Trip Report The Dry Heat Expedition (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Disneyland)--UPDATE 6/12 (KSC and DTD)

[Captain_Oblivious]

Sorry for the unenthusiastic park ranger. He must be bitter about not getting that promotion to the Grand Canyon or something.

Maybe that was the problem. I wonder if Montezuma Castle is like the National Park Service version of a posting in Siberia.

The mountainside/cave homes look cool though. I'd love to be able to see the inside of one, but I completely understand why that would be off limits to the public.

That would have been so cool to climb in there. Too bad you just can't trust people anymore.

Thee Pitts definitely looks like the kind of place that your family would enjoy. And mine, for that matter. I'm glad that it didn't disappoint.

I could go for some BBQ right now, actually. Who am I kidding? I could always go for BBQ.

Sorry for the crowded hotel. At least the kids got their night swim in. And the ever important star lit cannonball.

Believe it or not, the crowds will actually get worse.

You KNOW I did!

Uh huh... I"m sure that's it! I wonder how long you can hold your breath.

Is it here yet? (gasp)

Anyone?

(gasp)

Anyone?

(gasp)

Bueller?

 

[KatMark]

Mark, I don't know how I missed this update from almost a week ago...please forgive me.

I love the first picture of Drew...he's just so stinkin' cute (I don't care what you say).

The Montezuma revenge at the Montezuma Castle. Gotta love it.

BOO on the Park Ranger. Mr. Crabby Pants was not very nice.

Thee-Pitts Again looks like our kind of place. And I love me some brisket and pulled pork.

I could, however, skip the fried Twinkie (I won't eat the darn things unfried).

I'm glad the kids got in that evening swim after all.

If I don't get back here, I hoep you and the family have a very Merry Christmas.

​

 

[Steppesister]

Is it here yet? (gasp)

Anyone?

(gasp)

Anyone?

(gasp)

Bueller?

Post that certificate when it comes. It'll probably be around the same time my kids do the dishes without being asked.

 

[dgbg100106]

Well we are back from vacation and I think I am all caught up now.

July 25th –
I like the tie in with Disney here and the hat picture.

Love that junior ranger outfit.

The lovely clear day makes for some beautiful canyon pictures. So vast and breath taking.

Oak Creek Canyon is now on our list also.

The picture of Cathedral Rock is one I want to take myself...

The one you have with all the kids is adorable. Beautiful family you have.

Montezuma Castle – so cool, like that in the rock. I am hoping the temps are better when we are there but I am not holding my breath.

Poop face, love it, all kids have it and it does not take long to recognize it does it?

Sorry the kids did not have a better experience with the park ranger here, but they did get their badges and hopefully learned something from the exhibits they visited to get the booklets filled in.

The BBQ looks good, glad you enjoyed the whole meal.

I love this quote “I love the fact that a deep-fried Twinkie is served on a lace doily. Because, of course, we only eat in the finest dining establishments.”

Good Dinner – Check

Hotel Parking place – Check

Kids swimming – Check

All is well

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Mark, I don't know how I missed this update from almost a week ago...please forgive me.

It happens. So easy to fall behind when life gets busy.

I love the first picture of Drew...he's just so stinkin' cute (I don't care what you say).

You wouldn't think so if you saw what was in the diaper.

The Montezuma revenge at the Montezuma Castle. Gotta love it.

Well, not at the time.

BOO on the Park Ranger. Mr. Crabby Pants was not very nice.

Yeah, I still don't know what his deal was.

Thee-Pitts Again looks like our kind of place. And I love me some brisket and pulled pork.

I could, however, skip the fried Twinkie (I won't eat the darn things unfried).

I think deep-frying them was actually an improvement. Then again, it usually is.

I'm glad the kids got in that evening swim after all.

It was a good time!

If I don't get back here, I hoep you and the family have a very Merry Christmas.

​

Thank you, Kathy, and Merry Christmas to you!

Post that certificate when it comes. It'll probably be around the same time my kids do the dishes without being asked.

Exactly! Don't hold your breath like I did. It's not worth it.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well we are back from vacation and I think I am all caught up now.

Welcome home! Where did you go on this trip? Sounds like the Southwest trip is still upcoming.

July 25th –
I like the tie in with Disney here and the hat picture.

Love that junior ranger outfit.

Hat pictures never go out of style, right?

The lovely clear day makes for some beautiful canyon pictures. So vast and breath taking.

