December in Phoenix - Nick

12/15/17

From the Wells Fargo Museum

Yesterday we woke up early to take the camper to a repair shop. We had to get the tires changes. Then we left the camper there and went to a Wells Fargo Museum. Wells Fargo is a bank that started back when the gold rush happened. Then we went to Noodles for lunch. Next we went to a Walmart to get a couple things. Then we picked up our camper and went back to our site. Finally we had pizza for dinner. I forgot to mention that we had Ihop for breakfast.

12/16/17

Yesterday we went to the Science Museum. There were all kinds of exhibits. The first one we saw was about bones and organs and your brain. There was a game called The Brain Game. You put a helmet on that sensed your brain. Whoever had the least brain waves wins. To not have brain waves you need to be calm.  Another thing there was was a giant stomach you could walk into that explained how the stomach worked. Then we went to the technology exhibits. I learned to send my name in Morse code. There was also a camera that made your face look really weird. My favorite thing was a bed of nails though. After the Science Museum we came home, had dinner, and watched a movie.

12/17/17

Yesterday we didn’t do much until lunch. Then at 1:00 we started driving somewhere but Dad wouldn’t tell us where. When we pulled into the parking lot we figured out it was an amusement park called Castles and Coasters. After we bought our tickets we went into the park. The first ride we did was a ride where you sat in a cart that was attached to a metal tower and you went up slowly and then dropped really fast. Then we went on a roller coaster called Desert Storm. It went up really high and then down really steep. It also went upside down twice. We did that ride a couple times. Next we went on a ride called Loggerhead. It was like a roller coaster but you were in a man-made river that went all over. Next we went on a ride called Sea Dragon. On Sea Dragon you sat in a giant boat that swung back and forth in a little more than a half circle. On that ride you get a really weird feeling in your stomach. Next we did bumper cars, which were fun. We did those a bunch of times because there was almost no line. Then we went on a ride called Magic Carpet. You sat in a cart that spun in circles really fast. Then we did a roller coaster called Patriot that was really fast. Then we did my favorite ride. It was called Little Indy. You got in a go-kart and raced around a track with a bunch of other people. The carts could go about 25 mph. then we did a rope course that wasn’t the best, but the zip line they had next to it was really fun. Then we came home and went to bed.

12/18/17

Yesterday we didn’t do much because we were all really tired. We stayed up really late at Castles and Coasters. We watched the Packer game. We lost. We also watched a lot of other football. Then I rode my bike. Next we had pizza and watched a movie.

12/19/17

Yesterday I rode my bike a lot in the morning. Then after lunch, we did a 3 mile hike to a nature center. They had some signs about the animals that lived around there. The hike was pretty. We saw a lot of cactus. Then we went shopping. When we got back we had dinner and watched a movie.

12/20/17

Yesterday we took the camper into a tire place to get the tires changes or something. Then while they were fixing the tires we went to the first neighborhood of Phoenix, Arizona. That is where we are. The houses weren’t very old so the city couldn’t be very old either. Then just to kill some time we went to the Creativity Center. It was a room with Legos and wood blocks in it. We didn’t stay long. Next we picked up our camper and drove to our next site. When we got there we had dinner and played Wii.

12/21/17

Yesterday we didn’t do much because we were waiting to pick Mom up from the airport. I rode my bike for a while, I played football with Andi, I read, and I played Wii. At about 5:30 we had dinner. Then we got Mom from the airport. It was really nice to see her. On the way home we got Culver’s malts. They were really good. Then, since it was really late we went to bed.

12/22/17

Yesterday we drove our camper into town to get the brakes on it fixed. It was an hour and a half to get there. When we did get there we got lunch at a sandwich place. It was good. When we got back the trailer was done. Next we went shopping. After shopping we drove an hour and a half to get back to our site. Then we had dinner and went to bed.

12/23/17

Yesterday we drove to our next site. It was a really long drive. When we got there we set up camp. Then we met some kids. They were really nice. We played laser tag, capture the flag, and football. It was really fun to have kids to play with. We played with them for a really long time. Then we had dinner and went to bed.

12/24/17

Yesterday we had breakfast in the morning. Then I went outside and played laser tag with my new friends. After we played laser tag for a while we helped the host clean up some of the sites after people leave. It turns out they do that all the time to help out. The hosts are 70 and 80 years old, so it is harder for them. After that we played laser tag and football for a while. We also played nerf guns. Then we went over to a friend’s camper and played X-box. We played a game called Starwars Battle Front. It was really fun. Then we came home and had dinner. After dinner we played X-box again for a while. Then we came home and went to bed.

Grandma's awesome handmade Christmas gifts!

12/26/17

Two days ago was Christmas Eve! During the day we played with our friends. We played laser tag, rode bikes, and all sorts of other things. We played until about 6:00. Then we came home and had chili. We also opened Grandma and Grandpa’s presents because at home we always go to their house on Christmas Eve. I got a really nice homemade blanket and pillow. I also got some Greek Mythology books. Then we watched A Christmas Story and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Then we went to bed.

