2016 Grand Adventure, Days 27-29: Sinks Canyon, Denver, and HOME!

You can find links to any other 2016 Grand Adventure posts at the "home page." 

Day 27: We packed up and headed out early to go to Mass. It took three tries to find a church with Mass at the right time, but we made it!

Then we visited a near-by state park, Sinks Canyon. This wasn't on our original itinerary (see previous post for our change of plans due to being tired of snow and cold), but it was fascinating to see the river vanish into the rock and then hike over to where it reappears. 

The kids loved it, because there were rocks to climb.

Second Daughter casually identified an American Dipper which we read about before our trip but didn't see in California. We also saw a snake and lots of trout. Our visit ended a bit abruptly when First Daughter took a big fall. 

We all piled back in the van, fortified with snacks and drinks, for the long drive to Denver. We finally arrived at our hotel around 9 pm.

Total driving for day 27 - 398 miles.

Day 28: We spent the entire day at the Museum of Nature and Science, including the traveling Robots exhibit. This museum is massive!

Our local museum membership got us in for free (though we had to pay for the Robots exhibit - thanks Grammy!) and we ate lunch there quite reasonably. They even accepted our visiting membership for a discount at the cafe.

We had a few minutes to play at the park, too, before going to my cousin's house for dinner. It was such a treat to see her and spend time with her wonderful family. Her son instantly adopted our kids and led them on a happy romp through the neighborhood.

Total driving for day 28 - 46 miles.

Day 29: We began the day with swimming! Our kids still think hotel pools are awesome and we hadn't had a chance to visit this one. I was a bit disappointed, but the kids were content. 

When we hopped back in the van for the final day of driving. We made it close enough to home to have dinner with Kansas Dad's parents. By 10:30 pm, we were mostly unloaded and the kids were sleeping in their own rooms.

Total driving for day 29 - 536 miles.

As I wrote in my original post, the trip by the numbers included:

1 van with over 200,000 miles on it before the journey began
2 adults
4 kids
1 large tent

29 days
5823 miles (not counting the rental when our van broke down)
6 hotels
1 cabin
11 campsites  
11 states
11 national parks
1 national monument
1 national recreational area
4 state parks
1 aquarium
3 science and nature museums
Hoover Dam
whale watching
a ferry ride (van and all)
and another country (Vancouver, BC)

It was supposed to be the trip to last a lifetime, but mostly it just peaked our interest in even more camping and traveling around the country with our family! In fact, we'd only been home a few days when we booked a campsite at Rocky Mountain National Park for July. That'll be another post or two.

2016 Grand Adventure, Days 24-26: Museum of the Rockies and Yellowstone National Park

You can find links to any other 2016 Grand Adventure posts at the "home page." 

Day 24: We drove from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Bozeman, MT. We left at 7:30 am and made it through customs just before Second Son threw up. (It was bound to happen at least once.) We drove and drove and drove, stopping briefly for meals. We drove all the way through Idaho, though we did stop so the kids could get out and say they've actually been there. Our poor old van climbed up mountains and then drove down them again and again. We finally arrived at our hotel at 12:30 am, totally exhausted. I'm sure some of the mountain views on the last third of that drive were tremendous, but it was dark so we'll have to go back for them someday.

Total driving for day 24 - 814 miles. And we're never doing that again. Ever.

Day 25: We visited the Museum of the Rockies for a few hours in the morning. This is now one of my favorite museums. If you really want to know what life as a paleontologist is like, this museum is the one for you. It's full of dinosaur skeletons, of course, but there are collections of fossils with explanations of how paleontologists study and compare them to understand what dinosaurs were like. Absolutely fascinating for anyone interested in forming hypotheses and meticulously examining data. So...the kids liked the bones and were ready to move on.

a row of skulls for comparisons

We hopped back in the van and drove south to Yellowstone National Park! We were so excited about this national park! And it did not disappoint. We'd had a picnic lunch and were on our way to Old Faithful when we spotted a bear and her two cubs. Totally awesome and completely safe because we were in the van with plenty of distance between us. First Daughter got the best picture. We're not experts at telling grizzly bears from black bears, but we think they are grizzles.

After the exciting bear siting, we stopped at Artist's Paintpots for a short hike. Kansas Dad and I wanted to see mudpots and this was a great walk for us. Second Daughter thought the smell was terrible. (In fact, Second Son doesn't have great memories of Yellowstone as a whole because so much of it smelled like sulphur and other gases he didn't enjoy.)

We recorded a video of the mudpots, too, because pictures just don't do them justice.

