Day#7: Vegas Baby!

Day 7. The final stretch. We left San Diego, CA at 7am and headed north to Las Vegas with 434 miles to go. I think we all were looking forward to getting back on the road. Except Stanley, who wanted the road trip to go on for a month. He was eating some animal crackers in the car and said, "mom, these are like heaven in a bag." I just laughed at his appreciation of the simplest pleasure.

We reached the Planet Hollywood four hours later and made it up to our room. Audrey saw some shops on the way in and so I took a moment to be with just Audrey, even though I despise shopping. She found a few things that looked stunning on her perfect little figure. I was happy to see her relax and let loose. She is such an amazing young girl with so much grace and power. I love her so much.

On our last night in Vegas, we saw the "Ultimate Variety Show," at the V Theater. It was a compilation of many of the acts we have all seen and loved on "America's Got Talent." The kids and I sat front row and they laughed out loud for 60 minutes. The evening was over and so was the end of an amazing week. Over 5,000 miles, hundreds of memories, and lots of love, we had an incredible time. All four of us got what we needed out of the trip and felt reinvigorated to go back to our daily lives. We missed our puppies and were ready for our beds.

I am so thankful for my life and the blessings that afford me this time with my amazing children. 

Day#6-San Diego Zoo

Day 6. Stanley and I got up at 5:30am to do a little morning fishing on the beach. No luck again, but we did see some flying bass which was exciting.

The kids and I ate breakfast at the Mission in Mission Beach, CA. Audrey, once again, navigated us to this perfect little local restaurant with the most amazing menu. With huge portions of French Toast and pancakes we fueled up and then headed off to the San Diego Zoo.

The concierge at the hotel told us exactly how to see the zoo: Bus tour sitting on the right, the monkey walk, the pandas, the aviaries, and the skyfari. We did it all. We had the best time! It was a perfect 70 degree day with a slight breeze. Hashem was once again watching over us. The zoo was enormous, but the kids wanted to stay and see it all. Five hours later, we headed back home for a quick change into our bathing suits, and we off to the beach at Belmont Park.

We ventured out to the beach, the kids jumped the waves and had a blast. I enjoyed watching them from the dry sand. We grabbed a quick Mexican lunch down the road and ended a very exhausting, but jammed packed day of fun.

Day#5- Headed to San Diego, CA

Day 5. My back is a little sore, but this trip has been filled with laughter and precious memories. We left Phoenix at 7am to start the longest stretch of the journey. Audrey, the navigator, found us a cute little diner to fuel up before we headed out on I-8 West ALL THE WAY TO CALIFORNIA.

We made four stops on our 554 mile stretch to San Diego, CA. The first was when I got pulled over for doing 95 miles an hour on the open road. The police officer asked me, "do you know why I pulled you over?" I said with a grimace, "I sure do. Sorry." The kids, not phased in the least, just laughed at me. The officer return with a gracious warning, and we were off at a modest 85 miles an hour for the rest of the trip.Thank you, Hashem for helping a sista out!

Next stop was to stretch my legs and my back...and give Stanley the chance to look at one of the hundreds of year old cacti up close. He was so fascinated by the spiky giants along the road. I was so glad I could share that memory with him. 

We headed back on the road looking for Fortuna Pond in Yuma, AZ to do a little trout fishing. Audrey led us down some of the scariest roads that I have ever seen. Unpaved. Seemed to never end. Not a car or building in site. We all started to freak out trying to find this pond. I am not sure we ever found it, but we found what seemed to be a fishing-worthy pond along the way. We pulled over, I bated the hooks with blood worms, and the kids began to cast. The sun was beating down and the water was shining. It was another peaceful moment treasured. We had no luck catching a fish, but we did had a seriously funny moment when the Acai berries that Henry ate an hour earlier were about to explode from within. Henry ran to the nearest bush and we all found this hilariously random and funny.

Back on the road, we made one more stop in Ocotillo, CA to eat at the Red Feather Cafe, just 80 miles from our final stop for the day. The cafe was only 30 minutes from closing, but the young couple who ran the cafe couldn't have been sweeter. The children and I ordered some chicken sandwiches and enjoyed the simplicity of the little watering hole in the middle of nowhere. 

My navigator then got us back on the road...and we reach beautiful, sunny San Diego, CA. The San Diego Hilton Resort was breathtaking and room service was the perfect end to a perfect day!

Day#4-Phoenix, AZ-Fun in the Sun at Arizona Grand Hotel

It was a long, beautiful drive from Peach Springs to Phoenix. Audrey was must trusted navigator while the boys entertained themselves in the back seat. We arrived at the Arizona Grand and made our way to our luxurious room. It was spectacular with views of the open golf course, the palm trees, and the blue skies. It was a mild 100 degrees and my body was longing for the down comforter while the kids played their electronics.

