One would think that with all this craziness going on I'd find the time to write. False.
It's finally time to complete the Ireland saga. Hooray! It's only been 14 months since it happened!
After Hubs left the hospital and the rest of the family had headed home stateside, aside from the two of us plus my stepmom, we postponed our departure from the Emerald Isle for a few more days. We wanted to give Hubs at least one pleasant memory from this trip. On the way to the bus station I saw two rainbows!
(insert leprechaun joke here)
We packed up from the Rosebud Inn and headed closer to Shannon. We took a bus to Kinvara and stayed at and AirBnB. That place had sweet little puppers and cows. It was really nice and quiet, except for the cows.
"Never touch a bull on the head."
The town in Kinvara was super cute. Our first day there we ate at Keogh's Pub & Restaurant. The last day we had some delicious pizza at Tide Full Inn. If I remember correctly, this restaurant was owned by a husband and wife pair. The husband was Italian and the wife Irish. They were having a heated debate or something, I believe in Italian, when we left. It actually added to the experience.
Our full day we took an early bus to the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs were beautiful. It was a tourist place and was pretty crowded, but there was enough space to find a quiet spot to soak in the view and fresh air. I was so pleased we were able to go. Before we knew all the trip details, Hubs had asked to visit here. Now we were able to enjoy a beautiful part of a wonderful country together and fever-free! There were little merchants along the walk around the cliffs and a couple panhandling folksingers.
Cliffs of Moher
The only downside to visiting the Cliffs was Hubs accidentally left his phone on the bus. We spent the evening changing passwords and log in settings. The bus company was very compliant and helpful which made the loss a little more palatable.
We went exploring around Kinvara and made our way to an actual Medieval castle. I tried to go in further, but it was closed for a private event. It was still really neat to be able to see and touch a structure that was about 1000 years old.
castle
Scaling the defense castle
Overall this trip was an experience. I mean that in a positive way! We were able to bond as a family and strengthen those relationships. Seeing my family love my husband and care for him still makes me teary eyed. Ireland was perfect in every way; the kind people, the culture, the weather held out, the planned parts of the trip went so smoothly. The only kink was us bringing our own figurative baggage (and by that I mean incubating a tick-borne disease).
If you have a chance to go to Ireland- GO! Especially if you want to walk the Western Way.
Thank you, Ireland, for showing us "cead mile failte" (a thousand welcomes)!
Welcome back to the dramatic portion of this Irish saga.
Day 4 A & E
What should have been a lovely Thursday and our fourth hiking day quickly devolved into the start of a five day stay at the hospital.
Last view of the beautiful Western Way
Hubs was so miserable and now complaining of abdominal pain. He finally caved and let us take him to the hospital. The tour company had private drivers take us to the trail head each day and then our luggage to the next bed and breakfast. That was a sweet little place called Moher House. (My family said the dinner the owner cooked for them was delicious.) Hubs and I rode ahead with the luggage around 9:30 AM, the BnB owner said that was ok, but Hubs was in such bad shape we asked the driver to take us to the nearest clinic. He called his own personal doctor first. She was busy so we went to the family clinic. The sweet man waited for us. The clinic doctor referred us to the county hospital’s A & E. A & E stands for accidents and emergencies; it’s their version of the ER. We arrived in the A & E waiting room at 11:15 AM. We then waited there for nearly three and a half hours. Once we got a room in the A & E, Hubs was at first seen by the A & E doctor who took some initial blood work. An hour later a nurse hooked Hubs up to some fluids and paracetamol (Tylenol) to get his fever down. The room was maybe an 8’x10’ space with basically a dentist’s chair and a sink. The doctor returned and discussed the results of his test. Hubs’s kidneys were not functioning properly and his white blood cell count was extremely low indicating an infection. I sat on the floor for the next six or so hours. Then he was seen by a surgeon intern. Then he was seen by the surgery team who decided he was not a candidate for surgery. They referred Hubs to the medical team. The medical team came in another half out later and asked him the same questions as the A & E nurse, doctor, surgery intern, and surgery team. All this time Hubs never received more fluids or medicine for his fever.
