Joshua Tree and Palm Springs (Nov. 2021)

 

Since we had been to LA so many times, we wanted to check out somewhere new that we hadn't been to before. Joshua Tree is only about two hours away from Dan's house (when you leave at the right time!). We left in the morning and went straight to the Joshua tree visitor center to get a map and some hats for the kids. It was already pretty hot outside. From there we went to our first hike called the Hidden Valley Nature Trail Loop. This is a one mile loop that circles a small valley surrounded by large boulders. There were signs along the way explaining the different plants and animals. We even saw a group of people scaling the large rocks! This was our favorite hike due to its kid friendliness and scenery! 

We drove a short distance to The Discovery Trail. This is a 0.7 mile loop that was actually designed by kids, for kids! As you walk on the path you pass through a series of washes and canyons, and of course there was plenty of boulders for everyone to climb on. 

We then drove to Keys View Trail where we were welcomed with beautiful views of the valley and Palm Springs in the distance. The kids love a good view and they were pretty impressed! We didn't stay long, but it was plenty of time to take in the beauty of the area. 

After that we drove about 45 minutes to the house we rented, just outside of the park. The kids took a well deserved nap while we enjoyed the quiet!

The next morning we loaded up the 9 of us and drove to Skull Rock. This was supposed to be a fairly easy 1.7 mile hike through the rocks, but all of the kids (plus Dan) kept getting distracted by climbing the rocks. They exerted so much energy that they didn't want to hike the rest of the trail! So the four of us, plus A decided to push on. Except that everyone was complaining about being too hot and tired - we made a decision when we got to the road to follow it up to the car. It took a little longer than expected... 

This is the only picture I got of the actual Skull Rock 

The whole crew

Me and Dan the Man

Walking along the road... 

From there Dan's family and J went home and we drove to Cholla Cactus Garden. This garden was so cool! The cacti looked like they were glowing from the sun. I've never seen anything like it. M had a good time running through the paths! I think J would have loved it, but she was allured by a car ride and other kids! 

We went back to the house and hung out for a bit before going out again just before sunset. The kids played in the sand and climbed rocks while we tried to get some great pictures and just enjoy the scenery. We stayed until just after sunset and then drove to an area where it was empty and we could see every star in the sky. I've never seen so many stars before.. it was unreal. 

The next morning we packed up and drove to Palm Springs. We had a couple of hours to kill before our gondola ride up to the top so we found a restaurant that could accommodate the 9 of us outside. It's a good thing we got there early because this place filled up! While we were eating, the waiter asked if he could take some promotional pictures of us. He wanted to show that real people ate at the restaurant and not just celebrities, ha! After our delicious meal they gave us a whole bunch of free pastries and desserts! 

My favorite picture of the kids (4/5 of them!)

We drove to the aerial tramway and Dan made it JUST in time. This is the worlds largest rotating tram car and goes up 2.5 miles over ten minutes of breathtaking views. The kids loved it and so did we! When we got to the top, called Mountain Station, at over 8,000 feet we could feel the difference! We walked around a little.. down a windy trail and up to the observation deck. There's over 50 miles of trails that we didn't get to go on. By this point the kids were tired and cranky and we couldn't enjoy it the way we would have if it was just us. Nevertheless, we were able to see spectacular views of the entire area. 

After that we got in the car and returned to LA. We had such a great time during this MUCH needed week of travel and family togetherness. 

Los Angeles, CA (November 2021)

This is our first airplane trip in a year and a half! I truly thought that the kids would have at least one Covid shot before getting on this plane, but that was wishful thinking. But at some point we just have to go and move on. We were so excited to get off the east coast and to see Dan and family! This is a trip that had gotten rescheduled twice before so we were really looking forward to it. 

Our first full day (when the kids woke up around 3:30am) had us going to Point Dume in Malibu. This was a short easy walk on the cliffs on Malibu with wonderful views. 

This day was also Halloween and the kids were beyond excited to go trick or treating in their scary costumes. It was so odd trick or treating with palm trees around! We're so used to colder weather and leaves falling off the trees. 

The next day we went to Santa Monica Pier. It was empty! Which I was grateful for. There were absolutely no lines and the kids had the run of the place. 

The kids (and us!) really needed a chill day the next day. J wasn't adjusting to the time change as quickly as M or us so she was pretty tired. From Dan's house we walked to the La Brea Tar pits. We had taken J here before in 2015 since it's so close to the house. We walked around and explained to the kids what they were looking at. They were fascinated! 