When I woke from my cat nap, we headed down to the resort's restaurant, all in good spirits and ready for a nice meal. Stan and Aud ordered the filet while Henry ordered the New York strip. The meals came as we laughed about our adventurous start to the road trip, and Audrey and Henry's steak were not cooked correctly, so back they went. The manager came over shortly after with apologies and quickly rectified the situation before taking their dinner's off the bill.

We relaxed in the hotel on our first evening in Phoenix. And on the second day, we ventured out to the hotel's waterpark. It was small in comparison to others we had been to, and the water slides were a little too steep for my children's liking. We ordered lunch by the pool and headed back to our room where we all got ready for "X-Men, The Apocalypse." It was a great movie. We all loved it. We ate a little Mexican place in town and headed home for the night.

I couldn't help but feel that my children didn't or couldn't appreciate the caliber or quality of the Arizona Grand. It is not that they acted or said anything ungrateful, they didn't. They just didn't seem to have the same kind of  appreciation as I did. I guess they are used to traveling in a certain way...so I told them next year we were going to stay in all Bates Motels on our annual summer road trip. Henry laughed and said, "you would never stay at a cheap motel, mom, you like these nice hotels." And the truth is he is right. The only difference is that I know how to appreciate them.

Day#3 - Headed to Phoenix

Day 3. We all woke up on day three ready to hit the road towards Phoenix. My body aches. Every muscle is sore from the white waters power, but I am with my children and they are ready to go! Stanley said to me last night, "I wish this road trip was for 30 days and not 7!" Music to my ears!

Unlike last year's road trip, I decided to be a little more spontaneous with our destinations. I planned only the hotels and the path of our adventure with no real plans in between. So, yesterday we asked all the locals and some other traveling families what they did, and we got some really great suggestions.

Today, we are headed to Bearzonia on the way to our next stop...Phoenix, AZ. We traveled down Route 66, stopped to get some gas at Radiator Springs (like the one in the movie "Cars") only there was no gas. It was just a rundown gas station in the middle of nowhere with no gas. So, we kept on going and filled out 40 miles later with just a few gas fumes to spare.

Fueled up and ready to go, we headed to Bearzonia where the wildlife is rumored to roam free. 100 miles later, we entered the park in our car and rode through with our windows up. It was amazing. Bears approached our car and wrestled with one another, it was really cool. The kids were freaking out, Snap Chatting their friends throughout the whole journey.

It was a chill afternoon, and "we" enjoyed the pace of the day. After the park, we headed 136 miles towards the Arizona Grand where we are relaxing and about to have dinner. Tomorrow, the waterpark! Stay tuned for our next leg of the journey.

Day #2: Whitewater in the Grand Canyon

We did it! I don't know how, but we conquered the class 8 rapids today under the clearest sky in 97 degree temperatures. Our journey started at 6:30am from the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs,  AZ. After a hardy breakfast, doused in PF50 with shades and a baseball cap, we headed out for the adventure of a lifetime. Just me and my beautiful,  thoughtful, funny, brave, children.

It was a perfect day for a guided motorized pontoon boat ride down the Colorado River.  Audrey in the front of the boat, Stanley wedged between me and Aud, with Henry on the end closet to the river guide. After 30 brief seconds, it was GO TIME! Audrey took the first and subsequent hits from the raging river. She was so brave, so fearless, so strong. No one else could have been the anchor to this ride. I held on so tightly that my hands were blistering from the wet grasp. The rapids lasted for the first hour of our 5-hour trip. First a 4, then a 6, then a 7, AND then a class 8 rapid! I was literally flying in the air. My butt hit back down like a ton of bricks magnetized by the bottom of the river. We all held on for our lives, laughing and celebrating every victorious defeat of the rapids. I don't know how we managed to all stay in the boat. It was terrifying and monumentally fun all at the same time. The kids were laughing and screaming with every wave.

An hour in, we stopped on the river to take a brief hike to a waterfall. It was challenging to scale the rock walls, holding onto ropes, climbing rope latters, slippery,  high, but we did it and we made it back down. It was exhilarating and scary. The kids were so brave. We got back onto the river and stopped for lunch and a leisurely 2-hour ride down the river riding towards the breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon. It was a perfect day. I felt grateful to be sharing this moment with my children in the face of extraordinary beauty.

We got to the helipad after 40 miles rafting on the river and flew seven minutes within the Canyon to the Skywalk Bridge that looked 2,000 feet straight down to the Canyon floor. The kids and I were exhausted and ready to head back to the room for a little room service and a nice comfortable bed. What a glorious day!

Day#1-Headed to the Grand Canyon

School is out. My brain has finally switched out of work mode. And we are on our way to Las Vegas for the first leg of our seven day road trip. Spirits are high and we are excited for the adventure that awaits.