Hubs on his way for an X-Ray
It wasn’t until just before midnight they moved Hubs to a room in the main hospital. Thankfully he got a private room and not a gurney in the hallway. Hubs was given more fluids and paracetamol. I stayed the night with him in the hospital. He was starting to turn yellow from his liver not functioning correctly. He remained dehydrated despite drinking fluids all day and the IV. Seeing him like that was heart wrenching.
Day 5 Hospital
Friday morning we are up and enjoying the view of the hospital roof littered with random debris and covered with squawking seagulls. The doctor, yet another one, came in. This would be Hubs’s case doctor. After tests, x-rays, scans, they decided Hubs’s “bloods were deranged” and even slightly worse from his initial tests. His white blood cell count was so low we had to wear masks in the room with him to keep him from contracting something new.
named for County Mayo
(not the same Mayo Clinic as in the U.S.)
DD didn’t do the day 5 hike with the rest of the gang so she could be with us. Dr. Dad had been texting and calling the infectious disease doctor from the hospital where he worked. He was able to share the results with her and she concluded it was (what Dr. Dad had presumed days ago): ehrlichiosis. I’m sorry, what?! Dr. Dad had repeatedly asked Hubs if he had had any tick bites recently. About two weeks prior to the trip, Hubs had been in the woods and had multiple tick bites. When Dr. Dad first suggested it was a tick borne disease to the Irish doctors, they were unsure because Hubs had no rash. Apparently Ireland only knows about Lyme disease. (Lyme disease is not prevalent where we live.) Ehrlichiosis is very similar to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but minus the spots. All Hubs needed was an antibiotic called doxycycline. Praise the Lord we were in a developed, English-speaking nation with modern medicine. Hubs was put on a very low dose of antibiotics and was starting to make a slow recovery. After hiking, my sweet family was going in shifts to visit Hubs so I could get a break from the hospital and check out the town of Westport. DD was Dr. Dad stayed the night with Hubs so I could leave and actually sleep in a bed and get a shower. He also wanted to talk to the doctor when he came in early the next morning. DD and I had rooms in a BnB called the Lurgan House down the road from the rest of the family. They had an apartment atop a little bar called McCarthy's Lodge and Bar.
sneaking away to enjoy Westport
Day 6 Hospital
Saturday. Praise the Lord! Hubs is FINALLY feeling like a human again. Now here’s the real kicker. The hospital we were admitted to? It was a university hospital. They don’t discharge people on the weekend because the doctors aren’t there on the weekend. We begged the on call doctor to let us be discharged, but no. Sunday maybe? We’ll see.
my poor, sweet Hubs
DD was able to work with the BnB owner in Westport to get us a room in a different BnB called the Rose Garden which was located closer to the hospital in Castlebar. All of the BnB owners were so kind, so accommodating, driving us around themselves or arranging things for us. It made the experience bearable knowing that these strangers were genuinely concerned. In fact, after we returned home the owner of the Moher Lodge called DD to check in about Hubs.
view from the Rose Garden
that's the hospital in the background
Day 7 Hospital
Sunday. Well, everyone except DD, Hubs, and I were headed back to the States. When booking the trip DD had purchased travel insurance so we were able to reschedule our flights. We decided to have our own little mini-vacation for Hubs and extended our stay an extra two days. By this point we had given up hope about being discharged before Monday. We played a lot of rummy and had a seemingly endless supply of tea and toast.
