Day 11: Vegas BABY!!

So if you have been to Vegas you know all about it. If you haven't, well, it is just the city of MUCH. Too much too be exact. We had a great time though our stay in the sin city was brief. Here's the summary:
-Stayed at MGM Grand. Gorgeous hotel. G-rated and family friendly.
- Kids lu-uved the pool
- We used our $35 dinner credit at the Grand Buffet for dinner and it was yummo. Stella's favorite food: banana. Nick's favorite food: pizza
- Took the strollers out to the strip. Hit the M&M World Store. Nick loved it. Stella had fallen asleep by that point.
- Kept Nick out way past his bed time (oooh 9pm). Hey, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
- Drove the strip in the morning to see all the big beautiful hotels and casinos.
- Didn't gamble. Not once. Really. Nothing.
- Internet was $13.95 so that's why we didn't blog!



We did everything we wanted to do in just the very short time we were there. After we checked out, we went over to the Lion Exhibit inside the MGM. We really wanted to see it before we left and of course, we had been talking it up to Nicholas and he really wanted to see it, too. It opened at 11am. We waited right out front by the doors with all the other anxious visitors. Promptly at 11:00 a woman came out front and put this sign by the doors:


Yep, closed. (Sounds familiar....hmmmm...North Pole?) So we walked around the corner to the Rainforest Cafe's gift shop. I think Nicholas thought the alligator was real. So maybe it wasn't a wasted trip.

That's it for now. We need to get the kids to bed. They are going crazy.

Day 9 and 10: L.A.

We spent two wonderful days visiting our good friends in LA. They actually live in Torrance, CA which is one of those cities that just blends right in to Los Angeles. This was a MUCH needed pause in our trip. It was really starting to get to us- the whole sleeping in a different bed in a different hotel in a different city every night!! We stayed for two long, relaxing days with Jay and Mindi, Madalyn and Jaymi. We were hesitant at first to disrupt their sleep with Stella's night wakings, but she had done pretty well for the few nights prior...so...thankfully the offer to stay with them still stood and we stayed with our friends. Too bad Stella broke her streak of sleeping all night!! She woke up both nights there. Jay and Mindi said they didn't really hear her. You guys are too kind : ) I feel horrible about it. Besides that it was a very comfortable and reenergizing time. Nicholas and Stella LOVED playing outside in the backyard. They loved their dog, Layla. We ate great food. It was just so perfect. And it was great to catch up with everyone again. Last time we all were together was three years ago when we moved up to Alaska. We stopped in on their home in Colorado. So much has changed. But it felt like we hadn't skipped a beat! Jay, Mindi, Madalyn, and Jaymi- thank you all so, so much for letting us stay and showing us such a great time! We loved it. Shawn and I were sad to see it end. Nicholas was really sad to leave, too.

So you can see here why we didn't blog this visit until now:

Redondo Beach:





Hermosa Beach:





Until next time...

Day 8: Redwoods to Lathrop, CA

(just south of Sacramento and Stockton)

One week down, one week to go. I can’t believe we have been living like vagabonds for a week now! Today started out at 50 degrees which felt pretty cold since we were right on the ocean. By 5pm the temperature gauge hit 92! I thought the kids and I were going to suffocate in the car when Shawn stopped to get gas. I am not ready for this. I did pack shorts. We will be in L.A. tomorrow so I guess I will need them.

Almost immediately after leaving Crescent City we started driving through the Redwood National Forest. It was everything we had anticipated. We didn’t have to venture off the main road (hwy 101) to get up close and personal with the old giants. The forest was dark in spots where the trees blocked sunlight. They blocked satellite, too. (Not like we needed the GPS here.) Then the canopy would open up and we were overlooking crashing waves and rocky beaches. We did choose the best trailhead at which to stop. We pulled over and across the road was this huge half hollowed out tree. That tree was just begging for someone to stand inside it. So I sent Shawn and Nicholas over to do just that.

Then another tourist offered to take a picture of all of us. Too bad Stella was asleep.

But when she woke up I got some pictures of her little self next to the trees.



We also saw elk. But we didn’t stop. They were way out in a field. We lived in Alaska. We have seen elk.