We then walked to LACMA and walked around the outside. We truly were trying to stay outside as much as possible so we didn't go inside the museum. But the outside has enough to look at that everyone was satisfied. And we showed them where we had a picnic in 2017 with them (not that they remember...)

That about wraps up our LA time! We spent the rest of the time in Joshua Tree. 

The Poconos (Aug. 2020)

Whew, 2020 sure has been fun hasn't it! After months of staying home we decided that we had to get out of New Jersey and go on a little trip. We settled on a house (with an amazing game room!) in a lake community on Arrowhead Lake. This community had two outdoor pools, a lake where we could kayak, a playground, nearby hiking, and a lovely neighborhood to walk in. 

Our first day there we drive to a hike called the Poconos Heritage Land Trust Trail. This was probably a 2 mile easy hike that passed through rocks and a creek. The kids had fun splashing in some water and we got some great outdoors time. Another hike we did on the last day after leaving the house was the Hemlock trail and the Woodland Trail. This provided a nice break from the car, although we think the kids were done with hiking!

We went to the pool a few times. We had to make reservations ahead of time in order to reduce how many people were let in due to Covid (although it still seemed pretty crowded!). 

One morning we rented a four person kayak for a couple of hours and paddled around the lake. We had so  much fun! We stopped on the other side of the lake to get out and play and enjoy the scenery! 

And of course, no lake or hiking trip would be complete without a firepit with smores! 

We never would have come here for a summer getaway had Covid not been around and I'm so glad that we did! 

Banff National Park, Part IV and Calgary

For our 5th and final day in Banff we decided to check out the Banff gondola. We got a later start than usual since we needed to pack and get out of our VRBO. We also had an exciting morning as J lost her first tooth! She was worried that the tooth fairy wouldn't know where she was so we held onto the tooth until we got home.

We got to the gondola around 9:45am, and it wasn't too crowded at all (when we left around 11:30am people were parking miles away on the road and had to walk there... definitely go early)!

I didn't realize how expansive the Banff Gondola experience is! To start, we took the 8 minute gondola up the Sulfur Mountain. We were then led into an interactive interpretive center where there were hands on displays, a multi sensory Banff weather theater, and information boards and posters about everything Banff. It was really extraordinary and the kids had a blast. We probably spent most of our time in here since the kids were enjoying it so much.

We managed to make it out of there and onto the observation deck and Sulfur Mountain boardwalk. The views of the six mountain ranges were stunning. We had such great weather and could see for miles and miles. The boardwalk took us for a nice walk high above the trees where we could have views every which way we wanted. From the 360 observation deck there were even more. Simply amazing!

We went to lunch in Banff before heading out for the drive to Calgary. We wanted to take the kids to the Telus Spark Science Museum before it closed at 4pm. Before we got out of the car though, J lost her second tooth! They were both pretty loose so we knew it was coming. She was so excited!

Calgary's interactive science museum, Telus Spark, is awesome and caters to every age group, plus because it was the end of the day during the week we had the place to ourselves. We all had a blast seeing how high we could jump, watching a drum beat our heartbeat, laying on a bed of nails, watching lights respond to different sounds, designing a cartoon with tangible items, learning how water erodes land, and so much more! Although the most fun the kids had was the outdoor play space called "The Brainasium". The only thing J wanted to do was climb the high ropes course over and over and over again! It's been two months since we were there and she still talks about how she wants to go back.

We checked into our hotel, which by the way couldn't be more convenient to the airport. It is directly across from the baggage pickup! We literally just crossed the street the next morning. We ordered some room service and let the kids veg out a little to some TV. It was an early night for everyone since we had to be at the airport around 5:15am.

This was an amazing trip and we're so thankful to have gotten to do it. By this point the kids are pros at traveling and we hope we are opening up their world beyond their own city and state. Is it tiring for us as parents? Yep! It's not a vacation for us with kids.. it's a trip. But life is short and the world is full of wonders. Will they remember the trips? Some yes, some no. But will they remember their years in preschool? Or the playdates they have with friends? Some yes, some no, but you're helping them to learn, grow their minds, and shape their futures by creating these experiences. We hope that we are creating not only a love for traveling and the outdoors, but an understanding of different cultures, languages, and food. Plus, the memories and bonding as a family will last a lifetime! Until the next adventure...