It is! I wish the air had been that clear the whole time, but such things are out of my control. At least for now.

Oak Creek Canyon is now on our list also.

The picture of Cathedral Rock is one I want to take myself...

It's such a nice area.

The one you have with all the kids is adorable. Beautiful family you have.

Why thank you! They take after their mother.

Montezuma Castle – so cool, like that in the rock. I am hoping the temps are better when we are there but I am not holding my breath.

Well, we're in the desert, so you pretty much have to expect the heat. No use complaining about it, right? It's like complaining about crowds at Disney World.

Poop face, love it, all kids have it and it does not take long to recognize it does it?

Not at all. It helps that it's really funny.

Sorry the kids did not have a better experience with the park ranger here, but they did get their badges and hopefully learned something from the exhibits they visited to get the booklets filled in.

I think they did just fine. The badges are a nice reward.

The BBQ looks good, glad you enjoyed the whole meal.

I love this quote “I love the fact that a deep-fried Twinkie is served on a lace doily. Because, of course, we only eat in the finest dining establishments.”

Good Dinner – Check

Hotel Parking place – Check

Kids swimming – Check

All is well

Yeah, you could do a lot worse!

 

[dgbg100106]

Welcome home! Where did you go on this trip? Sounds like the Southwest trip is still upcoming.

We went to Amsterdam and floated down the Rhine river, on a river cruise. We visited places in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and spent a week in Switzerland afterwards. We went to visit Christmas Markets, and eat and drink.

The southwest trip is still on for this fall but we have not nailed down any plans or dates yet. We have the RV already anytime we want it, so we just have to see the football schedule and decide which games we are going to and then this trip dates are set.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

We went to Amsterdam and floated down the Rhine river, on a river cruise. We visited places in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and spent a week in Switzerland afterwards. We went to visit Christmas Markets, and eat and drink.

That sounds incredible! Switzerland and Germany are on my bucket list for sure.

The southwest trip is still on for this fall but we have not nailed down any plans or dates yet. We have the RV already anytime we want it, so we just have to see the football schedule and decide which games we are going to and then this trip dates are set.

I love it when a plan comes together.

 

[dgbg100106]

That sounds incredible! Switzerland and Germany are on my bucket list for sure.



I love it when a plan comes together.

Switzerland was a really a mixed bag. Basel was an old world city, very pedestrian and laid back, everyone was nice and they have an incredible transit system.

Zurich on the other hand was like NYC, around 5th Ave, all high end shops, the kinds you can't even walk into, armed guards at all the doors kind of places. Very high and mighty and always looking down on the American's. If I go back I would not spend any more time in Zurich but I would go back to Basel.

Germany was very warm and inviting and every little town was dressed to the nine's for Christmas. It was a beautiful sight. I will share some of my pictures.

 

[MEK]

 

[Poolrat]

All caught up.

Not a bad quick stop at Montezuma Castle.

Sorry about the stinky ranger.

Way to go on a great dinner stop. Looks like you had some great grub there.

As for fat babies in the pool- yup we have plenty of that ....

Glad you braved the lightning to swim under the stars.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!!!!!

 

[franandaj]

Poop Face! I'd be afraid when I saw that! But then I've never changed a diaper in my life.

Go Ranger Slacker! Really???? Let's teach kids to get by with doing as little as they need to get by!

That BBQ joint sounds like a great place! Deep Fried Twinkie? Yum! I've had a deep fried chocolate bar, but have yet to experience a Twinkie!

Boo for sold out hotel and lack of parking. But Yay for a late night swim.

Hope your Christmas went well and everyone had a memorable experience. Do we get to see Drew in his Jr Ranger outfit?

 

[mickeystoontown]

I've gotten really bad about reading updates but forgetting to post. I'm going to blame it on pre and post holiday preparation and clean-up 'cause that sounds like a really good excuse and I'm not blaming it on the fact that I just turned another year older.

Montezuma Castle looks really neat despite the fact that it's not in Montezuma and it's not a castle. If you ever get a chance, you guys should visit Mesa Verde. The ruins there are so neat. Of course, I didn't climb down the ladders to go into the actual ruins but I admired them from atop the cliff.

The BBQ restaurant had to be good because, like Scotty says, the more crap that's hung on the walls, the better the restaurant.

