Hello!
We decided to take a road-trip with our boys to the West Coast and back.
Here is that story.
The idea for this trip began as we were staring down an international move from London back home to the US. We were trying to get the kids (and ourselves) excited about the type of traveling we would be able to do around the United States. We were telling the boys about the national parks. Rich decided he needed to take nature-baby-Finn to the Redwoods and we simultaneously got invited to stay with friends near Portland. Plus, we wanted to do something “super American” to celebrate our move back. What better way to do that than to take a massive road-trip? We were excited at the thought. Honestly, we started thinking about this trip further in advance than any other trip we’ve taken.
Once we started getting down to the nitty gritty of logistics, we realized that we were going to be asking a lot of Vivian. And subsequently – even more of ourselves. Several long, long, long days in the car, late nights, early mornings, no potty breaks, a different bed every other night.
She’s four.
The big boys – especially – are at the perfect age for this trip. But, it just became clear that we needed to try to leave her at home, and give this one to the boys. For ourselves. For the boys. And for her. Vivian had spent her whole life in London, and our family didn’t get to see her that much. They stepped up big time to alternate time taking care of her. She got lots of needed one-on-one time with aunts, grandmas, grandpas, and cousins.
It worked out best for everyone.
And with that – we were off!
Our first check in with Viv. She’s looking and feeling great with Aunt Erika and Uncle Jake!
We drove first from Chicago, through Iowa and into Nebraska – where we spent the night.
We got up early the next day and drove to Wyoming were we met our first major destination mid afternoon – GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK.
Rich may have gotten a speeding WARNING along the way. Ooopps!
I was making peanut butter sandwiches in the front seat and didn’t even realize why he was pulling over.
Sorry Wyoming.
We stayed in a cabin at Colter Bay Village.
I don’t know what else to say – THIS PLACE WAS AMAZING.
Colter Bay Village has cabins, camping and RV parking. There are also a couple nice restaurants, and a well equipped general store. By staying here only one night – I felt like we really hurt the village’s feelings. I mean – we totally did not get to do it justice.
But I was glad for the time that we had.
I can’t talk enough about how the air felt here.
I constantly think about it – even now.
We had been driving about 7 hours in the van. We pulled up at Colter Bay and I opened my door before we came to a complete stop. I couldn’t help myself I stood full-up on the floorboard of the open van door – so anxious to take in the scene.
“Rich! THE AIR! It’s incredible. You gotta smell it. Get out.” I said.
While I was throwing bags into the cabin, the boys discovered three deer right outside the door. I mean, the joy.
We had dinner at the village restaurant and went out for a walk around the lake.
The boys hunted for a bear. I did not.
The air was crisp and clean.
Finn said to me “Mom. This is like a whole different world. I can’t believe it. There are more trees than buildings.”
Harry pointed off in the distance… to the lake and the mountains and said “Mom. Is that real? It looks fake. It just looks so amazing, like it isn’t real. Like a movie set.”
….. it’s all real boys. That’s why we’re here.
These cabins were perfect.
No wifi, no cable. Warm and clean, 100 years old – and perfect.
We put the boys to bed and had some wine from the general store. Rich realized he was overwhelmingly tired, and told me he was nodding off before I got in the shower. Literally laying on top of the covers, he said “I think I gotta capture this sleep honey.”
“Go for it!” I said. “We had a long beautiful day.”
I got out of the shower and did some stretching. At about 11:30, I peeked outside and remembered that I saw something in the visitors center about the exceptional stargazing here. So, I slid on Rich’s shoes and jacket – the first I could find – and snuck very quietly out the door because I was sure the night sky was not-to-be-missed.
And I was right. It was clear and sparkly. The best I’ve certainly ever seen. I spent some time out there and turned around to head back in. It was at that point I realized, that – in my excitement to get outside – I forgot to bring a key.
I locked myself out.
Rich was A-SLEEP. Like, so asleep. So asleep that my increasing-in-volume knocks and calls from outside the bedroom window didn’t register with him at all. People were sleeping in nearby cabins, so I was remiss to make too much of a commotion. Instead, I opted to calmly remove the screen from the window and hoist myself in enough to grab a pillow and throw it at Rich. And, finally, I got him to wake…. barely. He was all like “What ARE YOU DOING!?!?!” “What IS HAPPENING right now?” “Are you hanging in the window?”
