Utah is Rocking

Pictures of the four Cashmans in the Colorado, Bryce Canyon Hoodoos, Window Arch at Arches NP, and John and Bowen near Balancing Rock.


Bryce Canyon in Utah was an awesome display of God's handiwork. We took the shuttle throughout the park, apparently more environmentally friendly, and hit a bunch of the overlooks that are most popular. We watched the movie first at the visitor center so that the kids and adults both could understand what caused this amazing park. If you don't know what a hoodoo is this is where you find one. They are found in these deep amphitheaters filled with these flame colored rock formations called HOODOOS. At this campground we had a little glitch in our water system, as some plug broke and caused a temporary water shut off. But my amazing husband found what he needed at the local car repair shop and had it up and running before I could finish the laundry. This was even on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere Utah. What a guy.
From Bryce we drove the three hours in order to get to Moab, Utah where Arches and Canyonlands National Park is located. Moab was one of our favorite spots when we traveled on our first trip so it was great to bring the kids to this beautiful small town. This whole area with its red rock canyons and towers of rock formations is just to difficult to explain. Another one of those you gotta see it to believe it places. And if you have been reading this blog for any length of time we have had quite a few of those. This being one of the many reasons we wanted to share this American countryside with our children. Pictures just don't do these places justice.
Last night we visited Arches National Park. This place has the highest concentration of natural sandstone arches in the world. This area is known to many people whether they know it or not by the over 500 movies and 1000+ commercials that have been filmed here. Think Thelma and Louise, City Slickers and John Wayne movies and many car commercials. We went went the sun was setting so it really provided dramatic light effects on the rocks.
Today we went white water rafting. We reserved our spot last night for a half day tour down the Colorado river. The kids thought this was the best and really liked riding the rapids and getting splashed over and over. They even got to get off of the raft and swim through a rapid called TRASH COMPACTER. I watched from the raft and did notice some looks of panic but overall they enjoyed it and John made it back in the boat after a short time spent UNDER the raft. This raft trip was a gift to Bowen for his fifth birthday coming up in a few days.
If you love to mountain bike, off road with a 4x4 or go rafting Moab is the place to be. There are even trails right from our campground to ride your dirtbike or ATV soooo, Gabe has been antsy to get that 65 out is these here dessert trails. Next we are headed south toward AZ in hopes of seeing some more of the beautiful southwest.

These pictures are of the lions at MGM, we were under them looking up through glass, Gabe at Lake Elsinore mx track, J and Bowen in front of New York, New York in Las Vegas and the skateboard competition in CA.

Our last few days on the coast were lovely. We attended a skateboarding competition in San Clemente and more time on the beach. From the coast of CA we headed to Lake Elsinore where the MX mecca in the US is located. John and Gabe rode on the track and were able to see some pros riding as well. All of the factory tracks are located out here but we couldn't seem to find any. From there we headed to Las Vegas, NV. We past through the Mojave Desert on our way and man did it get hot. In Vegas we had to use our air conditioning, our first time in months. The temperature was well into the 90's. We did go into Vegas and saw the lions at the MGM and walked through the New York, New York Hotel/Casino. These facilities are enormous and unbelievable in their attention to detail and appeal. Vegas however is not a place for kids and we had to do a lot of explaining about inappropriate things that were thrown in your face, like it or not, so we didn't spend any more time in the downtown are. The kids loved swimming in the pool and Gabe skated at a local park. Vegas alone has 11 skateparks.
Now we are in Utah near Bryce Canyon. Our plan is to visit several of the National Parks in Utah before heading to AZ to meet up with my parents.
One word of advice, if you ride bikes in Utah, don't ride in the grass. Last night after bike riding we have a total of five flat tires on three bikes from thorns hidden in the grass.

California Dreamin

Pictures of the Santa Cruz skatepark, Natural Bridges State Park, Johns tattoo (see the J's on the inside?) and the boogie boarders.

From San Francisco we stayed for three nights in Santa Cruz. This was the city in which surfing was brought to the US by the Polynesians. We got to watch the surfers in their wet suits taking in the big waves, as the seals and sea lions sat on the rocks and howled. It was still to cold really to hang on the beach although we did that for a few hours at the Natural Bridges State Park. John decided to get a tatoo in honor of his little girl since he read good things about the tattoo parlor in Santa Cruz. While he got hammered with needles for two hours me and the kids went to the local skatepark. It was a great park with a little bit of everything.
We settled on the idea that we would continue down the coast instead of going to Yosemite. I had read that many of the waterfalls there were dried up this time of year so the CA coast won out. Our next stop was at Pismo Beach. This was our first go at boondocking/dry camping. That means no electricity or water. It was not bad and the location of being only a few feet from the ocean made it worth it. Jadon gathered tons of sand dollars here and all three kids had a blast boogie boarding. I still couldn't get out of my sweatshirt as it was too chilly. Sometimes I think our children are part eskimos. This was a beautiful place to spend our 13th wedding anniversary. Our kids enjoyed the day playing in the sand and getting along wonderfully so it really was a date for us on our special day.
Our next location was south of Santa Barbara and just as lovely as the previous. Here the kids were able to explore the tidepools with sea anenomes, starfish and shore crabs. Again they boogie boarded for hours. Our camper was steps from the sand and we could watch the water from our front window.
Now we are living just about and hour north of San Diego. It is warm and sunny here and it is a surfers paradise. We are debating going into San Diego or heading east.
The kids are getting excited to see their mam and pap who will be flying out in Oct to visit us in Phoenix. They are staying for the week and we will be visiting Sedona and the Grand Canyon. It will be wonderful to spend time with people we know and love. We are hoping to get to Utah before hitting AZ.
Today is clean up the CA coast day so we are planning to hit the beach and pick up some trash.