Wisco Pop from the deSnoo family

Yesterday was Christmas! We all slept in until about 8:00. Then we had donuts for breakfast while we watched the 5^th Harry Potter movie. The donuts were really good. When the movie was over we opened presents. From the Rutters we got some clay modeling stuff that looked fun. From the deSnoos we got some really good cherry soda I had never had before. Then, from Mom and Dad, we got a robot building kit. Once you build it you can control it with a controller. Then we watched the 6^th Harry Potter movie. After that we went outside and played with our friends. We rode bikes, played laser tag, and all sorts of things. We played until about 5:00 and then we went out to dinner at a Chinese place. It was really good. I got sweet and sour chicken. When we got home we watched Part 1 of the 7^th Harry Potter movie.

12/27/17

Yesterday we had another day where we played with our friends all day. We played laser tag, football, and rode bikes. We did that all day. When we were done we had dinner and did homework.

12/28/17

Yesterday we started driving to our next site in the morning, but a little way into the drive something on the trailer broke. We came back to the same site. While Dad was fixing the trailer I played with John and Cole for the rest of the day. Then we had dinner and watched a movie.

12/29/17

Yesterday we got going early in the morning and took the camper in to a repair shop to get the axles replaced. While it was getting repaired we got breakfast at Waffle House. Then we sat at a library until the trailer was done. Then we drove home and I played with my friends for the rest of the day. At about 6:00 we went over to our friend's campsite for dinner. We had hot dogs and ribs. Then we came home and went to bed.

December in Phoenix - Andi

Dec. 15, 2017

Yesterday we dropped the camper off at a place to fix it. Then we drove to the Wells Fargo and Company Museum. Then we had lunch at Noodles. Then we got the camper back, moved, and read in bed.

Wells Fargo Museum

Dec. 16, 2017

Yesterday we went to the Arizona Science Museum. We saw a water exhibit with balls, water pipes, and music made with water. Then we played a brain game in the next exhibit. The brain game was where you wore a helmet and tried not to get any emotion waves. They also had the sky cycle. You were on a metal bike and a cable and you pedaled backwards or forwards. We saw lots of other exhibits including the bed of nails (it didn’t work), dancing magnets, and tug-of-war. Then we came home and watche da movie and went to bed.

Dec. 17, 2017

Yesterday we had a quiet morning until 1:00 pm. We went to an amusement park called Castles-n-Coasters. It had a ride that went up slowly and once at the top it drops fast. Then we went in splash town. It is a ride where you sit in a plastic log and you float down a controlled river. You go up and then down fast into the water. It went up and down twice. Then we went on a ride called Desert Storm. You go up, down, upside down, and spirals. Then we went on the Sea Dragon. You rock backwards and forwards until you’re straight up and down. Then we did bumper cars. Then we did the little Indy Race Car Track. The line was so long we burnt an hour just sitting in line. Once we got a car, Nick had to drive because I wasn’t tall enough. We got the slowest car by far. We just kept doing them over and over until it started getting dark. Once it was dark we did the rope course and zipline. Then we did bumper boats. It was a tube with a motor on it and it was hard to drive. We stayed there for an hour. Then we did our favorite rides one more time and then went home. We got to bed at about 11:00 pm.

Dec. 18, 2017

Yesterday we had a down day. We played Wii, watched a couple football games and watched Harry Potter the 4^th.

Dec. 19, 2017

Yesterday we rode bikes. We explored the campground. Then we went on a hike towards the Nature Center. Then we went shopping. We watched a movie and went to bed.

Dec. 20, 2017

Yesterday we dropped the camper off at the shop. Then we went to the Arizona Science Create Center. Then we got the camper back and went to a new campsite. We played Wii.

Dec. 21, 2017

Yesterday we rode bikes, played Wii, read, and played football. We had dinner and then went to pick mom up from the airport. Then we went to bed.

Eagerly awaiting Christmas!

Dec. 22, 2017

Yesterday we drove to the place where we got the camper fixed. Then we sat in the car for a while. Then we went out for lunch. Once we got it back, we drove to our campsite and played Dominion. Then we went to bed.

Dec. 23, 2017

Yesterday we had a lazy morning. Then we found some kids to play with. We played laser tag, capture the flag, and some more laser tag. We came in, had dinner, and read.

Dec. 24, 2017

Yesterday mom and I read in bed. Then we went to the nature center and got Uncle Ryan a Christmas present.  I also got a necklace. Then I played with a new friend. We played Barbies, American Girl dolls, and rode bikes. We had dinner and then went back over to their house to play. Then we went to bed.

Dec. 26, 2017

Two days ago (Christmas Eve) we played with our friends outside. We played American Girl Dolls, Barbies, and more American Girl dolls. We watched a Christmas Story and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Then we went to bed.

Christmas Day watching movies

Yesterday we had doughnuts, watched movies, opened presents, and played outside. We played American Girl dolls. Then we had Chinese food. We watched another movie and went to bed.