We visited Old Faithful next. The children were duly impressed by the geyser. My pictures aren't as interesting as many you can find online, but we were there.

Finally we began the drive to our campground...just in time for the rain. Poor Kansas Dad had to, once again, put up the tent in a drizzle. Our site was a muddy mess. The night was rainy and cold though our tent kept us nice and dry. It wasn't very fun taking Second Son to the bathroom in the middle of the night (though it rarely is while camping).

Total driving for day 25 - 179 miles.

Day 26: We had intended to stay a second night at Yellowstone but it was really cold when we woke up and snow was in the forecast. Being a bit tired of camping in the cold and wet by day 26, we decided to cut our trip in Yellowstone short (and skip the night we'd planned at Grand Tetons) and instead drive down into a warmer valley.

But first we revisited Old Faithful to see it erupt in the snow. Kansas Dad and the kids stood out in the winter weather, but I watched from inside and took the opportunity to call my dad where there was phone service. It was properly snowing with accumulation on the ground as we drove out of the park.

Grand Tetons - with clouds

We drove south through the Grand Tetons National Park and then headed east into lower elevations. We ended up at a random campground in Wyoming but the 27 mph winds convinced Kansas Dad he couldn't easily put up the tent. The children were thrilled to hear he'd rented a tiny cabin. When we started unloading, First Daughter bounced right in and declared it "smaller than Little House on the Prairie!" She was right. It was our first "cabin" of the trip and it was nice to be inside from the wicked winds that night.

Total driving for day 26 - 237 miles.

2016 Grand Adventure, Days 21-23: Vancouver, British Columbia

You can find links to any other 2016 Grand Adventure posts at the "home page." 

Day 21: Finally, we set off for another country! Our main goal, the farthest point of our journey, was always Vancouver. Kansas Dad had always wanted to visit it and we thought it would be exciting for the children to visit another country. Kansas is just about as far from the borders of the United States as you can get.

On our way from the Washington state park to Canada, we took a ferry, driving the van right onto it. Of course the children had never done such a thing before and were thrilled with our little ride. We hopped out of the van and ate our lunch on board.

A quick picture on the deck before heading back to the van.

We still had a few hours' drive after the ferry to get to Vancouver, but arrived in time to unpack in our apartment (so much better than a traditional hotel!) and visit a grocery store to buy supplies for the next few days.

Total driving for day 21 - 232 miles (not including the ferry ride).

Day 22: On our first full day, we went to the Vancouver Aquarium (tickets provided by the ever-fabulous Grammy) and spent the entire day there. We packed a lunch and wandered around, visiting the favorite sites multiple times. I think Second Daughter spent over an hour with her hand in the ray pool.

The mammal on the left is a false killer whale, which is so unusual, the keeper had to Google it when they rescued him. First Daughter particularly liked this show and watched it two or three times during the day.

First Daughter took this amazing picture of the jellyfish tank.

She also made a video of the electric eel. It's difficult to see the eel, but you can certainly see the lights he's powering.

We finished our day with our only meal out in Vancouver - Legendary Noodles. The food was terrific. The server was gracious and kind to our whole family. The kids were entranced with the woman right behind us who made all the noodles right in front of their eyes.

Total driving for day 22 - 0 miles!!

Day 23: On the second full day, we visited a local Chinese Garden. It was a lovely oasis in the midst of the city and they had wonderful tea available for guests.

We were there when they fed the fish. One of the employees (or perhaps volunteers), rang a gong under the water to call them to the meal.

Then we visited the Science museum, because it was close by and free with our local science museum membership. The kids enjoyed it tremendously.

a view of the harbor

We went to bed early after packing everything and loading as much as we could at the end of our second full day because the following day was the Day of Driving.

Total driving for day 23 - about 5 miles. (Don't worry; we more than make up for the lack on the next day.)

2016 Grand Adventure, Days 19-20: Olympic National Park

You can find links to any other 2016 Grand Adventure posts at the "home page."

Day 19: A dear friend of mine who lives in Seattle drove out to meet us at Seaquest State Park. We had hoped to see Mount St. Helen's in the morning, but it was cloudy. We didn't have much time and decided against driving farther into the monument knowing the weather would probably remain overcast. The children enjoyed the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center so much, though, that we ended up staying longer than planned.

We learned how kind the rangers are there. First Son left his nature notebook at the visitor center, the one with all the stamps and drawings from the first 19 days of our trip. He was despondent when we realized it was missing a few hours later. We searched the van for a few days and then, just hoping, we called the visitor center. Not only had they found it and held onto it for us, but they mailed it without charge to our home in Kansas! It was waiting for us when we returned. A big thanks to the rangers of Washington!

