My mom and I are heading out to Yosemite for a short trip before Christmas. I am hoping to see lots of snow even though it says it will just be raining. I have been yearning for some new adventures and haven’t been to Yosemite since seventh grade. So adventure here we come. Hiking , maybe cross country skiing, and lots of photos. Stay tuned for photos! See you all in a couple of days.
Today was our last day on the road and we got home around dinner. It was a really long vacation starting on June 28, driving for a week to Upper Michigan, four weeks in Michigan one of which was in Chicago, then a week drive back. So it was a long trip and we are glad to be home. The experiences we have had are unforgettable and will stay with us forever. Glad to be home, but missing the adventures. I can’t wait to see what sort of adventures we go on next.
Today was the first day of our road trip back home to Santa Cruz and we stopped for the night in Bismarck, North Dakota. Along the way during our 15 hour-long day we saw a lot of interesting things. We started out with Amnicon Falls State Park in Wisconsin which was really beautiful. The falls were really running and the water looked like a mixture of coffee and cream.
It was a really nice way to start off a long day. We spent a long time in Minnesota passing from lake to lake and we got a really good feel for the land of ten thousand lakes. After that was a long stretch of nothing in North Dakota. We did get to see the world’s largest buffalo in the middle of nowhere.
We also learned that at this place there were three white buffaloes in the prairie near by so we staked out the spot and tried to find them. We spent a long time trying to find them but they were nowhere to be seen. Just as we were giving up and leaving I spotted one of them coming out of a little ravine. Naturally I flung myself from the car like a mad woman to try to get the photo. Sadly by the time I ran down the hill he had moved behind a big tree. So I paced frantically for a short time as mosquitoes gnawed me to pieces. (yes even as I write I itch like you can’t even imagine). So we drove to the other side and lo and behold there was the white buffalo.
Sadly he was far away but still, I GOT A PICTURE OF A WHITE BUFFALO. If I had the time I would have waited all day to get a better shot but we had to move on to Bismarck. So here we are, tired and still have a long way to go. We are going to Silver Gate outside of Yellowstone tomorrow and we can’t wait to get some awesome photos. Stay tuned for more 😀
By 5 a.m. tomorrow morning my mom and I will be on our way back home to Santa Cruz California on a week-long road trip. We will be heading across the top of the US all the way to Seattle and then straight down to home. I am excited to be on the road again and to go home in order to see all of my friends and family.However going home is bittersweet. I will miss Bootjack dearly, its serenity, its untainted beauty, and all of the wonders of our compound. I will miss the lake and the water. I will miss the bald eagles. I will miss the flowers. I will miss the storms that come sweeping across the lake. I will miss my grandpa until I see him again. I will miss the library. I will miss everything. So thank you Bootjack for a nice summer, I will see you next year.
Day one of my journey to Michigan by car began today at 4:30. I miss the rest of my family already and my dog. The first day of our trip ended in Las Vegas Nevada. First thing I am going to say is this: IT WAS 111 DEGREES OUT WHEN WE ENTERED NEVADA!!
I thought it being sunny was brutal but this heat was unbearable. I kept seeing cars on the side of the road overheated and I felt so horrible for those people and grateful at the same time because if we hadn’t gotten the new car that would probably be us on the side of the road. Our trip out was relatively uneventful but fun. I watched the Hangover in the car to prepare myself for staying in Cesar’s Palace.
These hotels on the strip are so amazingly cool in my mind because last time we went to Vegas we spent a majority of the time in an R.V. park. So in comparison it is amazingly nice. Sadly I didn’t feel good at all for the first part of our time in the Hotel. I had to get over feeling bad though because my favorite part of Vegas was coming up. Eating at the Bellagio buffet. Sad I know that I look forward to food so much but this buffet is the best thing in the entire world. My biggest regret last time I was in Vegas was not getting to try the desserts because they looked amazing.
Naturally I fixed that this year by taking every type of desert they had and taking one bite out of each. It was fun but to say that I was stuffed by the end is a gross understatement. So much fun! We spent some time walking around the Bellagio and checking out there cool gardens which consisted of animal sculptures made from flowers and giant glass flowers.
The frog was my favorite out of the bees, lady bugs and snails. After the Bellagio we went back to Cesar’s to do a little shopping. It has been a long day and tomorrow is going to be a longer one. Stay tuned for more stories about the rest of the trip!
P.S. I will be posting more elaborate stories on the parts of this day in later posts when my schedule isn’t so hectic.