Day 8 FREEDOM
The doctor from Friday, the last one we saw in the morning, was back. He wanted to keep Hubs under his care as a case study. DD said no. I’m so glad she was there. I don’t know that I would have had the gall to take a stand. Hubs was feeling immensely better, had his coloring back, his appetite back, and was fever free since Friday. His test results had improved leaps and bounds. After DD convinced the doctor to discharge us, to catch our flights we already rescheduled (she wasn't very clear on the new departure date...hehe), Hubs and I went down to billing to settle up. They said the discharge order hadn’t come through yet and they’d mail us a bill. They never asked to see our licenses, our insurance cards, our passports… I suggested they at least double check our address. It was wrong; we had to correct it. (Flash forward to weeks later: our insurance covered every penny. The total bill for the 5 day, 4 night stay? $5000. That’s it. All inclusive.) Why did we wait to be discharged? Why did we not simply leave? We were afraid our travel insurance and health insurance would not cover anything if the discharge papers read "AMA" (against medical advice). At 1 PM Hubs walked out of the hospital for the first time since going in at 11:15 AM the Thursday before.
love this man
Since we changed our flight home from Sunday to Wednesday, Hubs was actually able to get a vacation day or two in. I believe I’ll continue that story in the next post.
Six months after this trip I am finally ready to rehash what happened! I waited so long to see what memories would stand out so I could focus on the highlights for y’all. I’m going to divide this trip into two parts: part one will be before the hospital and part two will be after. And yes, we had a hospital visit, but all is fine now!
Quick overview of our trip first.
Our group consisted of my dad (Dr. Dad), stepmom (DD), brother (Bro), sister-in-law (Curgz), stepbrother (CC), half-sister (Elf), Hubs and myself. We hiked for 5 days along the Western Way from outside Galway to Westport. We hiked carrying our day packs and all of our luggage was transported ahead of time by the company.
Act One
Galway to Oughterard
The first leg of our trip we flew into Shannon and then hopped a bus to Galway. Galway was a cool town; it had the right amount of tourist kitschiness where the city felt alive and welcoming, but not so much to be patronizing. With our belongings were safely stored away at our AirBnB, half of us went out and about and the other half stayed behind and napped. While gallivanting around we had a Guinness at a pub called The Skeff. Starting here and moving forward, every single person we met and socialized with was the kindest, chattiest person. I mean, I’m a Georgia girl and I know Southern hospitality, but the Irishmen put us to shame! Hubs at this point said he felt ill so he slept, or tried to, most of our Galway experience. Poor man, he had a nasty infection in his finger and was on antibiotics for it. Then he started feeling feverish so Dr. Dad started him alternating ibuprofen and Tylenol thinking Hubs was reacting to the antibiotics and long travel. Unfortunately, we were very wrong.
Dr. Dad in the streets of Galway
sisters who love street art
We took a bus from Galway to Oughterard. Oughterard would be our jumping off point the next morning. That evening Hubs became so feverish the owner of our bed and breakfast offered to call her doctor but we declined thinking he would recover during the night. Again, we were wrong.
Day 1 Hike
Hubs, Bro, and I being ourselves
After a delicious traditional Irish breakfast we were dropped off at the trailhead and commenced our beautiful first day of hiking. We trekked from Oughterard to Cornamona. Bro was in charge of making sure we stayed on course. Whenever we asked him how much farther it was always, “Just two more kilometers.” He said this for, I don’t know many kilometers, but at least 4 or more miles. (Two km is actually equal to about 1.25 mi.) The hike ended at the doorstop of a local pub. A ride provided by the tour company came and picked us up after we had our celebratory Guinness. On the way to our bed and breakfast we got to drive past Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley’s castle.
"how much farther?" "only about 2 km"
Day 2 Hike
perfection in a picture
The second day was the toughest day. (From my experience at least; apparently day four was very strenuous but I did not hike past day three.) We hiked from Cornamona to Connemara. The trail wound through some local farms and then went up a steep hill to St. Patrick’s shrine called Mám Éan. CC, Hubs, and I took our sweet time on this hike. CC and I like to look at everything and take pictures and sweet Hubs was having major fever chills and aches. We made our way down the hill and to our next bed and breakfast. That was a little farm in Connemara. Hubs immediately showered, ate, and went to bed. My siblings and I lingered at the cozy lodge/restaurant/pub down the road for way too long. We closed the place down. Word to the wise: be wary of a drink The Skeff staff called “fluffy duck”; it’s two parts Baileys and one part Hennessy.