Christmas dinner a la Christmas Story

Today we played all day. We played American Girl dolls, baked cookies, rode bikes, colored, and made earrings and necklaces.

Dec. 28, 2017

Yesterday we packed up and started to leave. We bought coins at the Visitor Center and came back and the camper was on jacks. We booked another campsite and played again. We painted. Then we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Then we went to bed.

Dec. 29, 2017

Yesterday we drove to the place where we could get our camper fixed. Then we had breakfast at Waffle House. Then we brought the camper back to the campsite and played with our friends. Then we had dinner at a friend's campsite. Then we went to bed.

San Diego - Nick and Andi

La Jolla Beach

Helicopter at the Leatherneck Aviation Museum

12/6/17

Nick: 

Yesterday we went shopping in the morning. When we were done shopping we came home and had lunch. After lunch Andi and I played laser tag for a while. Then we went to a beach on the Pacific Ocean. There were some tiny crabs in the water that were fun to watch. Then we came home, had dinner and watched the 3^rd Harry Potter movie.

12/7/17

Nick:

Yesterday we went to Miramar Base. It is a Marine base. We saw the gyms where the Marines worked out. We also saw the obstacle course they had to pass to be a Marine. Best of all we got to see all of the planes. There were tons of fighter jets and helicopters that could lift tanks. Then we came home and had lunch. After lunch Andi and I played laser tag for a while. Next we went to Cabrillo Tide Pools in Cabrillo National Park. We saw all sorts of water animals. We saw a slug that was a foot long. It felt like a wet hot dog. We saw a sea anemone eating a crab. We actually saw a ton of sea anemones.  When you touch them they curl up and they are really sticky. We also saw hermit crabs. Then we came home and had dinner.

Huge California Sea Hare

Andi:

Yesterday we woke up at 7:00 am to get to the Miramar Marine Corps base. They had an auto body shop and a place where you could fix your own car. We also saw a couple gyms where they could exercise. Then we saw the obstacle course. We saw the planes after that. They had planes that could take off vertically. They could land vertically too. Then we went to the museum. I mostly played with sticks. Then we came home and played. Then we went to the tide pools and saw a California Sea Hare (a kind of sea slug), lots of sea anemones, and tiny hermit crabs. Then we watched a movie and went home.

12/8/17

Nick:

Yesterday we had a huge breakfast in the morning. Then we went to the USS Midway. It is an old aircraft carrier that they turned into a museum. We saw the take-off strip where they hooked the plane onto what they called a shuttle or catapult. The catapult was powered by compressed steam. It launched the plane in a really short distance. We also got to see the bridge where they drove the ship. We also saw where the people on the ship slept. They were packed in like sardines. The bunks were 3 high. We also did a simulator that simulated being in a fighter jet. We were doing flips and rolls and all sorts of stuff. We also looked at a bunch of jets.

Andi:

Yesterday we had omelets, hashbrowns, and bacon. Then we went to the USS Midway aircraft carrier. The museum was on the boat. We saw lots of planes. We saw fighter jets and rescue helicopters. We did the audio tour. We saw the Midway Battle Theater. It was a video about the battle against Japan. Then we went to the upper deck and looked at the planes up there. We saw the brig. That is where the crew went if you stole something, argued and got in fights or didn’t do what you were told. Then we did a simulator. It felt and looked like you were flying an airplane. We did a talk about landing, but I fell asleep so I didn’t hear it. Then we came home and played Scrambled States of America.

12/9/17

Nick:

Graduation at MCRD

Yesterday we went to the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot. We watched a bunch of Marines graduate from boot camp. It was really long. It was not fun, but it was still cool to see. Then we went back to the Midway Museum. We saw the kitchen first. They cooked soup in giant tubs that had to be 50 gallons. Then we saw the area where everyone ate. It looked like a school cafeteria. Next we saw where the captains ate. They had nicer tables and better food. We also saw a few more jets. Then we came home and had dinner.

Andi:

Yesterday we went to a 2 hour military graduation show. It got boring, but the music was good. I started playing with my sunglasses. When it was over we went to the USS Midway Museum. We saw ready rooms, the kitchen, the dining room, and the hospital. Then we went home and played. Then I went to bed.

Joshua Tree - Nick

11/26/17

Yesterday we slept in and did homework in the morning. Then I drove my remote control car around for a while. Then we had lunch and went to Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center. We asked what there was to do in the park and they gave us a few suggestions. Then we came home and had chow mein for dinner.

The Joshua Trees are very unique

11/27/17

Yesterday we moved our camper to a site that was only 20 minutes away. We moved there because it was a way nice spot. When we got there a man came over and talked to my parents for 3 ½ hours. It got really boring. He was nice but he just kept talking. When he left we went to a airport that had some gliders that we got to look at and sit in. Then we came home, had dinner and watched the Packer game. We lost.

