Fall Trip

Plans for our fall trip in 2019 began in the spring with an invitation from Topher to plan a white water river rafting trip for anyone in the family who wanted to go.  He set it up on the American River near Sacramento so that d and Zhouyi could join us.  However, they moved to Riverside, CA during the summer so only Topher and I ended up making reservations for the rafting trip.  When Liz realized that Topher and I would be rafting near Sacramento, she decided it would be the perfect time for her to do an item on her bucket list and bike the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. When Rachael heard about it she wanted to do it too.  So that became the basis for our fall trip.

Liz and I had also been thinking for some time of how to address the problem of local transportation when we're traveling in the RV.  Most people with class A Motorhomes tow a vehicle.  We don't like the idea of towing a car everywhere so we opted for a motor scooter solution.  The scooter fits on a carrier in the RV tow hitch and we still have room for our bikes on the ladder.  So we got a Honda PCX 150 scooter for local transportation and took it with us to try out on this trip.

Liz with her riding helmet on the new Honda PCX 150

Ready to Travel
The scooter on it's carrier with bikes mounted on the ladder

We left Dallas on August 23 and headed west on Hwy 380 stopping for the night at Haskell, TX (the city has an RV park with free 1 night hookups for travelers passing through).  The second night we spent in Roswell, NM.  The third day we pushed on to Tuscon, AZ, stopping along the way at White Sands NM.  On the fourth day we drove from Tuscon to Joshua Tree National Park in CA.  Here we stayed a couple of nights at the Cottonwood Campground.  This was our first visit to Joshua Tree so on Aug 27th we spent the day exploring the park on the scooter.  It was about 45 miles from our campground to the other end of the park and the temp was over 110 degrees.  So we put on lots of sun block, hopped on the scooter and took off.  We made stops and the Cholla Cactus Garden (beautiful but don't touch), Jumbo Rocks Campground (well named), and Hidden Valley Campground.  Amazing scenery and plenty to do....a must see.  We want to go back in the winter when it's cooler.

Cottonwood Spring near our campground

We stopped for a picnic lunch in the shade of the rocks

This is a popular rock face for climbing

This is what a Joshua Tree looks like

Rock formation called Skull Rock

Cholla Cactus Garden along our route
(their spines are really nasty)

On Aug 28 we pushed on to Riverside, CA to stay the night with d and Zhouyi.  Zhouyi's parents were staying there so we had a nice visit with them.  Next morning we loaded Zhouyi, Meila and Euan into the RV and headed north toward Sacramento.  d had to work so he drove up later and joined us late that night.  We stayed the night at Pinnacles National Park, a NP in California that we had never been to or even heard of.  When we arrived I took the scooter out to do some exploring.  The park is named for granite rock pinnacles that jut into the sky.  It also has Bear Gulch Cave which you can hike through to reach a pretty reservoir at the top.  Definitely worth at visit.

Entrance to Bear Gulch Cave

Inside the cave

Reservoir at the top of Bear Gulch Cave with pinnacles behind

Next day we pushed on to Sacramento where we had reserved a spot at the Cal Expo RV Park.  This is a large park run by the city and is mainly used for the CA state fair.  It is near to downtown Sacramento and with full hookups it met our need nicely.  When we arrived we met up with Topher who flew in earlier that day and rented a car. Rachael flew in that night and we picked her up at the airport.  So we had a full RV with d's family (4), Topher, Rachael and us...it was cozy and comfortable and great to be with the kids.

On Aug 31 Topher and I got up, hopped in his car and headed for Coloma, CA.  This is the site on the American River where OARS (our rafting outfitter) has their base of operation.  It's also the site of Sutter's Mill, the location where gold was first discovered in California.  We had signed up for a two day rafting trip and expected to be camping on the river the first night.  However, it turned out the the river trip was set up in two parts - the first day we rafted down river to Folsom Lake and then were bused back up to Coloma. The second day we were bused up river and rafted down to Coloma again . Camping facilities were provided at Coloma but we hadn't signed up for them so we had no reservation for the night.  We decided to just spend the night back at the RV and return the next morning.  The rafting was great fun with just the right amount of excitement and our guide was excellent!  A great memory for me with Topher.