Dr. Dad and DD at Mám Éan
the siblings about to close this place down
love love love and wine
Day 3 Hike
here we go!
This third day Hubs and Elf rode straight ahead with our luggage to the next bed and breakfast in order to sleep. Hubs still felt terrible and Elf had had too much fun the night before to enjoy a day along the Western Way. (By the way, that bed and breakfast was haunted, I swear. In the middle of the night I awoke with the feeling I was being watched. I rolled over and saw two dark figures on the wall. I blinked hard and looked to see what would cause the shadow. When I looked back, they were still there. I blinked again and they were gone.) The others and I hiked from Connemara to Leenane. Ireland reminded me so much of Iceland with its green rolling hills, the rocky landscape, and the numerous amounts of sheep. After a day of hiking we went to a pub for some delicious local mussels. We even walked past the mussel farm from which they came! And yes, we did make plenty of "muscle" farm jokes. Poor Hubs didn't get to eat with us, but I did bring him back a "toasty" (a toasted ham sandwich) and some mussels. At the end of this day he was so incapacitated that the next morning he and I went to the hospital.
I don't typically like mussels but I devoured these
That ends the first act and leads us into the second act of this saga. I will pick up on that next post.
As part of my sister’s college graduation, she’s the last one of us to graduate, my dad and stepmom have put together a family trip to Ireland. My dad, stepmom, my brother and his wife, my younger brother and sister, Hubs and myself are the travel party. My dad and stepmom have done this trip twice before, but it’s been about 20 years. They fully expect this third time to live up to their memories of their previous trips.
The plan is for us to fly to Shannon and then hike in Galway. The trip is a hiking trip! But, it’s the best kind! It’s the kind where your belongings are sent ahead and you hike through the Irish countryside, stopping for a picnic, then hike to the bed and breakfast. You get to bed and breakfast for teatime and then you have a few hours to clean up and relax in your room where your things are waiting for you. Then you head to the a local pub for dinner and a Guinness. Off to bed and then do it again the next day!
We will hike about 7-11 miles, about 4-6 hours, each day. We will do this for five days. Hubs and I are excited because we have been wanting to do a hiking trip like this since Machu Picchu. This one will be nice because we have learned a lot since then and we won’t have to carry so much. And bonus: no stairs! The Inca roads and stairs were amazing, but even now five years later my knees ache thinking about them.
I’ll be sure to post once we get back with some awesome stories and gorgeous pictures.
What are y’all doing this summer? Let me know in the comments below!
Whatever you do, please be safe and have fun!
Once we crossed the border into Canada we stopped by Niagara Falls. Or rather, we drove by it. It was so crowded and there was no parking anywhere in sight. Hubs and I decided he would drive around while I jumped out and got a few pictures. Getting to the railing and seeing anything was a task. The sight was gorgeous. It truly was. But the whole magical ambiance I expected was missing. Maybe I’m a waterfall snob after having seen Iceland’s fossar.
Hubs made a big circle and picked me up. Then we headed to Toronto. So much driving. We made a total blunder and didn’t download a map of Toronto before crossing the border. This fact was not discovered until we were driving around Toronto at 11pm looking for our AirBNB based off of the map from a screenshot of the app. The app wouldn’t open, Google Maps only showed us as a blue dot driving down unnamed roads, and according to Waze we were floating in gray space. We asked a person on the sidewalk, but he was a tourist, too, and didn’t know either! Thankfully Hubs has a sense of direction and the AirBNB app let us read old messages so we had just enough detail to find it.
