We decided to start heading down towards the I-40 and begin to head our way back to California. Right as the road from Grand Canyon meets the I-40 is a little town called Williams, Arizona, also known as Gateway to the Grand Canyon. We stopped briefly there to get a quick breakfast before heading west.

We looked at several places to spend a few nights along the Interstate so we wouldn’t have to go home just yet. Small towns in Arizona like Kingman, Arizona or Barstow, California on the other side of the border were both options that we contemplated on staying at to check out some local attractions for a few days. But that plan was quickly abandoned when we saw the weather report and it showed heat warnings all along the way with temperatures exceeding 115 degrees in most places.

We don’t have much of a choice at this point. Looks like we are headed straight home.

Once we got back on the I-40, we were driving along the historic Route 66 once again just as we were in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. Arizona has several interesting stops that still have vintage Route 66 memorabilia. Our priority now though is to figure out where we can take a break with the kids without cooking in the sun.

One of the ideas we had was to find a campground with hookups and just pay for the night so we can connect to their electricity for air conditioning. Even if we decide to not stay the night, we can at least get a long enough break for the mid day heat to break before heading back out.

Marlene looked at our options and decided to call the KOA in Kingman, AZ. The campground operator actually agreed to let us pay a partial fee to just stay for the afternoon. They have never done that for anyone before but I think they realize this intense heat is a good enough reason to make a small exception for us. We pulled in and got all hooked up in one of their sites for just $20.

The girls were happy to get out of their car seats for a well deserved break. We made some sandwiches and Ava got to watch a little cartoon via their cable TV hookup.

Our $20 even got us entry into their swimming pool for us to cool down and feel like we are still on vacation for just this one last time.

Back in the mish, Mila got to nap in the bed instead of inside the van while driving down the road.

Ava is usually full of energy and bouncing off of the walls but the heat has zapped her right into a TV watching zombie.

“OK, we are ready to go now!”

As the sun slowly crawls across the western sky, we got back on the road to finish the rest of the journey back towards California. Before leaving Kingman, we got to drive by and check out the once popular Route 66 Hill Top Motel with its newly restored sign.

And for those of you from the California, this is a sign that home is definitely near. I have not seen an In-N-Out burger since we flew back home for Easter back in April.

Here is what Ava’s view looked like for the last 4-months as we drove across country.

And this is what Marlene’s view looked like when she turns around to check on the girls. Look at all that gear behind their seats!

And of course, Yoda and her cushy little pet carrier is where she spent her time while on the road.

As we crossed back to California, we came across something we have not seen while crossing any other state line. An agricultural check point. For some reason, California really doesn’t want fruits and vegetables to come into the state. Or maybe it is a front for an immigration check point.

Our last stop before sunset is at a little town called Needles, CA. There we took another break for dinner before completing the last leg of our trip.

Welcome back to California Mila! By now, you have spent more of your life on the road than at home.

“What? It is almost over? NOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

over and out,
dan

From the city of Tusayan just outside of the park, we took a free shuttle bus that takes us right into the visitor’s center of Grand Canyon National Park.

These shuttle buses are free with our entrance pass and they go pretty much anywhere you would want to visit on the south rim.

We got off at the first stop to take in some more majestic views of the canyon. Mila thought it was the most spectacular thing she has ever seen in her whole life. All nine months of them.

Here is Ava’s speechless face from seeing one of the Wonders of the World.

Mila wasn’t going to be outdone by her big sister and gave it her best shot at that same face.

We got back on the shuttle on the Hermits Rest Route that takes you all the way west on the south rim to, a place appropriately named, Hermits Rest.

The gift shop at Hermits Rest is a remote outpost that doesn’t even have flushing toilets or running water for washing hands. It is the start of the Hermit Trailhead that you can take all the way down to the bottom of the canyon for those looking for a more exciting adventure. We stopped at the gift shop and looked at this cool, old fire place that once kept many visitors cozy in the snowy winter months before heading back out to catch the shuttle back to the visitor’s center.

Ahhh! Here are the donkeys! I think they are actually mules as they are more rugged and durable for these trips up and down the canyon. Sorry Ava, maybe next time we can take them for a ride.