Somehow I managed to not take a single picture at the visitor center! We were all too busy learning about volcanoes, I guess.

At the last minute, we decided to alter our plans and stay at another Washington State Park rather than on the coast of Olympic National Park. We really needed to do some laundry and the coastal campground were very far from a laundromat. We ended up at Bogachiel State Park and it was perfect! Not only did we find a nice large site in a quiet park, but it had two covered picnic tables so we stayed out of the mist while cooking and eating.

Total driving for day 19 - 206 miles.

Day 20: My unbelievably awesome friend drove me and First Daughter into the laundromat in town on Sunday morning to start all our laundry before Mass. Kansas Dad picked us up there to go to church while my friend (did I mention she was awesome) moved our laundry to the dryers. (She's not Catholic.) We forgot it was Pentecost Sunday and, unfortunately, the pastor was speaking to his parish about a big change in their future so the Mass was very long. By the time we made it back to the laundromat, the laundry was dry and folded (again, awesome friend!).

After a hearty breakfast, we visited a real live rain forest: Hoh Rain Forest. Ironically, given all the rain we endured in the desert, it didn't even mist on us in the rain forest. I thought Redwoods was otherworldly, but the rain forest was even more so.

We missed banana slugs at Redwoods, but saw plenty of them and other slimy oozing creatures in the rain forest.

This black one looks a little like a squid.

Then, we drove down to the shore to show the kids tide pools. We ended up at Ruby Beach, another part of Olympic National Park. My friend is an engineer by training, but has volunteered with an aquarium for many years as a beach naturalist so she introduced our Kansas children to the wonders of shore-life with all the knowledge and excitement we could imagine.

I love the coast of the Pacific Northwest. I hope we make it back there someday.

Our guide pointed out creatures everywhere. The dead jellyfish on the beach intrigued the children as much as the living creatures in the pools. My favorite was the sea star.

After a long day of nature, my friend drove back north to take the ferry to Seattle and we drove into town to buy a new pair of water shoes for First Daughter. The cheap pair we'd brought were cutting her poor feet to shreds. (For those paying attention, that's two pairs of shoes we bought for her while on the trip.) Then back to camp for a good night's sleep before our foray into another country!

Total driving for day 20 - 103 miles

2016 Grand Adventure, Days 17-18: Redwoods National Park and Whale Watching

You can find links to any other 2016 Grand Adventure posts at the "home page."

Day 17: We woke up in the Redwoods campground surprisingly refreshed after a night at a spot right next to the bathrooms. We stopped at the Visitor's Center to ask about the best hike with children if we only had a few hours and could only do one. They were very helpful and directed us to one right outside the building. We hiked a loop back to the parking lot that included bits of the Prairie Creek Trail, the Cathedral Trees Trail, and the Foothills Trail.

The whole hike was delightful. There wasn't much elevation change. The twists and turns of the path meant we often felt completely alone in the wilderness despite a few other hikers along the way.

Redwoods was one of the parks that most felt otherworldly to us; we kept teasing the children that Yoda's house was nestled in the trees somewhere nearby.

They try let the trees rot where they fall, but sometimes have to make concessions, like people-sized tunnels cut out of enormous trees that fall on the path.

It may be hard to see in the picture below, but Kansas Dad and the kids are far ahead of me! They look so small next to those trees and you still can't see the tops.

After our hike, we piled back into the van for another drive. (Of course!) We headed north into Oregon which not only has one of the most beautiful coastlines I have ever seen, but park after park along the coast for visiting the coast and eating picnic lunches!

We arrived at our campground at an Oregon State Park (boy, those state parks in Oregon are nice!) almost in time for dinner but really needed a laundromat. So we drove past the park, started our laundry, ate at a nearby restaurant while it got all nice and clean, and then drove back to the campground. Kansas Dad and First Son set up camp while the little ones showered. A late night to bed, but we were all excited for the next day.

Total driving for day 17 - 225 miles.

Day 18: We drove to Depoe Bay for whale watching! We decided it would be worth it to take the kids out a bit in a boat onto the ocean even if we didn't see whales, but we were lucky. First, the children were delighted by the sea lions on the buoys.

They were batting for a sunning spot and we laughed to watch the newcomers get thrown back into the water.

First Daughter got a picture of a gray whale; if you look really closely, you may see a small dark spot rising out of the water. That's her! We also saw her calf and followed them for a while. The children were enthralled by the whales, the waves, the sea lions, all of it!

