Looking California, but Feeling Minnesota (With Apologies to Soundgarden)

While we were somewhat relieved to say farewell to Las Vegas, we loved the Cirque du Soleil show "Ka." It was the best thing on stage any of us had ever seen. We haven't included many recommendations in the family blog, but this one is unanimous. See Ka! It almost made up for the crowds, smokey lounges, and constant sensory assault. Almost.

Our crew of country mice headed back into the wide-open spaces of the desert. 

Our next stop was Joshua Tree National Park and it did not disappoint. While driving into the park and listening to U2's iconic album (of course), we were captivated by the rocks. Yes, the rocks.  

It is like an endless playground of things to climb over and on and jump around.  Walking through late in the day was beautiful. 

It was also the only time on our trip we saw another license plate from Vermont! Our plan was to camp but the frigid temps at night and high winds made us glad for our cozy Airbnb.

We headed through California to sunny San Diego. Ha!

However, we love this moment as it marks our travel from where Johannes grew up to where Liz grew up-  almost as far apart as you can get in North America as pictured below.

                            (Note: this was not our actual route as we were way more circuitous!)

Luckily we had some sunny days in California and the kids could appreciate the beauty of the town their mom grew up in (though they may have gotten a bit sick of the roots tour), ice skate at the mall where Liz learned, and share the joy of fish tacos. 

We got to visit family: Dan, Erin, Cadman, and Emma and learned about a new Danish game, Klask. Check it out! 

The tidepools near Liz's childhood home were just as great as she remembered.

As we rounded the bend of our around-the-continent tour, we started heading north. First stop was a family reunion in Huntington Beach to see more family - with surprise guests of Uncle Tom and Matt.

As noted at the beginning, time with family who we don't see as often was one of the goals of this year and we certainly did that. The cousins were so glad to be reunited.

We even got to see Liz's extended family as the kids got a taste of the Southern California lifestyle - beaches, In-N-Out Burger (spread!), and freeways.  

Johannes and Liz enjoyed a lovely dinner with Johannes' former colleague and now Dean of the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine Jon Gould and his partner Ann. They talked about life, travel, kids, and west coast living, while the kids got some extra GRANDMA TIME. 

Next, we headed to visit Liz's college friends in Pasadena, Linda and Rob and, most importantly, their adorable dog Disco. 

After a viewing of the iconic Hollywood sign and a stop at Liz's favorite LA attraction, the La Brea Tar Pits, we had a delicious Persian feast with Liz's elementary school bestie, Mina.

We had big plans but a BLIZZARD WARNING in LOS ANGELES led us to hole up in Oxnard, California for a few days until the weather cleared. Every now and then, we need a few down days. (Side note: the kids were so wiped from all the travel and visits that they decided against a trip to Disneyland. The adults may have been relieved.) There's not much to recommend in Oxnard but we stayed safe, had a super windy beach walk, and enjoyed the rest before heading north with a great stop in Pismo Beach between rain storms. 

Next up: Northern California and the iconic Redwoods! 

A Week of Winter

Before heading to the California coast, we drove north from Surprise, Arizona, to Flagstaff and the Arizona Snowbowl. It was cool, in just an hour, to drive from cactus and desert to ice and snow drifts. We skied for two days and had fun on this smaller hill, 10,000 feet above sea level. Our ski hills in Vermont might have more runs, but the highest mountain is just over 4,000 feet. 

It had been ten months since any of us had skis on, but we quickly found the runs we liked the most and had fun in the Arizona sunshine. Our hodgepodge of winter wear was just enough to stay warm. 

Next, we went to the Grand Canyon. Turns out, it is huge and very deep. Trev tested it by throwing a snowball (or four) in. We didn't hear it land. 

We had lunch in one of the canyon's original lodges. We watched a movie on the efforts by the Park to explore the area and encourage young people to appreciate the natural beauty of this unique landscape. Some in our family wanted to hike to the bottom of the canyon. Luckily, the majority still rules. Also, we didn't have our snowshoes.  

After a beautiful drive through the Painted Desert, we explored southern Utah. One of our serendipitous finds was these cool sand caves just north of Kanab, Utah. Definitely worth the scramble up the side of the mountain.

After a quick lunch, we headed to Bryce. This was a new park for all of us and quiet and beautiful. Unfortunately, pictures can't capture the uniqueness of the Hoodoos, which look like an impressive mixture of sand castles and gingerbread houses. Cool fact: the Paiute people who first lived in the area believed the structures were evil spirits turned into rock by the trickster god, Coyote, in punishment for their deeds, calling it the canyon of red faces and mostly avoiding the area -- which they called "oo'doo," meaning fear.  

After soaking up the views, we skated on a rink just outside the Park, and while Jo struggled with the rental figure skates (toepick!), Liz and Margaret had fun.  

Zion was one of the most beautiful parks we visited. We managed not to fall off the overlook and basked in the sun. 

We cruised along the relatively empty valley floor and hiked along the river to the slot canyon, the Narrows.

This was an incredible part of the world and one we would love to spend more time in. But just as some of us were experiencing "natural beauty overload," we headed to Las Vegas...