Looking for Sun in San Francisco

Pictures: Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Seals by the Bay, Hippie District, Jelly Belly Factory.






We just loved the rest of Oregon. It has the most amazing beauty. Unlike any other I have witnessed. Our next stop was in Northern California near the Redwood forests. Now those are some trees. The kids learned about how they grow and how they have sustained for hundreds sometimes thousands of year.s We felt like a bunch of ants in the forest. It was a truly magical place.
Our stay at an RV park called Sounds of the Sea near Trinidad CA, revealed its name when at night we could hear the sea lions yelling from the rocks on the Pacific.
The surf was dangerous and was scary to even allow the boys near it. Although they made every effort to get wet in the frigid waters.
Heading further south we stayed at Fort Bragg. This town proved to be interesting to say the least. Lots of people hitchhiking and backpacking. We stayed right on the water but the clouds and cool weather continued to follow us. We expected CA to be hot and sunny. Not the case.
Currently we are outside of San Francisco. We visited the city as tourists and enjoyed the sites we had only previously heard of. The Golden Gate bridge being the most notable. We also saw Alcatraz from our viewpoint. This led us to study about the prison and its history of being the toughest penitentiary in the US during its time of operation.
We were able to experience the crookedest street in the world along with many steep roads that I would never dare to park on. The kids were so thrilled by this. Our visit also included the Fisherman's Wharf, a pier that has tons of shops overlooking the San Fran Bay.
The last place we visited in the city was the hippie district of Haight-Ashbury. This was cool to see as there is a lot of history there from the 60's era. So many great bands started there it was hard to fathom being here. We didn't feel uncomfortable there but there were many things that we not kid friendly to say the least. We stayed a short while only and ended our day.
It has been so awesome to homeschool on this trip. There is a lesson around every corner. Whether it be history, science, math or just a life lesson, learning occurs everywhere, all day every day. I'd say that has been one the best things thus far. Having John around has really made the learning beyond anything I had hoped. He offers so much to the kids with the things he know.s It amazes me. The guy is a genius. We all know he is the "smart one."
Things I read about in school our kids are experiencing first hand.
Yesterday we toured the Jelly Belly factory to see how this delightful treat is made. This place was great for kids and kids at heart. I know this jelly bean lover was in heaven. Gabe had to try the nasty jelly beans, including: ear wax, vomit and skunk. Why anyone would willingly place anything with those names in his mouth is beyond me. Needless to say he didn't finish them all.
Next we are headed inland to visit Yosemite.

NEW PHOTOS

Pictures are of the kids on the huge dunes in Oregon, John riding by the ocean at the Dunes, Jadon on the beautiful Oregon coast, the kids dwarfed inside a huge redwood, trying to get their arms around a tree.

AHH Oregon

We left the north coast of Oregon and headed east to Portland. When John and I traveled all those years ago our goal was to make it to Oregon to live and see Multnomah Falls. Well we realized that dream albeit much later in life than we expected. It was lovely and turned out to our surprise to be the second highest waterfall in the US behind Yosemite. As an added bonus there were many waterfalls in this area.
Our traveles also let us explore parts of downtown Portland and of course included trips to two skateparks. One of them being on Tony Hawks top five list. The other was at a park notable called Gabriel Park. Maybe we will wright up a review of the parks our kids skated across the US when we are all said and done. I must say it is a favorite pastime of everyone except the pregnant one. Also to our delight this area near the Columbia and Hood rivers is known worldwide for kite/wind surfing so we got to enjoy watching that from the very chilly riverbanks. If you can just imagine the much needed wind to make this area known for this sport. BRR BRR.
Leaving Portland we wanted to head back to the coast. The road there led us through a small town that is known to have the top skatepark anywhere. It was 29,000 sf. The place also had a dirt track to ride BMX. John and I are constantly amazed at how these rather small towns afford such amazing parks for kids to ride. It is needed everywhere in my opinion as it keeps kids active and out of trouble.
We stayed for two nights along the coast at Beverly Beach State Park. We love this state as it is the most beautiful with its rugged coast line and forests but man it just won't get warm. It has yet to get over 62 degrees. If it weren't for that we could definitely call this place home.
The town of Newport, OR was great with a big beach and a bayfront that was home to many sea lions. They were loud and smelly but really cool to watch in their natural environment. The Yaquina lighthouse was lovely and had really awesome tidepools to explore. The kids found starfish and sea urchins just hanging on rocks. In addition there were harbor seals and pelicans hanging out as the Pacific crashed against the rocks. Truly a one of a kind experience for those of us from the East. God sure has blessed this place. His beauty is written all over it.
Currently we are located in the Oregon Dunes National Rec Area. I have never in all my life seen such immense sand dunes. Some of them are 100's of feet high. It was like out of a Star Wars movie. Climbing to the top of these dunes is equivalent to running a marathon. While climbing them I really thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest it was beating so fast. On the other hand the kids were running up them for fun just to get to slide down the other side.
John and Gabe got the necessary permits to ride on the sand dunes and did so for several hours today. It was very difficult to ride in and Gabe got frustrated several times. He did like riding right by the ocean as the sand was more hard packed.
A big thank you goes out to all those who have offered us support on this journey your excitement and blessing has meant the world to us.
We are headed further south down the Oregon coast and then into California.