Day 1 - Nashville, TN, May 30, 2018

Day 1, May 30, 2018

Atlanta - Nashville

256 miles/4 hours


Not much to report today. This day/destination was added on late in the trip-planning stages, to alleviate some of the stress and hours of the long days ahead in our quest to get to the northwest coast.

Our only "tourist" stop was Ann Patchett's bookstore, Parnasuss Books. As you can imagine the children were thrilled. I've been wanting to visit for years, as she's one of my heroes - not only as a writer, but for having the chutzpah to open a bookstore when everyone told her that bookstores were going away. As if! The store is beautiful, and I'm happy to report, crowded. In keeping with my New Year's resolution (to not walk past an Independent bookstore without buying a book), I bought a book (or two).

After checking in, we went out for dinner. We were staying in the Germantown area of Nashville, which is a little haven for foodies, but not for four picky children. Our first restaurant was recommended to us by the front desk clerk at our hotel. Very cute and hipster, with nothing on the menu I could even begin to trick the kids into eating. We asked if there was a Children's Menu, and were told there was not. Camden's reply, "Well goodbye sir!" He attempted to excuse himself from the table, as the waiter pleaded with him that they could "do something." Alas, we ended up at some crummy pizza place down the street that served boxed wine. And the sky turned black and opened up with a fierce down pour, which meant I was truly stuck.

Not many pictures, as I am kind of phone-less. I have my work phone, but it is an iPhone and I don't know how it totally works. Yes, I'm sorry, true statement. I've always had an Android phone (long story), and I have no patience when it comes to learning technology.

Bookstore:

Menu at hipster restaurant:

Visiting Old Friends in Dallas

Days 23 & 24 – July 21^st & 22^nd, 2016

Odessa, TX – Dallas TX

389 miles – 6 hours

Truth be told, I couldn’t not get out of Odessa fast enough. I was mildly curious about the area – mostly due to my love of the show, Friday Night lights. From what little we experienced, I don’t think it’s my kind of town. It was a long drive to Dallas, but about three hours in we reached the “hill country” and that made for a much more scenic drive.

It was HOT in the BIG D. It was 96 degrees when we arrived, which was not as high as our previous stops – but the humidity made it a tad muggy. After we checked in, Hunter, God bless him, had to go for a run. When he was finished, we headed to the Bernier’s house. It’s been three years since we last saw them and we were all very excited.

I met Barbie in our first neighborhood in Alpharetta, right after the boys were born. I’ll never forget how we met. We’d been in our house for around six months. I had to stay inside for the first couple months (winter) because the boys were so premature. Then the long hot summer arrived and I was in no hurry to try out the double stroller. When I finally did adventure out, I walked past a house where a woman was out front gardening and she waved me down. She told me her daughter was pregnant with twins and insisted I had to meet her. She ran inside to get Barbie and the rest, as they say, is history.

Barbie & Jeff moved their family to Dallas ten years ago. It’s very hard to believe it’s been that long. Barbie and I talked ourselves silly and we still only covered about 10% of what we had to talk about. We also tried to watch Donald Trump’s speech – but ultimately we found each other more interesting.

The next day the kids and I drove to a different part of Dallas to see some other old friends of mine, the Calkins. I went to middle and high school with Cheryl and met Jerry when I was in college, working at the Ritz. I was honored to be I their wedding 23 (!) years ago. They have three kids and have been living in Dallas for two years. We were trying to determine just when was the last time we saw each other (they moved to Illinois in 1998?). I finally concluded that the last time I saw them, I was pregnant with Barrett and Hunter.

I love, love, love, visiting with old friends! SO much so that I’m going to write a Latchkey Mom post about it. So you’re spared more detailsJ!

We went back to the Berniers for dinner and landed back at the hotel around 9. We have a very long drive home tomorrow…

Day 25 - July 23, 2016

846 miles -13 hours!

We made it home after a long 13 hour drive. My longest ever. And there was rain. And construction. Oh - it was not fun. But I wanted to push it, so I would have all day Sunday to do laundry. Back to work on Monday!