Topher and I getting ready to go white water rafting

Topher with our "dry"bag in case we capsize

Here we are in the white water...getting wet

Site of Sutter's Mill where gold was discovered in California

That same morning d took Liz and Rachael to the train station where they headed to San Francisco.  Upon arrival they made their way to the Golden Gate Bridge where they rented bikes for the day.  They biked the Golden Gate and then met up with d & Zhouyi who had driven down to San Francisco with  their kids.  They found a nearby restaurant and all had dinner together.  Then Rachael and Liz took an Uber back to the train station for their return trip.  They had a wonderful time.  A great memory for Liz and Rachael and a bucket list item completed!

Rachael & Liz at the Golden Gate Bridge

Riding the bike path on the bridge

Starting point for their trek

Meila, Zhoyui and Euan at the restaurant in San Francisco

d and Zhouyi spent some of their time in Sacramento taking care of their house there.  When they moved to Riverside they decided not to sell it so they found some renters.

On Sept 2 Topher and Rachael flew back home and we headed up to Lake Tahoe with d & Zhouyi.  We stayed a night at Fallen Leaf Campground at the south end of the lake and had a great time with the grandkids.

Meila and Euan at the campground

Euan with his Dad

Meila & Euan hanging out in the RV

d, Zhouyi and kids on the dock at Fallen Leaf Lake

Next day we headed to Reno where we spent the night. On Sept 4 we drove to Lassen Volcanic NP and stayed at the Manzanita Lake Campground for two nights.  We took a day to explore the park on the scooter.  We were finding that the scooter worked very well for our local transportation.  We drove through the park all the way from the north entrance to the south entrance, stopping at the visitors center, boiling mud pots and a trail leading to a pretty waterfall.

Waterfall in Lassen NP

We left Lassen on Sept 6 headed for Mt Shasta.  We had seen this volcano from a distance but never explored the area.  Liz had just read some of the works of a man who had spent some time in the Mt Shasta area which is known as a spiritual conduit.  We spent 3 nights in McBride Springs Campground which is on the slopes of Mt Shasta.  At this campground I noticed that something was caught in the awning over the big slideout on the RV.  It turned out to be a big sticky pine cone that had fallen on the awning in the Lassen NP campground.  It made a nice hole in the awning, which I repaired when we got back home. During our stay we  took the scooter to the highest point on the mountain accessible by road and spent some time absorbing the beauty and peace of that place.

Mt Shasta Peak as seen from the town of Mt Shasta

Liz at the trailhead to the top of Mt Shasta

The peak from Bunny Flat

Last look at Mt Shasta on our way out

On Sept 10 we left Mt Shasta and drove to Crater Lake NP in Oregon.  Here we stayed at Mazama Campground.  The next day we explored the Crater Lake area and did the drive around the Lake on the scooter.  We got some amazing views of the lake....the weather was perfect.  We also did some hiking around the area to a waterfall and some sand pinnacles created by geothermal venting.

Crater Lake with Phantom Ship Island in the foreground

Waterfall in Crater Lake

Pinnacles of Sand in Wheeler Creek Gorge

From Crater Lake we went to Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, stopping for a night on the way in Ontario, WA.  We love COTM and spent the afternoon of Sept 13th exploring the area.

Cinder cone in Craters of the Moon NM

Inside the cinder cone looking down

Next morning we headed to Tetons NP.  We've been to Tetons many times, but always in the summer, so we expected that the crowds would be less in the fall....we were in for a surprise.  The park was full of retired gray hairs like us and the campgrounds were full.  We were able to get into Gros Ventre Campground the first night and met up with Liz sister Barbara and her husband Frank.  They brought their bikes and we took a bike ride on our favorite trail along the base of the Tetons.  The next day we moved up to Colter Bay campground for the next 2 nights.  On Sept 15 we took the scooter out exploring and went to the top of Signal Mountain and stopped at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart.

View of the Tetons from Signal Mountain

Chapel of the Sacred Heart

The next day I took the scooter on a drive toward Yellowstone to check out Flagg Ranch campground.  On Sept 17 we left our campsite in Colter Bay and headed to Bay Bridge in Yellowstone to get a new campsite and meet up with our friends the Graves and the Groves.  However, we found that the campground was completely full.  We were caught in the Baby Boomer rush; all the retired boomers were thinking the same thing we were.  We drove up to Norris campground but it was also filled, so we headed back to Colter Bay.  There we were able to get a campsite again and met up with our friends.