We didn’t sleep at all that night. We were supposed to stay there for three nights but ended up cancelling and getting out of the city. Back in the car (yay! not) we headed for Meaford. We stayed one night in a little basement apartment on an inlet of Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron. We had a delicious lunch at Bridges Tavern and then rested before heading to the Scandinave Spa.
The evening at the spa was exactly what we needed. Different pools, saunas, fire pits, and even a hammock nap. Watching nature and being so still and quiet felt so unburdening after all those hours driving in traffic and feeling lost. Hubs said it was the best massage he’s ever had.
The AirBNB was a basement apartment of a local artist and his wife. Their place was steps away from the water. Hubs and I, feeling rested and rejuvenated, had coffee by the water and went rock hunting. I love doing that; searching for the perfect pebble by the water. Afterward we walk for a walk around the marina and down a local trail. Sadly, we had to head back to the city. It’s safe to say we are officially country mice now.
In Toronto the AirBNB was on the 47th floor. The elevator ride took approximately 5 seconds. I wonder how fast we were traveling. The view from the balcony was breathtaking. The city lights and Lake Ontario were beautiful. After a photo session we got dinner at La Carnita. Bonus! It was Taco Tuesday!
Next up, Braves vs. the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre! We sat in the nosebleeds behind center field. The game was fun; especially since the Braves won and Camargo hit a grand slam!
The next day we went to the second game in the series. I made sure we got there early for batting practice. Then Dansby Swanson walked out for autographs. I started fangirl screaming at him, “Dansby! I’m from Marietta, too! I went to Harrison!” He walked over with a curious look on his face, “Really? Why are you all the way out here?” Dansby was really chill and seemed sincere. He took a picture with me! Swoon. Later we realized it was school day and our seats had been commandeered by some students. We left for the standing section behind home plate. We left the game early. The Braves were losing and we had yet another long day of driving ahead of us. We stopped for the night in Massachusetts. In the morning we headed out early for Providence to catch our flight home.
Overall the trip was fun! Seeing the different ballparks and meeting different fans was neat. However, for our next big trip, Hubs and I will plan on something involving no driving!
This year Hubs and I slacked planning our yearly trip. We tossed around different ideas but nothing really stuck out to us the way Peru, Iceland, or our roadtrip did. The airfare to places we would start to look into, such as Croatia or Denmark, was more than we were wanting to spend. So Hubs started looking at airline deals and found flights to Providence, RI for $15! From there our trip fell into place.
We flew to Providence, stopped for a delicious brunch at Julian’s, and then drove our rental to the Bronx. This was my first time to New York and driving in it was TERRIBLE. I would NOT suggest it. I know it seems obvious enough, but seriously. I’ve ridden through Quito, Boston, Atlanta, but nothing compares to New York. Hubs was driving and even he, the calmest, most level-headed person I know, was getting stressed out. The AirBNB place was awesome and had free parking so that was nice.
That night we went to the Yankees game. The new Yankee Stadium was pretty neat, but mostly memorable due to its massive size. It was no Turner Field, but you know, Turner Field isn’t even Turner Field anymore. The Yankees beat Tampa Bay which is good. I’d hate to see Yankees fans after a loss.
The next day we booked it to Pittsburgh. That wass a long drive. Once we got out of New York and into Pennsylvania the drive was mostly passing scenic farms on rolling hills. That night we stayed with my brother and his family. We went with them to a little carnival at their church with their little girls. I love their neighborhood. They can walk to their church, playground, public pool, and an ice cream parlor. Their town often has little parades and festivals for families. I hate that my family lives so far, but I love that the girls are growing up in such a nice place.