I'll be back next week with my Road Trip Superlatives. Thank you so much for reading.

The Berniers

With Cheryl & Jerry

Jerry & Cheryl's three children.

Home

Celebrating Camden in Scottsdale

Days 20 & 21 – July 18^th & 19^th, 2016

I apologize for falling off the road trip radar! Once we got to Scottsdale, we really relaxed. And then it was hard for me to get back in the writing groove. God bless those of you who’ve emailed to see if we were okay. Thank you. Relieved to know I do have a few readersJ.

So we’re at the Camelback Inn, one of my all-time favorite places. They have a motto: “A place where time stands Still.” Don’t you love that?

I did have to do six loads of laundry, but other than that…I relaxed by the pool, swam, played with the kids, and let the pool boy talk me into trying different tropical concoctions. It was heaven. And I parked my car for two days – we never left the property.

Mr. Camden turned nine while we were chilling and he had unlimited signing privileges by the pool – of which he took full advantage. I also dare say – I think he became a swimmer. We couldn’t get him out of the water. But of course, it was 110 degrees! He started the day off with a breakfast delivered by room service (for only the little prince, the rest of us ate pop tarts). The woman in charge of the room service calls bumped into Camden the day before (long story involving a hotel fire alarm - we're jinxed) and, of course, she was charmed by him. So in addition to his breakfast of Fruit Loops, white toast, sliced bananas, cranberry juice and decaf coffee – he was treated to a platter of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and a hand written note from “Cindy.” He enjoyed his breakfast on the balcony, overlooking the Camelback Mountain.

I know, I know – I’m probably creating a monster. But he was soooo excited, and grateful. He repeatedly told us, “You guys are the best parents in the whole world!” And unlike what some of his siblings probably would've done, he graciously shared his cookies.

Day 22- July 20, 2016

Scottsdale, AZ – Odessa, TX

787 miles – 11 hours

The following day was very long. The kids and I drove 787 long and boring miles (through the dessert), crossing two time zones. We arrived in Odessa at 8 P.M. I was willing to go to bed without dinner, but was overruled. We had a horrible dinner as Cheddar's. It was the first time in my life that I actually had to call a manager over to our table. I felt like my dad!

Quote of the Day:

Camden was excitedly waiting for room service on his birthday – in his underwear. When there was a knock on our door, I told him that he better hurry up and get dressed. He asked me if he had to and I said, “I guess not – if you don’t mind Room Service seeing you in your underwear.” He replied, “Oh I don’t mind anyone seeing me in my underwear!”

Time to chillax...

Day 19 – July 17, 2016

Las Vegas, NV – Scottsdale AZ

320 miles – 5 ½ hours

110 degrees

Today was a long, hot day. The drive form Vegas to Scottsdale was mostly barren. And at times the topography actually liked like we were on a different planet. The drive was also long because it seemed as though every 45 minutes, someone had to go to the bathroom and we were literally in the middle of nowhere. I’ll let your imagination fly with that one.

We stopped at the Nevada-Arizona border to see the Hoover Dam. Wow. It’s mind-blowing. I was nervous because often when you hear how big something is, and see many pictures over the years, what you’re seeing doesn’t match up to the hype. In this case, it did. It’s cool. We didn’t stay too long though – it was hotter than hell.

We arrived at the Camelback Inn at 4p.m. We hung out at the pool and then went out for an early dinner. This hotel is one of all my all-time favorites. I love it here. We’re nesting for a couple days to rest, do laundry and celebrate Camden’s 9^th birthday. I’m going to take a few days off, but will catch you up before we start heading home.

Quote of the Day:

Cammy: "My least favorite part of the road trip is how long it takes to get to each place."

It's this weird? It's like another planet?

 Serious drought conditions. You can see the normal water line - where the rocks change color.