We decided that we could only gawk at the huge hole in the earth for so long since we are not ready to take on any of the adventurous hikes on this trip so we stopped at the Bright Angel Lodge Restaurant for lunch.

Ava must have been inspired by the amazing scenery. Check out the sweet rainbow-colored hawk she did! And she used the right color for the yellow sun! Nice work Ava!

I also must give a hand to the masters in the kitchen of the Bright Angel Lodge restaurant. Look at this burger. It tastes even better than it looks.

We called it a day after lunch and got back on the shuttle to spend the rest of our day at the Tusayan campground to try to make some plans for the next few days. We are near the end of our journey and we don’t want it to end. But with the weather the way it is, we don’t know where we can go that will have bearable weather.

Mila was glad that the shuttles have the air conditioning on full blast.

When we got back to the campground, we had to figure out a way to stay cool. The air conditioning in the Airstream is fine but when it is this hot outside, there is only so much it can do to lower the temperature inside. Even on full blast, we are talking about maybe a 10 degree drop in temperature. That means when it’s over 100 degrees outside, we might be talking well over 80 inside with the AC on.

I bought this fan on our last visit to Walmart to help with circulating the air a little more inside. It is nice because you can have the fan blow in whatever direction you want and the blades are tucked away inside so the girls can’t stick their fingers in far enough to get hurt.

In an effort to cool herself down, Ava also found a new way to entertain herself and the rest of us. PARACHUTE DRESS!

I think the heat has gotten into her silly head.

While in Tusayan, our Sprint 3G card is once again out of EVDO range. That means the Internet slows to a crawl so we had to resort to other ways of connecting. Luckily for us, the campground has free WiFi. The only problem is we are too far from the office to get a clear signal.

Rather than sitting on the steps of the office sweating while checking email, I busted out my 6 ft WiFi antenna on a 12 ft extension pole. Problem solved. This little home made contraption has saved us from having to relocate more than once already since we incorporated it into our Internet connection arsenal.

Tonight will be our last night here in Tusayan and probably also our last night in Arizona. The weather is reporting that in next several days, we will not see the temperature wane but rather increase. Ouch…

For now, we’ve got dinner plans at the Yippee-Ei-O Steakhouse to keep.

The girls got a table under the shade outside with some ice cold beverages to keep them cool.

I’ve got a Lakers game to watch at the bar.

over and out,
dan

Aaaagh! I think Mila hit the jackpot!

After a brief 2 night stay in Colorado, it was time again for us to head out. The weather is really starting to warm up here so we are definitely feeling like our days on the road are going to be numbered. We are in no hurry to get home but if it continues to be hot like this, we are not going to have much of a choice. Roaming around the western desert aimlessly during this time of year is probably not the best idea.

Heading out of Cortez, Colorado we decided to make a little trip to one of the major tourist traps in the area. The Four Corners Monument.

Well, you just have to come here at least once in your life right? I know all of the seasoned travelers right now are rolling their eyes but I dedicate this blog post to those of you out there who aren’t afraid of clichés!

Four Corners is literally in the middle of nowhere. For those who don’t know exactly what it is, Four Corners in the only place in the United States where a person can be in four states at the same time. Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

We had planned the obligatory self portrait of all of us each being in a state but as luck would have it, the monument is under construction. Apparently the old monument just was not grandiose enough so a new plan was put in place to make the location much more awe inspiring.

This photo is the best we could muster. Weep, weep.

I guess we are going to have to come through here again on our next trip. Hopefully the new monument will be complete and we can finally get to cheesy picture we wanted.

All around the Four Corners monument, there are local tribes people selling trinkets that they made themselves. We had been told that some of the best native American crafts could be had here for a much lower price than you could at any gift shop. Before we got our shop on, we got to add another state to our trip, UTAH! This might be the shortest trip anyone has even made to Utah and we have a picture to prove it.

Ava got to do some shopping for some native American swag with Marlene and got this nice set of bracelet and necklace to add to her jewelry collection.

When we left Four Corners, we officially left Colorado and entered back into Arizona. We are now closer to home then we have been in the last 4 months.

Being that Arizona is the Grand Canyon state and we have not ever been there in all of the times that we have been here, we naturally made it our next stop.