And it took him a good minute to wake up enough to realize what he was seeing… me – teetering on my stomach through the window. He roused, and let me in the front door. I felt genuinely bad about it, because I know how sweet it is when you get that just-right-natural kind of sleep. But, I also really wanted to sleep INSIDE the cabin.
Sorry, babe.
Anyways…. I woke up the next morning, and went out for an early run.
This was the view.
I got back to the cabin and declared “We live in the wrong place!”
I mean, the air alone.
C’mon.
But, we couldn’t dilly. This day was a big day. This day was Yellowstone National Park day.
I threw some snacks on the floor for the boys while Rich grabbed coffee from the store. And we were off!
Check in with Viv. Doing awesome!
And then we arrived.
And again – we totally, for sure, without a doubt did not get enough time here.
Now that I know what I know – ONE DAY – practically unthinkable.
A very pleasant Danish family took this picture of us with the sign.
They were leaving the park in their RV and they were getting a ‘good-bye’ picture with the sign.
They had just spent the week in Yellowstone, they said. And then they asked how long we were here. And we told them the truth. And they stared back at us – straight blank, in their little Danish accent said “Vu only planned vone day here?”
We didn’t know, OK.
Now we know.
We had a lot of other items on our road-trip list. We didn’t think we could schedule an extra night here because we wanted to get to Portland. We had no idea what to expect. So, we just did the best with the time we had.
We had heard the the geyser trail was a better bet than waiting on Old Faithful if you were short on time and/or had kids. We were both of those things. So, we did that. You walk along a slightly precarious walkway in and among hot springs, geysers (which Finn kept pronouncing “juysers”), and sulfur pits. By precarious, I mean that there are signs that say “if you step off this pathway, you may fall into a hot pit.”
We finished the trail ending with the Morning Glory pond and circling back around. We even made it back in time to see Old Faithful going off as we approached the trail head.
We had read on a couple of blogs that many people preferred the Grand geyser to Old Faithful. Because, they said, it put on just as good of a show and goes off just as often. We weren’t sure if we had enough time to wait for it, but it was right along the trail and everyone else was waiting. So we decided to wait as well. That’s the thing about waiting on Geysers. There is no schedule. You just have to wait and hope.
We got to watch the full eruption of this geyser up close, from start to finish. They boys were in complete AWE. Theo shouted the entire time. And after it was done Harry said “Mom, we’ll never see anything better than that.”
We were hot and tired after the trail.
The Old Faithful lodge to the rescue. With lunch and amazing atmosphere. We had tasty bison sausage and wild game chili.
Then we ventured in the car to the Lamar Valley area of the park, where we began to see sprawling vistas AND canyons too, somehow. I didn’t know the two could exist at the same place.
But they do in Yellowstone. It is an actual wonderland.
We saw the bison – up CLOSE and personal.
And we also saw a grizzly bear.
THAT’S RIGHT. A grizzly bear mama and two cubs. It’s very rare, from what I understand. People wait and hope for days to see a bear in Yellowstone. And three just sauntered right in front of our car. We were in so much shock that I didn’t get a picture. But I did get a video.
Unless we wanted to drive into the late late night, we HAD to leave the park.
We didn’t want to.
We left to the most perfect sunset, and contemplated how we could get more Yellowstone in our life.
We drove along the riverside. We saw a man in the river, wearing waders and overalls, leisurely fly fishing in the evening sun. Fresh air, mountains the distance, nothing but the sound of the stream. Nobody bothering him. Just taking his time. Breathing in the fresh beautiful air, in arguably the most beautiful setting on planet earth.
And that was his day. God Bless him. I hate him. But ya know, God Bless.
The entire state of Wyoming really took me by surprise. And honestly, I’m hesitant to publicly profess my love because I kind of want to keep the secret to myself so that no one else ever goes there. But, whatever, I guess that’s not fair to Wyoming. I love it there. And I don’t know why anyone else with a heart and soul wouldn’t also love it.
Once we entered Idaho the sun had set. And it started to rain, lightly. The boys were quiet. I has reading a book. I said to Rich “Is it raining?” He said “No. That’s bugs.” I looked up from my book…. “Ah, what? That can’t be bugs. It’s rain.”
No. It was in-fact, bugs. That were so thick that they hit our windshield like rain.
Bug Rain. It was so gross.