Other than the Redwoods, we really didn’t have an agenda. Just to get as far as we could to L.A. and stop for the night. We wanted to be about five hours away. We opted for a scenic trip on Hwy 299. It was a three hour rollercoaster ride- up and down steep mountains. We’d get to the top of the mountain, look out at about 3000ft up, and catch our breath as we looked down. The road turned and twisted the whole way. Hairpin turns, people. Near the end Nick said, “I think I ate too much.” I knew what he really meant. But I didn’t say it. And he didn’t do it. We rolled down the windows and he nodded off. Whew. Another breathtaking drive.

Then hwy299 spit us out right in Shasta. I caught a glimpse of Mount Shasta (14,000ish feet) all frosty with snow. Saw the lakes around that area as we drove. Brought back memories of when my friends and I camped on a floating cabin up at Shasta Lake. And how a Lt Colonel leant a bunch of young lieutenants (us) his boat for the weekend! Nuts! But we were too scared to mess it up so he had nothing to worry about. I had almost forgotten about all of that! Ahh the good old days. Mind you this was at least nine years ago. If you didn’t know, I used to live around here in northern California. It was my first “home” after college. Now as we drive south on I-5 everything around us looks so eerily familiar. The highway signs, the yellow grass, the Sierra-Nevadas in the distance, agriculture everywhere in between. I can’t believe it has been so long but it all appears very much the same. Pretty. Sunny. But it doesn’t feel like home for us. Good thing, huh. : )

OH, and this is what our children look like every night when we get to the hotel...bouncing off the walls!

Day 7: Salem, OR to Crescent City, CA

Gorgeous drive along the Oregon coast today.


Sand Dunes National Park.

Redwoods tomorrow.

Day 6: Bellingham, WA to Salem, OR

Well, I am a day behind on blogging. I just haven’t had time to connect. I still hope to get pictures up soon. I am typing out our story in Word and then just saving it until we get a connection. I know the next time I get online, you are going to have lots (more than enough) to read. I will try to keep Day 6 to a minimum. Partly for time sake. Partly because there is really not much to say.



We disembarked the MV Columbia at about 7:30am Alaska time, so 8:30am PST. We got all packed in the van, waited patiently for our cues, then drove onto the car-elevator, took it down to the main deck, and drove out of Alaska and into Washington. That was it. No more Alaska. (sigh) We quickly sought out breakfast. And we found the best local joint. We ventured a few miles off course to Burlington, which appeared to be an old farming town with a very well-established breakfast spot, the Burlington Café. Coffee was just the way we like it, too- strong. Perfect fuel for our drive to Mt. Rainier. Gorgeous drive through logging country and national forests/parks. We chose the north park entrance and unfortunately it was closed due to snow. Like 6 feet of it! So we tried to go to the south entrance but missed the turn somehow (didn’t trust the GPS) and drove a little out of our way. I won’t say exactly how much! So instead, we drove along the Columbia River. Which turned out to be okay. It was so overcast that you couldn’t see Mt. Rainier. Mt. St. Helens, which we also planned to visit, was completely covered by clouds and closed due to snow as well. But we did get to drive through quite a bit of snow at Mt. Rainier. Nicholas and I were giddy at the sight of falling snow in June. SNOW!!! So Mt. Rainier National Park- awesome. Falling snow- awesome. Six foot walls of snow filling the shoulders of the road- awesome. Driving on mountain roads on the edge of your life- scary.

Day 5: Inside Passage

Our last day on the ferry was one of those slow-paced-rainy-stay-inside days. So that is just what we did. The kids played in the forward lounge with all the other little ones for a few hours in the morning. While all the parents were sitting in the booths at their laptops working and trying to hook up to the wireless. Us included. That was all before lunch and before we hit the open waters- which means a rougher ride. The boat just rocks heavily from side to side. Well, I say “heavily,” because most of the trip is nice and steady. It only lasted an hour and a half or so. It really wasn’t bad. But many people began seeking places to lie down until it passed. We spent the rest of our day at sea in our stateroom just keeping warm and dry. We also walked the decks a few times for fresh air and packed up our stuff.