Roller Coaster Madness

Day 18 – July 16, 2016

Las Vegas, NV

Temperature 109

We had a very lazy morning. I think we’ve all hit a wall. I was exhausted. Rich and Audrey got up at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. and went to the strip in search of breakfast. Can you imagine? When they got back, the boys and I were still asleep. I didn’t rise until 8 a.m.

While Audrey and Rich were at breakfast, she convinced him that it would be a good idea to ride the roller-coaster at New York New York, rather than my planned excursion to the Hoover Damn. They rallied the boys and I was the odd woman out. I gave in to peer pressure and rescheduled it for tomorrow. To the strip we headed.

It was hot, hot, hot. We had lunch at an Irish Pub in the NY NY hotel, and then headed to the roller-coaster. It was pricey, so we decided that we’d only send Hunter and Audrey. Audrey begged me to go, and I stupidly relented. I like wooden roller coasters, but I’m not a fan of mac daddy coasters. 

This was somewhere in between, and it was a couple flights up off the ground to begin with.

It is the last roller-coaster I will ever ride. I almost threw up and it jerked me around so much I had a headache for an hour. I am officially too old for this.

We walked down the strip to the Bellagio. I wanted to see the fountains, but unfortunately they weren’t on. We checked out the lobby of the hotel, which is pretty, but insanely crowded. Everything is just so, so crowded. And there are weirdos everywhere. We encountered one lady while we were walking on the sidewalks that was so strung out (blabbering to anyone and anything she passed) that the homeless guys told her to lay off the drugs.

We got back to the hotel around 4 p.m., and rested before going out to an early dinner. We ended the evening the pool, where Barrett terrorized some preteen girls with his constant jumping in the pool. They were basketball players. Thank goodness for understanding parents.

Quote of the day – from a stranger.

We had a rough dinner at McCormick & Schmicks. Our server was awful and we had to wait an hour for our food. Rich heard a little girl at the table next to ours (we both had “private tables, with curtains – kind of cool) say the following:

“It never fails, we get a sucky table and great service, or an awesome table and sucky service.” She was correct (and they had the same waiter).

First some photos from last night that didn't upload...

Pre-show selfie

 The Venetian at night.

Show photos..$$$ Cha-ching

Ah, youth...

And me...

Aud & B...walking on the strip.

Gardens in the Bellagio.

The Paris hotel 

The Bellagio

Day 17 – July 15, 2016

St. George, UT – Las Vegas, NV

159 miles/ 2 ¼ hours

Temperature – 118 degrees!

It was a relatively easy drive to Vegas. The highway took us through some pretty mountains. And it was kind of cool how we drove over a hill and then all of a sudden – we could see Vegas in the distance. It’s a huge payoff after miles and miles of nothing. But oh, how I wish I could have seen it in the 1960s and 1970s.

We arrive too early to check in, so we found a place for lunch and then drove to the strip. Very crowded and an assault on the senses. Poor Bear Bear. There’s just so much to see and everything is big and bright. We drove to the famous Las Vegas sign, so we could get our obligatory picture. Rich was not happy about getting out in the heat (we passed a digital thermometer that read 118 degrees). But its Vegas and we had to have the picture. And of course – it’s dry heat. Amazing that it can be so hot, and yet none of us were sweating. I love it.

After check-in, we hit the pool for a little bit. We got ready and headed out for an early dinner, because we had show tickets! On the hotel’s recommendation, after I asked for a decent family restaurant that wouldn’t break the wallet, we ended up at Café Grand Deluxe in The Venetian, which is on the strip. The hotels on the strip (ours is a few blocks off the strip, thank God) are enormous. We entered through the front door of the hotel, and had to walk about mile to get to the restaurant. Of course the restaurants are all located on the other side of the casino. So we had to walk through the smoky casino and were treated to quite a show. Oh boy! Quite the crowd in Vegas.

After dinner we walked across the street to the Mirage for our show. Cirque du Soleil – Love, a tribute to the Beatles. Oh my goodness – hands down the best show I’ve ever seen. And that my friends was the consensus of everyone in the family. It was a big score for me, because even Barrett liked it. Every time I looked at him, he was smiling.

