Day 34 Jully 30

So much has happened since I was able to take control of the computer, from my kids. From Las Vegas we drove over to Pismo Beach, CA. A wonderful small beach side resort. I took Matty for a walk on the beach and she loved it. I would love to return and spend more time here. The next day we drove up to San Francisco with a stop in San Jose and the Winchester House. The kids loved it. We spent the next two night in San Francisco. We stayed in an old remodeled hotel that was a block from the Powell St cable car, the entrance to China Town, and the financial district with all of the major stores. It was hard getting the kids out of bed, so we walked, shopped, and had lunch in China Town. We then caught the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf and took a bay cruise, which focused on Alcatraz. We were unable to book a tour of the island, so we did the next best thing. The next day we checked out and went back to the wharf, so Cody could get the only souvenir he wanted--a portrait. By the time we got off the cruise, all the street vendors were gone so we went down the next morning a got it done. He found the best one and has a great portrait of himself. We then drove north and met my sister in Ukiah and followed her to their place. We ate dinner with them and ended up spending the night there. After breakfast the next morning, I reluctantly left and check into our camp site along the Avenue of the Giants. We spent two nights there. Susan and Rick came down both night and had dinner with us and visited. It was hard saying goodbye. I was so tired that I did not pay attention to Matty's hint and forced her into the tent. She tried several times to let me know she want out, but I ignored her. She finally had to pee and did so on the tent floor at the bottom of the bed. The bottom of all the sleeping bags and Cody's cloths got wet. We stopped in Eureka and washed everything. We then went up the coast and crossed over into Oregon at Grants Pass. We got to Cousin Dianne's later than planned. We visited and the put us up. The kids were so grateful for not having to be sleeping in the tent. After the condos, they really did not want to return to the tent. I planned on leaving the next afternoon, but Dianne and Gary were such great hosts we ended up staying a second night. Today we will have to pull ourselves away from Dianne and Gary and go north to Cousin Jackie's. I am hoping to be able to cut back over and spend an afternoon with Lorrie and Smitty, before Spending the night with Cousin Donna and Gary, in Tacoma.

Day 25 July 21

This is our last day in Las Vegas, another very hot place. This is a great condo--we have a back entrance on the ground floor, so we have lots of privacy and minimal noise. We are also not far from Las Vegas Blvd.--main street. It is a little far to walk, but extremely easy to drive to--all parking is free. The drive from St. George was only 3 hours, so we got here in the afternoon. I called Neda in Nenana and she found out that her birth father now lives in Seattle, with an uncle and cousin. We will look them up. We were given directions to the main mall on the strip, of course the kids loved it--another huge mall (with a very small food court--like 5th Avenue). I told the kids I would not be waking them up to hit the road, in the morning. Cody must have stayed up all night. We could not get him up until almost 4 pm. I bought some groceries, while I waited. The kids wanted to go back to the mall and purchase a couple of things. I bought tickets to see The Tournament of Kings the Sunday night. Cody really wanted to see Cirque de Soleil's Love, but for the 3 of us the price would have been $495. Sunday was overcast and we even got some rain. Cody loved it--the temperature was finally perfect. We spent Sunday looking for Renee's birth mother or her relatives. On the internet, we found a possible MySpace of hers (I sent a message to that person) and I found a possible relative, which I called and left a message for. We drove out to the address on the birth certificate. The new owners say the trailer had been vacant for about 3 years and that they did get mail, at first, for a Long. I tried to talk to the manager to see if they had a forwarding address, but they were not home. We gave up that search and went on another to find a CD of the book Eldest. We had found Eragon in a second had store in Hot Springs. The kids really got into it and wanted the next book. It makes the long drives more bearable for them. We found a copy with just enough time to get to Excalibur for our dinner show. The kids loved it--Renee, who told me she thought it was stupid, when I bought the tickets, got into the cheering and yelling and said the food was good. Today I'm doing laundry, so everything is clean. I'd like to sit by the pool and read. I would like to get them down to the strip to see Treasure Island's or Bellagio's street shows tonight. Tomorrow we leave the heat and head for the Pacific Ocean and Pismo Beach, CA.

