2.5 Weeks on the Road
We had so many memorable experiences and learned a lot of lessons the last 2.5 weeks. It all started with Steve riding STP in 1 day (wahoo!) and ended with a flight from Long Beach back to Seattle. Here was the itinerary:
- I drove the girls down to Portland while Steve did his STP thing. My biggest point of pride was stopping only 3 times for snacks and bathroom breaks…and lugging all the kids luggage, etc. to our hotel room while carrying Allison too! (No, the Residence Inn Riverplace does not have a bellboy!)
- The next morning we drove to Belknap Hot Springs to meet up with a bunch of friends and family. It was super warm with no A/C, but the girls really enjoyed hiking, watching the river swish past our suite window and exploring the gardens around the resort.
- After two nights at Belknap we headed down I5 to Ashland on another 90+ degree scorcher day. We stayed right in the center of town, dragged the kids to a local park and to pizza for dinner. After three prior nights of poor sleep we finally got a refreshing night of sleep in Ashland before heading out the next morning.
- Sacramento Arden West presented some pleasant surprises. We were delighted to find that the Hilton had a bellboy and a Nordstrom across the highway. Arden West Mall far exceeded our expectations. Not only did they have a nice mall, but it also had a carousel AND a Fresh Choice – soup and salad restaurant. One of our big disappointments happened when we drove past the first In and Out in California, but we recovered at Del Taco.
- We then made a trip to the Jelly Belly Factory Tour after the Sacramento leg. We drove then to visit my Uncle Richard and Aunt Susan, so the girls could meet my Dad’s family. Following this visit was Carmel – and a very neat, historic place – the Carmel Mission Ranch. We stayed at a refurbished barn and checked out the Monterey Bay Aquarium the next day. We were blown away by the 1 million gallon tank – the hammerheads, sun fish, enormous tuna and turtles. Everything about the aquarium was on amazing scale – from the kelp tanks, jellyfish exhibit, children’s exhibit and much much more. Our dinner the preceding night was at a very touristy restaurant, bubba gumps; we had one of the best tables overlooking sea lions basking on rocks below.
- Santa Barbara was our next spot for two nights. We arrived at dinner time, visited the beach briefly and had some really tasty Mexican food for dinner. The next day we walked up the street, window shopping, and split up while Allison napped. Steve took Katherine to another beach before we shopped on State Street that afternoon. That evening Steve and I were alarmed when Allison awoke just drenched and hot. Her temperature must have been 103-104. Thankfully we had Infant Motrin on hand, and we were able to get her temperature down in about 20 minutes.
- Timing for Allison was fortuitous because we were scheduled to go to Steve’s parents house that morning. The next four days were very low key. We decided to cancel our San Diego hotel reservations and instead let Allison recover from what turned out to be Roseola. We had thought that Allison had Roseola several months ago, but it clearly hadn’t happened then. As the pediatrician we visited in Orange County said, she ran a super high fever for 3 days. After it broke, a rash appeared on her chest. It sort of looked like little red pinpricks – not totally obvious because of her skin coloring – but still very clear on closer inspection.
- During that time, Steve took Katherine to Disneyland one hot scorching day and to a local beach. It was sooo hot in LA during these four days, with rolling blackouts and temperatures regularly above 90 degrees.
- Allison’s rash disappeared on Saturday and we were able to finally hit Disneyland that weekend. Allison really was a bit young for the park, but she loved “it’s a small world,” the carousel, all the activity around the park and the parades. She a bit apprehensive to meet the bigger characters, e.g. Woody and stoic on some more active rides, e.g. Alice Wonderland, teacups, Dunbo etc.
- On Monday we climbed on our plane at Long Beach airport and had a relatively uneventful ride home. My mom picked us up and, boy, were we GLAD to get home. ๐
Needless to say, we were so tired after this vacation. It’s been two days and we’re finally starting to recover. Katherine’s listening is much improved (whew) and Allison is back to her regular sleep schedule.