I was glad to read that the lightening stopped so that you could swim under the stars. I'm betting that's a memory that the kids will have for a lifetime. Or at least Scotty's cannonball made for a great memory.

 

[Steppesister]

Just checking in to see what's up. Hope you have a GREAT New Year's Eve. Oh WAIT, you will be up several times to ring in the New Year... 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, and well, you get the idea.


(I shouldn't laugh. That really sucks. I'm hoping for you that it's gonna get better! Little Miss McSmartyPants didn't sleep through the night until she was 2 1/2- not to discourage you or anything.)

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Switzerland was a really a mixed bag. Basel was an old world city, very pedestrian and laid back, everyone was nice and they have an incredible transit system.

Zurich on the other hand was like NYC, around 5th Ave, all high end shops, the kinds you can't even walk into, armed guards at all the doors kind of places. Very high and mighty and always looking down on the American's. If I go back I would not spend any more time in Zurich but I would go back to Basel.

Wow. I guess I'd better be careful where I go, given my lack of cultural refinement. My parents went a couple of years ago, and I thought Lucerne looked like a gorgeous city.

Germany was very warm and inviting and every little town was dressed to the nine's for Christmas. It was a beautiful sight. I will share some of my pictures.

Sounds great! Magdalene (Flossbolna) has shared a lot of pictures from Germany on her various TR's and they never cease to be fascinating.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas, Mary Ellen!

All caught up.

Not a bad quick stop at Montezuma Castle.

Sorry about the stinky ranger.

Well, it wasn't your fault!

Way to go on a great dinner stop. Looks like you had some great grub there.

As for fat babies in the pool- yup we have plenty of that ....

Glad you braved the lightning to swim under the stars.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!!!!!

Great stop for dinner. And I'm not sure I want to know all the nasty things you find in the pool.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Poop Face! I'd be afraid when I saw that! But then I've never changed a diaper in my life.

If I recall, we did offer the opportunity when we met up with you.

Go Ranger Slacker! Really???? Let's teach kids to get by with doing as little as they need to get by!

"Bart, you've learned an important lesson: if it take a lot of work, it's not worth doing. Now let's go inside and watch TV."

That BBQ joint sounds like a great place! Deep Fried Twinkie? Yum! I've had a deep fried chocolate bar, but have yet to experience a Twinkie!

The Twinkie was pretty yummy!

for sold out hotel and lack of parking. But Yay for a late night swim.

Hope your Christmas went well and everyone had a memorable experience. Do we get to see Drew in his Jr Ranger outfit?

We haven't gotten him all dressed up yet, but when it happens I'll post a picture.

I've gotten really bad about reading updates but forgetting to post. I'm going to blame it on pre and post holiday preparation and clean-up 'cause that sounds like a really good excuse and I'm not blaming it on the fact that I just turned another year older.

Nah, the holidays are a great excuse! I've been running around so much I've fallen behind on everybody else's threads, too. This is the first time I've been on the DISboards since Christmas.

Montezuma Castle looks really neat despite the fact that it's not in Montezuma and it's not a castle. If you ever get a chance, you guys should visit Mesa Verde. The ruins there are so neat. Of course, I didn't climb down the ladders to go into the actual ruins but I admired them from atop the cliff.

I'd love to! We're looking at Colorado this summer but I don't think we're going to make it that far south. If we go at all.

The BBQ restaurant had to be good because, like Scotty says, the more crap that's hung on the walls, the better the restaurant.

Exactly! So far that rule is working out for us.

I was glad to read that the lightening stopped so that you could swim under the stars. I'm betting that's a memory that the kids will have for a lifetime. Or at least Scotty's cannonball made for a great memory.

I sure hope so, one way or the other!

Just checking in to see what's up. Hope you have a GREAT New Year's Eve. Oh WAIT, you will be up several times to ring in the New Year... 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, and well, you get the idea.

Ugh. Drew was up 3 times last night. Julie even went in to nurse him once and he still screamed for 30 minutes after that. Little punk. I think he's actually getting worse. Anyway, I hope you have a more restful New Year's than we will!

(I shouldn't laugh. That really sucks. I'm hoping for you that it's gonna get better! Little Miss McSmartyPants didn't sleep through the night until she was 2 1/2- not to discourage you or anything.)

At some point during last night's screaming fit I called out to the Lord and asked, "Really, is there a point to this??" 2 1/2 years??!! I don't know if I can last that long. It's already been 11 months without a full night's sleep.