Day 22 July 18

It is hard to believe we left Anchorage three weeks ago today. I was looking back over the pictures and we have done and seen so much. Midway was a beautiful spot and well worth returning to again. We drove into SLC and went to Tabernacle Square. What an incredible place. There were 6-8 weddings taking place that day, so there were brides, in white gowns, and grooms , in tuxedos, everywhere. There were obviously the best places to take pictures, because there were raised pedestals in various places, which gave different views of the church and gardens in the background. The brides and grooms were marching from one place to another, with the camera man following behind. On top of that it was in the mid 90s. We Alaskans could not take it, so we took a few pictures and ducked into the air conditioned bookstore. We then went looking for the Salt Lake state park, in hopes of being able to experience swimming in the lake. What a disappointment. The lake had receded so far from the shore that the people looked like tiny specs in the distance. We walked out to the shore line in the scorching heat. The stench of dead birds and fish was overwhelming. The shore was covered with small flies, which engulfed your feet and ankles when you walked by. There was no place to put down your towel--the shore was the consistency of wet scoopable kitty litter. Cody refused to even wade in --he said it was an evil dead place. Renee slipped off her shoes and waded into knees. We drove down to a marina, which dredged a deep boat basin. They had pay showers, but you had to pay the ranger who was out to lunch. We decided it wasn't worth the wait. I still want to try swimming in the lake, but I would like to find a better place. There were a lot of people walking out through all the death and smell. I would think someone could make some money by creating a nice park--dredge an area close to a park area, with grass, trees, and picnic tables; plus provide pay showers and bathrooms. Something less depressing. We just got on the freeway and drove to St. George. This is a very nice place! Cody cracked me up. First, he was complaining that it was still very hot out when the sun went down. Then when he came back from swimming, he complained that the air conditioning was to cold--he joked about having to go outside to warm up. He and I sat on the balcony and watched a heat storm over the mountains. He said you could see the clouds "charging" up by the flashes of light in the clouds. Then there would be a huge flash and the lightening would flash to the ground. I great ending to the day.

Day 20 July 16

We spent last night at Steamboat Springs, CO. There were only two buildings and they were adding, I think, four more. The kids loved it because it was bigger. I appreciated the laundry in the unit. This morning, while the kids slept, I did all the laundry. The car almost overheated coming over the pass out of Central City, CO. We had to stop a couple of times to let it cool down. This morning I decided to have all the fluids changed and the radiator flushed (I did not do that this spring.) before we left Steamboat. We ended up eating lunch at a great little booth next door and got out of town at 1:30. We arrived at Midway (Little Switzerland) at about 7 pm. The unit is huge! One bedroom has a king size bedroom, a two twin bedroom, and a double Murphy in the living room. I'm cooking our last steak on the BBQ on the balcony and Cody just got back from swimming in the pool. Once dinner is done, I am going to veg in front of the tube and knit or curl up with my book. Tomorrow I'd like to go into Salt Lake City before going to St. George (4-5 hour drive). We'll see if I can get them up. --Georgia


hey here in the third condo the biggest one yet but the coolest thing here is the rec room and whats in it more will come as it develops. --Cody

Day 18 July 14

Well our first night back in the tent after staying with Grandpa Dean we discovered a hole in the mattress, at Deer Lodge, Montana. I attempted to patch it with glue and duct tape. The first night in Yellowstone found us on the ground again, so we took our tour west into West Yellowstone and bought a new one. I am miles away from the store (Hot Springs, SD) and we have a slow leak. I will see if I can find it--the mattress came with a patch.

It took us 4 hours to get from Gardner (north gate) to our campsite at Canyon. We stopped at every site and animal. The next day we went toward the west gate and did the same thing. After the mattress purchase and lunch, we headed south to Old Faithful. We made the 6:29 pm event. We worked our way past the lake to our camp. That night we froze to death. It dropped below freezing--there was frost on the windshield. I went to start the car, so we could warm up and forgot to unlock the door before I ran to the bathroom. It cost me $52.10 to get it opened again and the lost of a couple of hours.

It was a long day to Custer, SD and the worst KOA yet. The tent sites were on a very rocky hill--not a flat smooth site to be found. I mentioned this to the office and was told, "Well, this is SD." I mentioned that the dog and horseshoe areas were flat and grassy, to not a good reception. Yesterday we took showers and did laundry. We went to Crazy Horse in the afternoon. Cody loved it! Every thing is run by the Oglala Indians. They had a whole area with local artists. We then went to Mt. Rushmore and left there at 6:30 pm. I decided to go to our campground and get some time to relax. The mattress definitely has a slow leak. This morning we are going into Hot Springs and the Mammoth site. Then onto Estes Park.