After the show we got to see the Vegas lights for real and the crazy was just starting to get wound up. Time to head back to the hotel, must to the chagrin of Rich, Audrey, and Hunter. I swear, the older I get, to bigger stick in the mud I’ve become. It’s rather sad.

Cammy quote of the day

the kids were talking about were they wanted to live one day. Audrey mentioned that she liked the dry heat and maybe she would move to the dessert. Cammy said, "I'm thinking big baby! I'm moving to L.A.!"

Zion and a Bus Beating...

Day 16 – July 14, 2016

Bryce Canyon, UT – Zion National Park – St. George, UT

135 miles – 2  ½ hours

113 degrees!

Today was much better than yesterday, although Hunter is about to be shipped home. Barb & Marcie, if you’re reading this, please reserve a spot for him next summer. Two weeks in the laundry room and two week at the cement factory. Cause I ain’t putting up with this next summer.

We had a short little hop from Bryce Canyon to Zion National Park. Remember what I wrote yesterday about not being able to pick my favorite? No longer a problem – Zion National Park is it. It’s gorgeous. We entered from the east gate and drove for twelve miles to get to the park’s Visitor Center. It was the most spectacular 12 mile drive I’ve ever taken. Up and down and around all kinds of crazy turns – and through an incredibly dark (and spooky tunnel).

At the visitor center I discovered that to see the rest of the park, you have to ride a shuttle. That was a buzz kill. It was getting very hot and I couldn’t image riding a bus with the kids and getting on and off at multiple stops. But that is what we did. It was worth it, but I think we would've seen more from our own car (the park stopped letting cars past a certain point in 1999, due to the increase in the number of visitors that led to major traffic jams).

Funny bus story. The bus was very crowded, and we ended up having to ride standing up. I was worried about Barrett, but showed him how to hang on. We were standing by a man who was in a wheelchair. His wife had understandably made a big deal about getting him on safe, and we all waited outside in the sun, while he and the wheelchair were secured. Anyway, we’re riding along and I hear Barrett make a noise, kind of like a snicker. I looked behind me and the man in the wheelchair was hitting Barrett on the hip with his water battle – on purpose. Barrett had a smirk on his face, and the guy kept hitting him. I was shocked. The guys says, “Move it.” I realized Bear’s hip was bumping the man’s shoulder – but the guy behind Barrett was pushing him into the wheelchair man, because he was wearing an enormous backpack. No to be fair, the wheelchair man may have tried to say something to Bear, and was obviously ignored. Still, he decided to hit him with a water bottle? So…I may have gone all autism mom on him. In a voice that was not very nice I said, “Excuse me. Please do not hit my son. He does not mean to bump not you. He has autism and therefor has special needs just like you!” Well, I shocked him, that’s for sure. Then I switched places with Barrett. Then the man asked me if he (Bear) has a handicap pass for the park. Not sure if he didn’t believe me, or was trying to be helpful. I told him that he did, and then turned my back on him. A few minutes later his wife offered her seat to Barrett and I felt bad for being snippy. I thanked her, but said Barrett would be fine standing. And he was.

In a different area of the bus, as reported to me by Audrey, a “creepy” looking woman with dark red lipstick (Aud’s description) asked Camden if he wanted to sit on her lap. Camden told her “No thank you,” and took a few steps back. Yikes!

We had fun (the exception being Hunter). Audrey, Cam and Bear all took their shoes off at the end of the shuttle and splashed in the Virgin River (I kid you not).

After the park, we drove one hour to St. George, Utah, where we stayed for the night. We had dinner at Olive Garden (please help me!), and re-supplied at Target.

Camden Quote of the Day:

Audrey was telling a riddle to two men on the bus. I can’t share it, because I’m sure she will want to tell it to each and every one of you herself. The guy fell for the trick, and Camden was completely tickled. Laughing, he said to the man. “You fell for the oldest trick in the book!”

I think Bear is over all this...

Aud's not happy, Cammy was beating her.