Dinner was something worth mentioning, though. There was going to be a wonderful buffet in the Dining Room and we were really looking forward to a warm meal. And to experiencing the Dining Room. We had not eaten there before- on either trip. It was much too fancy for us. Even though I attended dinner in my yoga pants and crocs and was welcomed just the same as the fancier diners. Like Shawn, who wore jeans : ) Anyway…the dinner was $17 for adults and our kids were free. Dinner started at 6pm and we joined the line outside the restaurant about 5:40. The line quickly grew so long that I couldn’t see the end! The gentleman behind us in line loved Stella. Every time he saw her during the trip he couldn’t help but stop and talk to her. Always trying to get a smile from her (which she doesn’t give out to strangers very often). But as we waited we talked more- about Alaska, the ferry trip, hometowns, just small talk really. Then the doors opened. Upon our turn, we were greeted by a man in a clean tux shirt and black pants and taken to a table by the window. This place was nice- white linens, real glassware and non-paper/plastic dishes and utensils. I know, *fancy.* Fancy for a ferryboat! Dinner was fabulous- a little bit of everything and it was all very, very good and well-prepared. When we decided we were done Shawn asked for the check. The woman told him that the man in the black hat had taken care of it. WHAT?! Yes, that nice man who just wanted a smile from Stella paid for our dinner. How unbelievably generous! We thanked him sincerely and told him he certainly did not have to do that. He said, “ I know, but it’s fun.” Someday we are going to have to find that kind of “fun” too. But dinner was such a nice change. We had eaten most of our meals from our own cooler. We did eat in the Café once, which is grill/cafeteria style. Good food and not cheap either.

Now we are back in the Lower 48- Washington to be exact. And we are on our way to Mt. Rainier. I hope we catch glimpse of it today, because it is very overcast and rainy. Typical Pacific Northwest Weather!!

Day 4: Petersburg to Wrangell to Ketchican

Finally I am getting a good wireless connection! Stopped in Petersburg, AK last night around 1am. All I remember is that it was raining and the wind was whistling against the ship. Enough to wake me up. As far as I could tell, too, we got in to port late. So I only saw Petersburg from my stateroom window at 2 am. It looked dark. Wrangell, AK was our next port of call at 5:15 am. I woke up just before we started up to leave. Too bad, too. I was hoping to at least acknowledge the narrows as we drove into Wrangell. Shawn said he felt all the turning though. The rest of us rested. Nick and Stella slept all night and didn't wake up until 8am. It was so nice.

The bulk of our day was spent in the beautiful and busy town of Ketchican, AK. We got in to port around noon and didn't have to be back on the ferry until 4:45 for a 5:15 departure. So we scrambled off board and over to the bus stop right in front of the terminal. You see, the ferry boat docks on the edge of all these little towns. Whereas the cruise ships dock right smack dab in the downtowns. Today there were four gigantic cruise ships in Ketchican's downtown. Tourists were scattered everywhere. It seemed that the Lumberjack Show was quite popular with several cruisers! We opted for lunch at a very local joint. Pioneer Cafe was the spot. We think we were the only non locals in the place. There was a group that we recognized from our ferry that hopped in a booth across from us. But then they quickly left because a very old man was smoking in the booth behind them. This place didn't exactly have a smoking section. My guess is that this man and his wife have been coming to Pioneer Cafe for decades and they had some kind of squatting rights on the place. The food was really great. All four of us stuffed our bellies with our last "Alaskan" meal. After lunch we toured Southeastern Alaska Discovery Center. It was recommended by the Ranger on board the boat but it was truly worth it. The center had beautiful displays and descriptions of life and history in Southeast AK. EVerything was very well done. It was a well spent hour and $8. Then we wandered the streets. Not much else we were interested in. If I walked passed one jewelry store I passed 100. That is for the cruisers, I know. There were also 100 souvenir shops. We have plenty of Alaska keepsakes. So we headed back to the bus stop. I have to say, the town was much bigger than I imagined. Compared to Sitka, it was a bustling metropolis. I was disappointed that there weren't really any restaurants in the main downtown area. We had to scout out our lunch spot. But I understand--the cruiser have meals on their ships.




Now we are back at sea for the next 36 hours. Our next stop is Bellingham, WA on Friday morning. It hasn't hit me that we are leaving AK yet. Everything around us still looks very much like AK--HUGE mountains, snow, eagles, water, trees, fishing vessels. But I know that this boat is taking us very far away. (sad face now) Well, I am done for today's post. We are heading out to the deck for cookies and fresh Alaskan (and maybe Canadian, I'm not sure) mountain air.

Night, night.