We poured ourselves into bed in Idaho. We got up bright and early the next morning to clean the windshield and then drive to our friend’s house near Portland. This day also happened to be princess’s official birthday, and she was spoiled by family accordingly – first by Aunt Erika with a custom made glitter “four” shirt and donuts, then by Grandma Susie with a bike, and by Great Aunt Patty who brought over a homemade cherry pie – because that is what Vivian had requested.
We arrived at our friend’s house, where Rich’s family was already staying. We spent the night catching up and drinking wine and trying to control the wild children – who (again) stayed up way past their bedtime.
The next day, our friends took us to a beautiful waterfall and then for an impromtu hike on Mt. Hood. The weather was amazing. The kids enjoyed being together and playing ‘the floor is lava’ along the trail of our hike.
Roadside GIANT ice cream cones for the way home. Yes, of course.
The next day, our friends took us to the most perfect beach. And our boys got their first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. Even though it was slightly over-cast, and the ocean water was ice-bucket cold, we spent the entire day. It was so fun.
Check in with Viv – she’s got new nails and a new-found love for Banks, the dog.
The next day, our friends were gone for the day taking Rich’s family to Seattle for their flight home. And I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say – so I’ll just say that our friends MAY have left us a pass to the Adidas employee store. We had fun buying new Superstars for everyone, walking around downtown Portland, and calling it an early night.
The next day was another big day.
This day was pacific coast highway day and (hopefully, depending on time) REDWOODS day. Arguably Rich’s most anticipated day of the whole trip.
Along the way, we stopped in at at glass-blowing workshop and store, that I JUST HAD TO GO IN or I would die.
We also stopped at the sea lion caves.
Then, late afternoon, we arrived at Redwood National Park.
We spotted elk and found a place to park so that we could wander around a few groves.
And again – I would like to talk about the air.
It smells incredible in here.
Trees, clean and fresh. That’s it. It’s the best.
I asked the boys to all come over by the “Big Tree” sign for a picture. The big boys made it over. Then Theo, who was walking along the path shouted “Here comes the star!” and proceeded to jump and trip over some roots and land face down on the path. A mouth full of dirt, wood chips in his shirt pockets and two skinned knees kinda fall…
He was quickly cleaned up and set to rights, but he still talks about how he fell down in the Redwoods. Like – it was the most memorable part for him.
This is our van alongside the road – for scale purposes.
Again – we didn’t know what to expect here. We didn’t now how to budget time for it, and if we would need more than the afternoon. Of course we needed more than the afternoon, silly. We stayed in a nearby hotel, so instead of heading on over to our next destination first thing in the morning, we decided to return to a few more groves in the Redwoods before driving. It made our travel day quite a bit longer, but I’m so glad we did it. The trees needed us to come back and I needed to get some more fresh forest air. I put the boys “forest” clothes back on from yesterday, we ate breakfast, and we went back in.
I think this might have been the boys’ best day. They were just right at home. It felt so right to go spend more time with the trees.
Did you know people live in the Redwoods? I didn’t know that. There’s like, literally a little tiny town in there. Can you imagine that? “Oh ya, I live in the Redwoods.”
Anyway, it was so fun to see the evening sun on the first day at dusk, and then to see the morning sun against the trees. We had to pull ourselves away, and find lunch along the road. During the drive through California, we were treated to a setting sun and amazing views.
We arrived late to our hotel, again, with not much else to do but go straight to sleep.
And in the morning sun, we had a beautiful view of Lake Tahoe outside.
Before we get the day going, we’ll check in with Viv first. She’s continuing to live her best life.
We had done a little bit of sleepy eyed research the night before on where to go at Lake Tahoe. Reports said “Sand Harbor Beach”. They said it was peaceful and pristine. Crystal clear water and well equipped. The best cove on the north side of the lake. But they also said that parking often fills up and CLOSES by 8:30AM. Despite our late night, we decided we needed to turn around and get the early worm. I mean, what’s the point of doing it if you don’t do it all the way.
I managed to pack us up a cooler and beach gear for the day. I thought the water might be cold at 8:30 in the morning and that we’d probably want to secure our parking spot and then spend some time walking the trails before doing any sort of water-related activities.
Despite our best efforts, we arrived there about 9:00am convinced we’d missed out on parking, because the line to get in was, in fact, LOOOOOONG. But we got a spot, and it became clear that – along with a parking spot – we also needed to secure our beach spot at 9 in the morning. So instead of hiking around we found a little spot to set up camp. The boys did not mind any of this and were as happy as happy kids can be.