Mother bear and cubs we saw on the way back to Colter Bay

On Sept 18 we all piled into the Graves 4Runner and drove the Beartooth Highway.  This is a "bucket list" drive because of its magnificent scenery and steep canyons.  The highway goes out the northeast entrance of Yellowstone and climbs over the mountain tops revealing beautiful vistas and steep drop-offs.  The road closes in the fall with the first big snow so we made the drive just in time.  Our route took us through Red Lodge, Mt (a biker town), down to Cody, Wy and back to Yellowstone through the east entrance.

Robert, me and Scott at Beartooth Pass   10947 ft

View from the top

Coming down the other side

The next day was beautiful and we explored the Tetons and went down to Jenny Lake.  The following day was not so good but Scott wanted to bike the trail from Jenny Lake down to the Jackson visitors center.  So Liz, Scott and I decided to do it and took off.   However, we were under dressed for the cold weather and Scott had no gloves so he stopped at Moose junction and bought a pair.  We finally made it to Jackson where Robert, Lani and Norma met us and we had a chance to warm up and eat.

View of Tetons from Signal Mountain

On Sept 21 it snowed as we drove to Yellowstone Park.  The winter landscape was a new experience for us as we have always been there in the summer.  We loved it...it got us into the Christmas spirit.

View of Tetons after the snow

Groves, Graves and Daytons at the mud pots

On Sept 22 we left for home, traveling through Casper, WY and Denver, CO.  On Sept 24 we took a detour and drove the scooter up to the top of Pikes Peak.  We had never been there before and we're awed by the views from the top of the mountain.

Parking lot where we left the scooter and climbed aboard the
tram for the top of Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak Summit
Major construction was going on at the top

View of the Rocky Mountains to the west from Pikes Peak

We arrived back home on September 26.  This trip had a wide variety of elements.  It included both family and friends.  It spanned a wide variety of climates, seasons and terrains including deserts and mountains, lakes and rivers, cities and national parks, summer, fall and winter.  In the end it was one of the most interesting and satisfying trips we have been on.  We also discovered that the scooter is ideal for providing the mobility we need to explore the sights while we are camping in the RV.

Hawaii Family Trip

Ever since we took the family trip to Europe in 2014, we have been planning a follow-up trip with all of our kids and grandkids.  Now that we have 9 grandkids the logistics of a family trip get much more complicated, so we chose Hawaii as the destination that could meet the more diverse needs of our larger family.  Unfortunately, d & Zhouyi and their kids were unable to make this trip because they were in the middle of a move from Sacramento to Riverside, CA.  However, everyone else joined us in Hawaii.  Our plan was to spend 4 nights on the Big Island and 3 nights on Oahu.  We flew in from Dallas to Kona, HI on July 27.  We had reserved an Airbnb near Kona on the Big Island large enough for the entire group.

The first day together we spent at the Magic Sands beach near Kona.  The grandkids played in the water and tried body surfing and loved it.  After this first day, it seemed that going to the beach is all the grandkids wanted to do and Hawaii has plenty of beaches so that's what we did!

Magic Sands Beach Park

Body surfing

Dinner at Shimaichi Sushi Restaurant in Kona

On July 29 a few of our party decided to take surfing lessons (Kevin, Rachael, Kathryn and Akston).  The rest of us drove across the Big Island to the eastern side.  On our journey across the island we passed the base of Manna Kea, the tallest volcano in Hawaii.  The road was lined with tents and road blocks set up by people protesting the placement of a new observatory on top of the mountain.  Near the east coast we went to Wailuku River State Park which had a beautiful waterfall.  We ate lunch in Hilo and then drove north up the coast to Waipi'o Valley lookout where we met up with the surfing members of our party.  The Waipi'o Valley is a beautiful isolated valley on the coast that has a single very steep road into it which requires 4WD.  We were content to take in the beautiful view of the valley from the top of the cliff. On the way back home we stopped at Spencer Beach Park on the west coast, another great beach that the grandkids thoroughly enjoyed.