Our second day in Pittsburgh my brother, sister-in-law, Hubs, and I went to Maggie’s Farm Rum. It’s a distillery inside an old roofing business. It was a really cool place and the drinks were delicious! Afterward we headed to PNC Park to see the Pirates play the Reds. Again, another home team win! The view from PNC Park is like no other. We had seats in the upper section behind home plate and it was perfect. The sun was behind us; the bridge and the river and a beautiful Pittsburgh skyline in front of us. I would love to go back! After the game we went out to dinner and ate perogies and mac-n-cheese on a rooftop. I had never had a perogi before and had to ask what it was. Then we went back to get my brother’s car. He parked it at his work and so we got a tour of his office building. That was really cool! Mainly because the fridge is always stocked, you can work from home whenever you want, and you can bring your dog to the office.
Our last day in Pittsburgh we headed to Church Brew Works for brunch. My sister-in-law and I drove there with the girls and the guys took the rental. The guys beat us there and went ahead and ordered appetizers for us. They got traditional and “non-traditional” perogies. Both were delicious! Once my sister-in-law and I tried the “non-traditional” perogies we asked the guys what was in them. I guessed black beans, and I was so wrong. It was RATTLESNAKE! And it was surprisingly quite tasty.
Once brunch was over, we said our goodbyes and headed toward Niagara Falls. We made a quick stop at the Eternal Flame Falls in Buffalo. It’s a natural gas deposit so once lit it stays lit. Online it looked really amazing and my brother suggested it, so we figured why not? The hike to it was pretty easy since there hadn’t been much rain lately and over half of the hike is in a creek. However, that lack of rain meant lack of falls. What we saw was a little lighter size flame in a rock. Normally the water falls in front of it which I could see would be cool. Now my brother’s comment about bring your lighter in case it blows out made more sense. Oh well, it was nice to get out of the car and stretch. Time to continue on the Niagara Falls!
Check back soon to read about the other half of our trip- the Canada side!
Recently I’ve been thinking about why I haven’t had time to take any trips. Then I realized I didn’t have time to take a big trip because I’m never home! Whether I’m at work downtown, the tennis courts at the park, the trails at Pine Mountain, or at my dad’s farm, I’m always somewhere. I take the places I live and the little trips I take for granted all the time!
A few weekends ago I took another trip to visit my brother and his little family in Canonsburg, PA for my nieces’ birthdays. We didn’t really leave his house since we were trying to get as much quality time as possible. Why did I not count this as an adventure? Hubs was with me and we even got my dad to take us out to West Virginia to pick up a car we bought on eBay. (Yeah, we’re those people who buy cars off eBay and then drive them 12 hours…). The fall foliage was gorgeous! What a treat for the afternoon! My mom and I went up to Canonsburg in July to babysit. We went to the park and on the way we walked past deer, a big buck no less!, a fox, and a rabbit. Why am I not considering these as big trips? I did have to go through the TSA security after all. Plus spending time with a two year old and a one year old is always an adventure.
Earlier this month I went to Gulf Shores, Alabama for a tennis tournament. I got to swim in the Gulf in November. I had the jellyfish sting and sand in my britches to prove it. In May I was in Macon, GA for another tournament. Why do I exclude these from my other big travels? I also went to LaGrange, GA for yet another tournament. That’s a little under an hour from where I live, but still! I went antiquing during rain delays between match times; that makes it an official vacation!
It all made me think about how lucky and blessed I am to have the freedom to take this mini-trips across my state and region. I get to experience local restaurants, brews, and views. What more of a blessing could I ask for than that?
“Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.” 1 Corinthians 16:5-7
Mount Saint Helensskipped to have more time in the Redwoods
Crater Lake National Park skipped because roads closed and bad weather predicted
Day 9: Portland & Redwood National park
AT&T Park skipped because did not get there in time for Bark in the Park
Day 11: Sequoia National Park
Death Valley National Park skipped because too hot for dogs
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area skipped because too hot for dogs
Day 12: Grand Canyon National Park
Zion National Park skipped because did not drive through Utah
Bryce Canyon National Park skipped because did not drive through Utah
Arches National Park skipped because did not drive through Utah
Day 13: Denver
Day 14: HOME!
