been colder if the clouds didn't cover the Sky. We were all dressed pretty warm so we didn't wake up freezing.

    Our first stop was back down the mountain 6 miles to the visitors center to get Brandons junior ranger booklet.

    The hikes here are all very long and there is really only 3 hikes that we were able to do with the kids. There was a lot of stopping and getting out of the car to see the pueblos, pit houses and cliffs dwellings. The day started out cold and windy but warmed up enough to wear jumpers and not jackets and the wind relaxed.

    The cave dwellings are impressive. We didn't go on any of the guides tours as they were all an hour plus and didn't think it was going to be a great idea with the kids. We did watch a 25 minute introduction movie at the museum and both kids sat through it all. Brandon answered his questions in the junior ranger booklet from what he learned at the museum. Brandon got another junior ranger badge to his selection at the end of the day.

    Near the end of our visits and a 45 min back to the tent site, we saw 5 deer grazing on the bushes next to the road.

    Brandon got to scooter a bit and we all had a nice walk to the general store after our dinner of pasta and cleaning the dishes in the sink in the heated laundry area.

    It's an early night tonight, as its getting windy and most nights kids aren't in to bed until 9pm each night.    Read more

  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    3
    Day 29

    Durango , Colorado

    May 2, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Today we woke up covered in snow. We knew it was going to snow, but not like this. It was about 3 inches of soft dry beautiful snow. We weren't freezing as we had a snow blanket covering the tent. It was awesome and very inconvenient at the same time. We were not prepared for snow. We don't have gloves or boots for any of us. Inara was intrigued by the snow, Brandon didn't like the cold.

    The reception cafe did an all you can eat pancake breakfast so we jumped in the car, with pajamas on, and headed there. It was a busy place as the other tenters had the same idea.

    We then got in the car and drove about 40 miles east to a town called Durango. It was not as high in elevation so the snow turned to rain. The kids and Josh got dressed at the bathrooms at the kids discovery Center. It was too cold to change in the tent.

    We spent 2 hours or so at the kids discovery science center in town. It was busy with school students and they were all excited with many things to do. Brandon dressed up as an astronaut, made a rocket out of paper and launched it from the launching pad, built mountains and oceans in the sand topo map installation, used a bike to power up light globes and pushed the piston in and out to spin a little carousel. Inara played at being a vet, found nemo (clown fish) and blue frogs, had a go at building circuits and enjoyed the magnetic fidget spinners.

    After the science adventure we took the suggestion from the staff to have lunch at Streamworks brewery. It was a big place and pretty busy for a wed afternoon. The adults split a flight of beer to get a taste of the many different selections they had. The meals were huge and delicious. The kids meals were great, and Brandon's hot dog was in a pretzel bun for something different. While having lunch the rain came down harder and really was a miserable day.

    Durango, from the short visit, seems to be this rugged mountain town with endless outdoor adventure stores. There is a river that runs through the town that can be kayaked /canoed and not very far from ski mountains. The buildings in the center of town were historical looking but well looked after. It would have been nice to explore the center when it wasn't cold and dreary.

    After lunch we drove around and went to the Durango mall, which consisted of maybe 10 shops. We were on the lookout for gloves for all and a pillow for Elisa, as Inara steals her pillow every night. Josh was the only one that got lucky with gloves.

    We got back up to Mesa Verde National Park and stopped in to check the night weather. It was going to be a low of 28 F or -3, a few degrees colder than last night and 60% chance of snow. It wasn't snowing when we got back and the tent was as dry as it would be, so we did a mad dash, got everything packed. Elisa took the kids scootering to the laundry room, where it was dry,and warm, while Josh and his new gloves put the tent away and packed the car. Snow flurries started happening during the pack up. On the way to the sheltered laundry room, we saw 5 deer near the path. With the snow starting, it was a perfect moment.

    The kids had vegemite sandwiches for dinner, as by the time we left the national park, it was 7pm. Our next destination was originally to be Albuquerque, but there was no way we could put up a tent 4 hours away at 11pm. We stopped at a town called Farmington in New Mexico at the very busy Motel 6.

    The drive was easy and we saw some beautiful cloud and colorful sky's from the sunset.    Read more

  • TravelerDriving across the USA
    Day 30

    Driving to Albuquerque

    May 3, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Today we have been traveling for 4 weeks and have driven over 3000 miles/4800km mark today. We left the motel warm,clean and well slept. We had breakfast at Sophie' s diner where the pancakes were bigger than Josh's head.

    The drive was probably the most boring drive with not much to look at. New Mexico, as far as we can see, is portrayed like the movies. Pick up trucks and cowboy hats. The drive was rolling prairies, little vegetation and many shouts for pointing out cows and horses. As we drive through different Indian Reservations we also passed a good few casinos.

    We got to the KOA, North of Albuquerque, in time for a late lunch. This KOA is small, with only a few tent sites. It has paved roads which is great for the kids to scooter. There is a bit of grass here and there and it is not as dusty as the last KOA 's. This one has a pool, but doesn't have a camp kitchen or anything like that.

    The rest of the day consisted of normal routine, getting our home set up for 3 nights and off to the grocery store. As we have had the Wal-Mart experience a few times now , we try to avoid it. We went to Albertson' s market which was huge and the fruit they were selling were huge. Albertsons is a mid west market so we will be looking for this one to shop at for a bit.    Read more

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