Akston & Kathryn surfing the waves near Kona

Falls at Wailuku River State Park

Waipi'o Valley from the overlook

July 30 we once again drove to the east side of  the island this time stopping at Kaumana Caves near Hilo.  These caves are actually lava tubes and the kids loved following them back in as far as they could go.  Then we made a loop around the south end of the island stopping at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  We viewed the steam vents in the Kilauea Volcano and drove the Chain of Craters Rd which has numerous overlooks of various inactive volcanic craters.  We ended the day at Punalu'u Black Sand Beach which was truly pure black sand...amazing!

Our group at the entrance to Kaumana Cave

Elynn, Beau and Denae hiking in Kaumana Cave

Coming out of the lava tube

Overlook into an inactive crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Our group at the top of the overlook into the Kilauea Crater

Kileaua Crater overlook

Lee, My, Kathryn, and John carrying Ryder

Kileaua Crater

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach

Enjoying the beach

The sand was really black and coarse

Sea turtles at the Black Sand Beach

On July 31 we left our Airbnb in Kona and flew to Honolulu in Oahu.  Once again we rented cars and drove to our Airbnb which was on the north side of Oahu near the Polynesian Culture Center.  Before we left we took some pics of our beautiful venue on the Big Island.

Sunset from the balcony of our venue on Kona

Relaxing on the back deck

Busy in the kitchen

Grandkids playing in the family room

Outside patio overlooking the ocean

Everything was so green  and lush!

 On the morning of our first full day in Oahu we went to Kokololio Beach near our venue.  There we met my niece Kandi and her husband who is a professor at BYU Hawaii.  It was good to see them and catch up.  They also gave us several good sightseeing pointers.  In the afternoon we went to the Polynesian Culture Center (it was within walking distance of our venue).  We had a great time seeing all the demonstrations, displays and shows depicting the various Polynesian islands.  We also enjoyed a buffet dinner and nighttime show.

Kathryn, Ryder & Topher

Kokololio Beach

The gang at the beach
Kandi and her husband on the right

The family on a floating ride at the Polynesian Culture Center

Natives demonstrating how to climb a coconut tree

On August 2 we drove north up the island stopping at Turtle Bay and ending up at Waimea Bay Beach Park.  Waimea Bay has some of the best waves on the islands and is a place where they hold surfing competitions.  There is also a jumping rock that you can climb and jump into the ocean.  That evening we drove back down the island for dinner at Haleiwa Joe's restaurant and Haiku Gardens.  The food was excellent and the surrounding grounds and gardens were beautiful.   

Dinner at Haleiwa Joes

Gardens surrounding Haleiwa Joe's restaurant

The grandkids at the restaurant

Grandkids exploring the gardens

On August 3 some of the families departed for home, but Liz and I had booked a couple of additional days at another Airbnb closer to Honolulu.  So we checked out of our Airbnb in Laie and dropped Rachael and Kevin off at the airport and checked into our new venue.  We then headed to Kailua Beach State Park where we meet up with Topher's family.  They were having one last fling on the beach before catching their flight home late that evening.

Inside the venue in Laie, Oahu

Outside the venue in Laie

The next day we drove to the Byodo-In Temple on the southeast side of Oahu.  This is a Japanese style temple with beautiful landscaped grounds.  It was a peaceful way to connect with nature.  We then drove up the entire east coast and came back through the middle of the island, getting an appreciation for the diversity of the Hawaiian landscape, from rainforests on east side to quite arid on the west side.

Byodo-In Temple

Colorful carp on the temple grounds

Mormon Temple in Laie

Sea arch near Laie

 Our final day on the island was August 5.  This day we checked out of our Airbnb and drove down the southeast coast to Hanauma Bay.  However, the entire area was so crowded with tourists that there was no parking or access to many of the sights.  So we drove to an off-the-radar site we found in a guidebook call Spitting Cave.  Access to the trail for Spitting Cave was an alley off a neighborhood street, so no tourists.  We reached the overlook and were rewarded with a stunning view of the coast from the cliff tops.  Next we drove to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and spent a few hours touring the museums and displays.....impressive and interesting.  Finally it was time to go the the airport to catch our flight home.  It's easy to have a wonderful time in Hawaii and with family it was just that much better.

Spitting Cave Overlook
Beautiful end to a great family vacation in Hawaii