Tomorrow morning at 4 o’clock my mom and I will be beginning again our yearly road trip to Michigan. This time around we are swinging low down to the blistering southern states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and so on. Everyday I will be updating my blog with details about our trip like Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley and more. So stay tuned to see if I survive another road trip up to Michigan. This one is going to be long and hot but hopefully all worth it!
I have a confession to make, about my driving. No I am not admitting that I am a bad driver, because I am not. My confession is this:
I can be an evil driver.
I love road trips, but when you have been driving for hours in the middle of nowhere, you have to find ways to amuse and entertain yourself so you don’t go insane. My remedy? To be EVIL. When there is nothing to look at on the road except for other cars, have fun with the other cars. I am expert, or you could call me an evil genius, at being an evil driver.
You may be wondering, what is it that I do to make me or anyone, an evil driver. There are many ways one could fit the criteria of an evil driver. Here are a few that I do:
One thing I am going to point out is that no I do not do this normally. This is not how I drive so don’t worry about it. I only do this on road trips when I am really bored or if a driver is bothering me. The point of being an evil driver is to not push them too far, just enough to get a little reaction but nothing bad. To be a true evil driver you have to understand when the fun has gone to far or where there is room for more mischief. There are always more people on the road to mess with, don’t get attached to a certain car. If you ever go on a road trip with me you can always tell when I start messing with people because I sit there and snicker evilly to myself for no apparent reason.
Don’t be afraid my evil driving, it is very rare, but is very real. Hopefully my evil tips will help save your brain on a long road trip from insanity and boredom. Be evil, but be safe, not stupid.
So it has been a long year for me and my family. With good and bad happenings. We went to go see Lance Armstrong race at the AmGen in Sacramento. I got to stand right next to him.
Basically my year was full of trips, our RV trip to Las Vegas being one of the first for my mom’s 50 birthday. It didn’t work quite as well as we wanted but in hindsight was all right. It had its goods and bads. Mojave, Death Valley, and Las Vegas… it was interesting all five of us in an RV. I don’t think I would or could do it again…
I had two cousins go off to war, one in the army and one in the navy. Kayleen and Charlie we are very proud of you both, and wish you well.
My mom and dad went with me to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.
We had some fun hikes and one encounter with a rattle snake. I think for a moment my mother took on the visage of a majestic Springbok to escape it.
My older brother Nick graduated High School.
We did a lot of talking with him over Skype this year because he was off at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
My dad had fun when we went up to the Licht Observatory and visited the awesome telescopes when school got out. With my sophomore year ended I had a lot of fun with my friends and was soon off to Michigan on our road trip. This time it was just my mom and I along with our dog. Together we are the travel buddies!! ( Also this is when I got my new camera, you will notice the improved quality of the photos from here out :D)
We stopped everywhere, Nevada, Utah (Mormon Tabernacle), Idaho (with a flat tire), and most memorable, Yellowstone.
We saw tons of wildlife in Wyoming and South Dakota, the best being the buffalo. Especially when we got charged by a buffalo in Custer State Park. They were all over the place just walking in the road.
Michigan this year was tons of fun. Full of tubing, the creation of creeper photos, and trips to Copper Harbor. It was also the first time I jumped off the pier into Lake Superior. And of course hanging out with all the cousins.
On our road trip back home we stopped in North Dakota, Montana (Glacier National Park), Washington, and Oregon. Glacier National Park was really fun, I swam in a freezing glacier river and saw a bear right up close.
In Oregon we saw the famous Shoe Tree and visited Bend. We loved it and I can’t wait to go back soon.
Back home school soon started with my first year of Full IB. In golf this year I was captain of the team and had amazing amounts of fun.
I had a good friend year, making new friends that I love, and making my existing friendships even better. A somewhat disappointing year in terms of health. Many people I know became seriously ill and that was emotionally taxing on all of us. To everyone with Cancer or some other illness, I wish you good health and happiness. Visiting Nick for his 19 birthday in Cal Poly was very fun with kayaking in Morro Bay. One of the highlights of my year was my birthday and the trip I took with my mom to Seattle Washington.
This year I also bought my first piece of original artwork by myself from Bruce Telopa. It was a good year for art, I became an IB art student and my Aunt let me have one of her amazing paintings.
The other best of the year was our trip to Hawaii. We had so much fun snorkeling, going to the Volcanoes, and just enjoying 80 degree weather in December.
This year has had its ups and downs. I am excited for the new year to start over. So Happy New Years eeveryone. My biggest wish is for health and happiness for everyone. My New Years resolution is to see the world with open eyes, I hope everyone can do the same.
This photo I took in Salt Lake City is basically famous in my family. Well at least to my mom and me. I don’t really know why, but it is basically the photo that represents our road trips. We love it, so here it is.