Smiling despite being back on land!

We left Depoe Bay and kept following the coast up to Seaquest State Park. Luckily we were able to see Mount St. Helen's from the road because the next day, when we had hoped to visit, it was all clouded over. I loved driving along the Oregon coast and would happily return there just to sit by the water for hours on end.

Total driving for day 18 - 239 miles.

2016 Grand Adventure, Days 15-16: San Francisco and Kirby Cove

You can find links to any other 2016 Grand Adventure posts at the "home page."

Day 15: We left our friends and drove to San Francisco, arriving around noon. It was too early to go to our campsite, so we had a picnic lunch on Rodeo Beach in the Golden Gate Recreation Area. Finally, the children saw the Pacific Ocean. And promptly fell in love, despite the gray skies and cold water.

It's amazing they ate anything at all, given their fascination with standing as close to the waves as they could without getting wet. (They got wet, of course.)

We stopped by our campsite at Kirby Cove campground before driving out to a suburb to have dinner with Kansas Dad's aunt and uncle. This campground has access to a beach nearly under the Golden Gate Bridge with amazing views of San Francisco (if it's not too foggy) and ships going in and out of the harbor (even if it is).

This was one of my favorite campgrounds of the whole trip. Who would have guessed you can camp so near to San Francisco? There are disadvantages, of course. You have to trundle your gear down a hill (wheelbarrows provided) and there's no running water. Totally worth it!

We found plenty of wildlife, birds and a sea lion or seal unconcerned by our presence.

We had a lovely dinner with Kansas Dad's family and his aunt even graciously provided two bags full of cookies to sustain us over the next few days. We had been worried about the sound of the foghorn or the boats so nearby, but we mainly heard the waves crashing on the shore.

Total driving for day 15 - 155 miles.

Day 16: The following morning, the kids and I spent as long as we could on the beach while Kansas Dad packed the van.

The children amassed quite the nature collection by the time we needed to leave. We left everything there for future visitors, taking only pictures with us. Well, and a lot of sand and wet shoes. (The shoes were famously soggy and damp for the next week as we were never anywhere dry enough long enough. They should have worn their sandals!)

Being so close to the bridge, we stopped on our way out and walked out a bit on it. The noise from the vehicles is quite overwhelming, but it was fun to watch boats in the harbor.

Then we spent the entire day driving, arriving at one of the Redwoods campgrounds, Elk Prairie, in time to set up camp and make dinner. It lived up to its name as these Roosevelt Elk were nonchalantely relaxing across from the registration wall.

Total driving for day 16 - 319 miles.

2016 Grand Adventure, Days 13-14: Yosemite National Park and Friends

You can find links to any other 2016 Grand Adventure posts at the "home page."

Day 13: We rushed out of our hotel room as early as possible (that would be about 9:30 am, as always) to visit Yosemite. We planned to leave after lunch, so we wanted as much time as possible.

I cannot express how awe-inspiring Yosemite is. Of all the places we visited on our trip, we all agree this is the place we'd return if we could only choose one. With only a few hours, we could not possibly exhaust even the joy of Yosemite Falls (which we were lucky to see as it only runs in spring and early summer).

We did briefly visit the Visitor's Center and I found a status of John Muir for a picture.

We combined bits and pieces of a couple of trails - up to Lower Falls and then across Cooke's Meadow. Along the way, we visited the spot where John Muir built his cabin.

Once there, it's easy to see why he picked that spot, though all the visitors would drive him away quickly enough today.

We saw deer, but were most impressed by the pair of coyotes that wandered through the meadow, ignoring the people.

We also spotted red-headed woodpeckers and many stellar jays.

After our walk, we lunched near El Capitan, then headed out. There were more mountains to cross (6,192 feet) and Google maps sent us down a shortcut called Old Priest Grade that must be so-named for all the prayers people say while traveling along it. Luckily, the van made it down without mishap.

We arrived at a little haven, the home of friends from our college days and their beautiful family of sweet girls. They fed us a scrumptious dinner and let the children romp in their pool despite the chilly water.

Total driving for day 13 - 122 miles.

Day 14: Our lovely hosts provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a laundry room for our piles of dirty clothes, and even graciously let Kansas Dad set up our tent and rain fly in the front yard, which had been crammed in their bags all wet from the rain at Sequoia for three nights. Oh, and allowed the children to play in the pool off and on all day long! It was a perfectly restorative day and we cannot thank them enough for their hospitality.

Total driving for day 14 - 16 miles. (Kansas Dad went grocery shopping.)