Yes, the water is really that blue and yes it’s really that clear.
The reports were right. It was absolutely perfect. I mean, I didn’t visit any other spots on the lake, but I can tell you this was the best one.
Theo didn’t want to kayak, and that was fine. So, we rented a kayak and took turns taking the big boys out. This was their first time doing such a thing, and they both fell in love and didn’t want to stop. Who can blame them?
In between these pictures of Finn jumping off the rocks, I would like to talk a little bit about HIS day here. I’m going to back it up…. all of my children are smart, but Finn is a little *extra* in the science/nature/animal department. He has an above average knowledge of living things. He can identify several different types of fungus on sight. He knows each species of otter and what they eat and where they live. I’ve seen him differentiate between extinct birds at the Natural History Museum. He knows how to cross breed snakes. I mean, it’s just a-lot sometimes. He’s also the most headstrong when he thinks he knows best. Like, the rules don’t always apply to him. And if he wants to do something, he will, and he doesn’t care about the consequences…. or safety.
So, this whole trip, he was in complete heaven. All the new outdoors sights and adventures. He saw new things and touched and smelled and learned things he didn’t know. Each time we pulled up to a new park, or grove, or trail, he would bust out of the van full speed READY. Out and taking it in and constant chatter and just going going going.
Like, “finally, this is where I belong. I HAVE ARRIVED.”
And we were happy to have him be this way… for the most part. But here at Lake Tahoe it was especially out of control. Every time we took our eyes off him, he was sneaking to the other side of the rock coves, getting too close to a cliff, going out too far in the water trying to spear fish. Upon arrival, he wanted to go into the freezing water with his clothes on. He wanted to inspect the trees and take bark samples. He wanted to dig in the ground and look for insects. He wanted to kayak. I wanted to kayak too, so we went. He wanted to jump off the rocks. So he and I went to the big rocks.
The ones that look like this:
So, I say to him “Finn, you and I can go on the rocks. But you have to stay within arms reach of me at all times.” He says “Finally, all that rock climbing I do at the gym is coming in handy. I know how to do this.”
I know these rocks don’t look that scary in these pictures, but when you’re actually out on them they are big and deep and hard. Like – if you fall from them, it’s the end of your day… or your head… or your life. Climbing on them carelessly is not an option.
He, of course, starts to get ahead of me. I say “Finn, back by me!” He says, “Mom. Why do you keep disciplining me? I can do this.” I say back “I know you can, I’m just trying to make sure you SURVIVE it.” And he continued on like that. And I felt like our job for most of the day was to make sure Finn didn’t die. Harry tried to keep up with Finn on the baby rocks and ended up scraping his feet up kinda nasty. And after that we were all feeling a little tired – physically and mentally.
So, mid afternoon, we called it a day. I was sad to leave our perfect spot and our perfect weather. But we HAD been there since 9 in the morning and I have to admit – the sense of relief I felt at having Finn contained again was huge. ahhh… oh my gosh – he was such a handful. We love you Finn. But the next time I take you to Lake Tahoe is when you are at least 25, or maybe when you have an unruly-nature-loving son of your own.
If there is sand in the cooler – that means it was a good day.
We get back to town and find a place to eat pizza. That sounds perfect.
And we ended the day with shaved ice. Which Theo tried and didn’t like.
The little strip of the town where we stayed was so cute. Quiet, little shops, restaurants and cabins. A nice grocery store where we stocked up, and a beachfront park.
Time to move on.
Let’s check on Viv – having fun!
We drove from Lake Tahoe to Provo, Utah. I don’t know what was going on the with the insect population at this time of year in the west. But, during our drive out of Lake Tahoe, we hit a short butterfly rain. This was even worse than the bug rain. Do they breed up there or something? I don’t know. Seriously, butterflies covered the road and flew all over the place and into our van. It was all very distressing for Finn – who directed RIch to slow the van down.
Anyway – we made it to Provo and spent the night. We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. During our meal, a complete stranger approached us and complimented us on how nice our boys were. Saying “I know how much work it takes, and it’s clear you’ve done the work.”
A tear came to my eye; I was so touched by his compliment. I was gracious to the man, but in my mind I thought “They are only being so nice right now because they are dog tired.” Seriously, if you see a parent doing what appears to be a good job, and you think it. You should say it to them. Say it their face. It could make their day or their month.