Anyway, sorry things have been slow here. I had hoped to post another update but Julie has been sick since Christmas so I've been doing the Mr. Mom thing for the last few days here. It hasn't been a very restful Christmas break, that's for sure.

I just loaded up a bunch of miscellaneous 2014 pictures so I might post a few just to show some other adventures we had this past year, just for fun.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

So we had a few other adventures this past year, and I thought I'd take advantage of a slower afternoon on break just to share some of the photos.

Here are the kids' baby photos. We think Sarah and Scotty are clones of each other, and ditto for David and Drew.

Scotty happened a few times this year.

Somebody got in the pool for the first time this summer.

And visited the Atlantic Ocean. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Dave spent the spring doing what he loves best.

Sarah's birthday is in February, but she's an outdoors type of girl. So she waited to have a party until June so they could go swimming, tubing, canoeing, and camping at a friend's house. I think it worked out well.

In June, we spent a day at Gettysburg National Battlefield. The museum features a 360-degree Cyclorama show featuring a huge circular mural depicting the battle.

3D elements are merged seamlessly with the mural.

This is the field across which Pickett's charge took place.

Here we are on Little Round Top. This is where Lt. Joshua Chamberlain ordered the famous charge while running out of ammunition to defend the Union flank.

This is a memorial celebrating the Gettysburg Address. The actual address was given on a spot in the cemetery about 300 yards from here.

Nearby is the home of President Eisenhower, also preserved by the National Park Service. I'm not usually one for house tours, but this one had the bonus of offering the kids a chance at earning a Junior Secret Service Badge (instead of the usual Junior Ranger badge). The Secret Service was started under Eisenhower and originally based here in Gettysburg.

This is Dave, spotting intruders at the gates.

Here the kids are doing the physical fitness portion of their training.

Eisenhower's personal putting green. He was even more of a golf fanatic than I am.

And here is the illustrious first headquarters of the Secret Service. No, not the big barn. It's the little add-on building there in the front.

At the end of the day, Drew ran into an old friend.

4th of July, Dover DE:

Beach Day:

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

School started in mid-August. Sarah was part of the field hockey team for the first time. She scored 2 goals this year (she's #7).

And she was also inducted into the National Junior Honor Society.

Somewhere in there we ended up at Fifer Orchards near Dover:

In mid-October, we drove up to New Hampshire to visit my brother. They'd had a baby son one day after Drew was born, and we hadn't had the chance to meet him yet.

We drove across the George Washington Bridge in NY for the first time (usually I avoid the city altogether). After paying the $13 toll, it was probably for the last time.

We visited a Natural History museum on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, CT.

While in New Haven, we met up with fellow DIS'er Tim (that's nice) and his wonderful family. We had a blast with them while eating at Modern Apizza.

We also stopped at an Italian bakery where Tim had me try something called a sfogliatelle. It's pronounced just like you'd think it would be.

We visited my brother near Portsmouth, NH and drove across the border to Fort McClary State Park in Maine. This was basically an excuse to get another state for Drew.

New England in the fall really is gorgeous. By the way, I recommend the Portsmouth Brewery as a good dinner spot. Had a good oatmeal stout there with my meal.

The next day we all went to Boston. We found the Make Way For Ducklings statues in Boston Common.

And we took a tour of Fenway Park, which was expensive but still cool. We did get a AAA discount there: $1 off our total cost. Gee, thanks, guys.

On top of the Green Monster:

They have a Mickey!

Nice view of the city:

Fall in Connecticut. You'd see a lot more color if this particular day hadn't been so dreary.

Finally, we did indeed carry through on our promise for Drew's Halloween costume. He got to be the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man:

Drew has now been to 14 states, and hasn't reached his 1st birthday yet! It was certainly an eventful year.

We'll be back to our regular programming in a couple of days. Happy New Year everyone!

 

[Steppesister]

That's a totally awesome re-cap of the year in pix! WOW! You've had some pretty sick adventures for sure.

One close friend, when she walked in to my hospital room after #4 was born said, "Is that the ONLY face you guys can make?!" You guys must be like that too. Kinda one size fits all.

Love the photos of Gettysburg! I'd love to visit there someday!

I'd love to hang out with Tim and Melody someday. I'm glad you all had such a great time together. So fun when a shared love turns into something so much more.

 

[KatMark]

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