11/28/17

Yesterday we did a 6 mile hike through Joshua Tree. The Joshua Trees were really cool. They looked like a pineapple on a really long stem. The rock formations were also cool. We had lunch on the hike. After the hike we went to the Visitor Center. After that we came home and had dinner.

This is a Beaver Tail cactus

11/29/17

Yesterday we worked on our generator for a while. We finally decided it was broken beyond repair. We went into town to get a new one. It took a really long time to find one. When we finally found one we came home, ate dinner and read Harry Potter.

Andi is sometimes mean on our hikes...

11/30/2017

Yesterday we had a lazy morning. Then we drove for 1 hour to get to a hike. It was a 7 mile hike to a desert oasis. A desert oasis is a place in a desert where water gathers. There were lots of pretty, colorful plants in the oasis. The hike there was also really pretty. When we got back home we had dinner and went to bed.

12/1/2017

Yesterday we did the 49 Palms Oasis hike. It was 3 miles and it went to a desert oasis. There were tons of palm trees where the water gathered. They all had charred trunks from a campfire that got out of control. Then we did a Ranger Talk that was about another oasis. It was just like the other one. The ranger talked about the different kinds of animals that used the water from the oasis. Then we went to a store to get a few things. Then we came home and watched the first Harry Potter movie.

Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park

12/2/2017

Yesterday we went over to some people we met a few days earlier. They were flying model airplanes (remote control planes). They even let us fly them. One went 60 mph. By the time we were done I was getting pretty good. One guy crashed his plane at full throttle straight into the rock hard ground. The propeller almost hit his head. Then we had lunch. After lunch we went to a hangar where the RC pilots work on their real planes. We got to sit in some of them. They were really cool. Then we did laundry and dumped our tanks. After that we came home and had dinner.

12/3/2017

Yesterday I rode my motor bike in the morning. It was really fun until I ran over a nail and popped my front tire. We couldn’t fix it at the time because we didn’t have a tire patching kit. Then we went on a hike up to Ryan Mountain. It was a three mile hike up to the top of Ryan Mountain. We went up 1033 feet. The view from the top was amazing. We could see mountains and rock formations all around us. After that we did a few more hikes including Skull Rock. That was a short hike to a rock that looked like a skull. Then we went to Walmart to get a few things. Finally we ate dinner and watched Harry Potter 2.

12/4/2017

Yesterday we watched the Packer game in the morning. We won! After the game we went to a private airport. The RC pilots had a few planes there including a glider that we were going to get to fly in. We drove over to the runway. Andi went first. She got into the glider, which was tiny. It was made to seat 2 people with no room to spare. She was flying in the glider with one of the pilots and the other was in the tow plane. The tow plane is a plane with an engine that towed the glider up to a certain height because gliders don’t have engines. Once you get to a certain height you disconnect from the tow plane and glide down. Andi’s flight lasted about 15 minutes. Once she got back down, I got into the cockpit. Take-off was really fun. Since the glider was lighter than the tow plane, you bot up in the air before the tow plane, but then got pulled back down. Once we took off we went up to 5,000 feet before disconnecting from the tow plane. Going up we hit some really rough, windy spots. It was like being on a roller coaster in those parts. We were going all over the place. After we disconnected, the pilot let me fly!! It was actually kind of easy. I got to control pitch and roll. Pitch is where the nose goes up and down. Roll is where one wing or the other goes down when you turn. The pilot did yaw because I could not reach those controls. Yaw is where the nose of the plane goes left and right. The pilot also showed me what stalling is. It is where you go up too steep and lose too much speed and you just fall for a while. It was really cool. I actually flew for most of the flight. The pilot just did landing and take-off. When it was time to land the pilot landed us. Then I got out of the plane. I had a great time! It was one of my favorite things we’ve done on the trip. My flight took 19 minutes. After me, Mom went. It was fun to watch the glider. Dad did not go. He does not like heights. Once Mom got down, we thanked them, paid them and said bye. They were really nice. When we got back to the camper I rode my motor bike and popped another tire. We decided not to ride on the road anymore. (We didn’t think there were quite enough nails to pop two tires in two days, but we were wrong.) Then we had dinner. After dinner we played laser tag and played dominoes.

Getting ready to fly the glider!!

12/5/17

Yesterday after breakfast we packed up our camper and started driving to our next site. At lunch time we got burgers at Carl’s Junior. Then we kept driving. When we got to our site we set up our camper. Then Andi and I rode bikes and played at the playground. Finally we had dinner and went to bed.

Joshua Tree - Andi

Teddy Bear Cholla cactus - they aren't actually soft!

Nov. 26, 2017

Yesterday we had a down day. We went to the Visitor Center, read, and had dinner. Then we read Harry Potter.

Nov. 27, 2017

Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park

Yesterday we had omelets. Then we moved sites. It turned out we were on private land so the owner came out and got to know Mom and Dad. They talked for an hour or so and it was boring for me. Then we went to the airport and looked at gliders and planes. They had 2-seaters, 1-seaters, and all different kinds of planes. Then we came home and watched the Packer game and read Harry Potter.