Day 12 July 8

We are in Orofino. We arrived yesterday at about 2 pm. It was a leisure drive and extremely hot--87 degrees. Cody could barely take it. I tried calling Grandpa Dean, but the pay phone took my money. The people at R Place let me use their phone, but I only got his fax machine. Cody couldn't remember how to get to his house. I drove around until he remembered a landmark and his memory kicked in. Between Cody and Renee, we found his house and no one was home. The place was a construction zone and it looked like no one was living there. I left a note and went to get ice and a hotel room with all our requirements. They had a swimming and Cody spent the next 1-2 hours in it. I went back into town and got ice and Chinese takeout. At about 8 pm the phone rang and it was Dean. Surprise--Grandma Diane is in Anchorage and has been for the last 6 weeks! We will go back to their place tomorrow and spend the night before continuing on. --Georgia

it's me back in a motel it's nice i like it more then a tent and we get a free breakfast and a pool -- Cody

Day 10 July 6

We are enjoying our day of rest here at the Spokane KOA. We had a relaxed ride from Edmonton on Friday. We stopped by the Mall one last time to get pictures and to get the kids one last souvenir. I gave in and allowed them to have lunch in the food court. Then we headed south. The farmers grow hay in the freeway divider. It was so strange to see rolls of hay there. We did not make dinner. Instead I stopped at Subway in Fort MacLeod. The hills going into Crowsnest Pass were covered with windmills. The Canadians are so ahead of us it is shameful. We ended up going almost all the way to the border and stayed at a very nice Provincial Park at Moyie Lake. Both Cody and I thought it was “movie” at first. I got there at 9:45 pm, found an open space, and set up camp. We were just finishing a murder mystery on CD, so we sat in the car and finished it. When I went to pump up the air mattress, the pump barely worked. We had run down the battery. I walked around and found someone with jumper cables. We pumped up the mattress and allowed the battery to charge. We slept in. I was up early and was walking Matty, when I ran into one of the cleaning crew. She told me we would have to be out of the by 11 am or pay another day. It was 9:30 am, so I told the kids we would pack up the tent and I would buy breakfast at the first restaurant we could sit down and eat. As it turned out, that was not until we crossed the border. Filled the car up too because it was only 3.99/gal. the best price I have seen so far. We stopped in Bonners Ferry for a Saturday Market. Only about 10-12 stalls—all local stuff. We just got ice and ran into an old Kenai/Soldotna resident, who invited us to a local celebration at 5 pm. The 40 piece military band was coming up for the celebration and there would be tons of free food. Talked it over with the kids and they just wanted to go on. We made one more stop at Sandpoint, so Cody could take pictures of several old cars on display. We arrived here at about 6:30 pm. The kids love it. Lots of other kids to play with and a pool to play in. --Georgia

Day 8 July 4th

It's finally my turn to be first yay any way yesterday we went to the west Edmonton mall jeez it's huge like 20 diamond centers packed into one! that's really big! well thats all I want to say bye.--Cody

Hi, Cody is just exaggerating. Its only like 3. He has been a pain all week. It has been fun this week, I met some friends and got to go on a roller coaster!--Renee

Happy 4th of July!! We are getting ready to leave Edmonton. It has been hot!--in the 80s. They are praying for rain. There are rumors they will get some today. Yesterday was very relaxing. I did wash, made a pot scrubber, and started a dishcloth. Then we went to the Edmonton Mall. Cody over and Renee under exaggerated. I do know that the food court alone was the size of Sears Mall. We ate lunch there and then wandered. Everyone got a souvenir. We went to the amusement park and took one of the roller coasters. Then we decided to spend the time until closing at the water park. It puts H2Oasis to shame. It had 6-8 huge slides and a wave pool with white foam breakers. The kids want to come back and spend an entire vacation here. The campground was the best yet, next to Liard, because it had running water (laundry, showers, and dish washing area--all free!). Well we need to get on the road again. --Georgia

Day 5 July 2

We were in a rush the last time, so I will try to take a little longer this time. Down among all this green, I realize that as I drove from Anchorage to Tok the trees in the pass had not turned completely green. If that isn't a sign of a late spring, I don't know what is. We just got through two nights at Liard Hot Springs. I really like that camp ground--so clean, quiet, friendly. We drove to Calgary--a long 12 hour trip. I wasn't planning on it being this long, but all the campgrounds were full, so I gave up at midnight and found a motor inn. That means we will get into Edmonton sooner than planned, which is a good thing. Cody lost one of his shoes at Fort Nelson, so he is wearing my sandals. We finished the book about the Dublin Princes and have started a murder mystery--I love books on CD! We have seen buffalo, a bear with 2 cubs, fox, and stone sheep. The sheep just stood in the road and gave us odd looks as we drove around them. We have found the hot weather. The nights are cool, which makes it wonderful sleeping in the tent. Cody has filled his camera with pictures of himself and anything he finds interesting. I am trying to keep my camera out of his hands or I will have nothing except photos of him. Well we will let you know how things are going at the next opportunity. --Georgia

Yo it's me I got this thing where as long as theres no other option Ill ask for a Hotel now I'm in the Canadian Motor INN Yay. --Cody