We got home really late last night. In fact, we got into town around 2:30 AM. We drove through the night to get home because of the heat wave in the west. We did not want to get stuck in the desert for another day and as we got closer to home, we just kept the foot on the gas and inched our way closer until we finally got here.

It was so late and we were so tired, we thought it might be easier if we just spend one more night in the Mish rather than trying to setup our beds that haven’t been slept in for the last 4 months.

When Ava woke up in the morning, we thought we could surprise her and show her that we are home as we walked out the door. She had not been back in months and we didn’t really know if she understood that we were trying to make our way home straight from Grand Canyon National Park in just one day.

She was not fooled. When we asked her if she knew where we were, she knew she was home. She pointed right at the palm tree through the little crack in the curtains and said that we were home. This one is not easily fooled. We are back.

The house is exactly as we had left it. We were here a couple of months ago when we flew back. We drove up here for the afternoon to make sure everything was ok and didn’t even get to spend a night.

Ava went into her room and could not get enough of all of her toys that she has missed for 4 months. Just before we left, Ava had just had her 3rd birthday and we left most of her presents here for just this moment.

Mila did not really grasp the idea that this is where we live now. She had spent more of her life on the road than in our house.

That’s right, you sleep in there now. Next to Daisy Duck.

I think no one was happier than Yoda to be back. She had spent the last 4 months in a 120 square foot trailer. As an indoor cat, she appreciates now more than ever the size of our little house.

Here is our home, in front of our home. We will need to get use to this again.

After putting just over 10,000 miles behind us on this trip, it is bittersweet to be home. We have lots of great memories that we have documented on this blog what we will cherish forever.

The girls have not left each others sight since the day Mila was born. On the day we returned, she was just a little more than 9 months old. She has a whole new world to get familiar with and a great big sister to help her along the way.

Welcome home Ava. Welcome home, everyone.

over for now,
Dan

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

This is how our girls look in the back of the van all packed in.

As usual, we chose to drive after their bed time so they can sleep in the van during the long haul. It is a good 300 miles from our house so we had close to 6 hours of road ahead of us.

About 30 miles down the road, we are already seeing our first problems with the Airstream. It’s not a big deal but we had a bad running light on the left side of the trailer. Didn’t look like a bad bulb as it would blink on and off with a jiggle of the hand. Probably a loose connection or a rain related shortage of some kind. Another thing to put on the list.

The plan was to make it to Camping World in San Martin, CA. It is only about 20 minutes from my brother’s place in Campbell, CA and it provides us with a nice, safe place to pull over, park and catch some Zs ’til the morning.

As we pulled into a lot full of RVs and shuttled everyone into the trailer, another problem with the Airstream immediately was apparent. The furnace has stopped working. I figured that we had just emptied another propane tank but even after we switched to the fresh tank, the furnace still did not want to kick on. Since it was already 4am at this point, we decided to just bundle up and sleep through the rest of the night in the cold trailer.

By the morning, we gave the ol’ furnace another shot and this time, for no apparent reason, it just kicked on. Well, I guess that’s why we have warranty. Add another item to the list.

Uncle Eric met us as we pulled into town and showed us a little secret spot for us to park the Airstream for the day before finding a camp site. It’s just a short walk from a decent dim sum restaurant. Well, short if you are not carrying a 35 lb toddler in your arms the entire way.

He actually didn’t seem to mind as he doesn’t get to see the girls too often being far away, working a full time job and going to school in the evening.

At dim sum, we met my mom and Eric’s fiance Cynthia. Ava could not get enough of the fried noodles. Look at her. She is IN TO IT. The chicken feet on the other hand, not so much.

Back at the secret parking spot, there sits a beautifully little 16 foot Airstream International Ocean Breeze. Apparently this is where she lives all the time. The owner works at the building that this parking lot belongs to and probably uses it to take mid afternoon naps. Not a bad idea.

Silicon Valley is a busy place. Just as many metropolitan areas, it does not have many, if at all, in town RV facilities. We did some researches ahead of time and found that just a few miles outside, there is a campground called Saratoga Springs.

Saratoga Springs is just a few miles down a 2-lane windy road outside of the town of Saratoga, CA, which is on the southwest edge of Silicon Valley. Just as you drive down the 2-lane road, giant redwood trees seem to sprout out from no where and pretty soon you feel like you are no longer in the heart of the world’s technology hot bed but rather a redwood forest in Oregon.

Saratoga Springs is not your typical RV resort. It does not have stall after stall of RV sites but rather just spaces in between trees where you can fit trailers in. It has the feel of a boon docking locale with narrow roads and giant redwood canopies surrounding you in all directions.

Right through the middle of the campground there is a fast running creek dividing the resort into multiple areas. It is normally not running this fast but since we just had a week’s worth of rain, it was as full as it has been in years.

Our spot was right next to the creek in between a couple of giant redwood trees. It was very soothing to hear the water running past us as we sleep in the trailer at night.

Marlene was not comfortable at all with the slope of the dirt pad we had to set up on. She was convinced that we would eventually slip into the creek. Well, as you can tell by now, we made it back.

This is what the creek looks like just a few feet outside of our Airstream.

Ava and Mila also admired the creek from inside the Mali Mish. What?! There’s not a hand holding Mila up to the window? What are you talking about?

A couple spaces up from us was this vintage, polished Airstream. We didn’t see anyone staying in it the whole time or we would have introduced ourselves to get a tour of it. However it looks like it might be a semi-permanent fixture at Saratoga Springs with a redwood deck built just out side of its steps. It made us feel more welcome to see such a familiar profile in such close proximity.

Saratoga Springs is a privately owned campground. A camp site with electricity and water runs $32 a night. There is no sewage hookup in any of the sites but they do offer a pump out service for $10 a pop. The gates close promptly each evening at 5:00pm and only registered campers can get in and out with a remote controlled gate opener. Unluckily for us, the host forgot to give us one. Each of the 3 nights we stayed there we had to wait at the gate for someone to come by in order to get back in. By the time we learned that we were suppose to get the opener from him, it was already the third and last night of our stay there.

Getting to and from our site, we had to cross the creek over this narrow bridge. It gives you a generous 10 inches of buffer on each side as you cross the bridge.

Piece of cake. Now lets hope it is strong enough to hold us up.

In the summer time, Saratoga Springs hold kids summer camps of various types. Since it rained again for a couple days straight after we got there, we couldn’t really do too much wandering around the campground. I did a couple of quick strolls to see what was all there and it sure looks like a fun place to be when it is warmer and drier. Here are just a few more photos of the campground for your viewing pleasure.

That’s right, it’s a dunk tank.

We packed up and left Saratoga Springs and said good bye to my family after 4 nights and 5 days in the Bay area. With a couple more items added to the to-do list, we have only a few more days before we head out for the greatest trip of our lives.

over and out,

dan