Nov. 28, 2017

Yesterday we did the Lost Horse Mine Trail. We saw lots of Joshua trees. The mine was about 3 quarters of the way into the trail. It was a building with cables running off it. Then we went home and had dinner.

Nov. 29, 2017

Yesterday we worked on the generator. Then we shopped for a generator. We ready Harry Potter in the car. Then I kept writing my story. It was about demigods. Then we read Harry Potter and went to bed.

Nov. 30, 2017

49 Palms Oasis

Yesterday I wrote my story all morning. Then we drove to a hike. We saw a horned owl in the beginning. There were Joshua Rocks that were made of dried magma. The end of the trail was all palm trees. Not Joshua trees, palm trees. Then we went home and played dominoes. We finished Harry Potter.

Dec. 1, 2017

Yesterday I wrote my book. Then we went on the 49 Palms Oasis hike. We went to the Visitor Center. We did a ranger-led hike but I wasn’t listening. Then we came home and I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time.

Flying remote control planes

Dec. 2, 2017

Yesterday we got to fly our friends’ model remote control airplanes. One went up to 60 mph. we mostly flew that one. We learned about pitch, yaw, roll, and lots of other stuff that I don’t know what it’s called. Then we went home. We had lunch and then we went to an airplane hangar. There was a huge airplane that we got to sit in. I got bored quick and started playing the games that were there. Then we went to the ranger station and looked around. Then we did laundry. Then we went to bed.

Family shadow in Hidden Valley

Dec. 3, 2017

Yesterday we went on the Ryan Mountain hike. It was only 1.5 miles, but it was very steep. The view at the top wasn’t actually that good. If I hadn’t known there were Joshua trees at the bottom I would have thought that there were normal dead trees.  Then we went down and saw skull rock. It was shaped like a skull. Then we saw Hidden Valley where early comers would hide stolen cattle. Then we went home and watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Getting ready to fly the glider!!

Post-flying dance

Dec. 4, 2017

Yesterday we watched the Packer game in the camper. Then we went to the airport and we rode a glider. We went 5,000 feet high. All the houses looked like oversized sheds. We were there for a couple hours and it got boring when I wasn’t flying. Then we went home and I played Barbies. Then we had a family game of laser tag. Then we played dominoes.

Dec. 5, 2017

Yesterday we drove to San Diego. It was a 2 hour drive but it was kind of pretty. We got to our campsite and played on the playground. Then we went to bed.

Thanksgiving in Death Valley

Death Valley, California

11/18/17

Andi:

Yesterday we drove to Death Valley National Park. Once we got there Nick and I played snap circuits, laser tag, drove the remote control car, and played games. Then we had dinner and then read Harry Potter for a while.

11/19/17

Andi:

Golden Canyon in the Amargosa Mountains

Yesterday we hiked in the Amargosa Mountains. We went on the Golden Canyon trailhead. We found an unmarked offshoot in the trail. I went up and looked over the marked trail. Then we kept moving on the marked trail towards the Red Cathedral Trail. The whole time we were walking I was talking about when we went home to Wisconsin that I wanted to make a lemonade stand. Then we went to Zabriski Point. We went home from there. Then we went home and read Harry Potter and went to bed.

Nick: 

Yesterday we did an 8 mile hike. It took most of the day. It was not a very nice hike. It was long, hot, and there was not much to see. When we were done with the hike we all played laser tag, which is really fun with 4 people. After that we had dinner, played a little more laser tag and then read Harry Potter.

11/20/17

Andi:

Yesterday we did the Titus Canyon Drive. The way into the canyon was very, very, very, very, very bumpy. It got better at the canyon floor. We saw an old town that had old houses. It was called Leadfield. Then we tried to do some scrambling but everywhere we stopped it was shady and cold. The ride was so bumpy I couldn’t wait to get out of the car. The ranger said it would take about 3 hours. We went home when we were done. We made dinner and played laser tag. We read Harry Potter and went to bed.

Nick:

Yesterday we did Titus Canyon Drive. It is a 28 mile dirt road through a narrow canyon. It was probably the bumpiest road we have been on. The canyon we were in was only 20 feet wide in places. The rocks had really weird patterns in them. They also had lots of colors. When we got back we played laser tag and had dinner.

Sunrise on the dunes

11/21/17

Andi:

Yesterday we woke up early to watch the sunrise. We went to the sand dunes. We hiked up a super tall sand dune. There were clouds that changed red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and a little bit of pink and purple. We rand down the sand dunes and went home. We had a down day. We stayed home and I started to learn how to type. I got pretty far, but then we went to Dante’s View to watch the sunset. Then we had dinner and read Harry Potter. Then we went to bed.

Nick:

Yesterday we woke up really early and went onto the sand dunes to watch the sunrise. We went up to the highest sand dune which was 100 feet. It was really hard to hike up because our feet always slid down. When we got to the top we ran down and got going really fast. Then we came home and did homework. Then I drove my remote control car for a while. Next Andi and I played laser tag for a while. Finally we went to Dante’s View to watch the sunset. We missed it by about 5 minutes. Then we came home and had dinner.