We have been to Arizona probably half a dozen times in the last 3 or 4 years and have stayed mostly in southern Arizona. The main reason is because Arizona is much too hot in the summer for us to visit and this part of the state is usually snowy in the winter time when we make our regular trips to Tucson.

Our National Park Pass is really paying itself off in a big way in this last week. First we got to use it at Aztec Ruins, then again at Mesa Verde and now we just saved $25 at the entrance of Grand Canyon National Park. The year isn’t even half way over yet!

We got there a couple hours before dusk and from what we have heard, it is the best time to see the Grand Canyon besides at the crack of dawn.

The first chance we got to stop and take a gander is at the Desert View Watchtower near the east entrance of the south rim.

It is absolutely breathtaking just as you might have heard. It is a view that really puts size into perspective.

Here is our obligatory family photo someone offered to take for us.

Ava saw some lady posed behind this tree and she insisted that the girls take the same photo.

Inside the Watchtower, you can climb to the top to get an even better perspective of the canyon. Ava could not wait to climb to the top but Marlene wasn’t quite as enthusiastic.

Sure the Watchtower was build in the 1930s on the edge of a giant cliff but I am sure it is perfectly safe!

Here is another glorious view of the canyon near the western entrance of the south rim just before the sunsets over the mountains.

Mila heard that you can ride mules down to the bottom of the canyon but we could only find her big sister Ava who’s willing to let her saddle up this afternoon.

Yeehaw! Why is there an extra foot wearing a flip flip behind me on the ground!?

As the sun sets, we headed out to the town to Tusayan just outside of the entrance and got an electric only site at the RV park. Tomorrow we are headed back in for a day at the park.

We are pooped from a long day on the road and it’s time to get some pizza for dinner before catching some Zs.

over and out,
dan

I think Yoda overheard our conversation and decided if she is going to stalk Bisbee birds, this is going to be her last chance.

Marlene and the girls got one last chance to have breakfast at Dot’s Diner. Ava’s new friend Sophia and her family also joined them. Check out the sweet hats they got from the waitress.

“Who wants pancakes!? Raise your hand!”

Dot’s Diner is a tiny little place and is only open for breakfast and lunch Friday through Wednesday. This is probably the most people they have ever had in there on a late Wednesday morning.

We finally got our act together in the afternoon and headed into old town Bisbee. The girls loved playing at the mine carts in front of the local museum. Every time we come here, we always come by the museum. But at some point in the last few years, they had raised their entry fees from $4 to $8. For some reason, the extra $4 just didn’t sit well for me and we have always decided against checking the place out. Maybe next time.

Hopefully they don’t starting charging the kids to play on these old explosive-carrying mine carts.

A mid-week stroll down the main drag at Bisbee is a pretty quiet affair. The town seems to have been effected by the recession as many of the stores have either closed down or is on the verge of shutting its doors.

The El Zarape Mexican and American Cafe also seems to be closed down now. We were just here a little over a year ago and had a great meal there. It’s sad to see places like that go away and it would certainly be a shame to see Bisbee be another casualty in this economic downturn. Maybe I should, after all, do my part and splurge the extra four bucks for the museum just so they don’t also go out of business.

Ava and Sophia seem to have really hit a stride in their new friendship in these few days.

On our walk in Bisbee, the rowdy pair played a little game I call ‘Toddler Checkpoint’ with us.

“STOOOOOOPPPPPP!!!”

Once we all stopped, we had to sit on the sidewalk so Sophia can toss out a riddle for us before we are allowed to cross. Luckily we got the right answers because we were sure thirsty for a cold drink at the Saloon in Copper Queen Hotel.

Just in time for Happy Hour I thought as I see the sign on the window offering 50 cent beers.

But it turns out too good to be true. The small print below disclaims that its only 50 cents ‘off’ of a domestic beer. So be it, I will take whatever discount I can get for a beer.

We wrapped up yet another nice day at Bisbee with a meal at Pizzarama Gus the Greek down the road from The Shady Dell. The girls got to ride in the shopping cart taxi cab as we stocked up on some supplies at the grocery store before we head out tomorrow morning on the road.

Stay tuned for New Mexico!!!

Life is good.

over and out,
dan