Christmas 2012

This post is a revival of our trip logs. Hopefully I will catch up on a whole slew of past trips since I last blogged.

This December we headed west to the Pacific coast. LA, San Diego then on to Phoenix. We got on the road early, after an evening party at Mt Vernon celebrating a friend's 50th, and drove through to Las Vegas. We spent the night in a KOA behind Circus Circus. The boys explored the casino and amusement park while Rich and I got the camper setup. We caught up with the boys in the Circus amusement park. From there we explored The Strip. The ceilings in the Venetian took my breath away - again. (pics)

The boys had great fun collecting "business cards." We saw the fountains at the Bellagio, and Mike found Mario and Luigi.

After a few hours of walking we finally had dinner off the strip - Sushi bar. It was good. Our feet were sore and our eyes tired, so we caught a taxi back to the camper. Bed was very welcome. After a late start we decided to go see the new bridge over the Black Canyon at the Hoover Dam. It is an engineering marvel and affords a great view of the Hoover Dam.

Just south of Vegas we hit a traffic jam, and landed up behind Jem and family. They were also driving through to LA to spend Christmas with us. The traffic was so slow we spent quite a bit of time walking back and forth between cars. Rob, Mike and Ryan walked ahead of us by about a mile and it took us a good half hour to catch up with them. It was fun watching trucks block off the emergency lanes as people tried to bypass the jam by racing alongside us all. It always astounds me how large the sprawl is in the LA valley. Jem got ahead of us and reached their hotel first. Once we arrived we collected Mom and headed for the beach. Out campsite was just west of LAX, right on the beach. Noisy (plane overhead) but three steps from the sand and a bike path extending the length of the LA bay. The boys and cousins always have a great time together. They talk non-stop (as long as no computers are around) and love to explore. Mike and Rich went for a ride south, so Jem and I decided to follow them.

We landed up riding 14 miles and Mike treated us to a seafood soup snack before returning to the camper. Christmas day was a great success. The best thing was Mike's gift of Season 2 of Big Bang Theory. It entertained us throughout the trip. We had Christmas lunch at a Chinese all you can eat buffet - wow teenagers can eat a lot! Our trip to see the Endeavor Space Shuttle was great. You can walk right underneath it and almost touch it. The earthquake proof supports were intriguing. I thought the displays of older space capsules were creative. You can get to within 1 inch of the capsule and really see the details. Everyone - except Rich and Mom did a long ride to Santa Monica Pier. They followed in the car and did their own exploring on the way. There really is something special about riding along the beach, smelling the ocean air and watching the ocean. Rich is so happy next to the water. The kids did lots of swimming - but with wet suits on. The water is too cold to do it without the extra layer! After four days at Dockweiler State beach we had a farewell breakfast at "Eat at Joes"

and said goodbye to Jem et al., and moved south to Laguna beach area. Rich had discovered a new State Park - Crystal Cove. What a gem.

The views from the camp sites are tremendous and the beach is lovely. There is a nearby coastal path and Trader Joes!

The quiet there was very different to the plane noise at Dockweiler. We were close to the South African store so we stocked up on home treats. We also discovered a great Greek restaurant - Athena Gyro, in Laguna Hills. I discovered a semolina Greek pudding - Halvas! All too soon Mom was heading back to SLC and we moved on the Chula Vista, south of San Diego. A RV park at the marina with lots of rules - very quiet though. We snuggled down in the camper when a downpour and hailstorm moved over the area. It is a joy to see so much rain. The proximity to the San Diego Bay was wonderful and on the first morning we saw Dolphins. There is a 25 mile bike route around the bay - so we cycled up to San Diego and the Midway aircraft carrier.

We were not allowed to board the passenger ferry to cross the bay (dogs not allowed) so we had to return to the RV park the same way we had come. Rich and I drove the remainder of the route the next morning. The drive out of San Diego to the east is incredible. Beautiful hills and valley give way to sand dunes and desert. It was a welcome treat to get all the bath towels dry - the moisture at the coast is something we are not used to. We got to Phoenix and the Lost Dutchman State Park quite late, but were up early the next morning to get Rich on the plane to New York. The thought of four days in the same place was very relaxing. We toured Taliesin West - Frank Lloyd Wrights winter home, a college Mike is interested in, and did a wonderful hike into the Superstition mountains.

We also discovered a quaint restaurant next to the state park - Mining Camp Restaurant. By the end of the week I had caught up on all my sleep and finished another book. The perfect end to a good holiday. We collected Rich from the airport and headed out of Phoenix. On our way to Albuquerque we toured a Meteor Crater - fascinating.

Temperatures plummeted and our stop over at a rest stop on I25 outside Santa Fe was chilling. We were lucky with the weather - no ice or snow on the roads so the trip back to Denver was uneventful. Thinking back on the trip - I am amazed at how well we all get on while living in such cramped quarters. I know the camper is large, but it is still astounding that we can coexist in such harmony. I am so grateful that we can have these times together. Good memories: traffic jam on an interstate in the middle of Nevada, Christmas lunch, breakfast at "Eat at Joes", sitting on the beach with Rich - watching the sunset, time with mom, Jeremy and his family, Greek lunch at Laguna, San Diego bay dolphins, Phoenix saguaros and desert evenings, the Superstition mountains, listening to audio books while on the road.