Sunset at Dante's View

11/22/17

Andi:

Yesterday we hiked around the Ubehebe (U-bee-hee-bee) Crater. It was hot and the gravel was slippery. Then we went on a hike in the Fall Canyon. We got to a dryfall at the end and scrambled up the rocks on our way back. We had pizza and read Harry Potter.








Nick:

Yesterday we did a hike on a river bed at the bottom of a canyon. We hiked 8 miles. The canyon was really narrow at points. At the end of the canyon there was a dry waterfall. It is a waterfall that is only there when it rains. It was about 25 feet tall. We also did a shorter hike around the rim of Ubehebe Crater which was created by a volcano. It was super deep. After that we came home and had dinner.

Dad found the only flower
in Death Valley

Don't worry - the tarantula is dead

11/23/17

Andi:

Yesterday we went to Salt Creek. It was dry, but cool. Then we did laundry, went shoe shopping and had ice cream from DQ. Then we went to bed.

Nick:

Yesterday we did laundry in the morning. That took a really long time. We also ate lunch out and got ice cream.  Then we went shopping which took a while too because it is Thanksgiving and everything is out of stock. When we finally got home we had dinner and went to bed.

Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level

11/24/17

Andi:

So much hiking that Andi's
shoes are wearing out!

Yesterday we had bagels for breakfast. Then we went on a hike that was not marked so we got lost. Then we saw a natural bridge and the Devil’s Golf Course. It was called that because it looked like only the Devil could play there without losing his ball in the maze of rocks. Then we went home and had chicken, stuffing, cranberries, green bean casserole, and potatoes. Then we watched a movie and read Harry Potter.

Not too bad for a camper kitchen!

Nick:

Yesterday was Thanksgiving! We did a hike in the morning. It wasn’t a very nice hike. There wasn’t much to see. When we got back we started making Thanksgiving dinner. We had stuffing, potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberries, and chicken (we couldn’t find turkey in small enough quantity). Everything was really good. We also watched a movie after dinner. Finally we read Harry Potter and went to bed.

11/25/17

Andi:

Bottle House in the ghost town, Rhyolite

Yesterday we drove. We watched a movie. Then I helped make pesto cavatapi. Then we read Harry Potter and went to bed. In the morning we went to Rhyolite. We saw the bottle house, the old bank, the train station and then left.

Nick:

Yesterday we drove all day. We only stopped a few times for gas and lunch. When we got to our site we had dinner, read Harry Potter and went to bed. I forgot to mention that in the morning we went to a ghost town called Rhyolite. We saw an old bank, a school, and a train station. They were all big buildings considering that they were all built around 1905. Then, like I said, we drove all day.

On the road again!

Sequoias and Red Rock Canyon - Nick

11/5/17

Everlasting Tree House

Yesterday we drove all day. On the way we stopped at a place called Everlasting Treehouse. It was a giant hollowed out Redwood that you could walk into. After a few more hours of driving we stopped at the Chandelier Tree. The Chandelier Tree is another giant Redwood that they carved a tunnel through. The tunnel was big enough to drive a car through. We can’t drive our truck through; it’s too big. We did walk through it. Then we finished driving to our site and set up. Next we went to Glass Beach. It is an old garbage dump. The only thing left is a few car parts and a ton of broken pieces of glass that were smoothed out by the ocean waves. Then we came home and went to bed.

11/6/17

Yesterday we drove all day. We stopped a few times for gas and that was it. At 6:00 we stopped at a Walmart for the night. We had dinner and went to bed.

11/7/17

Yesterday we drove all day. We were supposed to only have an hour drive but the place we were going did not allow big trailers so we went on to our next destination, which was really far away. We did not get there. We stopped at dinner time at a BLM site. We had dinner and went to bed.

11/8/17

Yesterday after breakfast Dad and I worked on the bike motor for a while and finished it! When Dad was testing it the clutch mechanism broke, but the engine was too hot to touch. We ate lunch and then came back outside and fixed the clutch. (The motor was cooled down). Finally I got to ride it. It was really fast and easy to control. We didn’t get to ride long because it was getting dark. When we got back to camp we had chow mien for dinner, which is a Chinese food. It was really good.

11/9/17

Yesterday in the morning Dad and I took the motor bike over to a closed campground and rode it around for about 1 ½ hours. It is really fun to go around corners because you can lean into them a ton. When we got back we had lunch. Then we went down to a river near our site called the Kern River. We walked about a mile down to the river before coming back. Then Dad and I took the motor bike out one more time for about 1 hour. When we got back we had dinner and read Harry Potter.

The sequoias are HUGE!

Today Mom, Andi, and I went running in the morning. We ran about 3.1 miles. Then we had eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Then, without the camper, we drove to Sequoia National Forest. We did a short 2 mile hike in the Sequoias. They were not as tall as Redwoods, but they were thicker. There was a fallen tree that was 30 feet in diameter. When we were done hiking we drove home. We are planning on having pasta for dinner.