Now to Colorado, on the way we stopped at Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. We had only planned on stopping at Arches, but once I looked at the map and realized the Canyonlands was only about 20 minutes away, we added that to the day.
Our time here was fast and furious. And again – we didn’t know what to expect and we didn’t do it justice. We just hit a few major spots and moved on.
And let me tell you – on this day – IT WAS HOT. We pulled up to baseline 100 degrees.
This is the moment we jumped back into the air-cooled van. Did I mention how hot it was?
During the 20 minute drive from Arches to Canyonlands, Theo fell asleep, and Rich was oh-so-sad to stay in the air-conditioned van with him while I took the big boys to the first and only trailhead of Canyonlands that we encountered.
After about 5 minutes, Harry had enough and went back to the van.
But not Finn.
The heat, the rain, the cold. Nothing stops him if there is something to be explored.
We got back in the blessedly cool van and journeyed on towards our next stop.
I have to say, I don’t want to be throwing shade at Arches or Canyonlands – and I’m definitely glad we went because the scenery is so specifically unique. But, this was our least favorite. Again – I know – we didn’t give it a proper chance and we were so hot.
But there are CAMPGROUNDS here. People camp here. I couldn’t believe that. Who does that? Why?
I mean, obviously, I just prefer something else. I could see going back to Tetons, Yellowstone, Redwoods and exploring for DAYS. But here – I was glad to move on. I think alot of it was the pure seclusion that you feel. You drive in the desert for hours to get here and there’s just not much else. My anxiety was high as we arrived. And I found it hard to relax. I don’t know – maybe it would just take some getting used to.
But I just kept thinking “Where will we get water?” “And where will we go if Finn falls and breaks an arm?” Ah – it was scary to me.
Summary – glad we did it and I was glad to move on.
AND NOW – We were on our way to one of our most favorite spots on the planet earth – Breckenridge Colorado.
Let’s do one last check with Viv. I think she’s doing alright….
We blessedly left the dessert, and headed into the mountains. Since it’s sort of “off season” in the ski town of Breckenridge we were able to snag a two story loft apartment. Even at off-season price, this was a splurge for us. But since it was the last stop on the trip, we thought it would be perfect. And it ended up being just what we needed. A little extra space and a little extra quiet to cap off all the nights of sharing a hotel room. No one had to share a bed, so it was the perfect re-fueling two nights.
And in this picture – you can see the pure joy.
Theo and Finn were fighting over a stuffed bear they found on the bunk bed.
Even though that picture doesn’t show it – they were ecstatic upon entry to this place. They were ready to move in. Saying “This is the best house ever!” “Are we going to live here?!” etc.
We hope to return to Breckenridge in a couple years, and they already fully expect us to stay right back here.
I got up for the morning run, and again was greeted by beautiful scenery and wonderful crisp air.
And I returned home to Rich still wonderfully asleep and children lounging in their jammies.
Our place was right by the center of town, so I walked on down to get some things for breakfast.
Look how Starbucks looks in Breckenridge. You almost miss it!
Croissants from the French bakery….
After our wonderfully lazy morning, we headed out all together to walk around and just have a very leisurely day.
By afternoon, it started to rain (some how our only rain of the trip!), and we were ready to head back inside – cuddle on the couch for a movie, do some laundry, and relax for a take out dinner. We needed to begin the trek home the next day.
We left Colorado. Did one night in Kansas, and powered through to Illinois. And I would like to take this oppurtunity to thank the people who built playgrounds at gas stations.
We were so happy to be back with Vivian and she was so happy to see us and to tell all about her adventures with family. The next day, we gave Viv a proper birthday party.
And then, it was back home.
How special was this trip? A fun adventure on the road with our boys.
That’s the stuff.
And by the way – even with your GPS you still need an Atlas for this area of the country. I had one. I loved it so much.
And also – I feel like this trip was sponsored by Subway. That’s how much we ate there. Have your feelings about it – but we needed to NOT eat junk the entire time and Subway was there for us.
We’ll never forget it.
I kinda can’t believe that we did it.
I’m so happy that we did.
OUR FEET IN THE FOREST OF THE REDWOODS
OUR FEET AT THE LAKE TAHOE BEACH
OUR FEET IN THE RED DESERT IN UTAH
Tickets for Six 
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