Day 8: Ladysmith, BC to Seattle, WA
Holland Creek Trail
The second week of our trip we started a little weak from the night before. We amazingly got our tired selves out of bed and went for a hike. We drove to a nice trail called Holland Creek. There was a sweet little waterfall and a vista on top of a hill where you could see the bay. Here we encountered these strange black slugs and large, old trees. The scenery was romantic and wild. We passed some nice people and Hubs spotted a "treasure" from a treasure hunt the day before. It was a crocheted dishcloth made by someone from Alberta. We thoroughly enjoyed hiking on Vancouver Island. You could let your dog off leash at the park we went to, but we opted not to do that. We, nor our furbabies, knew the area or local wildlife or what other dogs might be out there. Better safe than sorry! After the hike we said goodbye to Jason and took BC Ferries from Duke Point to Tsawwassen. While waiting for the ferry we got some coffee. I was surprised to see an advertisement on the cafe's counter for Cuban coffee. They also had books about the Pig Wars over the U.S. and Canada's border dispute. We crossed back in to the U.S. past the Peace Arch. The border control was not as friendly as the control going into Canada. We drove for Seattle and had dinner at the Traveler on Leary Way with an old sorority sister of mine and her boyfriend. It was a neat little place; we got to eat with the dogs inside the restaurant! After dinner we drove around for a place to stay and eventually convinced the KOA employee to let us have a parking spot. This was our first night sleeping in the van. It was rough and uncomfortable for us. The dogs seemed to claim their spots and push us off the side.
Day 9: Seattle, WA to Crescent City, CA
Everything inside the van STUNK at this point. Between our dogs, dirty clothes, us being in there for hours, and all the fur floating around we reeked. All four of us were also exhausted. We had some really long days and not getting very good sleep. I was ready to take a vacation from my vacation!
Radio Room
We drove straight from the KOA outside of Seattle to Portland, OR. On the way we stopped for doggie toothbrushes, Febreeze, and a heavy duty lint brush. That helped a ton. In Portland we took a couple of hours to walk around. We had brunch at a place called the Radio Room. It was super delicious, dog friendly, and had no wait! Hubs and I also had our eyes out for Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. Unfortunately, we did not see them.
Hubs and I decided to skip Mt. Rainer, Mt. St. Helens, and Crater Lake. Crater Lake was due to bad weather conditions. All the roads around it were still closed and snow and rain were predicted for that afternoon. Once we got to Crescent City we camped out in the van again at a KOA. This time we used an air mattress. That and the repugnant odors under control we slept a little better.
Day 10: Crescent City, CA to Petaluma, CA
This, by far, was the coolest day for Hubs and me. We got to spend the day among the Redwoods! We got the proper permit and hiked the Tall Trees Trail and Tall Trees Grove. The tallest tree in the world is off this trail. The tree itself isn't marked and the park only allows 50 people a day to hike the trail. Hubs and I suppose it's so too many people aren't walking off looking for the tallest tree. Being in this forest made me feel so small but so alive. It really makes you think about how much Earth has changed and what our role is in this place. As I mentioned earlier, we hiked sans chiens on these trails. I wish we could have taken them because they would have loved it! But, I understand not taking dogs on the trails. We heard some elk trumpeting off in the distance.
Later we heard a low growl. Do elk growl? Dogs can lead predators toward you and their scent can mess with wild animals’ migrations and other habits. There’s more about it on the National Park Services’ website. Each park has different rules and regulations, so make sure you research the park you want to visit beforehand. After that four mile hike we went to find the corkscrew tree and Big Tree. We didn't find those, but we found some other interesting sights! We then drove through the Avenue of the Giants. Hubs thought it was an audio tour, perhaps on an AM radio station. Once we got there and I grabbed a pamphlet we realized it was an auto tour. Ha! I read aloud the pamphlet to provide the audio. The visitor center was cool, too. They had a section of redwood with a timeline on the rings. They also had planted a sequoia, redwood, and a third species all around the same time to see how similar and different they are and how they grow. We eventually camped out the KOA.