11/11/17

Yesterday we got going pretty early and started driving to our next site. It took a really long time. It was a five hour drive. When we got there we set up our camper and then took Mom to the airport. When we got there we said good bye and drove to a Walmart. We got some groceries. When we got back to the camper we had pizza and watched a movie.

11/12/17

Red Rock Canyon

Yesterday we went to Red Rock Canyon in the morning. We went to the Visitor’s Center but there wasn’t much to see there so we went on a 13 mile scenic drive through Red Rock. It was really cool. It looked like a giant painted a strip of bright red paint on all the rocks with a giant paintbrush. We saw a lot of rock climbers on the rock faces. After the drive we came back to the camper and had lunch. Then I rode my motor bike for about 1 hour. I rode it for the first time on an unpaved road. Then Andi and I played Wii for a little while. Finally we had dinner and went to bed.

11/13/17

Yesterday we did a hike in Red Rock Canyon in the morning. It was called Ice Box Canyon Hike. We got to hike through a pretty narrow canyon. On the trail there were lots of huge boulders we had to climb over. At one point we got to climb on a ledge that was about 5 feet wide and about 30 feet in the air. After the hike we came home and had lunch. We ended up hiking just over 3 miles. Then I rode my motor bike for a while. Then we watched the Cowboys Falcons game. Next Andi and I played Wii. Finially we had dinner and watched a movie.

11/14/17

Yesterday we did laundry in the morning. It took a really long time. Next we got McDonalds for lunch. Then we came back to the camper and got all the stuff we needed for a short hike. Next we went to Red Rock Canyon and went climbing on some rocks. We had a great time. We got to climb up some really steep faces. We got about 2/3 of the way up a 1000 foot mountain. We did not have time to get to the top because it was getting dark. When we got back we had dinner and watched a movie.

Today after breakfast we went to Red Rock Canyon and climbed up a 400 foot mountain, which isn’t very high but there was no trail and it was climbing not walking. It was pretty tiring. When we got to the top there was an amazing view of Las Vegas. We could see The Strip. Then we started working our way down. When we got down it was about 2:00. Then we came back to the camper and Dad cut my hair. We are planning on having dinner in about 1 hour.

11/16/17

Yesterday was my birthday!! I had pancakes for breakfast. Andi also gave me her card in the morning which was really nice. We had a lazy morning. Andi and I played Wii for a while. After lunch we went to a solar water heater. They use thousands of mirrors to reflect sunlight onto a metal tower which gets up to 3000 degrees. They use that to turn water into steam to turn turbines to create power. Then we went to pick Mom up from the airport. Next we went to hibachi. Our chef was really funny and entertaining. I got steak which was really good. We also got cake and ice cream for my birthday. Then we came home and I opened my presents. I got a really cool remote control jeep from Andi. I also got Christmas presents early because it is hard to get stuff to us. From Mom and Dad I got some really cool laser tag guns. Then we went to bed.

Birthday celebration

11/17/17

Yesterday Andi and I played with my remote control car and laser tag until lunch. They were both really fun. My car could get over anything. I drove it over a pile of bricks and it made it over. The laser tag was cool too. There were different gun modes and they were really accurate. Then we went to Red Rock and did a scenic drive. After that we went shopping. Finally we came home, had dinner and watched a movie.

Sequoias and Red Rock Canyon - Andi

Glass Beach in California

Nov. 5, 2017

Yesterday we drove. On the way we stopped at the Everlasting Treehouse and the drive-through chandelier tree. Then we got to the campsite and went to glass beach. It has real smooth, pretty, different colored glass.

Nov. 6, 2017

Yesterday we drove all day. The drive was sort of pretty. Then we stopped at Walmart and slept.

Nov. 7, 2017

Yesterday we tried to go to Yosemite, but there were no campsites. We started to drive to Sequoia National Park. We got pretty far. Then we went to bed.

Nov. 8, 2017

Yesterday we had a down day. Nick and Dad worked on the motor, while Mom and I were on Boolean Girl. Then we had lunch. I cross stitched. Then we went to bed.

Nov. 9, 2017

Learning about circuits and coding together

Yesterday I cross stitched. Then I learned how to make an LED light up. I hooked it up to scratch, so now it lights up on command. Then we had lunch. Then I kept playing on Boolean Girl. Then we had dinner. Nick and I made a game on Boolean Girl. It was a reaction game. I used a circuit board to make a little LED turn on. Then I hooked it up to scratch and made it turn on randomly. How you play is you hit start. Then a light will turn on and you push a button. Then you get a point. If you push the button when the light is off, you lose a point.

Nov. 10, 2017

Yesterday we drove to Sequoia National Park. We saw some ultra, mega, super duper big trees. We saw a down tree that was huge. The base of the tree was about 30 or 35 feet wide. About 10 feet up it split into 2 trees. They were both about 15 feet wide. Then we went home. We had dinner. Then we read Harry Potter.

Sequoias: "Ultra, Mega, Super Duper Big Trees"
This is the root base of a downed sequoia - makes Andi look pretty tiny!

Nov. 11, 2017

Yesterday we drove to a new campsite. Then we dropped mom off at the airport. Then we went to Walmart. We watched a movie.

Nov. 12, 2017

Yesterday we went on the scenic drive in Red Rock National Park. It looked like somebody took a red paint brush and swiped once in one section of rocks. There was no parking so we didn’t go on any hikes. Then we came home and played Wii.

Nov. 14, 2017

Yesterday we went on the Icebox Canyon Trail. It had a lot of scrambling. We were in a sort of cold canyon. We reach a steep climb that we couldn’t get over. Then we turned back and went home. We played Wii. Then we went scrambling until dark, which is about 4:00 in Nevada.

Today we scrambled up a mountain. It was hot, tiring, long, and fun. We stopped in a cave to have a snack. Then we moved on. We got to the top and we could see all of Las Vegas. We also found this really cool cave that got really narrow.  Then we went down and went home.

Nov. 16, 2017

We got cake AND ice cream for
Nick's birthday dessert. Fun to share!

Yesterday was Nick’s birthday. We had pancakes and toast for breakfast. Then we played Wii. We played for a couple of hours. Then we had wraps for lunch. We went to the solar water heater. It had lots of huge mirrors that reflected sunlight onto a tower that had water in it. If you catch them at the right angle you can see the rays of sun. Then we went to the auto repair shop. Then we picked mom up. We went to hibachi. Then we opened presents. I got Nick a remote controlled car. Mom and Dad got me a monitor for Boolean Girl. Mom and Dad got Nick a laser tag game.

Nov. 17, 2017

Yesterday Nick and I drove the remote control car around the campsite. Then while we charged it we played laser tag. You can change how your gun sounds, how many lives it takes away, and how many times you can shoot without reloading. Then I played Boolean Girl on my new monitor. Then we had lunch. We went on the Red Rock Scenic drive but it was too windy so we didn’t do anything. Then we went shopping. Then we drove the remote control car. Then we watched a movie.

San Francisco - Andi

Oct. 27, 2017

Yesterday we rented a car and drove. We got far and stopped at a hotel to sleep.

Feeding the rays at the aquarium

Oct. 30, 2017

Over the past few days we went to the Aquarium of the Bay. It had fish tunnels that had weird fish. We also saw an octopus. Then we did a touch tank. I gave plankton to the rays. We also did a VR (Virtual Reality) program. It was a scuba diving show. Then we saw the sea otters. We saw feeding time for the otters.

My new dress from Chinatown

Then we left to go to Chinatown. We went to the fortune cookie factory. They hand made the fortune cookies. Then I got a Chinese dress. Then we ate at House of Nanking. It was great. Then we went to the hotel.

Hanging off the trolley

The next day we had Bob’s doughnuts. I got a croissant. It was good. Then we tried to play on a playground but somebody had previously set it on fire. Then we went to the Academy of Science. We saw fish and butterflies, penguins and turtles, and our ancestors. We saw a scuba diving program. Then we looked at the lobby of the hotel next door. We met Uncle Ryan, Chelsea, Mrs. Shelly and Mr. Jacob. Mrs. Shelly and Mr. Jacob are Uncle Ryan and Chelsea’s friends. We had lunch at In and Out Burgers. Then we did a trolley ride and hung off the sides. Then we had dinner.

In a cell at Alcatraz

The next day we went to Alcatraz. Alcatraz is a prison on an island. We did the audio tour. Each prison had one room. It had a toilet, a sink, a table, a bench, and a metal cot and mattress. Many prisoners tried and failed to get out. In the dining hall they fought about spaghetti because they were getting sick of it. They also got to go outside to get fresh air. Some people got out but couldn’t swim to San Francisco. Then we got off the island and ate lunch. Then we walked the Golden Gate Bridge in the fog. Then we had dinner. The next day we did a bay cruise with just Uncle Ryan. Mom, Nick, Dad, and Uncle Ryan got splashed with salt water. I did not. We went under the Golden Gate Bridge and turned around. We saw sea lions. Then we rode the trolley to the trolley museum. I looked at the video that was playing. Then we went to Uncle Ryan’s hotel and said goodbye. Then we left towards the camper. The next day we got up and had a lazy morning. Then we played on the beach. We had dinner and a movie.

Nov. 2, 2017

Yesterday we had a down day. I cross stitched for a while. Then we went grocery shopping. I made salmon burgers. Then we played dominion and read Harry Potter.

Nov. 3, 2017

Yesterday we had a lazy morning. We had lunch then went to the fish hatchery. There was a cat, which was the best part. Then we came home and I made gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce. Then we played dominion.

Nov. 4, 2017

Yesterday we did laundry. Then we got the truck back. Then we had homemade pesto cavatappi. Then we played games and read Harry Potter.