timeline on a redwood
Day 11: Crescent City, CA to Tehachapi, CA
view up the mountains
Hubs and I decided to skip Utah completely. It was too hot. We toyed with the idea of going to the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, but it would be too hot there, and again, no dogs allowed. So we continued south along highway 180. We stopped at a local fruit stand and got some delicious apples and oranges. We should have gotten the peaches, but being from Georgia I was a little afraid I'd like the CA peaches better! It was the perfect snack to get us to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The sequoias were gorgeous, but it wasn't the same awe inspiring effect the redwoods had. Hubs and I went to see General Sherman Tree. Again, since we are from GA I rolled my eyes and made some failed fire jokes to Hubs. The tree itself was so massive. I thought I had seen some large oak trees and I've seen some amazingly enormous trees in the Amazon, but this tree was pretty massive. Could you imagine a forest full of those? We didn't go to Kings Canyon since we planned to get to the Grand Canyon the next day. I have a feeling a lot of tourists do this, but I wish we had had the time to at least go peak at it! After our winding descent we grabbed some pizza and stayed at a hotel in Tehachapi. Apparently this hotel had a weight limit to 50 lbs for both dogs. Since I booked online (and didn't see that detail) and they already ran my credit card, they looked the other way for us. Hubs went back and looked again online and said he didn't see that little tidbit posted anywhere. Oh well!
couldn't get something this massive in one picture!
Day 12: Tehachapi, CA to Williams, AZ
After, once again, going back and forth between route options and what we could and could not do with the precious pups, we planned to go to the Grand Canyon's South Rim. The South Rim Trail is very dog friendly (yay!) and the trail is paved and mostly shaded (yay again!). We went straight to a KOA, even hopping on Route 66 for a bit, and set up camp. Once the afternoon grew later and temperatures began to drop from Hell to Oven, we loaded up with plenty of water and drove to the Grand Canyon. We hiked from Bright Angel to Hopi Point. We got to Hopi Point in time to watch the sunset. It was like a dream! Fodor's said to do this and it was so right. We hiked back in the dusk and got to our van by dark. The views along the trail are jaw-dropping. We passed elk and even the dogs stopped to look and not go into chase mode. We got back to camp and passed out.
Day 13: Williams, AZ to Denver, CO
This was a long, hot day. Poor pups- I don't know how they are managing so well! Hubs and I were excited to see my aunt and uncle in Denver, but all four of us were ready to be home, take a long shower, bathe the dogs, and sleep in our own beds. At the point we had traveled over 6,000 miles in 13 days. That is a lot of car time. We drove straight to Denver without any major stops.
Day 14: Denver, CO to HOME!
Hubs and I met up with my aunt and uncle and ate brunch at Stella’s on 16th. Everywhere we went the food got better and the dogs behaved better. An employee suggested the French toast and that did not disappoint! The cappuccino was yummy and so was the frittata. We went to my aunt and uncle's condo for a minute to pick up some family heirlooms. The dogs walk right past their two cats and liked the view from the balcony. After we said our good-byes we climbed into the car for our last long haul. Hubs and I drove through the night switching at each empty tank. Hubs let me drive for once! Our husky was fine, but our little lab could not sleep while we were driving. He would try and then we'd hit a pothole or something and he's be straight up.
Once we got home in the morning, about 23 hours later, our lab ran around our yard and then into the house and on the sofa. Our husky wouldn't get out of the van for a few minutes. She sat there like, "What? Is it over? Do I know this place?" Needless to say we all crashed.
sunrise on the way home
The trip was long and a lot, but it was so great! Hubs and I are talking about a possible trip up the east coast. Now that we know what the van needs to make the trip easier and more comfortable we are ready to make the modifications and hit the road again!
-Sarah
